21DSD - Days 16, 17, and 18 - External Health

It's back to work, my friends. The glorious long weekend has passed and it's back to that same old grind, though a bit more intense right now because we're rushing to meet deadlines. I mean, we're always doing that, but one of the upcoming deadlines is a BIG one. With the rushing around that I've been doing throughout the day, I haven't been eating so great. I'm still 21DSD-acceptable, but not balanced. Let me share with you what I have been eating.

Tuesday: Breakfast: 2 eggs and 2 strips bacon, Lunch: Garden vegetable soup, Dinner: Lamb Chop (see below)

Wednesday: Breakfast: N/A, Lunch: Almond butter, carrots, and celery, Dinner: Pistachios

Thursday: Breakfast: Chili with poached egg and avocado (see below), Lunch: Chicken breast and avocado, Dinner: Chicken breast

So where's the veggies? And seriously, on Wednesday I ate nuts, nuts, carrots, celery, nuts, nuts, and nuts? What was I thinking? Bad idea. My stomach was angry, and I've realized that nuts make my face break out. Boo. Sadly, this is what happens when I go out of town, get sunburned, and not want to move. Lesson learned.

My sunburn from this past weekend got me thinking about how I take care of myself internally (I've changed the way I eat to make myself feel better), but I'm obviously not taking good (enough) care of myself externally. Sunburns are bad! Sure, the burn fades into a tan and then I look "healthy," but how is increasing my risk for a melanoma healthy? Oh wait, it's not. But Vitamin D is good for me... or at least that's what Mark Sisson keeps telling me (he's got a few posts about it). From here on out, I'm going to try to be more conscious of the condition of my skin, and to try to reapply sunscreen more frequently. I'll wear larger hats and sunglasses to protect my face, shoulders, and eyes. And I'll look into sun shirts, that I can possibly manage to wear in the brutal Texas summer.

Anyways, it got me thinking about my skin in general. I already posted previously about how I've started using coconut oil for my face and hair. And as I was thinking about my skin care regime, I realized that I had started going for the more natural/organic face washes and lotions, without truly making that my intention. As I pondered this gradual change, I decided that it made sense. Here I am, eating all of the grass-fed, free-range, organic meat that I can find, and scouring through ingredients lists to find Paleo-friendly foods with the least amount of ingredients, why wouldn't I start doing the same thing for my skin and hair?

I also happened to read a post from Hayley of Food Lovers Kitchen (http://www.primalpalate.com/blog/bye-bye-rosacea-glowing-skin-for-the-bride-to-be/) about skin care for her upcoming wedding to co-blogger Bill. She shared her skin care regime and mentioned something called oil cleansing. I know what you're thinking... how do you wash your face with oil? Here's what you need for an evening skincare regime:

Cleansing oils: Castor oil, mixed with sunflower seed oil or grapeseed oil (~1:2 ratio of castor to sunflower/grapeseed)

Moisturizing oil: Coconut oil or jojoba oil

The recommended procedure: Start by rubbing the "cleansing" oils into your skin for a few minutes. Then hold a washcloth under hot water. Wring out the cloth and apply to your face, thus "steaming" your face (if you've ever gotten a facial, you've probably had this steaming method done). Once the cloth has cooled, wipe off the oil from your face. Repeat if desired. Finish off with a thin layer of the moisturizing oil. Sleep on it. In the morning, you can either just splash your face with water, or use a mixture of water and baking soda to lightly wash your face

Personally, I don't own castor oil, so I've just been using coconut oil. Which means that my evening skin care prep before bed goes a bit like this...

1) Rub coconut oil onto face and wipe over eyes as makeup remover.

2) Place a hot washcloth on face for ~30 seconds. Wipe away makeup.

3) Rub coconut oil onto face.

4) Place a hot washcloth on face for ~30 seconds. Wipe clean.

5) Rub coconut oil onto face.

So in one evening, I use coconut oil as an eye makeup remover, a face wash, and a moisturizer. You gotta love those multi-purpose tools, or oils, as the case may be. The next time I head to the store, I plan on picking up some castor oil. But I've been doing this for 5 nights now, and so far I like it. My face feels clean, and when I wake up, even if I didn't do step 5), my face is super soft. I'll keep you posted on how it goes after more than just a few days.

For more information, check out Liz Wolfe's post here: http://cavegirleats.com/2010/12/29/cleansing-redefined/

Or find even more detail with: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

And to finish off with food... here's how I prepared my lamb chops:

Lamb Chops

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Season lamp chops with salt and pepper.

