Day 30: Crossing the Finish Line, but not done.

Today is the last day of my Whole30 journey, but just one of the first steps in a much bigger journey that I plan to continue walking.

I made it successfully, not one cheat, not one move outside of the rules of the Whole30 plan through the entire 30 days and I feel… AMAZING.

Not just physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Mentally. I feel AMAZING in EVERY way!

The amount of self-discipline and control it took to go from who I was pre-Whole30 to what I did during and who I am now is an amount I did not know I had or was capable of.

Like I said at the beginning of this and I have tried to reiterate throughout, although I would like to take all the credit, I simply cannot. The truth is, God blessed my journey because the point of all this was to bless Him and get myself to a place where I was best equipped to handle anything he put in my path.

Even during my Whole30 I was stretched spiritually, brought outside of my comfort zone, but I did what I needed, what I was called to do and just like every discipline, it was a CHOICE to do what I knew I NEEDED to do. And I ended up blessed because of it.

I am excited to share all of my Whole30 “AFTER” findings with you, but I will be waiting until Monday to share my results because tomorrow is Easter, and it is most important to celebrate the gift of Eternal life that is mine because of what Jesus Christ CHOSE to do.  It is Christ in my life that inspired me and motivated me to start this journey in the first place, so like everything else, I owe this all to Him and I will take tomorrow to celebrate Him and all He has done for me in this journey and in my life on a whole.

Check-in again next week for my “After” post and to see what is next for me.

Until then, here is my menu for my 30th and final day of the Whole30:

Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs, left-over rutabaga, half a banana with almond butter

Lunch: Curry chicken salad, deviled eggs, carrot sticks and raspberries

Dinner: Grilled beef burgers, sauteed onions and mushrooms, avocado and sweet potato fries

30 days done… 0 days to go!

(Arms up running through my Whole30 Finish Line)!

Paleo Picnic: Have your cake & eat it too!

Today our family decided to go to a local state park for some fun, relaxing time outside together. Part of the plan included lunch. Normally we would have just planned to grab lunch out after our excursion and I can tell you that it likely would NOT have been remotely healthy (although we MAY have chosen the “healthiest” item on the menu, you might know that usually that item is still FAR from healthy or good for you).

Instead of doing this, I decided to put in some extra effort and pack a healthy and nutrient dense (but VERY YUMMY) picnic lunch for everyone.

It was a hit!

Although spending that extra hour or so in the kitchen while everyone else watched TV and socialized over pie last night wasn’t the most fun I have ever had, and I gladly would have taken a seat on the couch and kicked my feet up after my workout, hosting family in town, two kids and a labor-intensive dinner, I was glad that I put in the work and time to pack this Paleo picnic.

It proved both to me and my family that healthy is both delicious, worth the time and energy it takes to provide it and capable of doing the same things the non-healthy food does (like packing up and bringing along for a picnic or satisfying us).

Here is what I packed for our Paleo Picnic lunch today:

Mixed Fruit (raspberries, blackberries & red grapes), Celery & Carrot sticks, Curry Chicken Salad with celery, pecans and grapes and plain chicken salad with celery and pecans, and deviled eggs. 

If I had to guess, the most missed thing by the others at the picnic was potato chips (I did not miss them actually, and that is saying a LOT – I used to be able to put away a whole bag of Lay’s by myself – although I shared if I had to). Today though, I didn’t miss them, I just knew that the others probably did. And I was right. BUT… that fruit salad was good and they/we ate it ALL. Had potato chips been there… it wouldn’t have ALL been eaten – if it would have been eaten at all!

I, for one THOROUGHLY enjoyed my wonderful curry chicken salad – oh my goodness it was so yum!

So, you see, it can be done. And well.

I am looking forward to another picnic outing – because not only was this food delish, it made me feel good to provide a wholesome and healthy meal alongside our fun – we didn’t have to give up one for the other – we were able to have both. We had our cake and ate it to (in the most figurative sense you can imagine) but you get my point.

Day 29: I can see the light!

Perhaps “I can see the light” is not the best phrase, because it implies that I have been in the dark, and that is not true. The point I am trying to make is I can see the other end of the tunnel, I am almost through this part of my journey. It is almost over. I can hardly believe it.

And like the book said, I am almost scared to venture out into the real world in 2 days (on Day 31 or day 1 or whatever you want to call it). I have spent so much time and effort and energy doing this last 30 days perfectly and by the book, to veer away from this specific plan is scary. Not because I am afraid I will go back to my old ways (they are now dead and gone) but because I liked the safety, the security the surety of the laid out, rigid plan of the Whole30. Going off the Whole30 is like taking the training wheels off a bike that you just learned to ride. You’re afraid of falling. Afraid of failing. Afraid that you won’t succeed without your training wheels.

On the flip side of that coin, however, is the confidence I have because I made it (almost) through the Whole30. I did it right. I did not cheat (ever). I feel better, I look better and in general… I. Did. It. That’s the best and biggest accomplishment of it all – I did it. I am usually my own worst enemy, but this time I succeeded in spite of myself. If I can do this – I can go forward and succeed too. (I hope).

Day 29 was flooded with thoughts like these. It is becoming a bitter-sweet ending to a challenging but wonderful 30 days.

I also spent a good portion of my morning looking for a good quality, organic dark chocolate.

Why? Because after 30 days, the one thing I would like most to indulge in on Day 31 is some chocolate.

Okay, what I ACTUALLY wanted was dark chocolate almond bark – but I could not find it. ANYWHERE!?! I was distressed. But I decided that I could make my own. Thus the hunt for dark chocolate and tomorrow I will get to making my very OWN almond bark. Boom.

So those are the major parts of Day 29 and here is the menu:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, left-over cauliflower and broccoli

Lunch: Left-over tuna with celery, raw carrots, left-over cauliflower mash and grapes

Dinner: Chicken Cutlets, mashed rutabaga and steamed brussels sprouts and carrots

(I have included some starchy items for our guests, but even with that – some of our guests have shared that their “systems” are feeling a difference with only a couple days of eating healthIER (imagine what a complete Whole30 could do for them??).

29 days down. ONE to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 28: 2 days to go and my hardest days are still ahead of me!

Family is now in town. It would serve as the best challenge of my Whole30 to have both a holiday (that typically revolves around junk food like chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and sugar covered marshmallow chicks) AND family in town (remember that whole “psychological/emotional” connection to food the Whole30 talks about – well, a lot of that stems from what we do with family – and on both sides of mine – we eat. It’s what we do to bond, to connect. If we aren’t at a table eating together, we are off our separate ways). The point is – the biggest challenge of my Whole30 begins now… 2 days from the end!

And so far, it’s been a piece of cake (figurative, not literal. Cause that would be bad).

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms and left-over cauliflower

Lunch: Left-over chili with Paleo Sour Cream and cucumber salad with red wine vinegar, sea salt and pepper

Dinner: Slow-cooker Roast with mushrooms and onions, mashed cauliflower and broccoli.

28 days down. 2, let me say that again, TWO days to go!

Day 26 & 27

To be honest, at this point I am running out of things to say – I can’t wait to tell you all the BIG things that have changed since Day 1 – but I am hoping to reveal all those big things in my AFTER post.

