Day 14 Whole30

9 hours sleep

7am: 3 soft boiled eggs, 2 slices apple with almond butter and a few macadamias

10am: Coconut and Almonds with Raspberries (not pictured)

2pm: lamb sausage, carrots, cucumber, yellow peppers all dipped in Sunshine Sauce 

7pm: Crispy duck breast, roasted kumara (sweet potato), asparagus and broccoli. Coconut Manna

Day 13 Whole30

Today is that female time of the month so I didn't feel great. It hasn't been long enough to notice if dropping dairy will affect it, hopefully next month i'll have a better idea. Suffice to say I had some pretty rampant sugar cravings, in particular...you guessed it CHOCOLATE!!! boy I really really wanted to cave today but I didn't.  Dallas and Melissa warn that this part of the program can get really intense, I'm looking forward to day 16 when hopefully the cravings will be gone.

On the bright side I am really loving trying lots of new things because I'm not having any dairy, I really do have to think outside the square! 

My new Well Fed cookbook is just awesome!!! I highly recommend this book, for anyone from beginners to those of us that have been at this a long time, like myself! Great ideas and lots of new flavours, herbs and spices that I wouldn't have thought of.  

The introduction is awesome, a very basic yet well thought out way of explaining Paleo and how to transition to a Paleo diet.  Plenty of advice for meal planning and preparation tips.

It would be a perfect gift for that person in your life that keeps questioning about your "crazy diet" but isn't ready to change their eating habits because they don't understand how to do it. I would say if you read this book and didn't like the recipes and suggestions then there is no saving you ;)

Hubby was blown away by tonights  meal and kept raving about the chicken and sunshine sauce.  You must try this!!!!(links below)

8 hours sleep

8am: 2 egg omelet filled with leftovers from yesterday's lunch (pizza inspired mince & veggies)

2pm: Almond and smoked lemon coated chicken fried in coconut oil, on top of asparagus "noodles", drizzled with lemon olive oil. Blueberries with cinnamon toasted almonds and coconut

8pm: The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat. Ever. with Sunshine Sauce and chopped up carrots, cucumber and yellow peppers with coriander and Buttercrunch lettuce (this meal was AMAZING!!!!!) 

Day 11 Whole30

I'm finding my grove with this Whole30, plenty of variety in my diet and a ton of veggies! Day 11 wasn't super smooth, I had a few cravings and found myself wishing I could just have a piece of 85% Lindt and Nespresso with cream, however I didn't as I don't want to short change myself, I need to remind myself why I'm doing this Whole30. 

I wouldn't say it's hard but it's not easy either, when hubby is sitting there eating chocolate and I'm not then yeah at that moment it feels hard but it's all relative, it really isn't that hard, it's just changing habits and not being so emotional with food. I feel like things are changing for the better, still can't believe I've gone 11 days without chocolate or dairy, I'm over a third of the way there :)

8 hours sleep

7am: 3 egg omelet filled with sautéed kale, red peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bacon and walnut pesto

12pm: Lamb and Pumpkin coconut curry with green beans & cashews

6pm: 1 tablespoon of Coconut Manna

8pm: Cajun steak with avocado/mayo onto of a large salad, mesclun, cucumber, yellow peppers, radishes, cherry tomatoes

Day 10 Whole30

Yep today proved to be the hardest! Not physically but emotionally, talk about cravings argghh! I didn't cave thankfully but I found myself hungry this afternoon so I ate a snack which I don't normally do.  It was super yummy, tasted like muesli but better.  I'm being careful with fruit because I don't want to lean on sweet fruits in place of the chocolate, blueberries don't really taste all that sweet to me.

I do feel like I'm breaking my chocolate addiction so that feels good, I do miss my morning coffee, I think mostly because of the ritual of hubby and I having our Nespressos and the cup warming my hands.  The short black or lungo just doesn't satisfy the same without cream :/  I tried with coconut cream and thought it was gonna be good until I drank it. Yuck!!! I hate it, not gonna happen!

I dreamt last night I ate a kinder surprise, so weird as they aren't something I eat, they are nice but it was strange.  I woke up remembering it really vividly and I felt guilty for a minute until I woke up properly and realised it was a dream!

I was on a bit of a go slow this morning, I think I overslept as I woke feeling quite groggy, I seem to feel best on 7-8 hours sleep.  Not much else to report, everything seems to be going fairly smoothly :)

9 hours sleep

7am: 2 organic free range eggs, pure lamb free range sausage, fried mushrooms in coconut oil, tomato and avocado

12pm: Tuna ceviche with mesclun, tomatoes and homemade mayo

2pm: Blueberries with toasted Cinnamon coconut & almonds

7pm: Chinese Five Spice Stirfry

Chinese Five Spice Stirfry

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
• 2 teaspoons of Chinese Five Spice Powder
• 1/2 onion, diced
• Assortment of veggies e.g.. onions, bok choy, kale, mushrooms, red peppers, snap peas, broccoli etc..
• Sliced Beef or Chicken
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Tablespoon Tahini
• 1 Tablespoon Coconut Aminos
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sauté the onions and five spice powder in the sesame oil, if you need more fat then just use something like coconut oil or duck fat.  

Add your veggies and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken or beef (small pieces), add the broth and tahini and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Take off the heat and stir through the coconut aminos and serve, top with sesame seeds.  

Notes: Cashews are a yummy addition, Beef cooks much faster so reduce the simmer time to about 3-4 minutes.  

Day 9 Whole30

The first week of my Whole30 is done!!! Day 1 feels like a long time ago!  The first few days were pretty tough, quitting dairy and dark chocolate gave me some intense headaches and acne breakouts and general just highs and lows of energy.  I am happy to say that I'm starting to get the energy that the Whole30 talks about! My acne flare up is now disappearing and I'm feeling pretty consistent energy throughout the day.Fingers crossed that Days 10-11 aren't too bad, they talk about it being the hardest of all the days and the days you are most likely to quit! I can't see that happening but I am prepared for the cravings!

I stocked up on loads of food today from the farmers market, butcher and veggie shop.  The best way do be prepared is to have enough food in your fridge and freezer.  I have to say that planning and preparation is key.  I would hate to imagine how you would get on if you didn't have enough veggies and meat in your fridge.  I do a lot of prep work on a Sunday, like chopping up fresh veggies, roasting pumpkin, kumara etc. and cooking a lot of meat so I always have leftovers in the fridge to grab in a pinch.  The biggest excuse I hear from people is that they don't have time and oh it must be nice to have so much time.  It's all about your priorities, if you have time for TV, facebook or the internet then you have time to make good food!  It takes me about an   hour to prepare food for the week, it really is very simple.

Today I really loved the food I ate! Definitely not feeling deprived, however when we went for coffee it was a bit strange not getting a flat white, I opted for a decaf short black and meh I'm just not really a black coffee drinker :(

8.5 hours sleep

7.30am: 2 poached eggs, 2 strips of free range, sugar free bacon, 1/2 avocado, mushrooms and little bit of leftover kumara (sweet potato)

1pm: "Sushi" Made with raw cauliflower rice, tossed with a bit of homemade mayo and sesame oil, filled with sesame seed crusted tuna, avocado and cucumber, topped with coconut aminos.  1 tablespoon of Coconut Manna

3pm: Decaf Short Black

7pm: Lamb and chicken from the Weber BBQ, cumin roasted pumpkin and carrots, green beans and mashed cauliflower with rosemary, ghee and coconut cream.

Day 8 Whole30

Today was the first day I woke up feeling like I'm over the detox part! Phew!!! The last 7 days were tough but I am so proud that I started this Whole30 journey.

First day of real temptation today at a birthday celebration, the array of food on offer were things like cupcakes, tarts, pastries etc..they did have some fresh pineapple, kiwi and grapes so I had a little bit of that. I know what all that food tastes like and how it makes me feel! 

My food was really delicious today and it's all starting to feel very normal which is great, no cravings whatsoever today :-)

8 hours sleep

7am: Shredded red garlic cabbage sautéed in coconut oil with diced leftover kumara (sweet potato), topped with 3 organic free range eggs. 1 Tablespoon Coconut Manna

1pm: Chinese five spice beef with Bok Choy, snow peas, broccoli, mushrooms and topped with a few dry roasted cashews

2pm: A bit of pineapple and kiwi 

6.30pm: Crispy duck breast with roasted gold kumara (sweet potato) and pumpkin, broccoli and cauliflower. A few macadamias

Day 7 Whole30

This morning I woke up not feeling very refreshed and I did drag my feet a fair bit today, I had another wee power nap during my lunch break! Days 6-7 is known as "All I wanna do is nap", I still can't get over how spot on this timeline has been for me.  

Before I started this Whole30 I would consider my diet was pretty 80-90% Primal for the last almost 5 years (expect about 6 months where I was about 50/50), the biggest change has been dropping the dairy (mostly cream, butter and a little bit of cheese) and the dark chocolate, even though it was 85% the majority of the time I was definitely over eating it, is it not ok to have chocolate with your breakfast? ;)

I am feeling pretty damn stoked that I've made it to day 7 without those indulgences, I'm really enjoying all the veggies, so much so that I ate cauliflower with my breakfast, never thought I would ever in my life do that! I mean sure I can eat spinach, mushrooms, tomato or peppers without ever thinking I was eating "vegetables" with breakfast, but cauliflower...what have I turned into!! I'm sure there will be a time during this Whole30 that I will not want to eat this many veggies, but for now I'm loving it.