3. Cook in oven for 9 minutes per side or until internal temp reaches 140 F (if you want it cooked medium).

4. Remove from heat and let rest for 8 minutes.

21 DSD - Days 14-15 - Sunburn Relief

So, let's discuss the remainder of my Memorial Day weekend and returning to work. As I mentioned, I got super sunburned. The drive back home was misery. Most of my focus for the last couple days has been on sunburn relief. On the drive back home, we stopped at a Buc-ee's for snacks. Yeah, this is how Texans do gas stations...

I bought beef jerky. Yum! And then we stopped at a CVS located catty-corner to the Buc-ee's for me to pick up some Solarcaine spray. The aloe just wasn't enough. So I dashed into the store to get out of the sun, bought a can, and headed back outside (and into the shade) to spray myself down while my friends laughed at me from the car. It sustained me for the rest of the drive. But by the time I got dropped off at my apartment, I could barely move because my shoulders and legs were so sore and tight. I even took the elevator up to the third floor of the parking garage because I just couldn't use my arms to pick stuff up and definitely couldn't rest anything on my shoulder. I felt lazy, but it was utterly necessary.

Once I got into my apartment, I dumped everything on the floor, and dashed as quickly as I could, which was maybe closer to a waddle, to the bathroom. I carefully peeled my dress off and took a glorious, yet shiveringly cool, shower. After patting myself dry, I sprayed down with Solarcaine again, but then faced the dilemma of what to put on my sunburned forehead. Up until then, I had been applying coconut oil to my face for the sunburn, but it didn't seem to be helping much, besides keeping my skin moisturized. I then remembered reading an article a while back about how apple cider vinegar can be used for sunburn. I had some vinegar/water premixed and stored in an old shampoo bottle for use as a hair rinse in the shower, so I put some on a clean washcloth and held it against my forehead for a minute. And it seemed to draw out the heat, and felt better than the Solarcaine. I wrung out the washcloth, added fresh apple cider vinegar and water mixture, and reapplied in the following cycle: forehead, right quad, left quad, right shoulder, left shoulder, chest, and the back of the neck. Repeat again and again. I'm pretty sure I spent an hour doing that, before laying down on my couch and not moving. And I had to mix up more of the vinegar-water mixture. I finally dragged myself from my lethargy to head to the movie theater with my lake friends to see Star Trek: Into Darkness (it was awesome). After a stop to Walmart for more Solarcaine, I got home, dumped 1.5 cups of vinegar into the bath tub, and took a 40-minute cool bath. I used coconut oil as a moisturizer post-vinegar, and went to sleep happy. I seriously think that the vinegar was the better pain relief for the sunburn. The Solarcaine seems to make me feel itchy, sticky, and then dried out.

For Monday's holiday, my plans of hanging by the pool with friends got changed to sitting around my apartment, chatting, watching chick flicks, and drinking mimosas (or water if you're me). I started and ended the day with apple cider vinegar applications. And food? I was too sore and lazy to cook, so I ate beef jerky for breakfast, snacked on bell peppers that one of my friends brought over, and had bacon and eggs for dinner. It was a good, lazy day, that probably should have been spent cleaning, doing laundry, or cooking meals for the week. But what are giant Tupperware containers of frozen leftovers for, if not for lazy days?

Want to know what else apple cider vinegar is good for? Check out my post on Natural Beauty.

21DSD - Days 13-14 - I'm On a Boat...

I made it through the entire weekend without slipping with 21DSD. I'm incredibly proud of myself. I managed to have fun the entire weekend while being the sole sober individual in a large group of people. Impressive, huh? A few people even commented that they couldn't tell that I wasn't drinking... as in I was having fun, chatting, laughing, and dancing like everyone else. I didn't sit in the corner and brood while everyone lowered their inhibitions and went wild. So yay! It wasn't as bad as the last happy hour that I went to where I just felt excluded for not drinking.

Overall, it was a good weekend. My friends and I rented two pontoon boats and hung out on a lake for 6 hours on Saturday. It was a blast. However, major downside is that I managed to get incredibly sunburned. As in, I think this is the second-worst burn I've ever had. The first-worst burn consisted of my skin turning purple and scaly-like. Gross. This one, on the other hand, covered more skin - my shoulders, back of the neck, chest, stomach, arms, and thighs got burnt. Bright red, almost purple. Whenever I walk, I can feel a burn almost down to my muscles. I guess it's that my skin got tight and every time I moved it stretched the skin... painfully. Luckily, I brought aloe, and reapplied frequently Saturday night and Sunday morning, and I was in the bed closest to the A/C unit, so there were a few times during the night that I'd stand in front of the A/C and let the cold air cool down my body. Yep, you got that right, I was HOT. Damn skippy. Seriously, just walking in the sun was enough to make me cringe and exclaim "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow... ow," until I made it back into the shade. Sunburn plus sun = crazy heat = bad = sad sober Gitta. (My nickname for the weekend from my buddy DK was Sober Sister of Sunburned Sober Sister, because I wasn't drinking, and I was her "sister" from sharing a room together in Jamaica. Good times.)

