One Bad Apple

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     Veganism or vegetarianism has never been a temptation to me. I love....LOVE meat! But there are many people who see these lifestyles as superior to other diets including meat and animal byproducts. My goal for this blog isn't to share my opinion on everything under the sun, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to share some shocking articles that have been published recently about this subject.

     Steve Jobs was a famous vegan. Some, including Dr. John McDougall, believe that is vegan diet is to credit for Jobs living as long as he did with pancreatic cancer. There are others, like Dr. Kaayla Daniel, who believe that vegan diet (particularly Job's excessive consumption of fruit), may have worsened or even caused the cancer.

     Both of these positions are quite intriguing, but then this story pops up in the news...

Technology

Steve Jobs’ Fruitarian Diet Lands Ashton Kutcher in the Hospital

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/29/steve-jobs-fruitarian-diet-lands-ashton-kutcher-in-the-hospital/#ixzz2JUZSUnV3

     According to Kutcher, his steady diet of apples resulted in him being "...doubled over in pain...", being rushed to the hospital and learning that his "...pancreas levels were completely out of whack...". 

WAIT...WHAT?????

     Yes, you read correctly. Apples were wreaking havoc on Kutcher's pancreas as he worked to become the man who died from pancreatic cancer not two years ago.

     So this is where I must give my opinion:

     Do I believe eating fruit will lead to cancer? No. 

     Do I believe eating meat will lead to cancer? No.

     Do I believe eating wheat will lead to cancer? No.

     What I believe is the human was created to live on a variety of whole foods.  No one food will harm you...unless it's poisonous. The real problem isn't the food, it's the volume and variety of those foods that are, or aren't, being consumed on a regular basis. The unfortunate thing is that Conventional Wisdom does not teach variety very well. It tells us that the majority of our plate should be grains, with some vegetables OR fruits (because they're all the same, right?), and a bit of LEAN meat protein thrown in for satisfaction sake. They don't take into account what state any of those parts of the plate are in (they could be covered in cheese, or a sugary sweet glaze, or plain...that doesn't matter). It doesn't matter where those components come from (they could come from a can, a garden, or pieced together molecule-by-molecule by some food chemist). All that matters is the "pyramid". 

     That's right. The USDA and the FDA are just a big pyramid scheme.

     I wanted to share this because I want people to have research at their disposal, not just my opinion. Yes, I will choose research that usually supports the choices I have made. But if I find a really thought-provoking article that tells of the dangers of cutting out grains and refined sugars from my diet, I will share that as well. But I wouldn't hold your breath :)

What did you think about the Ashton Kutcher story?

Whole30 Update: Day #26 and it's THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!

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I cannot believe I'm 4 days away from CHEESE!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH!!! I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MYSELF!!!

Okay, my freakout is over :)

Seriously, though. This has been such a great experience! I would love to say that I am feeling on top of the world right now and my body is coursing with Tiger Blood, but I can't. Aunt Flo is here and in full effect, and I basically slept all weekend. I didn't really experience major cramps, and I guess the pain never got to the point that I needed to take any pain reliever (which, now that I think about it, is a pretty big deal for me), but the fatigue, bloating, and back pain were all still there. I'm not complaining, necessarily. I know I'm in better health now than I was before I started the Whole30 program. I just wish Aunt Flo came during the first week  when I felt like crap already, lol!

Anyhoo, life is just grand around here. Friday the temperature never got over 32, and now it's about 70 out! Gotta love North Carolina weather!

I didn't take any food pics this weekend because I was basically out of it, but I did have some neat food breakthroughs! I made my own sunflower seed butter in our Nutribullet! It was delicious and way too easy! I also made a yummy Pork and Sweet Potato Stew for dinner on Sunday. It was sweet and savory and...Mmmm!

So that's basically it. My weekend was uneventful, but extremely restful which is exactly what I needed. 

How was your weekend?

Well the Weather Outside is Frightful...

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     We are finally getting winter weather here in my hometown, and it is quite a sight! Allie and I worked a half day (why? I don't know), and my Hubby is off tonight!

     So what have I done since 1PM? 

     Uh...ate lunch...read blogs...took at nap. Yay for Snow Days!!

     It's gonna be a great, cozy, snuggly, weekend at my house :)

What are your plans for the weekend?

