Man, I was tired today. The fatigue was worse than usual. I got up 45 minutes earlier this morning because I had to be at work for an 8am meeting (I usually get in at 830am), and I also needed to fill the CrockPot for tonight’s dinner before I left. At least I had prepped most of the ingredients the night before (I had to pre-cook the turkey, bell peppers, onion, and garlic).
I still got 7.5 hours of sleep last night, which means 1) I needed even more rest; 2) my body was rebelling against waking up at 6am; 3) my underactive thyroid is worse than usual; or 4) I’m still getting used to the food changes on the Whole30. It could be a combination of all of those things.
I fought through the fatigue and did the things I needed to do anyway. I walked to the library after work to pick up a book that was on hold, then continued home to braise some cabbage. I also made another batch of cucumber salad (using the last of the cucumbers my dad gave me on Saturday), grilled some tilapia on the stovetop for work tomorrow, and washed the dishes I’d dirtied.
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, braised cabbage mixed with leftover taco-seasoned beef from last night’s dinner
Lunch: Salad with shredded chicken
There’s a cafeteria in the building where I work, so I decided to make my own salad from the salad bar. Although I usually purchase their grilled chicken along with the other ingredients, I’m not sure how they prepare it so I brought chicken from home just in case. My salad included lettuce, beets, hearts of palm, two more hard boiled eggs, and four cherries.
Snack: Zucchini and squash
Dinner: CrockPot Pumpkin Turkey Chili served with braised cabbage and cucumber salad
I wanted to find a Paleo version of my CrockPot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili, a recipe I’ve made numerous times and always enjoyed. This one looked good so I decided to give it a shot.
I followed the recipe exactly, although I did add a 7-oz can of green chiles. In place of the white beans, the Paleo recipe calls for two bell peppers, so I used one red and one yellow to add color.
Verdict? Paul complimented it twice. I thought it was good, too — definitely had a great flavor — but I’d prefer a chunkier consistency. The original recipe looks pretty chunky though, so maybe I just cut my veggies (and diced my ground turkey) too small!
(Reminder: I’m following the Whole30 for the month of July. Here’s why.)
I am tempted to get started on this program tomorrow, but I have to travel for work and pleasure several times in August. The company I work with is great and are providing gluten free meals, but that does not mean they will be Paleo. Do you think it would be easier just to wait until this trips are over or is it one of those things where there will always be some reason not to start it??
That’s a good question. I put off starting my Whole30 in June because I had two trips back to back (a birthday weekend in Annapolis), then a 5-day trip to Boston the following week. I knew I would have no idea what was in most of my food, so I waited until a month I didn’t have any travel planned.
One factor is how long you’re going to be away. If your travel is just for a day or two, it won’t be as difficult. Multiple days (especially if you don’t have a fridge in your hotel room) will be a lot harder. (Even though I wasn’t following the Whole30 in Boston, I requested a mini-fridge for our hotel room and kept yogurt, fruit, and hummus in there for gluten-free snacking.)
There are a lot of posts out there about how to stay paleo while traveling, so I’d recommended googling those. They have a lot of good suggestions, although they seem to focus on nuts (which I’m not eating right now), beef jerky (which is difficult to find Whole30-compliant), and carrying coolers with cold food like hardboiled eggs (which is a good idea if you’re able to carry a cooler with you, but you may not if you’re going on an airplane).
However, like you said, there’s never going to be a perfect time to start. Last weekend’s party with my family was easier than I expected, but this weekend some friends are getting together for a cookout (with lots of alcohol); next week I have a birthday happy hour to attend (a group that I’m used to drinking lots of wine with); and next weekend my boyfriend’s parents will be visiting for five days. I’ll have to make it through all of those events. So no, the timing will never be perfect unless you’re a hermit. :)
I have decided to just give it my best effort. I know it will be challenging with all the given variables, but I’m just going to go for it. Thanks for the travel tips. I am going to look into that further. And good luck with all your events. That is going to take a lot of restraint:)
Let me know how you do!