Category: Paleo: Whole30

Asian Curried Poached Eggs and Kale in Bone Broth (Quick/Easy Breakfast Recipe)

Asian Curried Poached Eggs & Kale in Bone Broth (w/ a side of sweet potato hash)

I have got to be the worlds worst blogger – my posts are sporadic at best – but I am going to **attempt** to start posting “recipes” for some of the quick/easy meals that I throw together, at the request of a few of my friends. I put the word “recipes” in quotation marks because I would hardly call most of these actual recipes – they’re really just suggestions for combining several pre-made items that work well together. I’m busy. I very rarely have time to spend more than 10 minutes prepping my breakfasts, lunches, OR dinners. The exception to this is the 2 hours that I set aside each week on Saturday or Sunday to prep a ton of things that can then be “thrown together” to make meals later in the week.

Most of us know how good Homemade Bone Broth is for us, but many people don’t realize just how versatile it is! I’ve recently been introduced to the concept of broth for breakfast, and I’m in love with it. I no longer eat oatmeal or other warm and comforting breakfast porridge, so this warm bowl of comfort food was a nice warm-me-up-from-the-inside surprise on this chilly TX morning!

Asian Curried Poached Eggs and Kale in Bone Broth 

Ingredients:

  • Bone Broth (Homemade is best – either chicken or beef will work)
  • 2 – 3 eggs (Cage Free / Organic / Farm Eggs preferred, but any eggs will do)
  • 1-2 tsp Coconut Aminos (or soy sauce if you’re not avoiding soy)
  • 1 Tb fat of choice (Ghee or Coconut Oil recommended) 
  • Kale – a few handfuls (I use the HEB Organics kale in a bag)
  • 1-2 tsp Asian Garlic Curry Powder (I get mine in the bulk bins at Central Market)
  • Sea Salt to taste(I use pink Himalayan coarse ground salt due to it’s superior mineral content)
  • Optional: 1 scoop Collagen Powder (doesn’t add taste/texture, but ups the protein and collagen content of the meal)

Directions:

  • Heat Bone Broth and Coconut Aminos over medium heat in a small saucepan
  • Once it’s hot, whisk in collagen (if using), and then drop in 3 eggs and let them poach while sauteing Kale
  • On a separate burner, drop fat of choice onto a skillet, allow to melt, and then toss in a few handfuls of kale, stirring well to coat majority of it w/ fat.
  • Sprinkle some sea salt and curry powder to taste over kale, cover, and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally
  • Once eggs are poached to your liking (~5 minutes for slightly soft/runny yolks), place kale in the bottom of a bowl, spoon Poached Eggs on top of Kale, and pour broth on top, then stir to mix and enjoy!

I served mine this morning with a warmed up side of sweet potato hash that I had prepped over the weekend. If I hadn’t had that, I may have tossed a few chunks of Red or Yukon potato into the broth at the start to up the carb content 🙂

Whole30 Day 7 Video Log

I said Day 6, but it was actually Day 7.

And, to be honest, for several reasons that I won’t go into here, I’m pretty dang scared about the nodule biopsy results, but no amount of worrying or stressing about them will change them, so I’m just doing my best to stay positive until I get the results next Wednesday. . .

And OMG, I look exhausted in this video! Potential W30ers, take note, THIS is what the first week feels (and looks) like. . . but it really does turn around – just hang in there 🙂

Whole 30 – Day 3 Update

Here’s my Video Log. . . .forgive my awkwardness. . still getting used to the whole video camera thing!

As far as how my Whole30 is going, I’m actually quite shocked to say: “So Far, So Good!”

Day 1 was a breeze! I was expecting to be a ravenously hungry, sugar craving monster, but surprisingly I really wasn’t that hungry at all, and didn’t have ANY cravings on day 1 (see Video Log for more details).

Day 2 wasn’t half bad either. I have already fallen back in love with cooking and getting creative in the kitchen. I forgot how much fun it was to cook and “play with my food”! I did have a few pretty bad sugar cravings on Day 2 (after lunch, and after dinner), but survived them.

I’m going to attribute the ease of the first couple of days to the thorough prep work that I did this time around, and the fact that I fully committed to this bad boy up front – no if’s and’s or but’s. I’m in it to win it!

Here’s a run-down on the prep work that I did this past weekend in preparation for starting my Whole30:

I went grocery shopping, and using the Whole30 Shopping List as a guide, I stocked up on quality meats, eggs, lots of veggies, spices, and pantry items (coconut milk, oil, etc)

I bought some digestive enzymes, and have been taking 1 capsule just before each meal. My hope is that this will help me to improve absorption of the nutrients in my food, which I have been having “issues” with.