We went out to dinner for my sisters birthday last night, I knew that the food would be mostly meat so that wasn't a problem but I was a little bit worried about the additives like soy, sugar, wheat, butter etc..considering I'm doing a Whole30.

One of the positives about living in a small town is one of the owners of Snug Lounge (cocktail bar) follows my page so she knew that I wouldn't be able to eat the sauces etc, so she very kindly offered that the chefs can do mine without the extra stuff and they even shredded me some cabbage, I was so blown away buy how accommodating they were, super awesome! The standard feast is $25 "Chow Down", it's all you can eat of skewers like pork belly, peri peri spiced sirloin, prawns, calamari, mussels, chicken etc... So suffice to say I was in heaven!!!

8 hours sleep

7am: Cauliflower and Egg Curry - made with coconut cream

12.45pm: Leftover smoked chicken breast from the weber tossed with homemade mayo, leftover smoked pumpkin and kumara (sweet potato), served on a salad of buttercrunch lettuce, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. 1 Tablespoon Coconut Manna

7.30pm: Variety of skewers with Pork belly, peri peri spiced sirloin, prawns and mussels, some shredded cabbage

Day 6 Whole30

Today I've felt TIRED!!! All I wanted to do was nap, I did have a wee power nap on my lunch break so that helped. I cannot believe how the timeline is so spot on! I guess it's all part of the process. This too shall pass! I keep reminding myself that :)

Still loving all the food, not that it's entirely different from my normal primal diet but I have had to get a bit more creative because I'm not having dairy or mindlessly snacking on dark chocolate.  I'm pleased I haven't had any crazy cravings today.  I really need to stock up on more produce and meat, I'm cooking a lot of food, but I love it.  Feeling very well nourished!

I made a batch of Walnut Pesto and Mayo today, it helps to have dairy free condiments around so I don't go off the rails and eat all the cheese!

8 hours sleep

7am: Curried Kale Omelet, 1 Tablespoon Coconut Manna

12.45pm: Cajun Steak, green beans with almonds, cauliflower mash with ghee and coconut cream, a few macadamias 

6pm: Smoked Chicken (from the weber BBQ) with Walnut Pesto, kumara (sweet potato) and large Salad with Buttercrunch lettuce, rainbow chard, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and lemon olive oil, topped with homemade mayo, 1 Tablespoon Coconut Manna

Day 5 Whole 30

Wow today was worse than yesterday! At first I woke up feeling ok but as the day progressed I was super cranky and really did want to kill all the things! Geez this part I feel will be the worst of it, here's hoping!

I also had the worst hankering for cheese today which was weird, I don't think I've ever craved cheese in particular, I do love dairy but boy it was weird. Not really missing the chocolate at the minute which has surprised me although I'm not that cocky, I know it will come ;)

Food wise I did well, although I REALLY wanted to add cheese to this mornings omelet, I didn't :)

8.5 hours sleep
7am: 2 egg omelet filled with mushrooms, bacon, cherry tomatoes, basil and rainbow chard, sautéed in ghee. A few macadamias and 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Manna, decaf nespresso
12.30pm: Leftover Sheperds Pie from last night (made with Kumara and lamb mince), served with red cabbage sauteed in ghee and garlic
7pm: Pinenut and Rosemary crusted Lamb loin fillet with pureed parsnip and fresh green peas. Fresh Pineapple with Whipped coconut cream and toasted coconut flakes

Day 4 Whole 30

Today has been a bit tough,  I understand the "Kill All The Things!", see this timeline to understand what I'm talking about.

*It’s probably because your brain is never very happy when you tell it that it CAN’T have something, and take it out of it’s habitual and accustomed comfort zone. An unhappy brain is a stressed brain, an anxious brain, a fearful brain. No to mention your hormones are desperately trying to keep up with your new food choices, your gut is trying to heal, you’ve had a headache for the last three days, and you REALLY MISS YOUR DIET COKE. So yeah, maybe we do know why this is happening now…

In my case it's not diet coke it's dark chocolate and dairy!


Before I started this Whole30 I was very apprehensive, I didn't think I needed it but I'm realising very quickly why I really did need to do this.

