Whole30 -- Day 23

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Today was a wonderful day in O-town. I woke up somewhat early, around 8:00, and hung out with the 'rents a bit before cooking breakfast. After my dad left for work and my mom and I put ourselves together for the day, she and I headed to Hot Mama, her place of employment, for a day of work. I shopped for a bit (stay tuned tomorrow for the recap of that spree), went to Paradise for lunch, and then actually worked at the store: hanging new inventory, finding items for markdowns, etc.

After her day at Hot Mama was over, we headed out west to the new outlet mall between Omaha and Lincoln: Nebraska Crossing. There were some great stores (J Crew, Kate Spade, Coach, etc.), but the only place we spent any money was Carter's. Gee, I wonder who's going to be the recipient...?

Finally, I had had about enough of walking on a blister (courtesy of our walk yesterday) that just would not pop, so we headed home. While my mom cooked dinner, I worked on updating her blog:

What do y'all think?

Like I said before, while I am certainly no professional, I'm really digging this whole blog-design thing.

My mom, dad, and I ate dinner, and now we're just chilling: they're watching Suits, a show I've never seen, and I'm working on more blog design and, obviously, writing this post.

It has just been such a wonderful couple of days. I absolutely love all of the time I've spent with my mama (working out, helping her at work, talking blog stuff, shopping, cooking, etc.) and have loved goofing off and just hanging out with my dad. Every time I come hOmaha, I wish I lived in town so that all of this could happen more often -- maybe sometime soon.

Breakfast:

Today's breakfast was somewhat of the usual: three scrambled eggs with a green pepper, mushrooms, and a jalapeno. This time, though, I added three slices of Whole30-compliant bacon.

I loooooooooove bacon, y'all.

While I ate all of the bacon, I only ate about three-fourths of the egg/veggie mix, and then I was full.

Lunch:

My options were a bit limited for lunch since I was at Hot Mama with my mom. So, I headed across Regency Court to Paradise Bakery & Cafe. My choices were very limited, but I opted for a salad with cucumber, carrots, tomato, and chicken as well as a side of fruit. I was not impressed and was still pretty hungry (and all lettuce-d out) when I left.

Dinner:

While my mom cooked dinner, I had a few olives and a couple of almonds because my tummy was literally growling.

Dinner was sooooooo good. My mom made Gingery Broccoli & Beef and Spicy Italian-style Cauliflower.

Like I said yesterday, my mom was so thoughtful: when she knew I was coming home, she researched Paleo recipes and made sure to have Whole30-compliant food for me. I am so, so appreciative of her support through this crazy adventure. Also, it's super nice being cooked for, especially since I've been doing a ton of cooking the last few weeks.

Physically: I was a bit hungry today, but that was really just due to the fact that I didn't eat all my breakfast and that my lunch was less-than-superb. This was the first time, I think, that my tummy actually growled in the last 23 days.

I was also a bit tired today for the first time in a really long time. It was kind of a busy day, and I was on my feet a lot. But, I think the sleepiness had to do with the fact that I didn't sleep super well. I forgot my blankies in Des Moines (I swear I'm a three-year-old sometimes) and therefore didn't have my usual "pillow," and I also didn't have any furry friends trying to steal every inch of the bed. It's always weird sleeping somewhere new. I definitely slept well -- just not as awesomely well as I've been used to lately.

Emotionally: I am happy! I'm with my parents -- what more could I want?

Interestingly, though, I had yet another super-vivid food dream, one where I awoke feeling guilty, like I had totally blown my Whole30. (Again, I'm not sure this really belongs in the "emotionally" category, but deal with it.) In this dream, I was at school (albeit some weird version of my actual school), and there was candy and chocolate everywhere. I remember specifically taking a mini Crunch bar and eating it, but I know I ate other candies and chocolates in the dream as well. I cannot remember the last time I even tasted a Crunch bar, but a.) it truly felt like I did in my dream, and b.) it was damn yummy.

It is insane how realistic these dreams are -- and how guilt-ridden I feel, even while I'm still asleep and dreaming.

Cravings: I have had a few cravings today. It is really hard not chewing gum, and when my mom had a piece after we had coffee this afternoon (oops) and after dinner tonight, I totally wanted a piece, too. I also really wanted ice cream after dinner. And finally, like my dad, I love black licorice, and he has some lying around that is so tempting. But, I am having some really great willpower because, you know, I. am. worth it.

Source

Sometimes we all just need a little reminder. :)

Peace out.

Whole30 -- Day 20

Guess what, y'all? I'm two-thirds of the way done with my Whole30! (Again, this will likely be more like a Whole45, Whole70, or Whole100 since I'm loving it so much, but to be two-thirds of the way done with the first 30 feels pretty great.)

I thought that today was going to be pretty relaxing, but it turned out to be a bit busier than I thought. I woke up around 8:30, lounged for a bit, and then cooked breakfast.

After JFA (my family's code for "just f-ing around" on my blog and Paleo-related sites for a while, I decided I should probably head out for a run since tomorrow is supposed to be freezing again, with snow coming overnight.

Yay, spring break.

