Whole 30

Summery Tomato Confit

July 16, 2019

Summery Tomato Confit is the flavorful smash hit of the summer. You’ll be adding it to all your dishes. Run, don’t walk to get tons of tomatoes!

Post Contains Affiliate Links. Read my full disclosure HERE

This Summery Tomato Confit is going to be your summer must have.

I’m 110% serious. You’ll be in love with it while it bakes in your oven, as the rich tomato perfumes the air. But once you open up your oven, you’ll be hooked for good. Then when you take a bite, you’ll be a goner. Before you know it, you’ll be

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Instant Pot Crispy Pork Carnitas (Paleo, Whole30)

January 14, 2018

Can kids become possessed?

I really think mine was today.

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Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

November 28, 2016

I’m thankful that Thanksgiving is over.

I’m thankful that November is almost over. It’s been a rough month.

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Homemade Nut Milk

October 10, 2016

Homemade Nut Milk is easier to make than you think! It’s a great option for when you want to go dairy free. There are so many different nut options too!

OMG you guys! It’s Secret Recipe Club time again.

I have participated in every monthly post over the past 5 years. Yep, today marks my 5th year!!

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Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor

August 30, 2016

So I did my first Facebook Live cooking demo this weekend!!!!

Gah I was so nervous! But it was fun.

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2 minute Chimichurri Sauce

July 12, 2016

There was the most amazing lightning storm all around us last night.

Tampa is known as “The Lightning Capital of the World”. In reality it gets the most thunderstorms for North America. If the season was longer maybe it truly would be the most for the world but at least it can hold the title for North America.

It rains a lot in Florida in the summer, which isn’t such a big deal since it helps cool off the afternoons. Plus, it just puts on a good show since it’s not just a drizzle, but it’s typically a big storm that passes through for a bit. You always have to remember to leave your windows up!

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Roasted Tomato Soup

May 12, 2016

Roasted Tomato Soup- A soup that’s full of robust hearty flavors from roasted ripe tomatoes. It’s simple to make but the flavors will blow your socks off.

This soup is a great example of how a few great ingredients can come together to make a fantastic dish. This Roasted Tomato Soup is a healthy example of a flavorful dish that will have you asking for seconds.

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Quick Meat Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

May 2, 2016

So a few weeks ago Autumn and I went to a farmer’s market a few miles away from my dad’s house, where we are staying. We picked up a few things, but the big hit of the day was the honey we picked up.

She sampled a few kinds and picked out the kind that liked the most and every few days I give her a big spoonful of the local honey. It’s a special, healthy treat that is great for preventing allergies here.

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Whole30 #3: Days 7-9 Recaps & The End

August 21, 2015

I am documenting my THIRD Whole30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come from my first Whole30 (Feb 2015), my second (April 2015), to now! Plus, I don’t want to fall into any food ruts. Hopefully this will keep me inspired through the whole process. I’m looking forward to the transformation in how I approach food, cook with it, and enjoy it. Check out all my Whole30 related posts HERE from why I did each previous Whole30, why I am doing this one, and all my food diaries.

{Day 7}

Sunday, July 26th, 2015

Ugh, what a day. It was a rough food day. Days like this make me realize how hard it is to stick to Whole30, and how important it is to stick to Whole30.

Breakfast

Banana and almond butter

This was eaten on the run, actually, in the car, but close enough.

We slept in so we didn’t have time to make breakfast before having to get in the car and go up to NH to visit Catherine and Ed. It was great to get extra sleep but made the morning tough in the end. We stopped off at McDonald’s on the way to get (black) iced coffees and to get an Egg Mcmuffin for Autumn. I wanted that damn Egg Mcmuffin!! ha!

Lunch

NADA!!

It was such a messed up day. It happens. Not great but it happens.

Dinner

Grilled Aidell’s Chicken and Apple Sausages with baby bella mushrooms, shishito peppers, and sauteed kale

OMG food!!!!!!

We were so freaking hungry from skipping lunch. It was so, so good. Fresh, flavorful, delicious. I used a lemon olive oil from Trader Joe’s on the baby bellas. Loved it!!! And I ordered a box of Maldon Sea Salt from Amazon and I am so glad I did as it’s great on the shishito peppers.