So why go to the extreme and do a Whole30?
For me this is a reset, I needed to quit all the little primal/paleo treats I was having, I had lost my way.  I miss the me who could go out to a cafe and not even be tempted by cake, to see the hot chips being delivered to someones table and not even want them.  I used to be that girl and somehow along the way with all the little treats I started having it had turned into a common place in my eating template and it was leading me down a path of feeling unhealthy and all of my old health symptoms returning.

I eat Primal for my health, yes I have been extremely successful with weight loss.  Weight loss was initially my motivator.  What I've come to realise over these last 5 years is that essentially I want to be healthy.  I've been fat, I've been thin and I've been a normal size. I've been sick, miserable, unhealthy and I've been well, happy and healthy and I know I choose the latter.  Healthy to me means having healthy hormones and sleeping well, having consistent energy throughout the day, loving life, exercise that feels natural, eating the foods I love and stopping when I feel satiated.  Unhealthy to me means having whacked out hormones and not sleeping well, energy ups and downs, not enjoying life, exercising for the "calorie burn",  eating only to my "calorie count".  This is what I have discovered is healthy or unhealthy for ME!

8 hours sleep last night
6.45am: 3 hard boiled eggs mashed with ghee, bowl of blueberries with toasted coconut and almonds
1.15pm: 2 lamb chops marinated in tarragon, tomato paste, lemon juice and paprika, brussel sprouts and green beans, 1 tablespoon of Coconut Manna
3.30pm: A few macadamia nuts
7.30pm: Lamb Shepherds Pie with Mashed Kumara (sweet potato) on top, fresh green beans and peas, broccoli with ghee

Today was mentally quite draining and I definitely had a short fuse for parts of the day, there was a moment when I kinda yelled at my sewing machine but otherwise I was ok.  I had an hour thai massage tonight so that was helpful for easing any tension.  Hopefully tomorrow isn't as harsh and then it might just be two days of feeling like I wanna nap and then the detox part of this Whole30 will be dusted and I will be bouncing with Tiger Blood!

Day 3 Whole 30

I am already learning a lot about the relationship I have with food. Before this Whole30 I honestly didn't think I could quit the chocolate and dairy and it felt unnecessary.   I am surprising myself with the transition and I'm starting to realise why it is actually necessary for me to do this.

Today has been much better after yesterday's miserable headache I had for most the day.  It really illustrated how much caffeine and sugar I was actually getting from the chocolate :/ 

I am feeling excited for this journey and sharing my experience with you all.  It's bought my passion back.  I will say that I'm spending a lot of time in the kitchen, even more than I usually do so before you go jumping into a Whole30 you might need to prepare for the time you will spend making sure you are eating enough, especially veggies.  Also the money you will be spending on so much food!  I have just ordered the book Well Fed so I'm looking forward to it arriving so I wont run out of ideas.

One of the things about the whole30 is when you sit down for a meal you cannot be distracted, this means no TV, texting, internet or whatever could be distracting you.  I am being very conscious of this so the TV is off when I eat so I can be fully engaged in eating!

7am: 3 poached eggs, 2 strips free range sugar free bacon, 2 portobello mushrooms and 1 tomato cooked in ghee. A few macadamias, Decaf Nespresso

12pm: Lamb Curry and a few almonds.

6pm: Smoked Chicken (smoked my own) tossed with homemade mayo, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and spring onions, on top of mesclun salad, cucumber, yellow peppers.  I also added a little diced kumara (sweet potato) fried in ghee. A few macadamias

Day 2 Whole30

Today was actually pretty rough, talk about feeling like I had a hangover! General just blahness! The worst headache from midday until 7pm, I felt like my head was in a vice! Not pleasant :(

Thankfully I was expecting this as I had read the Whole30 timeline so I was prepared that day 2 and day 3 would be this way.  

Food wise I found it not too hard in regards to the chocolate, I won't deny that I still would've loved some but I was able to focus on all the yummy food choices I was making. 

The chocolate and the dairy will still be there after my Whole30 if I decide that it will be included in my regular diet or if I decide to keep it as a treat - I won't know until I've finished my Whole30.

7am: 2 poached eggs, 2 slices of free range, sugar free bacon, portobello mushrooms sautéed in ghee with garlic, salt and pepper. 1 Tbsp Coconut Manna, Decaf Nespresso

10am: 2 macadamias

12.30pm Scotch fillet steak seasoned with Cajun spices and fried in ghee, mesclun salad with red peppers, cherry tomatoes and topped with creamy avocado dressing. A few cashews.

6.30pm Leftover Lamb, Kumara (sweet potato) and Brussel Sprouts cooked in ghee, bone broth and balsamic vinegar, a few macadamias

My sleep was great, 9 hours and only woke once and straight back to sleep :-)