Whole 30 Round 2 - The Halfway Point

I'm currently on Day 17 of my second round of Whole 30. I had all these smug ideas after I finished my first round. I had kicked my bad habits and could totally rock 'Life After Whole 30'. 

Then we went away for our anniversary. Then the holidays started...Thanksgiving, trip to NYC, Christmas, New Year's, Drew's birthday. And all my smug ideas came crashing down. So I knew I needed to jump start myself again and decided to do another round of Whole 30.

That brings us to now - I'm at the halfway point and feeling amazing {but a little less smug}. So how has this round been?

• Overall, it has been very easy to slip back into Whole 30 eating.
• I did a better job of not binge-eating the week before I started, so my first few days weren't nearly as painful this time.
• I found a way I can tolerate eggs! I hate the way hard-boiled eggs smell, but I can actually eat them without dying. That's been huge. 
• Eating out still sucks. It's so hard to find anything compliant, and it's usually a salad with grilled chicken and oil/vinegar. Boo.
• I'm experimenting with coffee - I just get so bored drinking water all day! I think I like ghee coffee but think I'll like it better with some honey it it. {Shocking}

So here's hoping I can finish strong and find a balance this time when I end this round!

DITL: Winter 2016 {January 26, 2016}

Nothing like waiting until the last possible day to get my DITL post in! But I think today will be a good day to document - it's been a while since I've done a weekday {because usually that's me working for 7 hours in my living room} because today I needed to be in our office downtown for a meeting.

********Tuesday, January 26, 2016********

Allena and Brent are 35.
Trent is 6.5.
Drew is a newly minted 3.

3:35 - Unexpected wake-up call from both kiddos. Drew has gone into Trent's room to try and sneak into his bed and woken him up. He comes to tattle, she follows to try and get into our bed.

5:15 - Brent's alarm goes off. Ugggggh.

6:00 - My alarm goes off. Double uggggggh. Time to rise and shine! Check my FitBit stats for sleep - shockingly not great given Drew's visit. I also realize it isn't quite accurate because I didn't go to sleep when it said I did, but I guess my IG perusing before bed made it think I was asleep! Head to the bathroom and chat with Brent while he showers and I wash my face/bangs. I wasn't going to wash my hair today but my bangs were looking rough! He's out the door by 6:10. Realize as he walks out that I wanted to get a picture of us and didn't get it {not that he would have done it willingly}. Boo!

6:15 - Start working - check email, do a few things I didn't finish up yesterday. I've started doing this to get in another 30-45 minutes a day since it's so hard to get all my hours in every day. Also deal with some drama with our school's library.  I am the volunteer coordinator for the library, and one of our long-time volunteers had to back out, so now I need to replace his remaining 12 shifts for the year.

See my fancy spreadsheet! {grin}

6:48 - Time to make the donuts...I mean breakfasts and lunches for my minions. I open the fridge and remember Drew didn't go back to school yesterday after her well-check, so her lunch is already made. Say out loud 'Drew's is done. Yes!' #dork Decide to turn on some music while I work. I won't be super quiet so that hopefully the kids will start stirring on their own. #yeahright

6:50 - Start to boil some eggs. My kids LOVE hard-boiled eggs. I hate eggs in all forms and I hate the way hard-boiled eggs smell, but I can actually eat the egg white without wanting to die. So that's a win for convenience foods on Whole 30.

7:00 - Trent comes out into the kitchen unprompted which is rare but then decides he wants to go back to bed.

7:05 - Lay out Drew's outfit that we agreed to the night before. Girlfriend has flare today.

7:10 - Try to wake up the bear aka Drew. She has been a disaster at bedtime {due to her new freedom} so she is awake way too late and mornings are super rough.

7:15 - Get my clothes on and do my make-up. Spoiled by almost never having to wear make-up, so it's kind of a pain on the days I need to put it on. Trent gets up again and heads to the couch to read.

7:20 - Peel an egg for Trent and finally get Drew up, but man is she grumpy!

7:25 - Bring Trent his clothes, his MTHFR meds {his prescription and his 'red cream'}.

