Category Archives: Whole30 Journey

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I’m Probably Not Dying

Holy moly- day 20 already? Time is flying and things have been busy- as evidenced by my little delay in posting! We got some snow overnight; it’s the first significant snowfall we’ve had since we moved here so I used my free time making mildly panicked grocery runs this week. And wouldn’t ya know it, I still didn’t have enough ghee and we’re already down to two kombuchas?!

On Thursday, I had a physical with my new doctor here in town. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but during a round of the Whole30, you’re not supposed to weigh yourself. But since I didn’t weigh myself to start with, I rationalized that I wouldn’t get discouraged by learning my weight at this juncture. So I weighed myself before I went and it was about what I thought. But somehow, just an hour later with nothing additional to eat, and the lightest clothing I could get away with, I was 7 pounds heavier on that damn doctor’s office scale. Never fails. What is that? Maybe it’s time to stop using the stupid sliding thingy. I was also a good inch shorter than what my driver’s license says. Rigged. Otherwise, the check-up went pretty well. I have to do some bloodwork still so I’m not 100% sure I’m not dying, but it’s looking that way.

Five Tiers of Fun!

We also got a new, Whole30-related kitchen gadget this week: a dehydrator. One of the few “treats” we allow ourselves is dried fruit. It’s really hard to find without added sugar, and it’s stupidly expensive for what it is. So we took matters into our own hands! We dried out some pears, bananas, mangoes and apples so far. They all turned out great except we should have pealed the mangoes first because the skin was a little tough.

And then today, I’ve just been fighting the temptation to hunker down with some wine while watching the Patriot’s game. Does Tom Brady drink wine? I peg him as a Chablis kind of guy. I was also tempted to finish my son’s hot chocolate (he ate the whipped cream off and then declared he was full) while watching the neighbor’s snow-blow, but ultimately, I stayed strong!

I added a few new dishes to the rotation this week, too. I got a suspiciously good deal on some pork chops, so I cooked those in a pan on the stove top and then deglazed the pan with the leftover marinade, some garlic and onions. I poured that over the chops, mashed potatoes and asparagus. Now I think I’m an expert in deglazing. I did a similar technique with steak tips the next night. Who knows what I will deglaze next!

So just ten days to go on this round (not counting my transgressions last weekend). Right now, we’re planning to take a day or two off and then probably get back on another round. Or, at least, do two weeks on, have one day off, and then two weeks on, one day off, and so on. I think we could really do that for a long time. Feeling good feels good!

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Whole30 Journey

On Again, Off Again, On Again

I think the success of any diet depends on how well you can adapt it to different situations: dining out, parties, traveling, etc. This weekend was a huge test of that. And, well, I made a choice to go a little off plan, in the name of hanging out with some of the best friends a gal can have. So technically, I’m starting over on my Whole30, but I’m not bumming. I never really looked at this as something I was only going to do for 30 days, but rather a way of eating *most* of the time. Back in the day, before Biff and I got married, we had a lot of success doing a certain “life-style change” that let’s just say rhymes with Beight Batchers. We would track our points diligently, but every other Sunday, we’d go out to eat and indulge a little for just that one meal. We both have discussed approaching our new eating habits the same way.

Friday, I met up with some of my favorite friends from childhood. I chose a steak with asparagus for my dinner, which was probably pretty close to compliant (I didn’t ask about the cooking oil for the steak, that’s probably the only thing that might have been on the banned list) but as we were getting into some juicy gossip, I had a gluten-free cider. Or two. Then Saturday, one of our bestie couple friends came over to see our new house.  Let’s just say, we had some snacks. And then Sunday, my mom came over and we had brunch out. Though aside from cheese, that meal was pretty compliant. Oh and a cider. Or two. D’oh!

So here we are! You know, it’s kind of nice having the knowledge to make the decision to indulge. And it’s especially nice to understand that a few “off” meals doesn’t mean I have to totally throw in the towel completely. It’s so much more meaningful to enjoy good food with good people on a special occasion. I think that’s called maturity? I can’t be sure.

No noodles, no problem

I did make some yummy compliant dishes in that time too, though! One of my easiest go-to meals is a meat marinara sauce with zoodles. I don’t really have a recipe I follow, I just cook up some ground beef with garlic and onions, add some canned tomatoes and tomato paste, and then toss in some pre-spiralized zucchini noodles toward the end. Tonight I followed just the portion of this recipe which pertains to making brisket in the Instant Pot. It came out really good! Just beware of the ingredients in the beef stock, it can be really hard to find one that doesn’t include sugar. I roasted some asparagus and added some pre-riced veggies and then poured some of the leftover liquid from the Instant Pot over everything. Boom!

