My Whole 30 - Week 1

I am not one to do stick to a list of resolutions as I try to incorporate new habits into my lifestyle throughout the year not just 1 x in January...but I did jump on a 'detox' or 'cleanse' or whatever you call it.  So I did some reading and decided the Whole 30 program was something I thought I could handle.  Here's a link to the program - Whole 9 Life.  The book that accompanies this program It Start With Food was a good reference to not only what foods are bad for our bodies, but why.  Great book, I highly recommend.

So without going into what you can't eat, here's what you can - it's much easier for me to digest (no pun intended) this way than what I can't.

Eat real food – meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds.

Tomorrow (Sunday) makes day 7.  Whew, almost 1 week in.  The hardest part for me has been the following...

• grains, I love my quinoa/rice
• go to easy 'meals' - burritos/sandwiches
• wine (although we've been sick lately and none of that sounds good right now...ask me in a week)

I have learned I need to have tons of food in my fridge and prepared in order for this to work for me.  After a long swim/bike/run, I am starved and will go bananas on someone if I don't get fed, but having something already prepped has been key.

I was craving noodles or something of the sort the other night.  There are recipes out there for zucchini noodles which was what I was determined to have!  I went to 2 different stores to find a julienne peeler.  It was like I was a mad man on a mission to have noodles.  Weird.   But I didn't cave and hit Olive Garden.

Training - I had a long ride Friday and was worried what fueling to use.  I know since this is only 30 days I won't have to worry about training when it becomes long but until then I want to stick to this program as close as possible to reap the rewards.  So, I fueled with bananas, fruit snacks (there is a brand that the only ingredient is ex. 7 slices of apples and blueberries), walnuts, coconut shreds.  Might have been a fruit overload but it seemed to work.  They say 'some' fruit but I do love it so I may be including more than 'allowed' but so be it.  :)

Another key?  Having a friend go through it with you!  We've been sharing recipes, kitchen gadgets, spices, etc and it's been awesome!   Here is a recipe she found and sent to me.  I made a big batch of it today, thinking it would last all week...turns out my husband really likes it and I only have 2 servings left!!!  Always a score when I can get him to eat a healthy soup!

Here's a website to the website where she found it.  This gal has some amazing recipes!

Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:
6 slices sugar-free, nitrate-free bacon (like this from US Wellness Meats) - I didn't use bacon, we had some ground venison I browned and added instead
1 onion, finely diced
1 teaspoons Ras el Hanout -  This seasoning is AMAZING!  No lie, MAKE IT NOW!
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed - I just realized I didn't add garlic :(
2 pounds sweet potatoes (2-3 large), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced thin
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
garnish: fresh or dried chives - I didn't have any chives so I skipped this too!!
acorn squash - I added about 1/2 - 3/4 squash I had that I needed to use


Directions:
1. Cut bacon into 1/4-inch slices and place in a cold soup pot. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until it’s crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate covered with paper towels and set aside to drain and crisp.
2. Keep 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan and discard the rest. Re-heat the fat over medium-high heat, then add the onions, Ras el Hanout, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Toss in the garlic and stir, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the sweet potatoes, broth, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Working in batches and being careful (please be careful, friends!), purée the soup in a food processor or blender until it’s smooth. Return to the pot, taste, and adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls, then sprinkle with a little bacon and chives. Both the bacon and soup hold up well in the fridge for a few days.

Woo wee, this is good stuff.

Well off to bed to dream of waffles or something crazy that I don't ever eat!  (check out the timeline of what to expect during the 30 days here.  My dreamin' started day 5 :) )