7:30 - Start to dress her - she's pretty resistant at first but finally lets me dress her and then starts to eat her breakfast {hard-boiled egg, watermelon, and strawberries}. Whines that she wants squirty fruits. Trent is looking at a Harry Potter Lego book and eating his breakfast {a spinach hamburger patty, a hard-boiled egg, and 2 squirty fruits}.

7:40 - Remind T that it's time to get dressed. No way will we be in the car when I want to be {7:45}.

7:50 - Start corralling everyone to get in the car. Pause to take a selfie. It's going to be cold today in ATX {Yankees, don't laugh at me!} so I had to find tights to wear under my dress.

7:55 - Everyone is strapped in, now I run in and take all my pills {MTHFR vitamins and DHA - getting a stye is super fun but reminds me that I haven't been good about taking my DHA regularly}.

8:01 - And we're off!

8:14 - Arrive at school. Trent hops out and walks to class. Drew wants me to walk her to class, but I can't since we've arrived during normal drop-off time, and she BAWLS as the school secretary walks her to class. She still hasn't adjusted to drop-off since moving classes. Breaks my heart to leave her crying like that, but I know it's better to just walk away - I know she'll calm down super fast.

8:16 - Back in the car, talk to Brent for a few minutes and then head into Austin. Listen to a replay of the Bobby Bones Show. Traffic is way lighter than a normal day. That doesn't mean I don't hit any, but it's a lot better!

9:00 - Just as I'm exiting the highway, I have to get on a conference call.

9:15 - Arrive at Picnik for a little Whole 30 approved coffee {ghee coffee with MCT oil and a shot of collagen protein - yay!}. I'm trying to find new drinks that I will enjoy to break-up with that damn chai latte. I'd say the coffee was okay but could easily grow on me. And after this round when I can put a little honey or maple syrup in it? I think we'll be besties.

9:30 - Get to our office, walk up {it's freezing}, have to borrow an ID badge {mine is somewhere in the house...}, and get set-up in the conference room we have for today's meeting.

10:00 - Talk to my co-worker Risa, and my co-worker Lauren walks into the conference room and immediately hops on a conference call of her own.

10:30 - Now we're both off the phone and we catch up. Lauren and I've known each other for years. She's the sister of one of my closest friends {Jenna, who I do oils with}, so she works for Deloitte in the same job as me, loves essential oils, also has an MTHFR mutation, so you know we get along!

11:07 - Call from school - Trent is disturbing other kids and not listening and needs to be picked up. I say a few choice words to my co-worker before calling Brent. His dad is in Georgetown messing with our golf cart at the golf course, so B thinks he can probably pick T up. Call said father-in-law and he is done with the cart and can get T. Whew! Of course this would happen on a day when I'm downtown. Suuuuper frustrated. He had a nasty meltdown yesterday afternoon. As B and I text about it, I realize we forgot his pill yesterday morning and I didn't watch him take it this morning - I wonder if this is part of the issue. Hmmm...

11:30 - Start discussing lunch options. Lauren's pregnant {with baby girl #3}, and I always love to talk about food! She's also building a new house, so she shows me her floor plan. So happy we aren't building anymore, but it's super fun to see what others are doing.

12:00 - Start the Talent 2020 webcast - the whole reason for being in the office! Work on this post.

12:20 - A new hire comes into the conference room for us to verify his employment and review his citizenship paperwork. I always feel like I am going to screw this up!

1:00 - My Whole 30 friend {Veronica} happens to be getting her husband lunch from Picnik and bringing it downtown and asked me if I wanted something. Made my day! I was about to be eating a house salad from Texadelphia - was NOT excited about that. Continue working...

1:35 - Check my mail - the receptionist might have hinted that I needed to - and get some water. Chuck all said mail in the recycling bin.

1:50 - Veronica is here with my green beans and chicken lunch and a cup of bone broth. Yum!

2:00 - Talk to Brent and he says traffic is a mess {it's raining AND cold}, so I go ahead and shut down and head out to get Drew. While I'm thankful my father-in-law was able to get Trent, I have to pass their house to get Drew, then turn around to get Trent - going to be spending a lot of time in the car! Eat my lunch while driving - it is so good!

2:49 - Arrive at school! The drop-off line is super long! Pick up my best girl. She surprisingly wanted to sit in her own seat and not her brother's. She had an accident at school {this NEVER happens}, so she's in outfit #2 of the day {spoiler alert: this number will continue to grow}.

