Well Fed 2: Perfect Steak

Tonight, Livy and I made Perfect Steak from the Well Fed 2 cookbook. We also made cauliflower rice pilaf, roasted tomatoes, and roasted asparagus, but much as I love those delicious vegetables (and they REALLY good), the star of the show was the steak.

It was a hard road to get to it. First, we seasoned 2 large ribeyes and played Skipbo while they chilled in the freezer. When they were ready, we heated up ghee in a cast iron pan. It caught fire, like huge tongues of flame; we had a blaze in the kitchen. Did we panic? Not us. I put a cover over the pan and the flames went out. When I lifted the cover up again, the flames leapt up, higher than ever. I put the cover back on, Livy opened the door, and I put the pan outside in the cool rain.

It was a really good thing because Livy already knows a lot about cooking, and now she knows what to do about a fire. We had a refresher on general safety and looked at the fire extinguisher so she remembered how to use it in case the cover didn't work.

Then we got out our second cast iron pan and started again. This tme, perfection. We seared the steaks, then roasted them.

When we sat down to eat, Livy said several things that will help you understand how good the steak was:

"I would burn down the WHOLE house for this steak."

"What is better than steak? A trip to Hawaii? Close, but not quite as good as steak."

"I don't know how I will ever eat anything else after this."

It really was that good. Seriously. Here's a picture of my plate:

Whole30: What I am Actually Eating

It's super easy to focus on what you can't eat on the Whole30: grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, added sugar, processed foods, and preservatives. Sometimes Aaron focuses on that (he's kind of picky to begin with) until I want to strangle him with one of the spaghetti noodles that I no longer have another use for. But this post is going to be about what you can eat, what I eat, in fact. I'm going to detail for you what I have eaten on my first 3 days on the Whole30 and some other things I usually eat. I find that it is much easier to eat healthily when I focus on the delicious, health-building foods that I love rather than on the delicious, but damaging foods I sometimes miss.

Monday

Lunch at my favorite Brazilian steakhouse, Picanha, to kick off my second Whole30: heaps of rump roast, garlic beef, and top sirloin; a huge spinach salad with pico de gallo and marinated onions, dressed with balsamic vineger and olive oil; and a big glass of water

For supper, I went to Moe's before the Cake concert. I had a bowl of grilled chicken, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, onions, cilantro, jalepenos. More water.

Before I went to bed, I ate a spoonful of coconut butter, which feels like god has personally blessed your tongue.

Tuesday

Before class, I ate a few slices of ham and some coconut butter. I leave EARLY in the morning, so I wasn't all that hungry.

I carried my cooler with me, packed with all my food for my school hours. It included sugar snap peas and guacamole (really excellent made at Whole Foods), chicken stew with onions and tomatoes, a salad of lettuce, red peppers, onions, and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, a sliced up piece of grilled steak, and coconut flakes for snacking.

I drank lots of water and a bottle of kombucha (from the store). I often make my own kombucha, but I am between batches right now. Kombucha is so delicious that I never miss soda at all.

Wednesday

Before I left for work, I ate a large handful of steamed shrimp - Whole Foods will steam and season them for free if you buy the shrimp - and a mouthful of coconut butter (Can you tell I am obsessed with it?).

I took a cooler of food for Livy and me to have at lunch at our homeschool co-op. I ate pepperoni made into little sandwiches with tomato paste, sugar snap peas with guacamole, and half a can of coconut milk. Livy had an orange, some blueberries, ham, sugar snap peas, and guacamole.

When I got home, I had a salad of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, red peppers, and shrimp, dressed with balsamic and olive oil.

Water and one bottle of kombucha today. I may eat something else before I go to bed, but it will probably be shrimp and coconut butter since they are by far the most delicious things in the house right now.

Tonight I am doing a big round of cooking so that I will have lots of freezer foods to take to school. I really like to have a hot lunch. I am making a beef stew with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and carrots; grape tomatoes slow-roasted in bacon grease; and spaghetti sauce with beef, red and green peppers, and onions (I just eat it like Italian chili.) I'll make chili on Friday and roast a chicken. With all those meals in the freezer, I can have a hot, hearty lunch at school and not have to eat out. Plus all those things are super yum, especially the spaghetti sauce. For cooking and eating right away, I bought have some cube steak that I will coat in almond flour and fry in lard; I'll probably top that with some fried onions, as well.