Late Night Snack

Homemade Potato Salad- made with tiny red potatos, homemade mayo, radishes, green onions

So I had planned on making this earlier in the day but didn’t get around to it until later on at night. Of course, I had to sample some… 🙂

Activity-

7,711*

My Fitbit was dead in the morning so it effected my step count, but I still don’t think that I would have made my 10K step goal since we spent part of the day in the car and inside.

Hydration-

It was a decent day from iced coffee, water, seltzer, etc

{Day 8}

Monday, July 27th, 2015

I spent most of the day battling thoughts about stopping this Whole30. I wasn’t feeling committed to it, like I had in the best, even when the going got tough. Instead I just felt restricted and alone (since Price cheated on Day 6). I was excited that my mom was doing it too in FL, as well as a co-worker, but I didn’t feel great about it this time. My heart wasn’t into it.

Breakfast

2 over-easy eggs, sweet potato hash, pico de galo

Nice and simple.

Lunch

Salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, radishes, avocado, and chicken with a homemade ranch dressing, then a Key Lime Pie Lara Bar (45 mins)

My avocado wasn’t ripe yet. Such a bummer. But the chicken was ah-mazing. It was was seasoned really well and really juicy. Glad I took the time to cook it that morning.

The Larabar was so good. Glad I found this flavor at Whole Foods on Sunday.

Dinner

Steak with fajita veggies and cauliflower rice, served with pico, cilantro, and limes

YES!!!! This was such a good dinner. I really loved the flavors and different textures from the steak, ‘rice’, veggies, and salsa. I could eat this all the time. I feel like I should have blogged about it!

Activity

4,811*

I plugged my Fitbit in at lunch and then forgot it there, so it didn’t get the rest of my steps counter, but I know that I hit my 10K step goal. Def!

Hydration

I should have had more water. I had coffee, water, and seltzer, but I still felt that my in-take amount was low for the day.

{Day 9}

Tuesday, July 28th, 2015

DONE…

Yeah, so I fail at my 3rd Whole30. I broke the rules at lunch.

Breakfast

2 over-easy eggs with ‘fried’ plantains with Frank’s Red Hot

It’s easy to call them fried plantains, but in reality I cooked it with barely any oil. I love them for breakfast. So, so good.

Lunch

Southwest Chicken Salad and some oven baked fries from B.Good with a Berry Chia Agua Fresca from 4 Petal

I basically knew I was going to stop Whole30 on Wednesday as I was going to the Boston Public Market blogger tour, where there would be lots of samples!, so I just decided to stop a bit earlier.

Megan requested that we go to B.Good so she could get a Southwestern Chicken Salad before moving so we got salads to go to enjoy sitting in PO Sq. I had successfully eaten at B.Good while doing Whole30 previously, but I decided that I really wanted the same salad as Megan so I ordered it… and enjoyed it!!!

Lunch with my friend was just perfect! I’ll miss you tons and tons Megan! Have fun and lots of success in New York! xox

Dinner

Leftover Spaghetti Squash with Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce

This was complaint to the Whole30 program. Just because I stopped doing the program at lunch doesn’t mean I am going to completely trash up my diet. 🙂

I ate half of what was pictured, which was more than plenty. Then I rushed off to a planning board meeting.

Activity/Steps

11,569*

Since I forgot my FitBit in the charger at work, it didn’t count my steps prior to getting to work, so it was a great day!

Hydration

A great day! Coffee, water, agua fresca, more water. yes!!!!

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Why I stopped my 3rd Whole30 of 2015…

I am all for committing to something and sticking to it, but I honestly was feeling suffocated by the restrictions. I just kept thinking about how I wanted to eat fresh summer-time corn on the cob. It just made me feel so sad that I’d deprive myself of that. I wasn’t craving a cookie. I was craving corn on the cob.

So I bailed on Day 9. Part of me wishes I just stuck with it. But I feel okay with myself that I stopped. I’m a grown ass adult so I can make my own decisions and feel good about them!! ha!

Yes, I know that I feel great while doing the Whole30 program but it’s not meant to be a long term dietary program. I figured out that I had done 68 days of Whole30 in 178 days. Not too shabby! It is a great accomplishment to complete one Whole30 program, so it was extra awesome to do 2 in a short period of time. We were going a little crazy with our eating after the wedding, but ultimately, we really weren’t!

