Round 2, Day 28: How I Survived the Fourth

Before I get to the fun festivities, I wanted to open up about some thoughts that have been brewing today.

Somewhere in the middle of the new recipes and the failed mayo and the fighting cravings and the "Kill All the Things" days, my attitude around food has changed. I wasn't absolutely ignorant of this shift, but I certainly didn't realize the extent of it until recent conversations with people regarding the W30 and its strict outline. I'm used to the comments like, "Oh, I could never do that", and "What's wrong with a little sugar now and then?" and "Live without _______ (cheese, bread, sugar, etc.)? No thanks." It's OK. I get it. I've said each of those and more. Trust me, I understand. Not everyone is ready for this thing, and it might not really be for everyone. It took me a while to wrap my brain around it and get prepared enough to start. I realize now, in retrospect, that these are the comments that proved that I really did have a problem surrounding food. I was completely ignorant of how much my life revolved around eating all the bad things in order to make myself feel better. Food still makes me happy, but in a much, much healthier way. It's a liberating feeling.

So here it is; Independence Day. The day we celebrate this nation's freedom. This celebration usually starts (or ends) with hot dogs, soda, and potato chips. And sometimes cake. Ohhhh the sugar comas that follow this day every year. So many holidays revolve around food, specifically of the junk variety. This one is very mild in terms of threatening carbohydrates and high fructose corn syrup. Still, temptations abound. It's good to have a battle plan.

My mom has been eating in a very similar manner to the Whole30 for almost 3 months now. This means not only have I had a bit of conditioning when searching for healthy recipes, but I have somewhat of a partner in this journey. This is good for so many reasons, but mostly because I have an ally during holidays like this one. Together, my mom and I assembled a menu that satisfied everyone's palate without breaking any W30 rules.

Seriously, people, this was the best July 4th dinner in history.


What I ate:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs over greens and a side of watermelon

Lunch: Egg salad (with homemade mayo and chives) in tomato boats

They were so cute and surprisingly delicious. I couldn't help but snap a picture.

Dinner: Burgers on portabella mushroom "buns" with homemade herb mayo, sweet potato fries, homemade garlic aoli for dipping

Burgers and fries. Look familiar? Well, That's because
you've seen it before and it's still amazing. Add those
aolis and I was in heaven.

No soda here. Just sparkling water with lemon and basil.
Refreshing without all the sugar. YUMMY.