So for now, I will just tell you what was on my menu for days 26 & 27 and also let you know that I worked out on Day 26! With company in town starting Day 28 I am sure it will be hard to find the time for my workouts, but I am going to try… stay tuned to hear how that went!

Day 26:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and left-over asparagus

Lunch: Tuna on celery, raw carrots, a handful of pecans and curry sweet potato chips

Dinner: Slow Cooker Curry Ribs with onions, carrots, celery and a side of steamed cauliflower.

 

Day 27:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, half a banana and left-over cauliflower

Lunch: Tuna on celery, raw carrots and left-over onions from the slow-cooker ribs on Day 26

Dinner: Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with red & green bell peppers, onions and jalepeno (it was SO GOOD), topped with Paleo Sour Cream! YUMMMM!

 

3 days to go people. THREE.

Lunch: Then & Now (How the Whole30 changed our lunch habits!)

Before my Whole30, my daughter and I had lunches that were often a Happy Meal and Big Mac Meal (respectively) or hot dogs and chips or Chick-Fil-A nuggets with fries & apple sauce. Needless to say, they were not the healthiest of options to eat day in and day out (or ever).

Now… here is what our lunches look like:

Raw spinach (in case she didn’t eat the celery or carrots), celery & carrot sticks, tuna (no Paleo mayo – because typically she doesn’t like mayo – but as of today, she does – the Paleo kind anyway), some pecans and baked sweet potato rings with curry and sea salt.

Tuna with Paleo mayo spread into celery sticks, sweet potato rings with curry and sea salt, carrot sticks (not shown: pecans).

And they don’t just LOOK good – they taste good too! Check out my toddler scarfing down MY tuna on celery!! Both plates were totally cleared off by the end of today’s lunch time. Now THAT is not just progress… THAT, my dears, is success!

Curry Foil Fish (Paleo Edition)

Pre-Whole30/Paleo lifestyle the spices we used around here were limited to salt, garlic salt, pepper and occasionally a Montreal Steak Seasoning or Red Pepper Flakes. We occasionally used dried herbs too (oregano, basil, etc.) but other than that our chock full spice drawer was more of an insurance policy (just in case we ever need it) than something we actually used.

So seldom was it used, that I have two of many kinds of spices in there because I didn’t know we had it to begin with and bought another one when a recipe called for it. (That happened more often than I care to admit).

The point is – the spice drawer gets used now. A lot.

Because you can only eat bland veggies and meats so often and so much without getting bored and turning to something less healthy to make up the difference.

For dinner last night I made Foil Fish.

You know, you put some fish and veggies on a piece of foil, wrap it up in a nice “pocket” and then pop it in the oven where it basically steams itself inside the foil and cooks beautifully moist and tasty.

Typically I do a white fish, veggies and a squirt of lemon with salt and pepper. But I needed and wanted something a tad more exciting. So I took a chance that it could go VERY wrong and threw in some spices that I thought might blend well together. And boy, did they ever!

I have officially decided after last night’s Foil Fish experiment that I am CRAZY for CURRY! Here’s what I did:

Curry Foil Fish: Paleo Edition

- Large piece of foil (lay it out flat)

- 1-2 pieces of fish (I used Tilapia – but any white fish will do).

- Chopped up veggies (your choice) I used squash, zucchini and tomatoes

- Olive oil

- Sea Salt & pepper

- 1/8-1/4 Garlic powder

-  1/2 tsp of curry

-1/2 tsp dry yellow mustard

- 1/4-1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

1. Place fish and chopped veggies in your foil

2. Drizzle olive oil on top of fish & veggies

3. Sprinkle with salt & pepper

4. Sprinkle the rest of the spices on top of the fish & veggies

5. Fold foil in and over the fish & veggies to create a steam pocket (see photo)

6. Place in oven at 400 for 20-25 minutes – fish should flake and read 130 F on a meat thermometer at the thickest place.

This dish was spicy and delicious. Let’s put it this way – there were NO LEFT-OVERS to be had! I will definitely be making this again!

Did you try this? What did you think??

Day 25

Today was a Monday.

Monday’s are not my favorite days of the week.

With that being said, today wasn’t too bad. We ran a couple of errands and then came home for lunch (which I must say was the most creative job I have done scraping together what leftovers we had and adding in some veggies on hand to complete the meal).

But like I have been saying, the longer you do this, the easier “throwing things together” gets.

I also experimented with some spices that aren’t typically used around here for dinner tonight and I was VERY pleased (see my “Foil Fish” post coming soon for the details!)

I did not work out today – although I had planned to start running this week – I think I may hold off until the weather warms up a bit more. I hate running in the cold. I can do it if my training requires it, but I would much rather run in hot, humid weather (it’s how I grew up and what I am used to) (call me weird, I know) but the point is – it is still very cold and very dry and I would rather not set myself up to fail from the start. So I will give it a week to warm up (and pray that it actually does).

Of course, please don’t hold this post against me in two months when I am missing and begging for the cold to come back. It’s Florida… we have two temperatures: COLD and HOT – there is no in between!

On to the important stuff – today’s Menu:

Breakfast: Turkey breakfast sausage, pineapple, blackberries, cucumbers with salt & pepper (I am so glad that the turkey sausage is FINALLY gone – I was getting sick of it, but it is a really easy thing to just scoop out and heat up – and with two babies, easy beats yummy sometimes).

Lunch: Half of a grilled steak, pecans, grilled asparagus, raw carrots and blackberries

Dinner: Foil Fish (tilapia, tomatoes, squash & zucchini) plus half a banana with almond butter.

25 days down… 5 to go!

Paleo/Whole30 Taco Shells/Almond-Flour “Tortillas” Revisited

 

At the beginning of this Whole30 journey I tried out a recipe from Once A Month Mom’s Paleo Menu and wrote a little bit about my experience with the recipe here. They really aren’t anything like tortillas and were actually more like Mini Taco Salad shells.

Either way, they didn’t come out how I had hoped the first time around. They sort of crumbled and made our tacos/taco salad more of a taco COBBLER. (Not the desired effect I was hoping for).

So I decided to try it out again and see what I could do to make these “shells” stick together better.

So without further adieu, here is my own recipe and directions to make yourself a yummy Whole30/Paleo Taco Salad Shell:

(Note: the thicker you make the “shell” the less crispy it will be!)

PALEO/Whole30 TACO SHELLS:

Paper cupcake liners

3 cups almond flour

3 eggs

1/4 cup of ghee (melted)

1/4 cup of olive oil (extra light)

1 tsp sea salt

(for tacos, you can add cumin or chili powder to kick these up a bit)

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly incorporated and close to a “dough” texture

2. Flatten out your paper cupcake liner

3. scoop out some “dough” and press flat onto cupcake liner (the thinner the layer, the crispier your result – although, unless fried, these will not be the same type of “crispy” a normal taco shell is)

4. Once your cupcake liner is covered, drop the liner into a muffin tin (it will look sort of like a tart shell) OR you can simply place it flat on a cookie sheet and have a Taco Shell “Plate” or “Hard tortilla”.

