Day 15: I'm Back!

I am FINALLY back in the swing of things, although not all better by any means!  I did eat my breakfast quiche, but I skipped lunch because I was not right.  I ate dinner, though, and now think I'm ok.  Dinner was prosciutto-wrapped chicken over mashed cauliflower.  I must say that, while I always liked cauliflower, I'm pretty much addicted to it now.  It is so versatile!  Anyway, I don't have a pic of the dinner, but the chicken was so easy if you want to try it. You can use whatever chicken you have. Pre-Whole30 I would also make these stuffed with Jarlsberg cheese.  But, let's not even talk about how wonderful that is...

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Asparagus
1 lb chicken tenders
1 slice of prosciutto for each tender
salt & pepper
olive oil 
broth
asparagus
shallots

Wrap each tender with prosciutto and secure with toothpick.  Pan fry in olive oil on med-high heat, turning to make sure all sides are browned.  Remove from pan & keep warm.  Add shallots (or onions or whatever) and asparagus.  Deglaze with broth and sautee until asparagus is crisp-tender.  That's it!  Again, I served it over the cauliflower mash with asparagus on the side.  Really quick, easy, and ridiculously good.

Day 14: Still Not Well

Day 14:
Woke up with an excruciating headache and had to take Advil.  To do that, I had to eat something (because I also always get sick if I take any meds on an empty stomach).  The only thing appetizing was a grapefruit, so that's what I had.  My headache eventually went away and my energy slowly came back enough to go shopping for the week.  But, my appetite did not return.  I had a couple of strawberries and a few bites of cauliflower when making the mash for the week.  That's it.  And, LOTS of water.  Tomorrow will be better.  I guess I don't count these days?  Who knows what to do in this situation? ADVICE? HELP!?

Day 13: Emergency Exception Invoked!

So, you may notice that my last post ended with lunch.  That would be because I did not feel so well at dinner time, as in I was very queasy, so I skipped dinner.  Then, between 11 pm and 12:30 am, my husband, my 10-year-old, and I systematically took turns visiting the bathroom with uncontrollable vomiting.  Surprisingly, the toddler and baby did not get sick (THANK YOU, Universe!), which made me think about possible food poisoning (rather than a daycare illness).  I found that cucumbers were tainted with salmonella, and since this would explain how we all got sick at the same exact time (we had shared cucumbers the previous night), this is the theory I'm sticking with.

Regardless, it was awful.  Fever, aches, excruciating stomach pain, vomiting, you name it.  It was a total of 12 hours before we could stomach any kind of liquid.  But, while they were fearful of sipping Gatorade due to the illness, I was fretting about what on earth I could have that would be ok on Whole30!  I researched a little bit, but any suggestions either sounded so unappetizing I thought I'd puke again, or I would have to go to the store to get them (which was not going to happen; I could barely make it up the stairs).  So, I gave myself permission to use an emergency exception to the Whole30 plan.  I do not consider this cheating or slipping up, particularly given how conscious I was about the choice.  I consider this my body's way of saying that sometimes it is more important to listen to my body than to follow a set of rules.  If this means I voided my first 12 days, then so be it.  But, I do believe I followed the spirit of the plan, even when very ill.  So, all I had on day 13 was a glass of ginger ale, 4 saltines, and some canned chicken soup.  I didn't have the chicken because that was repulsive to me.  Who knows what awful stuff was in the soup. I don't care.  It saved my life.  Or, so it felt!

Here's to hoping I feel well enough tomorrow to get back on-plan!

Day 12: True Love

Breakfast: Finished off that casserole, plus a grapefruit, and coffee.

Today's awesomeness brought to you by LUNCH! I was lucky enough to have lunch in Cherry Creek with my bestest friend at True Food Kitchen, which is based on Dr. Weil's anti-inflammatory diet.  I have the book, which I received from my momma, but going to a restaurant really brings it alive.  This restaurant is the perfect manifestation of a food consciousness change that is taking over, and it rocks.  There was a lot on the menu that I couldn't eat, but because they cater to people with all sorts of food intolerances, it was so easy to make substitutions. 

I started with a special drink called Kale-Aid (kale, apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, & ginger). 

It might not look great, but it was incredible! 
Then, I had the turkey burger (without cheese or bun) and a side of kale salad (sans parm) and sweet potato hash.  Holy yummers!

BONUS: They messed up the burger the first time around, giving me the cheese, so they gave it to me for free. That's $12!  This is not a cheap place, but the ingredients are certainly all about eating whole foods.  Excellent.  Now if we can just get a drive-thru near my house...

