Finding a Balance

Whole30 ain’t easy.

It’s been really, really tough. I’m starting to think maybe I dived into this too soon? Maybe I need to find some sort of balance with my day-to-day eating before I can add such severe restrictions? The regular Paleo diet was much more user friendly.

I’m struggling with what to do. I made a commitment to complete the Whole30 program, but I continue to dive off the deep end, slip up and binge out. I find myself eating worse than I ever normally would because I know that tomorrow, I have to start back with the tyrannical Whole30. This isn’t to say that the program isn't wonderful. In fact, I think it’s brilliant. It’s helped thousands of people. It makes sense, it’s healthy, it’s safe – I can’t say enough good things about it, but it’s incredibly difficult.

What to do, what to do…

I think for now, I’m going to follow it and if I slip up again, no restarting. I’m simply going to go back to the paleo diet and restart the Whole30 at another point in my journey.

Phew, that decision feels good. 

BEETS

I decided to roast these guys – skin on. I’ve never roasted beets before but I’ve eaten plenty. I love, love, love beets. BUT, I never knew how much work went into making these little suckers. This might be common knowledge to a lot of you– but, bear with me,

• First you have to remove the leaves asap. I was told that they suck the goodness out of the beets.
• Then you have to thoroughly scrub the skin. This way you’re not roasting a bunch of dirt – because these guys are d-i-r-t-y

• (your oven should be pre-heating to around 400 degrees F)
• Side note, a very nice older French woman at the farmer’s market told me to always roast with the skin on; they have 10x the flavor this way. So when a wise looking 60+ year old French woman tells me to do something, I usually listen.
• Then you have to make a little tin foil cocoon/cave – stuff your beets in.
• Place your beet cave on a baking pan and roast for an hour (+/- depending on how many beets you have and what size they are)
• Take the beets out when they feel tender (stick a fork in em’, you’ll be able to tell when they’re done).
• Let them cool (please learn from my mistakes and follow this instruction).
• Now comes the fun part, take one beet at a time and place it under running water and rub the skin off with your hands. If the beets are cooked properly the skin should just fall off – or so they say. Don’t worry if you have to be a bit more aggressive with your beets, I got rough with them too. I even broke out the peeler.
• Once your beets are naked and washed, slice em’ up, drizzle a little evoo on top, sprinkle some salt and pepper on them and you've got yourself some delicious (basic) roasted beets.

These guys fulfill a sweet craving for me. I love these little roasted rubies with all my heart – and they’re totally on point paleo! Yum!

Paleo "Cereal"

Yum! My new favorite creation, caveman cereal. 

Paleo Cereal:
- Almond slivers
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Chia Seeds
- Coconut Milk 

The only thing that could have made it better would have been banana! 

Red, Red Wine

I failed, again. I wasn't going to say anything, but I can’t walk around with this guilt. 

The family that I work for invited my boyfriend and me over for dinner last night. The mother of the little boy I watch is a wonderful cook. She makes the most scrumptious everything. Luckily for me, her and her grill master husband made a beautiful steak, asparagus and couscous.  Prior to the main course I was offered a glass of wine and I said, “sure.” Then I was offered some couscous and I said, “why not?” Whole30 Mission: Failed.

So I’m resetting, again.

I’m awful at this willpower thing.

I’ve decided to plan out my entire menu for the week; the whole thing.

Monday:

B—Egg & veggie scramble, cantaloupe

L – Larabar, Carrots & salsa, dried mango, turkey deli meat (I’ll be grazing since I’m traveling so much)

D – Pulled salsa chicken taco salad

S – no snacks since I’ll be grazing anyways

Tuesday:

B – Egg & veggie scramble, berries

L – Left-over pulled salsa chicken taco salad

D – spaghetti squash w/ beef & veggie sauce

S – dried apples,  almonds

Wednesday:

B – Berry, almond, chia seed, coconut milk cereal

L – Left-over spaghetti squash w/ beef & veggie sauce

D – BLT chopped salad

S – dried apples, larabar

Thursday:

B—Egg, bacon & veggie scramble

L – Larabar, Carrots & salsa, dried mango, turkey deli meat (I’ll be grazing since I’m traveling so much)

D – baked tilapia w/ mango salsa, steamed broccoli

S – dried mangos, larabar

Friday:

B—Egg, bacon & veggie scramble

L – Larabar, Carrots & salsa, dried mango, turkey deli meat (I’ll be grazing since I’m traveling so much)

D – I’m going to a Greek festival on Staten Island so I’m not sure what will be in store food wise but I’m sure I can find something Whole30 friendly

I suppose I should mention that red wine is approved for the regular paleo diet. This was a large part of my excuse. Excuses, excuses.

Also -- I did exercise, as promised. I did a wimpy 30 minutes on the elliptical. 

