Day 44: End of “Whole 30” and Beginning of “Gluten 30”

After my reaction to gluten I checked with my doctor who thinks I should get tested for Celiac Disease.  No problem, right?  Wrong. I need to do a “Gluten Challenge” and eat a “gluten rich” diet for at least 30 days before I get tested.  When I asked what “gluten rich” meant, she said: breads, processed foods, pizza crusts, cakes, and baked goods. Every meal, in a material quantity, not just once a day or a few bites. I actually laughed out loud when I heard this. I lol-ed.  For the first time in my life I have little desire to consume that stuff on a regular basis, but I have to. For at least 30 days. For science.

I have been eating gluten for 30+ years of my life so I can probably handle another 30 days, but it’s amazing how good I feel without eating it. Bringing it back into my diet will mean headaches, feeling foggy and drowsy, and overall blah.  Doing a Whole 30 was eye-opening for me, but the truth is hard to handle.

I find it hard to believe I could have Celiac’s, but if I do these next 30 days could be the last days I eat gluten. Forever!  So, I will swallow some advil and choke down some pancakes and cookies while I can.

I am going to end my blog for now.  I plan to do another Whole 30 as soon as I can stop eating gluten. Next time I hope to focus on the no-snacking guideline and the meal template guidelines (with less fruit).  I may update my blog in the future, but for now I think my mission is accomplished.  Thanks for reading!

Before I end, here’s a bit about my last day: I had decided to kick off a Paleo 90/10 lifestyle today during Restaurant Week in Minneapolis at Saffron (my favorite restaurant!).  This was the kind of meal that was not Whole 30 but all sorts of wholesome “worth it.”  The ingredients were farm-to-table but there were legumes (lentils, chickpeas), non-gluten grains (farro), dairy (marscapone, cream in the soup, goat’s milk yogurt, bavarois), sugar (caramel), and alcohol (wine pairings!).  It felt like a good end to my Whole 30.

What I ate for my Dinner:

First Course:

• Farro & Beet Salad: with curry, goat’s milk yogurt and hazelnuts (with Arona, Savignon Blanc)
• Chickpea Soup: with smoked almond romesco, pickled peppers, parsley and crispy chickpeas)

Entree:

• Roasted Sweet Potatoes: with lentils, poached black figs, tahini and pomegranate (with Romaine Sainte Eugenie “Le Clos”, Merlot Blend)
• Chicken Tagine: with chickpeas, piquillo peppers, green olives, and charmoula broth

Dessert:

• Pumpkin Bavarois: with salted caramel, ras el hanout and apples
• Chocolate Almond Baklava: with sour cherry sauce and marscapone (with Graham’s 6 Grapes “Reserve” Porto)

Day 43: Some Legumes

I woke up with a bit of a fuzzy head today. I attribute it to the trace amount of breadcrumbs rather than the 3 sips of wine I had the night before, but I can’t be certain.  Some advil took care of the problem.

I felt normal enough to try legumes in the afternoon.  I had some peanut butter (generic processed Jif type, not organic) with carrots after I got home from work, and ate both chickpeas and shelled green peas in my favorite butternut squash coconut curry recipe.  Ideally I would like to reintroduce soy separately, and I didn’t have any today.

How I felt:  Fine until I ate peanut butter! For some reason I felt itchy all over for a few hours after that evening snack.  It wasn’t like a peanut allergy call-an-ambulance kind of reaction. Just… itchy.

What I ate:

Breakfast / Post Workout:  egg omelette with spinach, tomato, peppers.  side of roasted potatoes.

Lunch: shredded chicken, Day 42 leftover salad with added avocado, peppers, tomato, radish.

Snacks: apple, Kit’s Organic Bar (I was still ravenous around 2:30!)

Dinner: Butternut squash curry over 1/2 a small baked sweet potato.  I realized in retrospect how starchy this meal was.

Shredded chicken with avo, salad.

Omelette with potatoes

Day 42: Alcohol

Technically I reintroduced alcohol!  Technically = 3-4 sips of red wine. I had dinner with some friends and have been feeling itchy to move faster on “reintroduction” lately. I am considering doing another Whole 30 in November- this time I will work on eliminating snacking and reducing my fruit consumption.  But before I start again I  want the chance to eat the foods I have been missing and will likely make me feel rotten due to gluten content. Specifically: chocolate chip cookies, that apple pie from the Rustic Inn sitting in the freezer waiting for me, wine, and pizza.  These foods/drinks would be worth it.

I did also eat a little gluten in the form of breadcrumbs on some veggies.  I managed to brush off some of the crumbs but definitely not all. We’ll see how “trace” amounts of gluten affect me tomorrow, I guess!

How I felt: good, pretty normal. I felt well enough to “reintroduce” another food a day early.

What I ate:

Breakfast: egg scramble with spinach

Lunch: shredded chicken with avocado, apple chips with almond butter

Dinner: grilled chicken, chopped salad (iceberg lettuce, cucumber, apple, jicama, balsamic), roasted veggies with breadcrumbs

Day 41: No Carb Hangover

My day-after the non-gluten grains was fine! I felt pretty good, with the exception of a little rumbly tummy and upset stomach.

How I felt: Fine. No headaches or weirdness like I had after eating gluten. A little bit of an upset stomach, but nothing to worry about.

What I ate:

Breakfast: eggs scrambled with spinach topped with avocado and cholula

Lunch: leftover spinach/cucumber/apple salad from Day 39 with shredded chicken and avocado

Dinner: leftover yellow curry from Day 40 without rice

No pics, sorry!

Day 40: Non-Gluten Grains

I reincorporated non-gluten grains on Day 40. Day-of eating was a success!  I also learned, after eating out twice today, that going “gluten-free” at restaurants is easier than being “soy” or “dairy” free.  It’s common to be gluten free, so most restaurants have suggestions and accommodations.

How I felt: Good, no head-stuffiness or headaches or digestive issues yet.  Stay tuned.

What I ate:

Breakfast / Post Workout: eggs scrambled with spinach and quinoa.  Quinoa is really tasty in eggs!

Lunch:  Salmon Salad at Rosa Mexicana (salmon, tuscan kale, corn, chayote, tortilla strips, poblano peppers, viniagrette).  Chips n’ salsa

Dinner: Yellow curry from Chiang Mai Thai over white rice: chicken, potatoes, yams, carrots

Egg Scramble w/ Quinoa and Spinach (to-go!)

Salmon Salad Leftovers, which I promptly ate an hour after lunch b/c I was still hungry

Yellow Chicken Curry with Rice

Day 39: Family Dinner

Sara and Carolyn (my original Whole 30 inspiration) hosted an awesome potluck on an unseasonably warm fall evening, and my friends are so awesome that pretty much all of the foods were Whole-30 compliant.  I had the most delicious meal, detailed below.  We had a bonfire, too.  I was sad I couldn’t try all the delicious beers people brought (it was an Oktoberfest gathering in October- why is Oktoberfest in September?), but that’s ok.

How I felt: Day 39 wasn’t as bad as Day 38 when it came to the gluten hangover… but it wasn’t exactly good either.  I felt tired in that way you feel the day after being sick- when your body isn’t exactly hurting but somewhat exhausted from fighting an illness.  This is how I felt from the neck upwards.

What I ate:

Breakfast: nothing, I felt a little ill from the day before and skipped breakfast. A first on Whole 30!

Lunch: Salad bar salad (lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, chopped eggs, slivered almonds, jicama, oil/vinegar, avocado) with homemade shredded chicken. Apple.

Snacks: banana, hazelnuts

Dinner: chicken brats, cooked cabbage, roasted cauliflower and carrots, ginger sweet potatoes, green salad w/apples and cucumber.

No pics!