For snacking, besides coconut flakes, coconut butter, and occasional nuts, I eat dried tomatoes (from the Just Tomatoes company), hard boiled eggs, and guacamole. I'm not a big snacker, though. I would usually much rather have a smaller portion of a hot meal.

I hope this list gives you some ideas of the kinds of foods that I think are delicious and paleo/Whole30 friendly. When I plan ahead and spend time in the kitchen (and as long as I have my Brazilian steakhouse for treats), I find that I can eat very satisfying foods and not feel too much deprivation and misery. Aaron, I hope you are listening so that I won't have to strangle you after all. :)

My Second Whole30

Today is Day 1 of my second Whole30. I feel less excited this time, but much more competent to actually get it done. Today, I have to go to the grocery store, stock up on all that good, real food, and then start cooking it. It's been quite a while since I cooked much, so it'll be a little hard to get my you-know-what into gear, I think.

Aaron is doing it again, too, but poor man has to eliminate nuts, nightshades, and pork. His stomach issues never resolved on the Whole30, so he is trying to figure out what he might be reacting to. Hope it's one of those three and that we'll know in 30 or so days.

I won't blog the WholeDamnedWhole30 like I did last time, but I do want to tell my dear readers about the workshop I went to yesterday. Dallas and Melissa, creators of the Whole30, did a full day talk at the Crossfit affiliate in Smyrna. They were wonderful - very good speakers - and I learned a lot about the science behind this way of eating. I haven't been convinced about dairy yet (whether to eat it or leave it out), but I have some new ideas to research about why it might be bad for me. I understand the whole lectins in grains thing much better than before. I'm interested in learning more about systemic inflammation, which is the basis of most of their dietary recommendations.

So, I'll go now and eat some meat and veggies. Oh, and as a side note, this post was typed with 2 spaces after the periods. I don't care one way or the other, so live with it.

My Whole30 Summary: Less Frodo Going to Mt. Doom (misery and pain) and More Sam Replanting the Shire (satisfying, hard work)

Now, about a month out from the Whole30, I think I can give a summary of what I did and what happened to me that might be useful.

What I Did:

Basically, for 30 days (with two evenings of eating less that perfectly at a rehearsal dinner and a wedding) I ate only meats, vegetables, nuts, and a little bit of fruit. I ate no dairy, no yucky oils, no alcohol, no potatoes, no added sugar, and no grains of any kind. I blogged the whole experience, and you can find my posts about it here. During these 30 days, I also did Crossfit 2x a week (except when I didn't) and was otherwise only mildly active with daily kinds of movement like gardening, cleaning, walking from the train to school, etc.)


How it Went:

For the first few days, I was excited, and sticking to it was fairly easy. I had recently quit smoking (a month before I started the Whole30 and now nearly 4 months), and I was way more confident about sticking to this month than I usually am when starting a diet. I mean, if I can quit smoking, I can do anything right?

Then came Days four and five. Suddenly, I hated all the cooking, I started having cravings, I felt like crap with no energy or happy feelings, and my Crossfit workouts became nearly impossible to complete. I had read to expect this, though, and my Crossfit coach seemed to think it was normal, so I just kept eating right and watched a lot of cheer-me-up TV.

After Day six, it was all easier. My body adjusted to the diet, and I had my energy and good mood back. Some of the highlights of the rest of the month were: greatly reduced PMS symptoms, improvement in my attitude and performance at Crossfit, managing a huge Halloween party without cheating and without too much misery, wearing my old pants, finding new foods to enjoy, and falling in love with a new paleo-friendly restaurant (a Brazilian steakhouse where actual Brazilians go, where it's affordable, and where the food is better than the big chains).

