Day 3 - Learning a Lifestyle

The first round of anything is always hard, because so much brain power is needed to adjust your habits and processes.  And Keto is asking me to look at a lot of information I'd never really thought of before, like the carb content of spices.  Who knew?

But it's good.  regardless of how long I stick with it, I am definitely gaining knowledge and skillsets.

I'm feeling pretty good, no bloating, which I was concerned might happen because of the cheese.  Still so much cheese.  But I'm trying to make sure I get other nutrients too.  I use most of my carb points on veggies, and today actually went just a touch over because the roasted cauliflower I made was just too good.  I've learned that when I roast veggies I need to make just as much as I'm supposed to eat, because I will eat the entire tray.

And on a personal note, I don't think the heat in my Barrow apartment is working, but they did bring me 4 space heaters, and 3 of those work so my place is still able to be kept at a livable temperature.  In most of the rooms.

Didn't cook at all today, but pulled some chicken from the freezer (and tossed some chicken from the freezer as it was freezer burned beyond repair) and will be making this tomorrow, Keto Chicken Club Casserole.  I'm pretty excited to give it a go!  And if it looks nice I'll take a picture~

Day Two - My house is an ice box

Some ups and downs today.  Ate keto, but may have slipped while chowing on some pulled pork.  There wasn't a lot of sauce so I thought I'd be okay, but it's definitely possible I overdid the carbs on just that alone.  It's kind of crazy how many can be in such a small amount.  So I'm erring on the side that, hey, it's Day Two, if I'm gonna screw up better to do it now.

And I still did well all day.  Even when tempted with a nice warm meal in a nice warm house, as I was saved from my ice box by my friend.  The heater's been out for the last few days, a couple of fixes not taking (but it seems to be working this time, fingers crossed!).  Much like Whole30, Keto is going to test my ability to say "no" and politely decline when it's not on plan.  Fortunately I've had good practice with this, and while hard, it's definitely doable for me.

At the end of the day I'm really looking at my health and general well-being.  I have to do this for me.  I'm excited to do this for me.

Going to try some Keto chicken fingers tomorrow, I'll really try to remember to take pictures more!  I know that helps with presentation and motivation~

this feels a bit disjointed but my house is still in the processes of warming up so I'll go ahead and blame it on that.

Day One - Cheese on Cheese

Successfully completed my first day of Keto!  Hurrah! 

I'm so glad I made a couple meals yesterday, and was able to bust another one out today, along with some fat bombs to help me reach my goal of 170 grams.  I was off by about 50 g today, which I'm hearing is pretty normal for just getting started.  I didn't go over my carb goal, which is a huge hurrah in my book.

No sign of the Keto flu yet, but I do drink massive amounts of water every day (generally 160 ounces, today I did 220), and even ponied up and paid $10 for a bottle of Propel and a little thing of Mio lemon.  Hopefully my wonderful Anchorage friends can quick send me some packets so I don't spend my whole paycheck on electrolytes and water~

Overall I'm feeling good.  I'm feeling capable.  I'm recording macros on a couple of apps right now (LoseIt and Lifesum (I tried MyFitnessPal but couldn't get into it)) until I find which one works best for my needs.

I'm also gathering a lot of recipe ideas from The Diet Doctor, by and large simple and easy to make, not a lot of fancy ingredients needed, and of course Pinterest and general internetting. 

I am really going to try to remember to take pictures of my grand creations, and should probably get a starter shot to compare myself to in a month.  Let's do this!!

Keto Mania

After struggling for the last 6 months on trying to get on and stick with an eating plan that is beneficial to my health and fits into my lifestyle, I've decided to give Keto a shot.  I've been up and down about it for a number of reasons, but after reading a bunch and seeing several of my friends get on it, stick with it, and have good results in both their physical and mental well-being, I figured it was worth a solid go. 

So I calculated my macros, checked out a bunch of recipes, did my post-Thanksgiving shopping prep before heading back to the village, and believe I am ready to life the lifestyle. 

I'm hoping to lose the weight I've put on from slipping into old habits and depression eating (it's been a rough year, y'all, but no more excuses!), and see an improvement in my energy and thought processing.  I've heard from several people that after being on Keto for 20 or so days they think clearer and focus easier.  I am so ready for that!

I also took the plunge in October and joined HealthyWage, and have made a hefty bet on myself, and need to give myself the tools needed to make sure I win that bet!

So here we are!  Day one officially starts tomorrow.  I've cleaned all distraction food out of my kitchen, have prepped a couple of different things (beef stroganoff with sautéed cabbage and a very cheesy broccoli bake), and am actually getting a little jazzed to try out some more recipes in the coming days.  I haven't been excited about cooking since probably my 2nd round of Whole30.  I'm hoping Keto reignites that spark. 

