Day 21
Are you ready to laugh?

This was breakfast.

I woke up craving chicken.
Really.
Chicken.
Chicken satay to be exact.
I improvised.
(As I was too lazy to skewer the chicken AND to go out and start the grill.) 
I know it looks nasty, but really it was good, plus I'm mixing things up. 
I also ate an avocado with it.

Lunch was raw salmon.
And no veggies.
What is wrong with me today? 
I'm only wanting MEAT.

So for dinner I tried something new.
BRUSSEL SPROUTS.
It's been a long time since I have seen them.
And even longer since they slid down my throat.
And you know what?
I actually KIND OF liked them.
Boy 3 said they were AWESOME!
(I told him they were little brains.)
The rest of my children had the 'normal' response that comes from most children eating BS...
THEY GAGGED.
Literally.
Girl even spit them out, which is a HUGE no-no at our dinner table. 
But I gave her a break since it was 100% sincere and a total reflex.

And on a side note:  I FINALLY got an appointment to see the orthopedic doc to find out what the heck is going on with my arm.   Wish me luck - I go today at 8:40AM!

Day 20!
FOR REAL!
I can't believe I have made it this far!

Are you tired of seeing pictures of eggs and spinach? 
I try to mix it up, but this is pretty darn good and we are happy with it, so you must suffer.  Different but same picture almost daily.  Today it was an omelet.
I just toss whatever I have in my fridge in some coconut oil, sauté it up.
I kind of forgot about this one and it got a little crispy on the bottom, but I kind of liked the crisp.

Side note - does anyone know how to type this - é - straight to the computer?  I have to go to word and have it automatically do it for me.  I'm sure there is a way to do it while I'm typing and I'm sure someone out there reading this can tell me how to do it.  Sad isn't it?  I'm so computer illerate.

On Sunday's I typically only make 2 meals - oh, but wait - it was Monday - it felt like a Sunday since it was a holiday.  A very sad holiday at that.  While I am on the topic I would like thank all of those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  They are the true heroes in this world.  Honor, respect and courage till the end.  Today (and most days) I pray for all the ones they left behind.

Lunch was a fend for yourself type of lunch.  For me, avocado, nuts & a small salad.

Dinner:
A delicious salad with a homemade Basil Vinaigrette salad dressing
&
Beef Plantain Pie 
Looks kind of yummy doesn't it?

Unfortunately looks can be deceiving.
It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good.
I mean we did eat it.
(Eat to live, not live to eat...right! UGHH)
It was way too sweet.
A little more savory & much less sweet would have been good.
I could work with it, but I don't want to.

BUT.....
If I had not made this I would have never know how much I LOVE fried Plantains! 
OH MY GOSH they are good!
Fry them up in a little coconut oil and you have a fantastic little snack!
They were great as is, but next time I am going to add a little cinnamon to them!

Day 20 - I thought I was over most of the hurdles of this new thing I am not calling a diet.  However my cravings have started coming back!  I just want a FREAKING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!  And I keep thinking about that teenage girl crossing the street with a magic bar in her mouth.  WHY, WHY, and then I got an email from the folks over at the Whole 30 that read:

"You’re so close to finishing your Whole30. You’ve nearly banished your cravings, and it’s been easier and easier to pass up desserts and sweet treats—even the Whole30-approved ones. You’re practically a healthy-habit-machine these days! And then…

Your brain rebels. You get the worst case of cravings you’ve experienced to date. You’re practically sitting on your hands to avoid raiding the pantry, and you cannot believe that this far along into your program, your Sugar Dragon is
breathing fire right down your back… again! What’s going on?"

Holy CRAP!  How did they know!?

They gave the reason - "This is actually good news. It means that you are on the brink of giving up that long-term
habit (dessert) for good! Your brain is going through one last-ditch effort to keep getting that reward, so the cravings come back in full effect. But you are smart. You know they’re coming, and you’ve prepared for this....."

I really hope this doesn't last long - or the next poor girl eating a cookie while crossing the street may not be so lucky.  :o)
 

Day 19
I'm already thinking about the "what next"....
Life after the Whole30

Last night at dinner I told Hubby we were on Day 17...I was so excited to realize we were actuall on Day 18!!  I can't wait to tell him when he wakes up!  He is going to be thrilled....and he was!

