W30D17

Hey, guess what? I just realized that we're over halfway through with this Whole 30. Rock on! It hasn't been too bad so far, if you exclude my Saturday Irish stew consumption, but that was a brief hiccup. I have to admit that I've been fighting off the urge to sneak a piece of dark chocolate. Notice that I used the word "sneak," because I know that I shouldn't be eating it so I feel like I'd need to hide it. I've fought off the urge for the past two nights. Want to know my motivation for saying no? Of course you do... It's the fact that I'd have to call up Jay and confess that I ate dark chocolate during a Whole 30. That's a definite no-no. And after I called him, I'd post it on here. For all of you to read. Yeah, it's good to be held accountable by someone other than just yourself.

I really need to start going to bed earlier. I'm not sure how exactly to make this happen, because I keep finding myself writing these posts and finally replying to emails at the end of each day. Because I stayed up till 11:30 last night, it took me a while to get moving this morning. I snoozed my 5:00 a.m., 5:15 a.m., and 5:30 a.m. alarms, and finally got up at 5:50 to shuffle over to my rowing machine and get a morning workout in. Note to self: Don't get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom... There is a 7' long rowing machine in your way.

Now on to the yummy stuff.

Rosemary Lamb Chop

1 lb lamb chop

4 Tbls olive oil

2 Tbls chopped rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

1. Mix 2 Tbls olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper together. Rub mixture into the meat, cover, and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or more.

2. Heat the remaining two Tbls olive oil over high heat in an cast iron pan (or something capable of going into the oven). Once hot, add the lamb chop and sear on each side for 3-4 minutes.

3. Transfer to 400 F oven and cook for 4-5 minutes. (optional)

4. Move the lamb chops to a plate or cutting board and cover with tin foil. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Then eat up.

ECD9: 45 minutes rowing + 15 minutes practicing inversions (a.k.a. head stands). I'm getting closer to being able to hold it for more than 5 seconds.

W30D16

What can I do with all of that chicken that I roasted the other day? Easy. Time to pull out that crock pot...

Spinach, Pepper, and Chicken Quiche

12 eggs

1 cup coconut milk

2 cups shredded chicken (for me, this was all of the meat from the wings and thighs)

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 cup chopped bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp hot sauce (cayenne pepper)

1. Whisk the eggs and coconut together. Mix in the spices.

2. Spread the chicken, spinach, and peppers in the bottom of the crockpot.

3. Pour in the egg and coconut mixture.

4. Set crockpot on high and cook for 2.5 hours.

5. Slice into six pieces and serve.

Look at that thick slice of quiche. Isn't it pretty?

ECD8: 1 hour Krav Maga Flex (yoga)

W30D15

I woke up this morning and decided that I wanted to fast today. At the time of this post, I'll have gone without food for 27 hours. I don't know all of the reasons why, but I always feel GREAT when I fast. I have no stomach issues, no headaches, and consistent energy levels. I even worked out tonight. I did 45 minutes on my rowing machine and then spent 15 minutes doing yoga stretches and working on inversions (a.k.a. head stands).

I really need to research fasting some more, because as great as I feel now, not eating for extended periods of time is just not going to work for me. So I need to figure out what it is that I'm eating that is causing me to have lingering stomach issues. Thoughts anyone?

Roast Chicken

4 lb free-range chicken

2 Tbls olive oil

3 tsp salt

3 tsp pepper

1 lemon

4 cloves garlic, smashed

2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 2" pieces

10 carrots, roughly chopped

1 yellow onion, thickly sliced

1 bunch celery, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven or roaster to 350 F.

2. Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken. Pat dry and then coat with olive oil.

3. Rub 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp pepper into the skin of the bird. Make cuts in the skin near the wings of the bird and use the holes to rub salt and pepper under the skin as well.

4. Rub the remaining salt and pepper on the inside of the bird.

5. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the lemon on the inside of the bird. Then place the lemon halves and the smashed garlic cloves into the chicken.

6. Spread the sweet potatoes, onion, carrots, and celery chunks across the bottom of the pan. Use a rack to place the chicken above the vegetables.

7. Cook for 1 hour (roughly 15 minutes per pound of chicken). Halfway through, baste the chicken and drain off the liquid in the bottom of the pan; this will make sure the bottom of the chicken gets crispy as well.

