What a weekend

Back home and what a trip. Between the family drama, fall-like weather and a house full of aunties (all tipsy most of the time) I can't say the trip was very relaxing but it was interesting. Unfortunately we were not able to eat clean. We tried, but...I could give a long list of excuses but why bore everyone.

Anyhow, I did learn some important things:

1. Tarantula Tequila rocks but don't drink Mom's version (which is basically straight tequila and ice run through the blender to make a slurpee) unless you ate a huge meal of carbs or have had lots of practice drinking with aunties. Unfortunately, I decided to fast to avoid the super-carb meal and haven't been drinking much (the occasional glass of wine or beer here and there) for the past few months...I got pretty blitzed. Not falling down puking, thank god, but close to it. Like I laughingly told them the next day (with my head spinning) that I just can't drink with the big girls and have to go back to the sand box. I think I embarrassed my mom a little bit but oh well.

2. After eating perfectly seasoned rich foods all those high-carbs foods I've missed really have no taste. For example, I had some sourdough: it smelled awesome, the texture against my fingers, and in my mouth rocked, but it had zero flavor. I could have chewed packing peanuts and gotten more taste. I also had a bite or two of pasta and was disappointed again. I used to love bread and pasta and now I was missing my pan-fried steaks.

3. Fast foods places are horrible. Between attempting to stay clean and kiddo's soy allergy there wasn't much we could eat, or wanted to eat. Next road trip I'm packing better (and thank you MDA for having a "What to Eat when Traveling post" I read it too late use the tips but now I'm better prepared for the next trip.)

4. I love my family but no one is interested in hearing about eating healthy (though my sister desperately needs to do something), and it was a downright battle to get them to read ingredients and not feed kiddo soy. I'd say I should have done more cooking but when your bullied out of the kitchen by people older, shorter, and downright meaner than you...well, it was just harder than expected. Thankfully kiddo didn't get anything bad and didn't break out in hives. Still not sure how we succeeded but we did.

What a weekend. I'm glad to find my taste-buds have changed. While the weekend has messed up the Whole30 plan we are getting back on track. If anything, the weekend has shown us that we love this way of eating and it has truly become a lifestyle for us and not just a diet.

Day 11 Road Trip!

Time to pack up and head for the open road! I am so excited to see the family. I still need to stop at the store and pick up some grapes and check out the jerky selection as snacks. I also have some steaks to cook up and slice thin-I figure those on lettuce leaves would be fairly mess-free "sandwhiches", maybe add some sliced peppers and olives and...we'll see whats lurking in the fridge.

Haven't slept well the last couple nights and I feel like I'm running on empty. It's probably because hubby has been gone-I always get overly sensitive to night noises without him here, even though I have the killer guard dog snoring on the bed. A German Shepherd who'd probably run away if a burglar yelled at him...oy vey...

Hubby staggered home at 5am (thank you airports for canceling flights!)and crashed. I still need to pack and get the car cleaned out and the food figured out. I'm a little worried if we are going to be able to 'eat clean' on the trip, as the family tend to cook like demons and none of its healthy (but ooooooo it tastes SO good!). My aunt is already talking about a new margarita recipe she's found that's to die for. *sigh* This is gonna be really tough.

Day 10

Nothing exciting to report. Starting to get into a routine so...no new recipes, no outstanding breakthroughs. Hubby is off on biz trip and it's just us girls here.

Day 9 Mayo Revisited

I made mayo! And it tasted good!! *dances with joy* And I made Thousand Island dressing that tastes just like the name brand WHOOP-WHOOP! I rock!!!

Ok, so the mayo is a little bland, even hubby said it didn't really have a taste, more of just a smooth texture with a touch of tang. But that's OK, I have a cupboard full of herbs and spices and now that I have a base I can make a ton of cold sauces. Yippie! Also, the Thousand Island dressing is...well...runny..kinda like water...but it tastes great. Not sure how to thicken it up, maybe add an egg yolk? Hmmmm. As is it is definitely edible but I know if I'm going to convince other people to eat it (aka my mom) it needs to look exactly like the bottled stuff. Maybe even come in the same bottle, lol!