The Results:

Over the 30 days, I lost 15 pounds, dropped down a size in pants, dresses, and shirts, looked slimmer in my face and neck, and fit into my favorite bras again. My acne (which wasn't terrible, but it bothered me terribly) was gone, and my PMS symptoms were reduced. I felt better all around, including during exercise, with a clearer head and a little more energy (I was fairly energetic before). At my thyroid checkup, my doctor and I were happy to see that all antibodies pointing to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis were gone; he credits the gluten-free and the dessicated thyroid and iodine I take.

My Plans:

I was happier on the Whole30 than I thought I would be. I wasn't dying to go eat a big bowl of pasta on day 31. So, I think I will mostly stick with it. I'm going to allow myself alcohol at social events, but stick with the no dairy, no grains, no sugar. I am going to have a cheat once in a while; I can't imagine life without the potstickers at the Cheesecake Factory. But I don't mind giving up my daily crap. I don't need grains or sugar in my diet except for those occasional treats. When I eat them, I want it to be worth it. A slice of bread along with soup? Not worth it. High quality peppermint bark on Christmas morning? Worth it.

Last Observation:

I have had trouble in the past with an eating disorder, and any diet scares me. I don't want to become obsessed with the way I am eating like I was before. I don't want the process of making good changes in my nutrition to lead me to all kinds of self-hating mental talk. I want to continue to like my body and feel good about all it can do. For some reason, I had less trouble with the Whole30 than I have had before. I didn't focus on food every second of the day; I didn't start to hate myself more as pounds dropped away. For whatever reason, for the first time, I was able to remain rational about my body while following a food plan. That really might be the biggest benefit I have gotten from the Whole30.

Whole30 Day 26: An extra benefit

So today is 26 days in. And you know what I discovered today? Pecans taste good. Not just good, not just nice like other nuts, but good with a rich, sweet flavor that I never noticed before. I think that getting rid of the preservatives and the sugar has let my taste buds really taste real food. I tasted the nuances of pecans, the slightly bitter peel and the fatty, sweet inside. It's better than red velvet cake. I never thought I would think so.

Whole30 Day 23: Plans for the Future

Today was day 23. Just to review, I am looking stunning and feeling even better. :) So I figure now is a good time to think about the future. When this challenge is over in one week, what am I going to do then?

There are a few things I really miss (a very few, which was a surprise), and I want to find a way to incorporate them. But mostly, at least while I still have some weight to lose, I want to continue doing the Whole30. I don't miss the grains or dairy, which I thought would be the worst parts, so I think I will continue to eliminate those. I don't miss the preservatives, either, so those stay gone too.

I do really miss alcohol, though. Not so much the taste, just the effects. I don't care about having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer in the evening with friends. What I miss is drinking to a minor level of intoxication at a party. So, I'm gonna do that, as all the people who love tweeting the things I say when a little bit drunk will be glad to hear. I'll stay away from alcohol except in that kind of scenario, and when I do go to a party, I will drink the lowest carb options that will get the job done (probably liquor either straight or mixed with water).

I also don't want to live for a really long time without any of my favorite bad-for-me-crap, so I am going to have 2 days between each 30 where I eat whatever I want. Those are the days when I can have a diet coke, eat Mexican food or Chinese, and drink a Malibu and cranberry. What's the good of living in 2010 instead of in 40,000 BC if you can't have a Malibu and cranberry once in a while?

Speaking of a great occasion for a Malibu and cranberry, I am going to a wedding this weekend, on day 28. Because I hate to be all dressed up and going to a place there is dancing and yet be a fuddy-duddy, I have decided to eat and drink reasonably at the wedding. I will have the beef ribs and drink wine, but I won't have cake or grains or Malibu rum (damn it). I am going to count day 28 as one of my cheat days, and then just hop back on the plan on days 29, 30, and 31.

So that's my plan. I expected to want to go out and eat bread the second the 30 days was over, but I'm happy to report that another 30 days doesn't sound so bad.

Whole30 Day 19: Like Old Hat

I haven't posted about the Whole30 in a while, mostly because I don't think about it all that much now. It's become kind of habitual. I'm in the rhythm of the cooking and shopping and choosing foods.