5. Place in oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes (until edges brown).

6. Take out of oven – let sit for 10-15 minutes (until cool and hardened).

7. Pull shell out of muffin tin and carefully pull cupcake paper off shell.

I served these with chopped spinach, tomatoes, avocado and ground beef with home-made “taco” seasoning, topped with my Paleo Sour Cream.

Feeding Non-Paleo/Whole30 Visitors

Easter is this Sunday. We will be having company.

Our daughter’s 2nd Birthday is the following week. We will have more company.

So… how do you go about preparing and planning meals for guests who are not subscribing to a Paleo lifestyle or on the Whole30 plan?

First things first, practice it, don’t preach it. How our guests choose to eat and live is their choice. I don’t judge it or try to change it. If any friends or family are ever interested in this new diet/lifestyle I am happy to share it and how I did it, but otherwise, I will simply continue to stay on my path and do what I can to incorporate their personal diets/food desires.

As I planned for the upcoming weekend (4 days) I decided that the most difficult meals would be lunches. Breakfasts really don’t differ much from the norm, so long as I don’t ask them to eat veggies that they don’t want and have bread/toast available for them. Dinner will be exactly the same, except I will offer a starch at a couple of those as well. Lunches… well, they are a tad different. But can still be arranged to feel normal, yet be healthy and satisfying at the same time.

I also want to show my family/guests that healthy food IS GOOD! I don’t necessarily need them to know beforehand how I made something or which ingredients are in it. I will let them taste (and hopefully like) it first and then tell them how I made it and with what! I think getting over the IDEA of “healthy food” and the stigma that it has gained helps people to enjoy it and then realize that healthy can also be delicious!

So… what do I plan on serving this weekend? Here are the lunches & dinners I have prepared for (breakfast will be about the same each day and muffins will also be available):

Day 1: (Dinner only)

Slow Cooker Roast with onions and mushrooms served with mashed cauliflower, steamed green beans and mashed potatoes

Day 2:

Lunch: Left-over roast (bread available for sandwiches for those who want it), small side-salad with tomatoes, olives, slivered almonds and avocado

Dinner: Chicken Cutlets, roasted brussels sprouts and carrots, a loaf of bread will also be served for those who want some.

Day 3:

Lunch: Picnic: Chicken Salad, Raw veggie skewers with dip (I will have Roasted eggplant dip and ranch dressing for whoever wants some), fruit salad, deviled eggs, nuts

Dinner: Grilled hamburgers, baked sweet potato fries, sauteed onions & mushrooms and a side salad

Day 4:

Lunch: Slow-Cooker Roast Chicken & Gravy with left-over veggies from previous days

Easter Dinner: Prime rib, steamed broccoli & carrots, and sweet potatoes

DESSERTS:

As you know, in my family dessert is a special thing. So there will be some non-Paleo/Non-Whole30 desserts in the house. I will not be partaking in those, but I am also hoping to have a few healthy dessert options available (for example, Paleo Strawberry Shortcake – stay tuned for THAT recipe later this week!)

How do you prepare food for your visitors who aren’t Paleo/Whole30 participants??

Day 24: Energy to be a Fun Mommy

This was another Sunday where I was grateful for all the extra energy I have thanks to my new healthy diet.

I had Nursery duty at church, a house to clean, dinner to prepare, exercise to do, and children to take outside to enjoy the brief warm-up in our weather.

The weather/rain finally cleared up and the sun came out – and along with it the warmth of Spring (it was 80 degrees here by mid-afternoon!).

So today was jam packed of all the outdoor activity we could cram in between church, nap, dinner and bed! It was really great to get outside and enjoy it with the kiddos. Of course, having all the extra energy I have these days – I was a lot more fun than usual. I ran around with my daughter, pushed her on the swing, decided to take her for a tricycle ride, kick the soccer ball around… in general – I was a fun play-pal outside, not just a sedentary supervisor! (Yay Mommy!!)

Food was the easy part today – here is the Day 24 menu:

Breakfast: Left-over stuffed pepper with banana & almond butter

Lunch: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms and a cucumber and tomato salad

Dinner: Grilled steak & asparagus

(See how I switched around the Breakfast & Lunch “typical” meals there… and it was good too! Funny how that works when you let yourself eat outside the box).

So 24 down… 6 to go!

Day 22: The Whole30 Version of a Childhood Favorite!

Day 22 included another workout, lots of grocery shopping and errand running!

With all that we had to do – today was one of those days when a quick stop at McDonald’s would have been SOOOO easy! But gone are those days. Eventually I will get better at having things on-hand that are quick and easy for lunch, for now, lunch is still more of a project than I prefer. We’re working on it.

With that said, I decided to try out one of my favorite dishes my mom used to make when I was a kid – Chicken Cutlets (breaded chicken fried in a frying pan with canola or veggie oil).

This recipe was VERY easy to adapt to Whole30/Paleo and it came out almost tasting EXACTLY the same! It was SO close that my husband even said that he didn’t think anyone would be able to tell the difference! SUCCESS IS SWEET!

Here’s what I did to make the chicken cutlets:

1. Sliced chicken breasts in half (length-wise) to make THIN pieces.

2. Whisk two eggs together in a bowl (this is your egg wash)

3. Dump about 1-2 cups of Almond flour into a bowl (depending on how much chicken you need to bread)

4. Add salt & pepper to the almond flour and mix well

5. Dip chicken pieces first into the egg wash and then dip both sides into the almond flour mixture

6. Once both sides are nicely covered – place on a plate

7. Heat olive oil in a frying pan (olive oil should cover bottom of pan)

8. Place breaded chicken into pan and let cook through (turn every 2-3 minutes)

That’s it! Serve with veggies and you are golden!

Here is Day 22’s Complete Menu:

Breakfast: Turkey sausage scramble, mashed rutabaga and raw carrots with pecans

Lunch: Left-over burgers with onions and mushrooms, half an avocado and some raw carrot sticks

Dinner: Chicken cutlets, sauteed green beans with garlic and tomatoes, sweet potato

22 days complete. 8 days to go!

Chinese Cashew Chicken & Broccoli with Bok Choy

So I have been skimming many Paleo cookbooks and websites to come up with fresh new ideas for meals. Especially dinners, since those are the ones my husband really cares most about.

I kept seeing different versions of traditional Chinese Restaurant dishes, and decided to concoct my own version of one. Below is my recipe for Chinese Cashew Chicken & Brocccoli with Bok Choy.

(Note: Both my husband AND my toddler liked this meal – that is SUCCESS in my book!)

Chinese Cashew Chicken & Broccoli with Bok Choy:

1 cup raw Cashews

2 large chicken breasts (chopped into small pieces)

1/4-1/2 cup of green onions (depending on your preferences)

2-3 cups of chopped fresh broccoli

2-4 tbsp of fresh grated ginger (depending on your preferences)

2 tbsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp fennel seed

2/3 c. coconut oil (melted) or Extra light olive oil

2 tbsp Extra light Olive Oil or Coconut oil

1 large head of Bok Choy (washed thoroughly and chopped)

2 tbsp extra light olive oil

2 tsp of minced garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

1. Whisk coconut oil, fennel seed, cinnamon, hot pepper flakes, white pepper and ginger together in medium bowl.

2. Add chicken (and all of marinade/liquid) into the bowl and stir to coat chicken. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

3. Chop broccoli, cashews and green onions (KEEP SEPARATE)

4. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in wok or large frying pan over high heat

5. Add chicken and stir frequently for 5-7 minutes until the outside of the chicken is white but it is not cooked all the way through yet.