Brisket in the Instant Pot. Say what?!

I was feeling kind of crummy today, I think it may have been a mini-detox from the weekend festivities. So I skipped my workout but I’ll go tomorrow instead to make up for it. Unless the workout is 1000 burpees. Then I will not go. Later this week, I have a physical with my new doctor. I’m hoping she’s blown away by my low blood pressure and shiny, silky hair. We’ll see!

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Uncategorized, Whole30 Journey

Tiger Blood!!!!! (maybe?)

Today marks one week since we’ve reembarked on the Whole30 journey and both the hubs and I have noticed a little pep in our steps. He got up at like 6am and made coffee and bacon. I got some gainzzzz at CrossFit and then decided to rearrange the living room before even taking a shower. I’m currently looking around and thinking about which household objects I can lift over my head. This could actually be a bad thing…

Whole30-ers call this burst of energy following the detox hump “Tiger Blood.” It usually happens a little bit later– maybe like day 10 or 11– for most people. But we seem to be on the Whole30 express train on this round. I slept like a rock last night, despite gale-force winds. Normally, I would lay awake, waiting for the chimney to collapse or for a tree to fall on my car. But last night, I only pondered my imminent death for like 5 minutes before falling asleep. Winning.

Yesterday, we visited the winter farmer’s market in our lil’ city. We got some great root veggies which Biff roasted for dinner along with chicken thighs marinated in Primal Kitchen’s Green Goddess Dressing. We also picked up some locally made chorizo which seems to be compliant, perhaps we’ll have that tonight! Ole! The guy selling it was very helpful. When we asked if some kinds of sausage had sugar he said “Yeah, but just a little.” A little is too much for the Bouses! I think one of the greatest benefits of this diet is the awareness about how much sugar is in everything– even if it’s just “a little.” The Whole30 is strict about sugar. You can’t have anything with added sugar/sweetener at all. Even if it’s honey or maple syrup. But fruit is allowed, and using fruit juice is ok as long as it’s in a recipe or just a splash in some soda water (basically, you can’t guzzle a glass of OJ). Sour Patch Kids are out. Free-basing Stevia is a thing of the past. No more Vodka-Crans.

So it’s nearly lunch time and I’m contemplating what to make. We really enjoy these Chicken-Lime Burgers from Trader Joe’s. They cook up fast and go well with a bunch of sides. You will need a chisel to break them apart when frozen, but it’s oh-so-worth it. I usually treat it like a bun-less burger and serve it on spinach with mayo, mustard, and whatever veggies I have handy. In the timeless words of Rachel Ray, Yum-o!

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A Few of My Favorite Things

If I had a dime for every time I was confused with Oprah, I’d have, roughly, a couple of dimes. At the risk of furthering the confusion, I thought I’d share some of my favorite things! It looks like I have a few friends starting or contemplating the Whole30, and these are some items and tips that I think can help.

A Favorite Pan
You probably have a favorite pan already. I bet you even have a favorite burner on the stove. Who knew life could be this thrilling!? The Whole30 requires a lot of cooking, and if that’s a change for you, consider investing in a decent pan that’s super easy to clean. When we started our Whole30 last year, we got this one and this one from Target. They pretty much stay out all the time.

Instant Pot
I didn’t have an Instant Pot until recently, and I’m looking forward to using it this Whole30 round! It’s really great for making hard boiled eggs (among many other things). I don’t know what I do wrong when I make them on the stovetop, but my kitchen looks like a crime scene after I’m done trying to peel them. A dozen hard-boiled eggs will yield like one edible egg. But not with the Instant Pot! They peel super easily.

Parchment Paper/Silpat Mat
Yeppers, more cooking stuff! I roast potatoes just about every day for breakfast (for example) and it’s much easier to throw away the paper when I’m done or wash off the Silpat than scrubbing the pans. Which leads me to the next helpful hint…

A Simple Breakfast
I used to be someone who didn’t like eating the same things all the time- until I started actually making breakfast. With all the time and energy that can go into cooking daily for the Whole30, I like being able to do at least one meal on autopilot. Breakfast is generally: roasted potatoes, two eggs scrambled with onions, peppers and spinach, bacon or avocado. Sometimes I’ll use a dab of mayo as the healthy fat. I bet I made some variation of this breakfast 300 times last year.

Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
Trader Joe’s has a fun little selection of seasonings, and this one is my favorite. Add it to some sweet potatoes and it’s like the G-8 Summit of taste buds. I’m not really sure what that means. But it’s good!

Image Courtesy: PrimalKitchen.com

Primal Kitchen Dressings/Mayo
Sure. You can make your own compliant dressings and mayo. But what is this, Puritan-times New England? You can find these at Whole Foods or order online. I’ve seen a couple of their products in regular grocery stores too, sometimes they’ll put them with the “exotic” health foods. They’re not cheap, but for me, the time and effort they save is worth it. I keep saying I’ll attempt to make my own mayo, but let’s be real. That’s as likely as Kate ever getting along with her third stew on Below Deck.

GT’s Kombucha
It’s alive! Kombucha can be an acquired taste, but I think GT’s does a pretty good job of cutting the sourness with some nice flavors. Kombucha is one of the few “fun” drinks allowed on the Whole30. A lot of kombucha brands will add sugar after the fermentation, which of course, is a no no. GT’s is compliant however. I like the Cosmic Cranberry the best. Biff and I will usually each have a ‘buch in the evening while we watch murder shows on Nexflix and eat dried mango. Is this what the kids mean when they say “Netflix and chill?” Cuz it’s definitely lit.

So those are a few of my expert tips and picks. Impressed? As always, be sure to read labels! I’m seeing a lot more products this time around that are stamped with the Whole30 logo, which is very helpful. I hear there are even some microwavable meals you can get at WalMart now (I don’t have a microwave and I hate going to WalMart so don’t count on seeing a review of those products from this gal!) Now…how do I get these companies to pay me for my incredible endorsements…?

 

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Whole30 Journey

I’m Baaaaaaaack!

Foraging for something I can eat

My cabinets are stocked with sweet potatoes and ghee. That can only mean one thing: the Bouses are back on the Whole30! And I’m resurrecting my blog. Boom! I wish I’d kept it up longer last year, but it’s a familiar pattern: I get all gung-ho about something, people like it, I pressure myself to make it better, then I get worried I’m not keeping it fresh, then I get resentful, and next thing you know, I’m setting small fires around town just to feel alive. Oh and we moved across the country.

We actually ate pretty close to Whole30 right up through July, when we moved from California back to my home state of Massachusetts. Between the move itself, adjusting to our new surroundings, and living within walking distance of a dozen kick-ass restaurants, the last half of the year we’ve fallen off the wagon. By December my pants were tight and I was routinely getting the meat sweats. Time to get back in gear.

So here we are! Yesterday, was day one, because yes, I’m that basic that I start a new diet on New Year’s Day. Breakfast was potatoes, eggs and avocado. I had the same thing today. For lunch I made turkey burgers without the buns and for dinner we had the ol’ standby Egg Roll in a Bowl. I’m thinking the mental toll won’t be as high this time around because I’m used to cooking this way now. Physically….we’ll see! I’m hoping to drop a few lbs but mostly I want to feel better and get some mad gainzzzzzzz at CrossFit.

In case it’s not painfully obvious, I’m not a medical professional or fitness guru. So take all of my actions with a grain of salt. But for those of you who aren’t familiar, the Whole30 is basically an elimination diet. No grains, gluten, dairy, legumes, soy, sugar, friends or fun of any kind. Additionally, you’re supposed to only eat meals— dishes that consist of about 1/3 protein, 2/3 veggies and a thumb-size portion of healthy fat. So if you’re hungry in between lunch and dinner, you’re supposed to have a mini-meal that follows that template rather than, say, a handful of nuts. Sometimes I’ll fudge that rule a bit and have a Lara bar or said nuts. Snacking is definitely my weakness though, so I try to really determine if I’m really hungry or if I’m just bored by the current storyline of everyone ganging up on James on Vanderpump Rules. It’s not about the pasta, LaLa! I hope he can turn it around…

Ok so this should whet your whistle for what’s to come! I’m going be real and say I’ll try to update daily but I might not. Bravo is not gonna watch itself. Here’s to 2019: to health, fitness, and boom boom shorts this summer!

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Uncategorized, Whole30 Journey

Tostones!

Exercise: CrossFit
Food: Over-easy Eggs with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon, Turkey Burger with Tostones, Pork Sausage with Sauteed Veg and MORE Tostones

tostones

I promise there’s a burger in there somewhere. And TOSTONES!

