Wednesday, November 2, 2011

the whole30, day twenty-six

I'm beginning Day 26 wanting to stay in bed and enjoy the day. Unfortunately, work beckons. I am also scrambling a bit to put meals together for the day. Sometimes I get so used to being prepared that I forget to do what it takes to get to the point where I can be prepared. Today is one of those days. It's not that there's nothing in the house to cook or prep for breakfast and lunch. It's just not ready to go. It's also not super appealing, but that's a matter of mood and appetite.

For breakfast I'll scramble 3 eggs with a sliced summer squash and onions. I apparently let the mushrooms stay in the fridge a bit too long, or I'd throw those in, too. Not sure about lunch right now. Oh, sometimes I secretly long for the days when I would think it just fine to grab something out.

a little later in the day...
Breakfast turned out pretty well in spite of my momentary panic. I added a little leftover braisied beef to the squash and onion, then scrambled the eggs with them still in the pan. It may not have been beautiful, but it was yummy and filling. For lunch I grabbed a frozen container of chicken soup, stashed there for just such a time. Today is our first day of windy, almost cold weather, so soup sounds great. This is in stark contrast to the hot day when I made the soup, tired of waiting for the appropriate cool weather. I am a soup nut. I think, surpassed only by braising, making soup may be my favorite in the kitchen.

With that in mind, I'm picturing all the vegetables sitting in my refrigerator getting older by the day and thinking of a large pot of vegetable soup. There's nothing wrong with them. I just haven't felt inspired to do anything with them. It's been a mentally and emotionally exhausting week or two, so I've gone with mindless and easy much of the time. Making vegetable soup is not remotely hard; it just hadn't crossed my mind. So my plan when I get home today is to slice and dice and brown onions, celery, green beans, zucchini, turnips, carrots (if I can find some hiding), and then add garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and probably a bit of mixed Italian herbs from the garden. To these I'll add water to cover and maybe a couple of tomatoes, diced. Normally, my preference would be chicken broth or stock for the liquid, but this time I'll defer to GK's desire for less beastly stuff. Besides, I still have some leftover chicken I can through into mine when I serve it. He'll ask for beans in his, and for the time being, I'll try not to grimace.

4 comments:

  1. lolol! I can so relate to this. I have been so overwhelmed this week. Work has been more stressful than normal and the upcoming holidays are already making me cringe (family issues)... so having to constantly prep for meals can be such a headache, but man I feel better when I do. If only I could convince myself of that on days I don't want to do it!

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  2. Hi Pamela

    I just found your blog and have read your entire Whole30 diary! It was so enjoyable to read and really displays the emotional and physical upheaval a change in lifestyle can bring!

    As you know, I am only on Day 2 at the moment, but it is going ok so far. Onwards and upwards!

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  3. Thanks to both of you for sharing your thoughts.
    To The Irish Paleo, I'm glad you're off to a good start, minus feeling sick, of course. That doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? I know you've prepared for this, and it sounds like you have a group doing it with you. That is fun. I have had friends and relatives doing parallel though not identical programs, and it's been fun to share experiences. Good luck on the rest of your Whole30. I'll be reading your blog.

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  4. Carrie, I'm with you on the holiday concerns. We have family dinners at my house, and I have a pretty big family. We always do a lot of vegetarian versions of dishes that often have meat in addition to the regulars. This year I want to also be sure there are enough Paleo dishes, so it still feels festive to me, too. I won't be doing the Whole30 through the holidays, but it'll be close.

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