6. Add broccoli and cook with chicken until it turns the bright green but isn’t tender yet (about 3-5 mins).

7. Add cashews and green onions and stirring occasionally cook for an additional 10-12 minutes.

Once Cashews and green onions are stirred in and cooking start your Bok Choy:

1. In separate frying pan (preferably one with a lid) heat 2 tbsp oil on Med/High heat.

2. Add garlic and stir until the garlic becomes aromatic (about 3 mins)

3. Add Bok Choy and toss with tongs until all is coated with olive & garlic.

4. Let cook for about 3-4 minutes without cover

5. Add Sesame seeds, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes as you desire

6. Place cover on (to allow it to steam a while) for about 5 minutes (until Bok Choy is tender)

Bok Choy and Main dish should be done at the same time.

Serve & Enjoy!

My 2-year old LOVED this dish. For the first time, she muttered in between bites, “Soooo Goood!” – that’s something!

Let me know what you think or if you think something else would have made this dish even better – I’d love to try it again with another twist!

 

Day 21: You can picnic if you’re Paleo!!!

The longer I go in my Whole30 journey the braver I get with recipes and trying new things.

Like the Rutabaga I tried earlier this week – more on that coming soon!

And tonight I tried to cook a Whole30/Paleo version of Chinese Cashew Chicken & Broccoli (check out my next post for recipe & notes on that dish!)

But the biggest new thing I tried today was packing a picnic that was Whole30/Paleo approved.

I had been VERY intimidated by figuring out what types of food you could pack for a meal without a refrigerator (since they are all mostly fresh). Gone are the days of throwing  a few sandwiches in a bag with some chips and maybe an apple if I was on a particular health kick that day.

But with a little inspiration from Everyday Paleo I decided that I COULD, in fact, do this!

Basically, I packed left-overs that could be served cold! That were easy to pack and tote along with us and that didn’t require much “work” once we were ready to eat.

On the Everyday Paleo “Paleo Picnic” article they have great, more traditional, “picnic” foods just without the Non-Paleo stuff, so for example, chicken salad (no bread for sandwiches) and veggie skewers.

The point is, I got myself and my kids out of the house for a morning “field trip” and the Whole30/Paleo didn’t limit us (which has been the case to now).

The more we do this, the more I learn and the better and easier it gets. These are the lessons that make this lifestyle change more bearable and life-like. I am grateful to be learning them at this point in the game, as in only 9 days it will be time to make the commitment to keep this up (with a few less rules than the Whole30) for a lifetime. Making that commitment (to go Paleo) is just easier knowing that life can and will go on as usual the longer I do this and the better I get at it. The difference being I will be healthier and have more energy to do the additional work that it will always require (no matter how 2nd nature it all becomes).

So besides that and my awesome workout, that pretty much sums up Day 21!

I can hardly believe I have less than 10 days to go now! Wow!!

Okay, here is Day 21’s Menu:

Breakfast: Turkey Sausage crumble with mashed rutabaga and pecans

Lunch: “PICNIC LUNCH” – Left-over taco salad (spinach, tomatoes, avocado and taco beef” with a “taco shell”, raw carrot sticks, pecans and some strawberries. (I don’t usually include my toddler’s meal, because she is not on the Whole30, but for the picnic I packed her some left-over chicken breast (easily served cold), carrot sticks, strawberries, pineapple and pecans. It was a hit!)

Dinner: Chinese Cashew Chicken & Broccoli with sauteed Bok Choy

21 down…9 to go!

Workout #2 and an outdoor walk!

I told you I would stay accountable for my workout goals this week, so I am back to quickly check-in and let you know that today I did another 50 minute weight-training workout that burned so good that I am sure I will be sore tomorrow.

And I took both my kiddos out for a little walk around the pond at our local library this morning too. I let my toddler walk on her own and actually she ran most of the time, so my WALK ended up being pretty brisk.

Yay for kids who keep you on your toes!

“More Carrots Please!” How the Whole30 has affected my kid!

My toddler hasn’t had fries in 21 days. That is likely the longest stretch she has gone since she was about 14 months old.

I want to be transparent here: I am giving her special treats here and there and she certainly is not on a Whole30 – but her diet is much cleaner now. Not completely Paleo, but close. That being said, she definitely has missed some foods.

How could I possibly know that? Well, here are a few examples:

At dinner a few nights ago, my kid says, “I want a waffle.” Just out of the blue she says that. These were our go-to breakfasts – and not a syrup-covered eggo either, a Kashi Blueberry with some whipped cream, but still… a waffle all the same.

When she was rummaging through our pantry looking for something to snack on – she asked for the bread. Bread is NOT and was not a typical “snack” food around here – but she wanted it. AND… after gymnastics class last week when Daddy took her to lunch and said, “what do you want for lunch” she replied with “BREAD!”

When we decided to treat her with a waffle for breakfast, she about sprinted from her crib to the breakfast table yelling “Waffle!!! Creeeammm!!” I think she was a tad excited!

So, you get the picture. Her diet has changed. And while she still occasionally asks for some of the old foods she likes…

She has started to ask for more of the GOOD STUFF! Examples…

Before this journey getting her to eat any raw veggies was pointless and frustrating. Now, she happily eats raw spinach and raw carrots and recently she has asked for MORE! She ate her weight in raw carrots yesterday – I could hardly believe how much she liked them.

An amazing thing I have noticed about babies/very young kids – even before this journey – is that their bodies are still not messed up (too much) so they have a natural craving for what they NEED. Some days she would eat a LOT of meat and not as much fruit and veggie, other days she would hardly touch the meat and eat all the veggies and others she would skip everything and pile on the bread or potatoes or fries. The point is – I LOVE that her body is starting to crave healthy stuff and that she is asking for more things like carrots!

Also, after dinner she used to get a “dessert” or small treat if she ate her dinner well (at least SOME of her veggies, meat and starch). These treats would range from a couple of marshmallows to Nilla Wafers or M&Ms. NOW… after dinner she asks for fruit (pineapple most recently) or Banana “Sandwiches” are a new favorite (almond butter and banana) and dark chocolate covered blueberries!

This progress that I have seen in my toddler is so important to me! It’s been a great journey so far for me personally, but starting to see the healthy changes in my daughter makes this journey even better!!!

Day 20

Day 20 was a good day.

I found an awesome Sour Cream recipe (Whole30 & Paleo friendly).

I enjoyed some yummy left-overs at lunch and saw a very positive change in my toddler!

I also almost yakked at the sight of a McDonald’s commercial. That is no exaggeration. And believe it or not… the thing that turned my stomach the worst… the sight of one of the BUNS on their McChicken sandwich. Not the meat-like product in between or the sauce. THE BUN.