Anyways, what did I eat for lunch when stuck on a boat in the middle of a lake for 6 hours? Pre-made supermarket salad sans dressing? Yep. So while everyone else made sandwiches with deli meat, cheese, mustard, mayo, and wheat bread, I hunkered down over what comparatively looked like a monstrous salad, and ate around the olives (gross) and blue cheese (double non-Paleo gross!). Basically, I ate lettuce, chicken, hard-boiled egg, and some bacon chunks. I admit, the bacon probably wasn't 100% 21DSD-friendly. I bet the bacon was made with sugar. The horror! But I'm not counting that because it wasn't enough to send me into some wild sugar-craving spin. Once I was done eating, it barely looked as though I had touched my salad. I'd say 80% of the salad was still there: lettuce, onions, olives, blue cheese, and some bacon. I brought a Ziploc bag of carrots and celery, as well as a bag of mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and pistachios), and beef jerky. I only ate the carrots while on the boat though. And when I pulled out the carrots, most of the people on the boat wanted some. Apparently, sandwiches, chips, and Cheetos puffs don't completely satisfy people. Yeah, never would have guessed that... eye rolling ensues.

The hotel we stayed at provided breakfast, but its offerings consisted of cereal, yogurt, toast, bagels, muffins, waffles, oatmeal, and hard-boiled eggs. I ate two eggs for breakfast on Saturday and on Sunday, and I supplemented that with some beef jerky after we got back to the room.

Dinner on Saturday was delicious. A group of us made the drive over to Trudy's for some yummy Tex-Mex. Trudy's is famous for their Mexican Martini, which is basically a strong margarita that comes in a large martini shaker. You're only allowed to order two, and then the waitress cuts you off. Sounds intense? It is. I order the beef fajitas, hold the tortilla. And let me tell you, that was probably the best fajita that I ever had. Seriously. It was fantastic. If you're ever in Austin, go to Trudy's. You won't regret it.

Oh, and I never shared what my pre-road trip dinner was. Chicken and eggs. I heated some olive oil in a pan over medium heat, tossed in some chicken strips with a couple dashes of coconut aminos, cooked, added whisked eggs, and made up some Stir-fry-esque chicken and eggs. Not bad when you've only got 10 minutes to cook and eat before running out the door.

21DSD Day 12 - Stay Strong

Bored with plain old water? Mix it up with lemon or lime. Or if you want to be fancy... Cucumbers!!! Because really, what's life without cucumbers in your water? It tastes so crisp and cool... like a cucumber.

I'm currently writing this in the car as my friends and I road trip to the lake for Memorial Day weekend. The song we're all singing to right now is "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker. Fun fact: Darius Rucker was the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, who just really wanted to sing country. And I mean, can you blame him? Country is awesome. So is Texas. Oh, and he's awesome, too.

Anyways, I'm mentally preparing myself for saying "no" to alcohol. As I mentioned, it's really hard to go out with a huge group of friends who are all drinking and not join in. I mean, my mom even said that it wouldn't be a big deal if I just had a drink... She wants me to have fun and not feel like the sober outsider, which can happen sometimes.

But I'm just reminding myself of the reasons to stay strong:

1. It's just plain good for my body.

2. My body will thank me tomorrow when I'm not hungover.

3. I'll be one of the few people with a clear recollection of the events of the evening.

4. I get to avoid filling myself with empty calories devoid of any nutritional value.

5. I want to be able to say that I stuck with 21DSD without cheating or slipping. It's a pride thing.

6. My face will stay clearer by staying away from the sugars in the alcohol mixers.

7. I want to win $200 in my work "Baywatch Challenge"

Speaking of the "Baywatch Challenge," I was heating up some Paleo Chili for my lunch today when I saw one of my competitors pulling a Lean Cuisine out of the microwave. It just made me think of the days when I used to eat microwave dinners. I did it for years, even back in high school because my schedule was so crazy with school, studying, and my abundance of extra-curriculars. I just remember always feeling hungry after I finished eating it. It just didn't seem like enough food, yet I was always worried about my total calorie count for the day, so I just sucked it up... Until I couldn't restrain myself anymore and I attacked the snacks. Not so good for weight loss. So today, when I tucked into a large bowl of Paleo Chili, I silently thanked the Paleo gods... Jk, I felt immensely grateful that my "Twin" (the other half of my crew team's stroke pair) introduced me to Paleo. Granted it took her a few years of telling me how great she felt to get me to try changing my eating habits, but it finally happened.