ECD7: 45 minutes rowing machine, 15 minutes yoga

W30D13-14

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned... That's how it goes, right? Or at least that's what I've seen in the movies. Anyways, I have a confession... I did not stick with Whole 30 on Saturday. "Why?" you ask. Well here we go. Yesterday I volunteered at an Irish Stew Cook-off and Music Festival, which went from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. I stood at the entrance booth selling tickets from 10:30 until around 4:00, at which point I started to enjoy the festival a bit. I didn't have time in the morning to prep snacks for the day, so I eventually caved and ate some of the samples of Irish stew and chili that the various teams were making. Each stew was different, but I can guarantee that I ended up consuming wheat (flour used as a thickener for the stew) and dairy. So that's it. That's my confession. I didn't stick to the Whole 30. But let me tell you about the rest of my day.

After working for five and a half hours, I took a break to watch a group of Irish dancers (think Lord of the Dance) and then a performance by The Dead Rabbits, an Irish punk rock band. We then rounded up the voting jars from each booth and counted votes to see which team the festival attendees liked the best, and started taking down signs and tables, etc. We reached a lull where there wasn't much left to do so most of us just hung around drinking and chatting. As the sun set, and some of the folks continued to consume the beer that was free for volunteers (don't worry, I didn't drink any beer), the group got a bit louder and a bit more rowdy, which proved for a very entertaining evening. The band started an impromptu acoustic session, which was fantastic. There's something about drunk Irishmen singing that just warms my soul and makes me smile. Sure, that may be a bit odd, but I don't see how you wouldn't enjoy watching a group of men singing in harmony.

We started to disperse so two of the the volunteers and I headed into the bar that hosted our festival to hang out with some other lovers of Irish culture. While we were inside, I made some new friends. These new friends happened to be some guys from a MC. Yep, that's right... a motorcycle club. You're probably like me and immediately thought of Sons of Anarchy, but they assured me that they're really just a group of guys that like to ride motorcycles. The reason why we started talking was because I got involved in their discussion of health insurance costs. It got rather political for a while, but it still remained a great day overall.

The greatness continued today with a Paleo Meetup. We went to a restaurant that specializes in wild game, such as elk, antelope, yak, camel, kangaroo, etc. And yes, I tried ALL of those today! The restaurant gave us a couple sampler platters for our group of 25. What a turnout!

I decided on the yak burger, bunless and cheeseless, of course. It had a different flavor than beef, but wasn't so wildly different that I had a hard time believing it was a burger. Yummy. To be honest, my favorite meat was camel. It's a bit fattier and it tasted great. Try it out if you have the chance!

ECD5: 1 hour walk (+6 hours of standing/running errands at the festival)

ECD6: 1 hour walk (to/from the grocery store - 3 miles total)

W30D12

ECD4: 2 hours of Primal activity.

Today I did my first so-called Primal workout. It wasn't high intensity, but I definitely felt tired during and after it. What can I say? Running around the park and crawling over and under trees and branches can wear me out. We started off the afternoon with warm-ups/stretches and then left the running path to head into the "woods." jumped over bushes, climbed trees, and bear crawled under tree limbs. After we emerged from the wooded area, we then bear crawled across the grass to a few bleachers, where we bear crawled up and down the bleachers before jumping off of the bleachers and then climbing the chain-link fence around the nearby baseball field. Yeah, we were kind of all over the place. And we had a cop watching us the entire time we crawled around. It was a bit creepy.

After crawling around for a while, we ran/weaved through some trees before finding ourselves at a playground. Man, I miss playgrounds! I think we all need to make more time for playing. Because seriously, running around on playgrounds, sliding down slides, and jumping across bridges. Why did we EVER stop doing this. After playing around there for 20 or so minutes, we headed into another wooded area that had fallen trees everywhere. (Thanks to our last hurricane for all of the excellent trees to run on.) I felt like we were running through a bog. My feet were sinking into the mud during the times we couldn't stay balanced on trees. Let me tell you, ponds/mud/bogs are a pretty good motivator for maintaining your balance.

All in all, it was awesome. I really REALLY want to do it again. I can't remember the last time that I just played around outside. I've spent time outside doing organized activities like running or rowing, but I haven't done a random jaunt around a park picking up tree limbs and throwing them around. I've got a few scrapes and bruises to show for it, but that's kind of what I signed up for, so I'm pleased with the experience.

And to go along with new things, I tried out a new Brussels sprouts recipe. What do you think?

Lemon and Onion Brussels Sprouts

2 Tbls olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

15 Brussels sprouts, halved

2 Tbls minced fresh basil

2 Tbls lemon juice

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5-10 minutes until translucent.

2. Place the Brussels sprouts, cut side down, in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes until browned. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the lemon juice and basil, cooking until the flavors have fully incorporated. Serve and enjoy.

