The Joys of Cooking - Clean As You Go

Earlier this week, I shared with you how the Whole30 has reignited my passion for cooking.  I know that cooking can be intimidating for some, and have decided to do a series on cooking and how fun and easy it can be.  I know, I know, I can already hear some of you groaning.  Believe me I am a modern woman, and I by no means think a woman's place is in the kitchen.  In fact if you can find a man to cook then more power to you.  On a side note, this reminds me of a chef I used to work with at Disney.  His wife told him that she married him because the sex may fade, but you always will need to eat.  Since we are not all lucky enough to marry chefs, and we all need to eat we might as well know how to fend for ourselves in the kitchen.

I think that part of the reason why I used to hate cooking was because of how messy it was and how many dishes were always left in the sink.  The last thing I want to do after a day of cooking is clean up a bunch of dishes.  However, I picked up on a neat little trick, which really is not a trick, and probably common sense to most people.  Are you ready for it?  Clean up your mess as you go!  I know your world was probably just shaken to the core by that profound statement.

Now I know you may be wondering to yourself, "How do I do that?"  Well here are some of my tips and tricks to keeping a clean kitchen while you cook:

1. Use a trash bag - This a tip that I picked up from Rachel Ray.  She always uses a trash bowl, but I went one step further and use a bag.  I tend to use the little plastic bags that your produce comes in from the grocery store.  While I am prepping, cutting, and cooking it sits on the counter and I throw all of my trash in it.  Then when I am done I just knot it up and throw it in my big trash can.  I find this to be a great time saver too because I am not constantly making trips to the trash can, and it helps to keep my cutting board/counter free of trash and clutter.
2. Use wipes to clean your counters - Each time you are done with a task (or if you spill something) just pull out a cleaning wipe and wipe down the counter, and then throw your wipe into your trash bag.  This keeps your counters clean, and it's just easier to wipe as you go.  You do not have to worry about scrubbing layers of sticky, random cooking juices later.  I personally do not like using sponges to wipe counters with because they tend to spread bacteria and germs, but if you must then you can use a sponge.  Here is an extra money saving tip:  When you are out of cleaning wipes do not throw your container away if there is still liquid in the bottom.  Instead dip a paper towel in it and wring it out to create your own wipes.  This will help to stretch your dollar a little.
3. Rinse your dirty dishes immediately - Rinsing the dishes while they are still a little warm will help to keep residual food from sticking to your pots and pans.
4. Load your dishwasher as you go - I always like to cook with an empty dishwasher, especially when I do a cooking day.  That way I can just load the dishwasher as I go.  It is so much quicker plus you are not struck with the dread of seeing a sink full of dishes at the end of the day.  
5. Put your hand-wash dishes in the sink with care - I know this sounds a little weird, but bare with me here. Instead of piling all your hand-wash dishes in the sink nilly-willy place them in the order you plan to wash them.  This way you are not pulling things from the bottom, and everything else is crashing down into the sink below.  Trust me, your dishes will thank you, and you will keep from breaking things this way.  

Once again, none of this is rocket science, but hopefully you learned something new or came away with a useful tip.  I really have found that cleaning as I go has made my cooking much more fun and relaxing.  Next week I am going to tell you how the internet can make you a better cook!

What 15 Days of Whole30 Has Taught Me

10 things I have learned so far about myself, my body, and the Whole30:

