Decided to start my own thread. It helps me to post every day or as often as possible, but now that I've gone back to work (teaching), I'm having a hard time keeping up with the chatter on my favorite thread. I got this idea from Sundove. Since I rarely eat processed foods, my diet fits most closely to the Whole Foods Lifestyle, so this is an appropriate place for me.

Today's menu:
B: one omega 3 egg fried in evoo, spinach and arugula salad with evoo and balsamic vinaigrette, coffee with cream, MCT oil, and coconut sugar
L: Quest chocolate chunk power bar, 3 squares Lindt 78% dark chocolate (after eating this I fell asleep for about 2 hours. There is some sugar in this chocolate, so I clearly overdid it. Wrecked my afternoon.)
D: salmon baked with butter, lemon, rosemary, thyme, garlic; seasoned, steamed asparagus, big romaine, spinach and collard greens salad with avocado, evoo and vinaigrette dressing

I've felt super tired these past two days and I'm not sure why. It hits me after I teach my last class. Yesterday I thought it was because there was some sugar in the dark chocolate that I ate, but I didn't have any sugar today and I started out the morning with a lot of energy.

I went for a short walk this morning and it felt great, but afterwards the back of my ankle started bothering me. I did stretch this morning before the walk, but forgot to stretch after my walk so that might have been the problem.

B: one green banana, smoked oysters, coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: salad with cooked prosciutto, baby romaine, spinach, collard greens, arugula, olives, evoo and vinaigrette dressing
D: meatballs and gravy made from grass fed beef, and heavy cream, mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, steamed cauliflower, one glass of white wine
D: two squares 90% Lindt dark chocolate - mmm so good. I think I'll stick to the higher percent chocolate.

Today was long. Too many things to do and no dinner plan. I got home at 7pm from the last event of the day and could not figure out what to do for dinner so I made some sour cream and onion dip and dipped jicama sticks and endive into it and that was my dinner. I really have to get more organized and do a bunch of food shopping. The good news is that my energy levels are up. Despite not being able to rest all day, I did not feel super tired.

B: coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: romaine, spinach, arugula salad with sardines, olives, avocado, evoo and lemon dressing
S: banana, one square of 78% dark chocolate, a few nuts
D: sour cream and onion dip, jicama, endive, cream cheese, decaf coffee with cream and coconut sugar

Down 2 pounds today. I waited two weeks to weigh in, but I could feel the weight loss. One of the ways that I feel it is when I cross my legs. It's getting easier and easier to cross my legs. That is such a good feeling.

Began eliminating sugar from my diet in May 2017
My starting weight on June 2, 2017, was 196 pounds. I was exercising only and not eating sugar.
Began gradually implementing the Plant Paradox diet on June 19, 2017.

B: coffee with MCT oil and cream, one banana, one square 85% dark chocolate
L: salad with spinach, romaine, arugula, avocado, walnuts, evoo and vinaigrette dressing
D: baked halibut, baked asparagus, cilantro - lime crema made with my own homemade mayonnaise and a little sour cream

B: coffee with MCT oil, cream, one green banana
L: spinach salad with olives, walnuts, avocado, evoo and vinaigrette dressing, one square of 85% dark chocolate
D: broccoli, ginger, leek soup, biscuits made with tapioca and coconut flour

I made my own mayonnaise this weekend. I am so excited about it. Almost all mayonnaise that can be purchased is made with either soybean oil or canola oil and both of those oils are on the "no" list for me. I bought Primal Kitchen avocado mayo from Whole Foods and I really am not keen on the taste, not to mention the price. So, I finally bit the bullet and made my own mayonnaise. It was so easy, I don't know why I didn't make my own mayo a long time ago. Here are the ingredients that I used:

Ingredients:
1 pastured omega 3 egg
1 pastured omega 3 egg yolk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp iodized sea salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard
2 tsp honey
1 cup avocado oil

Directions:
Pour the egg, egg yolk, vinegar, salt, mustard, and honey into a blender. Turn the blender on and very, very slowly pour in the oil through the lid. Once an emulsion forms, continue adding oil in a slow steady stream. Resist the urge to dump in the remaining oil at the end. Blend until mixture thickens. Store in a mason jar for one week.

It turned out a little bit sweet but sweet suits me. However, my other family members are interested in a more sour taste, so I might try some lemon juice. I could also add in some garlic powder, or paprika. And I could use maple syrup or stevia instead of honey, but I really like the honey. I'll probably try out one of these variations next week, most likely the lemon juice and garlic powder.

I used the mayo to make ranch dressing, cilantro-lime crema, and by itself to dip my artichoke leaves into. I'm almost out and will need to make more this weekend.

The cool thing about making my own mayonnaise is that I get to choose what ingredients go into it, which is something very important to me.

I tried to feed the extra egg white first to my two cats, then to my dog. No takers. lol!

Tonight I made the most delicious stew. It was such a wonderfully satisfying meal. All the flavors really blended together well. I loved the bit of red wine in the broth. There is something about cooking with wine that appeals to me and warms me. Of course I had to have a glass of red wine while I was cooking. Yum! DH really liked the stew as did my kids. In all it was just a feel good evening.

The recipe originally came from the Mayo Clinic, and the "thrifty crafter" modified it for a paleo diet, which actually sometimes works for me. Here is the link: http://www.thethriftycrafter.com/201...w-with-fennel/

And here is the recipe. The only thing I did not use was the almond meal. Almond meal is not an approved ingredient in my diet. Instead I used tapioca flour but I think if I make it again, I just won't bother to dredge the meat at all. I would rather add in the flour later to the broth to help thicken it. I'm not a very talented cook and dredging the meat in tapioca flour made it stick to the pan. Of course the problem could have been the tapioca flour and not the cook, ha, ha! Even so, I would rather just skip that step and brown the meat in some olive oil.