W30D11

I just realized that I haven't eaten any fruits for the past three days. So somehow my Whole 30 has shifted into a mix of Whole 30 and 21DSD (21 Day Sugar Detox). It wasn't intentional, but I guess I have been trying to break the habit of finishing off a meal with something sweet or dessert-like, like chocolate, fruit, or nut butter. Now I kind of want to see how long I can last before I start craving fruit.

I'm somewhat regretting my decision to say goodbye to Facebook for a while, because now I just want to ask for my friends opinions on the fitbit and other biotracking devices. Although I would really prefer a device that would monitor my heart rate and walking/running speed/distance in addition to the number of steps I've taken. Is it too much to ask for everything? Does the vivofit by Garmin cover my desires?

Basil Tuna

1/2 lb tuna steak

1 Tbls olive oil

3 Tbls fresh basil, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Rub 1 Tbls of olive oil into the tuna steak.

2. Mix together the basil, salt, and pepper. Then spread over the tuna steak.

3. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking pan and set to broil on a rack 4" below the top of the oven. Cook for 4 minutes, then use tongs to flip the tuna over and cook for another 4 minutes. This got me to a medium-well tuna steak, which is a bit more than I wanted. It still tasted delicious though!

After cooking for 4 minutes on one side.

After for minutes, flipped.

After 8 minutes of cooking

ECD3: 1 hour Krav Maga

Of course we worked on throwing elbows again today, so shortly after starting to slam my right elbow into the "tombstone" (small pad), my partner looks at my elbow and asks "Are you okay?!?" I've got blood smeared all over my elbow and partly onto my forearm from scraping off the fresh scab from Wednesday morning's class. And there's blood on the pad as well. Lovely. So I do a few more, despite the worsening wound, and then run off to grab two disinfecting wipes. One to clean off my elbow (Ahhhhh! It BURNS!), and one to clean the pad before I switch to my opposite elbow. During one of the breaks where the instructor focused a bit more on technique, I run over to my purse where I had a roll of stretchy tape and wrap up my elbow to make sure I don't spread blood everywhere. Despite reapplying a fresh wrap after class and removing it once I got home, I have a nice red, itchy, burning rash where the tape was. Because of course, I'm allergic to tape. I know that I have allergic reactions to band-aids and medical tape, and have ever since the summer of 2003. I don't know what happened 11 years ago in the formula for the adhesive used in band-aids and all types of medical tape (including "sensitive-skin"), but over the course of one month, my grandmother up in Minnesota, my mother in Atlanta, and me in Valdosta, GA for summer camp, ALL developed allergic reactions to adhesive. What gives? The doctors didn't know what it was so they labeled it as a latex allergy and it's stuck in my records ever since, though I'm find with latex as long as you don't attach an adhesive to it.

W30D10

Well, I managed to wake up at 4:58 a.m. to get my ass over to my Krav Maga studio for their 5:25 a.m. Meta (metamorphosis/boot camp) class, followed by the 6 a.m. Krav Maga 1 class. In the 30 minutes of Meta, I did 66 burpees, 54 hollow rocks, 54 kettle bell push-presses, 54 up-down planks, and 54 Krav get-ups. We were supposed to do more, but I did move fast enough... for good reason, I was exhausted. We worked on elbows, knees, head-butts, and side choke holds today. By the time I got done with my Krav class, I had scraped off the skin of my right elbow due to throwing elbows against a pad, had gotten elbowed in the head more times that I could count, and had a slightly rug-burned neck from snatching my partner's hands away from it and out of the choke hold. Yeah, it can get a bit violent, but I always leave feeling happy and energetic. Right now, roughly 16 hours after the start of my first workout, I'm starting to feel the muscle soreness. I can only imagine what tomorrow is going to be like.

I'm thinking about getting a Fitbit. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Is it worth getting one?

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stuffed Peppers

(this is pretty similar to a recipe I posted last year, with some differences)

1 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 1" pieces

3 bell peppers, whichever color you want

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 small jalapeno, finely diced

2 tsp chili pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbls lime juice

2 Tbls olive oil

1 sweet potato

1. Mix your ingredients together in a large bowl or gallon-sized plastic bag. Toss/shake until the chicken is evenly coated. Cover/seal and place in the fridge for an hour or two. Take a break, read a book, or cook other things.

2. In the meantime or after you get back to cooking after your break, heat your oven to 400 F. Prick your sweet potato with a fork all over and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Then chop up half to all of the sweet potato into 1 cm chunks. Set aside.

