Whole30 Days 1-7 & Ranch Dip/Dressing Recipe

Ah! Day 7. It feels great. I am done with most of my sugar withdrawals now and the cravings have lessened.

It has been a fun journey so far. And alot easier than I anticipated. The first 2 or 3 days were the hardest as I had to make myself conscious of not just grabbing a handful of sugary snacks. I got a headache on the evening of day 2, and it lasted until the end of day 3.

I am super proud of myself for making it this far without giving up. A lot of things I would have cheated by now. I am glad the Whole30 is so strict for this reason.

The biggest change in my body that I have noticed so far is clearer thinking and more evened emotions. I just feel really level headed and relaxed, which is super odd for me. I feel like I am able to focus on things a lot better. I love eating like this and I don't want to stop at 30 days.

My favorite recipe to date by far has been the Cracklin Chicken from Nom Nom Paleo. So good and hard to believe it is healthy.

Our second favorite is Ranch dressing. On day 1 I attempted to make mayo, but I miserably failed. I made it in my magic bullet and it ended up a watery mess. (I used this method for my second batch and it turned out perfect) So I used the mixture for ranch dressing. It was our favorite dressing for salad. Today we had none left at lunch and decided to make more.

I already had the fool proof method of making mayo, but I also knew how to screw it up.  So because we wanted dressing, I decided to whip out the magic bullet blender. Well wouldn't you know it, it turned into a perfect batch of mayo! Shoot. We tried making ranch with it anyways and the result was super yummy!

Dueck's Ranch Dressing or Dip:

1  batch of Homemade Mayo, (we use 1 egg, 1 1/4 cup light tasting olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic (we have the prechopped stuff in a jar, but you could press your own)
2 tsp dried parsley
2tsp chives (we used freeze dried)
1 tbsp white vinegar.

Stir all together. Let sit for 10 minutes or so and stir again. Enjoy on salad or with your favorite fresh veggies!

Moving On - Paleo & More - Journey To Health

This has gone on long enough, months and months. I have read a few other books but I am going to quickly recap them because I am SUPER excited to talk about what I am doing right now.

Yes. I know. Even my eyes roll back into my head when I hear myself say that. But taking steps towards health is better than doing nothing. I have failed SO MANY times, but it is no excuse to stop trying. I am picking my heavy body back up off the ground, dusting it off, and trying again.


My desperation to read about ALL types of low carb, high fat diets lead to me read these books.

NeanderThin - This book was about the Paleo diet. I think the general idea of the Paleo diet is on the right track, but this takes it a bit too far. We have to be reasonable. We are not Paleolithic people anymore, our bodies have changed, as has the availability of food. This books highly suggests eating pemmican. I don't even know where I would get pemmican, nor does it seam appealing to me.

From what I gather, the Paleo community can be VERY strict about what you can and cannot eat. If a paleolithic person couldn't have it, neither can you. This is too restrictive for my liking. I want to eat foods based on what is healthiest for me. Not on what someone ate 6000 years ago ( or a million years ago according to the book. That doesn't fly for me either, but that is a while other post).

Wheat Free: How I lost 90 Pound in 6 Months by Eliminating Wheat from my Diet & How You Can Do It Too:  Despite this lengthy name, this is actually a really short book. I read it in one sitting. It is not so much about any diet. It really just is a story about a women who when wheat free and found her way to health. There is also not much for suggestions. I also don't like how wheat was the only thing she cut out, and she speaks about going to the gluten free bakery for doughnuts. Wheat free does NOT mean healthy in my mind. Especially if you are changing out the wheat for other carb loaded flours and sugar. It was a cheap book, 2.99. But honestly it wasn't even worth that. I wouldn't recommend that anyone read it. It's mostly about her boyfriend drama.

And with that note, I *THINK* I am up to date with everything I have read, save for what I am going to post about next. Probably today cause I can't wait. :)