Day one: What am I doing? I need to print this shopping list
Day two: cooked 2 great Whole30 dinners so far. Can I keep this up for 28 more days?
Day three: coffee and clarified butter. yum. oops, I forgot to eat breakfast
Day four: I think I’m allergic to pistachios! Too bad I’ve been snacking on them pretty much non stop for the last three days. Good thing it’s only bumps and skin itching and not anaphylactic! 😳
Day five: my back hurts so bad today. I can barely stand up. Should I blame this on the whole30 and quit now while I can still walk?
Day six: okay. I remembered what caused my back injury. It was a child and not the whole30. Now, let’s do this Super Bowl Sunday whole30 style!
Day seven: success! I made chicken and mushrooms over mashed cauliflower, fresh guacamole and bacon wrapped date stuffed jalapeños yesterday! Can’t wait for today’s leftoversÂ
Day eight: Houstonian coffee blended with clarified unsalted butter. yum.
Day nine: I miss cheese.Â
Day ten: I can’t believe I’m 1/3 of the way through. More than cheese, I miss thoughtless snacking. Okay, so maybe this is a really good thing. I’m starting to change the way I think. HmmmÂ
Day eleven: I’m still not feeling great. I was thinking by this time, I would be over the cravings and withdrawals. Not so much. But, I won’t give up. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
Day twelve: This is better. Maybe I am over the hump. PS. took my eldest child to Whataburger on our way to middle school auditions. I ordered a side of avocado for 75 cents. 🙂Â
Day thirteen: oh, Valentine’s Day. How I love thee. I love thee so much that I am making whole30 compliant steak, asparagus, thick cut roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts for dinner. I’m also freezing one of every gluten free homemade dessert my sister in law brings overÂ
Day fourteen: I may give up coffee. Altogether. Forever. That’s it. Because, today it really tasted like garbage and if it tastes bad, what’s the point, right?
Day fifteen: self discipline. I’ve got this. Â Half way there, momma!Â
Day sixteen: Larabar bars. I’ve tried one Whole30 Compliant Larabar bar: Cashew Cookie. It was delish. Here’s a list of Whole30 Compliant Larabar Bars from the Whole30 blog:
Day seventeen: one of my bffs shared with me her secrets for a successful whole30. One of them: a spanx tank top. I ordered one (or two) right away and boy am I skinny now!? Ha! But, things are held together a little better. So, I’m happy. 💗
Day eighteen: I worked out today AND I’m about to take my post-workout self on a mini-vacation (aka grocery shopping by myself!) woohoo! Here’s my post workout face…
Day nineteen: oh my back! This pain feels like day five. My back has been feeling better and worse and better and worse. I think yesterday’s spinning workout sent me over the edge. I can’t sit today and standing isn’t much better. In other news, I am getting a little bored of eggs (con no queso.) Today, I made a delicious “kitchen sink egg scramble” for me and the hubs. (The Els had their usual scrambled eggs with cheese) It was our best breakfast of the #whole30. Coconut oil, chopped onions and peppers. Cooked. Then, adding chopped kale, then eggs and cooked bacon and topped with avocado chunks. Yum!
Day twenty: I thought last night was going to be a bit of a challenge. We had a school fundraiser at a bar/restaurant with a preordered menu with absolutely nothing I could eat. And, no sparking water at the bar. But, I pushed through by ordering soda water with lime all night. And, all I can say is that I wasn’t tempted to eat anything or drink anything (alcohol or soda with sugar etc) and boy do I feel great today!Â
So great that here is what we had for lunch after church.Â
Whole30 Oven roasted Brussels sprouts and squashÂ
Whole30 Mexican tuna boats
Double Yum!
Day twenty-one: Woohoo! I feel extra excited today. I guess it’s that another weekend has gone by and I’m still moving forward. We had dinner out with family last night and I’ve never been a super complicated “orderer.” Not last night. I was very complicated and high maintenance- for me. 🙂 I wasn’t even tempted to eat the steak nachos dripping in cheese that were placed right in front of me. We were at a Mexican restaurant (Tex-Mex) that we go to pretty regularly. I ordered a filet mignon with salt and pepper as the seasoning. And shrimp cooked in spices (no butter- no soy) I passed on the queso, the chips and salsa. Salsa was probably fresh and Whole30 compliant, but I wasn’t going to drink it. (so, no salsa) I also drank sparking water. I requested my absolute favorite sparkling water- Topo Chico (and although they had a huge Topo Chico sign hanging on the wall behind me), but they didn’t have any. Oh well. Today’s breakfast was also fun. I made a egg and tomato frittata with kale (hubs is allergic to spinach). I actually used the broiler for breakfast. First time for that! I think the lesson that I’m learning is that meals are so much easier when I take the time to plan a menu ahead. There is some extra work on the front end, but boy is the result rewarding! Cheers!Â
Day twenty-two: awake just before 5am with severe back pain. So much so, that I (person who can fall asleep the second her head hits the pillow-a gift I inherited from my momma) couldn’t sleep anymore. I tried and tried and finally gave up at 545. I normally get up at 6am each day. So, today, I promise to continue to rest my back and perhaps, make an appointment with a chiropractor! Ouch!Â
Day twenty-three: I like black coffee. Hard to imagine. I was a cream and sugar kind of girl. Then, a “Bullet proof coffee with sugar sprinkled on top” kind of lady. And now I’m a “I’ll take my coffee black” woman with a more sophisticated palate. I can actually taste the beans, people. The coffee beans. It’s true.Â
And, I still miss cheese. Not in a “I’m craving cheese. I can’t live without cheese” kind of way. More of a “hmmm, this would be good with a little cheese on top” kind of way.Â
Day twenty-four: bragging momma moment. The Els ate this:
Not too surprising since it’s chicken. But, it is cooked a little differently than how they are used to.Â
And…drum roll….they ate this:
And, they liked it. Cabbage! I’m a happy momma today. Now, where’s my coffee?Â
Day twenty-five: I was tempted by a cookie today. The cookie did not win. That is all.
Day twenty-six: what a beautiful weekend! Still feeling good. Can’t believe I only have four days to go!Â
Day twenty-seven: Sunday Funday! Banana and coffee for breakfast. Taco truck for lunch (with no tortillas). Oranges and more coffee for snack. Cold Topo Chico in the afternoon sun. It’s a great day to be alive.
Day twenty-eight: it’s leap day and day 28 of my whole30! Honestly, I’m ready for some results and a break from being so strict. Gosh, I really am such a nerdy rule follower. 😉
Day twenty-nine: I’ve seen the light. At least a little light. Food. Health. Choices. Planning. Cooking. Trying. Asking. This has been a positive journey for me. I’ve changed. I’ll wait to share more once I’ve completed the Whole30 tomorrow, but  really looking forward to being more thoughtful about food and my health from now on.Â
Day thirty: I can’t believe it! 30 days. Almost no exercise. (unfortunately, since I threw out my back!) But, just a change in what I cook and eat and I lost 8 pounds. More changed than just that. I now have a different way of thinking and a new way of planning meals. I’m excited about implementing these changes and lessons as I add some of my favorite ingredients back into my life. Hummus anyone?