Look! I’m still here! Two weeks down. Two to go. I’m extremely proud of myself. 27 days without Dr. Pepper.
I’m not sure how I feel. Lola’s sleeping is all over the place, and lack of sleep affects me in a huge way. So I can’t tell if my energy levels and headaches are sleep related or food related. Regardless, I’m eating healthier than I ever have before, so that’s a huge plus.
Pro: I have made a hot, tasty (breakfast, lunch, and) dinner for 14 days in a row. (Yep. That’s a record.)
Con: I’ve had to make a hot, tasty (breakfast, lunch, and) dinner for 14 days in a row. This diet is very cooking-intensive.
Pro: My refrigerator and freezer are constantly well-stocked, and we are actually eating. the. food.
Con: I’ve had to keep the refrigerator stocked. This diet is very grocery shopping-intensive.
Pro: Nope. Let’s go straight to con on this one.
Con: My kitchen is constantly a disaster. I barely have time (or often don’t, at all) to recover from the mess of one meal before it’s time for the next. [Sigh. There just isn’t enough me to go around. I can’t clean quickly enough. Can’t cook quickly enough. Can’t parent well enough. Can’t do laundry quickly enough. Can’t return emails, teach, run errands, pay bills, wipe bottoms, make appointments quickly enough. Can’t lesson plan well enough. Can’t blog. Can’t read. Can’t watch TV. Can’t sleep. No such thing as break time, me time, quiet time, evenings, weekends, not even night-time. I’m exhausted!! Okay, sorry. Rant over.]
On Mother’s Day we had BBQ burgers with the works, roasted veggies, sweet potato chips, and a huge fruit salad. I made ‘banana split milkshake’ for dessert. YUM!
The winning recipe from this week: Chicken Pizza. Served with banana, mango, coconut milk, spinach, and frozen blackberry smoothies. Yeah, baby. I made the mini pizzas with leftover spaghetti sauce, salami, crumbled Italian sausage, sundried tomatoes, black olives and sliced fresh tomato. I know paleo pizza isn’t Whole30 approved (along with my sweet potato chips, Lara Bars, milkshakes, recent date obsession, and weighing myself…), but you do what you gotta do. So there. I can see this being a staple menu item.
BBQ flank steak and roasted yams were delicious last night.
Another hit this week: my mom’s chicken salad. I could eat this all day long. I made up two big batches of it for lunches. Very, very handy.
Mom’s Chicken Salad
2-3 cups chopped chicken
1 cup chopped celery (and/or cucumbers, zucchini)
1 apple chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans chopped (sunflower seeds are also delicious!)
bacon (of course)
finely chopped red pepper
dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon dill pickle juice
Oh, and I’m down another 2 pounds this week, 7 pounds total. I’ll take it. I’ve cut down on snacking and fruits/nuts the past few days, so that might have helped things along.
How is it going for all of my fabulous Whole30 peeps?
He who has health has hope;
and he who has hope has everything.
~Arabic Proverb
I am amazed. And yes, yes, I know you are human - - but thanks for reminding us of that in this post. You're doing a great job. *And* it is a lot of work. :)
ReplyDeleteI *love* chicken salad. I hadn't thought to add pickle juice and bacon. Mmmmm... I know what's on the menu for tomorrow's lunch! Also I love it with all kinds of nuts, but sunflower seeds might be my favorite. And in the fall a nice crisp apple diced and added to the salad is quite lovely.
Way to go, Heidi!!! You're doing great! Our kitchens could share disaster-zone stories. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have just 10 days left of the 30, and I've been thinking more and more about maintenance, life-style, long-term habits, etc... I'm a little afraid, to be honest. I need to think some more.
Meanwhile, we're going strong. And the clothes are getting looser!
E
Thank you for the update! I'm always inspired by your meal ideas and recipes. I could soooo relate to your thoughts on constant kitchen disaster and incessant cooking.
ReplyDeleteI guess I am a flunkee. I made it to Day 17 without any slip-ups, but on Day 18 had a plain baked potato, and the next day some plain pinto beans. Today - - brown rice. I'm a bit sad I couldn't keep on the straight and narrow for the whole 30 days, but I still think I've gained some valuable insights here and will be able to craft a healthier diet for myself going forward, even if it it's not 100% paleo.
The biggest benefit is that I haven't had a single migraine since starting this. That is HUGE for me! I'm thinking it's likely related to cutting out the sugar. I recently learned of "The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program" book/website, and plan to look into that further.
I'll be cheering the rest of you on as you get closer to your 30 day goal!
Shelly
I'm on day 29 and I totally agree about the kitchen being a mess. I have 3 little kids, 5, 4, and 2, and trying to keep the house clean with them running around is hard... then add all this cooking into the mix. Yep, the house is a disaster! It is VERY worth it though! I have stuck to the diet and I feel great. I still haven't weighed myself so I don't know if I've lost anything. I do have to say this is exactly what I needed to get my eating habits back on track. I think I am going to eat Paleo when my 30 days are up. I feel so great that I don't want to go back to my old ways. I'm just hoping that I'll be able to get my house clean again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chicken salad recipe, I am going to make some today. I am still looking for mayo that I can eat. Trader Joe's was out, so I may have to make my own.
Becky
Okay, girl, I'm going to forego my analysis of this diet and say just this: I am way proud of you for eating healthier, and way, way, WAY impressed and happy that you're weaning yourself off Dr. Pepper. Yessss!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHeidi and Elaine...I am quietly moving along (with you all) in this food adventure...Day 9 and feeling fine...thinking too about the long term. Thankful for your food ideas...so far eating lots of fruits and vegis, some smoothies, chicken, tuna and almond butter (wonder if almond butter is okay?) Thanks so much for your updates!
ReplyDelete~C in Tualatin
I did it! Today is day 31. I dropped 9 pounds during the 30 days! I'm so excited about this. Heidi, thank you SO much for posting about the whole 30 on your blog. You've been a blessing to me. I haven't felt this good for as long as I can remember. I hope your next two weeks go well!
ReplyDeleteBecky
I love your blog! I stumbled accross it looking for whole30 meal plans. You are doing fantastic! I can so relate with your pros and con list. I stood in the kitchen for 2 hours this morning. That was just breakfast. I will be finished with my whole30 on June 4. I think I'm going to keep going for a little bit longer though. I did want to suggest getting on a good suppliment schedule if you haven't yet. My first two weeks where hell! Like so exhausted I felt pregnant (I have two little ones.) I started taking much needed suppliments/vitamins week 3 and I literally felt like a normal human being again. Actually...even better than I have ever felt before. The whole30 has changed my relationship with food.I am passionate about this change and feel so bless to have heard about it. Thanks for posting your progress! Congrats on giving up the Dr. Pepper! For real...I know how HUGE that is! Your kiddos are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!