Day 38: Gluten Hangover

Yesterday when I ate gluten I felt mostly ok. I was so excited about feeling “ok” that I started making a list of the things I’d like to eat when I’m done with Whole 30: that pie in the freezer, chocolate chip cookies… then last night before bed I hit a wall. My head felt fuzzy and I was incredibly tired. Actually, it felt a lot like the “paleo flu” I got around Days 8-10.  I didn’t feel much better waking up this morning, either. My head felt stuffy and I was lethargic all day. I felt like a truck had run me over.  Then, at night while at a happy hour (where I didn’t eat or drink anything), I acquired a roaring headache.  Basically, I felt horrible all day from the neck upwards.

Here’s my gluten-carb takeaway: While my stomach feels fine (aside from feeling a little bloaty), gluten makes me feel pretty rotten. I feel tired and foggy. I feel WORSE than hungover. Will I never eat gluten again? Probably not, but I will think more than twice before eating it.

Lastly, now that I have tried gluten grains I understand just how good I feel in this “new normal” state on Whole 30.  Before doing this it wasn’t out of the ordinary for me to get headaches or feel bloated. Now I realize those don’t have to be “normal” occurrences,  certain foods seem to contribute to it.

How I felt: horrible from the neck upwards: stuffy foggy head, lethargic, mini migrane.  Basically, I had symptoms of a non-celiac gluten sensitivity.  It’s not clear if the NCGS is a real thing or not, but whatever it is, I had those symptoms.

What I ate:

Breakfast: 2 HB eggs and some roasted brussels. coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: leftover chili + sweet potato. More Brussels. 1/2 an apple

Snacks: Hazelnuts and dried mango

Dinner: plain burger w/o bun, salad.

No pics today!

Day 37: Gluten Grains

Gluten. So tasty, so sneaky.

I started my gluten reintroduction day with my first workout since I went on vacation. Granted, I biked all over DC for 2 days and ran after my niece a bit… but I didn’t really “workout.” Truthfully, I enjoyed the break. I was feeling overworked-out and it was good to be back this morning.

After my workout I ate a slice of seeduction bread with almond butter along with a cafeteria veggie omelette. I didn’t notice any reaction other than fullness.  Like, I was seriously, seriously full. Notably full.

For lunch, I ate leftover chili / sweet potato and another piece of seeduction.  Again: really really full.  Bread is filling!  But not just full, that post-lunch, want-to-take-a-nap-now kind of full.  I hadn’t experienced that in over 30 days.  Usually my new normal “full” doesn’t involve feeling tired and lethargic.  Then, a few hours later… I wasn’t hungry again but craved more bread.  Shocker.

After dinner (pretzel roll!) I went to a meeting and when I returned home I mindlessly snacked on dried apples. I wasn’t hungry but I couldn’t resist.

Overall, I didn’t experience anything quite like I did with dairy.  I felt a little bloat-y and I was tired after eating my gluten.  But I didn’t seem to have a bad reaction that implies I am sensitive to gluten in an allergy kind of way. We shall see how the next few days go…

How I felt: full and really really tired after meals. a little bloat-y

What I ate:

Breakfast: omelette with veggies, bread with almond butter, black iced coffee

Lunch: chili with sweet potato, bread with almond butter

Snacks: dried apples

Dinner: Turkey burger on pretzel roll bun with salad

More Snacks: almond butter with dried apples

Omelette with Almond-buttered seeduction bread

Turkey burger on a pretzel bun with side salad

Day 36: Home Again Jiggity Jig

I had a great week visiting friends and family out east, but I’m glad to be back home.  I spent the morning / afternoon traveling back home to Minneapolis, then went to Costco and Whole Foods to restock my fridge. I have never seen my refrigerator so empty as  I had upon returning home. I cleared out all the non-Whole 30 stuff before starting the program, and it was bare without fresh produce and meat after a week away.

The best purchase at Whole Foods? A loaf of seeduction bread to eat on Day 37 when I reintroduce gluten-grains. It is my favorite bread and it will be worth it. I hope.

How I felt: Good, back to “new normal” after the Dairy adventure

What I ate:

Breakfast: egg scramble with tomato, coffee with coconut milk. I also had an iced coffee with almond milk at Dunkin’ Donuts at the airport and regretted it halfway through. They use Blue Diamond brand and whatever additives were in there didn’t agree with me.

Lunch: not much while traveling: an apple, hazelnuts, turkish figs, a beef stick.

Dinner: roasted brussels, chili atop sweet potato, apple chips with almond butter.

As far as I got with the DD coffee with almond milk

Roasted Brussels

Chili atop sweet potato in the least appetizing photo ever taken

Day 35: SWYPO Smoothie

Today didn’t seem like a good day to reintroduce another food, but I did *sort* of go off-plan today: I had a SWYPO food.  A Whole 30 program rule is not to eat food that is paleo-ified junk food.  They call this stuff “sex with your pants on” food.  Some good examples would be: paleo pancakes, paleo cookies, paleo cake.

Ok, fine. I get it. But… 1) technically I’m not in my first 30 days anymore, 2) I’m on vacation, darnit, 3) the ingredients were all in Whole 30 compliance individually and 4) I have been traveling for a week and losing my energy and stamina with finding appropriate foods and well balanced meals.  I didn’t really have any protein options other than almond butter at the vegan restaurant where we ate. So I had a smoothie. And it was delicious.

How I felt: Good, totally back to “new normal” and rested!

What I ate:

Breakfast: egg scramble with veggies (spinach, tomato, peppers, avocado). Coconut milk in my coffee

Lunch: Prana Smoothie from The Juicery: strawberries, bananas, raw almond butter and dates.  A big green salad with avocado

Snacks: Hazelnuts, banana

Dinner: Moroccan chicken with sweet potatoes, apple with almond butter

Prana Smoothie (SWYPO!)

Salad with Avocado

It doesn’t look appetizing but… Moroccan Chicken with Sweet Potato

Day 34: Out and About

Today my sis, bro-in-law, nice, and I headed back down to Wellesley for “family day” at the Davis Museum on campus. We met up with two college friends of mine (+1 daughter my niece’s age), and experienced family day in the rain. It was good to see them all and be back on campus for the second time on my trip.

We met my brother-in-law’s sister and her boyfriend for dinner at an Indian restaurant in Coolidge Corner. I asked the server to prepare my meal without dairy/cream- but ghee was ok to use.  My meal was fine, but I suspect there was something else in there (MSG? other additives?).  Also, Indian food is not nearly the same without being able to eat naan and rice. The baskets of naan passed under my nose looked soooo good…

How I felt: Good, back to the pre-dairy “new normal” usual feeling. I felt kind of gross after dinner, see above

What I ate:

Breakfast: egg scramble with veggies, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: Whole Food Salad bar Salad with 2 hardboiled eggs

Snacks: apple, dried mango

Dinner: Chicken saag (stewed spinach)

No food pics today, whoops!

Day 33: Back to Whole 30

Today I ate in a school dining hall…. twice!  This week I have been visiting my twin sister who works/lives at a boarding school in New Hampshire.  They have access to the dining halls and we ate lunch there before I watched her teach her class.  We also stopped by the dining hall for dinner after picking up my niece from pre-school.

How I felt: Even though I didn’t have dairy, I *felt* like I did in the morning (see Day 32 for details). I felt fine as the day went on, but more tired than usual. It could be that I didn’t sleep much the night before and completely unrelated to eating dairy.

What I ate:

Breakfast: eggs, coffee with coconut milk, mango

Lunch: Salad Bar salad with with chicken, eggs, lots of veggies, pepitas.