3:15 - Have to take a detour to get gas. Eek!

3:20 - Now Drew wants to be in Trent's car seat, so I go to switch her around. She is sassy, of course.

3:30 - Start another car conference call. Luckily this one is with 2 of my team members, so we're always taking calls together with kids in the background or out and about - I love my team!

3:35 - Arrive at Brent's parents house. Brent's dad bribes Drew with marshmallows to get her into the kitchen so I can finish my call. Thanks Papa!

3:45 - While still on the phone, Drew comes into the room I'm in {used to be Brent's} and wants to change clothes {outfit #3}. I help her change clothes AND potty while still on my call. 

Too busy to show off her new outfit

4:15 - Head home. Decide Trent will help me clean out my trash can on wheels car when we get home as part of his punishment for getting in trouble at school. We hit rush hour traffic which is super fun with 2 kids in the car.

5:00 - Get home, and begin cleaning out my car. Start a load of laundry for Drew's wet outfit from school.

5:05 - Brent attacks! {Cameo of our new table! Still debating chairs...sigh.}

5:10 - Drew wants to wear her leotard. This would be outfit #4. She pairs it with my tennis shoes. #stylish

5:15 - Trent is still working on my car, and Drew adds a tu-tu and her princess heel.

5:30 - I unload the dishwasher and reload it with everything from my car. There were A LOT of dishes in there {plus a bunch that had accumulated already} in the sink. Needs to be restarted again! I should be embarrassed to show this, but this is real life!

5:45 - Kids are hungry, so Brent makes them turkey sandwiches, and I read to them {The Day the Crayons Quit and we added The Day the Crayons Came Back}. Trent's semi under lockdown, but I'm a sucker for reading to the kids.

6:35 - I have a Finance Council meeting at church, so Brent gets the kids in the shower, and I jet to church!

6:58 - Arrive at church. Our meeting lasts just about an hour, and I will be presenting some financial information at both masses this weekend, fun-fun!

8:25 - Arrive home! Brent has all the lights blazing for me. That's love!

8:45 - Eat dinner - leftover chicken and potatoes made with ghee. Yum! Check IG and veg for a bit.

9:00 - Play on the computer for a little bit. Get ready for bed. Brent and I look at chairs online and don't come to any decisions. Too.many.choices!!!

10:15 - Being silly! Lights out and we both play on our phones a little.

10:36 - Good night!

In case you were curious, Drew stayed in her bed that night, but 6:00 AM still came too early!

My Whole 30 Recipes

I don't know if there is anybody out there {besides Veronica} who cares about my Whole 30 journey, but I'm still blogging about it! 

I mentioned on Monday that I enjoyed 'bad' eating a little longer than I intended after our weekend away, and that was largely due to poor meal planning when we got home. The most important thing for me {and sometimes the most annoying part} is the meal prep. But I can tell you that I've noticed a big difference in how I feel when I'm eating clean vs. when I'm not, so I'm so excited to get back on track!

I used the Whole 30 book and Pinterest a lot accumulating recipes. I am a pretty picky eater, so a lot of recipes I found were immediately vetoed. Luckily there are hundreds, if not thousands, of recipes out there, so I've gathered a lot that worked for me and our family. My goal is to get a month's worth of recipes, I'm not there yet, but I'm still searching and saving! I thought I'd put all the recipes I've liked in 1 place in case anyone out there is looking for healthy recipes or even contemplating Whole 30!

I am not a huge mayonnaise person, but man, Whole 30 mayo is amazing. I eat it on food, as a veggie dip, in recipes. It literally takes less than 5 minutes to make, has only a few ingredients, and is delicious. The mayo is an easy way to get a healthy fat with your meals. It's also the base for Whole 30 ranch, but I haven't made that yet {although I intend to}. Here's a link for a ton of Whole 30 sauces. I am a huge sauce person!

This meatloaf was super easy and good. Next time I might blend up some spinach to get some more veggies in it. The only things I did differently were I only used 2 pounds of meat {3 seemed a little excessive} and omitted the onions {I hate them and used onion powder instead}, and I made it in cupcake tins to have individual servings - it cooked faster and made it easy to serve.