But it's old hat in a bad way too. We are eating the same things over and over. Steak, pork chops, spaghetti sauce, chicken stew, beef stew, salad, bacon, guacamole, sauteed veggies. These are all yummy things, but I am starting to feel that I need more excitement.

I found these delicious gluten-free, preservative-free sausages at WholeFoods, and they were a treat to eat. Cause they were different. So tonight, I did an experiment. I mixed green curry paste with coconut milk and cooked chicken and carrots in it. It wasn't fabulous; I really need to use a recipe (even if it does make me feel all J and oppressed). But it was different, and I enjoyed it!

So my goal for this next week is to eat different things. Tomorrow I am making chili. Livy and I are going to eat fish, as well, something we both like but rarely eat. Aaron, who is the pickiest adult on the planet, will have to eat one of our usual things, as he does not eat anything that ever put its foot into water. I am going to find some recipes for Thai food and try at least one. I just can't eat any more old hat.

One more cooking tidbit: I made my first (in several years) batch of homemade kombucha (fermented tea). I have been drinking a small fortune's worth of kombucha from the store, and now I can have my one drink a day without sending us to the poorhouse. Plus, when I see the colony start to grow on top of the tea, it makes me feel so successful. Bacteria and yeast bow to my will!

Whole30 Day 15: An Update on my Progress So Far

I'm halfway through. For the first week, I was counting every day, calculating what fraction of the 30 days I had finished. Lately, I haven't been able to remember what day I am on and have to look back at the last blog post. It's become a habit to eat this way, and thoughts about food are no longer consuming much of my thought. Cooking is still consuming a pretty big portion of my time, but I'm getting used to that too.

To celebrate the halfway point, I thought I would give you a list of the good things and the bad things.

Good things

• I've lost 8 pounds.
• I had WAY fewer PMS symptoms, and the ones I did have were far less severe.
• I fit back into some clothes that I wasn't able to wear last winter.
• My face looks slimmer.
• My skin is clearer than it has been in years.
• I feel slightly more energetic that I did before the Whole30.
• I feel much more motivated to exercise.
• I don't miss sweets or pasta.

Bad things

• Aaron has been kind of a crankopotamus.
• I miss sauces. Wing sauce, butter-lemon sauce, balsamic glazes, curry sauce.
• I miss being tipsy (not so much the wine as the effect).
• There are only a few restaurants where we can eat, and I am kind of sick of them already.
• I thought we would save money by not eating out much, but I am buying more expensive food. It's about a wash.
• I cook like a Hogwart's house elf. Without paying!

Finally, I want to share with you my new second-favorite food. I discovered dried tomato rings dipped in guacamole. It's so good, you would not believe. I need to buy a dehydrator because those tomatoes cost a million dollars at Whole Foods, and if I didn't eat $5 worth of them nearly every day, not saving money might get kicked off the bad list.

(In case you are interested, my first-favorite food is also a tomato. I slow-roast grape tomatoes in bacon grease and then broil them all crisp on the outside. Never was there a miracle like these tomatoes. Better even than water into wine. Yes, Jenn, I mean it.)

Whole30 Day 14: My pants! Hell yeah!

The only thing I want to write about yesterday is that I wore some pants that I couldn't fit into last winter. I pulled them out of storage, and they fit again! They are a little too low cut, and I wish they were fuller in the lower leg. And yet, today, they are my favorite jeans cause they fit!!

Whole30 Days 12 and 13: Chicken Stew and Anniversary

Since day 12 was just a normal day in which I ate right without any particularly interesting insights, I thought I would tell you a story about Aaron, chicken stew, and what I have to put up with.

So, I cooked this awesome chicken stew. It was chicken thighs, stewed in homemade chicken stock, with onions and tomatoes. It was flavored like garlic and herbs because the chickens I made the stock out of were flavored that way. We ate it for dinner one night, and then the next morning, I offered to heat some up for Aaron's breakfast.

"No, thanks," he said. Now when a person offers Aaron a hot breakfast, served right at his computer, and he doesn't even have to work the microwave, the answer is almost always yes.

So, I asked, "Did you not like it?"

"Not really."

"What didn't you like about it?" After all, maybe I could make it better next time.

