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...