After the mayo excitement there wasn't much else going on. Picked up the car from the shop and helped hubby get ready for another biz trip. He's worried about eating on the trip since he can't exactly cook and won't have much time for meals. He's going to try though-the first obstacle: airport food. I feel for the guy, he's been doing so good.

So, just me and kiddo for the next couple days, then road trip! Can't wait, its going to be exciting. I'm going to cook up some chicken and steak that I can cut into strips for finger foods for the drive, plus get some more fruit like grapes. That should do us for the road, I am a little worried about being around the family. Telling my older relatives that I won't/can't eat their specially made crumb cake? ooooooooo I can sense the hurt feelings and lack of understanding all ready.

Day 8...Recapping Goals and Starting New Ones

Back in May I set myself some fitness goals and I should go back over and see if I met them (a little late).The goals were:

5 push-ups
5 pull-ups
Lose 10 lbs
Compete in a 10k

Where I'm at:

Push-ups: 1 good one, then crud. Can do 10 girlie push-ups but the goal was military style.

Pull-ups: 0.

Lose 10 lbs: I'm close but not completely there. My clothes are starting to fit better so I'm happy, even if this goal wasn't met.

Compete in 10k: Still haven't signed up. I haven't been walk/jogging as much and I don't think I would make it to the end of a 10k. They do have a 4 mile walk, I might sign up for that instead and keep working toward a 10k.

Why didn't I meet my goals? Simple, I haven't been consistent. I could beat myself up at this point for not making it but honestly, I'm so proud that I've made it to Day 8 on Whole30 that I don't really care that I can't still do one pull-up. It will come.

On a side note, I have kept up the goal of working on one math lesson a day through the summer. I'm trying to test into a higher college math class to save money and time but I'm a complete dunce. It's torture to sit at the table and force my brain to subtract, square and find the meaning for Y but I've been doing it. Talk about meeting a goal! Of course, I won't know if it actually has been reached till I take the test but just the fact that I no longer have to force myself to get out the math book is a win.

New goals:

By September 12th I will:

Be able to jog a mile without stopping.
Keep working on the 5 pull-ups, 5 push-ups goal
Finish writing Chapter 3 in the sci-fi book

Off to cook some steaks and wrestle with numbers!

Day 7 Smell the Cinnabon

Woke up in a horrid mood, was grumpy all morning. Hubby was racing around like a chicken with his head cut off and being utterly unhelpful. Finally got everyone fed, showered, and in the car. Ahhhhhh-the new AC works awesome. Dropped kiddo off at Grandma's and then on to a child-free day!

First stop was picking up a copper bowl set a lady was selling on Craigslist. Yay craigslist!! Yay copper bowls!! They need a little cleaning but they are in perfect condition. I can't wait to use them.

Next was the mall. We walked and did a little shopping. Got my "move slowly" exercise out of the way going from store to store. First looked for summer clothes *sigh* still need to drop a few sizes to comfortably fit into anything I liked. Picked up some way cute things for a friend's baby shower though. Then swung into the lotion-potion shop (aka Bed, Bath, and Beyond) looking for some after-pregnancy pretties for her. Didn't really see anything that said "buy me!". Next wandered around, stopped at a hair salon and got some AWESOME tea tree shampoo (and it was on sale, score!) before going to see Cars 2. Which rocked, may even be better than the second.

Hubby was starving when we got out of the theater so we gave Chili's a try. Super yummy grilled steak and steamed veggies. I was very proud of myself. While I sniffed my way all through the food court (ooooo the sweet cinnamon smell of rolls, teriyaki chicken, smoky BBQ) I didn't feel a need to actually eat anything I smelled. The sniffing those delicious odors was good enough. Our food was extremely late (probably because we special ordered with no dairy or sugar plus the waitress tripped and dropped the plates) and the waitress brought us free chips and dip. Normally I would have munched away but this time I was completely uninterested. Kinda think the waitress felt bad but I wasn't going to nibble a chip just to make her feel better, to be honest hubby and I were bantering about movies and actors and hardly noticed the time flying by. I didn't care that the foods was late, it was nice just being with hubby.

Chili's was good but I did get a headache after-felt like I'd had too much sugar but I'd checked their menu/allergy list before we went and there shouldn't have been any sugar in our dishes. Plus, we specially asked. Oh well, maybe I was just tired from all the walking and lack of sleep.