"Well, the chicken wasn't cut up in little pieces in the stew, and the onions were long strings instead of chunks."

This was the point where I would have been completely justified in dumping some chicken stew over his head, packing my stuff, and moving out. I mean, come on. It wasn't the taste. The things were not cut up like he liked. Pretty soon, I will be cutting the crusts off of his Wonderbread PB&Js.

And you know what I did? Like a sucker, I cut up the chicken and the onions, heated it up, and gave it to him. I am a 50s housewife; I might as well be Donna Reid. But I did bitch at him while I cut it up, so that's something, right? Better passive-aggressive than just passive.

Anyway, Day 13 was our anniversary, and since he got reservations at my favorite Brazilian steakhouse, wore actual khaki pants (this guy does not dress up), and took me to an IMAX about an expedition down the Blue Nile from Ethiopia to Alexandria, all is forgiven.

Whole30 Day 11: Woops! Paleo Binge Eating!

Last night, due I think to PMS cravings, I had a total binge and ate WAY too many carbs. While it wasn't technically a cheat, I think I kind of broke the spirit of the law. I ate a bunch of freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries and half a container of guacamole after a good a filling dinner. When I write that down, it doesn't sound so bad. That's what I like about eating this way. Even when I get a little out of control, the foods are still fairly healthy!

So, here are the things I learned from this binge. First, if I eat dinner too early (4 pm), I am going to need something later. I had leftover chicken stew in the fridge, and I should have had a mini-meal instead of a snack. Next, I am never buying freeze-dried fruit again. I'm not a big fruit eater when it's all hydrated, but when freeze-dried, it's like candy. I don't think I could eat it responsibly. Maybe I will take it to events where everyone else gets something really yummy that I can't have. It certainly tasted like a treat. And finally, I will feel especially snacky on days when I don't eat enough fat. I forgot to add fat to my chicken stew (I usually put a dollop of bacon grease or lard in it when I heat it up), and since there aren't many good fats available at a restaurant, when I get steak and veggies out, I should eat something fatty when I get home. Like a yummy spoon of coconut oil.

The other nice thing I am getting out of this Whole30 adventure is the sense of superiority. I absolutely love saying, "Oh, I don't eat that." to the peons with bread and cake and stuff. I know it's arrogant, but I feel like a Masai tribesman, with a big ole glass of milk and blood in his hand, looking down at some agricultural, squish-jawed villager. I'm like, "Hey, just let me finish this milk/blood, and then I'll conquer you and you can herd my cows!"

Whole30 Day 10: Crossfit is my Bitch

Well, not really. Crossfit chewed me up and spit me out on the sidewalk, as usual. But I had a good attitude about my butt-kicking, and that's new. Something about losing weight and feeling spry made me want to go to Crossfit, instead of making myself against all my inclinations. How crazy is that?! And I really worked hard, harder than usual, so really it was my attitude that was my bitch.

I'm still feeling great today. I took myself out to a Brazilian steakhouse for lunch because I miss having alone lunches where I read my books. So I read The Lost Hero and ate yummy food, just like the old days, except I am skinnier.

The food there was meat and veggies - totally paleo - and yet, it tastes better than anything ever. They bring meat around to the table and slice it right onto your plate. Today I had chicken wrapped in bacon, filet wrapped in bacon, bottom sirloin, top sirloin, rump roast, and a chicken leg. I love that you don't have to pick one thing; you get a little bit of everything. They also had lamb and swordfish, which I passed up. Cause yuck. I also had a salad with pico de gallo and oil and vinegar dressing. There were a lot of things on the salad bar that I couldn't have - cheese, pasta, veggie salads with mayo - but I was so happy with the top sirloin (of which I had a huge pile) that I didn't care.

And the coolest thing about day 10? **Warning, stop here if you don't want to hear about the alleviation of PMS symptoms. Just saying.**

I am right in the middle of when I usually have awful PMS moodiness, painful swollen breasts, and a lot of bloating. And I feel fine! I am a tad bit irritable (Let's face it, though; it could just be my basic personality.), with slightly tender breasts and almost no bloating. I love fitting into my bra for the whole month, not just 3/4 of it! I love looking in the mirror and not seeing a swollen face! Cheekbones should be all the time!