I'm a little terrified of falling into the Keto flu, but am hoping I drink enough water and will get enough sodium to bypass it until my body adjusts to its fuel source.  Fingers crossed and bottoms up!!

Also I forgot to take pictures but I'll hopefully get back to that as the blog goes on.  Yay!

Just Let Me Pack My Pic-a-nic Basket~

In my head I figured September to mid October was the perfect time to do Whole30, just the right amount of time between Labor Day and my birthday, no Anchorage temptations to get in the way, controlled village kitchen.  I seem to have forgotten my job calls for travel.  To seven villages.  Preferably all before November.  Whoops.

Normally this wouldn't be an issue in the least - I generally bring all my own food anyway when I do site visits - but making sure I pack enough is always a bit of a worry.  That and the very real chance of getting flight delays and cancellations can wreak havoc on my carefully coordinated meal plans.

So, like underwear, I'll pack a bit extra.  Make a whole other entree to pack into my wonderful insulated picnic basket and my little frog lunch bag which is still just the cutest damn thing.

I ended up spending all of Sunday food prepping - again, not out of the ordinary for my Whole 30 - and made a grand sum of seven different food-stuffs.

1. Hardboiled eggs
2. Salmon patties (to the surprise of literally no one)
3. Buffalo chicken dip
4. Spaghetti squash and meatball casserole
5. Buffalo chicken drumsticks
6. Roasted red pepper and cauliflower soup
7. Ranch dressing

As well as picking up some grapes to throw into a spinach salad with pecans and some olive oil dressing.  

I am thoroughly exhausted, but hopefully also thoroughly prepared for the next few days and then some (popping some of these bad boys in the freezer for next week, when I'll be traveling again.  And then again the next week.  And then-).  

Here's hoping the skies are favorable and get me there and back again in a smooth and fashionable manner!  Atqasuk, here I come!  

Round 3 - FIGHT!

I don't know if this makes me a certified devotee, but I am legitimately excited for my third round of Whole30.  I love how it makes me feel, how my bloat goes away, and, honestly, I love the challenge of it.  Because no matter how 'good' I am at it, it's still a challenge to navigate through your average, everyday life and consistently make good choices.  There are distractions and temptations everywhere, and people with hearts of gold who mean well can destroy your progress in the most loving way possible.

Which is why I bring up my most important and powerful tool in successfully completing a round of Whole 30: the ability to say "no thank you."

Because in the long run, it's easy to say no to yourself while you're shopping, or driving past them Arches, or even pawing through your fridge.  It's much harder when the office darling makes an amaaaazing crumb cake and offers you a slice.  And you have to look that doll baby in the face and say, "Oh, no thank you." OR, conversely, you take the slice, eat it, enjoy it for 5 minutes, then feel guilty about it for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!  Or the next few days, when you decide if you're going to restart or just scrap the whole thing.

I know, it's hard.  And yes, they might be hurt for that brief moment in time.  But ultimately you have to make the best decisions for yourself.  And that means perfecting the art of saying no, and often the art of quickly and concisely explaining what Whole 30 is.  Maybe I should just make up little pamphlets.

Oh no, I am a devotee...

But seriously, it's 30 days.  30 days of saying "yes" to you and "no" to things that would derail your progress.  30 days in your WHOLE life where you take a pass on the crumb cake and hunker down with your breakfast casserole instead.  30 days where you patiently explain to your friends what you're doing and why you're doing it.  30 days.

Let's do this thing.

Eat My Words

This is going to be long, but is basically my Whole30 survival guide, including recipes and must-haves if you're going through the 'program'.

We've got, from left to right, top to bottom: pulled pork sweet potato sliders, enchilada stuffed sweet potato, salmon patties, spaghetti squash buffalo chicken casserole, steak, sweet potato fries, and coleslaw, stuffed pepper with side salad.

Something I love about Whole30 is that, while a restrictive diet, the recipes are really adaptable.  I've enjoyed both following them to the letter and messing around a bit, trying out new spices and vegetables and flavors.  As long as I'm staying on plan and in the spirit everything's game.

1. That being said, the first time I made pulled pork sliders I used cumin in my pork rub and didn't much care for it, and the second time I used apple cider vinegar and was completely in love.  At some point in my life I became a huge fan of vinegar and I have no plans of going back.  Pairing the pulled pork with sweet potato buns, and dressing them with sliced tomato and lettuce or spinach... muah.  I also like to sprinkle my sweet potato's with a bit of salt and paprika before they hit the oven

2. One of the absolute best things I've eaten on Whole30 is the Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potato.  Holy snap it is so good.  The ground beef (or bison, in my case) is so incredibly flavorful, and then paired with the sweet potato... delish.  I threw a little guacamole on the top and sided with roasted broccoli dusted with nutritional yeast.  Definitely a favorite meal and one I'll make again on or off plan.