Snacks: Dried mango, apple with almond butter

Dinner: Salad bar salad again but also with a piece of fish and a little guacamole

Egg/Veggie Scramble + Mango

Dining Hall Meal: Salad Bar and Fish with Guac and Mango Salsa (I didn’t eat the salsa since there was probably sugar)

Day 32: Dairy

Today was my first food reintroduction: Dairy! I started the day with a medium Dunkin’ Donuts coffee with half-n-half.  I sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top of my morning eggs.  I shaved some parmesan on my lunch salad.  I had a ricotta antipasti at dinner with roasted beets that also had some shaved grana padano.  I managed to sneak in dairy in small quantities for each meal to test the waters.  More on how I felt in a minute…

Just a fraction of the Bakery Extravaganza

My willpower was tested to the max today, more than any time during Whole 30. I walked around my alma mater with a college friend before dinner in the town of Wellesley- and we stumbled upon a magical bakery festival in a residence hall courtyard.  The on-campus bakery hosted its annual festival, and there were tables of the most delicious looking treats: maple-bacon whoopee pies, mint carrot cupcakes, pumpkin truffles, cinnamon twists, pumpkin bars, chocolatey something-or-others, hot apple cider.  The environment (beautiful picturesque New England fall colors, the familiar stone-and-brick architecture, emotional memories) made me want to savor some of those treats. I had to decline all of it. Can you hear the tiny violin playing? Waaaaah.

A close-up of those pies. Ughhhhh…

For dinner, we ate at Alta Strada, a perfect meal for Whole 30 meets dairy. When I timidly asked the server some questions about ingredients, he interrupted with “Where do you think this is? It’s Wellesley! People hand me business cards with their dietary preferences!”  I didn’t feel so bad taking up his time to find out what oil they used after hearing that.  We started with three antipasti: Broccoli Rabe with garlic and chilies, Roasted Golden Beets with Grana Padano, and Ricotta with Crostini (I didn’t eat the Crostini).  For dinner I ordered Farm Raised Scottish Salmon with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Carrots, and Asparagus.  I can’t even begin to describe how delicious it was.

How I felt: Sh*t’s about to literally get real now that I’ve started reintroducing foods. Fair warning. My stomach was upset about 30 minutes after my first sip of coffee with cream.  About 30 minutes later I had to spend some time in the bathroom.  A few hours later I felt ok.  The rest of the day I felt fine, but never quite up to my “new normal” snuff.  I think that the cheese sat better with me than the half n’ half?  In any event, I am understand what my future opportunity cost of pizza looks like…

What I ate:

Breakfast: 3 egg scramble with spinach and tomatoes, a bit of cheese sprinkled on top. Coffee with half n’ half.

Lunch: Salad with shaved parmesan, 2 chicken sausages

Dinner: Apps (roasted beets with cheese, broccoli rabe, ricotta).  Salmon with fingerling potatoes, carrots, asparagus.  Apple!

Egg scramble with cheese and DUNKIN DONUTS COFFEE!

2 Chicken brats and salad w/cheese

Antipasti: broccoli rabe, beets, ricotta (I didn’t eat the crostini or bread)

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Salmon with carrots, fingerlings, asparagus

Day 31: No Reintroduction…Yet

I fully intended to reintroduce dairy today, starting with Dunkin’ Donuts coffee with half n’ half.  I just couldn’t do it! I started the morning by making delicious eggs for myself and my brother-in-law, and had some coconut milk* in my coffee at their house.  I flipped open my work laptop and ended up glued to office tasks until 1pm!  By the time I was able to sneak away for DD coffee, it felt too late and not worth it. I will table reintroducing dairy until tomorrow.

I took this opportunity of being on “vacation” to end my official Whole 30 right- not with hardboiled eggs from an airport kiosk. For dinner I made us my favorite Whole 30 meal, Avocado Salmon.  I’m glad I didn’t end my Whole 30 today.

* while technically Whole 30, this coconut milk was a little suspect. Rather than come from the can, it was one the “So Delicious” brand kind in a milk carton- with at least 3 additive ingredients I didn’t recognize.  There wasn’t any added sugar, but I wouldn’t have had this stuff in the last 30 days.

How I feel: Good: well rested, stable, “new normal.”

What I ate:

Breakfast: 3-egg scramble with peppers, spinach, and avocado

Lunch: Cucumber, Tomato with chicken sausage

Snacks: hazelnuts, dried mango

Dinner: Salmon with avocado, sweet potatoes, apple

Eggs with Bell Pepper, Spinach, and Avocado

Cucumber, Tomato, and Chicken Sausage

Avocado Salmon and Sweet Potatoes

Day 30: Travel Day 3 / FINAL DAY!

I did it! I made it through my Whole 30.  It wasn’t pretty, but I managed with only two known miniscule slip ups.  So, what next? I’m not sure yet…

I continued on another day of travel “hunting-and-gathering,” not sure where I would find appropriate fresh foods to eat. Before jumping on the Metro to the conference, I stopped by a market- it was the kind of place that had egg/bagel sandwiches and a yogurt bar in addition to convenience store items.  They had hard boiled eggs, as I had hoped! I bought a couple and had them for breakfast along with conference provided fruit.

When lunch came around, I was hungry… and disappointed to see the same inedible choices as the day before. I snuck out to find something else and came across an awesome salad chain, Chop’t.  They make custom salads and then chop your chosen ingredients before custom tossing with dressing.  We need one of these in Minneapolis!  I had the “Palm Beach” Salad with chicken and oil/vinegar.  By the time I got back to the conference the luncheon speaker was just beginning, so it worked out perfectly.

I hurried to the airport after my conference ended so I could get some work done before my flight. I should have grabbed something before jumping on the train because there was nothing in the terminal to eat aside from Five Guys Burgers and Dunkin’ Donuts (if only it were morningtime!).  I found some pre-packaged hard boiled eggs at a kiosk and had them along with an apple and my remaining dried mango and hazelnuts. Dinner!  And, as with Murphy’s Law, my plane sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half before taking off due to some unknown (I was listening to music when the pilot explained).  By the time I reached my destination at my sister’s house in New Hampshire, it was too late to really eat anything despite my hunger.  The end, Whole 30!  In with a bang, out with a wimper.

How I felt: Great / my “new normal”

What I ate:

Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs, fruit (pineapple, melon, berries)

Lunch:  Chop’t salad (lettuce, hearts of palm, avocado, tomato, chicken, oil/vinegar)

Dinner: 2 hardboiled eggs, apple, hazelnuts and dried mango.

Late night: banana and almond butter

Chop’t Palm Spring Salad

Day 29: Travel Day 2

I just finished reading Wild, Cheryl Strayed’s memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  Her money and food supplies dwindled between towns and resupply boxes, and she never knew if she’d have enough to eat or enough money or water to make it to the next town.  I realize my experience isn’t at ALL the same, but I feel like Cheryl Strayed while traveling and eating Whole 30: I never know when my next meal will be and whether there will be something Whole 30 compliant for me to have.

My conference didn’t start until noon, so I ate a really late breakfast from a place across the street from my hotel. I figured it would be helpful to eat later in case there wasn’t lunch food I could eat. My hunch turned out correct, and I skipped the sandwiches, cookies, potato chips, and creamy soup that were available. I filled up my plate with some mixed greens and fruit- the only items I could have.

After the conference I grabbed dinner at Grillfish, a farm-to-table sustainable place.  It was delicious and I was starving!!

How I felt: Fine, tired of snacking on dried fruit and nuts

What I ate:

Breakfast: 3-egg omelet with avocado and tomato

Lunch:  mixed greens and fruit

Snacks: dried mango, hazelnuts, beef stick, apple with almond butter

Dinner: grilled salmon with wilted greens, broccolini

Omelette with Avocado and Tomato

Fruit and Greens

Grilled Salmon with Wilted Greens and Brocollini

Day 28: Travel Day 1

I’m headed to DC for a conference for a few days followed by Boston / NH to visit my twin sister, her husband, my niece, and friends. This is my first *real* travel on Whole 30, so it should be an experience.