Though eating Paleo takes a lot longer and it makes me that person at restaurants when I say "I'll have the special, hold the bread and the sauce and the potatoes, and can I get a salad instead of that cheesy nonsense," I still prefer the foods that I'm eating. I don't think I can rave enough about how great my meals end up tasting in comparison to how i used to eat. Going Paleo forced me to hone my cooking skills. Don't believe me? Just ask my ex... He was the cook in our relationship; I was the baker. I attribute that to the fact that I love to bake from scratch and raw meat used to terrify me. Baking just seemed like the better option for me. But I've adjusted. I still love baking way more than cooking, but I enjoy cooking now, and it's not so much of a chore anymore. Yay!

21DSD Day 11 - Prosciutto on a Burger? Yummmm

First off: Hell yes! Half-way through! 11 days down. 10 more to go. And I managed to go all of today at work without snacking. Amazing!

In sad news, it was one of my friends last days at work with my company. He's switching to a different company a couple miles down the road where he can hang out with two of our other friends. I'm happy for him, but super sad that he's leaving my cubicle bay. Who will I talk to about awesome cooking knives, or Paleo, or working out, or things like the Engineer's Guide to Cats (http://youtu.be/mHXBL6bzAR4)? So, we may have taken a sanity break from work last Saturday (yes, work on a Saturday) to watch a little bit of cat yodeling... don't judge.

Anyways, back to 21DSD... I lasted 48 hours without any nuts. And it was glorious. But, when hunger starts calling, and you're at a restaurant where everything on the menu would need serious tweaking to make it 21DSD-friendly, then sometimes you cave in and eat the handy nuts. And that I did. I ate pistachios. I admit it. And I can tell you that within a few minutes of eating them, my stomach started grumbling at me. Bad sign? Please don't tell me that my body doesn't like pistachios. They're so yummy! We'll see what happens after a week without nuts when I try them again.

It's probably is a better idea to go off of nuts next week anyways. I'm celebrating the long weekend with some friends and there will be roughly 8 hours where I won't have access to a fridge, a store, or a stove, so I need something to sustain me, that's preferably not a sandwich that I have to eat the insides out of. I'm thinking that nuts may suffice for part of that. I'm still trying to figure out for sure what I'm going to bring with me. Carrots and celery are definitely on the menu, and I just chopped up quite a bit of those tonight in preparation. I'll keep you posted on what I end up eating.

Anyways, here's one of the ways that I tossed together toppings for a 21DSD-friendly burger (man, I really wish that I could have continued the "t" alliteration there)... 

Guacamole - Prosciutto Burger

So, this is simple. Grill, fry, or broil your ground beef. Then top with guacamole, tomato, mini-bell pepper slices, and a slice of prosciutto. Wrap with iceberg lettuce (I find iceberg is the best for wrapping). Then open that gaping hole in your face, and insert burger. Chew. Swallow. Repeat. 

And yep, I got fancy and added prosciutto to my burger. Just keepin' it classy, y'all. Try to contain your jealousy... jk. Go out and get the makings yourself. Then you can enjoy the yumminess, too!

21DSD Day 10 - Feeling Good

I mentioned the other week that my co-workers and I are doing a weight loss competition with $200 in the pot. As of today, I'm winning with a loss of 4% of my body weight. One of my co-workers asked how I did it, and my response was, "I gave up sugar and alcohol." I find that most people would be willing to give up sugar, but not alcohol. Fortunately, I am one of the few who cares about my health enough to try to give my body a break, and let me tell you, there's something awesome about not having crazy food or alcohol hangovers. I haven't had too many bad headaches and I haven't had any instances where I ate grains or dairy and ended up passed out on the couch because my head felt so foggy and my body so lethargic that I had no other choice.

I get daily emails about 21DSD that correspond with my start date. One of the cool things about the e-book is that it grants you access to daily emails based on the start date of your choice. So I've woken up to a new email from Diane Sanfilippo every day for the last 10 days. I haven't really needed much motivation, but it's a nice reminder every morning that I'm going to eat healthy today.

