Gastography

Oh hi there, nicotine fit, I’d almost forgotten about you. It is *now* that I remember Whole30 makes me want a damn cigarette. I don’t know what it is – it’s not like I eat that far off of W30 the rest of the year – but something about it just kicks my infrequent cigarette wanting into overdrive. Like, as I’m sitting here my lungs are tight and I can barely get a full breath (which is exactly what a nicotine fit felt like). For perspective, I quit 6 years ago and haven’t had even a drag since – and I know I don’t actually *want* one; my lungs just think they might. And they want to tell me about it. What’s next? Reese’s Nutrageous cravings? Those used to go hand-in-hand with wanting a smoke.

Breakfast

Breakfast was fantastic. My DH’s green smoothie + hemp protein powder and coffee with homemade almond milk. You’d think that after having this smoothie pretty much every week day for the last two years, that I’d be tired of it. Not so. My body craves this breakfast when I haven’t had it in awhile – just like it used to crave bacon & eggs & hashed browns with toast.

And my coffee … after a weekend full of less-than-stellar cups, I’m actually excited to be back with my old standard cup.

Lunch

Glaaaaaaaamorus! Let me tell you, I know how to pour the glamour on. Leftover roasted meat from last night’s dinner with the last of my guacamole and some roasted garlic Choula.

Dinner

Much better. Instant Pot pulled pork (recipe coming soon) with spiced roasted parsnips.

More Whole30 goodness.

Today wasn’t so bad until I hit Target in the early afternoon and got overwhelmingly hungry. It’s a good thing I’m doing Whole30 – that 50% off Holiday snacks aisle was looking pretty darn tasty.

Breakfast

Brunch out – ratatouille with merguez (spicy lamb sausage) and egg. Plus coffee with my homemade almond milk. This was fantastic. I picked the potatoes out of mine, because although white potatoes are *technically* allowed on Whole30 (a recent change I don’t particularly agree with), for me they go against the spirit of Whole30. White potatoes for me are one of those “trigger foods” that signal to my brain that anything goes. Like fries.

Lunch

I didn’t have any real lunch; brunch was pretty late. I did, however, snack on the rest of that capicola I had for dinner yesterday when the post-Target hangries hit. Mental note: fill purse with emergency snacks. The Target by my house is a war zone.

Dinner

The hubbs wanted delivery, so I made him get kebabs. I had roasted lamb, pork and chicken kebabs with a side Greek salad (olive oil and vinegar dressing, hold the and cheese). It took pretty much all my willpower to not eat the pita and fries it came with.

Snacks

To switch it up, hazelnuts.

More Whole30 goodness.

Today was good, despite the beginnings of a breakfast meltdown. Not as veggie laden as I’d hoped, but such is life.

Breakfast

Breakfast almost resulted in a meltdown. We waited late (again), the cricket protein bar I was excited about eating turned out to have honey in it, and then – when we were well into the subway station and down to a lucky 1x reception, I got anxious about whether dried cherries were forbidden or on the limit list (the limit list, as are walnuts – which were also in my bar). By this point, I was starving and starting to get dizzy. Luckily the train didn’t come right away and my phone was able to load the page I needed to put my fears at rest.

Breakfast was black coffee from 7-11 with homemade almond milk and a beef/cherry/habanero Epic Bar.

Lunch

Today, we decided to avoid the rain and cold and jump into crowds at the American Museum of Natural History. AMNH is one of those places I don’t mind eating in the cafeteria at – they always have some kind of compliant meat and usually some sort of veg I can grab from the cold bar.

Today I chose roasted pork loin, chicken breast, sweet potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Dinner

Score! This uncured capicola from The Piggery is compliant! I know today I’m doing a crappy job of eating veggies, but this was infinitely more exciting than salad. Cured meat is one of my favorite ‘I’m dying and I need protein’ snacks to grab while walking around the city, and a compliant version is even better.

The Brussels were fantastic, too – balsamic roasted.

Snacks

More cashews. I’m hoping to grab more variety during tomorrow’s grocery trip.

More Whole30 goodness.

Today felt fairly easy because it was a weekday. We thought about eating out for dinner since we normally do on Fridays, but opted to stay in because it was easier to stick to what I need to be eating.

Breakfast

Breakfast was pretty normal today – my DH’s green smoothie (avocado, apple, kale & spinach with ginger, coconut water, a splash of orange juice, and hemp protein powder) and coffee with homemade almond milk.

Lunch

One of my favorite Whole30/I’m feeling lazy meals: leftover roasted turkey breast with guacamole and roasted garlic Choula hot sauce.

Dinner

One of our quick and easy go-to meals: aged beef burger with sautéed broccolini.

Snacks

Raw cashews.

More Whole30 goodness.

Today started off rough. My DH and I were up half the night cleaning up after our sick pup, I’m deep into battling some intense leg DOMs, and I woke up with a possible baby hangover. We also didn’t get up for real until Noon – hours after my stomach first made it known that it was empty. This is generally a recipe for hangry disaster.

Breakfast

Black coffee from Starbucks with home made almond milk – drank but not enjoyed overmuch (I forgot how gross Starbucks without soy is) while snuggling the pup and whimpering in pain every time he shifted his weight on my thigh.

Lunch

Was nearly calamitous. We researched 2 places before leaving the house. Both were almost a mile walk. In the driving wind and cold temperatures.

The W30 safe options at place #1, it turned out, we’re not as protein-heavy as my foggy brain and aching muscles needed. Place #2 inexplicably had a live band – that was so loud at the door my ears hurt.

We walked past some old favorites – none with anything I could eat.

Luckily, a diner we don’t hate was on the same street. Steak & eggs FTW.

This is a familiar W30 sight – coffee with my own milk. During W30, I bring a container of almond or coconut milk out with me to avoid drinking gross black coffee.

Steak & eggs is also a familiar sight. This rendition was decent, if cooked a bit aggressively. The cooking oil was definitely non-compliant, but according to the official rules, while eating out every once in awhile non-compliant oil isn’t the end of the world if it’s between that and driving yourself crazy. Given this morning’s crappy start, the need for immediate protein outweighed my need for no cooking oil. I could taste the difference, but the protein cleared my foggy head at least. I was hoping it would settle my stomach, but between the being so hungry I was getting dizzy, a sunny and warm room, and writing this post on my phone, I managed to make myself carsick. In a stationary building. Blargh.

Dinner

After snuggling the dog for the rest of the afternoon, no one in my house had enough motivation to either cook or re-bundle to face the cold. So: delivery. Indian & Mexican are our faves and are pretty much out on W30.

We opted to go for Chinese and I ordered off the “diet” menu – no oil, corn starch or added crap with sauce on the side. I ordered Shrimp with Chinese Vegetables, didn’t eat the sauce (instead sprinkling some coconut aminos and Choula hot sauce for flavor), picked out the baby corn, and gave the brown rice to my hubby. I resisted dumplings.

Snack

Raw cashews.

More Whole30 goodness.