Re-integration

Well it's been over a week since the ending of the Whole 30 and I'm happy to report that I'm still mostly eating Whole30 approved foods!  For me, this is a HUGE change and I'm both proud and excited that the experience has changed my habits.  I still haven't had a bowl of cereal, a glass of milk, or a piece of regular ol' bread (or pasta).  I have had an AMAZING white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, a tiny bit of sour cream and cheese on my chipotle salad, and a few corn tortilla chips.  I did try eating a burger but ended up scraping off the ketchup and mayo because it just tasted artificial to me.  And I had only part of the bun because I didn't know how my stomach would react to gluten.

I can tell you that I do notice when I don't eat enough vegetables or have had more sugar than I should.    Thankfully.

I did branch out for happy hour on Thursday and have a vat of my favorite appetizer ever invented- Queso Fundido - from Chino Latino in Uptown.  It still tasted amazing but I noticed that while my stomach wasn't totally upset, it definitely didn't feel as awesome as it did while on the Whole30.

Chino Latino

The Epic Queso Fundido

Last night we had a friend over so I made homemade pizza, a previous weekly staple in our dinner repertoire.  Everyone else was impressed with the pizza (did they really think I'd forget how to make it?) but to me, it just didn't satisfy me the way it used to....maybe I just felt out of practice or maybe my taste buds have been reformed - who knows.  But I did indulge a little for dessert last night when I made chocolate covered bananas and strawberries rolled in coconut or nuts.  I do still like chocolate and I'm glad I can have it every once in awhile.

Today I made Grandma Rosen's amazing caramel rolls in preparation for her service next weekend.  I can only hope I've done her recipe justice and to represent the full 96 years of mastery.  I know you are jealous.

Nothing you've had could compare to Grandma Rosen's Caramel Rolls

Day 31

Boom!

Well, it's here.  The day after the completion of the Whole 30 challenge.  

I finished strong last night with a BBQ with some close friends.  We went from snowstorms to 70 degrees in a week.   So at the first hint of spring, we were itching be be outside and grab some Vitamin D, therefore, a BBQ was deemed necessary for our souls.  We had beef kabobs, tea, veggie roll ups, eggplant and fresh fruit.   The HolyLand garlicy hummus looked and smelled amazing, as well as the grilled potatoes but those were still off limits.  I knew there was only 6 hours left but I wanted to finish strong.  And I did.

Raw Zucchini, Carrot, Cashew Salad Rolls

I recommend doing mini roll-ups.  Trying to roll 8 zucchini together at the same time proved to be a first-timers nightmare.  Spread a teaspoon of guacamole and cashew spread over the zucchini, loads up with veggies and roll!  The hint of mint and cilantro provide a refreshing taste of summer!

I will say this....I did not do this challenge because it was my goal to lose any weight.  I had been slowly working on changing my diet a couple of years ago so I had reached a weight that I felt comfortable.  I realized that I spent all of college studying and drinking lattes.  No, really - I love to learn so I spent a majority of my time working a few jobs OR studying.  Nutrition wasn't quite my focal point at the time.  And when I graduated from college, I was probably 175 or 180 pounds on a 5'7-8" frame.  I started working out, hiking, playing derby and training for a marathon.  I lost weight but a couple of years ago, I wanted to really think about what I was eating and be more mindful about it.  I wanted to really eat three solid meals a day (previously I would skip meals because I was too busy at work).  I learned that you need to make time for your body to enjoy food.  And I lost more weight.

Before starting the Whole 30 my weight was just about (and even 5 pounds less) than the weight I was when I graduated high school.  And I'm sure you all already know this if you are aging - the weight just appears differently as you get older.

While my goal wasn't to lose weight, I am incredibly surprised to see the scales drop as much as they did.  I thought I'd lose a few pounds from eradicating all those delicious sugar treats I make as part of my job and part of my hobby (baking!) but I wouldn't have expected this much.

I did this diet because my stomach was acting weird.  My eczema was going crazy (hands and feet).  Was it from derby pads?  What it from my diet?  Everything I read pointed to my diet so I wanted something to help guide me in figuring out how my body responds to specific foods.  And, I wanted to be healthier.  Plus, I didn't want to go to a doctor who would just prescribe me a pill or a cream and be done with it.  I wanted to find the root of the issue, not just a band-aid.

