Whole 30

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!

Whole30 #2: Days 28-30 Recap

May 7, 2015

I am documenting my second Whole 30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come from my first Whole30 (Feb 2015) to this one (April 2015). 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 my first Whole30, why I am doing this one, and food diaries.

{Day 28}

Tuesday, April 28th, 2015

Such a good, long day! I had a long (2 hr 45 min) planning board meeting at night so dinner time was rushed and Price put Autumn down, but it was a nice day. Plus, I like being on the planning board.

It finally was a nice day so Price left work early with me so we could all go to the beach with Kemper before dogs weren’t allowed anymore at the end of the month. Well.. that was a big bust as they changed the schedule from April 30th to April 1st! UGH. At least we walked next to it and enjoyed the nice weather getting some exercise.

I just keep thinking about cookies. Eat all the cookies! I am cookie monster!!!!!

Breakfast

1/2 a sausage, leftover veggie potato hash, 1 over-easy egg, salsa (Trader Joe’s)

Thankfully this came together quickly as the majority of it was leftovers or quick prep stuff (like the sausage). I only had 1 eggs as I am trying to cut down on the # of eggs I eat because they are so boring to me now. Plus, we ate them a A LOT. A LOT. I don’t think I will be craving an egg for a while.

Lunch

Salad with Chicken

Typical salad made of romaine, grape tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, cucumber, etc. Another day of using my leftover roasted chicken as well.

Pulled pork and sweet potato

I reheated this quickly after our walk at Revere Beach. I had to rush as I was quickly on my way to my planning board meeting. We went to the beach and then got home with just enough time for me toss this together. I ate most of it on the way to the meeting too.

Dessert

Blackberries

So juicy, so sweet, so good!

It as a long day after my meeting so I wanted a special treat, so I grabbed some berries when I had a chance to relax.

{Day 29}

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

Hump Day, Slump Day.

Midweek is rough for a number of reasons, but it as a long day as I went to work, went home, and went back to work and didn’t leave until just after midnight. It is draining, but at the same time I enjoy the big quiet blocks of time to work on things.

Breakfast

Veggie scramble with salsa (Trader Joe’s)

So the photo shows a torn up piece of pruscitto on the eggs, but in reality I didn’t eat it. It kinda tasted off to me. Like extra salty to me. Strange. I just threw it out after that 1 bite. But the rest of the breakfast was great. I loved the Trader Joe’s salsa that I used. They have the very best salsas.

Lunch

Salad with roasted chicken, mixed berries

More of the same when it comes to the salad, but it’s good.

The berries were the best part of the food all day.

Snack

Cashew Cookie Larabar

I am addicted to these damn things

Dinner

Sausage with broccoli and cauliflower

I was really experiencing a midweek slump so I threw this together by stir frying it all together in a large skillet. Topped it off with some coconut aminos & hot chili sesame oil.

Late Night Snack

Mini Larabar in Cherry Pie

I should have skipped this. I need not to give into impulses to much but it’s hard when it’s a long day and it’s just right tehre in front of you.

{Day 30}

Thursday, April 30th, 2015

The last day!!!!! I am so excited that we did it. AGAIN!!!!!!

I feel great but I’m ready to have this be over. I need some treats.

Breakfast

Roasted Mini Potatoes and 2 over-easy eggs with Franks Red Hot hot sauce

I swear I could eat these potatoes every day. So damn good. I love the size, texture, and the flavor when I season them up.

I could drink Frank’s by the gallon.

Lunch

Watercress Salad and Kale Chips from Cocobeet

I had organized a lunch outing with our studio to go to the food trucks and eat outside, but the weather didn’t hold up so we just grabbed food and came back in. I had planned on going to one of the food trucks too since I tweeted with them about their menu but they were experiencing some generator issues and couldn’t make it. So bummed.

I was bummed about it, but I did get to go to Cocobeet instead and they have amazing food too.

Dinner

Shrimp Egg Foo Young

I was stumped for dinner so I started searching around on Pinterest, and after some browsing I was inspired to make a complaint version of Egg Foo Young. It was awesome. It didn’t have a sauce like when I order it for take out, but it was still so good. I just needed some cauliflower rice and it would have been perfect. But I was lazy and watching Grey’s so this was quick and easy.

Perfect way to end my second whole30!!!!!

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AND

MY FIRST TREAT!!!!

Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg

I bought a ton of candy after Easter when it was on sale. I thought it was a great deal, but it was so torturous! That big bowl of goodies was such a tease, but we managed to ignore it.

