Tag Archives: turkey burger

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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Day 22: New Pants

Exercise: CrossFit
Food: Scrambled Eggs with Veggies, Turkey Burger with Spinach, Onion, Mayo and Mustard, Leftover Pulled Pork with Cauliflower Fried Rice and Broccoli

Pork

Wow, I didn’t know Annie Leibovitz was doing blog photography now…

This morning, I had a little time in between when I dropped my son off at school and when the iPad Screen fixer place opened. I could have just gone home, but I was worried that I’d lose my motivation to get my errands done and fall into a black hole of Bravo programming (new season of Summer House is out! Who else can’t relate to those people at all?) So I decided to meander around Old Navy. I usually don’t find much there (though the GAP is my all time fav) but I somehow talked myself into “needing” new pants and I liked the selection. So I tried on a few pairs and wouldn’t ya know it? I’m a size smaller. I take this with a small grain of salt because I’m not so familiar with how Old Navy pants run. However, when I got home, I went through my pants drawer and tried on about 4 pairs I literally forgot about. The only thing I can think of was they weren’t comfortable or were maybe too tight and therefore relegated to the bottom of the piles and wiped from my consciousness. Well, those all fit quite nicely too. I do wish I’d taken inventory earlier, because clearly I did not need new pants.

I did however need new workout pants, and I got a pair of those today too. I promptly wore them to my evening CrossFit class. The workout was a good mix of things: rowing (lots), squats, sit-ups, kettlebells. I felt great, energy wise, and my pants mostly stayed put (I like to hike ’em up realllllllllll high). I know you’re probably thinking “Hey! Don’t you usually go to Barbell Club on Tuesdays?” And yes, yes I do. But my husband had a ukulele master class sesh at the same time and someone had to watch our child.

Biff went into the office today so I was on my own for breakfast. I still opted for pretty much the same scrambled egg deal I’ve been making. I didn’t have potatoes today though.

For lunch, I cooked up a frozen turkey burger and put it on top of a spinach salad with onions and tomatoes and mayo and mustard. It was quite satisfying. I had a banana with almond butter after and then I was really full. I’m beginning to think almond butter is a weakness of mine. But let’s not go there. I’m not ready.

And dinner was a repeat of a couple of nights ago: I had pulled pork left over and we had that on top of some cauliflower fried rice and broccoli. Nice!

So…takeaways from today: go through your drawers before you shop; I love almond butter; the higher the pants, the closer to God;

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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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