I started my morning at 5:30 when I woke up to get ready to head to the airport. I packed some pre-made food to get me through most of the day in a bag: leftover egg bake to eat at the airport, mashed sweet potatoes, sliced fresh mango, a banana.  Guess what I left at home? Yup. Already I wasn’t off to a great start.

MSP Airport has a CIBO Gourmet Express that turned out to save the day: a whole-foods style hot bar along with a cold salad bar all set up for lunch at 6:30am.  I asked the woman working what ingredients were in the eggs and she went and checked for me: eggs and citric acid. Score! So I had “hot bar” eggs and veggies. There’s one meal…

It was 2pm by the time I reached my hotel, and I was hungry. I heavily snacked on some of the dried fruit and nuts I packed, and had one of my last few grass run farms beef sticks.  It was a beautiful day so I ventured out to a nearby Whole Foods at Foggy Bottom (where I once lived!). I hopped on one of the Capital Bike Share Bikes and I was hooked! I have never done a Nice Ride in Minnesota, and now I definitely will.  After Whole Foods, I ended up biking all over town- the White House, The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument, Dupont Circle…

A few things I learned: this city is NOT as bike friendly as Minneapolis, and though I lived here only a few months over a decade ago, I remembered this city like it was yesterday. I passed by bars I had been to, streets I had walked on. I have been to DC since living here, but never to the areas I used to frequent.  It was a nice walk down memory lane.

After some research (google), I decided to try out Commissary for dinner. I sat at the bar and ordered a “burger salad,” the most perfect Whole 30 dinner meal I could imagine: grass-fed beef burger atop a salad with avocado and sprouts.  Plus oil/vinegar for dressing (instead of ranch).  It was tasty!

How I feel: Tired, its been a long day.

What I ate:

Breakfast: hotbar eggs with veggies, apple on the plane. Caribou decaf in Minneapolis, Dunkin’ Donuts black coffee in Chicago

Lunch/Snacks: Dried fruit, nuts, apple, banana, small salad with HB egg, beef stick

Dinner: Burger salad from commissary.

Eggs and Veggies

Minnesota doesn’t “Run on Dunkin'”… but Chicago does!

Whole Foods Saladbar

Burger Salad + Avo at Commissary

Day 27: Road Trip

I woke up early on Saturday to drive to Mankato for a meeting. I knew it would be a long day with limited food options, so I made a good breakfast, packed a lunch, and stayed away from the donuts, cookies, and sandwiches all around me. Boy did those cookies look delicious…

How I felt: Less tired, otherwise good (ie. my new normal)

What I ate:

Breakfast: Spinach and egg frittata with cholula.

Lunch:  The final serving of shredded chicken with my final serving of pea-NOT sauce with celery

Snacks: Apple, dried mango and trail mix

Dinner: Spinach salad with the final hot dog. Finally. I can’t believe how many hot dogs I’ve eaten this week.

Day 26: TGIF

This week has felt like it has been a month! I ended the week on a pretty low note food-wise. I am going away next week and trying to eat all the food I have on hand. That, or its a great excuse for my continued lack of creativity.

How I felt: Exhausted, again. I think my tiredness is only related to my menstrual cycle rather than Whole 30 eating, though. I had plans for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (ironically, the day of atonement where we fast), but I cancelled them and went to sleep at 9pm.

What I ate:

Breakfast / Post Workout: 2 HB eggs, mango, cucumbers

Lunch: Shredded chicken with pea-not sauce, celery

Snacks: Dried mango, trail mix, beef jerky stick, apple

Dinner: 2 hot dogs and salad with homemade balsamic dressing, dried apples and almond butter

Hot Dogs! and Salad

Day 25: Bacon

Bacon is interesting. I like it, sure. Sometimes I even love it (when it is extra crispy). But before Whole 30 I rarely ate it.  Then, I get on this program and discover I can’t eat most kinds of bacon because almost every kind has sugar in it?  Well, now I *really* want it all the time!

So, I ate bacon for dinner. And some other things.

How I feel: Normal, except really tired due to my menstrual cycle

What I ate:

Breakfast: 2 HB eggs with cucumbers, apple

Lunch:  Shredded chicken with pea-NOT satay sauce atop a bed of baby kales.  Mango

Snacks: dried mango, trail mix, banana

Dinner: egg bake (3 eggs/serving, roasted butternut squash, spinach), bacon!  Apple chips with almond butter

BACON!

Egg Bake

Day 24: Sedentary

Other than my training sessions 2x a week (and hiking / camping activity),  I haven’t had time to go to the gym or for a bike ride for the past few weeks. Yesterday was no exception to this, but to make matters worse I sat in front of a computer from 7:30am to 10pm.  Days like this don’t feel good, make me want to snack on sugary things more than usual.

Additionally, I am headed out of town next week for a conference followed by a trip to visit my sister/bro-in-law/niece.  I’ll end my Whole 30 in Washington DC and start reintroduction in Boston/NH area.  I am excited for Day 31 dairy (half-and-half creamer in my Dunkin’ Donuts coffee).  This is relevant because of my upcoming travel, busy schedule, and empty fridge I had to dig deeper than ever before on some meals lately… case in point: 2 hot dogs and celery for dinner.  Applegate does make some tasty organic uncured beef hot dogs that are Whole30 compliant, but I felt like a 5-year-old kid eating them for dinner.  I better get used to it, I’ll probably use up my hot dogs before I leave on Sunday…

How I feel: Nutritionally, good… but I was itching to get out of my seat / desk and move!

What I ate:

Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs

Lunch: shredded chicken with satay sauce, small caf salad

Snacks: trail mix, dried mango, dried apple

Dinner: 2 hot dogs, celery, apple

Salad and Pea-NOT chicken

Hot Dogs and Celery?

Day 23: Bad Food Reaction

I had lunch with my coworker at Zelo’s today. I loooove Zelo’s simple ciao bella salad, but without the goat cheese it wouldn’t have been the same.  Despite their helpful menu that shows what is gluten free, ordering was complicated, so I ordered what was essentially a piece of salmon cooked with olive oil, salt, and pepper over a bed of lettuce and arugula with some shredded apple.  It was very tasty!  Except by the time I walked back to the office I felt horrible… and an hour later I considered heading home for the day.  I made it past my bout of food sickness, but it was eye opening! There was something that snuck into in my salmon from the grill that didn’t agree with me.  Was it gluten? Soy? Dairy? Who knows… but hopefully I’ll figure it out when I start reintroducing food groups.

How I felt: Horrible after lunch, fine by the time I ate dinner

What I ate:

Breakfast: beef stick and cucumbers

Lunch: Salmon with arugula/apple salad

Snacks: nuts, apple

Dinner:  Shredded chicken with pea-NOT sauce, cucumbers, dried figs. Later I had broiled apple/banana with cinnamon

Zelo Salmon and Arugula

Chicken, Pea-NOT sauce, Cucumbers and figs.

Day 22: Vacation Hangover

Today was back to the grindstone, and very busy! Too bad my fridge is more empty than it has ever been since I moved into my apartment 3 years ago.  My meals definitely reflected this issue.

How I felt: Bloaty! Gassy! Ugh.  Too much fruit / dried fruit / nuts?

What I ate:

Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs and leftover campfire brussels sprouts

Lunch: shredded chicken + wholly guacamole, cucumber slices

Snacks: Trail mix, apple, dried apples, beef stick

Dinner: Whole Food salad bar salad… no protein 😦

Day 21: Camping Day 4

Today wasn’t exactly a camping food day- we packed up our stuff early in the morning and drove down to Duluth to eat breakfast by 9:45.  We made a pit-stop at The Rustic Inn in Castle Danger, MN for some pie. Yes, pie.  I bought an entire french apple pie, but I didn’t eat a crumb.  It went in the freezer immediately upon return to Minneapolis.  The Rustic Inn is my favorite pie place in the world, and driving past it without enjoying pie was as blasphemous as camping without s’mores.  My solace for camping while on Whole 30 was that I could delay my pie consumption.  I am already looking forward to my sugar/flour pie day!