I had jokingly said to Amanda that I would stay up to midnight to eat it as soon I could could. I then thought it would be fun so I started to think about it more and more and decided to do it. It was silly but funny to stay up to midnight just to eat this incredible treat. OMG, SO FREAKING GOOD!!!!!

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2: Day 25-27 Recap

May 5, 2015

{Day 25}

Saturday, April 25th, 2015

It was a really busy day so our normal eating was all thrown off. From timing to what we ate to amount. All over the place. But life is life and it’s busy and you just gotta make it work.

Breakfast

Black Coffee, Fresh Coconut

Autumn and I were running errands in the morning, mainly going to Haymarket so I grabbed a black coffee for me and a blueberry muffin for her. I miss muffins.

I grabbed the coconut while shopping at our next stop, Whole Foods. Really good. Autumn liked it too.

Lunch

Burger Salad topped off with avocado with Baked Sweet Potato Fries, served with homemade mayo

This was a late lunch as both Price and I were buys doing out own things running around for the day. We only met back up at home after his errands and our Boston Terrier Meet Up. My eyes were bigger than my stomach as I didn’t finish this, but it was damn good.

Dinner

Fruit (no pic)

Basically skipped dinner from having a big lunch.

{Day 26}

Sunday, April 26th, 2015

Today was a bit better than the day before as there we ate lunch and dinner normally, lunch was just a little off. But I’m just happy with how much we got done. Days that are really productive, even if really busy and stressful, feel good.

Breakfast

Pulled pork with plantains 1 with over-easy egg

I burned some of the plantains, which was a bummer, but the ones I had were still good. I really like plantains. Def don’t make them enough. And pulled pork for breakfast was good too. Nice change up from the reg breakfast meats.

Lunch

Banana and potato salad

Another day spent running around so another late lunch. This time it was less organized than the burger from the day before, but still good. I made the potato salad for my SRC post so it I was so excited to inhale some once I photographed it. ha!

Dinner

Roasted Chicken Breast with Garlicky Roasted Fennel and Onions and Green Beans

I picked up the air-chilled chicken breasts from Whole Foods because they were having a big stock up sale. I bought 3 big packages. I should have bought 10! Damn, air-chilled chicken is good.

I like making a nice Sunday dinner for all of us to sit down to. Plus, it gives me a chance to do some meal prep for the week as I can use leftovers for lunches and dinners.

{Day 27}

Monday, April 27th, 2015

Another new workweek begins. Just a few days to go.

It was a really good food day. Yummy food and smart eating. I do wish I didn’t snack so much this time around, but I can only learn from my bad snacking habits this time around.

Breakfast

Veggie loaded Sweet Potato Hash with 2 over-easy eggs

Inspired by The Pioneer Woman’s potato hash that we just saw her make this weekend. I thought it sounded really good to add zucchini to it so I gave it a try. We both enjoyed it so I’ll be doing it again.

I’m over eggs.

Lunch

Salad with Chicken (leftovers) with Tessemae’s Cracked Pepper Dressing

When I was a Whole Foods I found Tessemae’s dressing and they even had a complaint one there too! There are a few complaint dressings and condiments so I was excited to get one. I didn’t find their ketchup, so I was bummed, but glad to get the yummy dressing. Loved to try something new.

Snack

Almonds (TJ’s packet) and Apple Pie Mini Larabar

I have snacked too much during this and Whole30. booooooo

Dinner

Steak with Potato Salad and Roasted Veggies (mix of leftovers and new zucchini)

What can I say, I just love steak. I do miss steak sauce but the seasoning (Goya’s Sazonador Total) is really flavorful so it doesn’t need it.

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2: Days 22-24 Recap

April 30, 2015

{Day 22}

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

Did Hump Day translate to Hungry Day?

Breakfast

Boloco Shake: Strawbana (omitted the frozen yogurt)

We got out of the house quickly this morning so that I could get into work a bit earlier as I had a busy day ahead of me. Because of that I didn’t have time to make breakfast so I ran into Boloco for something. I wanted to make a burrito into just a bowl, but I asked about their eggs and was informed they add milk to the eggs. Bummer but the smoothie was really good.

Mid-morning Snack

Trader Joe’s Apple and Banana Fruit Bar

No protein for breakfast = hungry a short time later. Duh.

Lunch

Homemade California Chicken Salad over Organic Mixed Greens

On Monday night I roasted chicken breasts so I could make chicken salad that we would enjoy throughout the week. It was a definite win.

Dinner

1/2 Spaghetti Squash with Rao’s Marinara Sauce

I finished off the spaghetti squash for dinner before running back to work.

Price had buffalo wings. He loves them.

