Whole30 Results and Wrap-up

Welp, we did it!  30 days of no gluten, no dairy, no legumes, and no sugar.  Just meat (lots of it), vegetables (more than normal for us, for sure), and fruit.  It has been a little over a week and we have gone through the transition phase of adding back the foods that we had eliminated and I thought I would do a quick sum-up of my thoughts about the experience.

It wasn't as hard as we thought it would be.  It sounded intimidating and outrageous at first, but when we actually implemented Whole30 it just wasn't that big of a deal.  Yes, I had to meal plan and pack lunches and do more cooking than normal, but it just wasn't all that bad. 

We got to try new things and found that we really enjoy eating cleaner.  We generally felt less sluggish during the day, clothes fit better, sleep improved overall, we felt like we got much better control over our sweet tooths and snack cravings, and we got to try a bunch of new recipes and foods that we otherwise wouldn't have had tried.

And while it has been nice to be able to bake again and eat a cookie, in the week or so since we finished Whole30 we have realized that in many ways we prefer eating that way and will probably do it again or even continue to eat that way fairly regularly.  I have noticed since going back to pancakes or muffins or whatever for breakfast that not only do I get hungrier earlier during the day, but that it affects my snackiness all day long compared to when I start the day out much more protein heavy with bacon or sausages or eggs with vegetables (I love egg scrambles with peppers and onions and mushrooms) or nuts.  We also noticed a big difference in the level of sweetness that we experience after having gone without sugar for 30 days and I can cut the amount of sugar called for in some recipes by as much as half and not even notice a difference because they taste so much sweeter now than before. 

And yes, okay, we both lost weight, which certainly ends things on a positive note, especially since you spend the whole 30 day period NOT counting calories or worrying about stepping on a scale.  We both lost around 8 pounds, and that was with me doing about an hour at the gym 3 times a week and Paul doing no exercise other than normal every day movement and house projects and stuff.  Paul doesn't have his stats on this but for me that also translated into a loss of 2.5% of body fat, which has certainly made a difference in how I feel. 

Anyway, I have a couple more recipes to share on here, even though I don't have pictures to go with them.  And if you are interested I can email you the working copy of the 30 day meal plan with recipes that I came up with, and there are tons of others on Pinterest. 

Stir Fry

Paul declared this his favorite meal that I made over the whole 30 day period.  I wouldn't go that far because I way preferred the arctic char, tri-tip, and garam masala salmon steaks, but this still tasted quite delicious and made a nice change to have something Asian.

1 large ribeye (or other steak or package of precut "stir fry" meat from grocery store - you could easily do this with chicken too)
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 yellow onion
1 yellow bell pepper
1 bundle large asparagus
1/2 box white mushrooms
1 small can water chestnuts
1/2 small can bamboo shoots
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup coconut aminos (this is just paleo soy sauce - you can get it at whole foods and sprouts or order it online like I did.  It really, honestly does taste just like soy sauce and you won't even notice a difference)
1/2 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
OPTIONAL:  change out any of the vegetables above for whatever vegetables you want or have on hand which makes this a GREAT meal to use up the veggies in your fridge.  I would also add green beans, broccoli, zucchini, or even carrots)

Season steak with salt and pepper and sear over really hot heat on both sides in a large pan. Remove and set aside. Slice all veg small. Add oil to pan and sauté onions for 1-2 mins. Add rest of veg and sauté adding liquids slowly to keep everything from burning. Add garlic, vinegar and ginger. Stir constantly. Once veg is softened slice steak very thinly and add. Stir for another 1-2 mins until the steak is med rare. Remove and serve!

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

2/3 cup avocado oil
1 room temperature egg
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon dried or a handful of fresh herbs (I used some dried dill and a handful of fresh cilantro that I had on hand)
Juice of half a lemon or lime

Place the egg, vinegar, spices, herbs, and citrus juice in the food processor or blender (I set my Vitamix to 4 - you don't want to go too high on speed if you are doing this in a Blendtec or Vitamix) and pulse a few times.  Slowly pour the avocado oil through the top hole of the food process or blender while it is going at a medium speed to emulsify.  Seriously, go SUPER slow in a thin, steady stream and take your time to get it all in.  Refrigerate for about an hour and then serve.   

Scrambled Eggs with Salmon

This one is straightforward.  You just crack your eggs into a bowl and mix them with a fork and season with a little salt and pepper, then pour into a pan to scramble them.  Add a chunk of leftover salmon from a previous dinner or a piece of compliant smoked salmon (I found some at Whole Foods) and break it apart as you scramble the eggs.  It is so, SO good and one of my very favorite breakfasts. 