Breakfast:

Sautéed veggies, spinach, yellow & green bell peppers, tomato - today I sautéed in Ghee instead of coconut oil.  Both are good, but I think I prefer the coconut oil.

Topped with a fried egg - I accidently popped the egg.  I can't seem to get the hang of cooking eggs in stainless steel - one day it is great, the next not so great...I think it has more to do with the starting temperature of the pan.  I'll let you know when I figure it out.

So, I'm thinking the Percocet has screwed up my Whole30.  My energy level and appetite have both dropped a little since this little fracture to my arm.  Today the swelling has finally gone down and I am hoping to be able to manage the pain without the help of narcotics.  

SO speaking of lunch - I only ate 1/2 an avocado, a hard boiled egg, and a handful of nuts - but really I just wasn't hungry.

Dinner:
I know it doesn't look that exciting, but truly it was!
Mashed cauliflower - WHO FREAKING KNEW!  Seriously, I thought I was going to HATE it.  Come on MASHED CAULIFLOWER?!?  Who made that shit up? I was in disbelief when I took a bite and freaking LOVED it.  Hubby LOVED it too!  Even Boy 1 who is my white potato FREAK (I didn't tell him what it was and made him guess...) said "It tastes like mashed potatoes, but then again it doesn't....it has a different taste.  I'm not sure what it is, but yeah, I like it and would eat it again." He flipped when I told him it was mashed cauliflower!  And said "but I don't like cauliflower!  This is WAY better than eating real cauliflower!" And he is right.  Way better than eating real cauliflower!
This is the recipe I used as a base for the cauliflower.
I'll post my version soon.

The other stuff in the bowl is yellow curry chicken in the crockpot.  It was delicious, but I need to work on the recipe a bit as the sauce was WAY TOO thin.

Day 19 DONE! 
This is awesome!

Day 18
Everything is so much easier.
Including typing.

 I downloaded the Weebly app on my phone and now I am doing dictation typing. BAM!! You may be able to break a girl's arm but you can't keep her down for long.

Today was a little rough as learn to do things again with only one arm. Cooking wasn't too bad ... but if you see me out in public please don't say anything about how my hair looks.. :) I have recruited Girl to help me with my hair which is ironic because EVER.SINGLE.DAY. I have to tell her to brush her own hair...  Hair is a big deal between us and I have a feeling she will make mine look bad on purpose just to pay me back for all the nagging I do.

Breakfast: I knew making all that extra sausage would pay off.  Today we had homemade sausage - uncured, untasty bacon (it's really not that bad, I'm just enjoying complaining about something....in fact Boy 1 said he really likes it) and fried eggs cooked the bacon grease (which is a HUGE bonus -I knew all along bacon grease had to be good for you!!). We also had the breakfast ice cream that I love to make (You know -the one that is chocked full of spinach!! I made it with my friend Amber's Vitamix which she loan to me after my blender bit the dust - anyway I fell in love with and now I want one BUT they are too damn expensive!!)

Lunch:  Lunch was leftover dinner from last night chicken wings, a sweet potato and salad.  Have I told you much I love a bake sweet potato? I put a little Ghee in it and I feel like I'm doing something naughty. ;o) 

Dinner:  We bit the bullet and went out for Indian food after I did some research. I was thankful that our waiter could speak English and I was able to ask about the ingredients in many of the dishes. There were several dishes made without dairy, grains or sugar!!   Hubby and I were beyond thrilled - however our waiter was in disbelief that we did not rice or naan.... he kept telling me that I need a rice and was shaking his head when I would say no.  The hardest part about dinner was looking at the naan and not being able to eat. I love me some garlic naan!!

Grrr.... I just now read that tandori chciken is marinated in yogurt. 
DAMN IT! 
I wanted to be 100% good on this journey.

I really hope the waiter was accurate on the curries we ate.  I did ask specifically if there was yogurt in the curries and he told me no.  I do have faith in him as he told me all salad dressings had sugar.
Hubby and I opted for fresh squeezed lemon on our salads.