Late Night Snack

Package of salted cashews (Trader Joe’s), the rest of the dried Rambutan (4 pieces)

I needed a snack to get me through the long work day. I like being back at work to get a lot of stuff done, especially before presentation meetings or deadlines, but it makes me more active and snackish at night. booo…

{Day 23}

Thursday, April 23rd, 2015

OMG! I was like a bottomless pit today. So hungry. I don’t like when I give into cravings/impulses but there are just days when you need the extra energy. At least it felt like that today.

Breakfast

2 eggs over-easy with potato hash, served with guac and salsa verde (Trader Joe’s)

Autumn was really hungry this morning so she eat breakfast at home. She kept pointing at my guac on my plate after finishing off her own so she eat most of mine. Nothing is sacred anymore! ha!

And eggs… I hate you.

Lunch

Homemade California Chicken Salad over Organic Mixed Greens; strawberries and honeydew melon

I love that I get to eat Chicken Salad while doing this ‘diet’. The best part about doing Whole30 is that it doesn’t feel like it’s such a hardship. Sure at times I struggle and get bored with the food, but overall it works for me because it’s not so restrictive.

Afternoon Snack

Package of Raw Almonds (Trader Joe’s)

I wish you were chips. Or cheez-it’s. But nuts will do. Sorta.

Dinner

Stir Fry with Chicken and Bok Choy, served with cauliflower rice and a drizzle of sesame oil

I was so bummed when I realized that I had grabbed the wrong item at the grocery store- I grabbed the roasted red chili paste instead of the red curry paste. Oh well, I improvised a sauce and made it work.

Dessert

Strawberry and banana slices with coconut whipped cream topped off with some chopped walnuts

The strawberries were on their last leg so we I just whipped this up to finish them off before they went bad. It was good but I’m still a fan of ‘regular’ whipped cream. Plus, it just made me wish it was a strawberry shortcake.

{Day 24}

Friday, April 24th, 2015

It was a busy day, but a great one. I love when I get a lot of things done from a punch list walk through, an oil change, hitting up the container store, and then more work at home in the afternoon. It was a great way to end the work week.

Plus, less than a week to go!!!

Breakfast

Black Coffee (not pictured!)

I had to get out of the house earlier than usual to drive to my project’s site so I didn’t have time to make breakfast. Oh well.

Lunch

Salad with organic mixed greens and veggies topped off with buffalo shrimp and homemade ranch dressing

Since I was out and about in the morning I worked at home for the rest of the day, which let me make lunch for myself at home. I freaking love when I have the opportunity. I was super hungry since I didn’t have breakfast so I felt like treating myself to the big salad and topping it off with some shrimp. Awesome.

Dinner

Oven fried fish with roasted platains and baby zucchini, with a cilantro sauce (based on the Cilantro Vinaigrette from What’s Gaby Cooking)

I joked on Instragram that food on whole30 is so boring… ha!

This dinner kicked some major ass. I loved the cilantro sauce and the plantains. I am going to make this dressing/sauce all the time now. Plus, plantains are always awesome.

Dessert

Apple with almond butter

Should have skipped it but I am just so happy that an apple is a dessert now. Progress!

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30#2: Days 19-21 Recap

April 28, 2015

{Day 19}

Sunday, April 19th, 2015

This was the last full day with my mom visiting us. And it was a busy day too! The biggest thing was that we went to my dress fitting. Oh the drama!!! But the best thing was that the sash that was too small before fit. WOOHOO!!

Breakfast

2 eggs over-easy, potato hash, and homemade bacon

The original intent was to get up early and to get to Target to shop the Lilly For Target sale but I got too eger about breakafst and made it for us and we ended up missing the sale because we showed up at 8.04 and kthe racks were clear at 8.01. Big fucking bummer, Good Job Target…

But at least we had bacon!

Lunch

Salad with leftover chicken (from dinner the night before)

I was so freaking hungry when we got home after my (long ass) dress fitting so this salad was a must. I threw it together for the 3 of us as quickly as possible. And then I topped it off with leftover chicken from the night before. We all grabbed some seconds!

Dinner

Steak Tenderloin with roasted tiny potatoes and asparagus

I wanted to send Mom off with a ‘Bang!’ so I made steak for us. She doesn’t cook to much for herself at home so I enjoyed cooking for her while she was here. And I think she enjoyed it too 🙂

Dessert

Banana with almond butter

OMG! I was starving. Strange, but I was.

{Day 20}

Monday, April 20th, 2015

It was Patriot’s Day so daycare was closed, so I had Autumn home with me. And it was the last day my mom was visiting. After I dropped her off at the airport I then went to work so I could introduce Autumn to my coworkers there. She had a blast there and then enjoyed a nap while I tried on clothes at Loft. The best is that I got a shirt in size Small (!) and shorts in size 2 (!!!!). FUCK YA!!