3. & 4. I tend to make *Shepard's pie and *salmon cakes at the same time since they both call for sweet potato (are we sensing a theme here?), and all the canned sweet potato options around me are in a light syrup.  So I just cube and boil instead, and figure if I'm going that far I may as well double it up and get a Shepard's pie out of the mix.

* These are not the exact recipes I follow, as I got mine from the book, but they are close enough.  If you want the EXACT recipe I follow, message me and I'll hook you up!

5. For the Super Bowl, I wanted to participate in the festivities, but didn't want to break my plan yet, so I found this buffalo chicken dip.  I even made my own ranch dressing, using my own fresh herbs from the aerogarden, and the whole thing was so awesome I never felt like I was missing out (plus a dear friend made some compliant ceviche which was super good and helped fill my plate).  I ate mine with celery sticks, which I am shocked to find I actually enjoy eating now.  Whole30 brings out the new tastebuds!

6. Speaking of, I have also found a strange new affinity towards hot sauce (I use Franks RedHot).  As someone who used to shy away from all things even slightly above 'mild', this comes as a huge surprise to me.  And yet right now I can't get enough.  I just finished off my buffalo chicken casserole, made with spaghetti squash.  This was probably my most labor intensive dish (thank god I'd already had the ranch dressing made), but using literally all components I love.  My carrots were a little underdone, but overall I'd definitely make this again.

7. Steak and sweet potato fries.  Mmmmmm.  Just stay compliant with all your seasonings and you're golden.  The coleslaw... I honestly can't even remember what all went in it.  It was a garbage disposal coleslaw, as in we just kept throwing things in and hoping for the best, and it was awesome.

8. I still haven't figured out how to properly eat a stuffed pepper, but it doesn't stop me from making them.  This is another kind of garbage recipe, where you can just dice up whatever veggies you've got to use up and throw them in.  I liked adding in zucchini and finely diced sweet potato (surprise!) left over from my morning eggs.

9. And speaking of eggs, I am of the fortunate group that doesn't easily get sick of them, and they were my morning staple for pretty much the whole thing.  I've mastered the soft and hard boil (bless this book), finally learned how to properly scramble, and of course love a good fried egg.  I try to use fancy-pants eggs as much as possible, but bush living demands me to buy 5 dozen at a time, so that's what I did.  And ate through every single one of them.

10. I also can't stress how EASY it is to *make your own mayonnaise!  That's something I'm never again buying from the store.  I used an immersion blender but recently found out you can use a whisk as well (takes longer but still works!).  I found light tasting olive oil the best, and also heard macadamia nut oil is superb for it, but can't personally vouch for it.

*Again, not my exact recipe, mostly because I learned in action watching and following my fabulously fantastic cousin.

11. Was there ever a more solid side than mashed cauliflower?  There are literally so many recipes for this because it's versatile and pretty much perfect.  Just squeeze all the water out once you steam them and I honestly can't see how you can go wrong.  The one in the book calls for coconut cream which makes it a little sweeter (and very creamy, yum), but I think next time I'm going to give the one on the link a try, because it's making my mouth water right now.


MUST HAVES

Here's a few of the things I can't Whole30 without that aren't in particular with any recipe but good to have on hand if you're going to take on the challenge:

- Walnuts, pecans, almonds... really any nut but peanut.  They're great for protein salads and a midday pick up.

- La Croix - even an avid water drinker wants a little something different, and if you're at a party where everyone's drinking it up it's nice to have something a little special too.  My favorite flavors are Coconut, Mango, and Passionfruit, but I haven't tried them all!!

- Immersion blender - invaluable for mayos and sauces.

- Spiralizer - I don't care what you say (Greg), I love me some zoodles!!  And you can use it with sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash... good times!

- a comprehensive set of spices.  I also vouch for splurging on the nicer, organic types.  I can now smell/taste the difference, and ended up tossing a lot of my $1 bulk buys, because I'm worth it, dammit.

- Ghee - another deceptively easy thing to make that opens up a lot more options to you.

- Food processor or blender.  Invest.  It's worth it.

- A blog so I can read about your progress and cheer you on!!!


If you made it this far I am so impressed by you.  And grateful for you!  And if you're getting ready or in the midst of your Whole30 I am so tremendously happy for you!!  And if I somehow played any part in that decision I am incredibly humbled and want to extend a hand and an ear and be there for you the whole way!!!  I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!