When the commercial came on – my brain started to panic initially: “Oh my gosh, I am doing so good – this commercial could send me spiraling out of cravings control and really test me – look away. LOOK AWAY!”

But I didn’t look away. And now I am glad I didn’t. Because look at what progress I made! Not only did I not feel tempted, but I felt disgusted and sick to my stomach at the mere thought of trying a BUN, let alone the Big Mac and fries I used to have two or three times a week!

So yea, Day 20. Good.

Here was my Day 20 Menu:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with mushrooms and left-over mashed rutabaga

Lunch: Left-over slow cooker roast chicken with gravy and mashed rutabaga

Dinner: Taco “Salad” – I made Once a Month Mom’s Taco Shells again and this time they held together pretty good! I messed with the recipe a bit too in order to make them a little less like an almond butter cookie and more savory like a taco shell (more on that recipe coming soon). Then we topped our shells with chopped spinach, diced tomatoes, “taco” beef, avocado and Paleo Sour Cream. It was a VERY good meal (in my opinion). My husband missed the tortillas and wanted salsa (salsa is very easy to make in Paleo version)… tortillas not so much. But for those of you doing this in a home where others are not – THIS is a GREAT way to cook a dinner without needing to do any extra steps. (Well, except throwing the tortillas on the table for the Non-Whole30 participants).

And so, that was Day 20. 10 to go!!

Paleo Sour Cream–WOW!

Okay, so admittedly our first experiment with coconut milk in a dish that we expected to be savory (but turned out sweet-ish and coconutty) kind of soured us on the whole coconut milk thing altogether. (In other words, I haven’t tipped that can again since that experience).

But I needed something for our Taco salads last night and I didn’t want to do Paleo guacamole again or plain ole’ salad dressing… in fact, I specifcally wanted sour cream.

So… I went in search of a recipe and I found one… and it ROCKED!

My toddler liked it, even my husband liked it.

And me? Well I LOVED it! I was so happy with how it turned out that I just HAD to share it with you!

Paleo Sour Cream

(my recipe was an adaptation using this version from Paleotable.com.)

1/2 cup of Paleo Mayo (I used the recipe from Everyday Paleo found here)

1/3-1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk (start with 1/3 and increase if needed for your taste and texture preferences)

1 tsp of apple cider vinegar (the original recipe only calls for 1/2 tsp, but I found that the extra helped to conceal the coconut flavor a bit better).

1/2 tsp of minced garlic

Whisk together all ingredients and return to fridge for AT LEAST 30 minutes. This will help thicken the texture a bit (although it will still be slightly watery compared to “REAL” sour cream) and will also allow the flavors to combine nicely.

Serve with whatever your heart desires and ENJOY!

NOTE: Although you can taste a HINT of coconut in the sour cream itself, I found that once it was in my Taco Salad I couldn’t find the taste of the Coconut even when I tried. So don’t let that stop you from trying this AMAZING recipe!

The Return of the Muffin [top]!?!!

So by about the middle to end of my 2nd week of my Whole30 I started to actually SEE some slight/minor improvements in my physique. Most notably my muffin top was starting to shrink. Suddenly, I could sport my yoga pants with a cute not-too-tight, but knit shirt.

Fast forward to Day 19 and it is like I have ballooned back to my previous self.

I have no idea what happened or what I did.

But let’s just say that the same outfit (yoga pants and cute colorful knit shirt) now looks just as hideous on me as it did before my Whole30 began!

I am not going to lie. I am disappointed. I am trying to figure out where I have gone wrong. I have been as faithful to the Whole30 plan as I can be (and as my budget will allow- aka, I am not buying grass-fed/grass-finished beef or Organic produce) and although I am not working out consistently yet, I am doing more than I had before the Whole30.

So what gives?

I don’t yet know the answer for certain, but here are a couple guesses:

1. The change that I saw was simply the swelling and excess water-weight/fluids that were built up being flushed out of my system and now a healthy, but still unfortunately visible amount has returned.

Or 2. The introduction of fruit. (Fresh fruit, but still fruit). Even though I am talking LIMITED amounts – a couple bananas a week, and a couple handfuls of berries a week. Still, it is ONE difference between then and now. Between muffin top and no muffin top. Maybe my body just wasn’t quite ready to figure out the difference between the cheap sugars I used to eat and the good sugars that come in fruit… I guess I need to cut all the fruit out again until the end of my Whole30 just in case! 

Internally I still FEEL good. My energy is still up and I feel healthier. My mind is a little clearer. In general there have been more successes than disappointments… but man. This disappointment just stinks.

So in the name of full-disclosure and transparency – that’s where I’m at. Anyone out there have this happen to them during their Whole30???

Day 19

As far as the food was concerned, Day 19 went well.

I had to go to the grocery store this morning and I wouldn’t say I was CRAVING a chocolate iced donut or a bite of my child’s sugar cookie with sprinkles, but I certainly wanted a bite of one or the other. And even though I chose to say no, I didn’t really even feel badly about missing out… it was just that I noted to myself that I would have liked a bite and then I moved on. That’s some REAL progress!

I tried a slow cooker recipe from Nom Nom Paleo and oh my goodness. This is comfort food with a capital C. It was so good my husband went back for seconds and we both agreed that nobody in our families would ever know it was Whole30/Paleo! I have stuck that recipe in my back pocket for when we have company for Easter at the end of the month!

I also tried my hand at a new veggie: the Rutabaga!

Now, here is the thing about rutabagas… they are HARD to CUT! And by hard, I mean impossible (for me). I had to search the internet for tips on how to get through these things. (The trick and more in an upcoming post).

Anyway, like I said the food part of Day 19 went lovely. The workout was awesome. The problem is in my next post… I don’t know what happened, or what’s happening, but what little progress I was starting to see physically has not only disappeared, but I think I am as bad as when I first began!?

So here is the menu for Day 19:

Breakfast: Turkey sausage crumble with warm cabbage & carrot slaw and sesame seeds

Lunch: Left over stuffed peppers, raw carrots, almonds and a few chunks of pineapple (it is in season right now and oh my word – YUM.)

Dinner: Nom Nom Paleo’s Slow-Cooker Roast Chicken & Gravy with mashed rutabaga and steamed carrots

Coming up: The Return of the Muffin [top], What in the Rutabaga? and an update on my version of OAMM’s Taco Salad Shells!

Day 19 done. 11 to go.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust gone awry!

A sweet Twitter friend sent me a tweet shortly after I started my Whole30 and told me to try cauliflower pizza crust.

There are a LOT of versions of this on the internet. I can’t even remember where I ended up getting my recipe, but it may not matter, because I will have to find another one… it didn’t go so well.

Although the taste was good… the texture was all off. Once I turned the crust into “pizza” and served it, the crust crumbled and I had more of a pizza “cobbler” than a pizza with crust.

Either way, maybe you will have better luck with it. Below is the recipe I used and then the photos of how it went wrong. I plan to try this out again soon – I will post another blog about how Trial #2 goes – but feel free to try this out and make some alterations… perhaps you will hit the nail on the head and you can share your successful tip(s) with me!

