Post Whole30

So day 30 sorta came and went and I awoke day 31 with many plans to just have one or two treats, and return to Whole30 strictness for the next few days to detox said treats... I did real good for most of the day. I was spending the day in NY with my family, and then the night with a friend. I woke up, had a good breakfast of herbal coffee and cauliflower crust quiche and headed out with the fam. Lunch came far later than I would have liked and I ended up shelling out far too much money for a salad, as tasty as it was (kale, spinach, chicken, olives, butternut and avocado... Mmm). So when I was faced with a self serve froyo place that happened to have dark chocolate sorbet, I could not say no. I kept the portion small and topped it with fresh pomegranate seeds and mango. But, aside from the fact that I knew it was dairy free, I do not know what was in it.  Soy? Some sort of unnecessary preservatives? I hope not... But I'd already opened the floodgates. The treats I was accounting for were already planned out. When I broke away from my family to meet up with my friend, a shot of whiskey was pressed into my hand (also unaccounted for, I had done research on grain free vodkas and had planned to drink only that all night). The night continued with amazing Korean BBQ, more whiskey and plenty of vodka sodas. 

Funnily enough, my alcohol tolerance seems to have increased. I drank a lot more than I planned and ended the night quite sober. The next morning though, my stomach definitely felt unhappy. So breakfast was an egg and bagel sandwich to soak up the acids... So yet more indulgences. Aaand so the week continued, with me grumpily going "why not?"  In the end, I am very glad I am already planning on a take 2 come January. We will just have to call this past month practice, because I clearly need more than 30 days to truly affect my self control. While I was in the program, I was completely ok with saying "no" to myself, but once I do not have that excuse, I go overboard. Maybe next time I need a Whole45, or at least a more strict reintroduction to hold myself to because I clearly have control issues. 

Poor reintro aside, my specs from before and after are interesting. I did not exercise regularly and honestly did not think I had any weight left to lose, but I managed to drop 6.5 pounds and 2 percent body fat. I also banished my chronic headaches and haven't suffered body/back pain at work in weeks. These are both amazing, though I had higher hopes. My acne has remained the same, if not gotten worse. Fortunately, I know, thanks to my amazing doctor, that my hormonal imbalance is the issue here. I've got a load of new vitamins and a lot of hope. And plans to meditate to reduce my stress levels...

Verdict: Whole30 = Awesome. But I need to give it more time and dedicate myself more thoroughly. I need to set up regular exercise and possibly continue to take my vitamins, even if they are non compliant.  I'm excited for January, how about you?

Rutabaga hash browns

Today was a rough day. I didn't sleep well last night and was headachy, grumpy and super distracted all day. With 5 days left to go, visions of chocolate and cookies have been dancing in my head. My brain is realizing that, pretty soon, I can let loose and eat "fun" things. I've thought through a list of junk and treats that I might POSSIBLY be interested in... and there's a surprising number I DON'T want. What I do very much, emphatically want, is something creamy and/or chewy and sweet and definitely chocolate. So I spent much of today thinking up exactly what treat I will be making for myself this time next week (I'm done in time for Saturday, but I already have plans involving alcohol, so I'll save the sugar for a few more days). In order to satisfy my creamy and chewy (the sweet and chocolate part is a given), I'm thinking a simple, quick paleo mug cake topped with cashew butter as frosting... Yeah, that's the ticket. I'm pumped. 

I've been eating lots of cashew butter alluvasudden. One to two spoonfuls a night, to be precise. I'm annoying myself with it, but I can't get the need for a "treat" food out of my head. I'm just ready for this to be over, particularly since I'm not currently feeling any of the benefits, only the downsides. 

On another note though I'm kinda obsessed with rutabaga latkes right now. They nicely fill that niche of crispy, tasty hash browns and are pretty simple to through together in the morning. And when cooking for one, a single rutabaga lasts a damn long time. 

Easy Rutabaga Latkes/Hash Browns

2 cups rutabaga, peeled and grated

1/2 small onion, grated

2 eggs

2 tsp coconut flour

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp coconut oil

First, peel and grate your rutabaga, either using a grater or the grate attachment on your food processor (my mini food processor has no grating attachment, so I did this by hand... It wasn't too bad). Approximately half of a large rutabaga makes the 2 cups. 

Grate or finely chop onion. 

In a bowl, mix the rutabaga shreds, onion, eggs, flour and salt and pepper to taste thoroughly. 

Heat a skillet to medium heat and melt your coconut oil. 

Scoop a large spoonful of the rutabaga mixture into your hand and shape it into a thick disc before adding it to your hot pan. You should see the edges sizzling in the oil. Add more rutabaga discs and cook approximately 4-5 minutes before flipping and cooking another 4-5 until crispy (mine were kinda blackened, and I was totally ok with that). 

Should make about 6 latkes. Serve with whatever tasties you can think of.  Mine were great with guacamole, cranberry sauce and eggs (not all at the same time... But that's not a bad idea). 

Picture to follow, once I remember to take one after breakfast. Doh.