Day 11: BUST

One benefit I noticed that is going to sound odd is that I no longer have the stress of thinking about what I am going to snack on.  This makes no sense, but yet is true!  I didn't realize it, but I used to fret about making sure I brought enough for breakfast, lunch, and snacks to work.  Now I only bring lunch and don't have to bother with food the rest of the time (because I don't need to feed the addiction). 

Today I was rushed for time.  I barely had time to wolf down my breakfast casserole and was pretty hungry by lunchtime.  But, because of circumstances I hadn't anticipated, we went out to lunch to Chipotle.  I just got lettuce, carnitas, and guac (thank you Rose).  It was ok.  I mean, I wasn't not hungry.  But, that was very disappointing.   Not doing that again if I can help it!

Dinner: Grilled salmon (with lemon and dill) over sauteed asaparagus & onions, with a side salad.

Dinner was again just ok and did the job.  But, I didn't love anything today related to food.  Oh well!  Maybe next time...

Day 10: OMG Chicken

Breakfast: Casserole + grapefruit + lemon in water + coffee

Lunch: OMG Chicken
I just came up with that name right now. I was trying to think of a good name for the combo I threw together, and all I could think of was "OMG."  So, there ya go. OMG Chicken!   This is what it looked like before I inhaled it:

You might think this was nothing special. But, you would be wrong.  This is leftover grilled chicken (was grilled with just cayenne, s & p), with a schmear of roasted garlic, and guacamole on top.  The guac was fresh, but the rest was thrown together.  The flavors were amazing!  I also had some red peppers and a side salad.  Perfection.


Dinner: Lemon & Basil Crock Pot Chicken and Spicy Cauliflower
My changes to these recipes are here.

Lemon & Basil Chicken
Used chicken tenders instead of a full chicken
Used 1 and 1/2 onions to fully cover the bottom of the crock pot
I did not use the coconut milk.
It was good, but nothing great. I will have to tweak it to make it a regular

Spicy Cauliflower
I used regular cauliflower instead of purple
Used olive oil instead of coconut oil
Used dried parsley b/c that's all I had
THIS WAS AMAZING! It was so good I almost ate it all before I even put it on the plate.  And, I got so distracted by my need to eat it that I forgot to take a picture of my dinner!  But, trust me. You want to try this one!

Day 9 (of Whole30): A Momentary Sense of Calm + Coconut Aminos!

So, I had a tough day.  I did go back to work because the baby is feeling better, which is great, but in addition to the work I didn't do yesterday, I also had to deal with some work-related drama.  I have always been good at quickly seeing the problem and a solution, however this time I did so with a sort of clarity and without a certain level of emotion.  I was still angry, frustrated, disappointed, and dreading my conversations.  But I didn't feel the need to find food to cope.  Later, I had a difficult conversation with the higher-ups, during which I was calm.  Anyone who knows me assumes I am joking or lying right now.  I am not doing either.  It felt good.

This is not to say that I didn't snap at my kids this morning.  Nor does it mean that I won't over-react to drama at work in the future.  This just means that today, in that moment, I did not.  And, I am so happy for that.  I don't know if it has anything to do with the diet, but, because I would love to feel a tad in control, let's just say it was. K? Thanks.


Breakfast: Made another casserole, this time with two types of mushrooms. It is a little bit too mushroom-y, but I'll eat it happily!

Lunch: Leftover chocolate chili

Dinner: Baked sweet potato, leftover eggplant & tomatoes, and grilled chicken sate

I "baked" the sweet potato in the microwave (7 minutes) and added a little ghee.  Just heated the leftover eggplant/tomato mixture.  The work was in the chicken sate.  I made my favorite recipe for the rest of the family, but adjusted the ingredients for myself.

Chicken Sate for One
1 skewer full of chicken
1 TB coconut aminos
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp lime zest
1/2 lime of juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Marinate the chicken in the rest of the ingredients for about 15 minutes.  Place on hot grill until cooked.  EAT! ;)  Very easy. It did NOT taste like the original recipe, but it was very good, IMO.  This is my first time trying coconut aminos! If you have any good ideas for using it, let me know.

