Day Nine: I Got This. But I'd Still Like An Oreo.

So the blogging every 3 days thing hasn't quite worked out like I thought.

I just finished day nine, so I've got a lot of catching up to do.

Lesson #8: It's okay to start small and easy, and work up to the more complicated meals.

My very first day, I decided for my second Whole30 meal that I would make this somewhat complicated salad, which not only involved cooking meat a specific way with specific ingredients, but it also meant making my own salad dressing.

That meal ended up in the garbage because it was so disgusting.

I stood in my kitchen after throwing what was probably $14 of food into the garbage and considered having another meltdown like the one in Kroger a few days before. (If you've forgotten about that, you can read about it here.)

Instead, I sniffed and pushed back the tears, and prepped a much easier lunch:

Granted this lunch wasn't elaborate (it contained grapes, a banana, a tomato with pepper, walnuts, and proscuitto), but it was tasty enough to hold me over till dinner.

I have since tried more complicated recipes with some success (and some not so great meals that I plugged my nose and ate because I already threw $14 into the trash and I ain't about that life), but in my 8 days of Whole30, I have learned to enjoy the simplistic meals like the one on the left. I've learned that meals like this one give me some of the food groups and vitamins that I need, and leaves me feeling satisfied. And some days, that's just plenty.

But, to prove that I have tried some more complicated recipes with success, here are a few other things I've made, 100% Whole30 compliant:

 (Left: Spaghetti Squash with Buffalo Chicken and Green Onion, drizzled in Homemade Ranch Dressing)


(Right: Italian Sausage and Shrimp with Zucchini, Squash, Red Pepper, Dairy-Free Cheese, and Cajun Spices)







(Left: My version of pizza: Potato with Pepperoni and Dairy-Free cheese with a side of Organic Chips and Salsa)


(Right: Grilled Italian Spice-filled Sausage, Apples with Cinnamon, and Baked Sweet Potato Rounds)





Lesson #9: It's okay to cheat just a little.

On day 4, my husband and I went back to Trader Joe's to do a second round of shopping (and a day later, I went to EarthFare to finish my grocery list). He was once again extremely patient as I spent a good hour in Trader Joe's, trying to read the ingredients listed on back of products I wanted.

While this list proved to be a life saver, I still wanted to look at a few other products not listed on that list.

What I found is that a lot of things seem totally Whole30 compliant until you get to the "Contains less than 2% of the following" list. I was getting frustrated because so many things I needed had things in that less than 2% list that were against Whole30. I finally just gave up and put a few of these things in my cart, telling my husband that if it was in a list that comprised less than 2% of the makeup of the product, I was still going to get it.


This rule has proved to be an extremely crafty one, even if it means I'm technically not following the Whole30 approved diet 100% of the time.

I think what I've learned in the last 8 days is that you have to pick your battles in everything in life, including your food.

But it's also important to do everything in moderation, including your cheats. Besides this 2% deal, I have cheated a few other times when I've taken a bite of my husband's ridiculously good-looking pizza, had a small handful of Goldfish on my way out the door, and, probably the most radical, allowed myself to put croutons in my salad tonight because I was dying for something crunchy and bad.

But you know what? If having a few croutons in my salad is the definition of being bad right now, I'll take it. It's better than my old $15 of Taco Bell trips.

Lesson #10: Listening to your body is kind of wonderful.

I'll be honest, I don't remember the last time I listened to my body before Whole30.

One of my husband and I's favorite pastimes is going to Cook Out and each getting the Trays (which comes with a hamburger and two sides) and splitting a milkshake. We even have an Official Eating Cook Out Parking Spot in a parking lot across the street from the Cook Out.

Clearly from this story, you can see that I don't listen to my body very well when it comes to eating.

But for the past 8 days, I have been listening to my body.

A prime example of this is today at lunch. For lunch, I packed a potato with dairy-free cheese and salsa, two boiled eggs, and an afternoon snack of some organic sweet potato chips. At lunch, I ate the potato with the not-cheese and salsa, and as I was reaching for the eggs, I thought, "Wait. Why am I reaching for these eggs? Am I about to eat them because I am still hungry? Or am I eating them because they are here?" I sat listening to my body for a few seconds and realized I was actually pretty satisfied and didn't need the eggs. During my afternoon break at work, I grabbed the chips and did the same thing, which resulted in me only eating half of the packed chips.

I think that's what they call Portion Control.

Whole30, you're not half bad.

But I'd still really like an Oreo now, please. With a side of greasy fries. And a burrito or six.