Beating myself up....
(but it was an honest mistake...)

Day 17!!
How I wish I had dictation to text on my computer!

Day 17 has been full of pain.  I can't believe a bump to the elbow is causing me so much pain.

Breakfast was simple - fried egg, heated up homemade sausage & a fruit smoothie (and of course black coffee... that goes without saying).

After I got the kids out the door I got a call from the ER doc telling me I had a fracture. I ran (literally - I  needed some sort of workout!) back to the hospital for a CT.  I ended up having a bag of almonds for lunch because I was there for hours and I wasn't prepared and I didn't take $$ with me. 

In the end they put me in a 1/2 cast and sent me home since orthopedics is CLOSED till Tuesday....
I was told I have an acute or a non acute fracture...so I need to wait to see the orthopedic doctor.  In the meantime I have this big ol' 1/2  cast and sling on and it just took me 1/2 an hour to type this little bit.  I probably wont be typing much fluff for the  next few days unless I find another way....

Dinner:
Just when I didn't think chicken wings were possible I remembered the chicken wings I make are Whole30 Compliant!!

This dinner was delicious!!  I typically serve my chicken wings with other "bar food" but not tonight - tonight I made a meal out of it!!  Baked sweet potato and a salad.  Yum-o!!

Click the red button for recipe!  :o)

Day 16
All things are good.
Well except breakfast and a bum arm.

I had a dream....

I was running the Army 10 miler with my friend Tracy, it was the weirdest race ever....we had to stop after just one mile to pick up our bibs.  At that point there were tons of concessions in the area and my friend Tracy (who just finished her Whole30) was going to buy a cinnamon roll.  I told her she shouldn't do it because she was going to regret it and she would crash.  Then she turned into my friend Amber (who has been a huge supporter of mine during this Whole30 venture) and shoved a big ol' bite in her mouth.  And then Tracy was there again.  They were both taunting me with sweet treats, but I  would have none of it and took their sweet treats away an stepped on them....

Hummm.....  Does that mean I have crushed the sweet treat craving?
Only time will tell.

One of the hardest things for me during this Whole30 has been the cooking - go figure.  Don't get me wrong, most things have been super easy to cook and I've been able to adapt things here and there to accommodate the Whole30.  BUT what has been hard for me is trying new recipes with all these new ingredients....I will serve something and instead of the typical response "That was awesome" or "I LOVED that" I'm getting "it was OK", "not my favorite", or on occasion someone gags.  Like this morning.  I tried  to make waffles again - this time with coconut flour.  Well as you can see by the picture they didn't turn out too well.  They were a big ol' pile of mush (and I claim to be a pretty good cook!!), SO I tried to fry some up in the skillet with the egg (pictured below on the left) but they would not hold their shape and I got a nice pile of mush (pictured below on the right).  Hubby didn't say anything initially (he is sweet like that) but when I mentioned that they weren't that good he was in total agreement with me and I could tell he was thrilled to be off the hook.

THEY.WERE.AWFUL.

I am making a commitment, I will NOT try to make waffles again while I am on the Whole30.  The disappointment is too much for me to handle.

Lunch was a chicken taco salad.  Yum.

Dinner was delicious! 
How I wish I had made extra because I would really like one for lunch.
I might have to make more....
Recipe is HERE.

Remember yesterday when I told you about my awesomeness in the gym?  Well I didn't mention that during my run I hit my elbow on the treadmill.  It hurt and I knew I was going to have a bruise.  Later in the day my arm was a little stiff, but this is my bad elbow (I've had 2 surgeries on it) so I expected it.  What I didn't expect was that 24 hours later I started having some pretty powerful pain when twisting my wrist in any way...I also didn't expect swelling..so after popping the stuffed peppers in the oven I set the timer and left Boy 1 in charge and headed out to the ER for an X-ray.  The ER doc didn't find anything other than a bunch of funk (medical term) from old injuries.  She sent me home in a sling and some Percocet which I did not want to take because I really don't want to put nastiness back in my body, but after several hours of suffering through pain I took one and headed off into la-la- land....(to be continued....)

Day 15!!!
We are 1/2 way there!
I can't believe it.