Day 8 (of Whole30)

Today I was home. All day. With the baby, who is sick.  I am very grateful to have a job that allows me the ultimate flexibility, but it does stress me to no end to have my little baby unhealthy and know that work is piling up in the background.  Some day, when I have this eating thing down, I will write about my idea of "Supermom."  I will call it Redefining 'Super' and talk about how balance is the true definition of success, such that perfection in either work or family means failure in the other.  There I was, failing both!  Why on earth am I talking about this?  Because this.  THIS.  This feeling of failing but still having a chance to succeed very clearly created the strongest, most toxic urge to eat off-plan I have yet experienced!  I wanted to eat that stress like you would not believe.  (Why my stress is never manifested as a cucumber or piece of lettuce, I will never know.)  The cookies I baked the other day were calling my name.  The milk!  I HATE MILK!  But, even it was calling from my coffee cup.  Everything.  And, I am sad to say that if it weren't for my baby needing me to hold him pretty much every second of the day, I would have caved.  I know I would.  I heard my excuses starting in the back of my mind.  I felt myself thinking of loopholes and exceptions and backup plans.  But, my hands were in use (thank goodness), so I didn't do it.  And, the few moments of peace I had when the baby slept, I used to get a bit of work done.  Not exactly what I had in mind when I talked about balance, above, but hey--I'm not perfect!

Day 8 Breakfast: Asparagus & egg scramble + berries.

Day 8 Lunch: Leftover chili + apple w/ almond butter

Day 8 Dinner: Meat Sauce 

Given my essential failure of last night's dinner, which resulted in almost every (other) member of the family having bowls of cereal later in the evening, I felt compelled to go back to basics.  Behold, my spicy meat sauce!  I made something my husband loves WITH pasta (for them) and over baby kales for me.  We can all exhale now.  We have another winner.

My "recipe," is really simple (and below), if you care to try it.  I omitted the cheese and wine, but you can omit any of the spices here and it will still be good. 

Meat Sauce
1-2 TB olive oil
chicken broth (just some on-hand to prevent burning)
1 onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes (I use a lot b/c I like it spicy.)
canned no-salt chopped tomatoes (I'm trying to reduce salt; you can use any tomatoes, or fresh!)
fresh basil, chopped

Saute onion in olive oil until just translucent.  Add ground beef (and broth, as necessary, to keep from sticking).  Once beef is no longer pink, add garlic, s & p, red pepper flakes, oregano.  Stir for about 30 seconds and then add tomatoes.  Lower heat and simmer until all flavors are incorporated and texture is thicker.  I usually taste mine about 10 minutes later, then add spices as necessary.  Add fresh basil just before serving.  I served mine over baby kales.

Day 7 (of Whole30): Chocolate Chili

Well, folks, that's one week down!  It was a whirlwind week, with starting this way of eating almost without any planning (not recommended, btw), having a house guest (who luckily has eaten this way for years), and baby getting a very high fever for a few days due to roseola (thus leaving me with even less sleep).  I did not let any of it get me off-course.  And, although I can't say I am feeling the benefits of weight loss or less irritability (that one might be genetic), I suppose, given everything I went through, on balance I am up on energy!  So, once I actually sleep on a regular basis, that ought to feel amazing.

This coming week I will add a new challenge, which I hope I can take well beyond the 30-day challenge.  Assuming my boot comes off my once-broken foot on Wednesday, I would like to reintroduce at least 30 minutes of pilates at least 3 days this week.  Ideally, I would like to do this in the morning, because in the past I've been most successful crossing exercise off my list early.  I have plenty of DVDs to work from, but with the kids needing so much in the morning, I am going to look into what places have either early morning classes or classes later in the day (just before pickup).  With any luck, I can do this between dropping off kids and going to work (or between work and kids)!  I will keep you posted on what I find.  

Day 7: Breakfast
The last of the breakfast casserole. :( I have to make another one, but until then, I will just scramble up something when I make the kids' breakfasts.

Day 7: Lunch
The most awesome leftover Pesto Chicken over a LOT of baby kale and the rest of the grilled yellow squash.  Next time I make that chicken I will definitely have to make a ton more for lunches, because I think it was even better the next day.  Of course, I was very hungry, which is probably why I also had celery with almond butter.  I was sitting across from my husband, who was eating a wonderfully smelling and way-too-tempting lunch of a grilled-cheese sandwich, a sliced mango (not a big deal because I am very allergic to mangoes) with a side of...CHEESE (awesome Jarlsberg in big chunks).  Hot cheese with a side of cheese.  Oh, and a Coke, of course.  I wanted it all, so I did what any normal person would do: I ate my celery and almond butter with anger. Probably didn't do anything but make me get through that difficult moment, but that's no small thing!  So, yay anger?  Ummm.... I might have to revisit that logic.

