Whole 30 on

Well, the November Whole30 is over.  It was (after that first week anyway) much less painful than one might suspect.   The major cravings have gone away.  I don't wake up in the morning requiring Diet Pepsi.  I also don't require it at regular intervals throughout the day.  Unfortunately I also have not replaced it with water or anyone similar wholesome appropriate beverage but that is neither here nor there.  

On average the gut feels better.  There are still terrible days but they are less frequent than they were before.  I suppose that is something. As far as food goes though I seem to be hitting my stride.  I'm not missing grains or dairy.  Soy is harder not because I just love soy but because it's so ubiquitous in American food.  It's nearly impossible to eat out or even buy a lot of canned or frozen vegetables because they're laced with the stuff.  That is one area where I've been a little more lenient just for convenience sake.  Otherwise, all is good.  I'm tweaking recipes and learning what my new "staples" are.  Nothing too exciting got made in this weekend's rotation but a smattering are below.  Another batch of baked fajitas - these are awesome on top of salad for work lunches.  I've done seafood, chicken and now made my way back to steak.  Another quiche which has become a weekly endeavor - this time pumpkin 'crust' with broccoli, mushrooms and eggplant.  Babaganoush.  And sweet potato chips.

I'm sure new recipes will come eventually - especially with a vacation in a few weeks - but I seem to have settled into a pattern here and lost my inspiration for new cooking adventures.  

 

Chicken & Broccoli Mushrooms

 

Close enough to Chinese takeout chicken and broccoli. Plus it has mushrooms and pineapple.  Couldn't get much closer without using soy sauce, corn starch or something else entirely not whole30 so may need to revisit this when I'm going about the reintroduction phase and see if a little soy sauce rounds this out a bit.  Either way, it's still delicious and has an Asian flavor profile but isn't quite the takeout classic.

Serves: ~6 (makes 1200g)

Per 100g: 55 cal; 8g protein, 1g fat, 6g carb

Ingredients: 

2T ginger, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup pineapple chunks

16 oz mushrooms, quartered

2 broccoli florets, chopped into bite size pieces

1 grilled chicken breast (~1/2 pound)

 

Directions:

* Saute ginger and garlic over low heat for 1-2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and pineapple cooking until mushrooms are tender. 

 * Add broccoli and simmer covered for 5 minutes.

 * Grill chicken separately.  Cut into 1 x 1/2" strips and add to saute pan.  Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. 

Lemon Rosemary Mushrooms

Serves: 5
Per serving (100g or ~3/4 cup): 35 cal, 3g protein, 1g fat, 6g carbs

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
16 oz mushrooms, quartered
2 1/2 T lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp guar gum
1/2 tsp xanthum gum

Directions:
* Saute garlic and onion over low heat until onions become soft but not yet transparent
* Add mushrooms and cover to cook until tender, approximately 5 minutes
* Add lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary and coconut milk. Cook until simmering
* Add guar and xanthum gum.  Simmer approximately 2 more minutes or until sauce thickens and remove from heat.

 

Shown above served over zucchini noodles

Fajita Bake

Makes: 1100g, about ~6-8 servings
Nutrition (per 100g): 90 cal, 11g protein, 3g fat, 6g carbs

Ingredients:
2 poblano peppers
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
1 red onion
1 white onion
1 pound steak
1/2 T olive oil

Seasoning:
1T chili powder
1/2 T paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne

* Mix together seasoning ingredients in a small bowl

 

 * Chop vegetables and onion into 1/4" strips
* Slice steak into 1/2" strips

* Place vegetables and steak into 9x13" pan.  Sprinkle seasoning on top.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Mix until well coated.

* Bake in oven at 350F for 45 minutes stirring once half way through.

* Once complete place in broiler for 5 minutes.  This was great, it added the 'charred' grilled fajita taste that was missing from the baked version.

