Take Me Out to the Ballgame

On Sunday afternoon, I trekked up to Dallas for a quick trip to see the parents.  I had gotten tickets to a Rangers game for Padre for Father's Day, so I drove up the night before to spend some time with them.  

In an effort to be supportive of this Whole 30 thing, Wonderlynn asked what kind of food I needed around the house while I was up there.  I decided to see if she'd let me make dinner for all of us, and I would eat the leftovers the next day.  I found an incredible-sounding chili recipe that I wanted to try, and I figured that everyone likes chili.  Because her expertise is in hostessing and providing a full meal for people (not just the main course, which is all I pretty much ever do), I would also need a vegetable side dish.  In other words, it was the perfect time for me to enact phase one of Mission: Brussels Sprouts.  (For starters, I feel I should clarify that this food is called Brussels sprouts, not brussel sprouts, as I have always thought.  Thank you iphone, for correcting me.)  I recently discovered the greatness of this mini-cabbage, much to my mom's chagrin.

"Ew!!! Gross!! I will not eat those!!!!!" is something along the lines of her reaction when I threw them in the cart at the grocery store while she was in town last month.  I talked to Goola recently, who informed me that Poppy shares this attitude.  After polling several other family members, we discovered that an unfortunate group have been subjected to poorly prepared Brussels sprouts, thus leading them into a life lacking in the enjoyment of a delicious food.  Goola and I decided we were going to crack them.  I informed my mom that she would eat Brussels sprouts, and she would like them.  She was nice enough not to argue.  

I also made cornbread for the parents to enjoy with their chili.  It was the only part of the meal I did not partake of, but I didn't feel too deprived.  Discussing it with my mom later that night, I remarked that it is further evidence of my inability to do anything in moderation.  It was far easier to have no cornbread than it would have been to have just one piece.  

For the two hours that the chili simmered, Wonderlynn continued commenting how wonderful it smelled.  Sadly, I don't know her stove well enough, and it simmered a little higher than the "low" setting that was called for.  While it didn't damage the flavor at all, it did lead to bowls of liquid so piping hot that Padre needed to cool his off with ice cubes.  No lie.  

For me, it just meant a few extra minutes to enjoy the Brussels sprouts.  The reactions?  Padre said they were better than any he'd ever tasted... but it still wasn't something he'd choose to eat.  Wonderlynn was much more enthusiastic.  The word "delicious" was used at least twice, and she requested the recipe!!  Here she is enjoying the Bohemian Brussels Sprouts - recipe linked.  

Here's a shot of how they look after being cooked.  We did bake them at a lower temperature than the recipe called for - 380, I believe, and took them out a bit before the 30 minutes was over.  Madre's oven is pretty hot though.  They will look like they're starting to burn... that's when you know they're getting good.  The outsides look charred, but are actually delicious, and the insides will be the perfect amount of tender.  Mmmmm. 

 I wanted to show off Wonderlynn's cute new(ish) dishes.  I luf them. 

Again, I was not lying about the ice. 

 

 Yesterday afternoon, Padre and I headed out early to Arlington for the game.  It was picked up by ESPN, which moved the time up an hour to 6pm.  Great from a traffic standpoint.  Seemingly terrible from a weather standpoint.  Padre had the fantastic idea to pack towels for us to use as sweat rags.  You may laugh, but it was 112 degrees when we pulled up to the ballpark.  Our seats were right in the sun, but we found some good ones a few rows up that were in the shade and set up camp.  It ended up being quite pleasant.  We had a nice breeze and never touched the towels. 

Look at the cute matching hats that he bought us to wear to the game?  (I mean, not cute.  Rugged?  Sporty?)  I like them.

 

The Rangers lost in a rout to the Angels, but we were happy to cheer for Hamilton as he broke out of his slump a little.  We also played a game that kept the entire night more entertaining.  

When I started this eating plan, the baseball game was the night I anticipated being the hardest.  No hot dogs.  No slushies.  No nachos.  No... peanuts????  Thankfully, I found a recipe for some coconut flakes that you toast and sprinkle with cinnamon and salt.  Padre informed me that it wasn't bad for a snack if you were trapped on a desert island.  I thought they were much better than that.  Totally met my cravings for something salty and a little sweet to snack on during the game. 

I am now eight days in, and while I haven't yet experienced the life-changing effects that everyone swears I will experience, I am quite pleased.  I have not been hungry or felt like I was dieting at all.  It definitely takes more preparation to avoid pitfalls, and it's weird not drinking diet coke anymore.  Still, though, the weirdest thing that I miss the most is gum.  Chewing gum is off limits because it contains artificial sweeteners.  I never would have thought of myself as a habitual gum-chewer, but it is the singular thing that continues to make me feel "deprived."  (I use the word loosely because it is far from deprivation.)

Part of the plan also dictates that you stay off of the scale for the month so you don't get preoccupied with losing weight.  Well, I broke that rule.  My trainer started his own version of biggest loser among his clients this week, and I am in it to win it.  But I had to get a starting weight for the challenge.  Without doing any cardio or changing anything else aside from my food, I am down 2.5 pounds in a week.  I'll take it!  Now it's time to kick it into gear... I'm always down for some healthy competition.  

As for the allergy side of things, the outlook isn't as positive.  I wrote about how I had another reaction last week.  I finally made it in to see my doctor today, and he wants to go ahead and do allergy testing for foods to see if we can pinpoint what the problem areas are.  The rational side of me is totally on board.  Every reaction I have gets increasingly frustrating, and it makes me a fairly miserable person to be around.  I am genuinely hopeful that I can figure out what I need to avoid in order to keep it under control.  A small part of me fears that the testing won't result in anything conclusive.  Four years ago, they did extensive testing for environmental allergens (aka, trees and mold and stuff) and determined that I am not allergic to any of the normal culprits.  If that happens this time around, I don't foresee myself reacting well.  The biggest issue, as always, is my needle phobia.  For any of you unfamiliar, it is a full-blown phobia.  The textbook factor that distinguishes a phobia from a fear is its irrationality.  No words or any other gestures can calm me down or make me feel better about it.  After a lot of trial and error, though, I've figured out a few ways to make the best of it and cope as much as possible.  Before I made it home from the doctor, I had already found someone to drive me to and from my appointment so I can take medicine that will calm me down significantly.  I am currently working on plans for the night before to keep me distracted.  The big day is August 9th.  My appointment is at 8:30 am, CST, and prayers are much appreciated.  

Until then, I will be doing everything in my power to keep me from thinking about it.  

One last note... I feel I should give a shout out to the chick responsible for most of the recipes I have been indulging in this past week.  I linked to her sprouts recipe above, but I highly recommend checking out her extensive archives.  You can find her blog here.  She actually lives in Austin, too.  I downloaded the free sample of her new cookbook, but most of the recipes are available on her site as well.  I look forward to buying the whole book soon, as I have not had a complaint about anything I've tried yet.  Even if you aren't intending to cut out insane things from your diet, her recipes are pretty darn delicious.  Both my parents can testify.