Day 21-23: SNOW!!!! (and an adventure)

Winter storm Janus blasted its way towards the East Coast, leaving the group of cities where I live in total chaos. It was only a few inches, but everyone acted like it was a blizzard. The chaos on the roads was just enough to make one scream, which I did at a few points. This is what happens with it snows in a place that doesn't see it quite that often. Sigh.

Day 21 started and I realized that my pajama pants were feeling a little looser. I wasn't going to jump for joy because it's too early t tell, but I think that my irritable, angry bowels are starting to heal. I rolled out of bed, tired still as if I hadn't had any sleep. I don't know if I'll ever have energy again, but I'm really tired of being, well, tired. Energy has eluded me for a few years now, it seems.

I went to work and realized that I was on the microbiology bench this week! HUZZAH! I don't know why messing with bacteria makes me happy, but I love it. I, also, tried to do some black coffee again because I was so drained while at work. A few sips was good enough for me. It's still way too bitter and I can't seem to get my head around the "bulletproof" coffee with ghee and/or coconut oil.

How to make bulletproof coffee
(http://www.endofthreefitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/How-To-Make-Bulletproof-Coffee.jpg)

Lunch consisted of leftovers from dinner the night before. Nothing overly special. People are starting to get used to my new eating habits so they weren't questioning why I didn't have a starch or why I wasn't eating bread. There was no one trying to tempt me with their food or asking me if I want to try this or that dish. This is starting to get nice again.

Going home was interesting. I had to stop by Cato to get a new blouse for an interview in DC. Nothing I had fit nicely nor looked nice enough. I also stopped to get hosiery (thick stuff too because it's cold!) and gas while it started to snow before heading home. Because of the cold weather, I decided that I wanted soup, so I made  a double batch of the no-fuss salmon patties again with creamy tomato soup. The soup was a little bit bland for my liking, but I'm sure I can doctor it up or find another recipe to follow, but it was a quick recipe.

Day 22nd was the day of the treacherous driving. The roads were ice rinks. One guy, whipped around my car, driving recklessly over the iced roads, and slammed on his brakes at a red light. Lo and behold! he couldn't stop so he slid through the intersection while two cars were passing through, narrowly making it without hitting either car. Ugh!

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I got to work two hours before we were going to open (delayed to 10am), but that was fine. It was quiet so I was able to work in peace. Now, I know why my coworker doesn't like me showing up until he's been here for two hours. My other coworker lives too far away to make it in without risking her life, so we told her to stay home.

http://whole9life.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/swypo.jpg

I had leftover salmon patties and soup for lunch while the rest of the practice had pizza. Oh, how much I wanted to go in there and snag a piece. I miss pizza, but I am trying not to have SWYPO with a gluten free pizza crust. I did get a few strange looks because I wasn't eating the FREE pizza. I calmly explained to them why I wasn't, and they left me alone.

I left work early since I got in so early and started the drive to DC. I feared that the roads would be awful, but to my surprise, they were in better shape than the roads around my neighborhood. I was able to make it to DC before sundown in one piece. The traffic was light and I was in high spirits.

For dinner, I ate some more leftover salmon patties and soup. I decided not t have to worry C about what to have for dinner since I'm sure he only had pasta, sandwich makings, and cereal easily on hand. I was happy to share some of the patties with him, which he said that he wanted me to make them all the time. I like compliments like that about my cooking. I work hard to make good food. I think the food is the only reason why I am still able to do this.

After dinner, we went to bed. I had to wake up early and get ready for my interview and make sure that I knew where I was going.

Day 23rd started with a hot shower because I was dragging. I love spending time with C, but his bed is AWFUL! I have no idea how he sleeps on it. Afterwards, I got dressed in my professional gear. I wore gray wool slacks, a white button-downed shirt, dress boots, and a woolen coat. I also had a wool head wrap thing to keep my ears warm and my hand-knit cowl. I was pretty warm for it only being in the teens outside.

I decided that I didn't want to try and navigate DC without knowing the roads well, so I rode the metro. There were some delays and I missed my first (and best train) so I had to transfer lines at Pentagon city. Once I got the Columbia heights, I missed the shuttle to the hospital I was interviewing for...and that's when I heard the soft pop from my shoes. My favorite dress boots suddenly started to rip along the seam, gaping at me with malicious intent. I wanted to cry because at this point I was late and now had a pretty awful wardrobe malfunction, but I got there in time to make it to one of the two interviews. The other interview was rescheduled until later that day.

