Day Thirty: The Final Post

It's official... the 30 Day Carnivore Challenge has ended.  It has been an amazing experience for Shell and I to go through together.  He has learned so much in last few weeks, tried new foods, made some new friends, fell in love with this vegan restaurant, learned to like broccoli, and has become more aware of his food and where it comes from.  As I write this last post, he is on his way to get his blood work done.  Last night we had talked about everything he was going to eat today including a McDonald's sausage mcmuffin on his way home from the blood lab.  Then on his way out this morning, he said "I'm not sure I want to stop at McDonald's anymore..."  Interesting.  

So what now?  Shell went into this challenge because I asked him to and he came out of it with a completely different mindset.  I know that Shell will never give up meat & dairy for the rest of his life... I knew that going into the challenge.  But he has said multiple times that he is ready to cut back substantially and only eat it on occasion.  He has realized that his health is not something that he can take for granted anymore and as the saying goes, we'd rather "pay our grocer than our doctor."  Click HERE for his Results.

Breakfast: Vegan McMuffin

Lunch: Thai Food!

Tofu & Vegetable Stir Fry w/ Steamed White Rice

Dinner: Chipotle Veggie Bowl w/ Guac

Dessert: Vegan Glazed Doughnut Holes & Vanilla "Ice Cream"

Day Twenty Nine: Losing MORE Weight!!

I can't believe how much weight Shell has lost during this challenge!  The big reveal will be at the end of day 30 so be sure to stay tuned.  The best part of this weight loss for Shell has been that he has never felt hungry or deprived.  All of the stomach irritation he had during the first couple weeks is completely gone and he feels fresher, lighter, and has much more energy overall.  Tomorrow we are celebrating a turkey-friendly pre-Thanksgiving dinner with our friends and family and everyone is so excited to see Shell and congratulate him on his journey.  

Breakfast: Jamba Berry Topper w/ NO yogurt

Lunch: Wood Ranch BBQ Chop Salad w/ Portabella Mushroom & no ranch

 *not pictured*

Dinner: Veg Lasagna & Steamed Broccoli

 

Day Twenty Eight: Another 30 Days??

Saturday night, Shell and I were on our way to see A Christmas Carol in 3D and we were talking about what day he was going to get his blood taken next week.  Well, instead of the answer I was expecting, "as soon as I wake up on Wednesday morning," Shell turned to me and said the unexpected.  "Maybe I should do this vegan thing until the end of year..."  What?!  You want to continue to not eat meat until the end of the year? What about Thanksgiving?  We started when we did just so you could have turkey on Thanksgiving.  A few moments of silence passed... "Ehh, I don't really care if I have turkey or not," he says.  "I would rather go until the end of the year and (here's where the catch was) then get my blood test.  Yes, you heard the man.  He almost backed out of getting his blood work taken on Wednesday because he thinks he can show better results after one more month.  Well, of course I'm sure that's correct.  But the whole point is to see what type of results you can get after ONLY 30 days!  After a bit of back and forth, he agreed to get his blood drawn this week but now he took back the extra 30 days.  Go figure...

Breakfast: Oatmeal Apple Crisp

Lunch: Veggie Pizza w/ Daiya "Cheeze"

Don't you wish you had daiya cheeze... mmmm... I do!!

Dinner: A Special Treat!!

Lentil Pancakes, Steamed Rice, Potatoes, Veggies, Beans & Tomato Soup

 

Day Twenty Seven: 3 Day Countdown

Breakfast: Cheezy Bakin Hash, Van's Flax Waffles

 Lunch: Penne w/ Spinach & Creamy Tomato Sauce

 Dinner: Mary's Secret Garden

Open Faced BBQ Sandwich & Berry Smoothie

 

Day Twenty Six: Who Needs Meat?

 Seriously... who needs meat when you can eat french toast and bbq burgers?  If you had a tasty substitute for every guilty pleasure you loved, wouldn't you switch for your health and for the health of your family?  Not only is all the food tasty good mouth-watering, you wont get the food-hangovers associated with all the salt, fat and animal protein.  Just ask Shell!