Aaron is still not so happy as I am, but he is getting a little happier. His biggest complaint is that he is hungry all the time. That's not my experience at all, but maybe he isn't eating as much fat as me? I'm just not sure. This is a bigger change for him, so maybe it will take him more time to feel better. I'll keep you posted.

Whole30 Days 8 and 9

Yesterday, day 8, was Halloween. I was dreading it a little. Aaron, Livy, and I always go over to Jenn's house for a party and trick-or-treating. The candy I can mostly pass up, though I was jonesin' for some milk duds. What I dreaded was not getting to eat the yummy Buffalo/Blue Cheese wings and being dead sober.

So I did some serious prep. Now, I am not a prepper, not at all. When I took my 2 year old to the park, it was a good thing I was still nursing her because I never once remembered snacks and drinks. That's what boobs and water fountains are for. Duh.

But this time, I planned ahead. I found these awesome rotisserie wings at the Fresh Market made with only salt water. I bought dips we could have with the veggie tray; Harry's/Whole Foods has great guacamole and pico de gallo that don't have any added crap. And I brought several bottles of kombucha so that I could drink something with taste, while Jenn was drinking Savingnon Blanc.

And the best thing? It worked. I missed the alcohol and the wings. I missed the candy a little. But mostly I was pretty satisfied. And I didn't even smoke. I found out (and it is a good thing to know about oneself) that I am just as loud and inappropriate and ridiculous without wine as I am with it, so no big loss to the party.

I feel really proud of making it through Halloween without any misery and gnashing of teeth. And my reward is that today, day 9, is the best day yet by far. I have more energy than is good for me, and I am halfway down my to-do list already. Today, I could tap dance or play the drums in a rock band.

Whole30 Days 6 and 7

So, yay! Days 6 and 7 were GOLDEN. I'm back to feeling good, my normal energy, no cravings. And I am way less crabby, so now would be a good time for social contact, if you still want some after reading these blog posts.

We are eating out way less, which I thought would be really hard. It actually hasn't. We at out at Longhorn on Saturday night on Day 1, and we ate out there again for lunch on Day 7. That's it! This from the family who sometimes eats out every day! I miss sitting at a restaurant alone at lunch, reading my book, and letting someone else do the damn work. I'm certainly reading less. But I'm getting used to the planning and cooking at home.

Our Day 7 trip to Longhorn was good; really, I think it was too good. I ordered ribeye, asparagus, and salad. Aaron ordered sirloin and broccoli. We asked the waiter to leave off the butter-lemon sauce. When the food came, it was just too delicious, too shiny, too juicy, too BUTTERY! So we asked the waiter to bring us another steak. The cook and the waiter swore there was no sauce, that it was just steak juice, but Aaron and I agreed that we think we ate at least a little butter sauce. Aaron says that he was happy for the first time in 7 days, and that is proof positive there was something illegal in there.

At home, we've been eating my homemade spaghetti sauce, grilled chicken, ribeye, flat iron steak, roast chicken, and pork loin. I've fried up broccolini, roasted veggies in with the chicken, and made lots of salads. We've eaten nuts very moderately, fruit even more moderately, and learned to drink water. I've also learned that Friday night Pub nights without alcohol SUCK.

This first week has been a huge success! Full steam ahead!

Whole30 Day 5

Okay, so day 5 kinda sucks. I am actually having cravings, which I didn't at first. Livy had a frozen pizza for dinner (not our usual fare, but it was leftover from vacation), and only because she is my only child did I not rip it from her tiny hands and shove it down my throat. I don't even like pizza, but damn it smelled good.

However, I did not rob the small and innocent. I made myself a Whole30 dinner (homemade spaghetti sauce from the freezer) instead.

We had a bad day in general (only a parent can imagine just how bad), and I am sure it was worse because of my lack of energy and my irritability. I am really looking forward to day 10 or whenever this will shift, when I will feel rockin' good and madly clean the house like an energetic J. I want the personality I had my first week on thyroid medicine when I was not only making a to-do list, but actually doing the things on it!

