Whole30 Recap

So...I did it. I finished the Whole 30 days of whole 30. I don't think I messed up either. One day I was with Mom all day at the ER and on the way home we had to stop for food since we hadn't eaten all day. She wanted a fish sandwich from McDonald's so that was where we went but even that night all I ate was a plain piece of grilled chicken. Now I am sure it wasn't organic or maybe even real chicken but...it was the best I could do that particular day. Oh and also it occurred to me about 1/2 way through that I was still chewing sugar free gum which had fake sugar which we weren't supposed to use but...I never gave that up. So I suppose those 2 things could be counted as "messing up" but other than that I was very strict about following all the rules.

It wasn't as hard as I expected..

There were days I hated it - don't get me wrong. But overall it wasn't that bad.

The good -

• I haven't had very many headaches. And I am pretty sure the ones I did have were from sinuses - and they went away quickly when I took sinus medicine.
• I lost 12 pounds. In 30 days. Not bad.
• My face is clearer -  not totally but looks better than it did for sure
• I just feel better

The bad-

• It is expensive to eat healthy!!
• There aren't as many choices b/c I am a picky eater and don't like a lot of veggies
• Healthy food goes bad quick so you have to shop often and I don't have a lot of time right now

My thoughts now?

Well this weekend when I was done I went with some family for a graduation celebration lunch to Olive Garden and I was very excited to eat bread sticks! I only had 2....and I ordered a chicken meal which I basically ate the chicken and veggies out of and left the pasta on the plate (I did eat probably 4 bites of pasta) but it was of course covered in some sort of sauce, and the salad had a Cesar dressing as well (NO dressings or sauces on Whole30) So I didn't really follow the suggested way of introducing ONE new thing to your body at a time and see how it handles it. I tried to do as best I could but....my body freaked out! It was not impressed with what I ate for sure. I felt sick all day. And honestly...none of it even tasted that good!! (ummm....sad). Then the next day, sure enough I woke up with a headache! So....I tried drinking a diet dr. pepper that day - one b/c that was my favorite drink before Whole30 and two b/c usually caffeine helps a headache. I couldn't even finish it. It tasted HORRIBLE to me! So syruppy and thick and gross! Ugh.

So basically...Whole30 has totally changed my taste buds. Which is sad in a way but actually really good. I prefer the taste of clean "real" food now and not processed sugary stuff. So basically I intend to stick with it. I won't be as strict as I was during those 30 days. For instance, when I have hot tea - I WILL be using sweetener in it (I never got used to plain tea) but probably less than I used to. And I won't say I will never eat dessert, but just that it will be a special occasion instead of a way to deal with a bad day. That is the plan. I think this was exactly what I needed to really help jump start me to eating better and changing the way I think about food. I am really pleased with the results.

I do intend to try after a few days to introduce some things - like whole wheat bread - all by itself and see how that affects my body. Possibly some other things as well. Just so I have a better idea of what I can eat and still feel well. But overall I like the results of this way of eating. So...simple it is for me! Now I just have to find a way to pay for it.....ha! 

Day 20 - FOOD

July 20: Your favorite recipe and why you like it

This one is a no brainer for me, although it made me laugh after I thought about it. This is not my favorite recipe in terms of it being my favorite thing to actually EAT. What I love about it, though, is that my nephew absolutely adores it. He likes to give me a hard time about not being much a cook. When he lived with me, however, I started doing much more cooking and was constantly looking for recipes that he might like and that were still simple enough for me to do a good job! This one fit us both perfectly! He asks me to make it whenever he stays with me!

Taco Spaghetti

Holiday Baking

So I have been trying to cook more lately...but my real love in the kitchen is not actual food but party food. Christmas is a great time for that kind of food! Here are a few things I have attempted so far:

My Veggie Tree....it was fun but I found people didn't want to mess it up and so they chose to eat from the leftovers on the tiered platter instead...oh well, still cute

Not the best picture ever but these were a HUGE hit!! Cookie on the bottom, Reece's cup in the middle, Brownie on the top....ummm YUM

My only shot of my Pretzel Candies...I make these all the time. You can change the candy to fit the season and they are always easy and devoured!

Red Velvet Trifle....

Red Velvet Cake, Homemade Cream Cheese filling and crushed Peppermint Hershey's Kisses

wish I had a prettier picture...it was very festive!

 

I am sure I will be doing more of this kind of "cooking" as the season continues.... :)