Day 23: Need to Remember to Eat...

This is what I am going to do next week...

One more week to go! Next Tuesday I am freeeeee. But I am not going to go ape shit or anything. I have 6 hours of class the next day so it's going to be a rather calm night. I almost don't even want to treat myself because I feel so good with my progress. Today I joined a gym for the first time EVER. It's only $1 a day with no contract - I pay month by month and can cancel at any time. It's a super great deal and when I pay for things I feel obligated to use them. So exercise + Whole30 = (should equal) GOLD.

I don't have a lot of update today... except for I have been so busy getting used to grad school and all the reading that I honestly sometimes forget to eat. It's like I am not hungry until about 3 hours after I wake up and then if I eat meal 1 at that time the rest of my meals are thrown off. It is also hard not to eat an entire meal in the middle of class. For example, tomorrow I have class from 9-12 and then 2-5. So I should eat before 8, from 12-1:30, and then after 5. Well I am planning on working out early in the morning before class, which doesn't leave a lot of room to eat. And then I have an appointment at 5:30. So I am really going to have to make sure I eat enough and at good times throughout the day. People who say they honestly have time for everything they want to accomplish during the day are full of crap.

My "dessert" = pear with cinnamon 

The lesson here is that eating is important. I know that I should enjoy every meal and not scarf it down. But it seems like my life does not allow for this. Besides, my schedule changes every day so I am constantly on the go, not on the go, at home, not at home. I am not complaining because I enjoy what I do and my hard work is going to pay off. I am just saying there is a delicate balance between eating and my schedule. Sometimes I need to remind myself to eat, which is probably caused by stress but honestly I think that by eating fresh, natural, and unprocessed foods my stomach has "shrunk". Or I am more frequently satiated if you want to put it that way. Either way you put it, I am feeling full more easily and I am forgetting to eat. The good and bad of Whole30 coupled with grad school...

Day 12: Grillin & Chillin

Cute lil' guys

Friday. Thank God for Friday's. When you work 5 days a week Friday has such a different meaning. It's fabulous. Fabulous Friday. Food wise today was a good day. Nothing special or out of the ordinary included in my diet. I have a good amount of leftover and thawed meat that I need to eat so I keep eating the same things over and over again. I have been slacking on recipe experimenting and sauce making. I still have yet to make the mayo! Something that I am dying to make. And I want to make the BBQ sauce so I can make BBQ pulled chicken in the crockpot (you know who you are). Won't be the exact same without a bun and some cheddar cheese but it'll still be dee-lish.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with some of those small red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers. Those are so convenient and I think they have a better taste than bigger bell peppers. I would recommend experimenting with them because they can for sure go in more things than just eggs. An added bonus is that when you cut them they sometimes turn out like cute little flower things (see picture above).

Lunch was a salmon salad because I still have some of that sockeye and it's still good, but I have to eat it fast. It's strange how much flavor and satisfaction I can get from a gown of kale mix, spinach, salmon, olive oil, and lemon juice. Before Whole30 I would've added nuts and cheese and some heavy low-fat dressing that I thought was semi healthy because it had zero calories. It's amazing how much healthier you can be if you make your own sauces and dressings. Salads become so unhealthy once you douce them in Ranch dressing. Or even fat-free or low-fat balsamic vinegar, which contains a good amount of sugar in it. It does take more effort to make your own stuff but once you make a jar it can last you. Bottom line is that I need to get on that shit. Get off my lazy butt. Especially with classes starting next Wednesday. I won't have a ton of free time...

Hey! Can we have some?

I am dog sitting for Jim and Marianne this weekend. Bully #1: Simon. Bully #2 Barkley. They're my pals. Bonus - they have a nice gas grill that I grilled some pork loins on. I must admit that today was the very first time I have EVER grilled on a real grill. I mean, I own a George Foreman but let's be real people - it doesn't compare to a grill. My pork loins turned out good for my first time. They were a little dry because I think I might've left them on the grill a little too long. But hey, I'm learning. Simon and Barkley sure looked like they wanted some pork! Just look at those faces. Adorbs.

Day 10: Double Hump & Double Digits Day

Today I hit double digits and I am almost halfway there... I am almost to 15 that is. I have to admit I get really confused with the whole "30 days" thing. This may sound super blonde (don't get offended all you blonde people, this isn't your first rodeo) but I feel like 30 days should just be 1 month. I started August 11th and I want to finish September 11th... Wait now I am rethinking that. Okay I am just typing as I go people. So technically I will be done September 10th. But that's a wednesday and I don't like that. So I am going to be done September 12th, which is a Friday so I can have a celebratory alcoholic beverage. Don't judge me. Now that we got all of that cleared up, I know you
guys were super concerned with when my stop date was...

Today was a good day for food. I enjoyed my meals and I felt like I was satiated all day today, which is what matters. Breakfast was some chicken and carrots that I slow cooked in my crockpot while I was sleeping. It was quite simple to prepare. Last night I cut up some carrots, celery, and onion (into big chunks) and tossed them in the bottom of the slow cooker - oh and 1 lemon quartered. I then covered the whole chicken that I got from Sprouts in a rub made from paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and some thyme. Then I just plopped the chicken into the crockpot, turned it on low for 8 hours, and slept. Now I've read a few places that you're only supposed to cook chicken for 6 hours. But this came out juicy and flavorful and I was quite pleased with it. I think next time I will try different spices so that I can get a different kind of flavor. Overall it was a success. I love my slow cooker.