How I felt: Kind of bloaty and full. I think it was the voluminous food consumption over the past few days, especially fruit and nuts

What I ate:

Breakfast: 3 egg veggie omelette with fruit at this hippie haven in Duluth, MN.

Lunch / Snacks: Trail mix, dried mango, dried and fresh apples with almond butter

Dinner: Chicken kebabs over salad at Caspian Bistro in Minneapolis

Veggie Omelette

Kebabs at Caspian Bistro

Day 20: Camping Part 3

Today was a really fun day. The weather was perfect and the sun was shining! We hiked up to the Split Rock tourist center and saw the lighthouse up close with a tour and an enthralling 13 minute video. After that we “hiked” back to camp on the rocky beach but stopped for awhile by the shore to eat snacks and enjoy the sun and waves.

Food-wise, I have eaten the best meals on my Whole 30 during this trip. I was nervous going into it, but it turns out that when you camp you don’t have a lot to do with your time other than cook and relax.  I prepared and actually enjoyed my meals… a luxury I don’t necessarily have at home during the regular grind.

How I felt: Good! Vacation + Sun + Good Food = Awesome

What I ate:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs topped with leftover chili and guac, coconut milk coffee

Lunch / Snacks: dried apples and nut butter, beef stick, trail mix with dried cherries, fresh apple, pineapple

Dinner: Beef hot dogs with campfire roasted brussels and veggie packets. Roasted Bananas and apples with cinnamon and coconut oil (YUMMMMM!)

Eggs topped with Chili and Guac

Dinner Part #1: Hot dog with sweet potatoes

Dinner Part 2: Hot dog with Brussels Sprouts

Day 19: Camping Part 2

It turns out that sleeping without a pillow whilst camping isn’t very comfortable. Despite the air mattress I slept on, I didn’t sleep well our first night.  This resulted in my first nap during Whole 30 since my “hit the wall” phase!  The nap worked well… after we went to town to buy some pillows.

How I felt: Fine… sore and tired. I took a nap in the middle of the day, which is more a reflection of not sleeping well the night before than anything diet related.

What I ate:

Breakfast: Egg scrambled with leftover campfire veggies, bacon!

Lunch: Shredded chicken warmed in Thai Pea-NOT Satay sauce atop spinach, sweet potatoes, pineapple spears

Snacks: Beef stick, dried apples with almond butter

Dinner: Sweet Potatoes topped with chili, veggie packet, roasted banana with cinnamon.

PeaNOT Satay Shredded Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Pineapple

Veggie Egg Scramble with Coconut Milk Coffee

Day 18: Camping Part 1

With an abundance of paid-time-off left to burn this year at work, I headed “Up North” for a few days off the radar.  The northern 1/3rd of the Minnesota State borders Lake Superior on our east side, an area known to locals as “The North Shore.” Technically, it is the western shore of Lake Superior, but we tend to be a little ethnocentric around here.  It’s our North Shore.

Normally when I go “up north,” I prefer to stay in a cozy wooded private cabin by the lake, or at a resort like the Gunflint Lodge where they set up your canoe or kayak for you, pull it out of the water, and have wine and cheese appetizers waiting for you upon return.  This last minute vacay combined with a peak fall color weekend meant that the options were: (1) camping or (2) dingy motel rooms priced at Midtown NYC rates.  Camping it was!

I’m not much of a “camper.” I am arachnophobic. I didn’t grow up camping so I don’t know what to do- what to pack or wear or bring or not bring. I don’t even have a suitable suitcase, I used a travel roller bag.  Doing it Whole 30 style would be difficult too- what’s the point of camping without s’mores?

We camped at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, which was turned into a State Park and National Historic Landmark after Split Rock Lighthouse shut down in 1969.  The lighthouse is the “most photographed lighthouse in America,” whatever that means.  It’s a beautiful park with awesome / horrible camp sites.  All of the sites are remote, secluded, and “cart-in,” meaning they are up to half-a-mile away from the parking lot. About half of the sites are on cliffs that overlook the lake- you can hear the waves crash against the rocks when you sleep! Lucky for those people…. our site was incredibly beautiful and remote, but was about half-a-mile up a hill.  The cart-in process was not very fun, I am still sore.

How I felt: Good, nothing new to report

What I ate:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and fruit (I can’t remember what kind), iced coffee with coconut milk

Snacks/Lunch: Trail mix, dried apples with almond butter, grapes, carrots with “pea-not sauce,” dried mango, fresh apple, hardboiled egg

Dinner: Spicy Italian Chicken Sausages, Veggie Packets (Broccoli, beets, carrots, peppers), Baked Sweet Potato — all over the campfire!

Fire Roasted Sweet Potato

Fire Roasted Veggies

Day 17: Breakfast for Dinner, Dinner for Breakfast

Today was a pretty regular day, but my evening was spent running around trying to prepare for 3 nights of camping on Minnesota’s “North Shore.”  I am not a camper, nor am I good at packing and organizing, so it was a frantic night.  This also meant that my fridge and pantry was both dwindling of normal food and stocked with food for the cooler.

How I feel:  Fine, in my “new normal” way.

What I ate:

Breakfast: leftover chicken sausage with 1/3 sweet potato, a yellow bell pepper

Lunch:  Shredded chicken with Cafeteria Salad, apple

Snacks: Hazelnut/Cashew/Pecan trail mix, banana

Dinner: Sweet Potato with scrambled eggs.

Chicken Sausage and Bell Pepper

Day 16: Copasetic

Google defines “Copasetic” to be “in excellent order.” That’s how I feel! Excellently normal. I don’t have a whole lot to report about, so I’ll get right to it…

How I feel:  Good. I felt very awake, all day long.  No ebbs and flows.

What I ate:

Breakfast: veggie omelette from cafeteria, black coffee, apple

Lunch:  This incredible chili over a small sweet potato, leftover brussels sprouts, dried apples with almond butter

Snacks: I tried so hard not to snack!  But I ended up eating some trail mix around 4pm

Dinner: Whole foods salad (veggies, “Indian Spiced Apples,” HB egg, oil/vinegar) with homemade shredded chicken.

Cafeteria Veggie Omelette

Chili topped sweet potato with roasted brussels

Whole Foods Salad with Apples and Chicken

Day 15: Halfway

I can’t believe I’m already halfway through my Whole 30! I’ve been taking it one day at a time; sometimes I feel like a hunter-gatherer foraging for my next meal.  I read some blogs yesterday and I will adjust the next 15 days with:

1. More protein
2. More veggies with EVERY meal
3. No Snacks
4. Less Fruit

The four things above are based on my understanding of the Whole 30 program suggestions and a review of what I’ve been doing so far. The serving suggestions and snack elimination aren’t hard-and-fast rules, and I’ve been staying “on plan,” but I can see how these things are standing in the way of that “zen” state everyone talks about.

How I feel:  I’m back to a status quo of sorts, with a few notable exceptions. I don’t feel spikes in energy or periods of sluggishness during the day.  My cravings have shifted: from refined carbs and sugars to fruits, nuts, and nut butters.

What I ate:

Breakfast / Post-Workout: Cafeteria omelette with spinach, tomato, peppers; small sweet potato, black iced coffee

Snacks: dried mangos, dried apples, almond butter, nut mix (hazelnuts, cashews, pecans), fresh apple… a LOT of snacks.

Lunch:  Shredded chicken atop a cafeteria salad (greens, peppers, HB egg, cucumber, oil/vinegar) with Wholly Guacamole, an apple

Dinner:  Yellow Coconut Curry with summer squash, kale, chard, onion, peppers, broccoli.  2 chicken sausages. (A piece of fish would have gone much better with this meal- but I didn’t have any fresh on hand).  Banana with almond butter. One dried fig.