I crave this pan-fried lemon chicken. It was a little too tart for the kids, but I think I ate it for 3 or 4 meals during my Whole 30.

I found this recipe for chicken baked with potatoes and green beans before Whole 30, but it's easy to make compliant by subbing ghee for the butter. I also use fresh green beans instead of canned. The whole family loves this one.

I have 2 pork recipes from the Whole 30 book - one is for pork carnitas in the crock pot and the other was for walnut-encrusted pork tenderloin. Both were AMAZING, but I can't find online links. I can email those to anyone who might like the sound of them. {grin}

My boss recommended chicken zucchini poppers. I liked these but the rest of the family wasn't wild about them. You could too easily see the shredded zucchini, so Brent and Trent wouldn't try it. Grrrr. Next time I try this, I might try puree-ing the zucchini?

As a kid, my mom would fry salmon cakes, and it was one of the few fish dishes I would eat. I am still not a fan of fish, but when I found this recipe for Whole 30 salmon cakes, I had to try it. And they were awesome! I will admit it was kind of gross touching the fish because I had to dig around to make sure there weren't any bones, and I almost couldn't finish, but I'm so glad I did. This one is a keeper!

I will admit I haven't made these buffalo ranch chicken meatballs, but they are up next on my 'to try' list. I love buffalo chicken wings with ranch, so I'm hopeful these will be similar.

I follow @whole30recipes on Instagram. There are only a few recipes I've tried from there, but bacon wrapped chicken was a winner. I salted and peppered chicken tenders and then wrapped each tender with bacon. Then I baked at 350* for about 60 minutes in a baking dish. {I actually put on a cookie sheet and smoked out the house because the bacon grease dripped, so don't make my same mistake.} Easy, simple ingredients and delicious.

For a take on chicken nuggets, try these zesty chicken bites! Again a little too spicy for the kids, so next time, I'll cut down on the cayenne pepper, but the breading turned out so good.

There were also a lot of meals I ate that we ate before Whole 30 - I just modified.

• Spaghetti on Zoodles - I made spaghetti like normal for everyone and just ate mine on sauteed zucchini noodles. {Just make sure the sauce you use doesn't have added sugar.}
• Tacos - I ate mine as a wrap inside big pieces of lettuce.
• Hamburgers - Just ate without a bun. The Whole 30 website has a whole blog post about things you can use instead of buns, I didn't try any but I think a sweet potato bun would be yummy! You can also make your own french fries - just slice up a potato really thin, put on a baking sheet, salt and pepper, and coat with olive oil. Bake at 350* until soft.
• Chicken salad - I made this pretty much every week and ate it as breakfast or lunch a lot {including yesterday and probably today}. Canned chicken, mayo, apples, grapes, pecans, and celery - yum! I would usually eat it on spinach with a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette. Delish!

I also had plenty of lazy meals too. Planning is important, but you can't cook 3 meals a day every day without going a little crazy!

• Chicken apple sausage - there are several brands you can buy {Aidell's, Applegate, Coleman's} - I would just grill it and then eat with mayo, a fruit, and a veggie. Super easy!
• Applegate turkey pepperoni
• Lunch meat - this is tricky because a lot of them have carrageenan {a Whole 30 no-no} or added sugar, but you can find it.
• Bacon - again be careful with added sugar - I've only been able to find one brand without added sugar, Pederson's, and I've only found it at Whole Foods and Natural Grocer.

Hopefully this was helpful to someone out there! If you find anything you think I might like, I'd love some new recipes to work on my list of 30!

Whole 30: Results and Now What?

Sick of my Whole 30 posts yet? I hope not! I officially finished last week but hadn't shared my results yet or where this journey is taking me. Since it has been really amazing {dare I say life changing?} I wanted to talk a little bit about the future as well.

First up, the results! During the program, you are not supposed to weigh yourself. The scale can be a fickle beast {lose 2 pounds then frustratingly gain 3 even though you feel like you are hungry all the time...}, and Whole 30 wants you to focus more on how food makes you feel over what the scale says. It is allowed to do before and after measurements, pics, overall scale results, etc. which I did. {Before and After pics will not be posted on the blog - yes, shockingly, there are things I consider private, Brent!}

Weight lost: 6 pounds
Inches lost:
-Arm: 1"
-Thigh: 2"
-Bust: 1.5"
-Hips: 1"
-Waist: 2"

Y'all, can you believe that? I was floored! I can really see the difference when I look at the before and after pics and my clothes fit SO much better!

