food

holy **** I finished whole30November!

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It’s over. I’m done. I did it. Now where the heck’s my medal?

Seriously, guys, I am so happy to be done but before I finally stop talking about #whole30November, I thought I’d share 3o THINGS ABOUT WHOLE30:

  1. I have willpower like a rock star… or a Hollywood actress who doesn’t eat anything. I never cheated once. Not even a lick from the Nutella spoon.
  2. My body runs on carbs. Some days I felt great but most days I felt really weak.
  3. Week one sucked, week two and three were pretty good but week four sucked more than week one.
  4. I ate +60 eggs.
  5. I am day drinking right now (not really).
  6. I did miss my weekend drinks but alcohol was definitely not the hardest things for me to give up… What was the hardest thing you ask? Sandwiches.
  7. The Whole30 made me antisocial. No one wants to hang out with the girl who eats raw nuts as a treat.
  8. The Whole30 made me shop online more. I think it’s called retail therapy.
  9. Do not attempt the Whole30 if you’re vegan or if you don’t eat fish. You may evaporate.
  10. Eating meat would have helped I bet.
  11. There were times I was secretly hoping I’d faint so I’d have a legit excuse to quit.
  12. News flash, sugar is in everything.
  13. I went from carb loading September to recovery October to Whole30 November… not a health plan I’ll endorse.
  14. I’d rather run a marathon any day than do this again plus, the finish line of a marathon is definitely more rewarding.
  15. BUT I think I talked as much about the Whole30 as I talk about marathon training. Sorry.
  16. My skin is drier and I broke out more.
  17. My hair, however, seems shinier (Sophie agrees).
  18. I was never bloated and never had indigestion.
  19. … But my system was not happy (do I need to explain?)
  20. It’s a lot of work. Planning, prepping, cooking. There is no easy way around it.
  21. What everyone really wants to know… I lost ~5 lbs. I wasn’t setting out to lose weight. If I was, I would not have eaten so many figs.
  22. Having a support team helped.
  23. My mother-in-law cooked for me one night, it was a definite highlight.
  24. There are a few things about the Whole30 I disagree with (if all of the ingredients are compliant, I ate it).
  25. I am slightly curious to try variations of the Whole30… like monthly eliminations of specific foods to see how my body reacts. I think eliminating everything at once doesn’t tell you much.
  26. … But don’t worry, I won’t be doing that anytime soon.
  27. I apologize for whatever I said this month.
  28. Busy Philips did, and so did I.
  29. It’s a check off my forty before forty list!
  30. I will likely not do it again!

In summary, #whole30November was not life-changing. Am I better for doing it? Meh. I will say that I’m happy it’s done but I am most happy with learning that I had the willpower to get through hard things. I am pretty good at setting personal challenges but I’m also pretty good at eating what I want when I want so this was a bit of an eye-opener. My friend once said I run so I can eat what I want which is how I often feel so this was a great introduction to adding a better diet to good fitness. I’ve been told it’s all about balance.

Good luck if you dare to try – I have the cookbook if you want to borrow it!

THIS HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY DESK FOR 30 DAYS!

Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3

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week 2. done.

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A wise woman once said, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – Kelly Clarkson

Here we are, day 15 of #whole30november and I’m bringing in the halftime report:

Good news, I am still alive!

Here are 10 Things I learned/feel this week:

  1. Eating out sucks. I ate out for the first time and after frantically scanning the menu, I realized 2 poached eggs and the fruit bowl were the only things I could confidently eat (no cooking oil or weird sauces in my body). *Remember, I don’t eat meat and most fish is grilled or battered at restaurants.
  2. I shifted from thinking less about what I can’t eat and more about what I can. It’s not so bad.
  3. It’s easier to stick with basics. The fancier I get and the more time I put into cooking, the more disappointed I am.
  4. I keep panicking that I am going to forget and accidentally eat something on the no-list.
  5. I have been night-dreaming about failure.
  6. My body feels/looks the same. What does this mean?
  7. Still missing carbs the most but I am also thinking a lot about how I want to shift habits in the new year… Run fast. Eat Slow?
  8. I feel less grumpy and less like a victim than I did during week 1 however, I am also feeling anti-social and lonely. The good news is, I am taking this time to be super-productive at home.
  9. I’d KILL for a day of no cooking, planning or prepping.
  10. 1/2 done. That’s legit.