3. Remove for chicken/veggie mixture from the oven and spread on a pan. Cook in the 400 F for 25-30 minutes until almost completely done.

4. While this is cooking, slice the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds.

5. Mix together the chicken and the sweet potatoes and stuff into the peppers.

6. Place on a pan and cook for 30 minutes, or until peppers have softened.

ECD2: 30 minute boot camp style + 1 hour Krav Maga

W30D9

This round of Whole 30 isn't going as well as some of my others. Usually I feel better within a few days of starting a round of what I term super-strict Paleo. I normally feel more energetic, I sleep better, my stomach gives me no issues, and so on. My skin has gotten a bit better on this round, but it's still isn't clear. I'm not as bloated as I was the morning that I started (1" from my waist to be exact).

I guess part of it probably comes down to the fact that I've continued to consume alcohol for the last week, which means I'm technically not doing a Whole 30. While I'm not drinking on a daily basis, I'm thinking that I'd probably feel better if I cut out the alcohol completely. The problem is that I like drinking alcohol with friends. So I'm making my own rule: no alcohol Sunday through Thursday. In addition to this, I'm no longer going to watch TV shows on my iPad just before bed. I'm not going to cut TV out completely, because I fully intend on watching some of the Olympics which starts up this weekend, but not watching it while laying in bed is probably a good idea and will help me fall asleep more quickly. Starting today, I'm also cutting myself off from facebook, excluding my blog posts to my facebook page: Adventures in Paleo-land. I seem to have a lot of caveats to everything. Here's the complete list of my new rules:

1. No alcohol Sunday through Thursday
2. No TV at night, except for the Olympics, but not within 1 hour of bed time
3. No social media
4. Exercise every day -- The most important of the bunch!

According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise...

1. controls weight
2. combats health conditions and diseases
3. improves mood
4. boosts energy
5. promotes better sleep
6. puts a spark back into your sex life
7. can be fun

And based on the article "Physical Activity and the Prevention of Depression: A Systemic Review of Prospective Studies" by George Mammen and Guy Faulkner, moderate exercise can both treat and prevent depression. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2013; 45(5):649–657.

I'm really bad about exercising these days. I need a goal or some sort of punishment if I don't exercise. Which is why I'm having my parents hold me accountable. If I don't exercise in some form, whether it's a walk, yoga, rowing, or Krav Maga, for at least 1 hour per day (barring the plague/flu or serious injury), I have to pay my parents $100 each. That's $200 that I could devote to shopping or travel or eating out. And that's $200 that my parents get to hold over me. I don't like failing. And I really don't like giving my money away when I have control over the cause. Plus, if I win, my parents have to buy me a steak dinner. Yum! So wish me luck.

Exercise Challenge Day (ECD) 1: 1 hour Krav Maga Flex (somewhat intense yoga)

Spicy Pepper Frittata

6 eggs

1 1/2 Tbls coconut oil

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced green pepper

2 minced jalapeno

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Heat 1 Tbls coconut oil in a medium oven-proof pan. Add the onions, green pepper, jalapeno and spices to the pan, cooking for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the last 1/2 Tbls of coconut oil and spread across the pan. Pour in the whisked eggs, and cook for 2 minutes or until the eggs at the bottom of the pan start to firm up.

4. Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the eggs are thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan, slice, and serve. I ate mine with a quarter of an avocado.

W30D8

I'm sure I mentioned this the other day, but I've been listening to some of the interviews available through PaleoCon for the past week. I definitely recommend heading over there now to check out the interview with George Bryant of Civilized Caveman before the interview gets removed from the website. Go now! It's a really personal interview that covers some of George's struggles to turn his life around and be happy and healthy.

While I haven't had the same struggles as George, I've been thinking lately that I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I think about it A LOT, whether it's planning my next meal, or feeling bored or upset and wanting to eat something to break up the monotony. I'm also pretty terrible at moderation. One of my "healthier" weaknesses is dried mango. I used to dislike the taste of mango, but I learned that I am kind of obsessed with unsulphured, unsweetened dried mango. And though a serving size is maybe a couple slices, I can down an entire bag in one sitting, which is something like 4.5 servings. While I'm devouring the mango, I mentally tell myself Okay, this is your last piece. You really are full. You don't need another piece. So I stop, for like 15 seconds, and then I'm reaching in the bag again to grab more mango. Before I know it, the entire bag is gone and I'm left feeling slightly over-full, but also craving more. Hello, sweet tooth! It's a bit ridiculous how little self-control I have sometimes. I'm the same way with chocolate and gluten-free crackers. I can't have "just one."

