Day 15 The Half Way Point

This morning I went to the pool.  It was great being back in the water.  I really feel like I've lost some of my skill, but I feel like I look better in my suit.  My stomach doesn't seem as round as it used to be.

I noticed today that yellows of my "farm" eggs are yellower than normal eggs.

Breakfast:  Left over NY strip & zucchini muffin (J, thank you for RELEASING me from the standard breakfast fare.  Those eggs and I were not getting along.  I like eating breakfast a little bit more now.)

Lunch:

• Eggplant casserole 
• Spinach Salad (boiled egg, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, lemon juice, sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers & celery)

Snack:

• Nut bag:  handful of coconut flakes, handful of walnuts & pecans.  (I went to a movie and I didn't want to be tempted to have popcorn OR anything they were serving there except for water.  So, I made this baggie and put it in my purse.  I brought home half of what I took to the theater.)

Dinner.

• Sirloin
• Roasted Squash
• Mashed Cauliflower with a couple tablespoons of coconut milk
• Leftover cabbage
• Coconut milk

Strangely, all of my vegetables are starting to taste SWEET!  Its weird and I don't like it!  Is it b/c I haven't been having a lot of sugar?  Cauliflower, sweet?  Weird!    Yesterday, the eggplant casserole was sweet could my palette be out of whack?

Am I eating too much now?  I feel like I am eating WAAAYYY too much!  But I'm not feeling the need to eat in between meals. I'm still want a cupcake.

Oh, I ordered bacon from the meat guy.  They make it on the farm, they say its nitrate free and antibiotic free but it says its made with "salt, maple and cane sugar, beet powder, lemon oil and spice extractives."  The sugar in the bacon is that bad?

Day 14

Breakfast:  In all that I had to do to get ready for the day out.  I forgot to eat.  For real, I had plans, I just forgot!

Lunch:  A friend invited me to Rafferty's to lunch.   I ordered a grilled salad and use lemon and lime to dress it.  Honestly, it was NOT tasty.  And I was starving.  I left hungry.  But I had more errands.  Here is a picture of that TERRIBLE salad.

Snack:  Handful of pecans & 5 Just Grapes

Dinner:   (I was really REALLY HUNGRY & my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  I ate all of everything except 1/2 of my NY Strip)  Interestingly enough,  I wasn't sleepy after ALL of that food!

• NY Strip
• Emeril's Eggplant Casserole (It tasted just like mom's stuffing/dressing from thanksgiving)
• Roast Zucchini
• Spinach Salad (spinach, bell peppers, cucumber, celery, sautéed mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes)
• Coconut Banana blend--this time I tried the unsweetened cocoa powder to add flavor-at first I couldn't tell at difference in the flavor, at the bottom of the pitcher it tasted like chocolate milk.  Thats with 2 tablespoons of the powder.

Recipe for Eggplant Casserole:   

It tastes like Thanksgiving dressing (people in the north call it stuffing).  It was a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but I think that was because of the coconut milk.  Next time, I will add more almond meal & more celery to counter act the sweetness of the milk.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/eggplant-casserole-recipe/index.html 

• I substituted 1/2 cup of coconut milk for the cup of cream
• 1 cup of almond meal substituted for 1 cup of bread crumbs
• I used Italian Seasoning to add more flavor & dried basil.  I'll buy fresh next time.
• No cheese was added
• Next time, I think I'll add zucchini or squash for more texture.

I think I am getting the hang of Paleo.  Its not as hard as it looks EXCEPT for resisting sweets when I see them on TV or out in public.  

After talking to my mother on skype and showing her pictures of my neck now and then having lunch with one of my BFFs, I believe my neck has gotten lighter from the reduction in sugar.  I'll wait until the end of the 30 days to show pictures of that.  Who knows my skin may even out all over my body?

Day 13-Leftovers

Breakfast:  Leftover cabbage with bits of beef. Paleo BBQ sauce

Lunch:  Leftover curry & leftover coconut milk blend from yesterday, zucchini muffin

Snack:  handful of pecans

Dinner:  Leftover fajita, salad with avocado, coconut milk blend

Not much happening today.  No new thoughts.