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The interviews seemed to have gone well, but I won't know for at least 2 weeks or so. The hospital seemed pretty good. They encourage people to move up in the laboratory hierarchy, so there are plenty of opportunities. I would miss microbiology, but I could always give this a try while trying to find a better suiting job? I am trying to keep my hopes in check, but I need a full-time job.

http://the-hope-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/bgr-logo2.jpg

Afterwards, C and I went to lunch in Old Towne at a BGR burger joint. I had a plain burger with pickles, tomatoes, and mushroom topping on a lettuce wrap with asparagus fries (grilled asparagus) while he at a more decadent burger with sweet potato fries. We talked about the interview and then had to part. I went straight to his home, packed, and left. I felt bad that I couldn't at least have dinner with him and say a proper farewell, but I really didn't want to be on the roads too late since I had to go back to work on Friday.

I got home around 8:30 and cooked me a simple plate of bacon with scrambled eggs and broccoli. It was surprisingly delicious, although simple. I also cooked a bacon, broccoli, and andouille sausage stir-fry for my lunch the next day. Afterwards, I climbed into bed, snuggled with Toby (who is still taking over my bed) and fell asleep.

Not my picture, but this is the sausage!
 (http://www.crossfitcu.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Andouille-sausage.jpg)

I am truly hoping that the "tiger blood" phase will come back. I don't know exactly what is causing this slight down feeling, but it really needs to go away. My stomach is not as grumbly as it once was and there has been few embarrassing (stinky gas-related) moments since the previous week. I feel more regulated bowel-wise than I have been in months.

http://www.9cover.com/images/ccovers/1365343341sleepy-white-tiger-animals.jpg

Days 17 - 20: Let's do the Time Warp again!

It's just a step to the left and a jump to the right....

Days 17 through 20th seem to be a blur. I felt pretty decent physically. Emotionally, I was on a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes I would be super happy, but then I would feel melancholy or offended at everything. I think it's still my body being grumpy about having to start burning fat instead of sugar. I truly felt I was going crazy. There were times when I would bury my face into C's shoulder to keep from crying. Why was I crying? I don't know exactly what would set me off, but I would start thinking that I wasn't good enough for anything/anybody. Thoughts like "Why haven't I gotten a new job?" or "why does she always seem angry at me whenever I try to correct her?" would go through my head. I think it's just the stress my body is going through that is making me stress about EVERYTHING.

C was very supportive of me. He even went on the Whole30 for two days which is awesome because he loves his carbs. He's a lover of cereal, pasta, and chocolate and I was very surprised that he stuck to with me to the very end. He's got to be a keeper.

Friday, I made spicy crispy chicken wings for dinner along with some mixed veggies (sans the corn and lima beans). It was super delicious and fixed my need for something spicy. I made sure that Maw-maw's was smothered in BBQ sauce because she's not a fan of spicy foods. I,also, decided to have an apple with dinner to give myself a little sweetness to cut the spice.

Saturday, I cooked bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast which was devoured by three hungry people. C and I went to the yarn store to pick up yarn for a hat I am making for one of his friends. Then, we went to the farmer's market and picked up some amazing oysters to roast.

Saturday night, I made Moroccan lamb meatballs with cauliflower fouscous. Oh my. Talk about amazing food. We ate some of the oysters as an appetizer while I was prepping the meatballs. It took a little longer than I had expected, but it was so worth it. It was delicious.

Sunday was meant for the NFL football championships at my uncle's house. C and I ate a salmon egg scramble for breakfast that was pretty tasty and definitely something I will make again. The salmon wasn't too fishy and because of it being smoked, it gave a nice taste to the eggs. For lunch, we finished off the meatballs and headed to my uncle's. I snacked on some veggies from the veggie tray and at a piece of summer sausage and a handful of pistachios. Dinner was about 17 roasted oysters from the local river. To die for!

Monday, day 20, I drove C back to the train station early and went in to work. I stopped at Wawa to get an egg scramble bowl, but found out that they put cheese in it. I ate around the cheese, but it was not satisfying. I ended up eating an early lunch (chicken and shrimp curry). After work, I went to the grocery store and found out that Kroger is not prepared for the onslaught of people. They had no spaghetti squash or sweet potatoes. I did find a bottle of lemon ginger raspberry kombucha which I'm not sure if I like. Dinner was nomnompaleo's chicken nuggets from her cookbook and cajun sweet potato fries with a cajun remoulade sauce. So good.

We watched the finale to Sleepy Hollow and I crawled into bed, cuddled with the cat who decided that he can sleep in my room again, and fell promptly to sleep. I'm liking the sleep benefits.