Breakfast

2 egg omelet filled with potato hash, guac, and salsa

This was my sad attempt at a Whole30 complaint breakfast burrito. It would have been great had I wrapped it up properly. I am not discouraged! I will try again and it will be awesome.

Lunch

Salad with romaine, broccoli slaw, red onion, cucumber, grape tomatoes, and avocado with homemade ranch dressing

I quickly inhaled this after I dropped Mom off at the airport and before Autumn and I left to head into work to say hi to everyone. It was awesome. Plus, it was awesome that I got to make mom a salad too to bring to the airport. Worked out well that she had a healthy lunch for her day of travel.

Later on, when I was at work, I shared a mini Chery Larabar with Autumn. I grabbed it for myself but she decided to eat it to. So I basically had a bite. ha!

Dinner

Spaghetti Squash with sauteed chicken with Rao’s Marinara Sauce

Rao’s Sauce is made with just Italian tomatoes, olive oil, fresh onions, salt, fresh garlic, fresh basil, black pepper, oregano… so it’s Whole30 Complaint. Woohoo!!!

I was so excited to have a ‘pasta’ dinner. So craving this.

{Day 21}

Tuesday, April 21st, 2015

3 weeks… here we go!!!

This last stretch is getting tough. I’m happy with doing Whole30 again but I just want to enjoy some normal food again. I feel like I only think about food related to what to eat, what not to eat, what I don’t want to eat, what I can’t wait to eat, etc. It’s all about food, I just wish it was all about Oreos and Cheez-it’s!

Breakfast

1 over-easy egg with 1/2 avocado

Boring.

Lunch

Homemade California Chicken Salad over Organic Mixed Greens

I roasted chicken breasts on Monday night to make this so we would have lunch for the week. I love doing a lot of meal prep all at once and then just whipping things together at meal time. This works well for this. And I honestly like Chicken Salad more on greens than in a sandwich, or maybe I’m just so used to not having bread….

Snack

Organic Dried Rambutan from Organic Living Superfoods

I picked this packet of Organic Dried Rambutan because I had never heard of Rambutan before and wanted to try it out. They are basically lychees. They were awesome! I ate about 2/3 of the 4 oz package.

Dinner

Aidells’ Chicken and Apple Sausage with Roasted Broccolini, served with mustard

Cut up sausage, throw on sheet pan with broccolini, toss with some olive oil, roast in oven. My kind of lazy meal.

Dessert

Berries with coconut whipped cream

We had angel food cake at home from mom visiting. So hard not to grab a piece. Ugh.

Also, watching Married at First Sight is the best.

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

New Potato & Radish Salad in a Creamy Truffle Oil Dressing

April 27, 2015

Holy smokes guys, I bought a new bathing suit!!

I am so freaking ready for summer. It hurts me so much that it’s not yet warm.

…

Whole30 #2: Days 16-18 Recap

April 25, 2015

{Day 16}

Thursday, April 16th, 2015

I can’t think of anything special to report about today related to cravings or victories or whatever. I am still craving chocolate chip cookies. I’d like to eat a slice of pizza or a plate of nachos, but that seems like a constant.

BUT! my skin seems so much clearer, especially my forehead. Victory!

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with 1/2 of a baked sweet potato, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

I used to love scrambled eggs as a kid, but I really don’t care for them anymore, especially without cream. ha! But the sweet potato was nice for breakfast.

Lunch

Curried and Grilled Avocado Kale Salad from B.Good

My friend Megan and I went out to lunch to talk over wedding music. We went to B.Good, which has AWESOME burgers and baked sweet potato fries. I probably could have made a burger on a lettuce bun work for me but I just decided to go for a salad. I talked to the staff about the ingredients and they were so helpful. I picked the Curried and Grilled Avocado Kale & Grain bowl. I omitted the quinoa (sad face), peas, and the mint- yogurt sauce, but added tomatoes. I was tempted to add chicken or steak but I didn’t want to risk any non-compliant issues related to oils, which might have been an issue with the veggies but I did the best I could.

Snack

Cashew Cookie Lara Bar

Big Surprise…

Dinner

Steak with roasted vegetables- fennel, baby zucchini, grape tomatoes

Mom came for a weekend visit so this was an introduction to the Whole30 foods that we eat. Thankfully she loved it. Steak is always a winner.

Dessert

Banana, Apple, Almond Butter

“I’m pretending this is an ice cream sundae”- Price. HAHAHAHAHA!!!