So...now that I've finished the official 30 days...what now?

There are 2 ways you can choose to reintroduce food {if you didn't immediately eat pizza and donuts on day 31, which I didn't, ha} - 1 being to reintroduce only when you really want to with no timeline and the other being to follow a 10-day plan to reintroduce 1 food group at a time {for example, non-gluten grains on day 1, whole 30 eating days 2 and 3, dairy on day 4...etc.}. I opted for the second approach because Brent and I are taking a getaway soon and I wanted to know how each food group made me feel before I potentially binge on all the things over that weekend. I don't think I have any food issues, but I don't want to waste 30 days of clean eating and not find out.

I ate whole 30 complaint for 34 days and yesterday, I ate 2 meals with non-gluten grains - spaghetti with quinoa and chicken fried rice. Everything else was compliant food. I already have noticed that I felt groggier after each of those meals. I honestly felt like on day 31 I was going to be so excited to eat bread or pasta again, and I really had no desire to eat it yesterday {but did for the experiment}. Pretty amazing, huh? I'm not even that interested in dairy on Thursday when 2 weeks ago I was really jonesing for some cheese!

So we'll see what these 10 days bring in terms of increased awareness of how certain foods treat me, I'll go on my trip with Brent and enjoy myself 100% guilt-free, and then I'll come back and jump right back into what I really REALLY really to be a lifestyle for me.

Today also had a little mini-adventure packed into it. {Yes, I realize this post is a mile long and that I am STILL talking about Whole 30. I'm sorry. #sorrynotsorry If you want to really feel sorry for someone, think about Brent who lives with me and gets to hear this all day long!}

Veronica, whose Whole 30 journey inspired and encouraged mine, has been telling me about a cute food trailer in her neck of the woods {the hip, cool part of Austin, you know, not the 'burbs} called Picnik. I follow them on Instagram {@picnikaustin} where they show pictures of all their paleo food {Have I ever mentioned that Whole 30 and paleo are pretty much fraternal twins?} and teach about the health benefits of MCT Oil and bone broth. It is my new favorite IG feed and totally revs up my love-of-learning geekiness to a whole new level. So anyway, today Veronica took me!

See my totally overly excited smile?

I had a marshmallow chai {dairy free} with MCT oil and collagen.

Starbucks who? Can't believe I haven't had a SB chai in 35 days and don't care! #canstopdidstop

I also had a paleo blueberry muffin - my first 'baked good' in 35 days. {Another rule of Whole 30 is to not create non-compliant food with compliant ingredients.} It was amazing and did NOT create any cravings for more treats. Can I get an Amen?!

I asked Veronica if I could share a little bit of her story because it truly is inspiring, and she agreed.

This is Veronica in May 2015. We've known each other for close to 10 years.

I am blown away comparing this picture to the one above.

She embarked on her Whole 30 journey after watching Fed Up {she's the one who told me about it and That Sugar Film}. She told me that this was a lifestyle change that she needed to make as a family {she and her husband have the most precious 4-year-old}. She wanted to be a better role model to her son and thought she was feeding him 'healthy' foods but some were counteracting the process. During her Whole 30, she lost 17 pounds and has continued to lose weight with the Whole 30ish lifestyle. She has more energy, more stamina, and her son knows what the 'sugar dragon' is and how to say no to it. Total success! 

She and I spent a lot of time today talking about how great we feel and how much we've noticed in changed without incorporating much exercise in...yet. She and her husband continue to lose weight while eating out because they are making the RIGHT food choices. We are both so fired up!

This post is beyond long enough, but I just wanted to share my results and where this journey is taking me now. I want to do another post soon about the new recipes I've tried and how I survived thrived during Whole 30. Stay tuned!

