Elizabeth gets her shit together - for real this time. : January 2018

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Life beyond Whole30: moving toward food freedom

I'm currently on day 13 of my Whole30, and I'm beginning to think about what my diet will look like when it is over. I am really going to work hard on my reintroduction phase this time, because I straight up blew it last time (tacos and then lasagna won out). I am hoping to find out that no particular food group makes me feel terrible because I would really hate to cut out dairy or bread entirely, but I do want to be careful about how much of those two groups in particular that I incorporate back into my diet.

Given that I discover nothing out of the ordinary, I'm thinking my diet will look a little something like this. I thrive on routine and ease -- I find that I am most successful when my food choices are easy and filling and dependable.

Breakfasts will likely be on a rotating routine. Breakfast is the part of the day that I dislike most on Whole30 because this is where I most often consume dairy and/or bread. I'm thinking about choosing from a few options such as a bowl of Cheerios with bananas or strawberries, multigrain toast with scrambled eggs, a yogurt parfait with granola and fruit, or seasonal fruit with hardboiled eggs. I try to always consume a fair amount of protein at breakfast, as it keeps me fuller longer.

Lunches will also probably be just a few solid things to choose from, depending on the season. A sandwich, a hearty salad with protein, or an "appetizer plate" of easy items - veggies and hummus, pieces of cheese, raw nuts, dried fruit, etc.

This way, with simple breakfasts and lunches that don't take much imagination, I can play a little bit more with dinner. I do want to stick with mostly protein and veggies, because it's just so simple, but I will also have the freedom to add in things like pasta or casseroles every once in a while.

The four big categories that I have cut out and will reintroduce one-by-one are legumes, non-gluten grains, gluten grains, and dairy. I do not anticipate a problem with legumes, as I don't actually care much for beans. The only legumes I eat on any regular basis are chickpeas in the form of hummus. Non-gluten grains include quinoa, corn, rice, and some oats. Gluten grains include wheat and some oats. This will be a big category for me to be intentional about. I love adding rice to protein and veggie meals. I love toast and sandwiches. I plan to be very limited in how I add grains back into my diet, but I hope to do it in a way that I do not feel deprived. Now, for the big one... DAIRY. I could already tell last time that dairy is a little tough on my stomach. I think the key here is moderation, more than any other food group. I simply cannot eat dairy multiple times a day. That being said, if I have cereal with milk for breakfast, I think I could stand to consume dairy one more time that day, because hardly any of the milk gets consumed. However, if I have a sandwich for lunch that contains a slice of cheese, that would probably need to be it for the day. I'm going to try this out and see how it feels!

All things considered, the one area where I am not willing to budge is in the added sugar department. There is simply no reason to go back to buying food items that contain unnecessary added sugar. Things like canned tomatoes, green beans, corn, marinara sauce, salsa -- there is simply no reason to buy versions of these food with added sugar! Does that mean I won't have a cookie every once in a while? No. But keep that junk out of my everyday food!

We will see how it goes, but I'm excited to get started on February 1!

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Thirty, single, and doing just fine.

A few days ago, I was looking for new podcasts. I found lots of great options... for new moms, for new wives, for teenage girls... none of which apply to me. I got to wondering why there is so little good information out there for women my age on how to be good women. I don't know the answer to that, but I figured that I could add something to the space.

There are so many topics that people struggle with in life that are made even more difficult or confusing if you are a full-fledged adult and still single. Things like how do you handle money? What should your schedule look like? How transparent should you be? What do you do when you have serious struggles - how do you handle them? How do you take care of your health? How do you take care of yourself? What should you be really intentional about, and what can be put on the back burner? What do you say yes to and what do you say no to? How do you take care of home when you're the only one responsible for it? How do you deal with the inevitable loneliness? What kind of leisure do you prioritize? How do you plan for the future when you don't know what your future might look like? What kind of relationships do you prioritize? What about your faith? What about your social life? How do you establish routines? How do you actually cook for one person? How do you reconcile your family's expectations that you might not be meeting? Is it okay to still have a roommate? What do you do when all of your friends are getting married or having babies - how can you reconcile being happy for them and a touch disappointed, too? What do you do when you have to make really big decisions? How do you handle being responsible for it all?

I'm going to be occasionally digging into these issues on this space.

Meal plan: January 13-19

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Breakfast: two scrambled eggs

Lunch: chicken salad, almonds, banana

Dinner: burger patty, roasted potatoes

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Breakfast: two scrambled eggs

Lunch: chicken salad, almonds, banana

Dinner: burger patty, roasted potatoes

Monday, January 15, 2018

Breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs, grapefruit