New Find: Map My Ride

Exercise is something that I struggle with. I hate it all. I hate sweating, my joints aching, jiggling when I move and most of all I hate how red my face gets. In third grade, when I was a very healthy, in shape young girl, a boy in my gym class made a joke about my bright red, puffy face. I know it’s immature, I know it’s petty, I know that it was seventeen years ago but, I’m still self-conscious about it.

Today I went on a bike ride – an 8.5 mile bike ride to be exact.

It felt good. The sweat felt like progress. The jiggling and the aching motivated me and the red face, well, whatever. My dad once told me it was because I’m fair skinned and Irish, so, I’ll stick with that.

I downloaded a fabulous app for my android phone (available on the iPhone too), called Map My Ride. Here is the image of my ride:

The app totally appeals to my type A personality. I love seeing my route on the screen, knowing exactly how far I went, how many calories I burned, how fast I was going and so much more. All you have to do is turn on the app, put your phone in your pocket or backpack and start riding. It almost makes exercising fun!

I will work out again tomorrow. I will, I will, I will. 

Reset

It's the 2^nd day in and I already have to hit my reset button. Am I embarrassed? Heck yes. I started the day late and took my breakfast on the go (Larabar and a banana), then I started popping in some gum. This gum to be exact, 

This gums ingredients are the following: Sorbitol, Gum Base, Glycerol, Mannitol, Less than 2% of: Natural and Artificial Flavors, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Aspartame, Colors (Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Red 40 Lake), Acesulfame K, Gelatin, Soy Lecithin, BHT (to Maintain Freshness).

 Not a single ingredient is good for my health or on the Whole30 approved list.

 Of course I immediately stopped chewing this (and all) gum after realizing my mistake.

 So, I moved on to lunch. I had celery with almond butter and raisins, delicious. I also had a mango and Applegate mesquite turkey wraps stuffed with Heinz yellow mustard and Vlasic’s dill oval pickles.

Dun, dun, dun... My darling pickles were loaded with high fructose corn syrup!

 I was so distraught after failing not once, but twice, that I said to myself screw it and I indulged in a turkey sandwich (on a asiago cheese ciabatta, eek!) and tomato soup from Panera Bread.

 Now I’m even more upset than I was before. Lesson learned. I could have turned the day around and restarted right after my pickle mishap, but instead I gave into my old ways and turned to food for comfort.

 What’s the moral of the story?

• READ THE LABELS

• Food is sustenance, not comfort. Every choice you make is yours, own it.

I've been dreading this blog post. I was very embarrassed to share my slip up with the world. But now, after taking a deep breath and divulging my secrets, I feel relieved and kind of... refreshed. Here’s to tomorrow!

There's only one direction to move in this life and that's forward!

The Whole30 Challenge

• “It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings.”
• “This will change your life.”
• “Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. “
• We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact – the next 30 days will change your life.”
• “It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life.”

Those are some heavy words and hefty claims. How can you say no to something that can do all of that AND, “could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body.” 

This is too good to be true. Right? If I do this for 30 days, my relationship with food could possibly change? If there is even a chance of success, I’m in. 

Hook, line, and sinker. I’m sold and I’m going to do it.

I’ll be adding a page to this blog where I post my daily menu. I’m going to do this so I can hold myself accountable. So, if you see me slip up, call me out! Scold me. Yell at me. Publicly humiliate me, I'll probably need it. Another point the Whole30 makes is NO slip ups. “The only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days, no cheats, slips or “special occasions.”

Here is a full list of the approved Whole30 foods (no more of my beloved Ezekiel 4:9).

Today is Day One.

 * Hartwig, Dallas, and Melissa Hartwig. "The Whole30® Program." The Whole30® Program. N.p., 2012. Web. 04 Sept. 2012. <http://whole9life.com/2012/08/the-whole30-program/>.

Season's Greetings

Eating seasonally is something that I need to pay much more attention to. It’s obvious that the $6.99 containers of strawberries stocked in the grocery stores during January are not seasonally appropriate. The other months and produce however, are not always as clear. Eating seasonally should be an essential component to the Paleo diet. Cavemen weren’t eating cucumbers in December. In modern society we enjoy the luxury of eating mangoes in the middle of the winter, in Upstate New York or Apples in the dead of summer in Southern Arizona, but should we? Think of the fuel necessary to ship this produce and how fresh is it once it reaches its' final destination? 

Here is a list of foods that are in season and bound to be incredibly tasty:

EARLY SEPTEMBER

Beets, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Grapes, Lettuce, Onions, Oysters, Peaches, Pears, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Raspberries, Snap Peas, Squash, Tomatoes, Turnips

LATE SEPTEMBER

Beets, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Grapes, Lettuce, Onions, Oysters, Pears, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Raspberries, Snap Peas, Squash, Tomatoes, Turnips

This morning I enjoyed a small, locally grown cantaloupe.

