Whole30 Day 1

Hello again, Interwebs friends; 

My apologies for bailing on the restaurant review blog posts last year. It may be something I return to at some point, but Pierre and I didn’t jump into regular visits to new places in Westboro as we thought we might...

Ah, Life. :)

 

What’s the old Woody Allen line? Want to make God laugh? Tell him/her your plans! 

Loads of things have happened over the past 17 months, but the reason I’m chiming in now is that we and a couple of dear friends are starting the Whole30 today. I could tell you all about it, but there are a zillion webpages (some with great recipe ideas) that explain it well if you just do a Google search, or you can just click on the link here.

[In a nutshell, we will be eliminating all processed foods and a bunch of common allergy/sensitivity foods (grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, and booze) for a month to see how we feel.] 

Over the past month, I’ve been researching recipes and put together a plan on a great Meal Planner app at RealPlans.com. It contains a ton of customizable healthy recipes, plus the app creates an exact shopping list for the menu you set up. Sweet!

Besides building a library of cleaner, better-for-us recipes, I’m hoping for a few specific results by the end of the month:

• ·        A bit of weight loss
• ·        Better sleep
• ·        Clearer thoughts
• ·        Increased energy
• ·        Easier breathing for Pierre
• ·        Healthier skin for me 

Because eating this way is one of those simple-but-probably-not-easy things, I thought it would be fun to write about the journey – the struggles and the victories, and the food – beginning today!

And so… Day 1:

We were away from home most of the day at the racetrack and a wedding celebration, so I hadn’t planned our first official meal until dinnertime. However, I was able to start this morning! (and Pierre joined me at dinner.)

Breakfast was one of my current favourites: two eggs scrambled in ghee with a side of homemade cortido, a spicy fermented Salvadorian kraut. Coffee (which I don’t drink, but Pierre does) and tea (my morning drink of choice) are allowed on the Whole30, and summertime is Sun-tea time, so I enjoyed a tall glass of iced tea that was brewed in the sun yesterday. I also had a couple ounces of yummy strawberry kombucha (also homemade). 

Lunch was a treat from Pierre at the racetrack – the meat and veggies wrapped in the lettuce from a Tim Horton’s sandwich. I tossed the giant whole wheat bun, and was very happy to not eat another huge track hamburger!

Early home from the track, I popped into the Orange Art Gallery downtown to witness the ring- and vow-exchange of two dear young friends. After the ceremony, I nibbled on a few fresh veggies, lamenting the fact that the gluten-free veggie mini-quiche tray was slicked clean. (Doubly unfortunate, since I know the caterer, who is an incredible artist!) I sipped a glass of water and successfully avoided the open wine and beer bar (easier than anticipated),  then scooted out early to have dinner ready for Pierre when he arrived home.

While I was making Super Meatloaf (a RealPlans recipe with ground beef, pork, liver, almond flour, egg, tomato paste and spices – delicious!), I had a small handful of raw almonds. I paired the meatloaf with a big, colourful romaine salad with tomato, orange bell pepper, avocado, cucumber, apple-juice sweetened craisins, and goji berries, splashed with a simple dressing made of balsamic vinegar, avocado oil, and spices.

All in all, it was a wonderfully successful first day!

There are still a few boxes/bags of snack crackers/chips in the house that will be bagged up and taken across the street to our kind, cat-sitting neighbour’s teen boys tomorrow. :) A win for everyone.

Don’t know that I’ll have time to do a daily post, but will write when I can, and hope you enjoy what we learn!