Speaking of food. Today was a atypical day for me. I wasn't hungry this morning. Seriously, I didn't eat any breakfast and I really only ate lunch because I attended a lunch and learn on career development, at which they provided food. Our lunch consisted of assorted deli sandwiches, so I grabbed a few of the choices, pulled off the bread and cheese, and had a mediocre lunch of ~1 chicken breast, a slice of ham, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. I figured that I should eat something today, and 11:30 a.m. seemed like a good time to start. I snacked on 6 carrots around 2:30 p.m., and then ate two eggs and some coconut butter at 9 tonight, which is a late dinner for me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I ate when I was hungry. I wasn't snacking incessantly throughout the day which is what my normal reaction is to a day at work. Usually, I'm either stressed or bored, and as I already admitted to y'all, I tend to eat when I experience those emotions/states of being. I'm pretty excited about not craving chocolate all day, which is really detrimental when I know that one of my co-workers keeps a supply available at her desk. On the bright side, she does know that I gave up sugar, so if I come wandering over and raid the candy stash, she'll know, as will some of my other co-workers. Accountability, people. Use it! If you're doing a 21DSD, spread the word. Some people may try to peer-pressure you into cheating or slipping, but others may cheer you on... or at least make you feel guilty if you start to dig into a bar of chocolate.

So maybe this is an improvement in my eating habits? Stay tuned...

21DSD Day 9 - Other Cravings

Well, I haven't had too many sugar cravings during these past 9 days. I have had a few sugar desires - I wouldn't even describe them as cravings, because they haven't been that intense. Anyways, it's mainly me wanting a piece of fruit. However, the thing that I've turned to instead of fruit is nuts, which I'm not too keen about. I mean, I like nuts. Obviously, I've been eating them because I want them. But I think I want them, because I want something "sweet" or dessert-like to eat. Meaning, I think I'm just replacing fruits and sugars with nuts. Probably not the best idea. It's something that I need to work on.  I think my stomach would appreciate it. So starting tomorrow, I'm going to try to go for a few days without nuts, too. Let's summarize the things I'm not eating, shall we?

No grains

No fruits

No processed anything

No legumes

No sweet potatoes

No white potatoes

No winter squash

No cashews (yeah, they're a no-no for 21DSD)

No dairy

No alcohol

No coffee (but that's not an issue)

No soda

No soy products (I've made an exception for gum, with it's soy lecithin, due to flying. If I don't chew on gum while hurling through the atmosphere, my ears scream, I cry, and it's just an all-around bad time.)

And pumpkin is a limit food, by the way. So if you tried making the Pumpkin Cookies from the other day, go ahead and enjoy them, but remember this: limit it to 1 cup serving per day. So don't go too wild with them. You're also allowed a green-tipped banana or green apple per day, but I don't eat green apples because they make my stomach unhappy, and ... I have no reason for the banana, besides I don't want to.

Nuts and seeds and their associated butters are on the yes list, but I'm choosing to remove those for a few days. Wish me luck.

And for something that's absolutely nut-free:

Breakfast Scramble (serves 4-6, depending on your portion size)

~ 1/2 lb leftover meat of your choice (chicken in my case)

1/4 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 cup cauliflower, chopped

1 bell pepper (or 3 mini bell peppers), chopped

6 eggs

2 Tbls olive oil

1/4 cup water

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the veggies and water. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes.

2. Add in your meat, cooking until hot.

3. Whisk your eggs in a separate bowl and then add to the pan. Stir frequently until all of the egg has been cooked. Serve hot.

21DSD Day 8 - Chemo

Well folks, I'm back in Atl to be with my parents for this next round of chemo. Yesterday we just took things easy. We took the dogs for two walks, finished one puzzle, and watching Rise of the Guardians and Resident Evil: Resurrection. I really enjoyed the first one. I thought it was super cute and funny. Resident Evil was a bit of a let down though. I've been a faithful Resident Evil since I watched the second film during my senior year of high school, probably slightly becasue of the movie itself, but mainly because of the good memories I associate with it. (Yes, you heard that right. Zombie movie = good times. I'm weird, right?) Anywho, we stayed busy, while still taking it easy. I whipped up some steak and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner.

And got to use my parents' handy Wustof Silverpoint steak knives. Yep, they copied me because of how much I raved about my set.

Today we spent about 4 hours at the facility, which is a lot less than what we expected. The doctors started the chemo drip slowly (50 mL/h, then 100, 150, 200, and 300 after 30-minute intervals) in order to watch for any signs of allergic reaction, which of course kicked in after about 45 minutes. The allergic reaction we got today was a "weird-feeling," slightly itchy throat. We notified the nurse (Vanessa is really helpful), and they paused the chemo and started up a steroid drip to stop the reaction. The doctor basically told the nurse to use whatever drugs (steroids, anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, etc.) she thought we needed, considering all of the issues we encountered with the supposedly "nicer" chemo drug. After the steroid we progressed without a hitch.

We then headed home to start a new puzzle, (maybe you can tell that we like puzzles?), and eat a late lunch. We brought some food to snack on while we were at the doctor's office, but it didn't count as a meal. I brought a sugar-free chicken-andouille sausage, some proscuitto, and a mixture of almonds, pistachios, pecans, and pumpkin seeds.

