Whole30 Challenge Week 1 Recap

OK, so technically week 1 isn't over until tomorrow, but I have a 12 hour day with school and work tomorrow so I'm doing my recap today.

I started Whole30 on Friday, March 1st, and all was swell. Saturday is usually my running group day, but I was heading down to New Hampshire to visit my goddaughter and her parents so I had to run some errands before leaving and didn't join the group for my run. The weather was not great (light snow and the roads were a bit slushy) so I decided I'd do my run on Sunday afternoon when I returned home. Besides, I noticed my joints were a bit achy when I woke up, so the rest would likely do me some good. I packed my little personal cooler with some Whole30 approved snacks and necessities (celery w/ almond butter and raisins, fresh fruit, water, and some homemade coconut coffee creamer). I had my breakfast of eggs and stewed tomatoes (homemade) before I headed out.

I made it to New Hampshire and had my snack when I arrived. I have a LONG history of being on "some kind of weird diet". My friend, Liz, did a little research about my latest "crazy diet" to make sure Sunday breakfast would fit into my new plan (she's so good to me)! So after chit chatting and catching up we headed out to the Common Man restaurant for dinner. I did very well. I had unsweetened iced tea at the bar while we waited to be seated. They have cheese and crackers available for free while you wait, which of course I did not have. I looked over the menu and saw that my work was cut out for me. Almost all the items had either butter, cream, cheese, or grains... or a combination of them all.

We ordered 2 apps; bacon wrapped shrimp with a spicy garlic oil and a flat bread. Obviously, I didn't eat any flat bread that was a no brainer. I did end up eating 3 shrimp even though the bacon was probably cured/smoked with a little sugar in the mix. But I figured is was minimal.

For dinner I had narrowed it down to pork chops or the mixed grill (steak tips and shrimp). Both entrees had issues that I'd need to special order around. The pork chops had a BBQ rub and BBQ sauce on them (I'd ask about the rub and ask for no sauce as it's highly likely it would have sugar in it). The mixed grill had grilled tips (straight up, no sauce) but the shrimp was done in butter with a cream and garlic sauce topped with croutons. I ended up ordering the mixed grill, but with the shrimp in olive oil and garlic and no croutons. I let the waitress believe I had a dairy allergy... she assumed... I didn't correct, it's not the same as lying! I had a plain baked potato (they didn't have sweet potato... I asked) and steamed broccoli dressed with lemon juice as sides.

Having managed cocktail time, apps, and dinner without much trouble, I was not at all concerned when dessert rolled around. My dinner companions split a Toll House cookie pie dessert and coffee with Bailey's. I opted for a soothing cup of chamomile lemon tea. It was actually a very nice way to end the meal. I don't believe I've ever had herbal tea after dinner, it may be a new tradition.

While not on any "Oh My GOD that was DELICIOUS" list, my meal was satisfying and allowed me to enjoy a much needed night out with my friends.

Sunday morning I had a lovely egg and veggie scramble and french press coffee with my coconut creamer. Sadly, I also came down with a horrid cold. The next 2 days I barely ate anything. I ended up having added sugars in my zinc cold lozenges, cough syrup, and Emergen-C packets, but I'm not really concerned as that is not "food" and there was no way I was surviving this cold with out it.

I made a chicken cacciatore-ish crockpot dish to take to work for lunches. I've had 3 servings and today was the first time I could taste anything, it was quite good. I also made a big tossed salad tonight to get me through the rest of the week and into the weekend. Tonight's dinner was  a chicken and shrimp stir fry with carrots and snow peas, the sauce was chicken broth, herbs, and coconut aminos. It was actually really good, much better than the bottled sauce I use for my husbands stir fry.

So that is pretty much it. I am feeling better each day even though my sinuses are still super congested and my cough is still there. I may try mayo again next week, as well as the jerky!