Well, see you  next time!

--Yersinia

Day 16: RAWR!

Day 16 or also the day that I had such craptastic sleep that I snapped at the owner of the yarn store for hawking her fiber. Geez, woman! I am poor! I don't want to touch that soft cashmerino fiber that I won't be able to have because it's out of my price range by...a lot. I'm on a severe yarn and fiber diet so even if it was on sale for $5, I couldn't get it. I think I offended her because I did finally feel it after my favorite employee handed me my favorite colorways. Yeah...I was feeling a bit mean.

Had these colors, but it was different...and pretty!

To be honest, I woke up with not many problems besides the fact that I was EXHAUSTED still. I mean, shouldn't I be getting more energy by this point? I looked at my sleep time app and saw that I had slept fitfully and it didn't surprise me that I was grumpy (and late for work).

Everything was a complaint for me in the morning: work was too slow and boring, my eyes were burning, I couldn't stop sneezing, and one of my coworkers wasn't going to be there so I had to work late. Just a lot of things that I could find to complain about. I had to force myself to look on the bright side. At least I had a job and that I could grab extra hours. Yes, I was bored, but I was able to keep myself from falling asleep.

I am having a hard time eating breakfast. I just can't seem to get myself wanting breakfast. I guess that I am a natural intermittent faster? Not only am I not hungry, I don't find breakfast food appealing to me, especially without cheese!

I had leftover fajitas for lunch. A coworker who has been on this no-carb, ultra-low carb diet was picking on me because I had a bowl of meat with onions and peppers. She was eating chicken noodle soup from cambell's! Only thing that made that lower carb was the removal of the noodles. She kept talking about how this diet she's on isn't working, but she doesn't want to gain any weight back. Seriously? If it isn't working, try something else. I did! Maybe she has the same problem as me? Collecting underpants.

After work, I went to TYC for some fiber spinning fun with some friends. We talked for a long while and made funny faces at the baby. My mood brightened up a bit and I managed to go through an ounce of roving while sitting there which is pretty good for this amateur spindle spinner. The fiber I was using was Malabrigo nube, a beautiful gray and purple merino. I think I am starting to get my crafting bug back. After finishing C's hat, I hadn't really felt like working on anything. I really need to finish my Catkin so that I might be able to wear it one of these days.

When I came home at 9, I quickly scrambled some eggs with green peppers and onions and topped with salsa (since I can't have cheese). This is my first time doing that and it was really good! Then, I cooked some curry for lunch for Day 17. I found some frozen green beans and leftover peppers and onions and made a hot red curry with coconut milk, chicken, and shrimp. Yup, fancy. I took a bite of it before packing it away. It was really good. Hope it kept overnight.

Then, I went to bed to find a Toby sprawled out in the middle. I had to literally lay on him before he would move...onto my chest. Sigh. I read for a little bit and talked to C before going to sleep. Overall, it was a nice night, the polar opposite of my morning.

Day 15: Half-way mark!

It's a foggy morning here in my hometown. So foggy that travelling to work was a bit rough. I managed to not want to kill anyone though, so that's good.

I woke up with a cat lovingly draped over my legs, pinning me to my bed. I was wondering why my legs and feet were so warm. Toby takes spells -- sometimes he sleeps with Maw-maw, sometimes with me, and sometimes in a random spot in the house. I truly think he has a sixth sense for whenever my boyfriend comes into town (this weekend!!!) and so he rubs himself all over my bed so that I will have to clean my sheets or else have to feel bad that allergies are running amok.

This morning, I felt a little forgetful. I forgot to take my thyroxine, brush my teeth, and eat breakfast before going to work. Yeah, I know you shouldn't forget those, but I felt like I was in a dream-like state and after dreaming about daikon radishes all night long, it's no wonder I'm not crazy as is. I mean, who dreams about daikon radishes?! Not your normal person that's for sure.

Last night, I had the beginnings of a migraine. Today, it's still there, but lurking silently behind my left eye, waiting for the most inopportune time to strike. I made sure I packed my migraine meds with me this morning. I didn't want to be at work almost incapacitated. 

Lunch today was leftover pan-seared salmon with mango-avocado salsa, a sweet potato, and an apple (if needed). I think I am getting better at this. I got some funny looks because I refused to have any of the cupcakes that were in the kitchen. I'm sorry, but I've come this far, I am not going to back-track now. I don't want to start this all over again. 

