W30D5

I'm currently watching the end of the movie The Croods right now. And man, am I a sucker for happy endings. I'm telling you, there were tears, laughter, and shouting at the TV - all within the last ten minutes. I clearly get too emotionally invested in movies... and books... and really any story. What can I say? I've got an active imagination that lets me become fully engrossed in a character's life. Hence my long history of late-night bouts of reading. I just can't put the book down. Anyways, I'm getting off track. The Croods is a movie about a caveman family which must venture out of its comfort zone and experience new things when their cave is destroyed by an earthquake. It's cute and fun. I enjoyed watching the Croods run around chasing their prey and chucking rocks at each other. Give it a go if you've got some free time. I turned it on so that I had something to watch while I used my rowing machine in my room. I find I can keep myself going longer if I have something to keep myself entertained. When I'm on the water, its the changing (though familiar) scenery; at home, it's movies.

Well now that I've jumped from movies to books to exercise, let's cover food. Here's another pasta sauce that I made to go along with yesterday's meatballs.

Fresh Basil and Mushroom Pasta Sauce

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1/2 cup packed fresh basil, chiffonade cut

1 small yellow onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp parsley

1 tbls olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.

2. Once hot (a few drops of water will sizzle), add the onions, garlic, and half of the fresh basil. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. (Just a little note that I like my onions to be really thoroughly cooked, meaning that they tend to be extremely soft in whatever it is I'm cooking.)

3. Add in the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to medium-low (level 2 or 3 on electric stoves). Let simmer for 1 hour (you could reduce this cook time, but I think it tastes better if you let the flavors meld).

I layered the spaghetti squash, pasta sauce, and meatballs in my Mason jar that made splitting it up into two lunches during work super easy.

W30D4

I'm admitting a slip-up when it comes to the Whole 30. I had alcohol tonight with some of my current and former co-workers. I started Whole 30 with the knowledge that I already had plans to consume alcohol during the 30 days. I totally understand the reasons why I shouldn't consume alcohol and I know how alcohol affects my bodily functions. I also firmly believe that our ancestors did not have easy access to fermented beverages. So while I believe that they probably had irregular access to some sort of alcoholic beverages/materials, I don't believe that it would be a commonly consumed product. However, I also recognize the fact that while I do follow a Paleo lifestyle, the foods, whether they be meat or vegetables, that I eat now are not the same foods as what my Paleolithic ancestors eat. Food products have evolved (or been genetically engineered) to be different from what humanoids ate 10,000 years ago. The cow meat that I buy at a store now, is not the same as what would have been hunted and killed by our ancestors. Just accept that fact. I do recommend that you should aim for grass-fed meat whenever possible. And speaking of grass-fed meat...

Spinach Meatballs
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 egg

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine all of the ingredients together using your hands.
3. Roll into 1" diameter balls and spread across broiler pan.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

5. Serve with spaghetti squash and pasta sauce or pesto sauce.

W30D3

OMG this pesto sauce is YUMMY! If I hadn't restrained myself, I might have eaten the entire jar of pesto sauce. Who needs "pasta"? I was eating it by the spoonful, but it tastes damn good with the spaghetti squash and meatballs.

Pesto

4 oz fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic
3/4 tsp sea salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup EVOO

1. Place the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes into a food processor.

2. Process until smooth.

3. Slowly pour in the EVOO. Stop a couple times to scrape down the sides of your food processor bowl, if needed.

Serve it up... and try not to eat it all at once.

W30D2

Well, I finished Day 2 of this Whole 30. Nothing big to report. However, the weather's been rather interesting here in Texas, and it's kinda throwing me off of my game. Since when do we get freezing rain, sleet, and snow this far south? I just want to curl up under the covers with a cup of hot cocoa. Don't worry... I didn't. It's only the second day! My will is strong enough to last more than 48 hours. I have eaten a bit more nuts and fruits than I normally would, but I'm adjusting to life without chocolate. It's rough. Wish me luck!

Southwestern Omelet

4 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped avocado
1/3 cup sliced grape tomatoes
1/4 onion, chopped
1/4 cup pepper, chopped
1 tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
a couple shakes of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cumin

1. Heat the olive oil over a large pan and saute the mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Mix in the spices. Once the onions become a bit translucent, remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Add a bit more olive oil to the pan, then pour in the whisked eggs. Once the eggs are ~75% cooked, return the veggies to the pan and spread evenly.

3. Fold in half and top with some of the sauteed veggies and sliced avocado.

W30D1

Whole 30, Day 1

Hello, everyone! I'm back! (Or at least trying my best to come back.) Life has been a bit crazy lately. Let me summarize... Back in November, I started working part-time as a project engineer. I was supposed to spend 50% of my time on process engineering and 50% of my time on project engineering for a month, at which point, I was supposed to completely transition from process engineering to project engineering. What actually happened was full-time process engineering + part-time project engineering. After a month of this split work, I had full-time responsibilities for both jobs. Another month later and my direct supervisor moved to a different project while I was on vacation. So I was welcomed back from vacation with the responsibilities for three full-time jobs. Let's just say that I've been extremely stressed lately. Add in planning a bachelorette party and an upcoming trip, and my attempts at including healthy foods and exercise into my life were failing miserably. I basically stopped cooking altogether, stopped exercising, and stopped reading health-related blogs. Because I wasn't cooking, I was eating a lot of non-Paleo foods, such as bread and cheese, and subsequently, the frequency of my migraines increased.

As of last week, thanks to the help of my process lead, I am no longer doing project engineering work, so my stress level has decreased a bit since then. With that reduction came a slightly more optimistic attitude for getting back to Paleo. I went to a Paleo lunch meetup on Saturday where my enthusiasm for Paleo was reinvigorated. So my friend Jay (of Health Nuts Anonymous) and I decided to start a Whole 30 today. If you need a refresher, Whole 30 is a 30-day challenge to eat nutritious foods.

The things you can eat:

• Grass-fed meat and poultry
• Wild-caught fish
• Eggs (from free-range, grain-free chickens)
• Fruits (2 servings per day)
• Nuts (in moderation)
• Olive oil, coconut oil

The things you can consume in limited quantities:

• Ghee/clarified butter
• Green beans, sugar snap peas, or snow peas
• Most vinegar (white, balsamic, apple cider, red wine, and rice); stay away from ones with added sugar

The things you have to cut out:

• Grains (wheat, corn, oats, quinoa, rice, etc.)
• Sugar - real (honey) or artificial (Splenda)
• Dairy
• Legumes (this includes peanuts)
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• MSG, Sulfites
• White potatoes
• Seed Oils and Vegetable Oils
• Sex With Your Pants On (Read below for more details)

Check out the full "Can I Have...?" List here

What is the benefit of cutting out these foods?

• Physical Improvements: "body composition, energy levels, sleep quality, attention span, mental attitude and athletic performance"
• Psychological Benefits: "changing long-standing, unhealthy patterns related to food, eating and your body image, and a dramatic reduction or elimination of food cravings, particularly sugar and carbohydrates"

Spiced Tuna Steaks

1 lb Ahi tuna fillet
2 tbls coconut oil
Spice Rub:
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbls coarse black pepper, freshly ground

1. Cut the tuna fillet into roughly evenly-sized portions.

2. Mix the spice ingredients together and rub over each side of the tuna.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a cast iron, or heavy-bottomed pan. When there are a few wisps of smoke, add the tuna.

4. Cook for 1 minute on each side, then remove from the pan.

5. Slice lengthwise and serve with veggies and balsamic vinegar reduction.

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction
6 tbls balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half

Put the vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic clove in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Set aside until you're ready to serve.