I am struggling to title this post, so I am deciding not to do so.  I'm learning that everything doesn't have to be labeled, categorized or planned.  When I began my Whole30, I had to know exactly what I had and prepped way too much food.  I ate it, it was all healthy, but I had to ensure I wouldn't slip.  I felt like I was bringing my kitchen with me everyday.  I still bring quite a bit to work, well it seems like a lot.  I have realized I use containers 2-3 times as big as they need to be, so I will be buying new and smaller containers.  27 days into this journey, I have realized that I know what I'm doing, I can whip up a yummy compliant meal in no time.  Tonight, I am having scallopini chicken breast with a mango cilantro relish.  I will create the relish from scratch, on the fly.  I will likely get a head of cauliflower on the way home to make "rice" as a side.

I've been watching a lot of Top Chef on Hulu.  While I am no where near that caliber, like light years away, I do take solace in knowing that I do a Quickfire Challenge virtually every night in my kitchen.  I wish I could serve a few of my dishes to Chef Colicchio.  He'd probably trash them, but it would be fun.  Just once.  I'm also gleaming many ideas from their dishes, and learning some new ingredients I would like to try.  I really want to try Sea Urchin.

Life is much like this title-less post, it exists but is not always defined.  Paths exists that can be followed, but there are no signs to tell you which to choose.  Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and take a step in any direction and hope it is the right one.  Scratch that, a good and beneficial path.  There is no one right way to get where you need to get in this sort of journey.  All paths, even if they seem to end in failure, are worth it.  You can learn something from everything you do in life. You may not get to your goal, but the experience will help guide you in the future, on your next step to wellness.

I have had a setback, a path I choose was not the right path.  I have small fiber neuropathy, it is a side effect of a couple medical conditions I am working to heal.  It results, in me, in tingling and numbness in weird places unlike typical diabetic neuropathy.  Mine manifests in my eyes and around the eyes, around the lips and top of my head.  I started feeling the twinges a few days back, and the worst manifestation I get, I got.  I get so sick in my intestines that it is as if I have the stomach flu. The last 2 days have been horrid.  The path I choose was to stop all my meds on 1/1/15 when I started this journey to wellness, the Whole30.  I knew several of my meds had side effects that were making me feel worse as I was told by one of my specialists.   I told all the doctors I have seen, and assured them I would go back on meds if needed.  Well, I started back on my nerve medication yesterday.  I already feel less nerve issues, although it causing drowsiness.  I have no idea how this will affect my weight loss, but I need to not have the nerve issues.

So, choose a path, any path.  See where it leads you.  If it doesn't feel right, choose the next path you come across.  You may get discouraged, I sure was when the nerve issues reappeared.  It's ok,,,life will improve.  I have learned so much in my journey to wellness, even though it hasn't been long, and I am finally seeing that I don't have to worry about everything that hurts or twinges.  I recognize the symptoms and I take the appropriate steps that I have in my power to correct the issue.

Schew, enough of therapy!  So, this morning I whipped up a batch of homemade Paleo Mayo.  I prayed to the Paleo gods to help get it right, I have 4 fails in a month.  That equates to at least 15 dollars in oil.  They heard my plea and gave me a delicious reward.  The recipe was:

one large or extra large egg
1 C light olive oil (not extra virgin)
juice of half a lime
a generous pinch of salt.

Put all in a container not much wider than an immersion blender and blend on high.  In about 30 seconds, you should have gorgeous, creamy, smooth nectar of the Paleo gods.  I used just under a cup of oil because I used a large egg.  There are so many things you can do with Paleo mayo.  Try it.  Have fun.  I'll post links for variations in a day or two.

Here is my lunch today, using my homemade ketchup pickles and mayo.  I keep my George Foreman grill at work and cook up meat here sometimes.  This is one path I have taken, and it works.  It relieves stress and worry about what I will eat, or if I run out of time at home to cook the night before.  And I get so many comments from my coworkers about how they should hire me to cook for them.  Nice stroke of the ego never hurts.  :)  Oh, yes my mayo is in an old Talenti Gelato cup.  You know what, I think I like it more than the gelato.  I could seriously sit and eat the whole batch of mayo, it is sooooooooo good!

Keep workin' your plan, you're worth it!