I bought some Jarro-Dophilus Allergen Free (Probiotics), and have been taking 1 capsule after lunch, and 1 capsule after dinner in order to help heal my gut and improve my digestion

I ordered the new SFH fish oil – The vitamin fortified Omega-3 oil for women, which is berry flavored, and has 3200mg EPA+DHA  and Vitamins A, D3, K2, B6, B12 and folic acid in 1 tsp. My hope is that this will help to improve some of my vitamin deficiencies, and reduce the inflammation that is most likely contributing to my inability to absorb nutrients in the first place, and causing me to have sore joints.

I “created” a really simple and DELICIOUS breakfast Frittata on Day 1, and cooked up a huge batch of sweet potato hash, and portioned it out, so I had pre-made breakfasts for 4 days. (Recipes for both to follow soon)

I also made a huge batch of cauliflower oven fried “rice” (modified from Mel Joulwan’s recipe here), enough coconut curry chicken with carrots, onions, and sweet potatoes in my Instant Pot for 4 meals (modified HEAVILY from the recipe found here). I also seasoned and browned some GF Ground Beef and pre-cut some veggies (cabbage, brussel sprouts) to make for easy dinner prep this week.

I pre-cut some snacking veggies (like jicama and carrots), purchased some Guac from Central Market, and bought some seedless grapes and raw almonds for snacking as well.

Finally, I made a batch of beef and chicken broth (in my Instant Pot, using this recipe from NomNom Paleo), and froze individual portions.

I’ll wrap this post up with a quick list of my go-to websites and blogs for Paleo information, support, and recipes. . . I’ve had a few friends ask me where I get my recipes, so I figured it would be easy to just refer everyone to this blog post moving forward!

  • www.whole30.com – An AMAZING resource – tons and tons of useful info, tips and tricks, recipes, and most importantly, a VERY supportive community
  • www.theclothesmakethegirl.com – run by Mel Joulwan, author of my go-to Paleo Cookbooks Well Fed and Well Fed 2 – this website archives a ton of free recipes that she has graciously put online, and also has some really great info!
  • http://againstallgrain.com/ – great recipe site!
  • www.nomnompaleo.com – another great site for recipes – I especially love her Instant Pot stuff
  • www.elanaspantry.com – not all of her recipes are Paleo (some are GF), but she has some great veggie recipes that I go back to again and again.
  • www.paleomg.com – WARNING – if you’re fighting a sugar habit like I am, it’s best to stay away from this site until you’ve got it under control – Juli has a ton of very tempting Paleo Desserts on her site, which are fully off limits during a Whole30 (and I have to be careful even after my Whole30 because they can re-ignite the cravings that I’ve worked so hard to kick). BUT she also has some really great “regular” recipes as well. One of my favorite go-to recipes from her site is the 5 Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie!
Stay Tuned – I’ll get the recipes for that Frittata and the Sweet Potato Hash up shortly 🙂

Whole30 Day 1 – Introduction

Whole30 Day 1…

I’m starting this out exhausted, run down, breaking out with acne like a teenage girl, sore & achy, a little bit “soft & fluffy”, sugar addicted, basically just a hot mess in general‪…

I’ve had enough with sore, achy joints, zits, feeling rundown, puffy bags under my eyes, and random inflammation.

 Even more than that though, I’m sick and tired of madly craving sugar around the clock. The first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning is sugar, and I find myself fighting with the craving non-stop all day long. It’s mentally exhausting, and I have a lot of other things that I’d prefer to be spending my mental energy on!

A quick background – I’ve followed a Paleo-ish “diet” (I hate that word) for probably about 5 or 6 years, but over the last year, have re-introduced diary, and some gluten free grains like white rice, GF Oatmeal/Muesli (in order to supply additional fuel for my endurance training). Over the last 6 months, I’ve found myself eating more and more sugar, until, as of today, I pretty much follow every single lunch and dinner with dessert – usually in the form of frozen yogurt or ice cream, and usually incorporate some form of processed sugar into my breakfast (like chocolate chips in my oatmeal). . .it’s a slippery slope, y’all!

Day 1 Thoughts: I am missing the stevia in my coffee, but looking forward to breaking up with the Sugar Monster that’s been stalking me mercilessly for months! I saw my reflection in the mirror, and realize that I’ve aged quite a bit in the last 6 months – I look tired – I have dark circles and bags under my eyes. . . . and to add insult to injury, I have zits galore!