Zucchini Noodles with Marinara and Peppers, Onions, and Sausages

So we bought a spiralizer which is a tool that turns vegetables like zucchini, sweet potatoes or squash into noodles and it actually is pretty great.  We have tried spaghetti squash in the past and don't particularly love it but zucchini noodles are excellent.  But some friends mentioned that they had tried making them and their zucchini noodles turned out mushy so I thought I would explain the method I used.  After spiralizing your zucchini, spread your noodles out in a thin layer over a couple of layers of paper towel and sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then lay a couple additional layers of paper towels on top.  This will help to draw out the water that is in the zucchini.  Wait for about 15 to 30 minutes, then roll the noodles up in the paper towel and squeeze as much water out as you can.  Transfer to a hot pan with a little bit of olive oil and saute for 2-3 minutes, just to soften it a little bit.  Then you can top it with marinara and serve it with a protein of your choice. 

For the marinara, I just used the recipe I use for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Sauce (with a few modifications) and it is pretty perfect. 

2 tablespoons ghee
1/4 cup grated onion , from 1 medium onion (note, we left this out)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Table salt
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (see note)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

Heat ghee in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and baking soda, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil, then season with salt and pepper.

For the peppers, onions, and sausages:

3 to 4 medium onions (I think I used 2 really large onions so you just have to use your judgment on how much you like roasted onions)
3 to 4 sweet red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Season with a combination of salt, pepper, & Italian herbs (go as heavy or as light as you like but my estimate is at least 2 teaspoons of Italian herbs - if you don't have a blend from the store you can google how to make it yourself using basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, thyme, and probably marjoram or rosemary or something
4 to 6 links of uncooked Italian link sausages (I found some compliant chicken sun dried tomato and jalapeno sausages that worked perfectly)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut onions and peppers in even-sized chunks. Drizzle with olive oil, add garlic and sprinkle with seasoning. Mix well and spread on a large baking pan lined with a silicone liner or parchment. Place uncooked sausages among the vegetables (if using pre-cooked sausages, add during last 15 minutes of cooking). Roast for 30 minutes or until sausages are completely done and vegetables are browned.

 

Whole30

After hearing about this Whole30 thing from a couple of friends who have done it (thanks Carrie and Rachel!), Paul and I jumped on the bandwagon and are now on Day 9.  Whole30 is basically a "nutritional reset" (not a cleanse or even a diet - you don't restrict caloric intake or avoid fats) but it is more of a Paleo approach with some variations like you can't have any form of sugar (like honey) or treats during your Whole30.  It's 30 days of just meat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts but no dairy, grains, legumes, or sugar (in any form except what you get in fruit). 

 

Honestly, I laughed when I first thought of ever even attempting it.  Because seriously how can a person live without bread or milk or cheese or chocolate chip cookies?!  You would have to be crazy to even want to do that!  Which apparently we are, because after some thought and with Paul expressing interest in it, I started doing some planning and realized that it wouldn't (or theoretically shouldn't) be all that hard to follow the Whole30 rules for 30 days. 

 

One of the concepts behind the program is to eliminate the biggest food troublemakers and figure out how different food groups affect your body.  Like dairy causes stomach trouble for some people and there is some background of this in Paul's family.  But it takes a while of being completely off dairy to understand how it truly affects you (just a few days of no dairy isn't enough apparently). So going 30 days with no milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, sour cream, etc. gives your body a chance to reset.  Then afterwards, you are supposed to reintroduce the food groups that have been eliminated in a systematic approach to see how it affects your system.  Whole30 doesn't say dairy or grains or legumes are bad - just that they affect people differently and this is a chance to see how it affects you and helps you determine whether eating less (or none) of a particular food improves overall health.

 

Another big reason Paul and I are doing Whole30 is because of the sugar thing, as well as general eating habits thing (like snacking out of boredom or habit or stress - I totally self-soothe with food which is bad, bad, bad).  We are seriously, embarrassingly so terrible about this.  Whole30 doesn't allow for any cheats or any exceptions.  If you "mess up", then you "reset" your 30 days and start over.  And you can't do fake versions of things like pancakes made with eggs and bananas or brownies made with beans and applesauce and whatever to make "healthy" versions of favorite treats.  Whole30 approaches it like a mindset that if you take your 30 days just thinking about the foods are missing and trying to replicate them that you won't change your habits and go back to the same stuff afterwards.  And it sees like a valid point to me and makes a lot of sense based on my past experiences. 

 

Anyway, I planned the heck out of this thing and prepared a calendar with a start and end date with 30 days filled in of breakfast, lunches, and dinners, cross-referenced to the recipes I planned to use (there are so many resources for compliant recipes available online that finding recipes or meal ideas wasn't a problem at all but if you are ever thinking of doing a Whole30 yourself you are welcome to email me and I can send you our plan and recipes).  Then I made a shopping list and stocked up on what we would need.  Another thing about Whole30 is that you can't use any products that have any non-compliant ingredients, which has made me VERY aware of how basically EVERYTHING has sugar in it unless you make it yourself.  So I have made homemade bbq sauce (only so-so - I will just buy the real stuff that has some sweetness after Whole30), mayo (actually quite delicious and I might keep making it for the occasions when I use mayo after Whole30), and ranch dressing (with added cilantro and balancing the garlic ratio this is a work in progress).