I that I was going to go home and make those fajitas that I kept talking about. I found some extra chorizo so I added it in with some chicken and steak. I made my own fajita seasoning with some cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and a bit of cayenne pepper. Made the fajitas so yummy, yet have a nice heat to them. They weren't too terribly hot since Maw-maw devoured her fajitas and had another helping. I had my fajita meat in a bowl. I wanted to put it on the spinach I got, but when I opened the bag, I was greeted with the smell of decay and black spinach. Really?! There went my idea of having extra greens. 

I was feeling a bit "meh" all day. Work was truly slow and boredom doesn't sit well with me. I seemed tired the entire time I was at work. Shouldn't I feel something awesome yet? I wasn't craving sugars or anything, so that was good. I just wished something exciting would happen. 

After dinner, I decided to look for more jobs and rummage around my room for a bit before crawling into bed, cuddling with the cat (who knows that C is coming down so he must sleep in my bed with me), and read for a bit. It was nice. 

Aww cuddling tigers! I shall leave this with the cuteness.

-- Yersinia

Day 14: Rain rain go away | Come again another day |

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It's a dreary, rainy day 14. I woke up to a downpour (a miracle that the dogs weren't barking!). I thought that I would get up, but decided that it was so nice and warm in my bed that I would just listen to the rain. It was kind of nice. I, then, got up, dressed, and packed my lunch, but I wasn't hungry for breakfast. I decided to grab a Rx bar for an emergency nibble if I got hungry at work.

I got to work and had to jump right in. There is no slow moment in the morning, I am already running by the time I put my lunch in the fridge and hang up my hoodie. I managed to get everything situated enough that I was able to sit down and do a little bit of turn-around tracking for Same-days and help the micro bench out if need be. I'm that efficient.

Energy is still a little slow to getting to me. I don't know if it's because I skip breakfast a lot (my thyroxine tends to work better that way) or what. I try to eat breakfast, but I end up feeling nauseated by the time I get to work. I hate that feeling so I avoid it at all costs.

Lunch came around slowly. I still wasn't hungry until I walked into the employee kitchen. Then, my brain realized that it needed food to function. I heated up a can of beets in my pyrex bowl -- somehow I managed to not get beet juice all over my white scrub bottoms. Score for me! I, then, put my salmon salad in a radicchio leaf. The salad was good since I used some dried chives, dried parsley, and dill weed in the the homemade mayo that I mixed the fish in. Very tasty. Unfortunately, the radicchio leaf seemed to be too bitter. I had a hard time eating the second leaf. Next time, I'm going to stick with cabbage or romaine which isn't quite as strong in taste. Maybe the radicchio overpowered the fish?

Yeah...bitter...

Work continued to be slow which was a blessing and a curse. It meant that I spent a lot of time doing other projects that are mindless data entry. I began to count down the hours and minutes until I am finished for the day, especially since I promised a friend that I would stop by her house for a bit after work. Maybe we can go to the tea shop and see if there's a tea I would drink that doesn't need sugar? Who am I kidding? I'm from the South, we like to have tea with our sugar, thanks.

Proper as in sweetened somehow? 

I believe dinner is going to be salmon for me and tilapia for Maw-maw. I thought about making fajitas for dinner, but since I was going to use the radicchio, I am going to pass that for tomorrow. I'll stop by and get me some red leaf lettuce or something on my way home from work. I was thinking about making mango salsa, but now, I'm thinking about making grilled mango slices or something like that. I haven't decided as of yet. Guess I should, huh? If I do the salsa, I would need to grab some avocados and cilantro on my way home. We shall see. 

So, after I wrote that, I realized that I really wanted to try the mango salsa and pan-seared salmon from nomnompaleo. I went to Grandmart and got me a hass avocado and another mango because who doesn't like mango?! I also grabbed a bunch of cilantro and roamed around staring at the odd things that international markets contain like edible blood and bile with a friend. Yup, you find all sorts of things. 

Dinner took me less than 20 minutes from prep to done. I was so happy since I came home extremely late and Maw-maw was ready to eat. I also learned how to cut up mango and avocado! YES! I am super smart now. 

Extra large for that added detail!

After dinner, I watched Marvel's Agents of SHIELD with Maw-maw and took a shower. Oh how great it felt to feel clean. 

So how am I feeling after the first half of my Whole30? I'm feeling pretty good. Not quite "tiger blood" but I can feel it. I've also been getting compliments on how I look a little thinner in the face, but you know, I think I'm more enjoying the lack of embarrassing bowel problems. I mean I still have them, but it's not all day every day. I'm enjoying that. 

