11 Days Down

Today is day 11 for me and I have come to the conclusion that my family paid me lip service.  When I said...COMMITMENT and ALL-IN they all nodded and agreed.  By day 3 the most common response to any question  that started with "why can't I..." was "it's against the rules" followed by, well those are stupid rules. 

Last Sunday, day 5,  we had tickets to see a matinee play with my husband's family and were to meet them for lunch before the play so we had our first (and probably last) foray into eating out.  And it sucked. Our waiter was actually pretty funny, checking with the kitchen on what items (we were at a BBQ place...probably not a good choice) didn't have restricted items (hint: very few).  I ended up with a plate of romaine, a couple cherry tomatoes and two small smoked chicken breasts with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil on the side.  Poor waiter kept coming by saying, Parmesan?   No thank you.  Croutons?  No thank you.  Breadstick?  No thank you.  Just keep bringing the water.  SO.MUCH.FUN. watching everyone around you enjoy their meal (and, if we're baring our soul, beverages) while you "stick to the plan".

Sunday, before we left for the play, I had put a pot of beef vegetable soup on the stove with instructions to my daughter when to add what.  So it was ready when we got home.  That  night I made a frittata for breakfasts, thinking it would be available for the rest of the week, and the husband took the only piece left on Tuesday.  

Monday I made a pork loin roast, balsmaic roasted sweet potatoes, homemade applesauce (I had apples freeze in my garage fridge and this was perfect for using them up) and broccoli.  Tuesday I shredded up the porkloin, added taco (compliant) seasoning and found a recipe for mock taco shell (eggs, coconut milk and a bit of coconut flour.  I believe this may fall into the SWYPO(Sex With Your Pants On) category. Did it work?  Meh...no, not really.  The crepe like shell wasn't nearly robust enough to hold the taco filling.  It ended up being not much different than using a lettuce leaf.  So, what's the point?

Yes, I know...it looks like an omelet.  It's not.  It's a mock(o) taco.

Wednesday I made spaghetti sauce with both zoodles (zucchini noodles) and spaghetti squash, to make a comparison as to which we liked better.  I'm going to go with the zoodles.  The spaghetti squash was a pain to cut (even after microwaving for a couple minutes to soften it), had to be baked for about an hour, then shredded.  After all that it had none of the consistency of noodles.  The zoodles did.  They were long (enough to twirl on a fork) and has some texture.

Thursday I made chicken strips using almond meal, mashed potatoes (with chicken broth) and broccoli.  I was pretty disappointed in the chicken strips.  They were oven baked (and you know where this is going, right?)  and had no crunch.  On a scale of  Ish to Wow, I'd give them a Meh.

Yesterday was the worst yet.  First my husband and I went to the movies (funny side story, we invited friends via a text that read..."going to see American Sniper tonight.  Want to know if you want to join us on our popcorn free, candy free, pop free, water ladened evening" ..They declined although I'm SURE they were tempted.)  He was in a horrible mood and it wasn't helped when we could actually smell the popcorn in the PARKING LOT (that's just wrong).  As we left the movie, whomever was in the end seat left almost a full tub of popcorn.  I had to drag the husband out.  We came home and had a salad.

Today, I made pepper steak and cauliflower rice (without the cilantro and lime but with jalapenos) which was just OK. I'll be honest though...I am sick to death of this.  And I've actually made a different meal each night.  Everyone's sick of eggs.  I'm trying to keep a variety of fruit on hand (not the best, I know) and I'm even sick of that (apples, bananas, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries).  I'm full after every meal but I'm not satisfied.  It's simply not what I want.  I'm not necessarily craving anything (well, except Pizza...Pizzzzzaaaaaaaa), just not really satiated with what I've eaten.

More honesty...not sure if I will last the full 30 days.  I've already talked to my kids today about no longer wanting to hear their complaints.  If they want to be done then they are welcome to be done and do what they want.  But when I'm dealing with my own struggles and keeping strong, having to deal with their complaints is close to pushing me over the edge.  And that won't be pretty. (it never is).

For now, I'm still holding strong, hoping it starts to get easier...soon.