September Reads {And Some I Forgot...}

September was actually a really slow month for me book-wise. I only read 2 books in September, but I remembered 2 I had read earlier this summer that I forgot to blog about, so at least this month isn't totally lame!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - My book club buddy, Amy, lets me share her online library membership, and she had this one checked out and told me it was supposed to be good, so I decided to try it. And it was SO good. I love having friends with different tastes than me, it really helps me read outside my favorite genres {ahem chick lit and romance}. This book is hard to describe, but it jumps in time to different periods in time before and after a flu epidemic that wipes out the majority of the world's population and focuses on a few situations and how they impact the rest of the story. Very riveting and enjoyable - a little sci-fi, a little mystery, a lot of good story-telling!

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty - My 4th {of 6} of Liane's books. This one was my least favorite of her books so far, but even her worst is still a good read. This one was about the intertwining lives of triplets. One has a 'perfect' life {or does she?}, one can't find love because she is hung-up on the death of her 'perfect' fiance {or was he?}, and the 3rd finds out something shocking about her 'perfect' marriage {or was it?}. My biggest issue was that it took me a while to remember which triplet was which so it was hard for me to engage in the story at first.

Whole 30 by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig - My friend, Veronica, who did Whole 30 before me {and was the reason I decided to do it, her enthusiasm was too catching} recommended I get the book. I'm really glad I did, but I don't think you HAVE to if you want to try Whole 30. I would say most of the information can be found on the Whole 30 website {rules, etc}, but a lot of the WHY is expanded upon in the book. The book also comes with a lot of recipes, some of which I tried, but again, I also used Pinterest a lot, so you don't NEED the book.

The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand - This was a recommendation by a blogger I read and my first book to read by Elin. It was good if not great - a little too mushy and at the same time not what I expected {I was expecting a little more lightness but it got deep at the end}. I don't think I'll rush out to read more of her books, but they'll be great fill-ins if I don't have something else in mind.

What did you read this month? Anything I should try?

BOOM!

Cue my victory lap! Warm up the band! I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{Results and my thoughts on how I survived to come}

Whole 30 - Week 4

I'm almost done, I'm almost done! I can't believe it, I'm almost done!

Timeline for Week 4

• Days 16-27: Tiger Blood {see last week for definition} - I definitely have more energy and better concentration at work and overall feel REALLY good. I still can't seem to motivate myself enough to workout regularly which I know would help here even more...but I will take how I'm feeling any day!
• Day 28: 28 is as good as 30...right? I guess this is a point where people are ready to give in because you are sooo close. Well, I'm fully committed to my 30 days, so I have no plans to stop!

Random Facts:

• I bought a Kombucha last weekend at the store {totally compliant} but haven't had it yet. I can't decide if it is a gateway drug for me back to sugary drinks, so I am saving it.
• Lazy meals, lots of lazy meals - the best part is I finally feel really confident with food to be able to make some random meals and think they are delicious. I'm experimenting more with recipes and trying stuff I wouldn't have tried even a few weeks ago.

Skillet-made hamburger patty, sweet potato with ghee, bell peppers, and a pear

The cupboards were BARE but this was YUMMY!

• I have been meaning to try coconut aminos since I read about them but didn't get them until this weekend and WOW are they amazing. It tastes almost exactly like soy sauce but actually really good for you {the amino acids are considered the building blocks of protein blah blah blah healthy blah blah vitamins blah blah neutral pH blah blah...read more here}. I am definitely going to be replacing soy sauce with this FOREVER!

• One thing I was worried about was getting bored with food, but I am not. Sure I am spending more time prepping, more time cooking, more time washing dishes, and all of that is annoying, but the food I'm eating tastes SO GOOD and I feel SO GOOD - it's worth it!

Homemade chicken salad {with whole 30 mayo} on a salad with coconut aminos

• I'm starting to think about reintroduction - because Brent and I have a weekend away planned in a few weeks, I want to follow the reintroduction plan in the book to see if I do have any food sensitivities before we go away and then my plan after a fun weekend is to get right back to good eating. I'll be able to determine if I can have cheese on a regular basis! Interestingly enough I don't really care about having bread/pasta again - maybe rice on occasion?
• I am REALLY getting curious about the scale and my measurements. I hope to see results {and I know I will based on how my clothes are fitting}, but I know even if they aren't miraculous {I would love to have lost 10 pounds but realistically think I'll see 5}, I am committed to continuing this journey!

So here's to seeing how the last 2 days go, how the scale and tape measure treat me and what I learn from reintroduction!