One of these days I will remember to take a picture before I stick my fork in and take a bite

Surprise, it’s another salad!

Diggin’ Deep on the Protein Options for this one.

Day 13 and 14: Apples

I didn’t have a lot of time to plan or execute intricate, delicious Whole 30 recipes this weekend.  I feel like I’m doing this all wrong, eating the same things over and over because they’re easy.  Then again, that method isn’t any different from how I normally operate, I tend to stick to the same easy meals on repeat.

Weekend highlights included a friends’ birthday BBQ and apple picking at a nearby orchard, Whistling Well Farm.  The orchard was right down the street from the crazy-popular and super busy Afton Apples, and I am glad we avoided that mess. I picked an entire peck of Honeycrisp for $20!  The apples filled my crisper in the fridge with some leftover in the bag. Fortunately, Honeycrips last a very long time- but I will be eating at least an apple a day (or more) for the foreseeable future.

I discovered my first mistake on Whole 30 on Sunday. I bought some “coconut cashews” at Trader Joes- yum, right? I read the ingredients and saw “Ingredients include cashews, coconut.”  Seemed excellent! I opened the bag and ate one when I got home… and immediately realized it was WAY too sweet. I took another look at the package and realized I had read the allergen statement, not the complete ingredients which also included sugar. Whoops! So, I had one cashew that was sugar-coated.  The interesting takeaway from this experience is that I could tell immediately that sugar was added. Cool, huh?

How I felt:  Both days felt great!  I felt bloated after Agra Culture on Day 13 (not sure why, possibly more than olive oil was used on the Agra Culture Salmon- maybe rice bran oil), and the same for Day 14 in the morning.  But the weekend ended strong and I feel good.

What I ate:

Day 13

• Breakfast: egg scramble with leftover brussels sprouts, onion, peppers, Cholula, black coffee with almond milk
• Lunch: 1 chicken brat (same as Day 12), Brussels Sprouts, apple
• Snacks: trail mix
• Dinner: First dinner: 1 chicken brat, pineapple, kale chips, carrots, grapes at a friend’s birthday BBQ.  Second dinner: Agra Detox Salad w/Salmon at Agra Culture

Day 14

• Breakfast: egg scramble with leftover brussels sprouts, onion, peppers, guacamole, Cholula, black coffee
• Lunch: avocado-massaged kale salad with kohlrabi, peppers, beets, shredded chicken
• Snacks:  So many apples!  And waaaay too much dried fruit (dried figs, peaches, apples with almond butter). Oh, and one (1) non-compliant coconut cashew.
• Dinner: leftover egg scramble with guac… again.  Too many eggs?

D13: Agra Detox Salad w/ Salmon

A perfect Sunday morning breakfast in my “perch” (Day 14)

L14: Kale Salad w/ Chicken

Day 12: Ballpark “Hot Dogs”

Zubazapalooza!

This day was filled with exciting new things.  I left work at 11am to pick up my first new thing- an iPhone 6 in uptown, then worked from home in the afternoon.  I love working from home- I am more productive (fewer distractions) and I can make lunch directly from my fridge.

In the evening I met a group of friends at the Twins game for Zubazapalooza: free Zubaz with our tickets.  Additionally, it was stocking cap night. Two new clothing items I’ll likely never use? Awesome!  To make the day even better, the Twins won in the bottom of the 10th inning.

How I felt: Normal.  This is a good thing, right?

What I ate:

Post Workout / Breakfast: Cafeteria omelette with veggies, sweet potato

Lunch: Salad with Shredded chicken and guac

Snacks:Apple with almond butter

Dinner: Mashed sweet potato with 2 Chcken “brats” (Applegate brand at Whole Foods), fresh figs

Omelette w/ Spinach, Tomato, Peppers and Sweet Potato

Salad w/ Chicken and Guac. And a new iPhone!

A horrible photo of a tasty dinner

Day 11: HUNGRY

Day 11 was a long, hungry day.  I don’t know why, but I was ravenous the entire day!  It was also difficult because I went to two “networking” events after work: a law-firm rooftop social downtown followed by a Quorum Young Professionals event in uptown.  I couldn’t eat or drink anything at the first event, but there was some delicious hard salamis and veggies at the second event, which was held at Marche.  The rest of the Marche spread looked soooo good, I want to go back there when I’m not doing a Whole 30.

How I felt: Starving! I don’t know if it was because I didn’t eat a proper breakfast with protein or if this is a new stage in the plan? But I just never felt satisfied today.

Caf Salad w/Chicken and Guac

What I ate:

Breakfast: leftover mango, banana with almond butter. No protein or coffee 😦

Lunch: Caf salad (spinach, red and green peppers, hardboiled egg, cucumber, carrots, slivered almonds, oil/vinegar) with homemade shredded chicken and a few TBSP of leftover guac, apple

Snacks:   Cashews, grass run farms beef jerky stick

Dinner: Networking finger food: prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, hard salamis, baby tomatoes,  grapes

Day 10: Deep Dig

I really had to dig deep to find food to eat today after my busy start of the week.  I resorted to eating the egg muffin thingies I made last weekend as my lunch protein.  After hardboiled cafeteria eggs for breakfast, I probably ate at least a half-dozen eggs. I feel gross thinking about it.

For dinner I grilled a piece of salmon I bought last weekend at Whole Foods and it left much to be desired. I had tried this Salmon recipe before starting my Whole 30 and it was delicious! Yesterday? Not so much.  I have leftovers for dinner Day 11, but I’m already not looking forward to eating it again.  My meal took a 180-degree turn when I discovered the mango I purchased was ripe, so I ate half of that for “dessert.” Meal saved!

How I felt:  Still sort of tired, but MUCH better than Day 8.  I’m starting to feel like my energy is getting back to normal after I hit the wall.

What I ate:

Breakfast: 2 hardboiled eggs, black iced coffee, banana w/almond butter

Lunch: my 4 remaining egg-muffins from Day 7.  1/2 a Sweet Potato

Snacks: Trail Mix, Apple

Dinner: Grilled Salmon with Guac, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Mango.

Eggs n’ Coffee

Bacon-Egg “Muffins” and Sweet Potato

Avocado Salmon w/Roasted Brussels

MANGO!

Day 9: Busy Bee

This day was frantically busy and long, starting at 5:30am when I went to the gym. It was one of those days where I didn’t have the chance to use the bathroom at work until 3pm.  I left work early to see Ruth Bader Ginsburg speak at my law school alma matter (awesome!).  Immediately jetted across town to make another meeting at 7.  Home around 9pm, exhausted.  Days like these make it hard to stay on the Whole 30, but I managed thanks to leftovers and Whole Foods.  Unfortunately, I will be digging deep tomorrow since I don’t have many good pre-made protein options at home.

How I felt: OMG Tired. I need more hours in the day to sleep.

What I ate:

Breakfast / Post Workout:  1/3 sweet potato, 3 bacon-egg “muffins” from Day 7 (each cup has crumbled bacon, 1.5 eggs, bell pepper, spinach), black iced coffee

Lunch: leftover Brazilian Chicken, mashed sweet potato, Kale Salad that I didn’t finish and put back in the fridge (this was a dinner Day 8 repeat)

Snacks During the Day:  Apple, banana

Dinner:  Whole Foods Saladbar including such interesting things as: Indian Spiced Apples, hardboiled eggs, lots of veggies.

Egg “Muffins” with Sweet Potato

Leftovers from Day 8

Whole Foods Salad w/Indian Spiced Apples

Day 8: Officially Hit the Wall

Day 8 was a Monday and it really felt like a Monday. I was really really tired.  My day was filled with delicious homemade food, and I felt better without dining out. I had been on a streak from Days 4-7 with at least one meal at a restaurant, and I think I prefer to know where all my ingredients and oils come from- even if the servers seem transparent and helpful.

