Whole30-sgiving

Thanksgiving - finally! I was so happy to have two days off. Even though I spent four hours making the two-hour drive to my parents' house, I was so excited to be done with work for the (short) week that I didn't care. (Mostly. Traffic is kind of the worst. Anyway.)


The morning of Thanksgiving, the five of us got up to do the Run to Feed the Hungry for the third year in a row! RTFTH is a huge Turkey Trot in Sacramento. You can choose morning of to do the 5k or 10k, and there are timed and untimed options. Anne and I decided to do the 10k - more running, more turkey, right?

Getting ready for the race!


Although I'm feeling awesome, the one thing that is still not 100% awesome on Whole30 is running. Up to 4 miles is cool, and then after, I feel like - out of breath, lead legs, and so on. So this race was a bit hard. After I hit Mile 4.5, it was like, UGH CAN I STOP YET?!

Luckily, we were not pushing for a crazy fast time, and did about 10:00/mile, finishing in 1:02. I was very happy to be finished - it feels awesome to get a great workout when you know the rest of the day will be spent in the kitchen or sitting at the dining table! Plus, I had a talk with our family friend who is a trainer, and he made some suggestions for 4+ mile runs, like eating during runs and getting in some pre-run carbs, that might help me from now on!

And I was so excited to see so many friends on Facebook, Instagram, etc. participating in Turkey Trots across the country - in the snow, in the cold, in the heat, everywhere! You guys are so awesome!


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So being that my sister and I are still doing the Whole30 over Thanksgiving, and our dinner ended up being just the 5 members of my immediate family and my aunt Lynn, we decided to do turkey and Whole30 compliant sides! Yum.

One of my favorite dishes to make on Thanksgiving is sweet potato casserole... with marshmallows. And brown sugar. Sigh. But! I found this Sweet Potato Casserole with pecan topping, which is already Paleo. Instead of maple syrup in the potatoes, I subbed extra juice from an orange, and instead of the syrup in the crust, I added chopped dates, mixing it in the food processor.

I also saw this Cran Cherry Sauce recipe on Nom Nom Paleo, and decided to do it (sans optional honey). I love that cherries and apple juice cut the bitterness of the cranberries! Since my mom also bought fresh cranberries, I also made this Apple Cranberry Sauce, subbing the water for apple juice, and eliminating the sugar. So delicious! Cranberries two ways!

I also made the Rosemary Mashed Faux-tatoes from the Whole9 Thanksgiving list. I loved the addition of turnip with cauliflower, it gave it a great texture and taste.

We also made salad with squash, butternut squash soup, and my mom made a pie sweetened with dates only, with almond crust. YUM!

What a fabulous, beautiful Thanksgiving!

Post-Thanksgiving food coma!


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So, how am I feeling, approaching two weeks of Whole30? I mean... good! I'm not experiencing any miraculous health benefits, my hair and skin don't feel much different (although I've needed a haircut for a good two months, so that's really not likely anyway), and I don't have boundless energy. That being said, I think I'm feeling more... pleasant? I feel more level-headed, and less moody. And I definitely feel energetic, and am going to sleep and waking up easily. (Then again, I just had 4 days off. Ha!)

And actually, I haven't had any stomach discomfort, like I'd sometimes get, on and off, after my gallbladder surgery in 2012. I've never been quite sure what has caused it, it just happens on and off when I eat... a lot? Other than that, I've never known. I guess when reintroducing certain food types after the Whole30 is over, I'll have to do it strategically and see what bothers me.

Best of all, I think I'm developing some good habits. I'm realizing I don't necessarily need cheese every time I eat eggs (or beans, or meat, or salads...). I'm also stopping that dependence on something sweet after lunches and dinners, little by little, and finding lots more ways to incorporate veggies in all of my meals. I'm excited to bring these habits with me as I go on after this is all over!

Here's to the next 16 days!