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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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Uncategorized, Whole30 Journey

Day 17: Resisting Temptation

Exercise: Testing My Willpower
Food: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Onion, Avocado and Salsa, Turkey Burger wrapped in Lettuce, Chicken Stir-Fry with Cauliflower Rice

Turkey Burger

Hold the buns!

After a fun and successful dinner at a restaurant last night, today was also a mix of socialization and temptation. We had a playdate afterschool with some of my favorite moms and kids. My son gets out of school a little later than the other kids, so by the time we got there, they’d had enough time to…bake cookies! The smell was divine. It had also just started to rain and the thought of how “comforting” a cookie would be crossed my mind. But the idea was gone almost as quickly as it arrived. Witness the rewiring of my brain! I stuck with my La Croix and juicy gossip.

I did have a “first” today: a nagging, little headache. I can’t be sure if it was Whole30-related, but it didn’t go away after coffee, breakfast, tea, and lunch. So I gave in and took a few ibuprofen. It’s “allowed” on the plan though not encouraged. If I didn’t have to go anywhere in the afternoon, I might have toughed it out. But when my friends started group texting about getting Mexican food for lunch, I decided I needed to be on my A game for this playdate.

I didn’t go to the gym today. The only mid-morning  CrossFit class on Thursdays is right in the middle of when I drop my son off at school, so I can never make that. I took a wait-and-see approach to going to an afternoon/evening class. But by the time we got home from our playdate I would have had to start immediately prep dinner to fit in a workout and I didn’t have the motivation. Where’s that Tiger Blood? I’m waiting!

Breakfast was the usual variation of the lil scramble I like to make. I did not have any potatoes today, I’m trying to limit those on days I don’t workout.

For lunch, I cooked up a frozen turkey burgers and made a lettuce “bun.” It was kinda a hot mess, though it tasted good. I had to eat it in 3.5 bites before it totally disintegrated in my hand.

And dinner was better in my mind than on my plate. I made a stir-fry using some chicken I marinated in coconut aminos. I used cauliflower in the place of rice, and I attempted to use a dash of rice vinegar on in. Instead I got more like a splash. It was still ok, but not to-die-for. Some apple slices and almond butter made me feel better about it.

So…takeaways from today: it IS possible to resist fresh-baked cookies; get your head right before a playdate; always look before you dash.

 

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Uncategorized, Whole30 Journey

Day 13: The Reeducation of Melissa Bouse

Exercise: Resisting the urge to sooth myself with food while reading Fire and Fury
Food: Scrambled Eggs with Veggies and Bacon, Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Fries, Brisket with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

Have I mentioned that I’m not a good cook? It bears repeating. And I have to admit yesterday, I was kinda over it. As much as I’ve tried to make a few things ahead and plan on leftovers, I’m cooking a lot more daily than ever before. I was so grateful that Biff manned two out of three meals today. We also got a few new pans at Target, which he says might help with some of the things that are frustrating me. Next, we need to get our knives sharpened. However, I was glad we hadn’t yet because I nicked myself while trying to get an avocado pit out. My first CRI (cooking-related injury) since starting the Whole30. Aww. Anyway, it’s helpful having someone like my mans around who is intimately familiar with 300 Alton Brown recipes and techniques. He’s been giving me helpful tips (just the tip?) all along. I don’t necessarily take his advice, but I usually wish I had.

I didn’t do any kind of work out today. I thought about putting on RelationShep while the guys were at Atticus’ swim lesson and doing some sit-ups, but that would have required putting on a bra so I did nothing instead. Apparently, I wasn’t really that motivated (to either do sit-ups or watch RelationShep.) Back to the CrossFit grind tomorrow!

For breakfast, we had some oven-crisped bacon with scrambled eggs and veggies. Swim lessons are at 9am on Sundays, and last weekend we waited until after to have breakfast. That was a little too long so we stepped it up and got it in before.

I bought some frozen turkey burgers at Whole365 and Biff cooked those up for lunch with sweet potato fries. I had mine on a bed of lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado (so…a salad then?) The burgers are literally just turkey, so might not be something most people would buy versus just ground turkey. But I had a coupon!

For dinner, Biff made a brisket in the smoker. We had that as part of our Christmas dinner, and I noted at the time that it would be good for the Whole30 (and it’s deeeelish.) I finally remembered to buy it again! He made mashed potatoes using ghee and coconut milk and they were pretty authentic tasting! Some happy, little asparagus rounded out the meal.

So…takeaways from today: listen to your husband more (unless you don’t want to); Sundays aren’t for bras; coupons dictate a lot of my decision making.

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Day 5: Shop ’til I Drop

Exercise: Family walk/skate/bike ride, wholesale club shopping
Food: Eggs with Bacon, Onions, Peppers, Potatoes and Avocado, Green salad with tuna fish, Bunless Burgers with Potatoes, Onions, Bacon and Asparagus

Sams Club

A few of my many purchases this week.

Yay! It’s the weekend! When it comes to the Whole30, that means absolutely nothing! Well actually, it means Biff (that’s my mans) doesn’t have to work and is helping me out in the kitchen. He’s a really good cook. I knew he was a keeper when, shortly after we started dating, he made stuffed chicken breasts and homemade pita bread out of the random stuff I had in my kitchen. I honestly didn’t even know I had chicken.

Today, I know exactly what I have in my kitchen. Mostly because I’ve gone to the grocery store every friggin’ day since New Year’s. This morning, I hit up the Sam’s Club to buy some of the items we’ve been using the most in bulk. (I know Costco is generally better, I am a mom afterall. But something about our local Costco brings out the worst in every human who steps foot in it. Actually, the behavior starts in the parking lot. I can’t.) I stocked up on peppers and onions and organic beef. One of the criticisms about the Whole30 is that it’s expensive to eat this way. It can be, and I’ve definitely blown my usual grocery budget this first week. But I think if you stick to a few staples and buy what you can in bulk, it’ll even out. I’ve also purchased a few things this week, like specialty salad dressing and mayo, that I could make much cheaper. The time savings make these worth their price tag for me.

I didn’t go to CrossFit today since I went 5 days in a row this week. I thought I might go to Barbell Club (like CrossFit, but focuses on weights/strength training) but it meets at 7:45am. I slept decently last night and wanted to revel in that (and my jammies) a little longer. Instead, we went for a walk as a family. Well, I walked, Biff did some skateboarding, and Atticus (that’s my 6-year-old) rode his bike halfway. I dragged it the other half.

For breakfast, Biff made some eggs over potatoes with bacon, avocado, onions and peppers. It seems like all of our breakfasts are a variation of this, but it works and we’re not sick of it yet. Plus I just bought 400lbs of peppers and onions at Sam’s.

Lunch was the same old green salad with tunafish we’ve had a few times this week as well. I realized part of the desire for a simple lunch stems from the fact that our good pans are usually in the dishwasher from breakfast (or sitting in the sink) at that time.

Biff tackled dinner as well, and took my idea of bunless burgers to the next level by adding bacon,  onions and peppers, avocado and Sk8er Boi love. We had potatoes and asparagus on the side.

So…takeaways from today: having a husband who cooks rocks; dragging a Spiderman bike counts as cardio; don’t feel the need to explore new recipes until you’re sick of the ones you have.

Family Walk

Days like today in January are why it costs a zillion dollars to live here.

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