Tomorrow starts the second week. I'm trying to decide whether we are going to have fajitas or chicken wings for dinner. I'll probably pull it out and put it in a defrost bowl in the fridge tomorrow morning. Also, I will either need to get something else to wrap my fajitas or just go with the flow and eat with chopsticks. Yes..let's merge two totally different cultures into one. Got to make eating fun somehow!

Yeah that looks way too appealing to give up...

Goodnight!!

-- Yersinia

Days 11 - 13

So, days 11 through 13 were very similar so I'm just going to lump them together. Day 10 ended up with my 'lil sister and I watching movies at home after I made a soup with everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. It had hamburger, carrots, green beans, onions, bell pepper, whatever I could find in the fridge that wasn't looking very fresh. The movies were pretty good; although, I wouldn't call them awesome. just entertaining.

Day 11

I woke up feeling a little off. I had some serious bowel problems that were kind of embarrassing before I even got out to the kitchen for breakfast. I was feeling very sluggish and didn't want to go into work to read the cultures over the weekend. I had slept almost 10 hours again, so I had thought that maybe it was the cause of all my problems.

Yup...we have people who look like this...and worse.

For brunch, I ate the leftover soup from before. It had lost a ton of liquid so it was more like hamburger and vegetables in my bowl. Also, I had made a cucumber and tomato salad with balsamic vinegar and herbs. It was nice and refreshing. I actually started to nibble on the cucumber bits left over after I julienne peeled it.

I finally went to work. This time, I brought my own radio with ipod dock so that I could listen to my music. I worked for about 5 hours. We had a ton of new cultures and "problem children". Let's just say that the incubator was pretty odorous. 

By the time I left work, the sky had darkened with large, dark gray storm clouds. I rushed home and walked in the door just in time before the downpour. The rain was so heavy and the wind so strong that it was raining sideways and tree limbs were coming down. There were a few tornado warnings, but luckily, we had no problem. 

Looked a lot like this!

I started dinner and decided that I really wanted Chinese food, so I made nomnompaleo's Asian fried "rice" with home-made egg drop soup in chicken bone broth. Woo! I out-did myself. Not only was Maw-maw happy with it, so was I. My Chinese food craving had gone away. 

After dinner, we decided to watch a few shows and just talk while I tried to reformat my netbook which got a serious virus on it. From around 7pm until I went to bed, I had a nagging craving for chocolate and I'm not even a big chocolate fan. It was serious torture. I almost decided to raid the chocolate that I got for Christmas and call it quits, but I didn't which now I am so glad. 

Day 12

Day 12 started out like the others. I woke up, ate leftovers for breakfast, then went to work. This was now my 7th day straight working. I got to work and realized that all the servers were down so I couldn't put in results or email providers about their pre-operative cultures. I felt pretty much useless. I ended up leaving after only 2 hours of work.

Maw-maw and I then went to the grocery store. It was packed! Usually, we go earlier in the morning, but this time work interfered. I decided to not go with a grocery list and just check out what was on sale. It happens that a ton of beef was on sale so I guess we will be consuming red meat all week. Oh well. 

I, then, came home and did a little job searching before dinner. Dinner consisted of a nitrate-free beef frank, warm sauerkraut, and jicama home-fries from Well Fed. The beef frank was great with some spicy brown mustard. I devoured the entire dish. I wanted to go back up for seconds, but I have found that I rarely need to eat another bowl or plate. It must be the satiety feeling everyone keeps talking about. 

Oh and I made ketchup too! 

That night, after I had showered, we lost power in only half of the house. It was strange because I had power and wifi in my bedroom, but my Maw-maw was on the phone with my Great-grandma and lost connection. The kitchen was out, but the stove had power. It was just...strange. We called the power company and they found out it was the meter box. Guess who is responsible for that? The owner. My Maw-maw is beside herself because we don't know electricians.


Day 13

Today I woke up jittery -- almost high strung and a little spazzed. I'm not sure what that was about. I felt like someone had pulled me tight and was strumming. I finally calmed down around lunch time which was leftovers. I found out that my coworker was at her deceased mother's house when a tornado blew through the farm attached to it. The old barn was utterly destroyed. I felt so bad for her.

Lunch came around quickly and I had leftovers from the night before. I had some strange looks because I was eating a hot dog without a bun, but I just laughed and kept eating. I also had an apple that was beyond delicious. I mean...who knew a golden delicious apple would have so much flavor?!

I came home and tried to start cleaning up, but I lacked motivation. I ended up just giving up and cooking dinner which was steak and spinach. Yum! I grilled it on my cuisinart grill my 'lil sis gave to me. Seriously, it's one of my favorite gifts from Christmas.