One thing that became glaringly obvious on Day 8 was how much I could use a dishwasher and garbage disposal.  I have never had these “luxuries” where I have lived as an adult, and I am fed up with doing the dishes over and over and clearing my drain-catch every 5 minutes.  I live in an old 1920’s brownstone apartment, common in South Minneapolis but atypical due to its large size. I absolutely love my apartment and neighborhood, but I eye the new buildings in Loring Park and the North Loop with envy.  I’m ready to upgrade to “luxury” amenities like dishwashers, garbage disposals, central A/C, and garage door openers.  And real luxuries like roofdecks, BBQs, pools, and workout facilities.

How I felt: TIRED! Really tired, all day long.  It got even worse around 8pm, I could hardly keep my eyes open.  I stayed awake until 9pm when it felt socially acceptable to get ready for bed.  This has to be the “wall” everyone talks about, but I am encouraged by reports that once I get past this I will feel great and have lots of energy.  Here’s hoping!

What I ate:

Breakfast: Leftover egg scramble from Day 6, 1/4 avocado, coffee with almond milk and a splash of light coconut milk. And a date!

Lunch:  Leftover burger with grilled veggies, apple.

Snacks During the Day: Trail Mix (See Day 1)

Dinner:  Leftover Brazilian Chicken, mashed sweet potato w/ a little ghee, Avocado-massaged Kale Salad with Beets, Radish, Kohlrabi, pistachios.

Burger and Veggie Leftovers with Avocado

Brazilian Chicken curry, Mashed Sweets, Kale Salad

Day 6 and 7: Hangry, Tired, and a Bike Ride

My first Whole 30 weekend went pretty well.  I had some delicious meals but experienced a wave of hangriness.  Saturday was pretty low key, but I didn’t start to think about making dinner until it was too late. At that point I was hangry and tried the Whole 30 Chipotle recommendation.  The salad got cold and soggy real quick, so now I will avoid Chipotle in the future if I can.

On Sunday I did the 32 mile loop of the Minneapolis Bike Tour.  It was my first ride longer than 20 miles since I did a 4-day, 300 mile charity ride in July.  From April to July each year I spend many hours and miles in my bike saddle training for the ride, and I typically fuel myself with granola bars, protein bars, powerbars, and G2 afterwards.  Sometimes I ride 80-100 miles a day (and more than 6 hours), so those processed, compact products come in handy when I need to get enough calorie intake to keep riding.

The Mpls Bike Tour was my first ride on the Whole 30.  It wasn’t quite the lengthy distances I rode during the summer, but it was longer than a typical hour-long workout.  I brought along some sweet potatoes, ate the fruit that was provided at pit stops, ate some trail mix and dried fruit I brought along… it turns out I don’t need unnatural chemical-y products to ride my bike. Who knew?

I don’t think I could do a Whole 30 while training for a Century ride because there are only so many bananas and sweet potatoes I can carry on my bike before it becomes space and weight prohibitive.  However, the food I ate on Sunday was perfect for a few hours of biking.

How I felt:

• Day 6: Good until the evening. All of a sudden I couldn’t wait to make dinner and I became annoyed and crabby and wanted food STAT.  Hence Chipotle…
• Day 7: Awesome during the day, but REALLY tired at night. I didn’t sleep much on Saturday night, but notice that I get much more tired around bedtime on the Whole30.

What I ate, Day 6:

Breakfast:  decaf coffee with light coconut milk and almond milk, egg scramble with summer squash, bell peppers, spinach topped with avocado

Lunch:  1/2 Sweet Potato + Brazilian Chicken Curry,  Dried apple rings

Dinner:  Chipotle (Carnitas salad, mild tomato pico, medium salsa, guacamole)

What I ate, Day 7:

Breakfast:  2 pre-made egg cups with bacon, eggs, bell pepper, spinach, black coffee

During Bike Ride:  2 bananas, 1 apple, trail mix, 1/2 sweet potato, dried pineapple, dates.

After Bike Ride / Lunch:  1 apple, Mofongo n’ Eggs (mashed over-ripe plantains) at The Freehouse.  For some reason I never got my bacon, but that’s ok- it probably wasn’t nitrate-free without sugar anyway.  I forgot to ask if the scrambled eggs had milk in them, so I may have accidentally cheated… but the server insisted the plantains had nothing in them aside from a little canola oil (which is not recommended but not prohibited on Whole 30 where you can’t avoid it).

Afternoon Snack:  Shredded chicken mashed with 1/4 avocado

Dinner:  1/3lb Grass-Fed Beef Burger, Apple + Kohlrabi Salad w/ Sunflower seeds and oil/vinegar dressing, Grilled summer squash + bell pepper.

Here are some pics, totally out of order but I’m not exactly a pro with wordpress:

Egg Scramble w/Avo

Brazilian Chicken + Sweet Potato

Chipotle

Mofongo n’ Eggs (I didn’t eat the English Muffin or Jam)

Burger + Kohlrabi/Apple Salad + Veggies

Day 5: Dining Out, Take 2 and 3

I ate at restaurants twice on Day 5, which makes one time for each meal on the Whole 30!  Dining out has been fairly easy, but I have purposefully picked restaurants where I could find something to order.  It would be a lot harder- or impossible- had I went to Matt’s Bar or Hello Pizza.

I skipped a “pre-workout” meal again and ate a little more than I usually would for breakfast once I got to work. Thanks to Carolyn and Sara I had leftover spinach and sweet potato “quiche” and a couple mini homemade sausages.  I also finished off the baked squash from our dinner on Day 3.

It was a perfect Friday afternoon to have a long lunch so I had a downtown scooter adventure with a friend and we crossed the river to Brasa in Northeast Minneapolis. I ordered beef without BBQ sauce and a side of plantains.  This was the most difficult meal I had ordered so far- all of Brasa’s non-fried sides are stewed in butter or cream.  They use corn oil to fry food… which isn’t ideal.  The Whole 30 program allows me to eat vegetable oils in a pinch, and a “pinch” means restaurants:

While we don’t think vegetable oils are a healthy choice (understatement of the century), we don’t expressly rule them out on the Whole30. If we did, you’d never be able to eat outside of your own kitchen, because all restaurants use them in cooking. We wanted to create the healthiest program possible, but we also need it to be do-able for those who travel for business or pleasure, or simply want to dine out during the month.   – See more at http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/

All of Brasa’s non-fried sides appeared to be stewed in butter or cream, so I decided that plantains were the best fried option since the only two ingredients were oil and the fruit.  I forgot to take a picture of this meal, but it was quite tasty!

I met some old friends for our monthly-ish dinner club.  It was my turn to pick a restaurant, so I chose the paleo/ Whole 30 friendly Agra Culture.  I had the “Arugula Detox” Salad with added Salmon for protein.  After dinner we went to Pig & Fiddle across the street where I watched my friends drink beers and eat other bar-foods.

How I felt: I skipped coffee again and had a terrible headache. I also notice I feel REALLY tired at the end of the day. As in heavy-eyes tired- take a nap at any moment kind of tired.  Is this the “wall” everyone talks about hitting?

What I ate:

Sausages, Squash, and “Quiche”

Arugula Detox Salad w/Salmon

Breakfast

• Spinach Sweet Potato “quiche”
• Leftover Squash

Snacks during the Day

• Dried Apples
• Cashews
• the other 1/2 of the Coconut Cream Pie Larabar (I notice I really want these after I workout)

Lunch

• Brasa beef with plantains

Dinner

• Agra Culture’s Arugula Detox Salad with Salmon

Day 4: Dining Out, Take 1

Wilted Greens at Agra Culture

I started my day with a co-worker for breakfast at a local “fast casual” place, Agra Culture Kitchen and Press.  I’m having dinner there tonight (Day 5) with my “dinner club” as well!  It’s a good restaurant for Whole 30 for a few reasons: (1) Published nutritional info, allergens, etc., (2) Ingredients are local, organic, non-GMO, (3) The menu items marked as “paleo” come pretty close to Whole 30, and (4) You can get things like Chia Seed Pudding and Nitrate-Free Bacon!  I wanted to try the pudding, but it’s considered a SWYPO food. Maybe in 30 days I’ll give it a-go.

