Monday, Day 15 Breakfast: no breakfast before workout, which was not my plan, but sometimes life gets in the way. Just coffee. Very hungry!

After workout had two eggs, one chicken apple sausage and kale

Lunch: some turkey kielbasa and ground pork, salad

snack: tea, almonds

Dinner: burger (I love grilling season!), sweet potato fries, salad

Final thoughts on the halfway mark: Still not really feeling any different, good or bad. I have wanted to eat sweets every day through this thing, but today it was easier to resist. Maybe it’s just that I’ve made it this far and I’m sick of it so don’t want to mess it up. I’m committed to two more good weeks.

Tuesday, Day 16- Wednesday Day 17: The week has gotten away from me and I forgot to write up my meals as I went and as a result, I remember zilch about breakfasts and lunches. You can look back over my other meals and probably figure out what I ate. I don’t stray too much from my regulars for those two meals.

Dinner Tuesday: Tried out a new fried chicken tender recipe. Flavor was good, but frying is such a huge pain, I doubt I’ll ever make them again, so won’t bother to post the recipe here. We had the chicken with some sautéed mixed vegetables.

Dinner Wednesday: Grilled salmon, rice for the family and spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. I ate lots of salad.

Thoughts on Days 16 and 17: I’ve been waking up very hungry so I’m trying to eat enough at dinner and sometimes have a snack of a green apple with almond butter around 8:00. That seems to be helping. Otherwise, still feeling the same, ie. nothing fascinating or earth-shattering to report.

Thursday, Day 18 Breakfast: I made a spaghetti squash and sausage quiche recipe I found on Primal Palate’s website and it is soooo yummy! I have a breakfast casserole recipe I’ve been working on for the ebook because that’s what we have for Christmas breakfast every year and I think I will use spaghetti squash instead of gluten free bread. It worked so well and also turns that recipe into paleo or even autoimmune paleo instead of just gluten free.

mid-morning snack: “not granola:” green apple, one date, walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, drizzled with almond butter. And sprinkled with a little sea salt.

Dinner: Out for quick dinner before small group: we chose the Peruvian Chicken place for rotisserie chicken, salad and plantains. I brought my own salad dressing. They have this delicious yellow sauce that tastes like honey mustard. I’m sure there is some sort of sweetener in it. To avoid temptation, I just brought my own.

Day 19 Breakfast: more spaghetti squash/sausage quiche and black coffee

Lunch: “not granola” again. Will need something else, but there is A LOT going on in my house at the moment and this is all I can manage right now.

Dinner: This is a special date night with my son so we’re having one of his favorites: ribs! Also, some oven baked fries with white potatoes (a big deal since we eat almost exclusively sweet potatoes) and salad. Chocolate valentine’s cake from the freezer for my little love.

Saturday, Day 20 Breakfast (pre-workout): bacon, banana, coffee

Post-workout Snack between errands: piece of sausage

Lunch: finished up the spaghetti squash/sausage quiche, carrots

Dinner: Dinner is hotdogs with chips and fruit. Can you tell I am serving two pre-adolescent boys this weekend? I made myself a bunch of sautéed vegetables and skipped the chips and fruit. Surprisingly, the boys wanted some of the veggies too! I tried out a new cookie recipe and they enjoyed those for dessert. Do you remember oatmeal scotches? The oatmeal cookies with those yummy Nestle butterscotch chips? That’s what I tried to re-create, paleo style. They are not exactly right (yes, I tasted), but the boys liked them.

Day 20 Thoughts: I was a little hungry at bedtime, and thought about having an apple and some almond butter, but opted to go to bed instead. I was hoping I’d sleep hard enough to not be bothered by the slight hunger. We had a really busy day!

Sunday, Day 21: Lo and behold, I did wake up pretty hungry. Usually, I run out of time for much breakfast on Sundays, but I made sure to eat some good protein today: two eggs and a chicken apple sausage. And of course, black coffee.

Lunch: at a middle eastern restaurant: ground beef stuffed eggplant with tomato sauce, a dish that was mostly rice and roasted chicken, a little bit of chicken salad, a piece of gluten free pita.

Dinner: Carnitas, cole slaw, guacamole, plantain chips, salad (the lettuce in my garden is finally thriving!)

Three weeks over: I still haven’t done this thing perfectly, but I’m feeling pretty good. Honestly, I don’t feel all that different than before. Endless energy has not found me, I still want a cup of tea in the afternoon for a jolt of energy (most days) and I still have sugar cravings, but the cravings are not overwhelming. As I think about it, I guess what I’m wanting to get out of this whole 30 thing, other than less inflammation, is to forget about sweets. There is nothing wrong with a treat now and then, but in reality, I think most of us have “treats” on a regular basis. I wanted to break that habit.

Going into week four with a lot of hope for success and a desire for this thing to be over!