Whole30: Week 3

well, things are trucking right along. it's hard to believe i've completed week 3 already! things are going... just ok. i feel pretty good, and i'm sleeping well. but the weight hasn't been melting off as easily as it did last time, which is a major bummer. weight loss was my primary motivation for doing this. so i'm feeling a little defeated this week, but trying hard to keep focused on the bigger picture -- treating my body right is more important than what the scale says. it's time, perhaps, to start thinking about my plan for staying on track long term. these whole30 spurts are helpful for refocusing and resetting, but are not meant to be maintained forever. so what will i do from here? not sure...

i've read some blogs about people who have chosen to eat whole30-approved meals 80% of the time. or have eaten whole30 during the week, but allowed some wiggle room on the weekends. or something similar. however, i'm not sure if i'm responsible enough for that. the reason whole30 works for me is because i'm so good at following rules! if you give me a hard-and-fast rule, i will follow it. it's just how i'm wired. but if you give me too much freedom and wiggle room, i'll often make bad choices. so again, i ask myself, what will i do from here? still working to answer that.

in happier news, my fantastic husband bought me a food dehydrator as an early valentine's day gift! :-) :-) :-) can't wait to give dried apples another try!

here's this past week's menu. some very tasty recipes! although, looking back over it, way too many potatoes. potatoes are a-okay on whole30, but all things in moderation, right? so this week i'm shooting for fewer potatoes and more greens!

DAY 15
breakfast: sweet potato and sausage breakfast casserole
lunch: leftover shepherds pie and 2 clementines
snack: larabar
dinner: creamy crockpot chicken tomato soup over kale (a surprising hit... even with my husband!) and an apple

DAY 16
breakfast: sweet potato and sausage breakfast casserole
lunch: leftover creamy chicken and tomato soup over kale
snack: larabar and almonds
dinner: salted mocha sliders on sweet potato "buns" and roasted broccoli (oh you know, only the best meal EVER.)

DAY 17
breakfast: sweet potato and sausage breakfast casserole
lunch: leftover salted mocha burger, sweet potatoes, and broccoli
snack: larabar and almonds
dinner: sausage, apple, and sweet potato scramble (i mostly followed this recipe, but used adeile's chicken apple sausage instead of ham)
if you're paying attention, you'll notice that i ate sweet potatoes for every meal on this deal. whoops! it was kind of an accident... maybe my affection for sweet potatoes is what is keeping me from losing weight. :-)

DAY 18
breakfast: leftover creamy chicken and tomato soup over kale (yeah, soup for breakfast. i needed a break from sweet potato casserole!)
lunch: leftover sausage, apple, and sweet potato scramble
snack: dried mango
dinner: coconut-crusted chicken and salad (i mostly followed this recipe, but substituted almond flour and unsweetened coconut. also, forgot to take a picture. see Day 19.)

DAY 19
breakfast: apple and almond butter
lunch: 2 clementines and almond
snack: dried mango
dinner: coconut-crusted chicken and cauliflower "rice"
i was feeling under the weather this day. stayed home from work to rest and had very little appetite. only ate about half of what is shown in the picture below.

 
DAY 20
breakfast: sweet potato and sausage breakfast casserole
lunch: leftover coconut-crusted chicken and cauliflower "rice"
snack: almonds and dates
dinner: spicy chicken bites with marinara sauce and salad

DAY 21
breakfast: sweet potato and sausage breakfast casserole (ARE WE FINISHED WITH THIS STUFF ALREADY?! i'm so sick of it, but can't bring myself to throw it away.)
lunch: leftover spicy chicken bites and salad
snack: clementines and almonds
dinner: hamburger soup

Whole30: Week 2

Blizzard. Brownies. Bread.

Those were my challenges this past week. Here's the thing -- whenever it snows, I want to bake. I feel obligated to bake. It's somehow in my blood, my DNA, to bake during a snowstorm. And I did. I made brownies and bread. BUT I DID NOT EAT ANY OF IT.