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks. This round has been a little like auto-pilot at times. I don’t have to read labels as much since I’m buying the same brands/items regularly now. And I have a few go-to recipes that I’ve memorized (and/or I feel confident about the flavors I’m trying to achieve that I’m not too worried about doing it exactly the same way each time). But, of course, the downside is that can lead to a little bit of food boredom. Enter Tostones.

I’d seen them mentioned a few times in the Whole30 Facebook group, but I didn’t really feel compelled to make them. Then, today I was at Whole Foods and I noticed some ripe plantains and thought “I should do something with those.” I searched “plantains” in the group and I was assaulted by all the raves about Tostones once again. So I fired up the air fryer, sliced up those plantains, and got down to business. The first batch turned out pretty well. I had them with a turkey burger, some guacamole, and Vanderpump Rules on the DVR. I made them again for dinner to impress my man and this batch was a little more crispy. Next time, I’ll probably experiment with some spices (this time I just salted them). Crazy!

I did CrossFit workouts Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and I succeeded in making every part of my body sore. It’s been while since I’ve felt this taxed by workouts, but it feels good too because I know it’s a result of working hard. Monday was the biggest challenge. The workout called for doing toes-to-bar in sets of 21-18-15-12-9. Toes-to-bar is when you hang from a pullup bar and, as the name suggests, you lift your toes to touch the bar. I hadn’t tried one in forever but I decided I was going to go for it. Well, it took me forrrrreevvvverrrrrr but once I realized I could do them, I was determined to do them all. I ripped a callus at some point too! It gives me street cred.

So…takeaways from these last few days: who knew a little plantain could serve up such mealtime realness?; no pain, no gain; wait- Stassi isn’t even 30 yet?

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I Dream of Jeans

Exercise: CrossFit, Full Body Convulsions After a Bird Flew into My Window and Died
Food: Same ol’ Breakfast Scramble, Bunless Turkey Burger, Egg Roll in a Bowl, Lara Bars

I like clothes. And I like shopping. As my weight and fitness have fluctuated, it’s been hard to break out of a wardrobe rut. I mentioned in my last post that I just bought some new yoga pants. And I have, indeed, already worn them way too much. So yesterday, I resisted the urge to put them on again, and instead wore jeans. We had a little bit of a busy day, but at some point, we’d been home for awhile and I was taking out the trash and it occurred to me: I hadn’t changed out of my jeans yet! Pre-Whole30, I would have probably changed as soon as I got home. It feels great to be more comfortable in my clothes again, so much so that I’m not thinking about them. I’m really looking forward to doing some serious shopping in a few months if I keep this progress up (which I fully intend to do. Duh.) Just don’t remind me about the boxes of smaller clothes I’m hoarding somewhere.

So this recent clothing epiphany did lead to one “cheat” on the Whole30. I weighed myself. You’re not supposed to weigh yourself while on a round (a round just refers to the 30 days. So technically I’m on round 2 right now since we’re being 100% compliant this month). The reason is because weight can fluctuate so much, depending on so many things and a “bad” number could be discouraging. But I knew my tummy felt a little smaller. And sure enough, I’m down 2.5lbs since February 1. So that’s 9.5 since the start of January. Soooooo close to 10! It just confirmed to me that I’m still on track. I’m going to try my hardest not to weigh again until the end of this round.

Otherwise, I’m just an Olympics-watching fool! It’s great timing; seeing all these tight bodies in sleek suits is hella motivating (as they’d say out here on the West Coast). I may be 37, but I think I could still qualify in the luge. Or maybe short track speed skating which is mostly just pushing other bitches out of the way, right? Maybe this time next month I’ll get me one of those body suits.

So…takeaways from these days: rock those Mom jeans like no one is watching; this Whole30 shit really does work; find an excuse to buy a body-suit

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Slow n’ Steady Progress

Food: Scrambled Eggs and Sweet Potatoes, Green Salad with Veggies and Tunafish, Tri-Tip with Potatoes and Asparagus
Exercise: Barbell Club and Crossfit

eggplant

My first foray into Eggplant on the Whole30! I served it over some mixed-squash noodles.

Our second(ish) round of the Whole30 is moving right along. Today puts us at day 7, and though we haven’t had most of the withdrawal symptoms as the first round, both Biff and I feel a little hungover today. I swear, we each only had one Kombucha last night! I’m sure there’s a little bit of detox going on. I’ve also been really hungry today in between meals, which had subsided pretty early in round 1. Hm!