How do you eat your melon? When I was a kid, I loved eating melon bowls. For those of you who aren’t sure what that is, it’s when you chop a melon in half, scoop out the seeds and dig in.

Now, I scoop, slice, dice and eat.

 Whichever way you eat your produce, try your best to buy local/organic as often as possible and no matter what, wash, wash, wash.  

Paleo Pot Roast (Fail)

Whenever slow cooking anything, please learn from my mistakes and realize that eight hours on a low temperature setting is NOT the same as four hours on a high temperature setting. Amateur, amateur, amateur!  This pot roast sounded so good in theory, and conceptually, all of the comforting, yummy flavors were there, but the meat was a sad excuse for a roast. My pitiful little pot roast was tough and my vegetables were mushy.

After my boyfriend choked down what he could, I asked him if he would be up for trying it again. Of course he said yes. Two days later I purchased an organic roast from Fleisher's and gave it another go. I set my slow cooker  up in the morning and programmed it via the handy meat thermometer for eight hours on the low temperature setting. Four hours later, I added my vegetables.

 Round two was a success! Super easy, even a caveman could do it! No, really though, I promise if you are capable of following directions this meal is filling, nutritious, comforting and completely paleo approved.

Paleo Pot Roast for Two

•           1 ½ - 2 ½ organic pot roast beef
•           2-3 c. organic beef stock/broth
•           4 small sweet potatoes or yams,  washed clean, quartered
•           4 carrots, peeled, chopped
•           ½ sweet onion, peeled, sliced
•           1 small head of cauliflower, washed clean, chopped
•           3 garlic cloves, peeled, coarsely chopped
•           2-3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
•           2 small bay leaves
•           1 tbsp. smoked paprika
•           1 tsp. Jamaican all spice
•           Ample cracked salt and pepper
•           Evoo for searing

Directions

1. Coat large skillet with evoo and one garlic clove, coarsely chopped – allow garlic to turn light brown, but not burn
2. Rinse roast and pat dry – sear all four sides of roast in skillet w/ garlic and olive oil
3.  Place roast in crock pot – set slow cooker to eight hours on a low temperature setting
4. Add two cups of beef stock, remaining spices, garlic and onion
5.  Allow roast to cook for four hours – at the four hour mark, add vegetables and remaining cup of beef stock
6.  Allow roast and vegetables to cook for the remaining four hours
7. Serve and enjoy! 

A Lil' Secret

Pssst…I still eat bread. I can’t help it. I love Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Sesame Bread. I know it’s not paleo approved, but I can’t quit it. I swear, I only eat it about once a day, err...maybe twice. But come on, it keeps me full and satisfied for hours. It's perfect for a semi-paleo lunch on the go. Plus, right now, I can't imagine a life without sandwiches. I know cavemen weren't walking around with Ezekiel bread, but in my defense, they certainly weren't walking around with Wonder Bread. All I'm saying is, it could be worse. Hopefully one day I can kick the bread habit but for now, it’s all about 80/20, right?

How else could I make this yummy quasi huevos rancheros with avocado, bacon, salsa and two over easy eggs? 

PSA: My Newest Obsession

The LARABAR: completely simple, totally healthy and entirely delicious (and acceptably paleo). These little bars of joy have under ten ingredients and are oozing with love. They're perfect to grab on the go for snacks in between classes or to nosh on during the commute. I’m an especially huge fan of the Pecan Pie, Cappucino and Carrot Cake.

The Pecan Pie’s ingredients: dates, pecans and almonds. Simple, right? Right! These bars fulfill my craving for the doughy deliciousness of cake and cookies without the processed junk and empty calories. Yum! I have yet to try their big sister, the UBERBAR.  Sounds suberb.

Make sure to visit the LARABAR website for more information about this scrumptious product!

My First Paleo-rrific Week

I started the week last Wednesday by making seven sweet potatoes in my slow cooker. I also made a scrumptious paleo friendly, crustless, bacon-broccoli-spinach-shallot quiche. Recipe? Soon.

I happily ate the quiche and a cup of black coffee every morning while watching the Today Show. I ate the sweet potatoes, along with a protein and veg for lunch or dinner throughout the week and I felt…good. Fulfilled. Literally and figuratively. It feels good to put wholesome, healthy food into your body. I also never found myself hungry. Not once.

The largest hurdle, by far, is sugar.

Hi, my name is Kaleigh Griffin and I am a sugar addict. The cravings were overwhelming. Never in my life have I felt so helpless. I definitely caved to the cravings more than once but I’m trying. I’m desperately trying and that is what is important. 80/20, right? What about 60/40? No? Okay, I’ll do better this week, promise.