Whole30 Update: Delicious Day #22 + Whole30 Approved Shepherd's Pie

(This post signifies my very first link up! I will be linking up with The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Thursdays from now on. Check her out! She's amazing!)

One of the greatest perks from my Whole30 experience is the new arsenal of scrumptious, healthy recipes! I'm very proud of myself because most of the recipes I have cooked are original (thank you, thank you!)  According to my Hubby, they have all been delicious...but he's a pretty partial judge :)

One of those recipes is what I made us for dinner tonight: Paleo Shepherd's Pie!

Since I have gone through this entire experience and haven't posted a single recipe, I will use the last few days of the program to do so, starting with this awesome make-ahead supper! I literally made this yesterday while watching the premiere of The Taste on Hulu. My new work schedule has me at the office on the same days that my Hubby and I get to have dinner together at home (which is only 3 times a week). That means I get home after Hubby and he's usually starving while I'm just starting dinner. So this week I've cooked meals that are either prepared in the Crock Pot or are make-ahead dinners. Tuesday night was Butternut Squash Chili (I'll DEFINITELY be sharing that recipe soon, it was so easy and delicious!). Tonight we're having the Shepherd's Pie I assembled yesterday on my day off. When I get home, I'll just pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes, and we'll be good to go!

Whole30 Approved Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef (the best you can get your hands on)
1 head of cauliflower (trimmed and cut into small florets)
4 cups of broth or water (I used turkey, cause that's what I had. I personally wouldn't use seafood)
1 1/2 cups of carrots, diced (or baby carrots cut into rounds)
1 1/2 cups of green beans, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of roasted garlic
1 tsp coconut flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring broth or water to boil with a good amount of salt in a stock pot and add cauliflower florets. Cook for about 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain cauliflower and, if necessary, let cool.

2. Put roasted garlic in blender with cooked cauliflower and blend until its thick and smooth. Set aside.

3. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Remove cooked meat with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Add onion, carrots, and green beans into the remaining fat and saute until the onions are translucent and the carrots and green beans are tender.  Add ground beef back to the pan along with the poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and coconut flour. Cook for about 3 more minutes, then take the pan off the burner and allow the filling to cool.

4. After the filling as cooled, pour it into your favorite casserole dish (my 8x8 glass dish seemed to be the right fit for this one. Then spread the cauliflower puree over top and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula or spoon.

5. From here you can either put in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until the top of the casserole is caramelized, or you can put it in the friidge/freezer and cook when ready. If you are choosing the make-ahead preparation, let the casserole sit on your counter for a couple hours to thaw/take the chill off, then put in a 350 oven for 30-45 minutes until the casserole is heated through and the top is caramelized.

Happy eating!

Whole30 Update: Day #20 + Aunt Flo

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What's up, friends! Today is Day #20 of my Whole30 experience and I'm pretty much loving life right now! I'm feeling pretty good and I've been eating really good!

Here's breakfast from Sunday morning:

"Purple Rain" Banana Crepes, as dubbed by my Hubby :) The topping is coconut cream, banana, and mixed berries. Then we had sausage and eggs on the side. YUM! That morning we watched "Aristocats" and I was LOLing like I was 5 years old!! I don't know what it is about Disney movies, but I'm instantly a kid again when we they come on.

Dinner that night was Pineapple Chipotle Wings with Tomato and Avocado Salad an Avocado Mayo dipping sauce. DELICIOUS!! I pretty much laid the smackdown on those wings. You could say that we cheated a little bit, because I "shallow" fried them in bacon fat and a bit of olive oil. But all the ingredients were Whole30 approved. Oh, and Hubby came up with the refreshing mineral water in the background. I could have had a gallon of that stuff!

So what's up with Aunt Flo? Well I've definitely been PMSing a bit this week because I start next week. (I know, that's a lot of info, but you're blog family now.)  I haven't had the bloating or the mood swings (WOOHOO!!), but I have had the urge to eat every scrap of food in the house. Honestly, I'm not snacking nearly as hard as I did in months past, sans Whole30. And, though I'm not munching on Mac and Cheese and Oreos, my choices have been very satisfying and I haven't really binged out on anything. I guess the Whole30 program has calmed my hormones to the point that a time like this wrecks much less havoc on my body than before.

