Whole 30 Halfway

I hesitate to write this because I really don't know if anyone cares or not. But I've decided to because it's consuming my life right now and like anything consuming it helps to talk about. 

Today is day 15 of Whole 30. I'm halfway done! 

If you don't know about Whole 30 I encourage you to check out their website. It's not a diet as we know it but a 30 day eating challenge. I've been motivated to do it for the following reasons:

• After a summer of saying yes to pretty much everything, (remember my German schnitzel and bier diet of late spring?) and a summer of multiple batches of no churn homemade ice cream, and most recently my Wisconsin trip where I thoroughly enjoyed myself and ate/drank what I felt like I decided to say no for 30 days. For me a little self-control after a time of self-indulgence may not be a bad thing. My body and soul could use a little challenge!
• I think I eat pretty well. As the meal planner and preparer I try to include all the food groups in their proper portions. Could I do better? Probably. Let's see how ...
• More and more people I know are becoming gluten free not always by choice but necessity.  And it freaks me out when I have them over for a meal because what does that even mean?!!! What's left to eat after you take out bread products? There's gluten even in canned soup!!! Being forced to live without said products opens my eyes to other ways of cooking, other foods to prepare and ways to do it. 
• I could use some new habits. I'm not getting any younger and the old habits will start to catch up with me faster as I age. Look - I know I'm aging and that's fine. But what's not fine for me is giving up and letting things spread and fall (I won't go into any more details - you get the gist). Maybe starting each day with an English muffin of one side peanut butter and the other Cheez-whiz is not the best habit. Hey - you can't change what you don't acknowledge. 
• I'm curious. Weird, unexplained things happen to my body all the time. Will they go away or improve during the 30 days? Will I notice a difference in my energy level, overall health, or my sinuses? I won't know unless I try. 

I researched this concept for months. I asked around and talked with those that had done it. I scoped out some recipes and meal plans on Pinterest. I checked out cookbooks from the library. I trolled stores wherever I was and slowly picked up one thing here and one thing there as I came across them. Some items are hard to find in my area so picking them up ahead of time down south was handy. I printed the list off of "common additives cheat sheet" from the Whole 30 website so I could start familiarizing myself with what to look for to avoid. I even introduced my family to a few recipes like substituting rice for cauliflower rice. 

After my trip to Wisconsin I was ready to start - after the Saturday day-long 50th birthday party of a friend that is. I made sure to appreciate the birthday cupcakes and cake, beer and wine, cheese and crackers, and everything else that would be off limits for the next 30 days. 

And now that I'm halfway done, what have I learned so far?

• I can start new habits. My favourite breakfast has been replaced with chia seed/coconut milk pudding with berries and toasted almonds on top. 
• Homemade mayo is way better than Hellmans. I will never go back. Homemade salad dressing is way better than anything from the store. Both take literally a few minutes to assemble ingredients and whirl in the blender. No, they won't keep in my refrigerator for 4 months but is that what I really want? Um, no.
• I don't need bread to get a sandwich in my mouth. I can put egg salad, tuna, or chicken salad in a scooped out cucumber or pepper and that's a tasty meal, my friend!
• Pasta's over rated. Don't get me wrong - in two weeks you'll be able to find me at my favourite Italian restaurant eating a plate of veal marsala with a side of their tomato spaghetti and a glass of wine. But at home I can make noodles out of zucchini with my handy dandy little spiralizer and it's some yummy stuff. I don't miss the heavy pasta and I don't feel gross afterwards. 
• I can make some really good food that's gluten free and worthy of having guests over. 
• Forcing myself to try new recipes has also inspired my own creativity to come up with my own. That's the key to continuing good habits going forward. 
• It's worth reading the labels. I can't believe the crap they put in stuff. Also worth noting ... there's no labels to read if I'm using whole foods. 

A couple items that have helped me be successful so far:

• The Well Fed cookbooks   Her method of having a mini-cook up day at the beginning of each week saves me a ton of time day to day. 
• La Croix water - I'm pretty sure I've got 6 different flavours right now. Hard to get around here and expensive when you do so I stocked up this last trip. Totally worth it but kinda sad when it's "wine time" and I crack a water instead. 
• Bone broth that's Whole 30 compliant. Yes, I could make my own but the idea exhausted me so when Costco had it for a short time? I knew I could do this! 
• Sunflower butter - who needs peanut butter anymore?
• Coconut aminos - never heard of it before. Thank goodness I can get it across the street!!
• Larabars that are Whole 30 compliant. Dang those things are good! I always carry one in my purse just in case. My favourite is Coconut Cream and Apple Pie. Although I haven't tried Lemon Pie yet ... 
• Our local Farmer's Market. A great place to be inspired by good food! What a great time of year to start new habits of eating more vegetables. 

Final thoughts:

• It's hard. But it's only 30 days. 
• It takes a lot of time and planning. But now that I'm up to preparing for week 3, it's getting easier and more streamlined.
• My family has humoured me but is not doing it with me. So when they grated cheese for the pork carnitas at lunch I may have wanted to rip their eyes out. But just for a second;)
• I have had nightmares not of the struggle but of eating something I shouldn't have and then dealing with the now what?! I am NOT starting over again! 
• I really want a cinnamon roll. Just saying.