Over the course of the next 30 days, I’ll be trying to post brief video updates a few times a week, as well as some recipes, and tips and tricks for fueling endurance training while following an elimination diet, such as the Whole30.

Feel free to leave me words of encouragement, tips and tricks that you may have, or questions that I may be able to help answer in the comments section 🙂

For those unfamiliar with the Whole30, here’s a link to the website – there is lots of valuable info and a great support community there!

And here’s my first attempt at a video log!

 
The video quality isn’t so great, so I’ve inserted a “before” pic below as well. I’m not so much worried about tracking my body composition changes – it is a given that this will improve as my training load increases over the next several weeks anyway. . .I’m more interested to see the changes in my skin, complexion, and general appearance of being fatigued/run down.
 
No Filter, No Makeup, No Nuttin – just me – pizza face, fatigue, and all!

No Filter, No Makeup. .just me! Pizza Face, Fatigue, and all!

#Iwokeuplikethis. . .ugh. . .first cup of morning coffee w/ no sweeteners. . just black w/ some Collagen Peptides. . .
 Missing my Stevia!

Whole30 Diary Entry: Days 7 – 12

I have been absolutely horrible about updating my blog daily. . .so here’s a quick post with my meals Days 7 – 12.
Quick Summary – I finally “turned the corner” on Day 9, and my energy levels started to pick back up. I’m not quite feeling the magic yet, but I do feel a million times better than I did Days 1 – 5!
I’m really struggling with snacking . . . I’m snacking on healthy stuff – mainly spinach muffins, pickled okra, and a few raw almonds, but it is still snacking and I need to get a handle on it. One thing that I’ve found is that having bite-sized fruit (like cherries) in the house is a BAD idea. . . I usually won’t break down and eat an entire apple or orange in between meals, but somehow grabbing a handful of cherries is much more tempting.
Still no news yet on the MRI – I’ve started PT though, and am sticking to my Foam Rolling / Icing / Liniment routine.
I did get back on my bike today for the first time in 2.5 weeks, and it was AMAZING!!! I missed it so much. I can’t even put into words how great it felt to get back out on it 🙂

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 6

As you’ll see if you read my Day 5 post, I’m entering my Day 6 Diary Entry a little bit late – toward the end of Day 7.

Just a quick summary: Because I laid around so much on Saturday, I had a hard time actually falling asleep on Saturday night (duh!). I got caught up in a book, and ended up reading until about 12:30 am. . then proceeded to sleep until 10:30am on Sunday. And I don’t think I actually rolled out of bed until close to 11. . . BUT it went uphill from there!

I fixed myself breakfast, mapped out my meals for the week, and then took the dogs for a walk (since that’s about the only exercise that I can do right now other then swimming, and the Aquatics center was closed all weekend for a swim meet). It was actually a really pretty day on Sunday, so the 2.5 mile walk felt great, and gave me the chance to soak up a little bit of sunshine, which brightened my mood considerably.

I spent most of Sunday afternoon doing laundry and prepping food for the week (chopping up all my veggies, making spinach muffins, hard boiling eggs, and making a few “grab and go” lunches).

I felt much more accomplished by the end of the day on Sunday, and got to bed at a slightly more decent hour, although still not as early as I had hoped (10:30PM).

I snacked a bit more than usual again on Sunday, but not NEARLY as much as Saturday.

I think part of it has to do with it being the weekend, and the fact that I’m not rushing from one deadline to the next all day long – I’ll have to be much more conscious of my snacking next weekend.

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 5 – Snacky McSnackerson

Okay, Truth Time: I did NOT write a blog/diary entry at the end of day 5 . . or day 6. My energy levels hit the floor, and my brain decided it was going to go on holiday as well – seriously – I couldn’t put together a coherent thought for the life of me on Saturday. The weather was cold and dreary and I had one of those “don’t feel like doing ANYTHING . . can’t make me!” kind of days.

