Whole30 Week 3 Meal Plan & Progress

We've now finished our 3rd week of Whole30 - the shift to the Reintroduction Phase is in sight!

Week three brought some clear evidence of results (known as 'non-scale victories' in W30 terms).  As of right now:

• I have gone from snoring like a freight train to my breathing while sleeping hardly being noticable. (Not entirely gone, but a huge difference from before.)
• My GERD and acid reflux has gone from struggling not to throw up after meals and frequently losing hours of sleep at night due to a drowning sensation while horizontal to DISAPPEARED.  I've had two episodes of sour stomach, and no signs of reflux at all.  I am amazed at how quickly this happened.
• I had an appointment with my rheumatologist that went very well - a greenlight to lower my prednisone (I expect to be completely off in a few more weeks), my infusions happening a week farther apart and the required weigh in (the one time I had to deal with a scale) showing 15 pounds gone. Well then!
• My husband is wearing clothes he's not fit into for three years - and mine, which 'just fit' are feeling looser.
• Mood swings are a little less wildly swinging than they were the first two weeks, and I'm less tempted by passing thoughts about bread and cheese.  
• We're starting to plan for the controlled reintroduction phase.  I'm looking forward to getting to taste some of what we've avoided - but I am far more interested in discovering what's been causing my body so much mayhem over the last several years.
• Once we sort out our permanent 'no more of this' list, we plan to move into a regular Paleo type lifestyle, reserving off-script 'treats' that don't actively ruin our day for when we are socializing or eating out.

So this is how we ate in Week Three (I was bad about remembering to take pictures, unfortunately):

Breakfasts and Lunches continued to be an assortment of grab and go items (hard cooked eggs, sausage patties or pre-cooked bacon, salad fixings, fruit, nuts, the occasional date or Larabar) or leftovers from dinner the night before.

What We Ate This Week

Sausage and Pumpkin Vegetable Soup (recipe below)

Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Plantains, Pineapple & Coconut (recipe below)

Leftover Sausage and Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

Chicken Apicius with Dates & Olives, Zucchini Noodles (recipe here)

Chocolate Chili over Baked Potato, Salad (recipe here)

Panfried Sirloin Steak, Leftover Salad, Steamed Veggies
Main Dish Tossed Salad with Bacon, Hard Cooked Eggs and Mushrooms

Here are a couple recipes for you:

Sausage and Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

Sausage Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

(serves 6)

1 pkg. Aidell's Chicken Apple Sausage

1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

Ghee or coconut oil

3 cups homemade chicken broth

1 can pureed pumpkin

1 large can diced tomatoes

1/2 bag frozen cauliflower, broccoli and carrot blend, chopped smaller if desired

1/2 bag sliced okra

1 Yukon potato, diced

Seasoning as desired: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Dash of Cholula original at serving time, if desired

Cut the sausage into coins, then halve each coin.  Saute sausage and mushrooms in stock pot until mushrooms are soft.  Add remaining ingredients, and stir. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer at least until vegetables are soft although it's better if it can simmer at least an hour.

Serve in soup mugs or bowls, adding a splash of Cholula if desired.

We had enough here for soup for dinner twice - a good thing because I was experience a little 'what?! I have to cook again?!' at this point.

Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Plantains, Pineapple and Coconut

The pork for this was given a dry rub of Arizona Dreaming seasoning blend from Penzeys, seared in a pan and then put into a 425F oven to roast for about 25 minutes.

The plantains (about half way between green and ripe) were sliced along with some fresh pineapple, and sauteed in a blend of ghee and coconut oil for 10 minutes or so, then sprinkled with unsweetened coconut flakes.  These were DELICIOUS.

The veggies are the other half of the bag we used for soup the day before.