To go straight to the recipe, click here.

Now that I’ve worked out in my own mind how I’m going to be working this program, combining the principles of the Wholesome food groups from Whole30 with my decades of experience with low-carb, I feel like I’m going to be able to move ahead with few speed bumps . . . as soon as I do actually take the time to plan and do prep ahead of time. 😉

And I’m going to try to get better about posting my daily recaps in a more timely manner, too. But for now, here’s my post to get me caught up to today (Day 5).

Breakfasts
Day 3 (Wednesday)—So I revisited the Morning Mix on Wednesday for breakfast. Because it had been somewhat dry and tasteless in its original iteration, this morning, I added some Tony’s Creole spice and a spoonful of mayonnaise. While that made it much more palatable, I did make the decision that I probably won’t try this again. If I’m going to do something with ground pork for breakfast, it will probably be to make some kind of meatball or seasoned “burger” patty.

Day 4 (Thursday)—Because of combining the whole-foods idea with low-carb, I decided it would be okay to go ahead and eat the sausage I’d already purchased before I decided to do the 30-day challenge. Yes, it has sugars in it, but nowhere near enough to send me over the very lowest level of net-carbs allowed on Atkins Induction. So, like some other things this week, I’m not going to sweat it. Because I got a late start to the day, I decided to go for a big breakfast, so in addition to approx. 4 oz of smoked sausage, I had two hard-boiled eggs, deviled with a touch of yellow mustard and my home-made mayonnaise.

Day 5 (Friday)—One of the things that you’ll learn if you ever start a food program that’s a drastic change from how you regularly eat, after a few days, you really start feeling physiological effects. Apparently, I’m at that point, because without even realizing it, I slept through my alarm this morning and didn’t wake up until about 11:30. Because I work from home and can set my own schedule, this isn’t that big of a deal. But because we had a university-wide conference call/town-hall meeting, I was a little rushed. So I just stuck with the sausage this morning.

One of the hardest changes for me to make has been giving up my coffee in the mornings. Being as overly sensitive to bitter flavors as I am, I can’t drink coffee without dairy (usually half-and-half, but occasional splurges on heavy cream) and sweetener (Splenda). Because I am addicted to caffeine and don’t plan to break that while trying to break the sugar/carb addiction, I’ve been drinking hot tea instead: Earl Grey, Lady Grey, English breakfast, and Yorkshire Gold. The Yorkshire Gold is by far the strongest and I really have to time how long I leave it to steep, or it’s so dark and bitter I can’t drink it. But hot tea (and iced tea later in the day) has really helped me get through the hungries when they hit.

Lunches
Day 3 (Wednesday)—I haven’t had a three-meal day since Tuesday due to the lethargy from lack of quick (simple) carbs. Since I already had something in the slow-cooker for supper, to tide me over between breakfast and lunch, I had a snack of an orange and grapes. I’ve definitely been eating more fruit this week than I would if I were doing Atkins Induction, but it’s really been helpful in keeping me from experiencing the massive sugar/carb cravings that I usually have in the first week.

Day 4 (Thursday)—No lunch. Not only did I get a late start, I was super busy with projects for work and didn’t feel hungry until I was HANGRY, but by that time, it was already time for supper.

Day 5 (Friday)—Because I ate breakfast around lunchtime, but I was a little hungry mid-afternoon, I fixed a salad. Romaine, carrots, and sweet bell peppers with a dressing of pomegranate-flavored red-wine vinegar and olive oil, with a little salt and pepper. I need to experiment with vinegar-and-oil dressing a little more and maybe even invest in some small dispenser bottles (like condiment squeeze bottles) in order to create some different flavors with fresh and/or dried herbs.

Suppers
Day 3 (Wednesday)—Tuesday, when I stopped at Publix after my breakfast out, they had bone-in Boston butt (pork shoulder roast) on sale, so I picked one up to make my Easy-Peasy Pork Roast because it makes a good base for many other recipes. But I couldn’t smell it cooking all day in the slow-cooker and not have some for supper!

But what to go with it? Some veggies, definitely. I’d picked up some zucchini and grape tomatoes on Tuesday, and when I thought of zucchini, it made me think of that awesome zucchini and artichoke salad I made a couple of weeks ago—which also had tomatoes in it! But this time, I wanted a hot side dish. So I kind of made this up as I went, so the measurements are approximate.

Stewed Zucchini and Tomatoes with Marinated Artichokes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium (about 10″ long, 1.5-2″ diameter) zucchini
• 3/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained, 1/4 cup marinade reserved
• 12 grape tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 tablespoons vinegar (red wine or apple cider or other preferred flavor), optional
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Tools and Utensils:

• Large skillet
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Measuring spoon (if adding vinegar)
• Measuring cup for artichokes and marinade

Directions:
Cut off ends of zucchini and discard. Cut zucchini into about 1/2-inch pieces. Measure out approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of marinated artichoke hearts and chop roughly. Be sure to get the leaves chopped a little more finely—and if you notice any that seem particularly tough, go ahead and pick them out. Measure out 1/4 cup of marinade from jar and set aside. Halve the tomatoes.

Preheat your skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and let it brown just a touch. Add the artichokes, tomatoes, and marinade and let cook until zucchini are just fork-tender (this won’t take very long). Sample and add vinegar and/or salt and pepper to taste.

Don’t overcook, or the zucchini and tomatoes will get mushy and slimy. (And I’m 100% opposed to slimy food!)

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Day 4 (Thursday)—I was really feeling the power of the lethargy, so I decided on another quick fix of something that I picked up from the grocery store on Tuesday, three small strips of sirloin steak for a quick-fix of steak and eggs.

Day 5 (Friday)—As I type this, I’ve got a pan full of Pork and Green Chile stew on the stove and I’m about to go dish some up while getting caught up with Season 8 of Doctor Who.

How has your week been, food-wise? Have you been making good choices? Tried anything new?