How I feel:  Good, thanks coffee!

What I ate:

Breakfast:

• Wilted Greens at Agra Culture Kitchen (kale and spinach saute with toasted almonds, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, topped with a fried egg)
• 8oz Black Coffee

Snacks During the Day:

Fresh Catch Leftovers

• Dried Apple rings with Almond Butter
• Cashews

Lunch:

• Leftover Salmon + roasted zucchini and squash
• Banana with Almond Butter
• Shredded Chicken

Dinner:

• Leftover Kale Salad
• Leftover Meaty Zoodles
• Leftover Squash
• Watermelon

Day 3: InSpiralized

It’s only Day 3 and I already know I would not be able to get through my Whole 30 without my work cafeteria.  My caf is reasonably priced, has both a self-serve salad bar AND has a tossed salad bar line.  Oh, and they create made-to-order omelettes in the AM or grab-and-go hardboiled eggs when I’m pressed for time.

 

 

For lunch I made a salad in my caf…. then spotted it was “Fresh Catch” day at one of the grills. How could I have missed that?  For $7 I got a delicious piece of fresh salmon cooked to order with steamed broccoli and summer squash/zucchini.  I couldn’t resist the fresh salmon even though I’d already made a salad… so I ate the salad with half the salmon and saved the other half salmon and steamed veggies for tomorrow in a tupperware.  Leftovers rock!

 

 

Spiralizer in Action!

 

 

That wasn’t even the best meal of my day.  My friends Carolyn and Sara made me dinner using my new Paderno Spiralizer.  I was inspired to do a Whole 30 after Carolyn and Sara tried it.  Carolyn also happens to be my favorite chef-friend; if I had enough money I would bankroll a restaurant for her to run.  She’ll have to stick to her day-job until I win the powerball, sorry Carolyn.

 

 

Carolyn and Sara made some “spaghetti” sauce with ground turkey, beef, tomatoes, eggplant, and a bunch of other veggies, which we ate over zucchini noodles (“zoodles”).  Additionally, we ate a home-garden-picked kale salad with tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and kohlrabi.  Lastly, we ate baked Kabocha squash and had watermelon for “dessert.”  THIS is how a Whole 30 meal is supposed to be done.

 

 

 

How I feel:  Great! Apparently I am not as weaned off caffeine as I thought I was, so I drank black iced coffee in the morning to avoid an afternoon headache.  It was so tasty I almost didn’t miss my usual creamer.  Almost.

 

 

What I ate:

 

Breakfast:

• 2 hardboiled eggs
• black iced coffee
• 1/2 banana with almond butter

Snacks during the day

• dried apples with almond butter

Lunch

• salad bar with salmon
• 1/2 banana… with almond butter. I’m addicted.

Dinner

• Meaty zucchini “spaghetti”
• Kale Salad
• Baked Winter Squash
• Watermelon

Zoodles!

Cafeteria Salmon + Salad

Day 2: Leftoverpalooza

My day started with an early morning workout at Steele.  I didn’t eat anything before I exercised, but according to the Whole 30 plan I am supposed to eat some protein and fat. My stomach doesn’t do well when I eat before I exercise first thing in the morning, but maybe I will try some egg whites next time- I hear they are easily digestible proteins.

 

Post-workout “meals” had been an issue for me.  I used to eat Think Thin High Protein Bars after strength training workouts because they were quick and easy . . .  but they also exacerbated my sugar cravings.  Why aren’t scrambled eggs available as grab-and-go bars without additives?? Please get to work on that, scientists!  Now that I’m doing a Whole 30 it has been good for me to eat real breakfasts, real protein in eggs and meat is much more satisfying than a protein bar…albeit not as convenient.

 

Day 2 was just as touch-and-go as Day 1.  I forgot to plan for a monthly board meeting after work, but fortunately the meeting is held in the Whole Foods on Hennepin Community Room, my favorite grocery store in Minneapolis.  I topped a salad bar salad with shredded chicken I brought from home and it was delish. Whole Foods has their ingredients listed on mixed salads and I discovered that the Detox Salad is Whole 30 compliant! I mixed that with other fresh veggies and some balsamic vinegar and raw pumpkin seeds.

 

How I feel:  Same as yesterday with the headache in the afternoon, somewhat tired, but otherwise pretty good.

 

What I ate:

Breakfast:

• leftover veggie scramble with 1/4 baked sweet potato

Lunch:

• leftover turkey taco meat with 3/4 sweet potato
• side salad from cafeteria

Snacks during the day:

• cashews
• apple
• 1/2 a Grass Run Farms beef stick
• 1/2 a Coconut Cream Pie LaraBar (I know I’m supposed to stay away from these but I couldn’t help myself around 3pm).

Dinner:

• Whole Foods Salad Bar with Homemade Shredded Chicken
• Banana with Almond Butter

Leftover Veggie Scramble with some Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato Turkey Mash and a Salad

Whole Foods Salad with the Gay Agenda!

 

Day 1: Progress not Perfection

After weeks of reading, surfing the internet for blog posts and recipes, and experimenting with my meals, I finally started a Whole 30 program yesterday.

I had grand plans to cook the weekend before my Whole 30, but that didn’t pan out: I chickened out on making homemade beef jerky at the idea of hacking at a giant piece of raw meat. A pot roast was delayed by a busy weekend filled with out-of-town visitors and attending a wonderful wedding (and the best pre-Whole30 kickoff slice of cake I could dream of).

Pot Roast Fail

My meals weren’t as glamorous as I imagined due to my lack of preparation, but my first day went pretty well otherwise. After work I prepared a Mocha Rubbed Pot Roast for my slow cooker and easy eggs for dinner was all I could handle by the time that was done.

Unfortunately, in my eagerness to eat dinner I neglected to properly read the roast recipe: I cooked the roast on “high” instead of “low” and ruined it… so Day 2 will be a similar touch-and-go kind of day, without much prep.

I may be off to a rocky start but I have one day down, 29 to go!

How I feel: Pretty good from the neck downward: I successfully weaned myself off caffeinated coffee a few months ago, but I usually drink decaf…with creamer. Since creamer is a no-no, I decided to forgo coffee altogether. Bad plan. I hope Advil is Whole 30 compliant for this caffeine withdrawal headache…

What I ate:

Salad with Shredded Chicken

Breakfast

• Two hard-boiled eggs
• Banana
• A few almonds

Snacks during work

• Some of this trail mix 
• Carrots w/ Wholly Guacamole

Lunch

• Salad from my work cafeteria (spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomato) topped with homemade shredded chicken. Dressing was just a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Dinner

Egg and Veggie Scramble

• Egg Scramble with leftover turkey taco meat, bell peppers, onions, summer squash. I used ghee to sauté the veggies. Avocado on the side and Cholula hot sauce on top.
• Apple with Almond Butter

Day 0: Introduction

My name is Bev and I am starting a Whole 30 tomorrow.  Here are my goals:

1. Kick the “sugar monster” in the butt- get my sweet tooth under control
2. Regain my willpower to resist unhealthy foods . . . and re-learn to enjoy them in moderation or special occasions
3. Recognize the difference between hunger and craving
4. Determine which food groups I am sensitive to and how those foods affect me
5. Lose weight or at least stop the creeping scale
6. Feel energized and not a slave to food related energy spikes and food “comas”

In this blog, I will write about (1) how I feel and (2) what I am eating each day.  Those two tidbits on other people’s experiences on blogs have been the most helpful for me to read, so hopefully it helps me realize my own patterns and helps someone else with their experience.