With 10 days left (I don't know what I was smoking last time I was talking about having 10 days left...), I'm really pleased with the results I have experiences. I may even get brave enough to share my before and after pics with you guys on day 30!

Have a great week, and we'll keep in touch :)

Whole30 Update: Day #17 and Feeling GRRRRREAT!

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Yep, that's me, feeling the tiger blood!  I definitely had some gloomy moments this week, but they have all led up to this! I feel AWESOME!  I'm starting to actually crave Whole30 approved foods. I think my clothes are starting to fit a little better. I have been getting great sleep, which is huge for me! (I have never been a great sleeper...EVER!)

Speaking of cravings, I still can't wait to have cheese in my scrambled eggs or maple syrup on my paleo pancakes again, but as far as things I want to have everyday that's kind of the extent of it. I know there will be bread, cocktails, and maybe even some McDonald's Mystery McNuggets in my future at some point (hmmm...maybe not the McNuggets), but now that I understand what it does to my body I'm just not chomping at the bit to have these things on a regular basis. I like who I am right now! I like waking up and continuing to feel awake throughout! I like feeling sleepy and actually falling to sleep...and STAYING asleep! It's a glorious thing that I just don't want to throw away just because I can't say "No" to a Bojangles biscuit.

*Shutter* I know I'm really letting some fellow North Carolinians down with that last statement. Those were my jam back in the day, but I just can't put my stomach through that anymore. But we're still friends...right?

This is what I made for dinner Thursday night:

Oh yeah, Coconut Curry Stew with Shrimp and Peppers. It was delicious, but I think it needs lemongrass. Unfortunately, I've never used lemongrass before! So I'll definitely be experimenting with that idea before I post the recipe.

All in all I'm a happy girl! My body feels good because it's not competing with all the junk to keep me alive and alert. My heart and mind are happy because I'm treating myself well, FINALLY!  Yeah, that whole "love others as you love yourself" idea has taken on a whole new meaning over the last 17 days. So many people, especially women, pour limitless love out on others every day while hating themselves through their choices, speech, and thoughts. We come by this behavior honestly, the generations before us have taught us to care for everyone else before we care for ourselves. There are times when that is necessary, but that shouldn't one's every waking moment. We are not to love and care for others INSTEAD of ourselves, but LIKE ourselves. It's a simple thought, but accomplishing it has proven more complicated than I thought it would be. I'm so happy to have finally started walking this concept out for me.

I can't believe there are only 10 days left of my Whole30 experience. I'm excited because I'm REALLY craving a baked sweet potato with an entire log of goat cheese in the middle, bacon over the top, and finished with a liberal drizzle of honey. YUUUMMM!!! But I'm a little sad, too. What a time of discovery! What a 19-Day journey to cracking my food-code! It's been real, and it's been fun. Thanks for sitting in the passenger seat :)

An Update and A Confession

So it's day #14 on the Whole30, and I'm okay. I'm regular. My energy is even. I'm never stuffed feeling after I eat, and today I honestly never even got hungry.

None of this sounds like a bad thing, but I'm a little bit depressed by it. I mean, I believe I had gotten so used to going from the feeling of starvation to being so full I want to vomit that I...well...miss it! And I miss the sugar highs and crashes. And I miss the pain I get from eating a giant bowl of spaghetti and meat sauce.

Do I sound like a masochist?

I'm not quite sure where I'm at with this whole thing. I mean I feel fine, though the weather here isn't helping (in short, it sucks). Maybe I'm hormonal. Maybe this is the next stage of breaking my food addiction. That sounds right. I've gone from physically missing the highs, to mentally missing the highs.

The fact is I have expended myself quite a bit emotionally over the past week or so and I've had nothing to numb the exhaustion that it has brought about. This is a good thing, I need to face my stress and deal with it. Essentially, food (especially grains and sugar) has been a security blanket for me for a long time and its been ripped away by my own hand. I'm doing myself a favor in the long run, but that doesn't make it feel any better right now.

I guess I'm just having a James 1 moment. I'm in a funk, but I'm allowing myself to be taught in and by it. That's the only way I'll mature and grow. And that's ultimately what I want, to be better.