Day 7: Dinner
So, I made the Chocolate Chili from the book Well Fed, but which I got from getting the free eBook sample.  I did order the book afterwards, and the chili was good, but I was not in love with the flavors. Much to my father's dismay, this has not only chocolate but the dreaded cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg combo!  I prefer my veggie chili, which is pretty much Whole30-friendly already; I just need to get rid of the beans and maybe add mushrooms or more peppers for bulk.  It just doesn't have meat in it, so I will have to serve it with (or perhaps over) grilled chicken or something.  Anyway, the chili certainly had depth of very interesting flavor (and it will be my lunch for a couple of days), but it just wasn't my cup o' tea enough for me to make this a staple.  Plus, my husband doesn't like meat in his chili, so this is a bust. 

Note: I actually halved the recipe to fit the ingredients I had on-hand, and added chopped red bell pepper, chopped yellow squash and zucchini, cayenne, and hot sauce.  I served in in a bowl over kale for extra veggies, but it turns out that I don't like kale in that context!  I love kale, but something softer like a chard or spinach would have worked better.  

When I make my veggie chili recipe, I will let you know how it works.  In the meantime, let me know if you have made tweaks to this recipe, or if you have another chili recipe you think is great. 

Day 6 (of Whole30): Grilled Pesto Chicken

Because breakfast was just the breakfast casserole and a grapefruit, and lunch was leftovers as well, I'm focusing this post on dinner, which was a resounding success, IMO.

Day 6: Dinner
I'm really excited about this one because it involved succesfully repurposing some recipes I use often.  As I said to my house guest, I'd rather tweak something I know by heart than have to think about a new recipe (when I'm tired, anyway).

This is grilled pesto chicken over eggplant & tomatoes with a side of grilled yellow squash.  Also had, but not pictured, was celery, cucumbers, and bell peppers for dipping into the guacamole (avocado, tomatoes, onion, lime juice, tobasco, celery salt).

Pesto Chicken
Puree in food processor all of these ingredients: 2 c basil leaves, 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 c almonds (I've used pine nuts and walnuts before, but I had a bunch of almonds), s & p, and olive oil.  What is missing?  The parmesan cheese.  And, perhaps on pasta I could tell the difference, but grilled on chicken it just tasted goood.  I marinated the chicken (2 lbs) for about an hour in the sauce and then my husband grilled them. [Note that I had purchased scallopini chicken, but if I hadn't it would have made sense to pound and tenderize the chicken to best absorb the marinade.]

Grilled Yellow Squash
Peel squash and slice length-wise into good-sized "steaks" (so they are easier to work with on the grill).  Toss with olive oil and s & p.  Add to grill toward the end of the chicken cooking.  Done and done! 

Eggplant Sautee
1 TB olive oil
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
2-3 c diced fresh tomatoes (I had to use canned, organic, no-salt b/c I was out of tomatoes)
1 onion, diced
broth
s & p

Saute onions and salted eggplant in olive oil, adding broth as necessary to prevent burning, until eggplant is soft.  Add tomatoes and cook until heated through.  (The actual recipe calls for feta, which tastes awesome, but I just omitted it, which left the dish as a sweet balance to the garlicky chicken.  It also calls for garlic, but I didn't want to over-power the dinner with garlic, so I left it out.)  One child ate some of the chicken, but I'll be honest, he and his brother mostly ate the leftover pizza.  My husband had the chicken over pasta, which he shared w/ one child.  So, I'm still cooking several meals that somewhat over lap, sometimes.  One step at a time!

There's plenty left over for lunch, so this is really a great weekend meal! 

Baking In The Face Of Whole30!

In case you question my dedication to either this diet or my children, I made THESE today for my kiddos:

AND these:

And I ate NONE of it.  And, much more importantly, I didn't even WANT to eat any of it.

HOOO. Freakin. Ray!!!

Day 5 (of Whole30): Fat Flush Similarities

Years ago, I tried the Fat Flush Plan (FF), and achieved success (based on my goals then).   That is also when I started a daily Pilates routine, so the two worked very well together.  Although Whole30 and FF share a lot of ingredients, the strategy is slightly different. 