After dinner, I made mayo and decided to go ahead and make lunch for tomorrow. I'm going to have salmon and mayo with dill, parsley, and chives. I am also going to have beets and possibly a sweet potato. I found cara cara oranges on sale so I bought the bag. Mwhahahaa! (Do you know how hard it is to find tuna or chicken without soy?! Impossible!).

Okay, I want this shirt...even though it's in a different language!

Now, I'm getting ready for bed. It's going to be a good night!

-- Yersinia

Day 10: Can I give up?

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I am at that point where I want to throw in the towel, say "screw it!" and give up on my health goals. This is hard. It's so much harder now that I have to struggle to figure out something to eat for dinner. If it was just me, I think I could figure something out, but I am also cooking for Maw-maw. I want something spicy, something that she wouldn't even touch with a ten-foot pole.  I don't want the ground beef that I took out of the freezer last night. 

I barely woke up to my alarm clock. Sleeping seems to be so much better anyways. I tried to ignore my dogs barking. I knew they had to pee, but I truly just didn't want to leave the comfortable warmth that I had finally wrapped myself in. Finally, I got out of bed because Theo's bark was driving me bonkers. 

http://www.petiquettedog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/bigstock_A_Cute_Chihuahua_On_The_Phone_10327622.jpg

I found that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on FX this morning, so I turned it on to watch half and episode while I got dressed. My brain just wasn't clearing up. I walked into the kitchen, determined that I would make something delicious for breakfast and my lunch. I roamed the kitchen, staring into every cabinet, nook, and cranny, and finally decided I would make scrambled eggs even though I didn't want them. As I as cooking them, I happened to glance at the time and realize that I was running late so I threw my eggs in a container and ran out the door. 

People must have gotten a memo that told them to drive like morons this morning. Out-of-state license plates were cutting me off, randomly slowing down quickly, and driving 10 mph under the posted speed limit. I even had a guy, who was driving in the left lane, cross my lane to make a right turn. Really?! I actually honked at him because he did it right in front of me. If I had decided to drive any faster, I would have t-boned him. Thankfully, my brakes work and so does my horn. Ugh. 

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I got to work and realized that I didn't have the appetite for breakfast. I warmed it up again and tried to take a bite out of it, but it just wasn't what I wanted. I had also slipped further into a funk at this point -- a funk that would last the entire day. My coworker had to leave early for a funeral, so I had to hold the fort down until 5. Extra hour of work, yay! All I want to do is crawl into bed again. Grr. 

Lunch was a smorgasbord of stuff. I found some pre-cooked bacon, turkey, and some extra lettuce so I made a turkey wrapped BLT. I also had a sweet potato sitting around, so I decided that I would have that with a sprinkle of ginger, cinnamon, and allspice (not too bad). Lastly, I found an apple and a leftover sausage. Lots of protein, not much vegetable matter. I need to get better at this. 

Work afterwards was dull. I continued to run routines and same-days simultaneously until 3:30. Then, I tried to work on the turn-around time tracking, but my mind was so out of if that I ended up staring at a blank screen. I even tried to research what I can do with some random ground beef. I thought about soup or stir-fry. I spent a lot of time thinking that I wanted meatballs, but I had nothing to make sauce for them. 

Tonight, my 'lil sister and I are going dancing at the country-western bar down the street from me. I'll be tempted to get a mixed drink or fried pickles, but I think I can do this with just water. I'm sure the sister will keep me in line. This outing was my idea, but I thought that we are overdue a sisterly date and with how our situations are going, it is probably a good idea. 

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I'll keep you posted on what I end up with for dinner. I'm still kind of wishing that I could just get a pizza from pizza slut or something. Sigh. Now, I know what they meant by having a go-to dinner in case you don't feel like cooking for a long time. I need a go-to meal that I can go to when I don't have money. 

I'm going to quite complaining. Life doesn't stink and I'm doing this for my health. I can do this. I can, right? 

-- Yersinia

Day 9: Is it just me or is it depressing today?

Day 9 was something unusual. My bowels hated me when I woke up this morning (TMI!). I was almost miserable with the cramping. I decided to forgo breakfast, especially since I woke up too late to prepare and eat it. I actually woke up late for work as well.

http://www.emotioneric.com/scramps.jpg

When I got to work, I still felt drained, but it wasn't quite as bad as it was the previous days. I was hoping beyond hope that I would get out of this slump and funk that I'm feeling because I am so tired. I was craving some coffee with good amaretto creamer, but I kept away from the employee kitchen.

