My husband is doing the Whole 30 Diet

Two weeks ago, my husband told me he had gotten off the phone with one of his best friends who now lives in California. This friend is his fraternity brother from college days 20+ years ago, groomsman at our wedding, Godfather to our middle child - like family. JNP declared, "I'm no longer eating sugar or carbs". Ok, so most wives may roll their eyes or let out a giant exhale but truthfully, I was very excited for my husband.  He is overworked to the point of exhaustion, rarely goes to the gym anymore and is not only overweight, but just lacks general direction in life. To put it bluntly, he has no interests or habits outside of work. I was supportive.

Day One: He enthusiastically made four trips to Trader Joe's and loaded up on all kinds of crap. I mean, "approved food". This consisted mostly of dried fruits, jerky of some sort, chicken. Its of it. Kombucha, oh God! The Kombucha. So I didn't say anything, just observed. I went ahead and prepared meals for the children an myself, noting that shopping bags were strewn everywhere, and while, yes he was actually cooking for myself, the pots and pans were left out after and my beloved stove was not wiped down. I chose to still say nothing because in the greater scheme of things, I was so thrilled he had some sort of interest and direction with his health.

As the week went on, this continued, his trips to Trader Joes increased and by now I was observing and evaluating his movements and thinking to myself, this was not efficient at all. I still didn't know exactly what "diet" he was on or what he could eat or couldn't eat.  I had, however, realized that most things he said "I can't eat that" to me.  I had by now ascertained he was not eating carbs, sugar, processed food, dairy, juice, desserts, chocolate, salt, pepper, salad dressing, spices of any kind, oil. Basically, flavor, I was dubious but stayed silent.  I was secretly plotting to intervene just so I could help him a little with this new fervent for the supermarket.

By the end of that week, we had dined out and I noted he was (surprisingly) sticking to this meal plan. I was actually very impressed and I think having his buddy keep in check was the key in this success. But at the restaurant, he had ordered a grilled salmon with nothing on it and a side of spinach. I kept thinking, surely there's more to this diet than this kind of food??

On Monday of week two, I headed to the grocery store after my morning Pilates class, planning to shop for the beginning of the week. I walked around taking items off the shelf and then putting them back, not knowing what I could cook or buy. I was assuming I could fry him some tofu with some vegetables. So, I called him, he was at work.
"Do you want tofu for dinner?"
"I can't eat it."
"How about black beans?"
"I'm pretty sure I can't eat that"
"black rice?"
"no rice"
So then I said, "how about you have Jim tell me what I can buy. It will make grocery shopping and meal prep so much easier for you if I can help"

Five minutes go by and my phone vibrates. Group text.
No soy. No rice says Jim
Can you tell me the name of this diet? I respond
It's not a diet, it's a nutritional reset
(yeah...yeah... just give me the GD name of it!!)
yes, sorry, can you tell me what JNP can and cannot eat? It will help me a lot
Look up Whole 30

OMFG. Now I knew exactly what JNP was doing! I don't think he knew what he was doing, but I sure did! I've had a whole lot of friends Insta their Whole30 'journeys', some with their husbands, some with other girlfriends! I had instant flashbacks in my head of all those potato-hash-fried egg- breakfasts, avocado on lettuce with beef tips, bowls of green vegetables and chicken on top. Got it!

JNP Do you realize you're doing the Whole30?
Um...no.

Texts went back and forth (if you're interested, click this link for more details on the Whole 30). I bought a cart of green veggies, potatoes (yes they are allowed JNP!), Wild Sockeye Salmon, ghee (also allowed).

There were a bunch of confused texts the came from my husband after, all along the lines of I can actually eat that? Yes, dear! You can actually have flavor! Poor guy had been cutting out salt, pepper and spices!

So.... It's been about 3 weeks now and the biggest thing I've noticed is JNP's attitude. He is much happier. I asked him about it, he said "it's given me something to focus on outside of work. I like going and getting my chicken and snacks.  The biggest thing is, I did' realize how much I missed Jim.  Doing this together makes me call him several times a day and we talk about what we are eating, or I ring him to ask him questions. Before that, I would call him maybe once a month".