Yes, I had my cookies and other naughty foods, but I wasn’t drinking very much, I wasn’t drinking soda, I was steering clear of rice, sugars, and avoided a lot of dairy. Our previous Whole30’s helped us out our cabinets, fridge, and freezer of non-compliant foods. And it helped us get stocked full of good for you things like flavored oils, vinegars, mustards, nuts, and a more diverse selection of fruits and veggies (hello chayote squash!)

I know that I will forever spread the word about Whole30 and how it greatly impacted my life and how I feel about the foods I chose to put into my body. I know that I will even do it again, and again for a healthy refresh! #lovewhole30

Whole30 #3: Days 4-6 Recaps

August 3, 2015

{Day 4}

Thursday, July 23rd 2015

The day started of really well but ended poorly. My back and ribs started to really hurt, so much so that it was hard to breathe. And my stomach that was iffy on Wednesday night was really bad on Thursday and I ended up with a fever. I just wanted to lay down and eat fritos, but I just stayed on program. Ugh, it stinks when you feel so badly.

Breakfast

Coconut Water

I had this while on the bus into work. So refreshing, perfect for hot summer days.

Banana and a peach

The coconut water sorta filled me up for a bit so I hate this fruit at work. Not ideal to not have protein but it was just one of those days when we had to get out of the house and I didn’t have time to cook anything. Boo

Lunch

Pork Cutlet with sauteed baby zucchini and broccolini

I ate this during our fashion show meeting. It was good but I was blah about it. I feel like I’m hating zucchini now.

Dinner

A peach and some iced tea (which I spilled on the sofa…)

I was feeling really, really lousy.

I did something to my back and chest, or whatever, and was hurting all over. I couldn’t pin-point what I did so I jsut turned to trusty Google and entered in my symptoms, which resulted in Kidney Stones. yay! Ultimately, I think I just happened to hurt my back/chest/ribs and had a stomach bug (which I later learned was going around the office), which gave me my lovely 101.7 fever.

So I had no appetite and just laid on the sofa starting from 6.30. I just ate the peach just to have something in my stomach so the Tylenol I took wouldn’t make my feel sicker on an empty stomach.

Activity

8,324 Steps

Didn’t hit my 10K step goal but considering how I barely moved after 6.30 I’m not too disappointed. Well, I am but whatever.

Hydration

Not so great as I felt so gross that drinking water or juice or ice tea made me feel so gross

{Day 5}

Friday, July 25th, 2015

TGIF!!!!

The day started with me still feeling super crummy but I started to feel better in the afternoon, thankfully.

Breakfast

Starting to feel better so I ate some of this breakfast. I made the potatoes how my dad does so that was comforting, in a nostalgic sort of way.

Lunch

Chicken Thigh with baked potato and green beans. Lots of Franks Red Hot

And then I felt poorly again. Boo!

I really didn’t want to eat lunch. I just wanted to eat a banana and to drink some coffee. So gross. I ate some of everything but basically forced myself to do so.

Dinner

Sauteed fish over spiced cauliflower rice with fresh mango salsa and grilled shishito peppers

I had been thinking about this dinner all week!

Thankfully I got over whatever was making me feel so horrible and felt good enough to eat this awesome dinner. Plus, it was so nice to just sit outside with Price for dinner. So relaxing.

The mango salsa… yes!!!!!

Activity

10,887 Steps

went to Market Basket with Autumn after getting her from daycare so that gave me a nice boost in steps as we walked all around the large grocery store. Unfortunately, she ate all the yummy goods I couldn’t eat, like bread, cheese, and yogurt. Ha!

Hydration

Did a lot better today than yesterday as I was feeling better.

{Day 6}

Saturday July 25th, 2015

A busy Saturday at home. We had so much to do in the morning around the house and then a house warming party in the afternoon.

Price flubbed and had a drink Evan’s. While disappointing that he stopped Whole30, I understand it. It’s our 3rd Whole30 in just 5/6 months. Our of the last 173 days, 65 of them have been doing the program. While we feel good doing it, it’s still a bit draining.

Breakfast

Some freshly squeezed OJ (Autumn had some too!) and potatoes and an over-easy egg

Autumn and I went shopping at Haymarket, like usual. Autumn had a big croissant and I shared some juice with her. Then when we got home Price and I had some potato and eggs, a basic repeat of the day prior.

Sadly, Price cut his finger on the mandoline when he cut the potatoes. Ouch!