But we’re still seeing lots of progress. Yesterday, I bought myself a sassy pair of mom yoga pants (very tasteful ones- no sheerness and no camel toe!) and I comfortably fit into a size smaller than before. I will now wear them everyday. The gym is where I tend to see the most progress, mostly because we have measurable results daily. Both last night at Barbell Club and today at CrossFit I PR’ed some lifts. And our workout today had lots of running. While I was still pokey, I was proud that I didn’t need to stop and walk while running 1200m and then 800m (with pull-ups, push-ups and squats in between). I actually felt lighter while running. Is that a thing? My pull-ups felt easier too. I use a resistance band to “help” and a few weeks ago I was able to reduce the strength of the band (so I needed less help). Today I used that same, new band and I felt like I could even go down another step. Whoop whoop! Less body weight and increased strength make Melissa a happy gal!

So…takeaways from today: try pull-ups again soon; don’t impulse buy yoga pants, take the time to try them on and then find out the ones you like the most are the most expensive; you can be hungover without drinking! Fun.

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Super Bowl30

Exercise: Folding laundry
Food: Over-easy Eggs with Bacon and Sauteed Spinach, Tri-tip Steak with Potatoes and Mixed Veggies, Air Fryer Wings and Sweet Potato Fries

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, featuring my beloved Pats. Ok, I’m more of a fair-weather fan, but a lot of people I love love the Pats and that’s good enough for me. Being married to a wonderful cook, Super Bowl Sunday is usually filled with a lot of snacks. In year’s past, we would have small parties and serve dishes that represent the cities in the game. But this year we decided to lay low and keep it Whole30.

I’ve become so used to NOT snacking, that I really didn’t miss chips and dips and all of that. It’s like I’ve been reprogrammed. Ah! But we did make our meals a little festive: Biff smoked some Tri-tip (which I got on sale so I bought a ton of it. Tri-tip for days!) which we had as a late lunch, just as the game was starting. And then I made some wings in the air fryer for dinner. Wings aren’t always my favorite thing to eat, physically. There is simply no way to eat one without looking like a caveman. And I can never gauge how much I’ve eaten. But it was fun to have a “traditional” game day food and they turned out pretty decent. I also bought a bunch of those so we will be certainly eating wings again soon.

Tomorrow it’s back to the gym, finally! Looks like we’re working on overhead squats which we haven’t done for awhile so I’m looking forward to seeing some progress there. My thighs are ready.

So…takeaways from today: all you need is an air fryer and some kombucha to be festive; it’s ok to look like a caveman in the privacy of your own home; the surest way to get a kid to stop watching his iPad is to sit down to watch something YOU actually want to watch on TV.

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Starting Over

Exercise: Volunteering in a Kindergarten classroom for 1.25 hours
Food: Fried Eggs with Spinach, Onions, and Sweet Potato Fries, Leftover Chili, Bacon-wrapped Chicken Breast with Asparagus, and Potatoes

chili

Here we go again. Let’s do this.

Yesterday marked our official restart of the Whole30. So that makes today day two but also day 32? Since we didn’t stray too much from the plan while we were gone, I’m assuming we won’t have most of the typical withdrawal symptoms people feel when they’re first starting. Good! I’m still sleeping like a log, which definitely wasn’t the case the first days of last month. My skin is having a moment right now though, which is a little discouraging, but I’m wondering if that was caused by the wine? Or being on a nasty airplane? Or that my cat might have slept on my pillow the whole time I was gone and I haven’t washed the cover since we’ve been back?

I’m also battling a little cold or something. I was hoping to workout, but I decided to conserve my energy since today was my day to volunteer in my son’s classroom. I’m so glad I did. Those children were having some feelings today! Perhaps they were hangry? I haven’t been to the gym for over a week now, and tomorrow I won’t be able to make it unless I go to barbell club and rush to my son’s baseball team meeting right after. This is one of those moments where you ask yourself what kind of first impression you want to make on people.

For breakfast, my husband took pity on my sneezy self and made fried eggs with some spinach, onions, peppers and sweet potato fries. We had a side of chipotle mayo for our fries as our serving of healthy fat.

Lunch was easy- I heated up some chili my sweet, sweet friend left for us when we returned from our trip. Seriously, how nice is that? She went to the trouble to make Whole30 compliant chili and had it waiting on our counter in a crockpot. Seriously.

And Biff took on dinner too. He wrapped some chicken breasts in bacon and served them with asparagus and potatoes. Very nice.

So…takeaways from today: starting over is easy if you never really stopped; sneezing will make your husband cook for you; true friends will scoop your cats’ poops and make you dinner.

 

 

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