Author: Claire

I’m a lot late with this, mostly due to being on holiday and having a terrible WiFi connection. Against my better judgement I didn’t ease out of my Whole30 restrictions

What I learned about my eating habits.

1. Sugar is everywhere! And we thought we already “avoided” sugar.
2. Emotional/ stress eating – get headache or feel cold, want tea. Feel sad and happy, want wine or cheese or choccie.
3. I indulge in a lot of absent minded (mindless) eating. Chunks of cheese from the fridge, handfuls of almonds etc.
4. Habitual eating and drinking – flat white coffee when I go to town, wine on a Friday night with dinner, bottles of fizz for celebrations, etc.
5. I didn’t miss wine and beer as much as I thought I would. Yes, I nearly went and bought a bottle of fizz to celebrate my new job but it wasn’t a big deal to not have it so I plan to have a lot more booze-free weeks.
6. Our overall planned meals didn’t change much. We haven’t included much legumes, grains or veg oils in our diet for nearly 2 years now (80:20) but it’s all the extras, treats and outside food and drink that let us down. And I thought we were being so good!

In conclusion, I’m happy to reintroduce alcohol and cheese, both in small quantities of high quality product as a treat, and I don’t think I’ll miss not having them all the time. Our dairy product intake will decreasing as we really don’t need to have cheese in breakfast and lunch every day. Likewise milky tea and coffee will be a once-a-day at the most drink, with the shortfall replaced with water and I really like some of the infusions I’ve been able to buy. Where before we would buy a 4-pint bottle of milk for the week, I think we can get by on 1-pint plus a carton of cream. I do like cream in my weekend coffees 🙂

I probably won’t be making my own tomato ketchup just yet, so that will have to be a rare treat or replaced with roasted toms, but I will continue to make my own mayonnaise. The flavour of shop bought is noticeably sweet to me now and it’s not hard to make a batch for the week. Plus, I’ve found a recipe using half olive oil and half coconut oil so it can be made a bit cheaper, and I can cut it with yogurt or buttermilk if I need to stretch it into a dressing for things like with coleslaw.

Ah, the final day of our challenge and we’re in sunny Madrid. I was dead on my feet last night so not quite sure how I managed to chew dinner. Needed to pick up some more food today (Sunday) as yesterday was just about immediate feeding needs. We did have the foresight to get 2 dozen eggs so breakfast was sorted. The lovely markets would only be open from Monday so today we had a choice of Lidl (better than our UK local store), a Carrefour Express (one up from a corner shop, but still has a good selection of fresh fruit) and a Dia (right by our apartment and like a tardis!) Have noticed that Madrid is not all that “Accessibility Friendly” – especially the Metro stations. Fortunately we were only manoeuvring a suit case but pushchairs were struggling and if you’re in a wheelchair I’m not quite sure what you’re supposed to do. The Dia was also an interesting one – you couldn’t g into the store area behind the checkouts, instead you were directed up an escalator to the first floor where the drinks and canned goods were. Only after getting to the back corner of that floor I spotted what looked like a staircase to the staff area which took you back down to the fresh produce area. Odd.

Anyway, wanted to have a more planned approach to dinner tonight so after a plate of scrambled eggs (failed omelette – darn electric hob) with guacamole, tomato and lettuce, and plenty of black coffee, we headed out to explore Madrid. Late in the afternoon we stumbled across mercado san Miguel, which is a foodie heaven! Restrained ourselves and just shared a cornet of finely sliced iberico ham and a cornet of freshly fried chicharrón. Gorgeous place with all kinds of tapas to buy, while you walk around with a glass of vino or a beer. Going back tomorrow definitely.

Picked up a few more bits for dinner (we’re terrible at planning ahead on these trips) so I could bake some garlic and lemon chicken to have with a sort if ratatouille/ ragout creation. Supermarket fruit and veg is good here but choice is limited compared to home as it’s all very local and seasonal. We’re so used to having everything, no matter what the time if year, and it’s all perfect looking and a bit tasteless. However, in the proper markets there are several varieties of things like tomatoes, melon and peaches to choose from which smell beautiful and taste amazing so can’t complain.