Lunch

Homemade Chicken Salad

I made chicken salad with the chickens that I roasted the night before. (Made stock with it too!). I love chicken salad! I had it with some endive that I used as a scoop.

Dinner

Spaghetti Squash with Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce

Super quick and simple. I didn’t really feel like cooking after going to Evan’s housewarming party (no foods to eat!) so I just had Price cut the squash in half for me, I scraped out the seeds, and microwaved it ( I think 9-10 minutes for each half). Then I pour the jarred sauce on top. The squash was hot enough that I didn’t even need to warm up the sauce. Perfect.

*I like using Rao’s or Victoria’s sauces as there are several that are compliant, including Rao’s Marinara Sauce, Rao’s Roasted Garlic Sauce, and Rao’s Tomato Basil Sauce.

Activity/Steps

7,352 Steps.

Bummed we didn’t do much walking today but some weekends are like that. Busy at home but not much walking or getting around. At least it was a good day.

Hydration

I did well today. We even brought seltzer to Evan’s house to make sure we had something to drink.

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Stay tuned for more of my Whole30 food diaries!

Whole30 #3: Days 1-3 Recap

July 28, 2015

{Day 1}

Monday July 20th, 2015

A great first day of our THIRD(!) Whole30! It went smoothly. It’s nerve-wracking to dive into this again but it feels so good too. I’m excited to do it again.

Breakfast

2 slices of homemade bacon, 1 over-easy egg, 1/4 of a sliced avocado, Brussels sprouts

A little bit of this, a little bit of that. It was good and satisfying….

Whole30 #2 Recap and Why We’re Doing Whole30 AGAIN!

July 26, 2015

This post is long over due!

Price and I did our first Whole30 back in February and then did another in April. I’ve been meaning to share our results, but I was kinda busy (err wedding, work deadlines, life in general, etc, etc!!!).

It was another great experience. It was nice to accomplish it together again too. Although it’s more than losing weight, we both lost more weight in the process, which was nice for our wedding that was 6 weeks away. We felt great which was awesome too!

So without further ado… The Results!!

My After… I lost 4.7 pounds during that month and was feeling great!! It meant I hit the 65 pound weight loss mark from my pre-pregnancy weight. Woohoo!

But it was more than that. I was feeling good as I was sleeping well, eating well, staying hydrated, and being active.

My overall progress from when we kicked things off on February 2nd

I am really happy that the eating habits that I have picked up along the way while doing the Whole30 program. It has taught me a lot about foods I tend to reach food, what cravings to avoid, and what will make me continue to feel good throughout the day.

So why again?

Because we love it and have no self control!

While we were on our way up to Maine for the 4th of July, we stopped off at Sonic where we promptly ordered our favorite mega drinks (P- Dr Pepper with a shot of vanilla, N- Sugar Free Lime Rickey) and delightfully fried foods. Yes, this was vacation and we were on the road so it was a grand treat but we knew we were going to have a weekend of eating and drinking ahead of us. And then we were afraid we would treat every weekend or occasion as another grand excuse to eat and drink ourselves silly.

That can totally work for some people, but not for us. (hello, lapsed gym membership!) So as we shoved tots and onion rings into our mouths we said we would do another round of Whole30 so we could stay on track this summer.

Price has an upcoming wedding he is in on August 22nd, so he would like to fit into the suit… duh! And I have an awesome week long stay on the Cape with my family, which I know will just mean food, food, and more food. yay!!!

We are both looking forward to our things, but wanted to watch what we ate before then so we could enjoy them. Beers, S’mores, and all!

So we are started our 3rd Whole30 journey again on Monday July 20th!

Let’s kick all that off with the dreaded Before Photos!

I maintained my weight since April so there really isn’t a big change from those after photos and these before photos.

I have just cracked into the healthy BMI range (24.7). Yay! Yay? Truthfully, I think it’s a crock of shit. I comfortably wear size 2/4 jeans (old navy & gap), wear a 32B bra, and everything is a size small now with the exception of a few mediums because I want a looser fit for the style of the top. Whatever.

My biggest obstacle is now having to tighten up. Arms, Legs, Abs, ALL OF IT. ugh. But I’ll get there, or maybe I won’t. At least I’m feeling great now.

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You can read all about my different Whole30 journeys and be sure to stay tuned to my upcoming logs where I will be sharing my yummy food and how I’m feeling during this process!