This cold that has been knocking me off my feet the past few days is finally subsiding. It was short-lived, but powerful. I am thankful it is on its way out, even though I am at the stage where I could participate in an all male choir.

As I approach day 18 of my Whole 30 journey, I am most definitely counting down the days until this thing is over. I knew when I started that I would have a weekend trip at the tail end of the Whole 30, but looking at the calendar, it was still the best time to tackle the challenge, so I went on with it. But now that my trip is approaching, I’m not looking forward to having to be so persnickety about my food while away.

On the other hand, I’ve done so well this time around that I am determined to see it through the full 30 days. As Melissa Hartwig states, a Whole 27 is not just as good as a Whole 30. So as I prepare to go away next weekend, for a time when I would typically indulge in some paleo and non-paleo (but still gluten free) treats, I am instead planning to cook most of our meals. This will put a little bit of a damper on my fun, but it is most certainly not the end of the world.

Considering that I’m suffering from a cold and hardly slept at all last night, I managed very well in my noon-time workout today and really never felt like I was crashing. Maybe this is a little bit of the Tiger Blood beginning to rear it’s head? Maybe??

Again, I have failed at taking breakfast and lunch pictures today. I need to write it on my hand or something. Geez.

Breakfast: overnight egg casserole (recipe in my book)

Lunch: romain lettuce wraps with deli turkey, mayo, mustard and pistachios on the side

Afternoon snack: pumpkin spiced coffee from Trader Joe’s – this is just spiced coffee, no cream or sweetener or anything delicious like that

Dinner: Beef stroganoff, mashed cauliflower (minus all the yummy dairy) and green beans.

After dinner treat: cinnamon spice herbal tea. It’s mind over matter here. If I tell myself that a piping hot cup of herbal tea counts as dessert, I’ll believe it. Really, I will.

This is one of my quickest and easiest dinners and it’s super tasty! It doesn’t really require much explanation, but as promised, I have a video of this dinner prep for you over on my YouTube Channel.