The Results

                 Weight          Bust           Waist         Hips
Before        145               35"            31.5"         40"
After          135.4            35"            30"            37.5"

Aftermath

I am the first to say that it is important to have a well-balanced diet.  And I still believe that to be true.  I felt like I had a pretty well balanced diet before (I could still eat more veggies).  But the Whole30 helped me to realize that my body feels WAY better without those foods I depended on for so long - dairy, legumes, grains, SWEETS.   I didn't experience being "hungry", starving after a long day at work.  I didn't get the energy highs and lows throughout my day.  I was just always awake.  And, I think my husband would say that I wasn't an emotional nutcase - which he was worried of the chance that sweet, dairy and grain depravation would lead me to be an angry person without knowing it.

I'm going to slowly integrate foods back into my diet, starting with dairy to see how it goes and assess my body's reactions.  Then add some grains - evaluate and process.  But overall, I'd like to keep up what I've learned over the past 30 days and continue eating this way, for the most part.

Unlike running a marathon, I would definitely take on the Whole30 challenge again.  Next time, I'd like to focus on eating even more vegetables and trying to get rid of the "sweets".   Our minds are powerful things.  I know I personally need a challenge, something that helps keep me accountable to the rules - even if it's just knowing I'm doing a challenge.

For more information about the Whole30 check out: http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

Day 26

April 22, 2013

Heyo!

Well it's been quite awhile since I've last written.  We've had two huge snowstorms within the last week, making commutes less than desirable and cutting into my evening activities and writing.

My intention was to make this a daily journal, cataloging all of my new foods I have been trying while on the Whole 30.  I've read over and over again that keeping a food journal, helps you to not only be more reflective about what you are eating but can help identify if you have food sensitivities.  The only hiccup with keeping a food journal is that if you miss a day, it makes it incredibly difficult to get caught up.  Especially if you miss a few days in a row.  I'm pretty sure I have pieces of postings here and there, on this or that computer along with an updated cover letter, resume, a business plan, and other pieces I've been working on recently.

But to bring you up to speed here are the things I've been eating since Day 16.

• Meat - lots and lots of meat.
• Sweet Potato Fries - LOVE this recipe and I've now perfected it!
• Green Smoothie - because a little bit of fruit with a lot of spinach is a nice after work "cocktail"
• Broccoli - I despised this vegetable until recently starting the Whole 30.  I steamed it and then tossed it with a tiny amount of ghee and freshly cracked pepper and sea salt.
• Chicken Curry - best comfort food since we keep getting snowstorms in MN and it's almost May   
• Soup - my most favorite option for work lunches during the week!  Check out this tortilla-less soup recipe I got from my awesome co-worker who is also on the Whole 30 with me - we used pork!
• Tea - My go-to is caffeine free Good Earth Original.  I LOVE the cinnamon overtones!

I still feel really good (aside my reaction to raisins/dates).  I have WAY more energy at night.  And I've always been a morning person but I feel like I wake up even more "ready to go".  I don't have energy highs and lows and I never feel starving or have a deep hunger rumbling in my stomach.  To be honest, I haven't really worked out at all since April 6th (rollerderby championship game) so I'm not sure how my caloric intake would hold up to a rigorous work out schedule.  I would assume I'd need to consume even more vegetables.....since I'm consciously doing that on this first round of the Whole 30.  The biggest "problem", if we can even call it a problem at all, is that when you eat foods high in nutrients, they fill out up so you are less likely to over eat or feel super hungry.  You know...the kind of hunger where you definitely don't want to be in a grocery store because then you leave having purchased 2 boxes of different cookies, a frozen pizza, and a wealth of other treats.  Now, when I walk into Whole Foods, I can't wait to try their produce samples!  What happened to me?!?!?!?!?          

As I wrap up my last few days, I've been beginning to plan for life after the Whole 30.  I have some more reading to do to ensure I'm not going to get myself ill within the first 24 hours from eating donuts, cheese and pizza crust.  I end the Whole 30 this Friday but I have two major events this weekend - The Wheelies and a Spring Gala.  I'm going to give it my best effort to eat as cleanly as possible but I'm just not sure what will be offered on the menu.  That's the issue with going out to fundraisers, parties or just "out" in general....it takes a lot of work to know what's going in your food and how it's prepared.  I've found that it's easier to plan ahead and eat at home.

Until tomorrow!

Day 16

Friday, April 12th

Overview of Day
Breakfast:  two eggs, 2 slices of bacon
Lunch:  Cantaloupe, Carrot Ginger Soup
Dinner:  Rotisserie Chicken with Garlic Mashed Cauliflower; Mixed green side salad with onions, olives, tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette; 1 cup of coffee; fried bananas with cinnamon

When I got home from work today, I went on a cleaning/cooking spurt!  I had kale, medjool dates, cauliflower and salsa materials that I needed to use up.

