Sweet Blog O'Mine

Tag: Whole30

  • COVID-19: A Food Diary – In the Thick of It

    I'm currently on day 22 of the Whole 30 and it has truly been an interesting and somewhat all-encompassing experience so far. I know I mentioned this in my last update, but I think about food and meal planning a LOT more than I normally do and spend a good amount of time searching for compatible recipes that mesh up with what I have in the house or are expecting in upcoming produce boxes from Farm to People. I've discovered a few websites with great Whole30 compatible recipes, many of which which lean heavily towards Asian cuisines, which I love and cook a great deal. Nom Nom Paleo has meal plans in addition to recipes, I Heart Umami, which has a Whole30 compatible potsticker recipe that saved me during a particularly fierce dumpling craving, and The Defined Dish, which gave me a hearty and comforting bolognese. These websites have been chock full of recipes, ideas, and inspiration — thanks to the women behind each of them. 

    I've also been posting pictures of all of my meals and snacks on my Instagram story — you can find all of them on my highlights. I hope I can inspire others who are interested in Whole30 or who are just looking to incorporate more veggies into their world. 

    People ask me if I'm feeling any different. Truthfully, I'm not sure. I feel less "puffy" and have probably lost weight (no scales allowed on Whole30 and my sweatpants all still feel the same) — I still wake up during the night and can't get back to sleep for a bit, but it seems to be slightly less often. My energy levels are back to normal (they most definitely took a dip in the beginning), but I can't say I have the TIGER BLOOD that everyone talks about. I'm also really missing the foods I haven't eaten during the program and I'm looking forward to (slowly) reintroducing them soon. Here are some of my more picturesque meals since the last update.

     

     

  • COVID-19: A Food Diary – Shifting Gears

    Well, it's been a minute since I last posted. I figured you had your fill of my cooking adventures, but for the past week, I've been doing a round of the Whole 30, which has both challenged me in the food/cooking department and made me focus much more intently on food and meal planning. What is Whole 30? It's a 30 day dietary reset of sorts that eliminates foods that either tend to irritate people (gluten, dairy, soy, additives) and/or that create cravings (sugar, booze). At the end of 30 days you reintroduce each category one by one to see how your body reacts both physically and mentally. On a practical level it means that you are eating meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruit, nuts, and healthy fats like olive oil, and avocado. And coffee is allowed, thankfully! For me, I've gotten into some less than healthy eating habits during the pandemic and wanted to reset.

    That said, the Whole30 is extreme. It doesn't allow legumes (beans) or grains, and between that and the other restrictions it is NOT intended to be a forever shift in your eating. And given how much I LOVE food, it is not something that would ever be sustainable. I'm looking at it as an experiment and a challenge, and it's definitely easier to do now, during the pandemic, when I'm not going out and have no social or professional obligations that involve food/drink. 

    Lessons learned so far: 1) If I had to do this during normal times, it would involve a massive amount of weekend meal prep to keep up. Even now, I'm prepping stuff constantly to ensure that I'm meeting meal guidelines (protein, veggies, plated healthy fat); 2) I am blowing through produce like a maniac, which is no doubt good for me; 3) I'm sort of enjoying the challenge of cooking this way, but I'm already really missing some of my favorite foods, and I'm only on day 9; and 4) I can't decide if, given the state of the world, this was an ideal time to give up booze. 😉

    If you want a meal-by-meal showcase of everything I'm eating/cooking, I've created a highlight called "Whole30 Meals" on my Instagram page. Otherwise, here are some highlights so far: