As you know by now, my husband and I — along with two of our kids — are doing the Whole30 Challenge. (If you’re not familiar with the Whole30, you can read more about what I’m doing — and why.)
Here’s a look at my food journal from week 2. (And PS – even if you have no interest in ever doing a Whole30 — I hear you – this is good fodder for Pesach.)
Day 8 (Wednesday): Scrambled eggs with sautéed onions, kale and baby tomatoes. Mexican-flavored grilled chicken on top of big salad with veggies, avocado and creamy cilantro dressing. Banana. Spaghetti (squash) with meat sauce, another salad. (Good thing I like salad.)
I’m feeling so good about moving into the second week. I’m really optimistic and like being able to look at those cravings in the rearview mirror. Amazing how a few days of powering through can give you a whole new perspective. We all slept in today. Even my 10 year old, who normally wakes before dawn most days, slept until 8:30 am. I guess this needing extra sleep thing is for real.
Day 9 (Thursday) Scrambled eggs with kale, onions, garlic, broccoli and tomatoes. Lettuce “roll-ups” with left-over Mexican grilled chicken, avocado, salsa. Cup of blueberries and hardboiled egg. Meatballs and broccoli in a creamy cashew sauce, sweet potato chips.
Woke up feeling grumpy and hungry. I fought a bunch of mental cravings for sugar today – kept thinking of candy, soda, lattes, and donuts (what on earth?). As I was cooking dinner, I munched on a hardboiled egg and the grumpy cravings settled down. A much better end to the day than the beginning.
Day 10 (Friday) Egg and avocado “sandwich”. Blueberries. Salad with creamy cilantro dressing, avocado, cherry tomatoes and chopped walnut. Banana. Cutie. Salad, no dressing. Pineapple. Strawberries. Beef stew (a few pieces before bed – long story.)
Kinda over eating meat. I was a vegetarian for many years and never really came to love meat. So today I just stuck to a plain salad. Went to a women’s Shabbaton dinner and was able to eat the salad (without dressing) and fruit from the dessert table. I came home and had a few bites of stew – which I had made for my family for dinner. It was outstanding.
Day 11 (Saturday) Banana#1 and hard-boiled egg. Roasted chicken, salad, tomato & basil salad, veggies with cashew “chumus” dip. Banana #2. Left-over cinnamon beef stew and cauliflower rice.
Gotta stop eating so many bananas. They are so sweet, though! And I seriously love the texture of bananas – very satiating. That left-over stew was so ridiculously good. I am definitely making it again next week!
Day 12 (Sunday) Egg “sandwich” (avocado and stir-fried vegetables, folded between a flat omelette – almost like a crepe). Hamburger and salad. Snacky dinner – roasted chicken strips, carrots, snap peas, sweet potato “fries”.
I’m coming down with a cold (picked it up from my daughter) and don’t have much of an appetite. Spent the evening at my shul cooking for an upcoming family Shabbat dinner. The cake mixes were taunting me. I also had a crazy dream about drinking an extra large Mr. Pibb. Hmmm, looks like I’m right on schedule for the crazy dreams.
Day 13 (Monday) Egg sandwich. Meatballs and tomato sauce with steamed carrots and cauliflower. Chicken soup (mostly broth, some veggies and chicken meat). Cup of blueberries.
I’m loving the egg sandwiches with avocados – so crazy good. I can’t go over how sweet the blueberries are — and these are a low-sugar fruit! My cold is really bad today, which explains why I ate so little. I did really enjoy that chicken soup for dinner, though.
Day 14 (Tuesday) Omelette with tomatoes and a half cup of cherries. Left-over chicken & vegetable soup, one-cup of blueberries. Two hardboiled eggs and a banana.
I’m feeling a bit better, but still not 100%. Tonight we are heading to a wedding, and since I’m not sure what (if anything) we’ll be able to eat, I had those eggs and banana to hopefully tie me over. I ate more fruit today than I have been – I’ve been trying to stick to two servings a day; maybe it’s this cold that I’m getting over, but I was really craving fruit.
Ideally, Whole30ers are supposed to eat three satiating meals a day, and not snack in between. I’m seeing that I’m moving toward that, getting less and less hungry in between meals. The fact that this is happening is a good sign — it means I’m filling up on good fats, protein and veggies and fruit. Interestingly, I’m also seeing my boys do the same thing. They are big snackers, so this is a really interesting development.
Are you doing a Whole30, too? What day are you on and how’s it going for you? Are you a Whole30 veteran? Does the last week look about “right” to you?
Stew recipe?
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/02/02/greek-beef-stew/ 🙂
Thank you! Looks delicious and i love that it calls for a cheap cut of beef!!!
Congratulations on Whole30-ing! So glad you like that beef stew recipe. Thanks for the shout out!
Oh my gracious! Thank you for stopping by! Well Fed and your blog has been a constant source of inspiration for me — thank you!
Good job Mara! You are looking great. I have not done the Whole30 diet, but I do try to stick to WW Simply Filling. Bananas and hard boiled eggs are two of my biggest go-to foods. I boil a dozen eggs every Friday afternoon just to make sure I have a healthy option on Saturday morning. Not sure how I would ever get through the day without snacking. Good on ya!
It’s weird – because I would have thought the same about snacking, Dana. I’ve read that the key is enough protein and good fats in your meal. (Although tonight I did munch on the brussels sprouts and roasted cauliflower as it came out of the oven. Oops!)
good for you! are you loosing weight on this diet?
I’m pretty sure I am, lue, but part of the plan is “breaking up” with your scale for a month. It’s funny – this has been one of the hardest parts for me. I am a daily weigher, so not doing it on this plan has really caused me to think about my “relationship” with the scale. I’m definitely eager to see where this lands up for me in another 2 weeks. (I’ve lost 35 lbs over the last year and a half, and would ideally like to lose another 15-20.)
I am curious to know when you do weigh yourself. i needed to lose 20 pounds, i lost 10 from doing the raw food diet for 3 weeks and i just cant seem to stay committed enough to any diet to loose the last 5 pounds. in a way the last five is so much harder because mentally i dont feel as bad about my appearance as i did when i had 20 to loose so the motivation is weaker.
Creamy cilantro dressing recipe? Mexican chicken recipe? Thanks and good luck!