We shared this plate of fruit and almond butter. It was yummy.

{Day 17}

Friday, April 17th, 2015

It was a busy day with work in the morning in Burlington and then working more at home. It was nice to have mom around though at home for the day. Plus, it’s nice getting to cook for more than just me and Price. And show her that Whole30 is great.

Lunch

Banana with almond butter

I was so hungry as I skipped breakfast to get to my project site so this banana was awesome. It feels good to enjoy bananas, really enjoy them, not just eat it. Not sure if that makes sense, but it does for me.

Dinner

Pork Cutlets with Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

Mom was really excited about the brussels sprouts that we got at Haymarket so I made them for dinner. I used to be so nervous about cooking pork but now I feel more confident about not drying it out. Plus, I’m actually enjoying eating it now too.

{Day 18}

Saturday, April 18th, 2015

Today was busy and our eating routine was off- didn’t do breakfast at home, late lunch, etc. I was really jealous that Autumn had a croissant for breakfast. I really miss weekend breakfasts. Damn, I miss it a lot.

Breakfast

Kale Storm- banana, mango, spinach, kale, lemon juice, apple juice

Mom and I were out running errands early in the morning, so I didn’t make breakfast at home. I grabbed this smoothie from The Juicery and shared some with with Autumn.

Lunch

Salad- romaine, broccoli slaw, sprouts, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, toasted slivered almonds, homemade ranch, prosciutto

It’s nice having my mom visit as she compliments all of my cooking, even if it’s just a big salad. ha! But I do agree, it was awesome.

Snack

Trader Joe’s Apple and Coconut Fruit Bar

I ate this at the end of the check out. I have no shame. My favorite Trader Joe’s Fruit bar. I am going to skip getting the others as this was so good.

Dinner

Grilled chicken breasts and grilled veggies, topped off with mustard

Price grilled our dinner. I love when we work together to make dinner, I did the prep & he did the grilling.

Dessert

Fresh Berries with vanilla coconut cream

I just got vanilla beans (from Amazon) so I scraped half of one and put that in the coconut cream. The berries were so fresh and so good. Loved it.

____________________

What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2- Days 13-15 Recap

April 21, 2015

{Day 13}

Monday, April 13th, 2015

I forgot my phone at home today!! It was terrifying. I realized it when I got on the bus and there was nothing I could do about it.

Breakfast

Lara Bar- Cherry

I really, really like Lara Bars. I am so thankful there is a good, affordable option for a snack or as a replacement to a meal that I was too rushed to make.

Lunch

Salad- mixed greens, veggies, homemade vinaigrette

I enjoyed my salad just as much as this woman was enjoying her’s.

Dinner

Ground Pork Stir Fry mixed with Broccoli Slaw in a Coconut Curry Sauce

This was a ‘I don’t give a crap about cooking right now’ dinner. I threw together some broccoli slaw with pork (that I was originally going to use for breakfast sausage)

{Day 14}

Tuesday, April 14th, 2015

Price had a sleep study at night so it was weird to sleep alone, as well as have dinner alone. I def missed him. I probably would have mindlessly had dessert or wine without him, but Whole30 reigned me in. yay!!

Breakfast

2 over easy eggs, diced sweet potato with salsa and Frank’s Red Hot

I made sweet potatoes in advance and it was awesome. It made breakfast (and lunch) so much easier. I am doing to make a big batch of roasted sweet potatoes again soon.

Lunch

Leftover pork stirfry (from the night before) with 1/2 a sweet potato and 1/2 a slice of tomato, pistachios

It was a little bit of everything! It was fine, but not very satisfying.

Dinner

Salad with mixed greens and veggies, topped off with pulled pork tenderloin

Price was not at home for dinner so I only had to worry about throwing something together for me. It’s not to say that I really worry about making a grand meal for us but I care so much less when it’s just me. So I whipped up a salad and tossed some slow cooker pork tenderloin on there and ta-da dinner!

{Day 15}

Wednesday, April 15th 2015

HALF WAY DONE!!!!!!

Breakfast

Since I was solo for the morning routine, I didn’t have much time for breakfast (or lunch prep) so I just threw together some left over sweet potato, 1 link of chicken sausage, and roasted broccolini. Then I got 2 over easy eggs from the cafe in my building.

It was a really good breakfast, and huge. It was so filling that I wasn’t too hungry for lunch for a long time.