I didn't go to Crossfit tonight, partly because I lack the energy to walk to my car and partly because no one but me should be burdened with my child today. (It was that bad.) So anyway, the summary is that this day kind of sucked and would have sucked full out if it wasn't for Rory and Lorelai Gilmore. They rock, but they eat a lot of really carby foods.

Whole30 Days 3 and 4

My blogging fell by the wayside, but the Whole30 didn't! Still on track!

Yesterday, I did Crossfit for the first time since starting this diet. I haven't felt any bad effects, so I was surprised when my workout SUCKED!!!!! I got dizzy and light-headed. I couldn't even finish the modified workout. I had to lie down on the floor before I could drive home.

When I told the trainer that I was on Day 3 of the Whole30, he nodded sagely and quit worrying about me. He said after day 10, I'll be totally okay again and feeling great.

The worst thing about this whole plan is the amount of cooking! That should tell you how much we were eating out. So, to solve this problem in a totally rational and calm way, I yelled at Aaron until he agreed to help me more. Never fear, this is not because of the lack of carbs. This is kind of normal. (Poor Aaron). But I apologized afterwards, and good man that he is, he still did the dishes.

Lest you think the man is a saint, I am cooking him 3 meals a day, freezing food for him to take to work, and doing all the grocery shopping.

But anyway, the cooking sucks. But I guess I'll just have to follow my own advice and suck it up.

Whole30 Day 2

Well, here I am, well into Day 2. So far, I'm not dead or miserable. In fact, this morning one of my students used the word "dyke" in class, and I didn't even lose my mind. So that proves I am fine.

Aaron and I ate dinner last night at Longhorn, and it was good, though not as good as when they pour that buttery lemon sauce over the steaks and asparagus. Aaron whined a lot, but I placated him with my feminine wiles (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

I wasn't that hungry when I got up this morning, which was a bit of a surprise, so I had my usual early lunch at about 11 - my delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. It was so yummy, and I was reassured by eating some of my typical food.

I cooked a chicken between work and school, something I have never been productive enough to do before, so SCORE! I'll have the chicken, and the brussel sprouts, tomatoes, and onions I roasted with it, for dinner.

And as a psychological side note, I thought you might enjoy knowing how Aaron and I both approach diets.

I do really well for a day or two, and then slowly slip. I am more confident this time because I quit smoking a month and a half ago, and now I feel that I can do anything, even keep my head when people say bigoted things in my class. So, surely I can give up blue cheese dressing and cupcakes. Anyway, I am unanimously (the two of us) voted most likely to "forget" the Whole30 and eat a piece of red velvet cake and drink a glass of champagne. I am also the most likely to take some of these habits into my regular life after the 30 days are up. I am also the most likely to be tolerable as company during the Whole30.

Aaron is the one who will finish this 30 days with no cheating. He wouldn't eat a piece of red velvet cake if a criminal held a gun to my head said it was eat the cake or he'd shoot me. He would gnaw his own arm off and eat it (it's paleo, after all) before he would even sniff a red velvet cake. And, if I wasn't here, he would just buy 40 pounds of ground beef, cook it all at once and freeze it in small portions, and eat it at every meal for 30 days. He is voted most likely to be diagnosed with OCD and most likely to actually finish what he starts. He is also the most likely to eat 4 candy bars and a bowl of pasta on day 31.

Whole30 Day 1

Well, I'm gonna do this. Not cause I have thought it out or anything. In fact, I have Halloween, Jenn's birthday, and a fun wedding all during this 30 days. But oh well! I'm just gonna dive in and see how it goes.

So far, I ate a pork chop. I'm going the grocery store later, so I will get some variety. For now, a pork chop was pretty damn good.

Aaron is doing this with me, and he may drive me insane. We have been on this diet for 1 meal so far, and he is already whining and miserable. I may beat him to death with a pork chop. That would probably be sort of Crossfitty, right?

I'm gonna try to make daily entries about our progress, but they will all probably be just as flippant and helpful as this one. So return at your own risk.