I forgot to mention this, and maybe it is because I didn't realize, but for at least the past 3 nights I have not woke up even one time during the night for anything!  And this morning when I woke up I had a child sleeping on my floor.  How on earth that happened and I didn't hear him come in is beyond me!  Yeah for sleep!

Morning was a crazy rush around here today, but I managed to make omelets for breakfast.  However I did not manage to get pictures.   Omelets around here are different each day - I toss whatever veggies I have in the  omelets and I cook them in coconut oil. 

Today at the gym I did Body Pump, upped my weights and then went and ran 2.5 miles and talked the entire run (something I never do because I can't or I will fall off the treadmill and need an oxygen mask - true story!) The only reason I quit running is because I felt a little twinge in my calf and I really don't want to reinjure myself and have to be off of it for any amount of time.  I have WAY too much energy for that these days.  I felt like I could have kept running for days.  I hope this last.  :o)

Lunch was my old standby and I didn't feel I need to take ANOTHER picture of my sashimi.  You know what it looks like.  I had salmon and tuna sashimi with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and I had real wasabi.

Dinner was another crazed time around here - I actually made it at 3PM because I had a PTO meeting to attend at 5PM.  We always sell Pizza at PTO meetings so I packed a Taco Salad for myself and took it to the PTO meeting.  BTW, you are reading the ramblings of your band new 2013-2014 SAES PTO President.  Dear GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!

Here are a couple of links to my goods for taco salad:
My homemade salsa.
My homemade guacamole. (I didn't use the Lawry's because it is not Whole30 compliant - I used kosher salt instead.)
My homemade taco seasoning. 

Day 15
I'm feeling fresh and renewed and oh so happy I fought through those cupcake cravings.

Day 14
BACON!
Yeah, OK, I got excited a little too early.
Bacon without sugar is just Samgyeopsal. 
Nothing to write home about.
But I did eat 2 helpings.
And that egg fried in the bacon grease (I can't believe it is legal to do that!) was heavenly.

Get ready I'm about to ramble.....

Today I'm feeling better; when I really started thinking about it I started wondering why this Whole30 thing is SO much easier for Hubby than it is for me.  I eat healthier than he does on a normal day, so it should be harder on him.... anyway, my mind started going and going and going and then it hit me.  I have to put this in perspective - I am doing this for ONLY 30 days (maybe longer).   If I can live through deployment after deployment where I am missing the love of my life for 12-15 months at a time while he is being shot at and my stress level is higher than any normal preson's stress level should ever be then I can live through 30 days of not eating my favorite foods.  Hubby does it for a YEAR (or more) at a time each time he is deployed.  I think about all the cans of mackerel & packages of rice I would send him....that would be his dinner for weeks/months at a time.  He has been totally food deprived for years at a time!  Can you imagine eating MRE's on a regular basis?  GROSS!!  And here I am whining about not having a cupcake.  What is wrong with me?!  Suck it up Trish.  It's just food.  You eat to live, not live to eat. 

So anyway...my new outlook is to forget about those things that are making me grumpy.  Be happy and move on.  Everything we do is a choice and no one is FORCING me to do this. I'm doing to become healthier, stronger and to live longer with my memory intact.  I just have to remember that! (See the irony..? hehehe..)

So moving on:
Lunch: I took my camera, but my card was in my computer so it did me NO GOOD.
Today I went out to lunch with friends to my favorite all you can eat Korea Buffet.  I was so good that I even put my meat at the top so none of the yummy juices from their marinated meat would run into my non marinated meat.
It was pretty easy at lunch today.

OH CHECK it out; I found an old picture from the place, NO I DID NOT DRINK THE CASS....this is an old picture.  But check out the Samgyeopsal (uncured, no sugar bacon) on the right side...yes, I had it AGAIN for lunch.  o)

Dinner: We had an event for Hubby's work.  I really wanted beer. But I didn't have one.  Instead I had dried chicken, dried salmon, dried pork and lots of fruit.  (It was a buffet.)  I couldn't even eat the salad because it was drenched in dressing.  Grr....don't they know people like their dressing on the side?