Pumpkin Quiche

 

This is remarkably similar to the butternut squash version of two weeks ago but is even easier since it doesn't involve actually roasting a squash on your own.

Makes: 8 servings

Nutrition:  71 calories, 9g protein, 1g fat, 7g carbs

Ingredients:

1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree

1 onion, sliced

8oz mushrooms, sliced

8oz spinach, chopped

2 cup liquid egg whites

1/2 cup coconut milk

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 400F. Spread pumpkin onto bottom and sides of non-stick cake pan.  

*Saute onions over low heat just until they start to soften.  Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat until tender.   Add chopped fresh spinach and continue to cook, stirring frequently until wilted.

 * Add the sauteed mixture to the crust

 * In a separate bowl mix the egg and coconut milk.  Pour over the sauteed vegetables in the crust.

 * Place in the oven and back at 400F for 50 minutes

* The center should be fully cooked and not liquid when complete and the edges just starting to brown.

Stuffed turkey peppers

Did you notice that my food is usually still steaming when I take its picture?  That's usually because I don't want to wait to eat it... Those who have worked with me (and thus seen me eat, because it seems to happen every few hours) have probably noticed that I have a thing for peppers. It's kind of like my obsession with pumpkin, which by the way is slowly improving.  Mostly because even though its fall and not even Thanksgiving and I should be able to have pumpkins - the stores no longer have pumpkins.  And after eating a 'real' pumpkin the pre-pureed version in a can just isn't the same. Stupid learning to eat real food...  The pepper thing is kind of like that, only it's year round so the crazy is spread out a little. Anyway, I really like peppers, I put them in all sorts of things, kind of like mushrooms (more on that coming in the next batch of cooking), and I really enjoy stuffed peppers. 

 Up today, plain ol' ordinary green bell peppers stuffed with ground turkey.  Mostly latin inspired flavor.  I'm really enjoying ground turkey and ground chicken because it doesn't really have much of a strong flavor - it adapts pretty easily with a little seasoning. 

Makes: 4 servings

Per serving: 130 calories,

22g protein,

1g fat,

9g carbs

Ingredients: 

4 bell peppers

12 oz ground turkey

3 oz coarsely chopped mushrooms

1 roma tomato, chopped

1/2 T dried cilantro

1 tsp cumin

* Clean the peppers, remove the stem and remove the seeds and flesh from the inside.  Place on lined baking sheet in the oven pre-heated to 375F for 5 mintues.

 

 * Mix together ground turkey, mushrooms, tomato, cilantro and cumin.  Divide into 4ths and roll into balls

 

* Remove the peppers from the over & stuff your turkey balls inside

 

Return to the oven at 375F and back until fully cooked, approximately 45 minutes.  The turkey should be browned through and the peppers should be soft.  

Whole 30: Day 16-17

This weekend starts us on the journey of the longest phase of the Whole30.  Finally, some good stuff to come? 

Days 16-27: Tiger Blood

Goodbye cravings, hello Tiger Blood! This must be what everyone is talking about!

Well, I don't know, nobody but those of us doing it here seemed to have ever heard of such a ridiculous diet before. 

You’ve hit the downhill slope of your Whole30 and life is beautiful.

Hah. 

Your energy is through the roof, you’ve kicked the cravings, you’re experimenting with new, delicious food

Mmm, food experimenting...  Yeah, that's definitely what I did today. All day.

and you’ve finally got the time to notice that your clothes fit better, your workouts are stronger, and you are generally more awesome.

Well, I'm pretty much unchanged. My clothes seem to fit the same, which is generally ok.  I'm not working out any better.  In fact, I'm still pretty unable to sustain any sort of workout schedule for more than a week before my body just screams at me 24/7 and I'm forced to stop. But ok, I'm awesome, I'll tuck that away to come back to later.

There’s not much more to say about this phase – go forth and enjoy!

Yeah, I'm still waiting... 

