Friday, April 28, 2017

I Survived a Whole 30 - and I'm Doing It Again! Plus: My Top Whole30 Tips!


Even a quick glance around the internet will get you hundreds of thousands of results for "Whole30."

What is it? 

From the website:


So basically, it's a reset for both nutrition and the relationships you have with food/your body. It's sort of related to the Paleo diet, but with a few more restrictions. 

No:
Grains
Dairy
Added Sugar - real or artificial
Legumes
Carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites
Recreating or buying junk food made with "approved" ingredients - so no Paleo muffins and the like
Alcohol
Soda
Weighing yourself or taking measurements for 30 days

YES!
Meat - even bacon if it isn't cured with sugar!
Any vegetable that isn't a legume - including potatoes!
Eggs
Fruit and fruit juice
Basically all nuts except peanuts (which are a legume)
Any spice that doesn't have any of the above no's
Coconut - milk, flakes, oil, and flour
Water
Coffee
Tea
AND A MILLION MORE THINGS!

Everyone hears "no dairy, grains, booze, or sugar" and thinks I can't eat anything. But that's just not true - I've been eating A LOT of amazing food!


Strawberries, banana, Justin's Almond Butter.  








Lamb Lollipops with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans - my own recipe!


Salad with Chicken, Onion, and Tessemae's Ranch


Fried Eggs Over Roasted Potatoes with Bacon, Fruit, and Almond Butter



So I'm clearly not starving. 

And honestly, I've never felt better in my whole life. 

I've always been a little heavy, and an emotional eater, and while I still want to lose some weight, and I definitely still have feelings about food, I've never felt so in control of my own mind and body. 

Plus, in just 30 days:
I completely got rid of my dandruff
My skin cleared up
My eyes got brighter
The circles under my eyes disappeared
My gums are healthier
My allergies are so much better
My anxiety has been reduced significantly
My clothes fit better
And I lost 18lbs

Here's a before and after, where the results are pretty clear - same time of day, same lighting, same office:

But also, I just *feel* better. Was it hard? Sort of - I really missed pasta. But then I had some pasta and it was fine, but I realized what I actually missed was the emotional comfort/ease of making pasta. I still like it. I'll still eat it. But I don't have real feelings about it anymore. 

Most importantly, I decided to do Whole30 again! I'm on my second round, day nine today, and I feel just as amazing as I did the first time.

I've made list of my top 8 Whole30 tips below!



Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Memphis Nosh: Los Comales Mexican Restaurant

Sloan and I are constantly on a constant quest for great, hole-in-the-wall restaurants - Memphis is full of them, and we're always discovering something new. Recently, we found what may be the holy grail of "holy shit I didn't know that was there" places.


Los Comales is an insanely good Mexican restaurant, barely 10 minutes from our house, that we had no idea existed.

Sloan found out about Los Comales from a friend he used to work with. His friend is Hispanic, and Sloan always asked where his favorite restaurant was. His friend would say "my wife's kitchen." FOR YEARS. 

But finally, he saw on Facebook that Oscar said his favorite place was Los Comales, just down from us on Perkins and American Way, and off we went!


Los Comales is close to the corner of Perkins and American Way, and is really nice inside. And huge - there are lots of booths, private rooms, and tvs, as well as a bar.

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The guacamole is fabulous. This is just a tiny one - they don't play with the large sizes.


They also have the most amazing salsa. The red salsa is great, but that green salsa is like an avocado cream salsa with an insane amount of heat. We've put it on everything and it's so good.


Action Shot! 


This is the Milanese Torta - I don't know what bread they use but it is amazing. Soft but still sturdy enough for that great sandwich. 


This is the super spicy shrimp - the Camarones a la Diabla. This is seriously spicy people.

Not as spicy as the Menudo, which I did not get a picture of, but which they serve every weekend, and which my friend Troy is obsessed with. 

They also have, without a doubt, the best burrito I've ever had in Memphis. 


And the drinks? Oh my. 



Basically, if you want really really good Mexican food in Memphis, this is the place.
Like strong drinks and Mexican food? This is the place. 
Like spicy food/condiments? This is the place.

For real. You might even look like this when you eat there: 


(Aiya, basically seeing the face of god while eating a quesadilla.)