Lots of water then early to bed. Los zzzz

Yay! Holiday!!!! Up early but sat and read for a bit before getting up. Our flights were in the afternoon so no need to rush about. Bacon omelette and express for breakfast then pottered for a bit, remembering little extra bits to pack – nail varnish!

Whole30 @ Heathrow is tricky but probably saved us a fortune in pre-flight treats. Only got a black coffee from Pret and wandered round the tax free shops. I was tested. We were upgraded to business class and I declined food and booze, but it was an afternoon tea of sandwiches and cake so I wouldn’t have eaten it before Whole30 anyway. Enjoyed a packet of nuts and a bottle of water in flight and read most of a book.

Landed on time and just had to make our way across Madrid on the Metro to collect our apartment keys. Made it to our new temporary home by 8pm so plenty time for a change of shirt and a visit to the local supermarkets. Fairly small stores, being a city centre, but managed to get some coffee, fresh meat and veg. As I hadn’t eaten since breakfast (I won’t count the packet of nuts) I was starting to feel a bit woozy verging on hangry so wasn’t feeling all that inspired to cook. Cobbled together griddled steak with tomato and onion salsa, and some baby gem leaves dolloped with guacamole. Had a few crunchy cortezas de cerdo on the side and sampled the Paleta ham we’d picked up. Lots of water and hit the hay quite early

Getting up was a bit easier today. Tea, shower, omelette and out the door. Not as much coffee at work, mostly fruit tea and water. Was peckish at midday so just had some fruit. Had my packed lunch later, made from everything I could find leftover in the fridge last night: roast butternut squash, red pepper, mango, cucumber, lettuce, anchovies, capers and added tuna. Very filling but I was starting to flag just an hour later. Possible it was due to the fruit I’d eaten earlier in the day. Huge cravings for cheese, and bacon.

Eventually went home and blitzed the kitchen before starting dinner; Czech meatballs, roast carrot and butternut with bacon braised cabbage. While that was cooking I got on with packing for my hols which was quicker than I expected since my huge wardrobe clear out last month.

More Breaking Bad with dinner. Pushed myself a bit too far, falling asleep during the 3rd episode. Hauled arse to bed and out cold. Zzzz

Definitely harder to escape from the duvet this morning. Sore throat and sniffy nose. Probably due to me spending my days in an office full of germ-ridden people. Usual routine of black tea and an omelette, then out the door.

To deal with my munchies I made a snack pack with nuts and sliced smoked sausage to nibble in the afternoon. It was gone by 11am.

Had a friend coming in to visit so hadn’t taken any food in with me for lunch and was at the mercy of the canteen. Managed to get a grilled tuna steak and some salad (just lettuce, cucumber and carrot) which was ok but think I’ll stick with taking my own food.

Hungry again in the afternoon and really fancied chocolate, but had a banana instead. Not sure if I’m actually hungry or just wanting a treat to cheer me up. Supposed to be full of bounce and wake up feeling refreshed but starting to think “Whole27” might be more than enough.

Home early and spent the extra time just reading and having some me time. Nice easy dinner. Just had to reheat stew and steam some greens. More Breaking Bad (nearly finished series 4!) and in bed, lights out at 10:30

Eek! Over slept 🙁 Super quick hair and make-up, and hoovered an omelette before dashing out the door. Made it through to lunch time with a few cups of raspberry tea.

Waited as long as possible before having lunch (mackerel, egg and chunky salad) but was still hungry after that. Funny, I’ve not been hungry for a couple of days but now my appetite is back in full force. Maybe it knows the end is nigh 🙂 Held out for an hour before grabbing a banana to get me through the afternoon.

Picked up snacks en route home to nibble while dinner cooked in the oven. Pork spare ribs, chicken wings and butternut squash wedges served with the last of the coleslaw. Nothing to watch on TV so had to be more Breaking Bad, then off to bed at 11pm.