1. I love sweet potatoes - I used to like them but when I had an option I would always choose a loaded white baked potato, and if I had to choose a sweet potato I would load it up with brown sugar and marshmallows.  I now love them with just a little ghee and cinnamon.
2. I can do anything I put my mind to - I know this is super cheesy, but it is also true.  There is no way I could do this without perseverance and dedication.  It is nice to be reminded of all the great and amazing things that your body is capable of. 
3. My skin is clearer - Getting all the "junk" out of my system has made my skin look great!  Thanks to my home-made face wash my skin is pretty clear, but I did have some dark spots from old acne.  They are all pretty much gone, and I don't need cover-up anymore.
4. I have definitely lost weight - You are not supposed to weigh yourself on this program, and I have not, but I can tell that my clothes are looser and everyone is telling me I look thinner.
5. My injured knee is better - I am still not 100%, but the swelling has definitely gone down!  I am not sure how much of it is time and how much is this detox, but I do think that the detox has a little something to do with it.
6. A support system is a necessity - I am doing this on my own even though I tried to talk a ton of other people into doing it with me, but my friends, family, and co-workers have all been super supportive of me.  They hold me accountable, and they are there for me to complain to when I am feeling like I want to quit or cheat.  My bestie even skipped out drinking on St. Patrick's day to hang out with me!  She's the best.  Also, make sure you check out the Whole30 Forums.  There is a lot of great support there, and you can find answers to every question you have.
7. Grocery shopping is a pain - You have to read every label, and sugar is in almost everything!  I was a label reader before, but I was mainly looking at serving sizes and calories not ingredients.  Next time you get a chance read some of the labels in your kitchen, and I guarantee you that you will be surprised by what is actually in your food.  I even found spices that had sugar in them!
8. The internet is your friend - You probably already know this, but you will learn to love it more.  Having a smart phone while shopping will really help you.  I am constantly having to Google whether or not I am allowed to have something.
9. Less is more - I am mainly talking about ingredients here, and not serving sizes.  Like I said earlier, grocery shopping is hard, so I have found the less things I have to read the better!  Many times I have just gotten frustrated and decided to pass on items that I might normally have, or I just try to figure out how to make it on my own.  
10. I love cooking - This really is something I have learned about myself.   My degree is in Hotel and Restaurant Administration, and I had to take cooking classes in school and I grew up cooking with my mom and grandma.  I have always been able to cook, and been a pretty good one at that (not to toot my own horn).  However, I just always thought I hated it.   I just never felt a passion for it until now.  I love getting in the kitchen and creating something delicious and healthy.  I just put my music on and go to town.  I have no idea why I like to cook now, but I look at it as a win.

These are just a few of the things that I have learned, and so far I am loving the Whole30 even though it does get hard sometimes.  Once I get finished I will post an updated list of things I have learned.  Have you done the Whole30?  Do you have any advice?  Are you thinking about doing the Whole30 and have questions?

Whole30 Halfway - AKA Day 15

 

 Yesterday was my halfway mark for the Whole30.  I am soooo excited to have made it this far, and I can now see the finish line ahead.  I am not going to lie this has been very difficult, but well worth it and not nearly as hard as I had originally thought it would be since originally I thought it would be completely impossible.

The first week was relatively easy for me as far as cravings go, but the detoxing part was very hard.  I had headaches, which I rarely get, and they were horrible.  There were also a few times where my body was achy, and one day I almost took off work because I felt so ill.  I was also exhausted!  I would usually be in bed by 9:00 p.m. and crawl out of bed at 6:45 a.m.

Luckily I did a lot of research before starting, and found that it was best to prep your food for the week on Sunday.  You are shown how to do this in Melissa Joulwan's cookbook, Well Fed.  She has some great recipes, and I will be reviewing her book in the next week or so.  Cooking everything ahead of time worked out perfectly for me.  I could come home from work and quickly throw something together for dinner and get my lunch ready for the next day.  By then I would be ready for bed.

The second week I felt great!  I was not as tired, and I had energy all day long.  Before the Whole30 I would be exhausted after lunch, and need a Dr. Pepper to make it through the rest of the day.  Now I feel as great in the afternoon as I do in the morning.  I have actually almost completely cut caffeine out of my diet, which has been somewhat unintentional.  I originally planned to keep drinking coffee at breakfast, but I have found that I no longer "need" it to make it through the day.  I do still drink a cup or two on the weekend just because I enjoy it, especially with coconut milk.

The second week did have its own rough spots.  I have been having some crazy cravings.  Before I started the Whole30 I thought that I would miss my glass of wine at dinner and my sweets the most, but it actually has turned out to be carbs and cheese that I want the most.  All my friends and family know that I love cheese.  I never really thought of myself as a carb feind, but apparently I am.  I am constantly wanting biscuits and gravy and bread and french fries and the list goes on and on.  I know it is my body's way of trying to get me to go back to my old ways with comfort food, but I know that I can overcome it, and have some bread and cheese in 14 more days!