Lunch was leftover italian chicken with zoodles and an apple. It was still good the next day, maybe even better! I kept having people ask me what I was eating and when I told them, they wanted the recipe. I was more than happy since it's a simple recipe.

Lunch was also when I had to listen to a woman who is trying to lose weight (she told me her weight, but I will keep that to myself for dignity purposes) and so she's eating those lean cuisines and sugar-free drinks (EW!). She talked about her lack of willpower when it comes to pastries. Her description of the cinnamon roll was vivid. I kept wondering if she was trying to sabotage my week of clean eating or if she was just that way. She also talked about how she was on weight watchers and lost a lot of weight, but gained it back because she simply could not live without X, Y, and Z. Again, she described in detail what those foods were and one was a favorite of mine (pizza!!!). I tried to ignore her and go back to my book, but she kept talking regardless. I tried to change the conversation, but it always came back to food. I almost walked out without finishing my lunch.

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I worked some more after lunch. I kept my routine samples until after lunch so that I would have at least something to do. It wasn't much, but it kept me busy. When I am not busy, I start to think about finances and job searching. I am pretty sure that your employer looks down on you when you search for a job on their time (actually, I know). I am obsessive over my situation and I'm getting depressed. Thoughts such as "I won't get a job ever" to "I'm always going to be poor" kept running through my head. Part of me is still regretful that I didn't take the job in the spring.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Charpentier,_Constance_Marie_-_Melancholy_-_1801.jpg

After work, I went to the yarn store and got to see some of my good friends. I was still a little down due to my thoughts (could this diet also have a "depression" part to it?) so I didn't talk much. Also, I keep feeling that one person in particular was being a snot to me still. I livened up near the end and talked outside in the parking lot with my usual suspects. I truly missed their company, just the drama of the yarn store and the inconvenience of our schedules has kept us apart for so long.

Dinner was around 9:30 which was extra late for me. I had those zucchini pesto roll-ups with sausage. They were good, but the pesto just wasn't doing it. My zucchini also wasn't happy. Maybe I am started to go into the "ugh, so tired of this diet" phase.

I took a shower and went straight to bed. I read for about 20 minutes, allowing my brain to think of something other than diets, finances, or jobs. I slept horribly though. Not sure if it was my brain, my back which has been killing me, or just nothing in particular.

I hope that eventually I will have the Tiger Blood. I miss energy.

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-- Yersinia

P.S. Sorry about lack of pictures.

Day 8: Parched doesn't even describe it

It's day 8. According to the Whole30 Timeline, I should be past the nap phase (which doesn't seem to be the case) and into the "my pants are tighter" phase. I can't say whether or not that is happening since I wear scrubs every day, but I did noticed that late last night and early this morning, I had an upset stomach. I had thought it was my dinner last night, but I am now thinking that it is just a normal process. The only complaint I have at this moment is that my throat is parched like a desert that hasn't seen the coolness of the night air in four weeks. I have been drinking more than I can remember drinking. It's crazy.

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/3272326.jpg

This morning, I woke up (almost instantly) and took my thyroxine before getting dressed. That way, I could have a better breakfast that I don't have to rush eating. I decided to cook an omelet wrap to wrap my last leftover hamburger in. I sprinkled italian seasoning into the egg while scrambling it and made a smallish crepe looking thing. Then I cut some tomatoes and wrapped my hamburger with the egg. It was surprisingly delicious. I truly wished I had thought about this sooner than later. 

Lunch consisted of a lettuce wrap with turkey slices, bacon, mustard, tomatoes, and a dill pickle spear as well as the last tiny bit of shrimp from last night. Holy BLT Batman. It was hitting the spot. The shrimp got a little tough, but that was okay. Then, I ate some of my mushroom chips which were pretty good. I think that I put too much ghee on it though. Lastly, I had a cara cara orange (pink orange) that truly hit the spot.

http://sunkist.com/CMSFiles/Cara_Cara_Oranges.jpg

After all the chaos of work and same-day testing, I spent a few hours with my coworker trying to problem-solve a QC and calibration problem with the machines. We think we figured it out, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out for sure.

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I went home and immediately jumped into the kitchen. I cut up some chicken and made an italian dish with rosemary, oregano, and fire-roasted tomatoes as the sauce. I put it over top zoodles (AKA julienne cut zucchini). It was fantastic! Even Maw-maw was quite smitten with this dish. It will definitely be in rotation and I might change it up and use spaghetti squash since zucchini was kind of hard to find cheaply.