On top of this, I’ll be honest – I was a bit depressed over the weekend. Not clinically depressed, or hormonal raging thyroid-out-of-whack depressed, or #omgthrowherinastraightjacket depressed. . . . more like throwing myself a pity party depressed because I’m sick and tired of my freaking knee hurting. And I miss Cycling. And I miss Weightlifting. And I miss CrossFit. And I miss just being active in general! I fall into a “funk” really easily when I go too long without regular physical activity, and I haven’t been able to do much of anything since my bike accident at the end of November. I’m rational enough to know that I’ve got a pretty amazing life – I’ve got an the world’s best hubby, a supportive and loving family, two precious dogs, a wonderful job, and some really great friends. There are people out there battling cancer, serious auto-immune disorders, and all kinds of things that are SO MUCH WORSE than a silly bum knee. . . but even knowing all of this, I still threw myself that pity party – and it felt kind of good to get it out of my system. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still pissed as hell that my knee is preventing me from doing so many of the things that I love to do – but I’m (trying to be) over the “poor-pitiful-me” feelings. There’s nothing that I can do that I’m not already doing. . . Foam Rolling, Stretching, Ice, Ibuprofen, “Mountain Magic Liniment ” (yes, I’m desperately trying anything and everything that might help), and above all else – REST. That’s the hardest part. Not a single fiber of my Type A brain wants to rest right now. But I’m doing it. Because I know that it’s what I need to do in order to heal. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t suck! So – because there is nothing more that I can do that I’m not already doing, I’m doing my best to be as content as possible, take the extra time on my hands to do some productive things 🙂

Okay, Rant over.

So, on Saturday, I was low on energy, a bit on the “gloomy” side, and just generally in a funk. I stuck to my Whole30 guns 100% in regards to food quality, BUT looking back, I realize that I snacked a LOT more than I should have. I snacked initially out of hunger. . .then I snacked because I was sad. . . then I snacked because I was bored. . . then I snacked because I felt guilty about all of the snacking . . .( a bit counter-productive, don’t ya think?). Now granted, all of my snacking was on “good” foods – leftover chicken livers, raw almonds, cherries, spinach muffins . . . but I was feeding my EMOTIONS rather than a true HUNGER, and that’s one of the unhealthy habits that I’m hoping to break with this Whole30.

Sooo – I’m glad that I am able to recognize this snacking for what it was, and now I will try to be much more aware of how I’m feeling before I grab my next snack. Am I really hungry? Or am I just trying to feed my emotions?

Well, that about wraps up this Diary entry. I did get up Saturday morning and went to the Farmer’s Market and the Grocery store, and I fixed Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner . . . but that is where my productivity ended for the day. Chalking it up to a bad day. . learning from my mistakes. . and moving on 🙂

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 4 – Still no energy

General Attitude/Mood:
I definitely woke up this morning feeling better than I felt yesterday – but I was still super low on energy all day long. I really didn’t feel like swimming after work again, but the Aquatics Center is going to be closed all weekend, so I knew I had to suck it up. . . and I felt MUCH better once again after my swim 🙂

I’m still irritable/cranky/snappy but not quite as much as yesterday – I’m trying really, really hard not to be irritable w/ my hubby b/c it’s certainly not his fault. .  . I’d say I’m having about 50% success with that. . .

By the end of the night (9pm), I was SO tired, that I skipped the diary entry, so I’m actually posting this retro-actively on Day 5.

Meals:
I made a butternut squash Hash this morning w/ some onions and a little GF beef and topped it with two eggs fried in Ghee. . . this was SO yummy, and kept me full until lunch 🙂

I had a sports massage scheduled for 1pm to work on my IT bands/quads/hamstrings. . so I didn’t end up eating lunch until about 2:30, and I was pretty freaking hungry by that time, but I ate a Premade Paleo Meal, and drank a couple of glasses of water, and I was once again feeling full and happy 🙂

I had a cup of bone broth after work because I was feeling chilly/achy/drained, and it really did the trick – it warmed me up and gave me a little energy boost.

After my swim, I was once again ravenous, so I ate a couple of Spinach Muffins while I was preparing dinner.

I found this recipe for pork chops that I thought I’d give a go last night, and it was TO DIE FOR! My (decidedly UN-Paleo Hubby) even liked it 🙂

Cravings and/or “Issues”:
The cravings didn’t seem as bad today, but I did still crave sugar after both lunch and dinner. It took less time for the cravings to pass today though, and the weren’t as intense.

Exercise:
As I mentioned above, I did NOT feel like I had the energy to swim after work today, but I dragged my butt to the Aquatics center, and was so glad that I did after-the-fact. I felt about a million times better after 45 minutes of swimming.

Injury Update:
I had a sports massage scheduled today on my lunch break. I asked her to work on my IT bands, quads, hamstrings and glutes in hopes that it would loosen them up a little, work out some knots, and decrease the amount of “pull” on my kneecap (specifically left knee – the one that’s been giving me hell). This was NOT a pleasant massage. . . but I can honestly say that my knee felt much more “solid” after it was over with!

