Day 5,6,and 7 of our Whole30

Road Trip!

So I'm breaking the regular format since I wasn't able to blog daily while we were away.  This post should be extra long since it covers 3 DAYS! My mom's birthday + Grandparents 50th anniversary party was this past weekend, so that meant an 8 hour car ride (each way) and some serious Whole30 planning.

Friday

We started Friday as usual with our breakfast casserole + prepared lunches.  Then came the cooler.  We packed a tub of blueberries, banana, almond butter, chicken, baba ganoush, cherries, and chicken sausage for the trip. Pretty random assortment, but we didn't have to stop for food & we were able to have some leftovers for snacking at my parents'.

Saturday

The next morning we ate the chicken sausages & Joe went on a shopping trip.  Another $100 later we were back in Whole30 mode.  I think it's pretty much impossible to eat this way and have a single dollar left over.

So Saturday night, we cooked my parents a feast!  Spaghetti squash with the same homemade sauce recipe I used before (this time with ground beef added), plus zucchini fried in coconut flakes (so good!).  My parents were super amazed by the spaghetti squash.  I don't blame them, it is pretty amazing to me, too. Here's a pic of the feast:

Saturday night I really started craving bread.  You know those greasy Chicago deep dish pizzas?  I just wanted the greasy crust.  Not even the rest of the pizza - just that squishy spongy grease covered crust.  I still want it to be honest. And I seriously couldn't stop thinking about it! Typing about it is making my mouth water even now... on to Sunday.

Sunday Party

I woke up Sunday morning and remembered a dream I had about Auntie Anne's pretzels.  I was eating them and they were the most delicious pretzels ever with tons of butter & I was eating them in one bite.  Then I got this guilty feeling & started asking people in my dream, "Did I REALLY just eat those Auntie Anne's pretzels?" .... and that was the entire dream. What the F is wrong with me?

So Sunday's dilemma was my grandparents' 50th anniversary party.  There would be cake.  There would be pasta.  There would be all the things I cannot have and they would all be delicious.  So, we planned ahead and made some squash raviolis. They're made of leeks, onions, and oyster mushrooms rolled up inside of a yellow squash, topped with the leftover meat sauce.  So delicious, but honestly, probably unnecessary to buy leeks & oyster mushrooms - I think you'd get the same effect with cheaper ingredients that are similar in taste. We also made a cucumber & olive salad for some variety (not pictured). I'm proud to say that I didn't cheat once, despite literally having cake all over my hands from helping to cut it - not even one finger lick :) 

 Sunday Driving Back

We left straight from the party, and my aunt sent us off with two pears and an apple, but that wasn't enough to get us through 8 hours.  We had to stop for dinner - but where? Highway exits along our route seem to be pretty un-accommodating to Whole30-ers. So we stopped at what looked to be the biggest rest stop we'd find, and ended up coming out with: 4 hardboiled eggs, two tuna to go's (tossing out the mayo, relish, and crackers), and a bag of cashews.  Not the best dinner I've ever had, but it kept us compliant :)

We survived!

So while it wasn't easy, cheap, or convenient ... we did it. First week, done.