Spaghetti Squash "Pad Thai"

 

OK.  So it's not quite Pad Thai.  Those aren't rice noodles.  And there aren't any peanuts.  Or soy sauce.  Because those are all explicitly no-no's on the Whole30.  But it worked.  And along with the Thai Salad and Pineapple Coconut Chicken fulfilled my Thai cravings that week.  Plus I got to bash open a coconut which is (shocked?) right up my alley...

Makes: ~6 servings

Per serving: 109 calories,

11g protein,

4g fat,

7g carbs

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

2 cups bok choy, coarsely chopped

8 oz sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup carrots, thinly sliced

40g almonds, ground (~1/4 cup)

1 T vinegar

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tsp Chili powder

juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 lb grilled chicken breast cut into 1" pieces

Directions:

Prepare the spaghetti squash however you'd like. I roast mine whole (because cutting that sucker in half raw almost always ends up with my knife stuck halfway through and me pretty sure I'm going to lose a finger) in the oven at 375 on a foil like baking sheet until it is easily pierced with a fork.  Depending on size, usually about 45 minutes.

* Saute bok choy, carrots, mushrooms and garlic. Saute over medium heat until tender.

 

* Add chicken broth, ground almonds, lime juice, vinegar and chili powder.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

 

* Stick it on top of your squash or toss to mix & dig in!

Whole30, Days12-15: Boundless energy! (Wait, what?)

 

Let us revisit the timeline.  This week's predictions...

Days 12-15: Boundless energy! Now give me a damn Twinkie.

Hurray! The slump is over! Your pants fit again!

My slump is a rollercoaster... and I still wear pants under my pants so they sort of look like they fit... 

Your energy levels are better than normal – you’re downright Tigger the bouncing tiger!

Huh

But something weird is happening.

Like that wouldn't be weird enough

You’re dreaming. Not crazy nightmare or strange surrealist dreams, either. Incredibly normal and realistic dreams – about donuts. Or Twinkies. Or Snickers.*

OK, so I went through this phase most of last year... I haven't had any particularly crazy dreams or food cravings this week. 

In your mind, sometimes you get caught and feel guilty. Sometimes you just brazenly eat the contraband. But then, the feelings start following you into the waking hours. Suddenly, you’re craving things you don’t even like. (For me, it’s Diet Coke and Twinkies, for Melissa Hartwig, it was fast-food cheeseburgers!) Your co-workers’ heads transform into giant Girl Scout Cookies as you gaze on in disbelief. Seriously, you’ve almost hit the halfway mark, and now this?!

Nope, no hallucinations.  Just when I get stressed, I really want a Diet Pepsi.  Seriously, would diet pepsi really be so bad?  I mean, it's not like I would be eating an entire chocolate cake.  Not that that doesn't sound like a good idea right now. 

All joking aside, though, this phase gets really intense and for some people. This is the part of the program where our minds try to drive us back to the comfort of the foods we used to know. 

Sigh, I do miss my Diet Pepsi.  I'm not really sure how to write my notes at work without it.  It's like someone came along and stole my security blanket. 

Our food relationships are deeply rooted and strongly reinforced throughout the course of our lives and breaking through them is really big deal. Journaling can be especially enlightening and helpful during this phase, and helpful for reflection later. Take some time to jot down what you’re craving, how you’re feeling and what tools you’re using to work through the cravings.

15 down and half way there... 

Whole30 Days 10-11: The Hardest Days

Fact: you are most likely to quit your Whole30 program on Day 10 or 11. By this point, the newness of the program has worn off.

 Yes, it has.  

You’ve made it through most of the unpleasant physical milestones,

 Thanks are being offered by all of my coworkers for that fact. 

but you’ve yet to experience any of the “magic” the program promises. You’re still struggling to establish your new routine (read: you’ve eaten eggs prepared ten different ways over the last ten days), and while you’ve been trying really hard to have a good attitude, today you are incredibly aware of all the foods you’re “choosing not to eat right now.”  