In FF, you can't have sugar or dairy, but you also don't have red meat.  In addition, you MUST eat a certain amount of vegetables from various lists, each list focusing on supporting an organ.  For example, just to support the liver, you need to eat at least 1/2 c cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.), 1/2 c green leafy veggies (kale, chard, parsley, etc.), 1/2 c citrus fruit (lemon, orange), and sulfur-rich foods (garlic, onions, eggs, etc.), and "liver healers" (artichoke, asparagus, beets, celery, etc.).  That is a lot to think about, but once you get the lists down and figure out some recipes, what you realize is that once you eat all of those, plus all the food to support the colon and other vital functions, you are full. 

Why on earth am I talking about this?  Well, it came to mind because I was browsing the FF recipes I used in the past to see if they could be repurposed now.  There are plenty to choose from, which I will share as I incorporate them.  But, thinking about specific veggies for different purposes makes it somehow easier for me to add variety to the veggies I am choosing, rather than always settling on a particular one or two.  This will not only help me (and my palate) from getting bored, but I believe it will improve all of my organ functions.  With so much stress on the liver from detoxing, and so much protein taxing the kidneys, I think this awareness is pretty important. 

Just a thought!  As long as I am trying to create new habits, why not also add this depth of understanding to my plate? 


FYI:
Day 5 breakfast was the casserole and coffee, lunch was leftover thai chicken, and dinner was...wait for it...MORE leftover thai chicken!  And, the rest of the family ordered pizza.  I was tempted, but resisted.  We had some fresh pineapple for dessert.  (OMG it is only 98 CENTS per pineapple at Sprouts this week!!)

Recipe: Breakfast Casserole

The breakfast casserole quiche thing is working out so well, I will definitely make another one for the week!  I still can't find the recipe that inspired it, but here is what I did, in case you want to try it. 

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
olive oil (1-2 TB)
roasted red pepper (2 jars)
mushrooms (1-2 packages, pre-sliced)
onions (1, sliced)
asparagus (1 bunch)
eggs (12)
oregano
basil
salt
pepper
cayenne
tomatoes (2 large, sliced)
fresh basil leaves

Grease a lasagna pan with olive oil.  Layer veggies (except tomatoes).  Beat eggs with spices and pour over veggies evenly.  Place sliced tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with more pepper and cayenne (don't do too much salt).  Chop basil leaves and layer on top.  Bake in 375-degree oven until baked thoroughly (at least 30 min).

Day Four (of Whole30)

Day Four

No headache yesterday, but because I stayed up late and woke up late, I felt like I started the day behind the 8 ball.  A giant coffee with coconut milk and a half grapefruit helped get me back on track. 

Day Four: Breakfast

Made a breakfast casserole the day before inspired by a recipe I can't find.  It basically involved layering a lot of veggies in a lasagna pan and covering with eggs.  Now, although I will eat the same thing for breakfast each morning, I don't have an extra pan to clean. Woohoo!

Day Four: Lunch

Lovely leftovers!  Chicken with the 40 cloves with mixed baby kale. Not sure my office-mates liked the aroma, but I sure did!

Day Four: Dinner

Thai chicken again, but this time w/ almond butter and sweet potatoes, and a side salad.  Neither substitution worked, in my opinion.  It was trying to hard to be something it wasn't.  The sweet potatoes were too soft and the almond butter too obviously not peanut butter.  Next time I'll just omit those.  Gave the rest of the family French bread with the rest of the roasted garlic.  That was really hard to resist, but I did.  So, this would be your run-of-the-mill Thai/French/Italian dinner.  Not sure what was going on there!

Bonus: I pureed coconut milk and fresh pineapple and put it in the freezer.  It wasn't quite ice cream (too much water, so more like an Italian ice), but it was good after dinner!

Day Three (of Whole30)

And on the third day...

I've been surprisingly (and also not surprisingly) inspired by all of the recipes out there.  I like being creative with my cooking and trying new things; this diet is just changing the goal of each meal.  Trolling the interwebs, I've found some great ideas and inspiration.  For example, this morning I asked my local barista to create a concoction using only coconut milk and her awesome shots o' caffeine.  She did so and it was really good!  It might be a post-this-diet keeper!  Of course, this was after breakfast...


Day 3: Breakfast
You know the weather is yucky when your 2-year-old says, "Mommy! What happened to the sky? It all gone!"  This is (in part) why I was pulled to get a fancy coffee.  It is also why making a hot, giant breakfast was easy.  I made eggs (shocker!), this time with asparagus (yes, there was a sale), mushrooms, tomatoes, and shallots.  I also had a half of a grapefruit, which was like heaven to this fruit-obsessed freak.  Also, I think I should get extra credit for the fact that I cooked french toast for the kids AND DIDN'T WANT ANY OF IT!  So, the not craving part credit should go to the diet.  But the cooking it and tempting the sugar gods was all me.  I live on the edge.