Crappy picture but so good!

Later, I cooked dinner for tomorrow night too since I decided to go to spinning night at my local yarn store. I decided to make home-made pesto (I am a little disappointed with this recipe) to put over top andouille sausage and wrap it all in zucchini strips which was what I had leftover from the zoodles.

Bed-time can't come fast enough. Until tomorrow...

-- Yersinia

Day 7:It's been one week since you looked at me....

Yes, yes I went there!

Last night, I was sleepless. I tossed and turned until the wee hours of the morning. When I finally went to sleep, it was interrupted several times. I'm not normally a light sleeper, but every noise last night seemed to pull me out of my dreamless world. I was starting to feel like rest was over-rated.

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/archive/thisweek/2006/dec/images/sleepless01.jpg

When I finally decided enough was enough and woke up, the world had a nice brisk feel to it....well, it was 13º outside. Brrr! It rarely gets this cold around here. I regretted having to get out of bed and put cold clothes on. I almost put my clothes in the dryer to warm them up a little. I ended up doubling my layers since scrubs aren't particularly thick and I even kept my hair down until I got to work for a little extra warmth.

Breakfast was a tad hurried. I had gone out to warm up my car when I realized that I hadn't eaten anything so I ran back inside, nuked the last salmon patty with some broccoli and ate it while my car was warming up and the heater was actually blowing hot air. Going to work wasn't bad though. There was minimal ice on the roads, mainly in the curbs, so I didn't have to worry about slipping and sliding all the way to work. I actually got here on time without much ado.

My coworker does my quality control for me before I get in, so I didn't have to do that, but I had to jump right into the same-day testing chaos. There was one already on the analyzer and one in the centrifuge. I pulled off my coat, put up my hair, and then the pneumatic tube brought me another one. I was pretty much on the go until about 11 am when I started to slow down, which is also about the time when I realized that I'm exhausted yet again.

I made some Scottish Breakfast tea (the espresso of teas in my opinion) since coffee still doesn't sit right with me, which is fine because tea is ten times better. I mainly drank it for warmth because no amount of caffeine is going to perk me up. Also, my nose is starting to act up which I'm worried isn't from allergies now. Did I managed to also get a cold on top of all this. Maybe I'm stressing out my body too much.

This one to be exact! 

While at lunch, I finished my meal plan with all the changes that I had to make due to monetary restrictions (sigh, there went a curry that I wanted to do), but I think that it looks fairly decent. I'm having a hard time with snacks still. I found some interesting snack ideas that I might try later. I wanted to make some kale chips, but I will have to wait until the weekend or next paycheck before I get some kale. I'll see when I get home. Anyone know of a good way to make a large batch and keep them from getting limp?

Anyways, here is my finished meal plan for the week:

So this is only a guideline. I might not want a salad on Thursday and go with something else instead, but at least I will know that I will have something for each day. Next week will be harder, but I'm sure I can make it work with a few miracles and some extra special planning. Might have to eat canned tuna every day, but it'll still be compliant! 

Lunch was pretty good. I had the leftover hamburger sans the pickles. My salad was extra filling for some reason as well. Must have been that spinach. I had an orange, but didn't get around to eating it. I'll keep it for a snack later on. It was was so cold outside that the lounge was packed with people by the time I finished. I tried to interact with some of the people who were talking about different grocery stores to go to, but I guess my voice doesn't break through the constant chatter. I was pretty much ignored. I didn't care though. I was happy reading for the remainder of the 30 minutes. 

After lunch, I continued to run samples and receive same-days. Things were slowing down again around 2pm with only same-day samples to run. So, I started to do some of my "busy" work which consists of tracking the times for the same-days and determining how successful we are with them. To be frank, we aren't that successful which is sad because I have suggested ways to make it run smoothly. Only bits and pieces of my presentation was even considered, but nothing came of it. 

I left work late and went to get some groceries (I love my local international market!). I, then, made dinner which was the garlicky shrimp and swiss chard. I found some plantains that were perfect so I decided to also make fried plantains in coconut oil. I was a little disappointed with the swiss chard, but overall it was pretty good. Since I found some nice king oyster mushrooms for only $2, so I decided to make mushroom chips a la nomnompaleo.  Speaking of mushroom chips, they should be ready to come out of the oven soon. 

By the way, I think I am coming down with a cold. I can't stop sneezing, my nose is running away from me, and my entire face feels like something tried to fry or smash it with a sledge hammer. I think it might be an early bed for me tonight. 

Goodnight!!

-- Yersinia