Breakfast:

Vegan French Toast w/ Strawberry Compote

Lunch: Corn, Tomato & Arugula Pockets ("pocket" not shown)

 

Dinner: BBQ "Bakin Cheeze" Burgers

Day Twenty Five: Pillowy-Gnocchi Heaven!

I'm skipping the day's events and moving straight to Shell's new favorite [pasta] dinner.  We got home sorta late and I was totally rushed to get something on the table.  After checking out the pantry and the fridge, I grabbing ingredients that I thought would just go well together.  Gnocchi, pomadora sauce, tomato paste, cashews, garlic, hot pepper flakes, fresh cherry tomatoes, zucchini, fresh basil... that's good!  The sauce couldn't have been more perfect!  Between the creaminess from the cashews, the kick from the hot pepper flakes, the pop-in-your-mouth from the cooked cherry tomatoes and, of course, the pillowy gnocchi... we devoured savored every bite!

Breakfast: "Cheezy" hash with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes & "cheeze"

Mid-Morning Snack: 30DCC Approved Energy Bar

 

Lunch: Chewy's Famous Chicken Salad sans chicken & cheese

*not pictured*

Dinner: Yes... the most amazing pasta

Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Heaven

Dessert: Leftover Almond-Butter Cup

 

  

Day Twenty Four: Still No Cravings

You'd think that as approach the end of Shell's 30 Day Challenge he would start to get anxious for a big, juicy, cheeseburger!  Well, to my surprise, not only does he still not have any cravings, he has also lost his after-dinner-sweet-tooth.  Last night, I experimented with my own peanut-butter cups.  When I presented one to him for dessert, he said that he totally forgot about having dessert since he wasn't even craving anything sweet!  Interesting...

Breakfast: Melted Banana Oatmeal

Thanks to a trick I learned from Chocolate-Covered Katie, 

melt some banana in the microwave and then mix it with your oats.  

Using a hand mixer makes it that much creamier!!

Lunch: Tofurkey & Avocado Sandwich

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Qdoba Veggie Bowl

(I call this a second lunch)

 

Dinner: Melty Corn & Tempeh Stuffed Pitas

Dessert: Homemade Peanut-Butter Cups... YUMMY!

Day Twenty Three: Not Hungry?

Since I can't reveal any of Shell's weight loss yet, I will tell you an embarrassing story.  I haven't worked out in a few months, and I finally decided it was time to get back on track and start running again.  My neighbor is running with me on Tues and Thurs mornings at 7:15 and we are starting with a fairly easy 2 mile jog.  Well, yesterday, I left the house without my usual cup of juice, thinking I would be fine.  NOT!  We are literally on the home stretch of the route, and not only did I have to stop, but I totally dry-heaved by the bushes on the side of the street.  Nice.  

Breakfast: 30DCC Approved Instant Oatmeal & Naked Juice Green Machine

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Leftover Creamy Tomato Pasta w/ Zucchini & Chickpeas

Really late lunch: 

Tacone "SPA WRAP" with no cheese on a whole wheat tortilla

Fresh Grilled Zucchini, Yellow Squash & Red Bell Peppers,
Shredded Carrots, Fresh Spinach  with Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

Neither of us were really hungry for dinner, so we decided to skip it!  Lesson #1- if you're not hungry, then don't force yourself to eat.  Your body will let you know when it needs nutrition.  Eating when you're not hungry doesn't do any favors.  In fact, that is why our country suffers from over-nutrition, ie (a nicer way of saying our country is fat!)

Day Twenty Two:

Well I have nothing interesting to talk about today... and I don't have time.  So enjoy the food pics and we'll see you tomorrow!

Breakfast: Jamba Juice (take 2)

*Berry Topper, no yogurt & topped with organic granola and sliced bananas

Lunch: Tofurkey Sandwich and Farmers Market Cantaloupe

Mid-Afternoon Snack #1: 30DCC Approved Tortilla Soup 

Mid-Afternoon Snack #2: 30DCC Approved Peanut Butter & Jelly Larabar

Dinner: Creamy Tomato Pasta with Zucchini & Chickpeas

*pic from Vegan Yum Yum, recipe modified

Dessert: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie w/ Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream

Day Twenty One: Comfort Foods

Today was all about comfort foods!  Not only that, but we attempted to mimic Shell's favorite foods that he would normally eat and turn them into a veg-friendly alternative.  Enjoy!