Lunch was a salmon salad. I took some of the leftover sockeye I baked the other night and laid it on a bed of kale mix and spinach. Drizzled some olive oil and squirted some lemon over top for the "dressing" and it tasted really good. Simple but filling. Dinner was the crockpot chicken and carrots with some applesauce and cinnamon. I did snack on some fruit today... possibly a little too much. I had cantaloupe, raspberries, and blueberries. They were really good and probably only 2 servings, which I think for the entire day is fine. I also bought some Rooibos tea and some magnesium (powdered form). Rooibos is an herbal non-caffinated tea that has antioxidants, and magnesium is supposed to be the "anti-stress" drink... I am about to take some before I go to bed so I will let y'all know if I am feeling less stressed. HAHA - ya right ;)

One more random note... I had some random cravings today about having whipped cream and gum and little things like that. It's only day 10 but sometimes it feels like I've been doing this for forever. I wouldn't say I am a person that has a crazy sweet tooth either. But I really really miss lattes. Like a lot. And it's fall and Starbucks is about to release the PSL on 25 August... it's going to be so hard not to get one. I think after Whole30 I will indulge on PSLs every once in a while. Shit happens. Pumpkin spice happens.

Kimchi, Kombucha, and... Sauerkraut?

Yummm cabbage

Today I did some research and figured out some possible solutions to my... issue... I am going to try a few things and hope they help. First, I am going to start eating naturally fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut. According to Whole30, " raw fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut and kimchi... provide a rich source of nutrition and digestion-enhancing enzymes. The fermentation process also provides natural probiotics, helping the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of bacteria by increasing the “good guys.”" (It Starts With Food p.157) And they recommend including these fermented veggies in your diet a few times a week. 

Doesn't look as glorious now does it?

Second, I am going to try Kombucha - even though Wikipedia says: Drinking kombucha has been linked, in rare cases, to serious side effects and deaths, and improper preparation can lead to contamination. Seems legit... All the health nuts are drinking it so why the hell not. It is approved on Whole30 as long as it doesn't have any added sugars. So I am gonna give it a try. If it'll help get my regular, by all means let's do it.

Third, I am going to order some fish oil from this website (I am getting the starter kit). In liquid form. Yes people, liquid (flavored) fish oil. Yumm. This is supposed to, for lack of better words, lube up my system. Ya, shit just got real. No pun intended. Third and a half, I am going to start taking super enzymes, or digestive enzymes. These are supposed to help with digestion. Duh. Whole30 has a supplement evaluation checklist that you can use to see if the supplements you take are Whole30 approved. They also have a list of specific supplements they take and why they take them. But supplements are a topic for another post.

I hope mine turns out like this...

Of course I am not going to do these things all at once. Especially because I probably won't purchase my fish oil until I get paid, and I may not even like the taste of Kimchi. I am going to trythis recipe (omitting the sugar - obvi) and see. It's kinda creepy though because you have to store it in a dark place for like 3 days. I guess when you personally pickle or ferment something it's different than just grabbing a jar of pickles off of the shelf. Or out of the 'frigerator if you're Kevin and love your Claussens. But something's gotta happen soon, and I am willing to take dire measures (aka ferment cabbage in the crevasses of my apartment) in order to get my gut bacteria in order. Guess my body is just getting used to changes like anything else...

Day 9: Spice It UP!

Spice-adise... get it?

Today after work I found my new favorite place. The spice aisle at HEB. No I am not talking about
the one with all the little red caps and random Mexican spices. I am talking about the Mecca... well the Mecca of plain 'ol grocery stores. It's really neat because they have all of these fresh and organic spices and some spice mixes in these big jars and you can get baggies and put as much or as little as you want. Okay, now I am sure you all have seen these types of things before and just kind of walked by because it looked expensive. Well it's actually cheaper. And you can control how much you want. I bought like 10 spices (half of the names I couldn't even pronounce) for like $5. 'Twas amazing. One huge plus of Whole30 is that it is forcing me to try new things that I would've never tried before. Like the spice arrowroot. It's in a few of the recipes I am going to try and I still have no idea what it is. My advice to all of you is pick a new recipe with some new and exotic spices! It really does make a difference.

My breakfast was something that I used to eat almost every day with Kev (minus the chicken). Good 'ol spinach and eggs with some garlic powder and basil. They sometimes get a little soggy because of the water in the spinach, so you have to be careful. But it's a great way to get your green veggies and your protein. I put it in this neat little cube thing I got from the Container store. Sistema makes them and I love them. You can also find them at Target and Bed Bath & Beyond. They clip in place so you don't have to worry about them opening in your bag. They carry a bunch of different types and microwavable ones and soup bowls and ya. Check 'em out on Amazon as well. My next investment is going to be in one of their salad containers. They're neat but they're like $15 so yaaaaa.... not really rolling in the dough at the moment.

Colorful, tasty, and healthy

If there was an award for most Ghetto Whole30 dinner tonight's dinner would probably win. I got some of the leftover ground turkey, tomato paste, and green chile sauce and put it all together in the microwave. To me, that is pretty ghetto for some reason. I just didn't feel like cooking tonight. That's one thing that the Whole30 will do to you - force you to cook like a madman. I am constantly cooking and dicing and chopping and stirring and washing and frying and sautéing and sizzling and drizzling and scooping and plopping and freezing and... well yea you get the picture. My hands are so

pruney from washing them that I desperately need some hand salve or some straight up vaseline. Ew. Overall though, I am very pleased with how I feel on Whole30. I definitely have more energy and it's sustained energy. Meaning I don't really feel the 3 o'clock slum. The one complaint I do have (stop reading now if you're a pansy or embarrassed easily) is that my bowel movements are just not as regular as I thought. What is up with that? I eat so many veggies and it's like nuh'in. Ok that's enough TMI for the day. That's all folks...