Lunch

Cashew Cookie Lara Bar and Pulled Pork (not pictured)

How many Cashew Cookie Bars can I eat while doing Whole30? Not enough!!! It’s really my favorite one. I think I could eat one for B.L.D for all 30 days. (I should try that next time… jk…)

I took a photo of my pulled pork tenderloin, but it was super blurry and looked gross, but it wasn’t. It was super yummy. Plus, I might have put some leftover homemade ranch dressing on it. OMG. I loved it.

Dinner

Mushroomy, meaty sauce on cauliflower rice, string beans

The leftover sauce from a few days prior was perfect on cauliflower rice. It basically resembled chili it was such a thick, hearty sauce. It was really good. I made us so green beans too just to add a veggie, not like cauliflower isn’t one…

Great Moment

I made this cake for my coworker’s birthday and I didn’t even have any. No accidental licks of my fingers. Nothing. And damn, it smelled awesome.

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2: Days 10-12 Recap

April 16, 2015

{Day 10}

Friday, April 10th 2015

I went to the gym in the morning. It felt good to go. I signed up for the abs class but got a more in depth training session with the trainer as I was the only one who showed up. Yay me! It felt good getting a lesson on arms and abs. And then I was sore.

Breakfast

2 over-easy eggs with homemade bacon and guac (store-bought), then a clementine & some berries at work

Friday’s are tough as it’s Pod Breakfast Day at work and it’s typically a sea of bagels, muffins, and donuts. Thankfully, I made breakfast at home and found some fruit to snack on once I got at work.

Lunch

Watercress and Fig Salad from Cocobeet, Kale Chips from Cocobeet

I love Cocobeet!! They are $$$ but the quality of their juices and food is so damn good. I miss going for their breakfast bowls when I wanted to treat myself to a healthy, hearty breakfast. (I miss you quinoa!!) And their Chia Pudding is the best. THE BEST.

But I found a few things that are whole30 complaint. I grabbed one of their salads and boxes of kale chips. It was my first time trying kale chips & nutritional yeast- so good!

Dinner

Aidell’s Chicken and Apple Sausage with roasted broccoli, served with mustard

I was tempted to make a meat and mushroom sauce over butternut squash noodles but I was burned out. So it was a simple dinner kind of night. I cut up 2 crowns of broccoli and tossed them with some olive oil, garlic, and salt & pepper on a baking sheet. I tossed it under the broiler. After a few minutes I added the sausage links that I sliced up on a diagonal. A few minutes later it was all done. Divide up and drizzle with mustard. Done!

{Day 11}

Saturday, April 11th 2015

I spent a good chunk of the day at work catching up on things there while Price and Autumn ran lots of errands. They even planted flowers. So cute. It was a good day, not much to say…

Breakfast

Eggs with potatoes and bacon

When I was growing up my dad would make ‘potatoes and eggs’ on the weekends. I loved it. I like my do my potatoes the same way but slicing them on a mandoline and putting them in a skillet to ‘fry’ up. I only used about a tablespoon of oil on the whole batch of potatoes- not too bad! It just another way of making home fries.

‘Lunch ‘

Kale Chips & some pistachios

I finished off the kale chips while I was at work for the afternoon. I wasn’t really hungry from the big breakfast.

Dinner

Meaty mushroom sauce on butternut squash noodles

Our butternut squash was a dud! It was soft in the middle (like seeds in the long part, weird) so we had to chop it up to spiralize it. It made our noodles tiny and annoying, but dinner was good overall.

Dessert

Cocoa packed chia pudding (chia, compliant coconut milk, cocoa powder)

I wanted to try something new so I made this chia pudding quickly on Friday night. It was a big dud as the cocoa made it pretty bitter and thickened it up too much. Blah. Live and learn.

{Day 12}

Sunday, April 12th 2015

The weekends are so hard for me to stick to Whole30. I just want to make waffles to enjoy and to get food while out running errands. Or get take out. I’m starting to feel less committed to this Whole30, as compared to the first one, and Price feels the same way. We will stick it out to accomplish it but my heart isn’t into it like the first one. Hoping that feeling changes soon.

Breakfast

Eggs with potatoes and bacon

I’m getting tired of eggs.

Lunch

Cashew Cookie Lara Bar (1pm) & salad (3pm) made with mixed greens, romaine, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, and almonds with a homemade ranch dressing

I grabbed the Lara Bar while I was shopping at Trader Joe’s. I was so hungry after our busy morning together shopping so I inhaled it in the car. It tasted like it was was best food on earth. ha!!

Once we got back home and I got Autumn down for a nap I made Price and I salad that we enjoyed sitting on the back porch. I can’t wait to get our patio table up to use!

Dinner

Chicken (Organic, free range) with roasted tiny potatoes and broccolini (8.30pm)

Dinner was awesome. I loved the tiny potatos and broccolini. I’m already thinking about my next Trader Joe’s trip and when I can get more.