Today, was a birthday dinner.  Surprisingly, this went pretty darn well.  I can look longingly at everybody else's grains (that's a phrase I never thought I'd write) but I don't feel cheated or depraved by my own foods.

Everywhere you look, you see the things you “can’t” have

Isn't that the truth.

This is where you really start to experience the psychological hold that your food habits have on you. You’ve put in a lot of effort to get to where you are right now, but you’re still waiting for the results you’re hoping to see.

 I think this is actually going surprisingly well. I think for me most of my psychological stuff was with the diet pepsi/coke/etc.  And I do see "results" so to speak.  I already feel better.  Which is to say, I don't feel like something is trying to rip its way out of my body at all hours of the day. 

At this point, I'm not suffering major food cravings.  I'm eating better, more diverse meals than I was before all this started.  I'm eating more protein, more fat (and probably more calories) than I've been able to in a while and not feeling sick about it.  The challenge for me will be in deciding how to go about reintroducing things and figuring out which things are permanent removals, which are occasional indulgences and which are just going to return completely.  But, if this is just the start of 'good days' and there's even better to come it may become even more permanent than intended. 

Thai coconut salad

 

Makes: ~6 servings

Per serving: 152 calories,

7g protein,

7g fat,

16g carbs

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut water

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup ground almonds or almond butter

1/2 T sesame oil

2 clove garlic, chopped

1/8 tsp ground cayenne

1 small onion, thinly sliced

6.5 oz mushrooms, sliced

6.5 oz bok choy, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1/2 T dried cilantro

1/2 bunch red leaf lettuce

8 cups shredded cabbage

6oz coconut 

1 chicken breast grilled and shredded

Directions:

First up, the dressing... 

Simply put everything together and puree it.  I used by food processor. You can use whatever you'd like!  Mix coconut water, chopped ginger, juice of 1 lime, 1/4 almonds, 1/2 T sesame oil, 2 clove garlic, 1/8 tsp cayenne.

  

Grill chicken breast and shred.

Saute together the onion, mushroom, bok choy, carrots and cilantro. 

   

I was excited about the mason jar packing idea so I split the ingredients evenly in 6ths and layered all of my ingredients in 6 jars as follows and had a small jar of dressing left over for later. 

-- 1.5T dressing

-- chicken

-- sauteed vegetables

-- cabbage

-- coconut

-- lettuce

Whole30 Day 8-9: My pants are TIGHTER?!!

So for better or worse this doesn't seem to apply to me.  My clothes still fit just like hey did before.  Instead, for days 8-9 I regressed.   I spent day 8 in the Day 5 Kill All the things phase. For me this manifests as a I want to punch all people in the face phase. Fun was had by all I assure you.  Day 9 was spent in the Day 6 I just want a nap phase...

Speaking of, it's day 9 and I think I'll just go sleep...

Eggplant a la Adithi

This one really isn't mine to share.  I took a few liberties with the recipe but Adithi took pity on my overabundance of eggplants and provided an Indian recipe for me.  It works quite nicely on cauliflower rice and is such a great combination of spices that I don't really miss any of the things I'm not eating... grain, dairy, soy, sugar... 

Simple... chopped eggplant, tomato & onion.

 

Lots of spices- garlic, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, ground mustard...

 

Cover, simmer for a while and then it turns into something like this... 

  

Whole 30: Days 6-7, I just want a nap…

I do.  I just want a nap.  These people are so spot on sometimes.  Or, I always want a nap and they're just telling me, "hey, today that's ok". 

Okay, so its day 6 and you made it through the last phase without smiting anyone.

Barely.

The thing is, today you don’t feel like you could smite anyone if your life depended on it!

I bet I could.  

It’s 10 am and all you can think about is crawling under your desk for a catnap.

10 am?  This started around 8am morning of day 6.

As the day drags on, the surface of your desk is morphing, from hard wooden surface to snuggly warm pillow, right before your eyes.