If you're wondering, I definitely think JNP has lost weight but the more important thing is I have noticed how much of a better mood he is in. He seems interested in something non-work related. He was never one to cook before and now he is in the kitchen (messing it up, yes, but also cooking!). He is definitely a little obsessed with the Kombucha...I'm half expecting him to start doing yoga (not opposed to it!)... he even borrowed a colleague's Sam's Club card to buy a case of it (it was half the price of WholeFoods apparently).  JNP also didn't eat a lot of vegetables before this 'nutritional reset' and now he'll eat big bowls of it. Every  night, I make a big pot of various steamed green vegetables, they're delicious! My seven-year old devours them! I just steam them for a minute or two, then fry lightly in a touch of ghee and a garlic clove, and add salt and pepper to it off the heat.

I'm extremely proud of JNP and very supportive and I just hope he can keep up the woodwork. Even though, I literally just called him to let him know his bar hopping antics of Friday night were not Whole30 'approved'. Oh well, a little cheat here and there is not harmful!

3 Kitchen Items I cannot live without

We all know how much I love to cook so here are my 3 Kitchen Items I cannot live without!

1. A flat cooking utensil. I have found that this is my 'go-to' item when cooking everything from pancakes, to scrambled eggs, to fish and even pasta.  Surprisingly, one of my absolute favorites in this category is this IKEA 365+ Hjalte one. So much so, that I have bought several for friends and family. It's soft handle is ergonomic and it's plastic texture is perfect for any pot or pan, both metal, cast-iron and non-stick. I have left my utensil resting on my hot pans before and it never created those nasty plastic indentations from the heat. The bonus is they cost just $3.99 each and you can throw them in the dishwasher!

IKEA 365+ HJÄLTE

Spatula, stainless steel, black

$3.99

                  Article Number: 

001.494.59

2.  My Mini-Prep.  I own the Cuisinart Mini-Prep but there are so many versions out there. So here's what I love about my Mini-Prep. Whenever a recipe calls for "finely minced" or "finely chopped" onions, garlic, or ginger - or a combination of all three, I can throw it all in my Mini Prep and I have the least stinkiest and least labor-intensive way of prepping these items.  There's nothing worse than doing this by hand!  The Mini-Prep bowl has just two settings: chop and grind. Its capacity is roughly 24 ounces or 3 cups and there are only 3 components to the small appliance: the base motor, the bowl and the removable blade.  Both the bowl and the blade can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Cuisinart also sells their appliance with a spatula and a recipe book. I store my mini prep in a drawer by my cutlery,  it's that small! If you don't own one of these, definitely go buy one for yourself, they retails for about $40.

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor DLC-2A

Instruction and Recipe Booklet

3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Olive Oil is oil pressed from olives which are fruits from the Olive Tree. I hear the process is actually very simple and if you actually press an olive, you can see the oil come out! Olive Oil is proven to be incredibly good for you. It has a  lower smoking point (due to its high monounsaturated fat content) which also allows you to cook food without extra risks of burning it and safely at a very high heat.

The main problem with Olive Oil is that just because a product is labelled as 'Olive Oil', does not necessarily mean it is of great quality. It's like the difference between a wine that is sold in a box and a wine sold in a bottle. Two different calibers and two totally different products, in terms of quality.  Some of the lesser quality oils labelled as 'Olive Oil' sometimes extract the oil from the olives using chemicals, or even dilute the oil with cheaper ones.

So what do you buy? Always buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil!!! It is extracted using natural methods and is standardized for purity, taste and smell. Extra Virgin Olive Oil always has a distinctive taste and is high in phenolic antioxidants (one of the main reasons why olive oil is so beneficial).  Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also very high in monounsaturated fats (good fats!), contains a modest amount of vitamin E and K and is loaded in antioxidants, some of which have been proven to have powerful health benefits (such as anti-inflammatory properties and protection against cardiovascular disease).  Studies have shown in preliminary evidence that Extra Virgin Olive Oil can help fight Alzheimer's Disease, cancer, heart disease, joint problems and strokes.

I always try to buy Olive Oil that is source from a location reputed for its high quality olive oil, such as regions in Italy, Spain and even locally in California. Always, read the label and see where your Olive Oil comes from, and do buy the more expensive one, it is expensive for a reason! Your food will always taste better when cooked in a higher quality oil.

Mediterranean Baked Branzino

So last night I went to a fun fun girl's night at my friend's house. There were 7 of us and the theme was Mediterranean, we each brought various yummy delights - hummus, baklava, dolmades, watermelon and feta salad, herbed rack of lamb etc etc. I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and try something I love to eat (whole fish) but had only tried cooking once before about 7 years ago (turned out OK from recollection!). This dish wasn't my dish choice when I was thinking of my pot luck contribution, but boy am I glad I made it, it was so delicious and I would love to share it with you.