Oh, and I broke my blender today while making another one of the 'ice cream smoothies' from yesterday.  I'm crushed.  Going to the PX to see if they have the one I want, if not I am going to have to wait 5-7 days to get another blender..... ah the life of the Whole30 on the peninsula....

Day 13
I went back and read this today because in all seriousness I would like to quit. 
Don't worry, I'm not going to I'm too determined (stubborn) to quit.
It seems that I am falling in line exactly with what they say will happen on Days 8-15.
"This is the part of the program where our minds try to drive us back to the comfort of the foods we used to
know"
And it is true.
Today I want a pancake today; yesterday I wanted a waffle, the day before I wanted a cupcake.
AND I don't even eat those things very often!! 
I make them for the kids all the time, but I rarely eat them and when I do most of the time it is just one or two bites.
But dude, with the cravings I've been having you would think those were my favorite foods.
The good news is my energy levels are super high.
And I've been experimenting in the kitchen.

Last night after I posted Day 12 and I stopped feeling sorry for myself I went to the kitchen and whipped these up for dessert for Hubby and I.

Avocado Mousse with Strawberry Puree.  I got the recipe here, but I couldn't make it the way she did because I CAN'T add sweeteners so I made it Whole30 approved.  It was pretty good, but would have been much better with a little more sweetness added.  I WILL make these again as I thought they were pretty dang good and can only imagine how much better they will be when they are not Whole30.

Strawberry Puree - 8 strawberries in a blender (next time I will do 4 frozen and 4 fresh to make colder) pureed.
Put contents in bottom of wine glass.
Wash blender.

Avocado Mousse - 
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup coconut milk
 Toss in blender and blend until smooth.
Spoon on top of strawberry puree.

Garnish with a strawberry.

Breakfast. 
These were supposed to be smoothies, but they turned out more like ice cream. 
EVERYONE LOVED these!
It was like dessert for breakfast.
2 frozen bananas
1 cup of frozen mixed fruit (strawberries, blueberries & mango)
1/2 a can of coconut milk
3/4 can of water
Blended till smooth!
Yum-O!

We also had homemade sausage and scrambled eggs for breakfast. But the 'breakfast ice-cream' was the star of the show.  :o)

I had a crazy day yesterday fixing things that I should not have had to fix, so I was running like a mad woman.  I kind of forgot about lunch, so when I finally got home at almost 3PM I had an avocado, and a hand full of almonds for lunch.  I know it's not good, but hey at least I'm honest.

While I was out today I swung by E-Mart (Korea's version of Super Target, but not really.....) and I picked up an unidentifiable squash and some mackerel for dinner.  We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mackerel around here.

I just season the mackerel with kosher salt and grill it. 
I tossed a little ghee in the squash and baked it at 350 for about an hour.

And to top it off I am super stoked that I found bacon with NO SUGAR added in E-Mart!  I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow!  (Is it sad that I get so excited about food?)

All in all a pretty good day, my 'grains' cravings have subsided somewhat.
Thank goodness.

Day 13 - DONE.
We are almost 1/2 way.

Day 12
Yes, I'm still grumpy about the damn cupcakes.
So I thought I would channel my anger in the kitchen.
I made a Whole 30 version of eggs benedict.
Looks YUMMY doesn't it?

Well, don't get too excited because it SUCKED ASS.
True Story.
The bottom layer is a Whole30 approved waffle. 
WAFFLE. 
That makes me laugh!
It is made with Almond flour.  Almond flour in waffles is YUCK. And I mean Serious YUCK. 
Don't do it. DON'T EVERY do it.

OK....so I was exaggerating a little. 
The egg was good, the prosciutto was good, the spinach was good and the hollandaise sauce was OK.
I wasn't exaggerating about the waffle though.
I spit it out.
Literally.
SPIT.IT.OUT.
I really wanted to eat one of the 'real' waffles I made for the kids.

I might still be harboring resentment from yesterday. 

Breakfast was actually brunch so I didn't make anything else for 'lunch'.

Dinner was leftovers.
Grilled pork chops and a big fat salad.

I really hope tomorrow is a better food day for me.
I'm such a food snob and I'm starting to miss some of my favorite things.

Day 12
Over and Out.