 

Things that are compliant (but sometimes not as easy to find) were mustard, bacon (Costco low-sodium bacon works and so does a brand I found at Sprouts that was not carried at Whole Foods or Trader Joes), dill pickles (at Trader Joes or Whole Foods), sausages (Aidells makes a Chicken & Apple Sausage and a Roasted Red Pepper one that are compliant), hot dogs (Applegate Farms brand), almond milk (none of the major brands are compliant but Sprouts carries its own brand that is compliant), salsa, guacamole (wholly guacamole at Costco - its easy enough to make it at home but I love Wholly Guacamole and was already buying it before Whole30), plaintain chips (Trader Joe's), and some Lara Bars (pecan pie is my favorite so far and Paul likes the apple pie one - they aren't amazing but are nice to have in my purse in case I get stuck out and about and am starving and forgot to bring anything else). 

 

Anyway, here are some pictures and recipes for just some of the meals we have made so far.

 

Taco Salad - amazing.  I might even have liked it better than the regular taco salad I used to make with Thousand Island dressing and Nacho Cheese Doritos.  It is just mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, chopped green onions, guacamole, salsa, taco meat, and homemade cilantro ranch dressing.

 

 

Here is the recipe for the taco meat (I may never go back to the McCormick taco seasoning again):

 

2 lbs. ground beef

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 to 3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

 

Brown the ground beef in a large pan.  Drain excess fat.  Add tomato paste, water and spices and stir to mix them in.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes then use for tacos, nachos, or taco salad.  This can also be made in a slow cooker by adding the beef, tomato paste and spices to the slow cooker and using a spoon to mix up the ingredients and break up the meat. Cook on low for 4 hours. Break up the meat some more. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the slow cooker and serve!  Adapted very slightly from a recipe found here. 

Easily my other favorite meal that we have made was grilled salmon steaks with crispy smashed red potatoes and steamed broccoli.  The potatoes are from the America's Test Kitchen cookbook and the leftovers make great country potatoes for breakfast.  The salmon steaks were seasoned with coarse sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and about 1/4 teaspoon of garam masala each, then grilled about 3-4 minutes on each side until mostly opaque and just barely pink in the middle.  They were AMAZING.  Seriously.

 

For breakfast we have done a lot of egg scrambles but one thing I really loved was a bowl of "paleo cereal".  I just toasted a handful of almonds, walnuts and macadamia nuts, then coarsely chopped them and threw them in a bowl with a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut flakes, half a sliced banana, a handful of blueberries, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and some almond milk.  And it was absolutely delicious.  I'm planning on trying a version this week with pecans and diced apples.

This Chicken Avocado Lime Soup was PHENOMENAL.  So full of flavor.  So satisfying.  Its another recipe that I will be making again post Whole30.

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (leave seeds if you want soup spicy, omit if you don’t like the heat)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (14.5 oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3-4 radishes, sliced into thin discs
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 medium avocados, peeled, cored and diced
Tortilla chips, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream for serving (omit for Whole30 and frankly, I didn't even miss them and probably wouldn't add them even if I wasn't doing Whole30)

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.  Once hot, add green onions and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic during last 30 seconds of sautéing.  Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin and season with salt and pepper to taste and add chicken breasts.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium.  Cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through (10-15 minutes).  Reduce burner to warm heat, remove chicken from pan, and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before shredding the chicken and returning it to the soup.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Add avocados to the soup just before serving or just add about ½ a chopped avocado to each bowl and pour a serving of soup over it just prior to serving.

 

Original recipe found here.

Panang Curry Salmon - Paul says this is probably his favorite way I have ever prepared salmon.  We love salmon and eat it a lot, even before Whole30.  This recipe is on my tastebook page.  So is a recipe for Cinnamon Salmon that I got from my friend Lisa that is also delicious and would be compliant if you use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce (supposedly they taste the same but soy and any soy products are off limits for Whole30).  And that is cauliflower "rice" on the side, which was not bad at all.  I already love cauliflower but Paul HATES it.  Like almost as much as I hate cooked carrots.  But he was totally down with the cauliflower rice and said he would have no trouble eating it again in the future.

Breakfast - delicious country potatoes, scrambled eggs, compliant bacon, and fresh fruit.  The baked pear was an experiment and it turned out bland. 

 

Hamburgers with garlic aioli and avocado.  We just did them on really delicious butter lettuce but next time might try using portabello mushroom "buns".  The roasted potato "fries" were delicious. 