After about an hour working on the puzzle, we took a nap break because some light-headedness and tiredness had set in. We checked temperature and blood pressure just to make sure there wasn't any fever, which is a concern if it goes over 100 F, or anything like that. I headed back to the puzzle after placing a trash can next to the bed just in case and leaving the yorkies in the room to "keep an eye on things" (Yes. The two 8-lb dogs are worriers and will stick close by when they know something isn't quite right.) A couple hours later, we were pulling together some dinner before calling it an early night, with some Benadryl to hopefully prevent any other possible side effects.

In summary, things are going well so far. Fingers crossed that the good continues!

And just to leave you with some comfort food, here's a garden vegetable soup recipe I made last week:

Garden Vegetable Soup

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup tomato puree

3/4 cup water

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

1 14-oz. can tomato puree

2 cups carrots, sliced

2 cups celery, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbls olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1. Toss everything into a large stock pot. Heat over medium-high heat on the stove for 2 hours.

Man, again with the one-step recipes. Awesome, right?

21DSD Day 7 - Paleo Chili

Slow Cooker Paleo Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
24 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 cups beef broth

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeno

1 small yellow onion

2 Tbls parsley, chopped

1 Tbls cumin

1 Tbls chili powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1. Toss everything together into the crock pot. Set for low - 8 hours. And you're done. (Don't you just love it when there's only one step? At least after you chop everything.)

21DSD Day 6 - Traveling

Yesterday was a busy day. I started out by waking up at 6:15 to go to crew practice, then skipping team breakfast to come home, shower, change, and pack. All before heading into work. Yes, I worked on a Saturday. Fortunately, I just put in a half day (which is 5 hours for me) and then booked it to the airport to catch a late flight out to Atlanta.

So how did I prepare for airplane travel? For snacks, I chopped up some carrots to bring with me in a Ziploc bag and I mixed together some raw almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. I also made some Pumpkin Cookies to bring along. I know what you're thinking... cookies? On 21DSD? Either I'm cheating, or it tastes terrible. Again, I think how it tastes depends on how much sugar you've been eating lately. Since I haven't been eating any sugar for the past 6 days, the Pumpkin Cookies didn't taste so bad. They're more savory cookies anyways.

Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 cup almond butter

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 egg, whisked

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Also, line a couple baking sheets with tinfoil and spread some coconut oil over it, for easy clean-up.

2. Mix together the almond butter, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.

3. Stir in the whisked egg.

4. Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to place onto the baking sheet.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before trying to remove from the pan.

And that's as sweet as you get for a 21DSD cookie.

21DSD Day 5 - Recap

Well folks, I didn't exactly follow my meal plan, partially because lunch was provided during the training I took, partially because I wasn't in the mood for the things I made, or because I just wasn't hungry at times.

So here’s what I actually ate this week:

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Monday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad, Hard-boiled Egg	Dijon Mustard Chicken with Roasted Brussels sprouts	Carrots, Celery, Pistachios
Tuesday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Salad with Pan-Fried Chicken, Salmon, and Steamed Broccoli	Paleo Chili with Mashed Parsnips and Roasted Broccoli	Carrots, Celery, Almonds, Coconut Flakes, Pistachios
Wednesday	Paleo Chili, Hard-boiled Egg	Pork Loin and Chicken with Mixed Greens	Dinner Out: Italian Chicken	Carrots, Celery, Almonds, Pistachios, Hard-boiled Egg
Thursday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Beef and chicken with Mixed Greens and Steamed Broccoli	Dinner Out: Ahi Tuna Sashimi	Carrots, Celery, Almonds, Pistachios
Friday	Hard-boiled Egg	Paleo Chili with salad	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata, Hard-boiled Egg, Carrots	Carrots, Celery, Pistachios, Hard-boiled Egg
Saturday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup and Cucumber	Garden Vegetable Soup	Carrots, Celery, Almonds, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Cookies

I've frozen probably half of the Garden Vegetable Soup, Paleo Chili, and Mashed Parsnips. That means I don't have to cook next week. Sweet!

21DSD Day 4 - Temptation

So I didn't manage to get this posted last night... forgive me?

Anyways, last night was probably the most I've been tempted to break the 21DSD/Whole 30 so far. I got out of my training session early so I made it on time to a happy hour in honor of one of my co-workers leaving my company and moving a few miles down the road to a different company. And do you know how lame it is to go to a happy hour and not drink? Super lame. It was fine at first, but as the evening wore on and everyone around me was drinking, it became not as much fun for me. I stayed strong against peer pressure, but it ended up with me heading home early.