Recipe:

Cauliflower Pizza Crust:

1 head fresh cauliflower

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp evoo

¼ c. nutritional yeast

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp herbs de provence

¼ c. almond flour

Salt & pepper

 

- Preheat oven to 400

1. Place uncooked cauliflower & garlic in food processor & process until fine pieces

2. In a skillet over med-high heat, add evoo. Once hot, add cauliflower and sauté for 5 min, until cooked through.

3. Transfer cauliflower to large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well until thoroughly incorporated.

4. Grease baking sheet with olive oil (or use parchment paper).

5. Turn out the cauliflower dought onto the baking sheet and form a ball

6. Gently press ball of dough into round shape until it is just less than ¼” thick

7. Bake for 30 minutes and broil for final 3-5

(As you can see, this is where mine went wrong – see how it cracked and didn’t hold together nicely? And it wasn’t “crispy” at all either)

8. Remove from oven – top with toppings and return to bake for another 5-7 mins.

It sure LOOKED really nice, and it tasted AWESOME, but once you served it, you realized it would work better in a bowl than on a plate… it totally crumbled into pieces! Oh well, at least I tried and I know I like it – now I just have to figure out what went wrong!

Got Questions?

Are any of my readers out there doing a Whole30? Thinking about doing one?

Do you have any specific questions about what it has been like?

Any questions you have at all – I welcome them – I will see what I can do to answer them for you in upcoming posts!

In the meantime, if you are starting on your own Wholly Journey, just comment with your name and when you started or plan to start: I would love to pray for you and your journey!

Workout Done!

As I said in the beginning… this blog is as much about holding myself accountable as it is sharing my journey with others.

Part of that is putting out there my goals – so that I can let you know if I accomplished them or not. Somehow, knowing that I “have to” check-in about them eventually makes me more motivated to get it done.

In a previous post I told you that I came up short in my workout goals for Week 2 of my Whole30. This week I intend to now only achieve my goals but to add 2 outdoor walks  as well.

I just wanted to let you know that I did my workout today. Just finished up, in fact. (Yes, I know, it is 3pm EST – the middle of the day, but that is when my two kids are asleep and unless I wake up at 5am (which I AM considering, just not today) then this is my time to workout.)

I will tell you that today’s workout was a LOT better than last week’s. I was not out of breath nearly as quickly (last time I was out of breath before the end of the warm-up). I got in more reps and I felt good but tired at the end, which means I pushed myself as much as I could.

So, I am eager for the post-workout tightness and soreness (it is an oddly good feeling) and in the meantime I am getting ready to head to the kitchen for workout number 2 (well, not really, but cutting this rutabaga in half is definitely LIKE a workout).

1 workout down, 2 to go for this week (and 2 outdoor walks). If I can do this – so can you! What are you waiting for??

Workouts aren’t really working out yet…

My first workout was awesome. I felt sore EVERYWHERE I wanted to the day after and I felt really good about getting it done. But then, life kept on keeping on, and the demands of being a Whole30 participant/Paleo diet kept swallowing time.

And just like that my goal to workout three times last week was squashed.

I worked out once.

But… that was one more time than I had worked out in the previous MANY months – so I will take that and build.

This week I am determined to achieve my goal of 3 workouts this week and at least two walks outside.

It’s going to happen.

Tomorrow will be workout number 1 – stay tuned for an update on how I am gonna make these workouts work for me!

Day 18

I did not sit down today.

Okay, I may have sat down 6 times: 3 times to feed the baby and 3 times to feed myself.

Okay, 8 – add two times I had to sit in the car to go to the grocery store: going & coming back.

I don’t count sitting on the potty – because with a baby on your lap and a toddler waiting to play – you BARELY get to sit down.

But the rest of the day was errands, cleaning, chores, prepping food, cooking food, etc., etc.

It was quite a successful day for me, but I am exhausted – I have a few recipes I need to share with you from last week and tonight (a Paleo/Whole30 MAYO – that is FANTASTIC – my first mayo was AWFUL!)

But those recipes will be for another night. Tonight I am ready for bed and so I will simply share with you my Day 18 menu:

Breakfast: Turkey Sausage crumble, warm cabbage & carrot slaw with sesame seeds and a handful of blackberries

Lunch: Left-over burgers, onions & mushrooms, green beans & tomatoes, broccoli and half an avocado

Dinner: Turkey Stuffed green peppers with roasted cauliflower

Day 18 done. 12 to go!

Day 17–Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I don’t drink anyway, so there wasn’t a bunch that I missed from St. Patrick’s Day. That being said, I do enjoy some good Publix soda bread and any holiday is a good excuse for a Publix cupcake (which without the Whole30 I would have totally taken advantage of).

But honestly, I didn’t really MISS those things, I just know that I would have had them if I wasn’t on the Whole30.

Since it was Sunday, we were at church, and this particular Sunday I was volunteering in the young walkers/babies class (1-2 year olds who walk well). Normally, I have to dig DEEP to muster enough energy to keep these kids busy and having fun, but today… I was so full of energy I am sure a few of the other volunteers were wondering how many Red Bulls I had for breakfast! (If only they knew it was my healthy diet… HA!)

I certainly didn’t NEED it, but I had planned the last three days so that Sunday afternoon would be free… for a NAP! I love to nap every once in a while. I haven’t had a nap in months – because of babies, but for my Birthday I decided I wanted a nice afternoon nap, so I took one.

When I woke up I actually FELT GREAT! (Normally after a nap I always feel like I am worse than when I started. And I almost ALWAYS had a headache, but this nap was actually refreshing and I woke up feeling it!).

Then I got dinner made and that wrapped up the weekend! I realized that I only have ONE MORE SUNDAY to go on my Whole30! Wholly cow… we are nearing the end already!

Here is Day 17’s Menu:

Breakfast: Eggs, sweet potato, turkey sausage crumble, pecans

Lunch: Left-overs: grouper cheek, steak, green beans and roasted veggies

Dinner: Beef burgers, sauteed onions and mushrooms, steamed broccoli and avocado (I have made this once before and it was SO good – it is definitely my favorite meal so far).

17 down. 13 to go.

Day 16

Day 16 was lovely.

The day was busy with wonderful things like…

Shopping for new running shoes (a fantastic Birthday present from my husband). As I get back in shape and become healthier due to a better diet, I am getting closer and closer to my goal of running again. But first things first, good running shoes! I LOVE my new shoes and I had so much fun shopping for them. It is amazing how quickly you and your feet remember what the “right” running shoe feels like. When I found it – I knew!

Then a relaxing manicure/pedicure – another birthday present!

An entire afternoon without cooking, cleaning or chasing children! What a treat!

Then when I came home my husband was getting ready to cook dinner for me (my birthday dinner). He made sure to make mine Whole30 style and it was delicious (I made him try mine and he said he couldn’t taste the difference) the big difference for him was that he didn’t eat as many veggies as I did.

So that was pretty much the sum of Day 16. Below is my Day 16 menu:

Breakfast: eggs, mushrooms, spinach

Lunch: Left-over chicken and roasted veggies.

Dinner: Broiled Grouper cheek, steamed crawfish, sauteed green beans with tomatoes and garlic.