Mmm... yes... cat nap in the chair at my desk surrounded by the team.  Yeah, that's ok.  Especially since the attending did the same thing on the other side of the room. 

You hit the gym, but only halfheartedly, unable to face the barbell with any kind of conviction.

Nope, didn't even bother with that on day 6... Day 7 I hit a wall and running was extraordinarily unimpressive. 

You crawl into bed at 8 p.m. only to drag yourself out eleven hours later feeling no more rested than you did the night before.

Hmm... kudos to company and cooking for keeping me awake past 8pm but I will be unpleased to awaken before 6am.

Now your body is learning to efficiently burn fat and protein as its fuel sources, and that takes more effort – and some time. If you can hold out just a bit longer, you’ll definitely reap the benefits. (Besides, you could probably use a day off from the gym anyway, right?)

 Let's go body, pick it up. We have things to do! Day 7 was better than day 6 in that I wasn't quite as sleepy and had energy to do things.  I just had no desire to do anything.  Except for punch everyone in the face (i.e. kill all the things).  Sounds like I back slid to the last phase at the end here.  Really looking forward to the energetic phase.  I do feel much better though and my bowels hate me less so hanging in there. 

Pineapple Coconut Chicken Curry

I'm not sure curry is the right description but it is definitely a Thai flavored concoction.  Spicy, sweet and filling.  You can easily add or remove vegetables as you see fit - or get rid of them all together - add this would still work. On the flip side, leave out the chicken and you've got a great vegetarian/vegan dish.  If you have a particular aversion to one of the spices or can't find it anywhere, leave it out, I imagine this is still going to work just fine.

 

Makes: ~6 servings

Per serving: 244 calories,

31g protein,

7g fat,

13g carbs

 

Ingredients: 

1 3/4 pounds chicken

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp coriander

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

1 can (14oz) lite coconut milk

1 cup coconut water -- I used this because I had recently opened a fresh coconut; you could easily substitute for store bough coconut water or just plain old water.

1 red onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

2 cubanelle pepper, sliced

1/2 lb snow peas

3 oz coconut meat -- Possibly substitute unsweetened shredded coconut instead if you don't have or don't want to deal with opening and shelling your own coconut

8oz mushrooms, sliced

4 oz pineapple sliced and cut into 1" pieces

2 T chopped ginger

1 tsp guar gum*

1 tsp xanthum gum *

*(you could substitute 1T of corn startch, flour or thickener of your choice)

Directions

Cut the chicken into roughly 1-inch cube sized pieces. Mix with the spices, 1/2 of the coconut milk, and 1/2 of the chopped pineapple.  Place in the refrigerator overnight to marinate (or chill for at least 1-2 hours)

 

You can also prepare the other ingredients ahead of time if you wish.  I prepped everything and was able to have everything cooking at the same time in different pans to speed things along. 

Mix the snow peas with the sliced mushrooms and coconut in one container.   In a second container prepare and combine the onion, peppers, garlic and ginger.

 

Mix the onions, peppers, garlic and ginger in a saute pan and quickly saute just until onions start to turn translucent.  Add 1/2 of the coconut water and allow to simmer until fully cooked - about 20 minutes.

 

Remove the pepper mixture from the pan and replace with mushroom mixture, add remaining pineapple.  Saute until the mushrooms just start browning and simmer covered for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

 

Place chicken in large pan and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked, about 10 minutes.

 

Add remaining coconut milk, coconut water, guar gum and xanthum gum and simmer until desired consistency, about 15 minutes.

 

Combine pepper mixture with vegetables in pan and stir to mix.

 

Combine to serve.  Serve alone or over your choice -- as below with glucomannan noodles, regular pasta or rice noodles, rice, shredded cabbage, salad greens, etc.  I initially left the chicken and veggies separate and combined over the noodles but later mixed them all together and it works just fine as well if you want to combine before serving.