Day 12

Breakfast:

• Left over meatloaf
• Left over roast beef & cabbage
• Leftover Brussels sprouts
• Left over egg plan

Today, I got so caught up in what I was doing and I wasn't hungry.  I realized around 3 that I hadn't had lunch.  So here is what I threw together.

• Salad topped with cucumbers, left over roast beef & avocado & paleo bbq sauce
• Zucchini muffin
• Coconut milk blended with ice & banana

Dinner:  A fajita salad (salad greens topped with seasoned bell peppers, onions, zucchini, & steak) Avacado, Salsa, & lime juice to add flavor

Question:  How do you get your veggies in the winter time?  Most of the farmers markets will be closed?  Do you do frozen?

Day 11

Last night, I actually got the jitters b/c I wanted something sweet SO BAD!!!  I finally just forced myself to go to bed.  It was the only way b/c I still have a lot of stuff in my house from my nonPaleo days--WW ice cream bars and the like.  I can't believe that I've resisted having one all this time.  I haven't had ice cream in 11 days.  Its like a miracle.  I always thought I didn't have willpower.  Well, I guess I do!

My struggle:  Breakfast   I don't like breakfast food, specifically eggs.  Its like a dread eating breakfast. . . I don't like eggs or sausage.  I'm going to get some bacon from the meat man, next Saturday and well see how that goes.

Breakfast:

• Left over meatloaf & 
• eggplant & sautéed mushrooms

Lunch:

• Left over cabbage & roastbeef, Paleo BBQSauce, 
• Coconut Milk Blended with Banana & Cinnamon

Dinner:

• Beef Vegetable Curry (Minute steak, Green Veggies)
• Brussell Sprouts

Update on stomach issues:  I still have  diahrea, but it only comes after every meal.  I think its becoming more solid.  An interesting thing, I have began burping again, is it because of the increase fat I'm eating?  At the end of meals, I'm really beginning to fill "full."  Maybe, I wasn't eating enough before.  Am I eating too much now? Another note, since increasing food intake, I still don't feel the need for a "nap" afterward.  Southern cooks feel great pride when some wants to sleep after their meal.  It means the food was good and the eaters are stuffed . . .I haven't had a "food coma" since going Paleo.  Although, 2 PM is still my nap time!!!

I am really loving the coconut milk now.  REALLY.  The banana and cinnamon give it a lot of flavor.

Addendum:

Snack:  Handful of pecans & coconut

This evening I'm feeling a bit headachy. So much so, I don't feel like doing my weekly clean.  Could it be due to a lack of sugar?

Day 10

Late Night Snack on Day 9: After cleaning up and brushing my teeth and getting into bed.  I was hungry.  So, I fixed a 10:45 PM snack of:  zucchini muffin, left over zucchini & meatloaf. It was quite tasty and satisfying.

Body:  Yesterday, I noticed that there is so muscle soreness in my right leg.  Like the kind of soreness you feel after the next day after working out.  And I haven't worked out this week.  The only exercise I've gotten is from cleaning my apt and walking the farmers markets.  I've been to two this week.  I wonder what could be causing it, could that muscle be working to burn fat???? I'm being wayyy to optimistic about that.

I went to the farmers market to check out a different meat man.  I think I will only buy with him when things run out.  I'm not to sure about him being completely grass-fed.  I think he does a mixture based on what I overheard when he was talking to another customer.  Instead, I'll be buying from this farm.  He delivers to my area.  I may eventually join his CSA.  

My goal for the farmers market was to buy mint for a sauce.  When I got there, the lady only sold the plant, not just the lives. Sooooo, to get mint, I had to buy the ENTIRE plant.  I asked her how to care  for it.  She gave me instructions how to break off mint leaves and water the plant appropriately. She emphasized watering the plant over and over.  She said it would need a bigger pot, too.  When I signed up for Paleo, I never thought I being growing herbs, too???!!!! 