So here's the backstory.  I headed to my local fancy schmancy supermarket that sells great product, fresh baked bread and really fantastic meats and seafood. When I arrived there I had originally intended to make a marinated Octopus salad but I was super disappointed to find that the only octopus and squid they sold was frozen. It was 1:30pm and I had to be at my friend's house at 6:30pm.  Being Australian, I have been spoilt with always fresh-never frozen seafood and buying the product frozen in a package made me incredibly nervous! I put it in my cart, started to walk away and all kinds of thoughts crossed my mind What if I can't thaw this out in time? Will I screw up this dish and force everyone to eat rubber? Am I making life harder for myself with this dish? I went with my gut instinct (excuse the pun!) and put the packet back in the freezer case. 

While I waited for service, I thought to myself When I think of the Mediterranean, what dishes do I think of? My first thought was whole fish-lemons-olive oil. Turns out I had two choices that day for whole fish: red snapper or branzino.  Branzino!!! How could I pass this up? Well, if you don't know, Branzino is a European Bass with a delicate white flaky flesh, lots of bones and fairly small but is absolutely synonymous with Mediterranean or Italian food.

The fishmonger was nice enough to remove the gills and guts and I had the option to have the heads removed but opted to keep them and the tails for a prettier presentation (isn't it odd that a dead animal's head on a plate makes the dish look stunning!?! Crazy!)

So here's how I prepared it (super easy and very delicious)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 32 mins

Oven Temp: 325F

Serves: (1 fish per person as a main meal or 1 fish for 2-3 people as a shared appetizer) Roughly .5-1lb per fish

Ingredients:

1-2 Branzini (about .8lb per fish)

Herbs - flat leaf parsley, dill and fresh oregano

Lemons

Olive Oil

1-2 cloves garlic thinly sliced

1 Shallot thinly sliced

Salt

Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325F

2. To a baking sheet or oven proof dish, drizzle a  tsp of olive oil and lay the fish presentation side up.

3. Cut three slits to the presentation side of the fish

4. Season the entire fish with salt and pepper. Don't forget the cavity of the fish.

5. Fill the cavity of the fish with lemon slices, the sliced garlic, shallots and whole springs of dill, flat leaf parsley and oregano. Reserve a few garlic slices for the slits and insert the slices in the slits.

6. Season again with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and top with a few thin slices of lemon. 

7. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fish and bake uncovered for about 32 minutes.

8. Allow the fish to rest for a few minutes but do serve as soon as possible.

9. After resting, transfer the fish carefully to a serving platter.  Garnish with more lemon slices and wedges, a drizzle of olive oil and chopped flat leaf parsley, dill and fresh oregano. Sprinkle sea salt and serve with a light salad of dressed greens with shaved fennel and red onion.

**Note: be careful, this fish (albeit delicious) has lots of little bones.  Be very careful if you are feeding this fish to children, though I probably would not recommend it.

What's for dinner tonight?

Ginger flank steak fried rice!

Buy the best beef you can afford. Slice very, very thin:

Marinate for an hour in sesame oil, soy sauce, freshly grated ginger, 4 cloves of garlic sliced, hoisin sauce, honey, vegetable oil. Don't add salt until you start stir frying in your wok. Heat wok to high and add some vegetable oil. Stir fry the beef until just cooked.

Remove cooked flank steak and keep in a dish together with the cooking liquid.

In a little more oil, stir fry your favorite vegetables. I used, broccoli, red pepper, carrots, grated and squeezed zucchini, mushrooms, onions, cabbage, green onion and green beans.  Make sure you cook things like the onions, pepper and carrots before more delicate items that require less cooking time like mushrooms. Once stir-fried, add soy sauce, salt, pepper, a dash of honey and sesame oil. Do not over cook !

When the vegetables are almost cooked, add day old cooked white rice, if the rice is dry, you can heat separately with a sprinkle of water in the microwave for a minute or so to revive it. Stir fry still on a high heat. 

After a few minutes of stir frying, reintroduce all the cooked flank steak (it should look a little ground or chopped beef and be very tender) and all if its juices and liquid. Stir fry for a few more minutes before adding anything that requires off-heat last minute cooking such as toasted peanuts, chopped cilantro, free onions or sesame seeds.