Breakfast: Green Machine, Breakfast Sandwich

Shell's Favorite: McDonald's McMuffin

Lunch: Cheezy Greens Quesadilla

Shell's favorite: Baja Fresh Steak Quesadilla

*courtesy of THIS dietitian 

 

 Dinner: 'Madeline Bistro' Bigger Maque

Shell's favorite: In N Out Double Double

Day Twenty: I Like Broccoli

It's the end of day 20, which marks the ten day countdown.  My Mom hosted a vegan potluck last night in order to provide people interested in going veg, the opportunity to speak with a plant-based dietitian.  Our friend, Julieanna Hever, RD has been helping people reach nutritional excellence for over twelve years.  She presented a very informative lecture on the benefits of not just avoiding animal products, but by specifically consuming a plant-based diet.  During her presentation, the guests had opportunities to ask questions and I was so proud of Shell for actively participating in her lecture.  The majority of the people who attended had little to no experience in eating a plant-based diet.  So when one of the guests asked how much broccoli one should eat in order to consume as much protein as a 4 ounce piece of steak, Shell answered:  "It's only about 2 cups."  In fact, when Shell started the challenge he "hated broccoli."  "But after only a couple weeks, I actually like Broccoli," Shell exclaimed.  

Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes, Green Machine Smoothie

Lunch: Chipotle Veggie Bowl

Dinner: A variety of vegan pot luck creations!!

Sorry, I am a bad blogger and don't have any pictures.  The good news is, Julieanna had the whole evening professionally filmed, so we will get some good footage soon!! 

Dessert: The BEST Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cookies EVER

*made by yours truly :-)

 

Day Ninteen: A Vegan's Paradise

I was having a conversation with my parents yesterday about how much weight Shell has lost since he started the challenge.  Then it occurred to me.   I forgot to tell you that Shell made it a point to not workout AT ALL during his 30 day challenge.  He wants to see the direct relationship between diet on his weight and blood lipids.  And no, I am not going to reveal how much weight he has lost until after the 30 days.  So just know that yes, he has lost weight, and he has not had any cravings for meat or felt hungry.  

Breakfast: The Usual Maple Oats w/ 1/2 whole grain English muffin & PB

Lunch: 

I must make a confession.  Yesterday morning I was a little annoyed and didn't bring any snacks or lunch to work for Shell.  By the time he was past the point of being hungry and realized I didn't have any food for him, he did what any self-respecting carnivore would do to get back at his veg girlfriend... he went to Jack 'n the Box.  Lunch was a veggie rice bowl with no chicken and french fries.  Stop laughing, Jack!  STOP!!!  hehe...

 

Dinner: A Vegan's Paradise

Shell and I went to dinner with my parents for my step-father's birthday.  I believe I have mentioned before that both my Mom and my Step-Dad have been "plant-strong" for going on 85 days now... but who's counting?  Stay tuned on my blog for their plant story in the upcoming weeks.  Anyway, they chose a small, vegan cuisine called "Mary's Secret Garden" in Ventura, which I have been wanting to try for months now.  It is a very small (seats about 30 people, small), kind-of hold-in-the-wall looking place tucked away by the beach.  Not only was the service outstanding, but the food was probably one of the best meals I have ever had in my entire LIFE!  OUTSTANDING.  Not only that, but Shell gave it a 10 out of 10 for taste and can't wait to go back.  Here's what he had: 

Mary's Famous Cheezeburger

And here's Mary's Secret Garden:

 

Day Eighteen: Pizza Sans Cheese

I believe today was a pretty good food day.  Nothing too eventful took place... the usual bickering on the way to the office, putting a million hats on once we got there, rushing home so I can get dinner ready at a decent hour and then head to bed just to do it all over again tomorrow.  I need tomorrow to be Friday... 

Breakfast: Potato Tofu Scramble

Lunch: D'Amores Salad & Veggie Pizza (No Cheese - Extra Sauce)

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Vanilla Granola Parfait

Dinner: BBQ Skewers, Rice, Broccoli, Corn