Dijon Mustard Chicken

1 lb chicken breast, chopped into ~ 1" pieces
1 Tbls olive oil
1 and 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water

1. Once you've cut the chicken, place it in a Ziploc bag with the olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, and dried basil. Let sit in the fridge for a couple hours.
2. Heat a tsp of a fat of your choice (olive oil, coconut oil, bacon fat) over medium heat in a pan. Toss in the chicken breast, cooking until done.
3. Add in the Dijon mustard, water, and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Let the mustard mix bubble around the chicken until it's reduced down to your desired consistency.

21DSD Day 3 - Mashed Parsnips

I've been in training sessions for the past two days. Because you never know what you're going to get when it comes to the food that's provided, I planned on bringing my own lunches and snacks. It turns out that I can find something to eat for lunch, but I would still need my own snacks. Yesterday for lunch I ate mixed greens with pan-fried chicken, two small pieces of salmon, and steamed broccoli. Today we had pork loin and braised chicken legs/wings. The food is mediocre, but it'll do, and it's less strange for me to eat large portions of meat than it is for me pull out my own foods while everyone else is eating the provided food.

Today was a bit harder to deal with the sugar cravings and temptations. After my meeting today, we had a dinner out at an Italian restaurant. We were offered wine before dinner and with the meal. I think that was the hardest part: saying no to wine. Everyone else was drinking and some people questioned why I wasn't drinking. Instead of explaining that I'm in the midst of a Whole 30 and 21DSD, I just said that I wasn't drinking because I was driving. That seemed to be a good enough excuse for everyone. Another thing I wanted was to have something other than water. But when you go to a restaurant, your options for drinks generally include alcohol, soda, iced tea, and water. Obviously there are some variations, but not many.

There were three courses: soup or salad, entree, and dessert. Oh, and fresh-baked bread. I had a caprese salad which is tomato, basil, and mozzarella (I had tomato and basil), chicken with mushrooms and spinach, and no dessert. Though oh buddy did I want that cheesecake when it came out. Yum. Anyways, enough about my struggles, here's a recipe you can use while doing Whole 30 or 21DSD.

Mashed Parsnips

1 lb parsnips

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp dried parsley

2 Tbls ghee

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Set water to boil in a medium pot on the stove.
2. Wash and peel the parsnips as you would a carrot. Here's the before...

and after shots.

2. Cut the parsnips into chunks and place in the boiling water. Add in all of the ingredients and boil until the parsnips are tender ~ 20 minutes.

3. Drain the liquid (but don't toss it yet).

4. Transfer the parsnip pieces and 1/4 cup of the liquid you set aside to a blender or use an immersion blender in the pot to puree. Add more liquid if you want it a bit smoother, but don't add too much or it'll get runny.

Optional: Instead of using the cooking liquid, you can use coconut milk to make the mashed parsnips a bit creamier.

21DSD Day 2 - Chicken, Spinach, and Artichoke Frittata

Chicken, Spinach, and Artichoke Frittata

6 eggs

2 Tbls ghee

1 Tbls olive oil

1/2 cup diced artichoke hearts

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 lb chicken breast, diced

1 leek, green and white parts, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Heat 2 Tbls ghee over medium-low heat in a pan. Once melted, add in the sliced leeks. These will cook while the frittata is cooking.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in an oven-safe pan. Once hot, toss in the chicken and cook until thoroughly cooked.

4. When the chicken is cooked, add in the artichokes, spinach, garlic salt and pepper, cooking until thawed.

5. Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan with the chicken, spinach, and artichokes. Cook for about 5 minutes until the eggs on the bottom have solidified a bit. (Pssst... Don't forget to stir the leeks)

6. Transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 20 minutes or until the entire concoction has solidified. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes. By this time the leeks should have caramelized. Serve with a topping of leeks.

The Break-Up

Today, I broke up… with my sugar cravings. I decided to start the 21 Day Sugar Detox (21DSD) and Whole 30. What this means is that I’m cutting out ALL added sugars AND limiting my intake of natural sugars. In other words, no fruit allowed.

The theory behind this program is that we consume more sugars and carbs than is ideal for our bodies. You know that afternoon post-lunch crash that you and your co-workers experience, especially after a big pasta lunch? That results from your body’s reaction to carbs. When you consume carbs and sugars, your blood sugar (glucose) level increases. Insulin is released by the pancreas to remove the glucose from the blood stream by causing glucose uptake into the cells. This in turn leads to the blood sugar level stabilizing at its “happy” level of about 1 tsp of glucose. So when you eat a TON of carbs, your body releases a TON of insulin (“insulin spike”), which drops your blood sugar level quickly (reactive hypoglycemia). Hence the terms “sugar high” and “sugar crash." The latter of which can include side effects of light-headedness, fatigue, confusion, difficulty concentrating, headaches, irritability, and anxiety. Doesn’t sound like much fun if you ask me.