It was a DELICIOUS day!

16 down, 14 to go!

Day 15–Half way through my Whole30

I made it to the half way mark in my Whole30. I honestly didn’t think I would make it to the other end of my first week before I started. But I was willing to try.

Now, I am not willing to fail. It’s just not an option.

Now, I am already planning what will happen next…after Day 30. How I will make sure that this life change is just that: a LIFE change, not a 30 day one.

Today felt good, because it was day 15 and that means the half-way mark. Because today is my birthday – I am 29. Because in February when I read “It Starts with Food” I decided I HAD to do a Whole30 and I showed my commitment to doing it whole-heartedly by asking to do it the month of my BIRTHDAY – voluntarily giving up any hope of Birthday cakes, cupcakes, treats, etc. I wanted this to be the BEGINNING OF AN ERA, not the end.

This may be the last year of my twenties, but I am now convinced that it is actually the first year of the rest of my life.

And I intend to make everyday count and to make everyday work at giving me the greatest chance of a long and healthy life (God-willing).

So Day 15 is a big deal for me.

It was also a BUSY day. I didn’t have lunches pre-done for the busyness that ended up swallowing us whole, but I still managed to get creative, think outside the box and pull together a healthy, Whole30 lunch.

I also tried a new recipe for dinner, more on that in a future post.

And although the Whole30 strongly recommends NOT having any “dessert-type” food, I decided that it is my birthday, and provided I follow the Whole30 rules I can indulge in something “sweet” so I made a Birthday Colada (pineapple juice with coconut milk).

So that was my day. A very happy birthday indeed!

Day 15 Menu:

Breakfast: Turkey Sausage crumble with left-over asparagus

Lunch: (Like I mentioned earlier it got WAY busier today than I planned for – so as we rolled into the garage at the same time lunch is meant to be on the table I knew I would need to get creative and figure out a way to pull off a QUICK but Whole30 acceptable lunch. I thought OUTSIDE the box and followed one of the tips that the book gives: Don’t think of each meal as Breakfast, lunch, dinner because it will limit what you put on your plate – just think of them as Meals 1, 2 and 3 and follow the template of protein, veggies, good fat.) Sooo… for lunch I had breakfast - Turkey sausage crumble, scrambled eggs, left-over asparagus and tomatoes with salt and red wine vinegar.

Dinner: Whole30 Pizza (recipe post coming soon) – Cauliflower crust, turkey sausage, tomatoes, green peppers, kalamata olives, mushrooms, basil, Italian seasonings and a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt.

15 days down…15 to go! Woo. Hoo.

A Whole30 workout is NOT the same!

II think it is probably an important observation/reflection to share that my workout (1st one in a WHILE) and definitely first one since starting my Whole30 is unlike any workout I have had before. Ever.

I have always targeted certain muscle groups and hoped to “feel it” a day later – only to be disappointed and only feel the soreness in the regular places. Those “hard to get” areas never seemed to get sore or worked.

Enter Day 14 (the day after my 1st Whole30 workout). I am telling you that EVERY muscle that I worked is currently sore. Sorry to get graphic here – but my butt cheeks are even sore. I know there ARE muscles there – I just had given up hope that mine would ever be reached again.

I have no idea if this is due to the Whole30 or only to the fact that I have  not truly worked out/trained in SO LONG, or both – but I have a feeling that the Whole30 has contributed to my bodies ability to zone in on specific areas and get them trained/worked more efficiently.

Honestly, it is AMAZING how much and how far reaching the food we eat can go. I had NO IDEA that what I ate would result in better “performance” in my activity and training/workouts… surprise for me!

It’s an amazing feeling I have right now. I am rocking this Whole30 (with 2 babies and a husband who stopped after week 1). I am working out again and FEELING the results in the areas I want to SEE results in down the line. I am feeling and seeing some of the results of the Whole30 already with increased energy and seemingly less body fat. I am accomplishing goals – small goals, but with each one accomplished I get closer to achieving my ultimate goal. Even if I stopped the Whole30 today (which I am not) I would be a changed person.

A sore, but changed person. Hallelujah!

Day 14

Day 14 was good. I had that burst of special energy that they refer to as Tigers Blood. I feel good and SORE from my workout yesterday (in places that I didn’t even know could get sore, people!). And I feel like I can totally pull this off for AT LEAST another two weeks.

There was really nothing more to report other than my energy elevation – which was VERY nice!

Day 14 meals:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, carrots (raw) and spinach

Lunch: Spinach & butter lettuce salad, 2 boiled eggs, kalamata olives, tomatoes, mushrooms and balsamic vinegar with olive oil (it is AMAZING what a different vinegar can do to spice up your salad!)

Dinner: Grilled steak and asparagus with a sweet potato and coconut aminos/manna (so yum!).

And that about wrapped up Day 14 for me.

16 to go!

Hello. Tigers Blood? Is that you?

I have never experienced the phenomena of “Tigers Blood” (an unrealistic amount of energy that you have because your body is working mega-efficiently) but if I had to imagine what it was… I would say today I am starting to be introduced to it.

And it ain’t too bad either, let me tell ya what!

Today has already been a LONG day.

Due to an unfortunate series of events, I woke up WAY earlier than planned (about 4:50am). But I couldn’t immediately get back to sleep (despite trying) and I felt pretty awake anyway so I just went ahead and started my day. I was showered, ready for the day and in the kitchen to cook breakfast before 6:00. In a way, it kind of felt good! (Alone. Quiet. Able to eat a bite of food (let alone an entire meal) without having to spoon or fork food into someone else’s mouth while I chew. Yes… it felt good, indeed).

I am in charge of a new ministry at church that I had to do today so I had to have my kids, up, fed, dressed and out the door by 9:15. We were ready to go AND had time to Skype with my mom! Efficient AND energetic… loving it!

Then it was setting up the event, leading it (with 15 children ranging in age from 1 month to 13 years old) and cleaning it up. Getting my kids home, fed lunch and to their beds for naptime. Again, done.

By this point on a non-Whole30 day I would have needed 2-liters of Pepsi, some maraschino cherries (because they always make you feel better, right?), a candy bar and probably a Big Mac (because who wants to MAKE lunch after running an event with 15 children?). I also would have taken my Pepsi, cherries and candy to the couch where I would lay down, eat up and then nap until someone else woke up.

Not today.

Today I went to the van to empty out the left-over supplies from the morning’s event. I put together an Excel Spreadsheet of what was used, what was left, how many came, our expenditures, etc. for the ministry and emailed them off.

I printed out a Return Shipping Label for a return item I have to send back to Amazon (not that you really needed to know that – but I had so much energy that I decided to even do THIS instead of nap… so you KNOW the energy was flowing.

I did a bunch more things on my To Do list… and then, get this, I still had not only ENERGY but creative juices flowing enough that I FINALLY decided to re-design and move my personal blog to a new space. And yes, that is done now too.

Now I should have about 15-30 more minutes of napping children… and I have no idea what to do with myself. But I know I won’t be napping..

So, the point of all this is, I don’t know exactly what Tigers Blood is, but I have a feeling this might be it.