 

Roasted Potato Fries

 

1 large russet potato, cut into wedges or sticks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss potatoes in olive oil to coat, then sprinkle with spices and toss again.  Spread evenly over a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, turning at least once during the process.  We tripled the recipe and had enough leftovers for country potatoes for breakfast.

 

 

Lots of variations on breakfast scrambles or casseroles.  This one had grated potato in it and was quite good.  I like these because they are a good way to get in lots of vegetables and you can throw in pretty much whatever you want.  Plus, if I make one with 10 or 12 eggs in a large 9x13 dish, I can have leftovers so I am not having to cook breakfast every morning and Paul can take it on the train to work.  I made one with lots of mushrooms, diced onions, and homemade pizza sauce on top with lots of fresh basil in it and it was sort of pizza-ish.  Not so much that it felt like pizza or would ever replace pizza but it was kind of a good change for breakfast.

 

Lots of hard boiled eggs, deli meat, and plaintain chips with salsa for lunch because it is easy and fast and I can take it with me on a picnic or to the zoo or whatever it is I am doing with the girls.

The smoker and the grill have been my friend during his because they add so much flavor.  We did smoked bbq chicken thighs with grilled vegetables and watermelon.  The grilled asparagus was to die for.

Eggs in a nest.  Shredded sweet potato and apple cups with an egg baked inside and topped with chives and bacon.  It wasn't like my favorite breakfast but it was cute and fun and with some tweaking I might like it better.  The recipe said to cook the potatoes and apple in coconut oil but I didn't like the coconutty flavor with the other ingredients so next time I might use ghee and a russet potato in place of coconut oil and a sweet potato.

Potato salad.  This was just randomly thrown together when I realized I had hard boiled eggs, homemade mayo, pickles, and leftover potatoes I wanted to use up.  I should have added some bacon to it and maybe some green onions, but it would not be embarrassing at all to take this to a summer bbq.

Grilled steak salad with fajita vegetables.

Homemade sausage patties with a fried egg and fruit.  These were another experiment and they only turned out so-so.

Smoked bbq pulled pork over a baked sweet potato with pineapple coleslaw.  Honestly, I am not a fan of sweet potatoes.  I haven't yet found a form of them that I like.  But that doesn't mean I can't eat them every now and then.  The smoked pulled pork was delicious but it took FOREVER on the smoker (it was our first time smoking a pork butt).  Also, I like my bbq with a bit of sweetness and was missing the brown sugar that would have really made these wonderful.  And that buttered and toasted bun to make it into a pulled pork sandwich instead of over a boring sweet potato.  Oh well, for what we are trying to do with Whole30, this was a very satisfying meal.

I don't have a picture, but it turns out almond butter with bananas is delicious, which is saying something because I don't even like bananas OR almond butter.  But the two together really work!  Although Paul prefers it with apples.

 

Anyway, that's all I've got about Whole30 for now.  We'll see how the next few weeks go but I'm not anticipating having any trouble with it.  In fact, I think we are almost through the hardest days and we are both feeling really good.  Paul has even had to navigate a couple of dining out experiences at restaurants in the city for work lunches and found out that the partner he was with at one of these lunches did a Whole30 in January, which was encouraging.  It has been a fun challenge to undertake together.

Short notes

Dear Metabolism,

Remember how we used to be friends?  I'm not sure when we grew apart, but I have a birthday coming up next month and I would love it if you came back as a present.  I miss you.

Lovingly,
Amy

Dear 17-year-old Self,

Remember when you vowed that you would never weigh more than 120 pounds?  That was totally unrealistic.  And unhealthy.  And your body freakin' rocked even though you felt chubby.  Contrary to what you thought back then, you did not have rolls on your stomach and you looked great.  Seriously, amazing.

Your fond friend,
Amy

Dear Present Self,

I know you feel a little chubby and running hasn't been helping.  The honest truth is that you CAN go a day without cookies.  I promise.  And even though your stomach isn't flat and your jeans aren't loose around your legs, you still look pretty hot (if-i-do-say-so-myself).  Just lay off the sweets, m'kay?

XOXO,
A secret admirer

Dear Cookies, Cupcakes, Brownies, Ice Cream, and Pie,

It would really be better if we weren't on speaking terms anymore.  It's nothing personal.  But this is not just a weight thing and if I don't put an end to our seeing each other every day soon, I will become a full-blown diabetic thanks to some lousy genes and we don't want that, now do we?

Sincerely,
Amy

Dear Biggest Loser,

Every season you continue to inspire me.  Why do I get choked up while watching you?

Fondly,
Amy

Dear Treadmill,

I conquered you yesterday and you know it.  But I cowered in fear today and took Clara on a short walk outside instead while pretending it was exercise.  Tomorrow, I will own you again.  Consider yourself warned.

Yours truly,
Amy