1/4 c almond meal, for dredging
1 pound boneless lean beef stew meat, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced vertically
2 large shallots, chopped
1/2 large onion, cut into thin wedges
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup red wine
4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bunch swiss chard, stalk removed, leaves torn
1 container crimini mushrooms, quartered
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

Directions

Place the almond meal on a plate. Dredge the beef cubes in the almond meal. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the beef and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. If using almond meal instead of flour, you’ll want to scrape the almond meal from the bottom of the pan before proceeding or it will burn (absolute blasphemy to throw away the browned bits, I know! To avoid this, just use flour).

Add the fennel, onion and shallots to the pan over medium heat and saute until softened and lightly golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, the thyme sprigs and the bay leaf. Saute for 1 minute. Return the beef to the pan and add the vegetable stock and the wine, if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently until the meat is tender, ~45 minutes.

Add the carrots and mushrooms. The liquid will not cover the vegetables completely, but more liquid will accumulate as the mushrooms soften. Simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes longer. Add the swiss chard and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until wilted. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir in the parsley and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Ladle into warmed individual bowls and serve immediately.

I spent the day yesterday with some friends. On the menu was chicken soup made with pastured chicken and lots of delicious veggies, and for dessert, I made brownie bites. Recipe here: http://www.healthy-liv.com/dark-choc...-energy-bites/

The conversation was incredible. We talked about everything from recipes to kids to sleep and electronic devices. I found out some very interesting things. I've been using my cell phone as my alarm clock, but I will no longer be doing that. I found out that the wireless router in our home and my cell phone could actually be the cause of my weird random fatigue. I have my cell phone turned on all day long and I always have it with me. When I'm not on my cell phone, I'm on my computer working. What I learned is that the radiation from the cell phone and the wireless can cause exhaustion. I don't know if this is the case, but I'm not going to rule it out. This week I am conducting a little experiment and turning my phone and my wireless off at night to see if my energy levels improve.

I am up a pound this week; not sure why, but I do have some swelling. Not sure what's causing it. The weather heated up and I probably didn't drink enough water. I really had the munchies today. I think I've been overdoing the nuts and dates. I'm eating too many little sweet snacks and not enough green food.

B: one pastured omega 3 egg fried in evoo, spinach leaves sauteed in evoo, coffee with 1T. MCT oil and heavy cream
L: leftover fennel and beef stew, one banana, celery with almond butter, two squares 90% dark chocolate.
S: small handful of macadamia and pistachio nuts
D: roasted pastured chicken, baby carrots

Did a lot of walking today. Kind of wore myself out.

B: one banana, coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: ate out at an Italian restaurant -- romaine and radicchio salad with olives, marinated artichoke hearts, prosciutto, fresh basil, evoo and red wine vinaigrette; coffee with cream
D: baked sweet potato with butter, sour cream and salt

I had a bit of a hard day today. I got up later than I wanted, and became distracted doing things not on my task list. So instead of getting dressed, I taught all my online classes in my p.j.'s., fell asleep after classes for an hour or so and showered and dressed around 4pm. I felt a little sad in the afternoon because I had to let a student go from one of my Latin classes. She wasn't thriving. Not my fault, she was in over her head and didn't realize it right away. Still it was hard for me to lose a student. It makes me a little sad.

I did not get my shopping list together and I did not go food shopping, which I sorely need to do. I'm really unorganized today. But I made dinner, skimpy as it was. I at least got a meal together. So, that's a small success.

B: smoked oysters, coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: spinach salad with olives, bacon, evoo and vinaigrette dressing
S: three celery ribs with almond butter
D: chicken and mushrooms sauteed in butter, olive oil, and sprinkled with thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, onion powder
D: one square of 90% dark chocolate melted in decaf coffee with two tsp coconut palm sugar and cream.

I have renewed energy today. I got my grocery list together and went shopping and filled my cart up with mostly vegetables. I have been reading cookbooks too. I'm getting ideas for some new recipes. Every so often I have to make some new dish or I get bored with food. This week I'm looking to try out some new soup. I haven't decided what that will be yet. I also found a recipe for a tomato-free pasta sauce that I'm excited to try out. I bought all the ingredients so I'll probably do that one over the weekend. Anyway, it's nice to have a refrigerator full of food again.

B: coffee with MCT oil and heavy cream, butter lettuce salad with leftover chicken breast, mushrooms, and apple slices, evoo and vinaigrette dressing, two medjool dates.
L: two omega 3 eggs fried in evoo, coffee with cream and coconut oil
D: Shrimp scampi, baked asparagus, one glass of white wine

Today was hard. I'm still tired from the weekend and I have many demands on my time from my work. I need to get my rhythm back. I'm workin' on it!

B: one whole avocado sliced up, plus 2oz leftover chicken, coffee with MCT oil and cream
L: one banana, baby greens and spinach salad with evoo and lemon dressing
S: a few walnuts, coffee with coconut oil and cream
D: leftover chicken, onion, mushroom and millet casserole

I usually go out with friends on Thursday night, but tonight I just wanted to curl up in bed and read, so that's what I did. I didn't make dinner for the family. I took the night off and let them figure out their own dinner. They did alright. The girls went to Trader Joe's and got some organic pizza dough and toppings and they took care of themselves. I really should take the night off from cooking more often.

B: one avocado, romaine and spinach salad with evoo and lemon dressing, one omega 3 egg fried in evoo, 3 slices humanely raised bacon, coffee with MCT oil and cream, a few walnuts
L: three ribs of celery with almond butter and pistachio butter, coffee with coconut oil and cream
D: one banana and lots of rest