The only bad part of the day was getting out of Chili's after 7pm and everything shut down. Still had getting a car seat and stopping by the plant nursery on the list. I didn't get to get any flowers for the front planters *sniff*. Did stop by Walmart and got more eggs and some extra light flavor olive oil. Gonna give mayo another try. And the AC went haywire again, only this time it was stuck blowing hot air on the passenger side. *sigh* Back to the shop you go! Fingers crossed its fixed before this weekend.

All in all it was a pretty good day. Kiddo was very happy when we picked her up-she'd obviously had a lot of fun playing with Grandma at the park and was just about to collapse from exhaustion. I have to admit, I was pretty tired too.

One week down. Three more to go.

Day 6 Attack of the cravings

Made it through breakfast and fought off the need for sourdough bread and tomato sandwich for lunch and made do with steak and cabbage but about mid-afternoon the want...THE NEED...for something sweet and filled (think chocolate covered cherries, those donuts with cream filling, lava cakes, you get the idea) had become almost overpowering. I was stomping through the house, snapping at everyone, sucking down water and telling myself that it's moronic, I do not NEED sweets, I do NOT.

Finally, after snarling at hubby for the third time in 10 minutes I got on the treadmill and did sprints for 30 minutes. Had weak, wobbly legs but at least I was back in control of the sugar cravings. Whipped up some more pan-fried steak and bacon-brussel sprouts for dinner and stayed out of the kitchen the rest of the day.

Not sure why the sudden cravings. After 6 days I was hoping to be past all this-but things are getting more stressful with the family trip coming up this weekend and hubby has another biz trip and is completely preoccupied with other things. If nothing else, this is showing what an emotional eater I am. *sigh*

Day 5...finding the groove

Day 5 and its getting easier and easier to cook. I noticed today I didn't have to stop and re-think a dish because I couldn't use (fill in blank) and needed a substitute or a way to re-flavor. True, I am starting to use the same 3 or 4 recipes over and over but they are safe and taste good.

I did branch out and tried a new recipe: mango-lime grilled chicken.A handful of frozen mango chunks (thawed), juice from three limes, some salt, ginger, and cumin; squish the mangos till they are mostly juice, mix in lime juice and seasonings, mush some more (I dumped everything in a zip-lock bag), add chicken, let marinate for an hour, throw on medium grill...yum! The sides were rather dull: sliced tomatoes and steamed broccoli, but everything turned out fairly well. The chicken could have used a mango chutney, or some tropical fruit salsa to help balance the lime flavoring, but maybe I was just looking for something sweet.

Hubby's requested steak for tomorrow but I don't think I will try a new recipe for that. Pan-frying in olive oil is still the ultimate for our taste-buds. Eventually it has to become old and boring but so far that hasn't happened. As for sides, starting to get bored. I wish it was further in the season, my garden is dragging along not doing very well. I can't wait for fresh green beans, fresh tomatoes, fresh everything. Even the farmer's markets seem to be lacking in veggies my taste-buds are crying for. Oh well, that's what we get with such a cool beginning to summer.

Day 4...nuttin' much excitin' 'round here

Day 4 and hubby is starting to overcome the caffeine addiction. He's finding it easier to wake up in the morning but still has the afternoon slump. I've been tired all day but that's because I ran out of sun tea and made up a big batch with the decaf stuff...obviously I'm having caffeine withdrawals as well.

Not much exciting happened today. No new recipes, no interesting meals. Basically steak steak steak. Thinking we need to break out some chicken or pork for tomorrow. Hubby brought home a big bag of limes and lemons for the tea and every time I open the fridge door and see them rolling around I get the urge for a tropical/Caribbean/Mexican-style citrus chicken thing. I keep thinking of lime and chicken but can't remember the recipe...will have to dig through the cookbooks.

Didn't get any exercise in but I noticed as I was getting ready for bed that my upper arms and belly don't seem as poofy. Yay for water weight loss! Maybe my camel days are over!

Day 3: Mayonnaise!