I feel like I'm programmed for all or nothing. I'm good at restrictions or going hard-core into a sport. But if I let myself slip once and tell myself It's alright, you'll get back on track tomorrow, I start slipping all of the time. I had one piece of chocolate yesterday, so one more today won't hurt. I didn't actually have any chocolate yesterday in case you were wondering. This overeating trend also ties into the fact that sugars and grains are addicting. In one of the PaleoCon presentations today, the interviewee mentioned that sugar is more addicting than cocaine. WHAT?!?! And sugar is in so many things that you wouldn't expect, like bacon. There were at least five people that I talked to this weekend alone who were shocked to hear that there's added sugar in most bacon. Yep. Sorry folks. If I'm buying bacon at the store, I spend at least five minutes reading the labels of all of the brands and end up settling for whichever option is the most organic and is nitrate-free. It's tough. And I think most people in the Paleo world end up buying their meats online, such as U.S. Wellness Meat.

Chocolate Chili

1 lb grass-fed ground beef

1 onion, diced

3 cup bone broth

1 1/2 cup tomato sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 Tbls cumin

1/2 Tbls chili powder

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate (pure chocolate is kind of OK by Whole 30 standards if used as a spice, not a sweet)

1 Tbls apple cider vinegar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Heat 2 cups bone broth and ground beef over medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Cook for 30 minutes or until little liquid remains.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, stir, and cook covered for 2 hours.

3. Remove lid and cook for another 30-45 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved.

4. Serve with green onion or avocado.

W30D7

What a disappointing Superbowl game! Normally, you'd expect the game to be much more evenly matched, right? Oh well. If you're a fan of my facebook page, you'll know that I attended a superbowl watching celebration where there were significant amounts of chips, breaded snacks, and desserts. One of my friends brought some gluten-free sugar cookies that were calling my name, but I restrained myself. I ate some leftover organic hamburger and then kept myself snacking on celery and carrots with guacamole or salsa. I'm a snacker when I'm bored, so it's always best for me to have pre-chopped veggies around for me to grab instead of chocolate or nuts. While this upcoming recipe isn't a good finger food sort of snack, it's still a good vegetable side dish that's super easy to put together.

Baked Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus

2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. After rinsing the asparagus and cutting off the bottom inch of stem, put the asparagus into a gallon-sized plastic bag.

3. Add in the olive oil, seal the bag, and shake until the asparagus is evenly coated. Then sprinkle in the salt and pepper. Shake again.

4. Spread over baking sheets and bake in the oven for 17-20 minutes. Serve with hollandaise sauce or by itself.

W30D6

I don't know what it is about weekends that make me feel so darn lazy. I still worked out, cleaned, cooked, and did laundry. But I did spend 30 minutes of the day just relaxing on my un-made bed. It seems as though the dryer at my house decided to stop working after I started washing my bedding. So it's taking me hours with a combination of hanging the sheets and running the dryer on timed dry to get my sheets close to being somewhat dry. Fun, huh?

My friend Jay (of Health Nuts Anonymous - go check it out!) is doing this Whole 30 with me. It's not quite the same as having a support system with you, but it's the next best thing. It keeps me a bit more accountable than if I were just doing this alone. During our brief conversation today, we talked about our communal love of chocolate and our associated sadness in not eating chocolate for the next three weeks. Can there be a version of Whole 30 that requires the consumption of a limited amount of dark chocolate every day? Please? I think that's the thing that I've been wanting the most over this past week. Especially because it's so easy to snack on. Anyways, we also discussed fish, in particular sardines. Jay has found some excellent sardines that come in olive oil with sea salt, and because the sardines have been roasted, you can eat the spine. Um, not exactly my cup of tea, but props to him for choking that down. I'll allow that it may be good for you, but I think I'm going to need to work on Paleo for at least another couple years before I make it to eating sardine spine... if I ever get there. Don't count on it.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that even if your support system doesn't physically see you, it's still helpful having someone else do Paleo/Whole 30/21DSD with you. Sign up for newsletters, join online forums, or even just comment on blogs. Give it a go!

Paleo Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks, room temperature

1 Tbls lemon juice

1/2 cup melted ghee, this should be warm, not hot

pinch of salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Blend the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper on low for 30 seconds. Keep the blender running...
2. SLOWLY add the ghee drop by drop to the blender. If you add the ghee too quickly, the emulsion will fall apart and then you'll just have a yellow mess. No bueno. After the emulsion has formed, you can speed up a little bit to a trickle, then to a steady, but slow, stream. Continue until all of the ghee has been incorporated.

Poached Egg with Hollandaise