I’ve been having a FB msging convo with Rachel about quality of chicken. While we would love to buy organic free range chicken (and other meats) for our families we’re running into a budget problem. It’s so easy to grab store brand chicken at $2.49 a pound compared to $6.99 a pound (like what I bought a trader joe’s). So we have been talking quality in terms of taste and processing. I did notice that I really enjoyed some air chilled chicken that I recently bought. I need to remember the brand and where I got it (Market Basket?) to get it again, and check and see if it was organic or not and how much it was a pound.

Dessert

Chia pudding (complaint coconut milk, cocoa powder) with a sprinkling of unsweetened shredded coconut

I was so excited about the unsweetened shredded coconut that I picked up from Trader Joe’s. The chia pudding was still blah, but the coconut was a nice add to it to jazz it up.

____________________

What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2: Days 7-9 Recap

April 14, 2015

{Day 7}

Tuesday, April 7th 2015

I got the change to work from home in the afternoon. I love that! I was able to make a fresh lunch. No leftovers for me! Man, leftovers get so boring. It was nice to have something ‘fancy’.

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with sweet potato has, guac

We don’t have scrambled eggs often. Hardly ever. I got an herb packet while I was in Seattle so I am going to have to use that next time as they were good.

Lunch

Sauteed fish over salad with tomatoes, red onion, avocado, TJ’s verde salsa

I threw this together quickly once I got back from my final punchlist of a project. It felt like a celebratory lunch.

Dinner

Chicken breast with baby zucchini over lightly dressed greens

Price really likes these baby zucchini, I should get bags and bags of these when I go shopping there. They are quick to prepare and taste so good. I like that they don’t get very watery like how ‘adult’ zucchini tend to get.

{Day 8}

Wednesday, April 8th 2015

Woohoo! 1 week through. Today was a rough day, not because of Whole30 exactly, but because I am a moron. Such a moron.

Breakfast

Spinach and Sweet Potato Crustless Quiche served with quacamole and salsa verde; venti cold brew with some cinnamon sprinkled on top

I made my quiche look like cake!!! It has quacamole frosting and a salsa finishing sauce. And I’ve lost my damn mind. It didn’t taste like cake. It didn’t trick me. It just made me more annoyed. I dunno. ha!

I grabbed this cold brew on the way into work. I was so excited that I had a moment to get a coffee and to try cold brew. I sprinkled some cinnamon on top. It was so good, but then…

Lunch

Salad- mixed greens with 2 hardboiled egg whites, sweet potato hash, (leftover) chicken breast, 1/2 avocado, with homemade ranch

I was in need of this salad. I felt so off from the caffeine bomb from the cold brew. I would have preferred something like a burger and fries, like when you ‘soak up’ booze after a night of drinking, but my salad was my only real option.

Snack

I had a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE headache from my caffeine crash. I thought I was going to throw up on the bus ride home. I had a bunch of water and this bag and started to feel better. UGH.

Dinner

Roasted Chicken with roasted green beans and grape tomatoes with a ‘special sauce’

I started to roast the chicken but then had to go to the gym so then it was Price’s job to take over. He finished it up and broke it down for our dinners and lunches coming up. It was really yummy.

I made a ‘special sauce’ with some homemade mayo, Franks Red Hot, and spices. So good!

Food Swap!

My friend Kellie is also doing Whole30 with us. She swapped (Puerto Rican) sofrito for mayo from me. I can’t wait to use it!

Exercise

I went to the gym!! I was supposed to meet with a trainer after work to create a program but he was sink or something so I met with the assistant manager who was nice and showed me some arms stuff to do. Looking forward to meeting with a train to create a real program and doing it.

{Day 9}

Thursday, April 9th 2015

No coffee for me today after yesterday’s mishap. ugh!!

Breakfast

Spinach and Sweet Potato Crustless Quiche served with quacamole

We didn’t like this quiche much. Maybe it was the sweet potato but not our favorite. Blah!

Lunch

Clementine with chicken breast and string beans, homemade mayo

My lunch felt boring but it was really good. I feel like I take too big of a serving of chicken but if I don’t eat much then I don’t feel full. And I don’t think it’s a volume thing as a protein thing.

Clementines are da bomb…

Dinner

Stir fry of shaved pork & baby bok choy on cauliflower rice

I really like cauliflower rice now. I don’t miss regular rice. I do like sticky, tart sushi rice but regular rice- blah.

I need to get more coconut aminos. It was missing form this dish. I have to be better prepared next time!