I threw on my running gear and ran 1.3 miles down the road to BFF's house, picked her up, and continued downtown.

It was a really nice run with plenty of talking, goofing off, and getting off task -- like when we saw the newest addition to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines and just had to check it out:

Inside "Glass Colour Circle"

My run ended up being 5.1 miles, the furthest I've run in, oh, like a year. It was crazy-windy and a super hilly route, too, as I ran a huge portion of Grand Avenue, including Hell Hill. (I feel like I should trademark that name. This hill doesn't really have a title, but it's so ridiculously awful and never-ending that it should have it's own designation.)

Needless to say, I am incredibly sore right now. I think I may have overdone it a bit, as the arch on my left foot is killing me. I seriously think I need to ice it. I'm a baby.

After my run I took a shower and then ate a quick snack (more on that mistake later) and then decided that I'd better head to the store if I wanted anything to make for dinner tonight. I was fresh outta food.

First, I went to Half-Price Books, trying to find a couple of Paleo cookbooks: Practical Paleo and Against All Grain. Not only could I not find those books, but I could not find any Paleo books. Apparently crazy health people like to keep their cookbooks, not sell them for 25 cents to a book store. Amazon it is, I suppose -- unless someone (Mom?) wants to buy them for me.

Second, I stopped at Whole Foods. I accidentally bought non-compliant sausage the other day, and I needed some more Applegate Farms chicken sausage for my breakfasts. I unwillingly shelled out $7.99 for four links, grabbed some less expensive chorizo links and bacon as well, and threw in some kale and Larabars, too.

Third, I stopped at Trader Joe's for a few other necessities, including macadamia nuts, almond butter, eggs, avocados, etc. And then, finally, I was able to head home and cook.

After dinner, I lounged around for a bit and then had long-distance arts-and-crafts blog-design night with my sister-in-law. We Facetimed for two hours and redesigned her blog, Here Comes Happiness. Check out the header that we made...

...and then head to her blog to check out the rest. (Semi-related note: if you like my blog, you will love Aly's blog. First, she is super knowledgeable about fitness and posts totally kick-ass workouts. Second, she is soooooo funny: I seriously laugh out loud at almost every post. Third, she is very, very motivational. You'll love her, so go follow her.)

(Another semi-related note: I have gotten really into blog design in the last couple of months. I redesigned my blog, obviously, and I also designed my mom's. I also worked on Maggie's and designed this banner for another friend:

I am really enjoying getting creative [and letting my OCD freak flag fly] with blog design. If you have any questions or would like help with your blog -- not that I'm an expert, by any means -- please let me know.)

But back to what's really important: my oh-so-exciting adventures.

Aly and I chatted for about two hours (before, of course, heading to the club since it's a Saturday night), and now I'm bumping and grinding on the dance floor writing this post!

Breakfast:

I was devastated when I realized that a.) I was out of chicken sausage, and b.) the sausage I did have was non-compliant. Wah. So, I chopped up a sweet potato and sauteed it forever with chopped green pepper, shrooms, and jalapeno. At the very last minute, I added three eggs and, as usual, topped all of the above with half an avocado and some Graddy's Salsa.

Lunch: This is where the epic fail comes in, friends. I ate about two or three hours prior to my run and didn't eat anything right before. I just wasn't hungry.

Big mistake.

Around mile three or so, I started getting kind of light-headed. I ended up walking quite a bit there toward the end, only because I literally thought I could pass out at any moment.

When I got home from my run, I took a shower and then prepped a snack:

I didn't have any leftovers from last night to whip up for a quick lunch, and I didn't really have anything to make. So, I resorted to a chopped apple and a handful-and-a-half of pecans. While it tasted good, it was nowhere near an appropriate Whole30 meal.

I feel like this was my number one mistake of the past 20 days.

Dinner:

Well, this picture looked a lot nicer on my phone and, hopefully, on Instagram. Yikes, it sure is ugly on the blog.

Good thing it tasted awesome.

First, I made my go-to quick meal: chili-garlic shrimp. Seriously, all this entails is sauteing garlic and crushed red pepper in about a tablespoon of olive oil and dumping some shrimp in there to sizzle. It's so good.

Second, I made the exact same salad that Maggie made last night because it was so ridiculously yummy: Iowa Girl Eats' Warm Kale Salad w/ Bacon, Dates, Almonds, Crispy Shallots, and Parmesan. In order to make it Whole30-compliant, I left off the Parmesan (obviously) and omitted the maple syrup from the dressing. That's it -- otherwise it was perfect-o.

I ate half of the dish for dinner tonight, but I'm not going to lie: I just may dig into the second half as soon as I post this, as I'm getting a bit hungry again (perhaps because I foolishly skipped lunch after a five-mile run).

Physically: Aside from feeling light-headed during my run (and super sore after), I feel good. My energy has been up, and everything (tummy, head, etc.) is going well.

Emotionally: Great! It was nice running with BFF today and talking to my sister-in-law tonight -- good girlfriends are good for the soul.

Cravings: Nothing -- except for more of that kale salad.

Seriously, if all I'm craving is a salad, I think this Whole30 thing is going pretty darn well. :)

G'night, friends!