I think I’ll hold off until after my MRI, but do plan on scheduling another one. She was able to hit areas of my IT band that I just can’t seem to get on my foam roller. I can only inflict so much pain on myself with that darn thing!

Other:
Didn’t drink quite enough water today – will be more mindful of that tomorrow. Otherwise, I feel like I may be starting to turn the corner on the “carb-flu”. . . only time will tell!

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 3 – SO IRRITABLE!!!

General Attitude/Mood:
OMG – KILL ALL OF THE THINGS!!!!!

I guess that I posted a bit too early last night – my poor hubby! I got SO grumpy and irritable after dinner last night, it’s not even funny. I ended up getting about 7.5 hours of sleep last night, but woke up again this morning feeling like I had only taken a brief nap. I had a headache all of last night, and this morning, and have had no energy all day today – BUT I soldiered through!

I snacked a bit more today (trying to eat my way to more energy?). For dinner, I made a butternut squash hash that was TO DIE FOR with ground beef, kale, and swiss chard. Thank goodness for starchy vegetables is all I’ve got to say . . . . I felt SO much less irritable and more “sane” almost immediately after eating dinner 🙂

Meals:
A bit hungry all day long today (hence the extra snacking), but plenty of variety in my meals, and didn’t feel “bored” with any of them. I felt so ridiculously much better after eating butternut squash with dinner tonight, I think I may try to work a few more startchy veggies into my earlier meals tomorrow, and stick to the leafy greens with dinner.

Cravings and/or “Issues”:
I craved sugar ALL DAY LONG today!! OMG – it was so horrible. After lunch, I got THIS close to hoovering a Lara Bar just to shut up the voices in my head demanding sugar . . . but I drank a cup of water, took a few deep breaths, and filed it away as “craving” rather than “hunger”.

Exercise:
I REALLY didn’t feel like working out today, but I dragged my butt to the Natatorium tonight after work, and got a swim workout in. Although I didn’t have much energy, and it was far from my best swim workout ever, I did feel MUCH better after I finished 🙂

I also did my hamstring bridges and foam rolling this evening after dinner.

Injury Update:
I finally got my butt into the Dr’s office, and got a referral for an MRI and PT for my knee. I just can’t wait to find out for sure whether I’ve got anything “major” wrong w/ my knee, or if this is just a stubborn case of tendinitis that needs more rest!

Other:
KILL ALL OF THE THINGS . . . . Need I say more? Hopefully I wake up in a better mood tomorrow!

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 2

General Attitude/Mood:
I had a really hard time falling asleep last night. I went to bed in plenty of time to get 9 hours of sleep, but I tossed and turned, and then ended up checking emails and facebook on my iPhone. . . . by the time I actually was able to fall asleep, it was 12:30, so I only ended up getting 6 hours of sleep last night.

I woke up this morning feeling like I hadn’t slept AT ALL! It took me a good hour (after breakfast and 2 cups of coffee) before I felt clear-headed.

Once I finally “woke up”, I felt pretty good throughout the rest of the day, although a little bit low on energy around 3pm.

Work was pretty busy, and I was feeling a bit cold/achy around 11-ish, so I heated up a cup of bone broth. It was very soothing, and just what I needed to tide me over till lunch. Lunch and Dinner were  both yummy and filling, but I did find myself craving that “sweet something” for about 30 minutes after each meal. Thankfully, the cravings passed fairly quickly though.

Cravings and/or “Issues”:
As mentioned above – I definitely craved the heck out of some sugar after both Lunch and Dinner. At first, I thought I was still hungry, but then realized that I was just really craving sugar. Once the craving passed, I realized that I was actually pretty full!

Meals:
I only had 1 egg left this morning, so I improvised and ate leftover meatloaf and spinach muffins for breakfast (along w/ the 1 lonely egg). I missed my eggs though. I really love my morning eggs . . . will have to be more careful not to run out again!


Exercise:
Still no working out due to shoulder/knees. I considered going for a swim after work today, but I ended up working late, and didn’t have time to make it to the Natatorium and get a swim in before they closed.

I did do my shoulder PT this evening, as well as my Hamstring Bridges, and am getting ready to do about 15 minutes of Foam Rolling before bed.

Injury Update:
Knee is still bugging me. It doesn’t hurt under the kneecap so much anymore, but almost feels like the entire kneecap is “floating”. . and just loose. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but I’m hoping that this means it’s starting to heal?