____________________

What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2: Days 4-6 Recap

April 9, 2015

{Day 4}

Saturday, April 4^th, 2015

The weekends are hard for me. I don’t experience the time crunch that I do during the work week, necessarily, but I want to snack more. And I miss the big carb-y breakfasts. I want a waffle damn it!!!

Breakfast

2 Over-easy eggs over sweet potato hash

I wonder how long it will take for Price to bitch about sweet potatoes… ha! I gotta focus on changing things up for breakfast.

Update: First Sweet Potato comment: Day 9. ha!!

Lunch

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas over cauliflower rice, with tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, and guacamole

I whipped up a batch of cauliflower rice as it’s so easy to do, and it would be a great base to the pulled pork. Nice and filling.

Dinner

Adiele’s Chicken and Apple Sausage with sauteed broccoli and kale sprouts

This was a 1 pot meal. Perfectly low maintenance and quick. I first cooked the veggies, then added the sausage. Price had 3 sausages and I had 2.

{Day 5}

Sunday, April 5^th, 2015

Easter!! I wanted all the chocolate candies! Gimme all the Peeps and Cadbury eggs!!

It was such a great day with family. Plus, they were so sweet to make the effort to make compliant food. Awesome.

Craving: Buttery rich coffee cake with tons of cinnamony crumb on top. OMG couldn’t stop thinking on it.

Brunch

Crudite with homemade ranch dip, hashbrowns, scramble eggs, buffalo chicken wings

I made the crudite with fresh and flash steamed veggies. I made the buffalo wings too- Price’s favorite! I jsut made a big batch of ranch dip and used it for both. So good. perfect nosh food. We also had eggs & hashbrowns that Catherine made for us. yum!!!

Dinner

Bun-less hamburger with sweet potato oven fries. Burger served with lettuce, tomato, guac, mustard, homemade mayo, Frank’s Red Hot

This was such a good dinner to end the weekend. The burger was great as it had all the same ingredients I’d normally eat on a burger, just no bun! Plus, I made baked sweet potato fries. They barely had any oil. I just lightly misted them with olive oil and baked them at 450 for 15 minutes.

Side note: I love hash but the fries were so good as I used less oil than I normally use to make hash. Plus, I ate much slower as I ate them individually, instead of inhaling them with a fork.

{Day 6}

Monday, April 6^th, 2015

Glad we are 5 days in, 1/6th of the way through! I feel good with the progress. I like this challenge.

I have noticed that I am having trouble getting up in the morning. Not sure why it’s so difficult now when I’m getting more sleep than I was when I was nursing. Maybe it’s a deeper sleep so it’s hard to get out of it?

Breakfast

2 eggs over easy on a bed of sweet potato hash and asparagus, lots of Frank’s

I should have peeled the asparagus, it was still a little too woody for my preference. But it was a decent breakfast.

Almost lunch snack

100 calorie mini Lara Bar- Apple Pie

These are great to have on hand when I am starting to crash and I’ve done a loop around the office and have had some tea for a pick me up, to stay hydrated.

Lunch

Salad made of mixed greens, tomatoes, asparagus, some hardboiled egg, with homemade ranch dressing, guac

I managed to eat some yolk of the hardboiled egg. Amazing. They are so gross to me but I wanted to try to get over it. Going forward I will still stick with the egg whites but at least I tried it.

I love this ranch dressing!!!!

Dinner

Spiralized Turnip, Mushroom, and Tomato Risotto

This was really good. It called for 1 Cup of grated cheese in the recipe but I skipped it making it vegan and complaint. We both really enjoyed it. It would make this again, maybe add some sauteed kale too! (and def make it post Whole30 with cheese!!)

____________________

What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Our Whole30 Recap and Why I am doing Whole30 AGAIN!

April 7, 2015

I had learned about Whole30 from people I followed on Instagram during the spring of 2014. I was intrigued about it as I was seeing people eat great food during the month and then they would reveal some amazing before and after pictures and stats. I knew I had to look into it more as it seemed like it was something that was really transformative.

Ultimately, Price and I decided to do Whole30 together as a way to transform what and how we eat. We wanted to enjoy the holidays, our cruise in January, and then buckle down in February. I picked for us to start after Super Bowl Sunday as I knew we would want to enjoy some last fun foods and beers before starting. It also gave me time to purge out the cabinets and properly prepare after our cruise.

There were times when Whole30 was a struggle but at other times it was easy and enjoyable. I still craved cookies like crazy throughout the process. And, of course, Price missed beer. But aside from that it was not too difficult. The mornings were the worst as it was hard to cook and eat at home while trying to get ready but it was not the end of the world.

…