So I've learned that my body HATES raisins and dates.  My body flat out rejects these items despite however small the quantities I eat are.  Stabbing pains in my stomach, almost so awful that the other night it woke me up and I felt like a trip to the hospital was in order!  After doing a lot of research, it is common that some folks have this issue.  Raisins and dates are high in fiber and since the stomach can't break it all down, it passes into the gut as this bloated mass of gas.  In talking with a friend, she said she had the same happen to her when she had black beans.  Sure enough, beans were on the list...but so were many other things.....even milk products.  The manfriend wondered why I didn't exhibited these symptoms before....and that's because I only ate raisins once a year (maybe) and medjool dates - NEVER.

So I'll try some supplements to help break down the fiber in foods but basically, I just need to stay FAR AWAY from anything that resembles a raisin. Watch out people.....raisins will stab you in the gut!

 The Lunch of "Orange"

Homemade Blueberry Muffin larabar straight out of the food processor

 Homemade Blueberry Muffin larabar, panned

 Kale Chips!

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower with 1 T. ghee

Pride & Inspiration

This isn't at all related to the Whole 30 challenge but I figured I'd write a little something about things that inspire me.  One of those things is the work of my students.  Sometimes I just want to burst with joy when I see what students can do and where their creativity brings them!  I think about where they were when they started my class and where they end up.  I think about how each of them struggles with one thing or another during the semester and by the end, mot are quite proficient in baking!

Here are some cool pics of the things students have created within a week or two of learning about cake decorating.  I can only imagine their greater success as we spend more time working on these skills this semester!

Where do you find your culinary inspiration?  Pinterest? Friends? Family? TV shows?

Day 15

Overview of Day
Breakfast:  two eggs, two pieces of bacon
Lunch:  Leftover Pot Roast
Dinner:  Taco Salad w/ guac and onions

Well, we didn't have a snow day today so I wasn't able to relax and catch up on my student's culinary adventures.  I guess that will have to wait until this weekend.  I was a little sad we didn't have a snow day because I knew that my 26 mile commute was going to be a rough one - and I was right!  It took me one hour and fifteen minutes to get to work today.  That's not the worst commute I've had but I do look forward to warmer weather, clear roads and sunshine on my commute.
During inclement weather I feel like I drive super cautiously mostly because I'm not interested in having  the air bags in my car deploy - the smell is one I won't forget.

After work, the roads were better so the commute home was normal.  I welcomed this as my friend was coming over to update my resume as soon as I got home.  While we were working, I had the manfriend prep the ingredients for the Carrot Ginger Soup.  Since I tend to make the soup, I completely forgot to tell him how I have modified the recipe.   For this particular recipe I just fry up the butternut squash with the onions and garlic rather than roasting it.  I also use chicken broth instead of water - this time I used 3 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of water.  He had piles of bright vegetables waiting for me.

I kicked him out of the kitchen because his eyes were watering from the strong onions, finished the soup and started to pull together some guacamole.  I really love this guacamole.  It's super easy and quick to pull together.  It goes well with...pretty much everything!

 The massive amount of vegetables for the soup!

 Delicious avocado with freshly squeezed lime juice

The soup in progress!

After I had the guac together, I needed to use the ground beef in our fridge.  So I made some taco meat.   I love making taco meat because it's one leftover that I actually enjoy eating.  I'm kind of weird about leftovers.  There are some things I love as leftovers but most things I'm just not interested in.  For the most part, I think I just get bored with leftovers.  I absolutely have no interest in reheated chinese food but curry is a different story.  Now that the King and I Thai restaurant closed its door, I really miss green curry.

I was hoping to try a curry recipe this weekend to shake things up.  Time to experiment to find a copy cat recipe...

Day 14

Overview of Day:
Breakfast:  Two eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, cup of tea
Lunch:  Leftover sweet potato chicken patty with a tiny portion of mashed root vegetables, cup of tea, handful of raisins
Dinner:  Leftover potroast w/ vegetables

If you haven't heard or read from afar, there is a massive winter storm moving into Minneapolis this evening.  Projected totals: 6-10 inches.  And it's supposed to snow more tomorrow!  I'm always intrigued at how weather patterns can drastically differ from year to year.  Last year, it was 80 degrees on St.Paddy's day and now it's mid-April with massive snow and ice storms.  If mother nature won't bring us spring, I'd settle for a horrible snowstorm making it impossible for children to go to school tomorrow!  I could really use a day on the couch, grading loads of blogs my students submitted recently.