Okay, so I’ve already cut out most carbs and sugars thanks to following the Paleo lifestyle. Why in the world would I want to cut out fruits? Well, there are a couple parts to that answer.

First off, I’ve noticed that I don’t really feel like a meal is complete unless I have something sweet at the end of it. I’m sure this has resulted from the ingrained notion that I always had to eat the healthy stuff before I could eat dessert. Alas, that means that I find myself eating more at meals when I don’t finish off the meal with a sweet.

Secondly, I’m a mood eater. When I’m stressed or sad or even bored, I eat. And if I’m stressed or sad, the food I’m going for is probably going to be some sort of sweet. This has become a bit of an issue for me lately. With my family’s current experience with leukemia, I’ve found myself getting angry because I’ve been feeling helpless. Not only have I been upset that someone in my family has to go through brutal sessions of chemo, but I’m also over 800 miles away from my parents and therefore feel even more helpless. Because of this combination, my mood hasn’t been great. What I’ve noticed since the diagnosis is that my chocolate and alcohol intake has increased significantly, which has led to roughly 10 extra pounds around my middle in the past three months. Cue the vicious cycle. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to break this emotional dependency on food (and alcohol).

Thirdly, my body just feels better when I follow a strict Paleo diet. I’ve been experiencing more and more negative effects from eating dairy and/or grains and consuming alcohol. For instance, last Thursday I decided that I wanted to try some cheese, so I ate some Brie with gluten-free crackers for dinner. The result? My body violently reacted, waking me up at 2 am to rush to the bathroom just before the cheese came back to visit. There are times that if I have gluten, I end up sleeping it off on my couch for hours. And then I’m worthless for the rest of the day and part of the next day. As for alcohol… even if I just have one drink I tend to feel terrible for hours after I finish the drink: headachey, nauseous, and completely wiped-out. It makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy going out with friends when I know that I’m going to pay for it with my next two days’ productivity.

And finally, the fact that this happens to coincide with my workplace weight loss challenge is pure coincidence… If my other reasons aren’t enough, there’s $120 in the mix for whoever loses the highest percentage of their weight. It’s a good motivator to stay on track.

Tell me more about 21DSD…

The 21DSD has three levels of detox that you can do. Level One is for beginners: those who still eat grains and refined foods and low-fat dairy (basically the typical American diet) and have never done the sugar detox before. Level Two basically has the same criteria, except that you have done the sugar detox before. And the last and most intense level is Level Three is for us Paleo-ites, who lead a grain-free life, eat full-fat dairy products (or none at all), and feel that our carb/sugar cravings are just moderate (not as strong as someone doing Level One or Two).

There aren’t a ton of differences among the three options. Level Two requires the elimination of legumes, and Level Three means you also need to eliminate dairy, except for ghee (clarified butter).

I’ll give you one guess as to which level I’m doing.

If you chose Three you are correct! But that’s not surprising. I’m an all-or-nothing sort of gal.

Here’s what I plan on eating for the week:

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Monday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad	Lemon-Basil Chicken with Roasted Brussels sprouts	Carrots, Celery, Pistachios, Roasted Broccoli
Tuesday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Paleo Chili with salad and Brussels sprouts	Paleo Chili with Mashed Parsnips and Roasted Broccoli	Carrots, Celery, Almonds
Wednesday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad and Roasted Broccoli	Dinner Out: Italian Chicken	Carrots, Celery, Almonds
Thursday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Paleo Chili with salad	Dinner Out: Ahi Tuna	Carrots, Celery, Almonds
Friday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad	Paleo Chili	Carrots, Celery, Pistachios
Saturday	Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Frittata	Paleo Chili with salad	Garden Vegetable Soup with Greek Salad	Carrots, Celery, Almonds, Walnuts

Paleo Gyros

Paleo Gyros

1 lb meat (beef, lamb, etc.)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 Tbls marjoram
1 Tbls dried rosemary, finely chopped or ground if you can
1 tsp sea salt
5 leaves of red butter lettuce, washed and carefully separated

1. Mix together the olive oil, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, and sea salt.

2. Place the meat in a plastic bag and pour the olive oil mixture in as well. Shake the bag to coat evenly. Let rest in the fridge for a couple hours.
3. Cook the meat on a pan over medium heat for a couple minutes per side, or until cooked to the level you desire.
4. Slice the meat and serve over red butter lettuce with cucumbers (and tomatoes if you want).