We have reached a verdict. There will be no Vegetarian W30* this go around. (Yes. You heard me right. I said "this go around". I seem to have inadvertently consumed the W30 Kool-aid**. The maltodextrin-free, sugar-free, artificial-sweetener-free, artificial-color-free, preservative-free kind, a/k/a water. There might be ANOTHER go around. But don't worry. Not for a while.) I'm already seven days in - almost 25% done! - so I'm going to complete this purist-style, the Whole30 way, and then after the thirty days are up, I'll probably spend a couple weeks experimenting with legumes and dairy, before returning grains and, if the past is any predictor of the future, some sugar into my diet. Depending on how those reintroduced food experiments go, I might do this again, straight up vegetarian style, to see what changes without all the animal protein. I don't know. I'm just thinking ahead. I've never had such a clean slate to work with, so I feel like I might really jump on the elimination diet bandwagon and take my time putting things back in and contemplating whether and in what ways and how much they affect me.
Things I am proud of/intrigued by:
1. I haven't cheated!
2. I haven't even wanted to cheat that much. Last night's party was challenging - there were a lot of good-looking snacks and I love wine. Feeding my children pizza before we left for the party was almost as challenging. And grocery shopping continues to be a complicated experience. So many smells, so much sugar. But mostly, at home, in between meals, I feel good and satisfied and stable, and v. consciously so. Even at my cooking class today, I wasn't too tempted - and my students made some fine-looking food! They were v. supportive, and I don't want to ruin all the work I've already put into this experiment. Cheesy Colombian arepas be damned!
3. My body composition has already been altered, and I have worked out less this week because of illness. Going up the stairs, I feel leaner and stronger.
4. I have not stepped on a scale since Monday morning or counted calories since Monday night.
5. Yesterday, since it was practically summer here, I treated myself to an iced coffee. A week ago, I tried coffee with coconut milk in it and immediately threw it out. Yesterday, I stirred 2 tablespoons of coconut milk into my iced coffee and it tasted lovely. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. My palate is not as set in its ways as I'd assumed on March 8th.
6. Every morning, I wake up less tired. (I do not, however, wake up excited about eggs.)
Things I am proud of/intrigued by:
1. I haven't cheated!
2. I haven't even wanted to cheat that much. Last night's party was challenging - there were a lot of good-looking snacks and I love wine. Feeding my children pizza before we left for the party was almost as challenging. And grocery shopping continues to be a complicated experience. So many smells, so much sugar. But mostly, at home, in between meals, I feel good and satisfied and stable, and v. consciously so. Even at my cooking class today, I wasn't too tempted - and my students made some fine-looking food! They were v. supportive, and I don't want to ruin all the work I've already put into this experiment. Cheesy Colombian arepas be damned!
3. My body composition has already been altered, and I have worked out less this week because of illness. Going up the stairs, I feel leaner and stronger.
4. I have not stepped on a scale since Monday morning or counted calories since Monday night.
5. Yesterday, since it was practically summer here, I treated myself to an iced coffee. A week ago, I tried coffee with coconut milk in it and immediately threw it out. Yesterday, I stirred 2 tablespoons of coconut milk into my iced coffee and it tasted lovely. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. My palate is not as set in its ways as I'd assumed on March 8th.
6. Every morning, I wake up less tired. (I do not, however, wake up excited about eggs.)
Anyway, this week, rather than a menu, here are the make-ahead things I plan to tackle, as well as the new recipes I plan to try for the first time or tailor from the Cake and Edith archives to be Whole30-compliant:
Garlicky Noodle Bowl, paleo style
Homemade Mayo (I hate mayonnaise, but if the Whole30 folks are to be believed, this recipe is a game-changer)
Red-and-Slow Cooked Roast (a family favorite - but will it be sans soy sauce and honey?!)
Chicken and Brussels Sprouts (from Rhiannon - thanks dude!)
Prosciutto-Hashbrown-Egg Cups (because I need something new for breakfast; and evidently I haven't learned my lesson re: using muffin tins for things other than muffins)
Here are some goals for the week:
1. Unless I work out hard, avoid fruit/nut/seed snacks (e.g. homemade lara bars, Navitas super power bites, Sunbutter, almonds, almond butter).
2. Have more leftovers available for lunch.
3. Drink less tea.
4. Try two vegetables that I don't usually buy/eat. (I think it will be jicama and rutabaga.)
That's all. Baby steps.
Here are some goals for the week:
1. Unless I work out hard, avoid fruit/nut/seed snacks (e.g. homemade lara bars, Navitas super power bites, Sunbutter, almonds, almond butter).
2. Have more leftovers available for lunch.
3. Drink less tea.
4. Try two vegetables that I don't usually buy/eat. (I think it will be jicama and rutabaga.)
That's all. Baby steps.
In other news I've decided where I'm going out to dinner the day my experiment with W30 ends: Rincon 38. I. Cannot. Wait. Sometimes I read the menu over and over again, dreaming of fried manchego. What I haven't read as much since starting the W30 is my usual set of food blogs. Until today, which was a good reminder why. (Note: those are all clever links!)
And, finally, here's what I ate today. (Now with pictures!)
Breakfast at 7:30 am: 2 eggs, baked side pork, a few baby tomatoes, 1/2 banana, coconut oil
Lunch at 11 am: 3 sweet potato-tuna cakes, salad with sprouts, avocado, and tomatoes
Snack at 5:30 pm: Navitas Power Bites (barely compliant, but I was starving and knew dinner wasn't going to happen for a while) (no picture)
Dinner at 8 pm: Shrimp, side pork, kelp noodles, green beans, carrots, W30 garlicky-Sunbutter sauce
One week down! Woo-hoo! Look what the W30 people sent me: NPH!
* Rhiannon included the abbreviated "W30" in her email to me recommending the chicken recipe, and I feel like "W30" sounds v. cool and legit and I should use it.
** Kool-aid Ingredients: CITRIC ACID, MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C (of sorts)), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, RED 40.
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