I did take ibuprofen twice today, and also took 2 tsp of SFH Fish Oil to help with inflammation

Other:
I did better about drinking water today 🙂 I ended up drinking about 70 oz, and that included about 1/2 L of sparkling water by Central Market with a very faint citrus flavoring.


Onward and Upward to tomorrow 🙂 I’m going to make it a point to get in bed early tonight. I’m drinking some Calcium Magnesium as well, and hoping that helps me to fall asleep a little bit more easily. Day 2 – Success!

Whole 30 Diary Entry: Day 1

General Attitude/Mood:
I woke up this morning feeling just a bit “foggy” due to last night’s NYE festivities, and got a later start to the day than usual, however feel like my Day 1 went pretty well in general.

My energy levels were okay throughout the day, with a bit of an energy lull in the afternoon around 4pm.

I’m ending the day in a generally good mood and feeling optimistic about the 30 days in front of me.

Meals:
Meal prep was no problem because I knocked out all of my shopping and “weekly prep work” over the weekend. Also, today was a holiday, so I didn’t have to work, which of course made everything easier!

I felt like I had plenty of variety to my meals today – none of them were bland or boring, and I felt satiated after each meal (happy dance!)

Cravings and/or “Issues”:
I did find myself craving sugar throughout the day, but the cravings weren’t very strong or long-lived, and I was (pleasantly!) surprised to find that I really wasn’t that hungry in between meals.

Exercise:
I’m still unable to do much working out due to my shoulder injury and knee issues, but I did do my shoulder PT and a few floor bridges (hamstring strengthening exercises) . I also spent about 15 minutes rolling out my legs really good (quads, hamstrings, IT bands and calves), and stretching my hamstrings & quads.

Injury Update:
I iced my knees 2x today – unfortunately my left knee is still bugging me – really, really hoping that cutting the gluten out will help eliminate the knee issues I’ve been having.

My shoulder, on the other hand felt really great, and only got a little tweaky once as I was throwing Jake’s toy for him 🙂

Other:
I didn’t drink nearly enough water today – I need to work on making this more of a habit. I find that when I’m not exercising as much, I forget to drink throughout the day.

Whole30 Diary Entry: Day 0

The

 Well – I’m back. . again. . . at least for 30 days!

You see, I’ve decided to do another Whole30, and I realized looking back that I’ve never really chronicled any of the Whole30s that I’ve done in the past, so after a while my memory gets a little foggy, and I forget about all of the little milestones and feelings of accomplishment that are experienced along the way – and that’s really the best part of a Whole30 – at least for me! So I decided that this time around, I’m going to do 1 blog entry every day. Most will just be very short and will simply summarize my feelings, cravings, thoughts, and experiences as I move through my Whole30 Journey.

For my Day 0 Entry, I thought I’d lay out why I’m doing another Whole30, what my goals are for the next 30 days, and what benefits I hope to see by the end of it.

Why am I doing the Whole30?

  • I’d rather ride my bike pain free than eat cookies and cakes 
    • I’m hoping that my knee pain will go away after I cut out all of the gluten & processed foods again
  • I went a little “off the rails” during the holidays, and I feel SO much better in general when eating “Paleo”, so I’m pressing the reset button
  • I’d like to become fat-adapted again before the start of the race season, so now is the time to make it happen
  • I’ve had great success with the Whole30 Program multiple times in the past – I KNOW it works 🙂

Goals for my Whole30:

  • Log every bite that I eat in my pictoral food log
    • Will help with accountability and 
    • Will make me think twice about whether I’m satisfying a craving or eating b/c I’m actually hungry
    • May help others see that this is really very doable and/or provide meal ideas for other
  • Comply 100% with the Whole30 guidelines (Including staying off the scale!!)
  • No SWYPO Snacks. For me, this means not even the 100% Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Squares
  • Help provide support for my group of friends who are also doing a January Whole30
  • Completely Lay off any exercises that could aggravate my knee for at least the next two weeks
    • Giving my body time to heal/recover is just as important as putting it through rigorous training, and I have to remind myself of this (regularly!)
Benefits that I hope to see at the end:
  • Knee Pain Gone or significantly diminished
  • More consistent energy levels (no afternoon crashes)
  • Reduced or Eliminated Sugar Cravings
  • Fully Fat Adapted (hopefully eliminating the need to “carbo-load”)
  • Clearer Skin
  • Get back to my “fighting weight” – just lean out a bit to improve my performance on the bike