Unless you find me unresponsive, I will likely make it to the end because I am a very stubborn.

That being said, I think this weekend will be a big challenge. On Saturday, we are all running in the Movember Run, David has a lifesaving competition, and I am going to a DANCE Party and then on Sunday, it’s the year-end pizza party for the Youth Running Series… I will need to pack food and avoid temptation! Wish me luck.

Here is the week 1 report. Let me know how you’re doing.

psst. If you like what you’re reading, please subscribe and share. xomeg

week 1. done.

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It’s day 8 of #whole30november. One week done!

F**k yes! 

Oh wait, I have 3 more weeks to go…

Here are 10 things I learned so far:

  1. Obviously, I miss sugar and the mountain of Halloween candy in the kitchen is very tempting but what I miss most is convenience. Everything I eat is an effort. Prep, prep, prep.
  2. And almost everything tastes bland, watery… unexciting.
  3. I feel like it’d be more enjoyable if I ate meat. I suck at cooking fish.
  4. According to the Whole30 website, Paleo baking is “like having sex with your pants on” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!? It means it’s cheating.
  5. Dates + eggs  🙌
  6. My body feels the same. Not better. Not less bloated. I can’t say if I lost weight (because I don’t own a scale).
  7. My mental state is worse but I also blame November and the time change for this.
  8. Cauliflower rice and homemade mayo are gross. Spiralizing a sweet potato is hard. And despite what the website says, I am going to drink (and survive on) kale smoothies.
  9. I have a good support team. Sophie and Theresa are way more optimistic.
  10. I was able to go to the movie theatre without popcorn and a group breakfast without a breakfast sandwich.

Although it’s yet to be amazing, there are some good things I’ve already gained from this experience like, I am now excited to snack on clementines and veggies. La Croix fills the wine void, my spiralizer and blender are back in the rotation and I am stronger than I imagined at avoiding temptation. I am also stronger in the arms thanks to the spiralizer.

One final thought… I think this Whole30 thing is a bit of a hoax but I am not quitting yet.

Onward.

psst. If you like what you’re reading, please subscribe and share. xomeg

coddled

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I spotted these online and could not wait until Friday to show you : Beautiful glass egg coddlers in 4 sizes! 4d134a2d-5309-46b6-9f9a-7e196f5588f0-2016-0119_fortessa_egg-coddler_family_rocky-luten_013I love a good soft poached but the coddled egg is my favourite – my collection of coddlers are the Royal Worcester porcelain cups and I use them frequently when I am feeling particularly fancy.dsc_0394 You can toss anything you want in the coddler but I am a fan of just eggs + a few shavings of a sharp cheddar + dollop of butter + salt and pepper. Make sure you have some slices of dipping bread and do not overcook! Nothing… absolutely nothing, is sadder than a hard coddled egg (except hard eggs benny). dsc_0398 dsc_0401 I suggest bringing a pot to of water (deep enough to cover up to the rim of your coddler) to a boil and plunk them in for about 7-10 minutes. I find it helps to take one out a check after 7 minutes, and even stir things around so the egg cooks evenly.dsc_0402 dsc_0405 dsc_0408

What’s your favourite way to eat eggs?

I will never understand people who put ketchup on their eggs so don’t talk to me about that.

Where’s your favourite breakfast joint?

My all time favourite breakfast ever was at Cheeky’s in Palms Spring (it was so good that we went two days in a row).

Second place goes to the former Jane’s On The Commons – their vegetarian eggs benny was amazing. I’m still grieving the loss however, her daughter’s restaurant Edna, makes a benny so I really shouldn’t whine.

Third place goes to The Coastal Cafe and their Los Huevos Rancheros

And finally, what’s your favourite breakfast?

I will always pick an egg over something sweet like pancakes or waffles at breakfast time.

psst. The first photo is from Food 52 and all other photos are by me.
psst. If you like what you’re reading, please subscribe and share. xomeg