You are warned beforehand that you will have some crazy dreams, and I did not think that would really happen to me because I never remember my dreams.  Boy was I wrong!  I have never had so many crazy dreams about food, and they are so realistic.  So far in my dreams I have eaten three packages of Twix bars and eaten fries with ketchup and drank a Dr. Pepper.  Each time I am so guilt ridden in my dream (there is even crying involved sometimes), and wake up questioning if I really did indulge in those items and ruin my Whole30.  Luckily, so far I have stuck 100% to my detox and do not plan to cheat.  Mainly because cheating is not an option with the Whole30.  They state it right there on their website, "Don’t even consider the possibility of a 'slip'."  I have kind of made this my mantra for the Whole30.  Anytime I even try to think of maybe cheating I realize that the only one I will be cheating is myself, and that is just not worth it so me.

Tomorrow I will be posting 10 things that I have learned so far on Whole30.  Have you learned anything from your Whole30?

When things get tough just remember this - "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'" - Audrey Hepburn

A Whole30 New World

I am not sure how many of you are familair with the Whole30 program.  It is a detox/rest of sorts.  Basically you cut everything delicious out of your diet, and you reap some amazing benefits.  Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but that is exactly how I felt after I first read about the Whole30 program.

To be honest, I am not even sure how I found out about the Whole30 program.  I tend to skip around from blog to blog and I love to peruse Pinterest, so I am sure that I stumbled upon it through one of those forays.  I was looking for a way to lose some weight, and to help me feel better about myself overall. 

I am a very active person, and I love to run and play soccer.  Unfortunately, I was injured about a month during a soccer game. I was on crutches for about a week, and I am still hobbling around, which means I am pretty much doing no activity.  This means I have lost my muscle mass and have gained some extra pounds.  Typically I eat fairly healthy and am able to offset my bad habits by working out.  I knew that what I wanted was something to jump start getting back into shape, possibly a detox or cleanse of some sort.

Enter the Whole30 program.  My first thought was, "there is no way can I do this!" They want me to cut sugar(real and artificial), no alcohol (what am I getting into here?), no grains, no legumes, no dairy (what no cheese or ice cream or milk?), no carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites (these 3 are doable no problem!), no white potatoes (no chips!).  I hate to admit it, but the majority of these things are the majority of my diet, but then I started to read about all of the great things that would happen to me and my body by "resetting it" with the Whole30.

I found a lot of information from different blogs, including whole9life.com, which is the official website of Dallas & Melissa Hartwig, the creators of the Whole30 program.  I was intrigued by all the information that I had found, and decided to learn more about it.  The more I learned the more I began to think that I could do it, and I would have amazing results, which are more energy, better sleep, a flatter stomach, and quite a few health benefits. 

I found out there was a book, It Starts With Food, which tells you about Whole30 more in depth.  They even give you all the "science - y" facts to back everything up.  As soon as I found out there was a book I ran over to library and grabbed it.  I am currently reading it, and loving every minute of it.  My plan is to finish this book by Saturday, go shopping this weekend for everything I'll need to begin the program, and prep my food on Sunday for the week. 

I decided it was best to start right away instead of trying to find "the right time to do it."  I am sad that I won't be able to "celebrate" St. Patrick's day as I normally would, but I know that this small sacrifice now will pay off big time in the future.  There is never going to be a "perfect" time.  I know there will always be a party to attend or a holiday to celebrate, so I figure I will do it now while I am excited about the program.

I have found some great blogs of other people who have been successful with the Whole30.  They have inspired me sooooo much!  I am going to document my journey here on the blog.  I would love to hear your feedback if you have completed the Whole30.  What was your favorite thing to eat?  Do you have any advice for me?

I found this great quote that is really inspiring to start right my program NOW! 

If it is important to you, you'll find a way.  If not, you'll find an excuse. - Frank Banks