Day 3: Lunch
Leftovers are my best friend these days.  I made an extra burger for lunch, along with extra cauliflower rice & mash. Tomatoes atop roasted garlic cauliflower mash, atop leftover grilled burger, atop mixed baby kales, atop cauliflower rice!  Tada!

And, for a special treat (oh, how I miss fruit!), apples with almond butter.  It was ok, but I can do without the almond butter here.  I bet it will be good in place of peanut butter in my chicken sate recipe, though...TBD

Still getting headaches at around 2-2:30, but not hungry, so I assume it is my body detoxing, per the book, and not getting enough water.  I drink a ton of water, but I just have to drink more. 

Day 3: Dinner
This is the one I am most proud of because it was a recipe I wanted to try BEFORE the diet.  Slow cooker chicken with 40 cloves of garlic!  The only person who would not like this is my brother, due to his childhood fear of garlic.  Alas, he was not invited to this dinner, so neener neener to him. ;)  I served the rest of the gang rice and gave myself  sauteed brussels sprouts (with onions in broth) and a giant salad.

Day Two (of Whole30)

Day 2 of 30!

I woke up with a baby smacking my face.  Nothin' better than that cute smile to start my day!  Unfortunately, because everyone slept in, I was late getting started and, yada yada yada, here I am at work with a hat on.

But, while I might not be the freshest smelling person on the block, I did not cut corners when it came to my meals.  Yay, me! 

Day TWO: Breakfast

This is a terrible picture, but it is eggs with mixed baby kale, asparagus, and shallots.  If I can have eggs every morning, I will be ok.  I might boil some tonight so in the morning I can have a little variety.  We'll see...

Day TWO: Lunch

I had more of the leftover grilled chicken with sauteed greens and mushrooms.  Not exciting, but it got the job done.  I also had a baked sweet potato.  And, by "baked," I mean "microwaved for 7 minutes." 

I'm REALLY thirsty, so I've been drinking water like crazy and have started drinking mint herbal tea, which is also helping me crave my chewing gum craving. 


Day TWO: Dinner
Hamburger night!  The beauty of hamburger night has always been that 3 out of 4 people in my family eat the meal.  That is a full 50% better than most meals!  So, it is always cause for celebration.  The 10-year-old will just have to deal with a chicken or shrimp somethingorother.  My burger has guacamole atop (just avocado, onion, tomato, s & p, and celery salt, which I have confirmed is kosher for Whole30), and is over a bed of greens (mixture of romain and arugala).  I also had radishes and green peppers for nom-noming. And, BOTH some cauliflower rice (sans butter) and roasted garlic cauliflower mash.  It. Was. Goooooood.

Day One (of Whole30)

In this, the last year of my 30's and 6 months after giving birth to child #3, I've been looking for something to jump-start my journey back to health, energy, and fitting-into-my-clothes.  So, even though I am still getting up during the night to care for said child, because I was inspired by a friend who talked about her success, I have decided to try Whole30 and tell the world about my journey here. I hope someone else will be inspired, or will give me a good recipe! 

DAY ONE: Breakfast

I woke up this morning ready to tackle my first day.  I cooked up a ton of eggs with asparagus, leeks, and arugula, with a little avocado. 

I usually eat eggs on matzos, so I used bell peppers to give me the crunch factor.  Certainly, it was no replacement for the matzos, but it was good and satisfying!  Meal one of three for the day down.

DAY ONE: Lunch

I've been pre-packing lunches for my kids the night before for a while, so my challenge was just about WHAT to pack. I decided on leftover marinated grilled chicken over a kale and mushroom mixture I'd already made.  BONUS: I was able to put some of the chicken in my toddler's lunchbox, too!

I lasted until 11:30, which is pretty good, given that I normally have to eat a muffin or some oatmeal at 10.  However, the headache started at 11, along with the bad taste in my mouth. I brushed and flossed, but all I wanted was gum or a diet Coke!  Because diet Coke doesn't grow on trees and gum is (apparently) the most awful thing ever, I resisted.

DAY ONE: Dinner 

This one was easy breezy because it is something I eat all the time, with a little tweaking.  It is the slow-cooker recipe of Thai Chicken Curry, minus the potatoes, peanuts, and peanut butter.  Next time I will add sweet potatoes.  I love finding recipes I already use that will work. Yay!  No pic (I forgot), but here is the full recipe: http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=397911