day 9: rethink breakfast

The best advice I ever got while doing the Whole30 back in August was to rethink breakfast. Breakfast does not need to be eggs. If you are just eating only eggs in the morning, you will get sick and tired of eggs tout de suite. So, what else can you eat? Ummm...how about anything that is Whole30 compliant? Seriously. I often have leftovers for breakfast. You might get some strange looks as you heat up your sweet potato in the work kitchen microwave (I certainly have) or mix homemade mayo into a can of tuna (yep), but SO WHAT!

The Whole30 is all about changing your relationship with food. When you start to think about your meals—breakfast, lunch and dinner—nothing should differ. You want to eat high quality protein, healthy fats and vegetables at every meal. If that means eating last night's dinner for breakfast, then do it. (Personally, I need a little break from eating the same thing twice in a row, but do what you have to do.)

I have posted my breakfasts to date. Some of them are eggy. Some are not. For example, this morning's breakfast was a hodgepodge from my fridge. We are talking leftover pork stew, sweet potato nd avocado. It was pretty decent, truth be told.

day 9: breakfast
Sweet Potato, Country Pork Curry, and Avocado

I had really high hopes for lunch, but as often happens when I eat a nice, hearty breakfast, I wasn't hungry. Not even a little. I did that whole "steamed fish and broccoli" visualization thing, and nope. Nada.

I got a teensy, tiny bit hungry around 2:00 p.m., but by that point, I figured anything I ate would interfere with dinner. I don't know. This happens whenever I eat such a great breakfast, and I will often just skip lunch and have an early dinner. Again, there is no rule that states, "Thou shalt have three meals per day." Occasional fasting is not a bad thing. Hell, we do it every night when we sleep, unless you eat when you sleepwalk, and then I cannot help you.

Anyway, I am not at all proud of my "lunch." I had just one small handful of the Coconut Amino Roasted Almonds I made over the weekend. And then I had another handful, slightly larger. And then another. Around 3:45, I actually did get hungry, but I'm leaving work in 90-ish minutes. Do I really want to eat my lunch now and then go home and have a family dinner? No.

day 9: sad little lunch at my desk
Leftover Caesar Salmon & Roasted Coconut Amino Almonds

(Do not be fooled. I ate WAY more almonds than this shows. I will cease nut consumption next week. At least that's the plan.)

Another little tidbit: we have dinner together as a family nearly every night. We do not have a television anywhere near the dining area, so it's just the four of us, all eating the same thing. Occasionally, we stop chewing and actually talk to each other. It's nice. I miss it when one of us cannot make it.

I picked the kids up and they both said that they wanted Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook's chicken noodle salad. As I am wont to do, I use recipes as a starting point and then go from there.

I doubled the kelp noodles and cabbage and used all of the leftover chicken I had shredded previously. I cut up some Cuties and added lots of chopped cilantro. EP's recipe called for a dressing of coconut aminos and sesame oil. I thought 'twas boring. Instead, I made a Vietnamese dressing. 

Here is my version:

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad

Serves 6 - 8

2 12-oz. packages of kelp noodles (I use Sea Tangle)
4 cups shredded chicken
6 green onions, sliced
4 cups of chopped purple cabbage
2 cups mandarins (I cut up some Cuties)
1 cup (ish) cilantro, chopped

Dressing
1/2 cup fish sauce (I use Red Boat Fish Sauce. It is the best.)
2 Tbsp chili oil
1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1-inch x 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

What I Did:Open the kelp noodle packets, dump them into a colander and rinse with warm water, separating the noodles by hand.

Put all of the stuff above "Dressing" into a big bowl.

Mix everything below "Dressing" and then pour over the stuff in the big bowl.

day 9: dinner
Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad

Breakfast: Sweet Potato, Food and Wine's Slow Cooker Country Pork Curry (leftover), Avocado

Lunch: Salmon (leftover), Coconut Amino Roasted Almonds

Dinner: Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad

Nada Colada