Yay for progress. Bigger Yay for results!

See you later for my full Day 14 recap.

Day 13

The rest of the day post-workout was very good.

Today I felt “lighter” than I have. There really is no other way to explain the feeling other than to say “lighter”. Not thinner. Not less weight necessarily. Just lighter.

Despite my careful menu planning for this week, for some reason I haven’t followed it well. I am waking up earlier to just cook what I want (easier to do when I am the only one I am cooking for) and I am just pulling together lunches from left-overs or salads and dinners I piece together with what I have that needs to be used.

Last night I had ground turkey that I had originally taken out for sausage crumble, but hadn’t made it and the turkey needed to be used because it had finally thawed. So… I decided to take another stab at making a meatloaf. This was one of the first meals I made on the Whole30 and it was a bit dry. Tonight’s was MUCH better! I also just grabbed two veggies that I knew all parties (hubby & daughter) would like and steamed & sauteed those. Voila, a perfectly yummy, Whole30 dinner without much planning at all.

I guess I am getting better and more natural at this, after all!

Other than the lack of meal-preparation and feeling “lighter” there is really nothing to report. So here is the Day 13 Menu:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, grapes, sweet potato with almond butter

Lunch: Left-over slow cooker ribs with onions and carrots, and a heaping bowl of left-over green beans & tomatoes with garlic.

Dinner: Turkey meatloaf, steamed cauliflower and sauteed spinach with garlic

17 days to go!

Wholly out of breath! I want to run again.

The last workout I had was giving birth to my youngest son – 4 months ago. My last REAL workout was about 8 months before that.

The thing is, I am actually quite active everyday. I have no choice. With a very active daughter a few weeks shy of turning 2 years old and a 4 month old – I keep busy. I wear yoga pants nearly everyday because the things I have to do require flexibility and movement (it’s certainly not a fashion statement, that’s for sure).

But a REAL workout? Well, it’s been too long.

I like circuit training (there is probably some new fancy word for this but it is a combination of both cardio and weight training done in timed intervals). I like it because it keeps you going, it requires you to push yourself and it works. I don’t like to be BORED when I workout.

I also trained to run the Marine Corps Marathon about 5 years ago. I made it to my 16 mile run and then got stress fractures. I should have listened and rested when my shin splints got so bad that they woke me up, but I had a goal and I wanted to achieve it. Thing is, my body knew better – if I didn’t stop me, it would and it did. But the thing about that training was that I LOVED running. I mean really, REALLY loved it. Don’t get me wrong, I think all runners have a love-hate relationship with the actual running, there were certainly times that I hated it because I would be tired and have 6 more miles to go and I would think – WHY??? But then I would finish a run (good or bad) I would finish and I would have this immense sense of accomplishment. (I also LOVED it because I could do most of it with my husband and that made it SO much better… even though he was a faster, better, trained runner – I still enjoyed warming up with him and finishing with him right there (usually looking at his watch wondering where I was…LOL)). The point is – I like running. I miss running. I want to start running again.

I probably won’t train for a marathon again unless miraculously my body is suddenly built for it. But I want to run. I set a goal for myself to run a 5k by the time my son turns 1 year old. I know that is not a BIG goal, but with my limited time availability to train and build up to RUNNING a 5k – I wanted to set myself up for success, not failure and I can always go early and beat my goal if I want to, right?

But I have to start somewhere… and that somewhere (for me) is getting my core and body back in shape and strong enough to support my running. I am basically starting from square one again, because like I said, it’s been years since I last ran.

So today, I started. In the name of all things “Wholly” I am keeping this journey to optimum health going strong and I am beginning to get my body back in running order.

I did Circuit Training for 45 minutes. And I was totally out of breath… before the end of the WARM-UP!? I have a ways to go before it will be time for me to hit the pavement again, but I am one day closer.

Since I haven’t trained in a while, I can’t really say one way or the other whether I performed better than I would have before the Whole30, but let’s put it this way – I made it through the complete 45 minutes and I am writing this blog post and not napping… so that might be something!?

Stay tuned for my full Day 13 update coming later tonight!

Day 12: Wedding Rings, Energy and Almond Flour “Tortillas”

Today was another good day. It was a busy day. It was one of those days when I likely would have gone to McDonalds. Twice. Once, just because we drive by on the way to my doctor’s office and it just makes no sense not to stop and grab a hash brown and coke to make it a “better” morning, and then since we got home so late and it was a busy morning I would have had a good excuse for going to McDonald’s for lunch too… because I just didn’t have it left in me after my morning in the doctor’s office with two kids to prepare lunch.

The thing is. I DID have it in me. And honestly I didn’t even WANT to stop at McDonald’s. I actually had a moment of “I’m FREE!” as I approached the McDonald’s and thought, “I don’t need you any more.” That, right there, folks, is a victory. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Not only that, but I should be ashamed to say that my daughter used to ALWAYS say/ask for “Fries? Fries! Fries??!” when she would spot those Golden Arches… but today… nothing. It was like she had won her own little victory too! Yay!

On top of those victories, there was my consistent/stable level of energy. ALL. DAY.

Today I should have felt exhausted by the kids’ naptimes. It was a stressful morning and I had been on “go” since 5:40. Instead, by the time the kids fell asleep for their nap I was still feeling good and energized. I wouldn’t categorize it as “Tiger’s Blood” because I don’t feel like I have an overwhelming amount of energy, but the energy I do have is consistent and stable throughout the entire day. THAT is really nice! I am REALLY looking forward to seeing what Tiger’s Blood is, because this change is already pretty good!

And… then there was my wedding rings. All day I kept looking down to find that my rings had twisted around and I was constantly having to re-position them to where they are supposed to be. I couldn’t figure out why it was happening… until I realized that my fingers are thinner. To be honest, I wouldn’t say that they are “thinner” so much as they probably just aren’t swollen any more from a diet full of sodium, salt, sugar, etc., but either way, they are thinner. It isn’t much, but it is something that I can actually SEE, feel, and record as a PHYSICAL change. Progress is progress, people and I will be happy with what I get.

So that was Day 12. I tried out a new recipe at dinner – check the details out below.

Day 12 Menu:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, spinach, mushrooms (this was not enough, I needed more fat than the olive oil I cooked in and probably more protein because I was hungry about an hour before lunch).

Lunch: Spinach & Butter lettuce salad with tomatoes, boiled eggs, kalamata olives, carrots, avocado and red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Dinner: Ground beef & onions with Mexican seasonings (cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes), topped with chopped (raw) spinach, tomatoes and avocado served on a Almond Flour “tortilla” shell.

The Almond Flour “Tortilla” shell was the new recipe I tried. It is almond flour, ghee, salt and an egg. You can make it into any “shape” but I chose to make shells with a muffin tin. It came out a bit too grainy and crumbled when I tried to take the shell out of the tin, so I am going to have to keep experimenting before I share the recipe & directions here for you to try. BUT, they were DELICIOUS! Here is a photo of the ones I made today – stay tuned, I’ll be working to perfect these because if I get it right, they will be very versatile (think desserts, “pie” crust, cookie base, etc.)

18 days to go!