Breakfast:  Paleo Quiche w/Crust topped with avacado & salsa

Lunch:

• Tuna Fish Salad (avacado, dill, onion, cucumbers)
• Zucchini Muffin
• Coconut Milk blended with Ice & Banana, I threw in a dash of cinnimon (its quickly becoming one of my favorite drinks!!!)

Snack:

• Left over meatloaf & sautéed mushrooms

Dinner:

• Chuck Pot Roast (Onions & Cabbage)
• Salad with lime for dressing & crushed almonds on top
• Eggplant
• BBQ sauce

I tried to make a mint sauce.  It was NOT good.  I've got to figure out the right balance of mint to cucumber to make it taste good.

CRAVING:  I want cupcakes after seeing a commercial.  But I'm not hungry.  I just had a huge meal, but I want a cupcake sooooo bad.  Soooo bad  *sigh*

Day 9

This morning I awakened with a need for the scale.  I expected that since I'd been doing Paleo for a week now, that I would've lost at least 5 lbs.  It hurt my feelings when I hadn't and sent me into tears.  I'd lost about 2lbs.  I expected a large number b/c everytime I'd done WW, I lost some humongous number in the first week.   I sent a tear stained email to J. Basically, I was ready to give up.  I was so upset I couldn't even eat breakfast.  I was just upset.

I made plans to meet my friend S for lunch.  She wanted to do Indian, it's "our place."  We've been going there almost weekly for close to 10 years.  We haven't been for 2 or 3 weeks b/c she had started WW and then I started Paleo.  I still haven't told her that I'm on Paleo.  So, today was a bit of a reunion.  The owner came out and brought us complimentary Mango Laci's.  He said he'd missed us.  That IS how often we go for Indian. (S drank my comp mango laci)

At any rate, I made my way to the buffet.  I know that Indian food is filled with butter and cream.  I thought, I'd just stick to the veggies and have a big salad.  In my email, I'd let J know that I was going for Indian.  I'd went to the buffet and this first picture is the plate that I'd made.  Then J's return email came in.  *sigh* I knew what I had to do.  After we'd said grace, I went back to the bar and made the second plate.  It contained 3 pieces of tandoori chicken.  Lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes & the mint sauce.  I used squeeze limes as a dressing for my food.  I set the other plate to the side and dived into my salad-it was really good.   However, when I finished my plate, I was still hungry, but I was too embarrassed to go back and get more. (I did take two bites from the other plate--one of the palak paneer & one of the snap green beans)
So, I left hungry AND I still had errands to run.  While I was running my errands,  my head began to hurt.  I knew it was b/c I was hungry.  I was trying to think of what I could have when I got home that'd be filling.  J is always talking about NOT eating a lot of fruit and drinking a glass of coconut milk.  As I drove, I thought, I'll limit my fruit  intake to no more than 1 per day as J instructed.  She told me I needed to get in more fat.  I decided that I'd blend a can of coconut milk with ice water & a banana.  So, no more fruit for the day after this drink.

When I was at the Indian restaurant, I had a revelation.   The mint sauce is simply mint, cucumber and jalepeno.  I really liked it.  I will make it at home and use it as a salad dressing. Tomorrow, I'ma keeping my eye out for mint when I go to the Farmers Market.

So, here is a run down of my eating today:

Lunch:  salad of cucumber, mint sauce, tandoori chicken & tomatoes

Snack:  1 can of coconut milk blended with a banana & ice water

Dinner:

•  Meat loaf (Ground Turkey,Italian sausage, onion, bell peppers, egg, tomato paste, salt free steak seasoning)
• Boiled cabbage (beef stock, cabbage, onions, garlic powder)
• Roasted Zucchini
• Paleo BBQ sauce

BTW, today I notice that my 3X T-Shirt seemed way to big on me.  When I looked in the mirror in the  bathroom of the Indian restaurant--it just seemed to big, where it used to "fit."  So maybe I have lost inches and I just didn't know it.