Day 3 and we're all feeling better. Hubby crashed and took an afternoon nap but other than that he was more awake and perky. He's starting to enjoy the meals (as long as I don't say the "c" word) and we went into town and stocked up on meat. Tri-tip was $2.69 a pound, whoo-hoo!!! I got 40 pounds worth, should be set for the next two months. Also found some yummy Italian sausage that is free of all the bad stuff-kinda expensive but definitely worth it. When we got home I grilled up some of those and with my homemade sauerkraut we had a delish late-lunch.

So, made the mayo. Eh...this time it turned out right but the flavor...to me its like eating solid olive oil. I added a bunch of herbs, more salt, more vinegar, and it still tastes like olive oil. *sigh* Gonna hit the farmer's market and pick up some fresh tomatoes, maybe if I add those it will help break up the "olive-y" flavor. Or maybe I should have gotten more expensive olive oil. Oh well. At least this time I have the technique down so now to perfect the taste.

We also went to the doc's to get an update on some blood work we did before starting Whole30. Hubby is a little low on thyroid and REALLY low on Vit D but his cholesterol and triglycerides are perfect. I'm good on everything but my cholesterol (both good and bad) is low and the trigs are high. So the doc is pushing healthy fats like fish oil. UGH. I got some fish oil pills while we were in town but I shudder at gagging them down. I hate fish. I really really hate fish. *sigh*

Not much else exciting for the third day. Starting to notice an improvement in my sleep but that could be from other factors as well. I've started taking a 20-45 minute time out after kiddo has been put to bed to just sit outside and look at the stars, meditate, zone-out, read...just to have some calmness and winding down before bedtime. I think that may be helping more than diet, but it could be the two combined. I do need to start working in some exercise. hmmmmm....

Day 2...feel...the...sludge

Day 2 and I'm zooming. I think its because I've been fairly low/non-caffeine for two years and I accidentally made a huge jar of sun tea with regular tea rather than decaf. Apparently we are out of decaf tea but still had a box of regular. Hmmm, I wonder how old this stuff is? Oh well, still tastes good but I need to get some lemons.

I feel great! I'm doubting its because of the Whole30 and more because of the tea but who cares, it is wonderful to feel so full of energy! And my taste buds are in heaven-delish pan-fried steak with cabbage (breakfast), leftover steak with green beans (lunch) and roast chicken with leftover green beans and a small side of sweet yams for dinner. Lots of scrumptious greasy crunchy bits, garlicky meat juice and tasty veggies.

Hubby on the other hand...well...he's dragging. Breaking the caffeine addiction is kicking his butt. I had to break it when I became pregnant but he's depended on Diet Red Bull, black coffee, and high caffeine diet soda to get him going in the morning for years. He was sitting on the couch struggling through some papers for work and barely able to carry on a conversation. I finally couldn't stand him anymore and got him a cup of the sun tea, which helped perk him up and drove away a headache. Just signs that this is something he really needs to do. He also spent every meal whining about how it needed cheese. I just rolled my eyes and kept shoveling in perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked protein. He'll get over it. To be honest I'd love a big chunk of milk chocolate, or maybe a slice of crusty french bread with a huge pad of butter. But that steak...I love it when I get it perfect like that. It more than made up for the lack.

Today I'm going to attempt to make mayonnaise. I got my Julia Child cookbook, plus recipes from the MDA website, plus tips and advice from the MDA forum. My goal is salad dressing, as oil and vinegar just isn't cutting it and with the heat it would be nice to have cold dishes to serve. I'm thinking chicken salad with grapes and pecans, or a huge green salad with lots of veggies, or maybe a sauce to go with grilled fish. Will post results tomorrow, wish me luck!

Day 1...30 more to go

We started Whole30 on the 4th of July...maybe not the best as hubby was definitely craving a beer but with some perfectly grilled New York strips and a veggie-heavy salad we made do. Kiddo was very happy to get some beef, she gobbled down half a steak on her own!

Already starting to feel tired and drained-that good ol lack of sugar feeling. I whipped up a bunch of berry smoothies (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and coconut milk)but I think there was way too much fruit sugar in them. Kiddo was "running" around the kitchen screaming and I got a splitting headache about 30 minutes later. Weird since it was nothing but berries and coconut milk. May have to limit fruit more than planned.

We had a lot of fun lighting off fireworks and slapping mosquitoes before going to bed to distant booms and crackles. I hope you all had a great 4th of July!