I'll hold for applause. :-)

The second week of my Whole30 was pretty good. My snacks were smaller, I slept REALLY well, and I had lots of energy throughout the day. The cravings were pretty intense at times, though. (But I'm going to blame that on being trapped in the house while the aroma of ooey gooey brownies wafted through the air.) I also had mild intestinal discomfort and bloating, which I think is common for this point in the process. My gut is healing and clearing out! (Too much info?  Sorry...) :-)

This week, I relied heavily on leftovers for my meals. It works out great for me (since I LOVE leftovers), but if you're not into reheated foods, I can see how that would be annoying. I made a GIANT batch of paleo pork fireballs last Sunday and have been eating them throughout the week. While they are super tasty (especially when dipped in coconut aminos, which is basically soy-free soy sauce), I'm totally over them now. Not sure if I can stomach another one ever, but there are still a few left in the fridge...

Another thing I tried this week was to make my own crispy apple chips. After paying way too much for a bag of Bare Apple Chips, I thought, "Certainly I can make these myself." Turns out, I can't. I tried. I failed. :-)  They look a bit like potpourri, yes?

I also gashed my thumb royally on the mandoline slicer while making these things. Oh my word, so. much. blood. BUT I think I might try this again. They have the potential to be good... just need to figure out the correct temperature for the oven and the length of time to cook them.

Anyway, here was my menu for the week!

DAY 8
breakfast: homemade chicken apple sausage, fried egg, and a clementine
lunch: paleo pork fireballs and a salad with blueberries and pecans (picture of pork fireballs on Day 12)
snack: 2 dates and a responsible handful of almonds :-)
dinner: spaghetti squash and meatballs with roasted broccoli

DAY 9
breakfast: homemade chicken apple sausage, fried egg, and a clementine
lunch: leftover spaghetti squash and meatballs with roasted broccoli
snack: a few almonds, a clementine, and strawberries
dinner: roasted peppers, potatoes, and mushrooms with adeile's chicken sausage (kind of based off of this recipe, but not exactly)

DAY 10
breakfast: leftover london broil and onions sauteed with balsamic vinegar
lunch: leftover roasted veggies and sausage
snack: a few almonds and a clementine
dinner: slow cooker chicken soup, dried apples, and dried mango

DAY 11
breakfast: paleo pork fireballs and a clementine
lunch: leftover chicken soup, blueberries, and strawberries
snack: dried apples and dried mango
dinner: kale and sweet potato hash with eggs

 
DAY 12
breakfast: leftover kale and sweet potato hash with a fried egg
lunch: paleo pork fireballs and leftover kale and sweet potato hash
snack: Larabar, blueberries, and strawberries
dinner: paleo pork fireballs with coconut aminos and green beans

DAY 13
breakfast: sweet potato and sausage breakfast casserole (I couldn't find any pre-made Whole30-compliant sausage, so I made my own following this recipe, but omitting the maple syrup.)
lunch: paleo pork fireballs and kale salad
snack: almonds and dates
dinner: whole30 shepherd's pie (I used ground turkey instead of beef, and it was still amazing!)

 DAY 14
breakfast: sweet potato and sausage breakfast casserole
lunch: leftover shepherd's pie and clementines
snack: almonds and dates
dinner: paleo pork fireballs again and green beans (This meal is the result of a TOTAL flop in my original plan, which was a coffee-rubbed roast beef in the crock pot. It was gross. Nearly uneatable.)

Whole30: Week 1

i survived Week 1 of Whole30. i'd say it was moderately successful. "successful" in that i didn't fall off the wagon. but only "moderately" because i snacked a lot. like, a lot a lot. i was just so hungry all week and wanted to snack on everything in sight. fortunately, i only ate "approved" snacks, but still. i'm not doing myself any favors by simply replacing one bad habit for another. so this week, i'm putting the smack down on snacks. (maybe i should make myself a motivational poster -- put that snack down before you get a smack down. yes?)

here's how the week played out...

DAY 1
breakfast: scrambled eggs with salsa and a side of blueberries and strawberries
lunch: leftover lemon and herb roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots
snack: handful of almonds
dinner: salted mocha burger with roasted broccoli and carrots
how did i feel? super crappy. nasty headache all day and very tired by the time i left work. i'm pretty sure i used the phrase "i hate everything" multiple times.

DAY 2
breakfast: scrambled eggs with salsa and a side of blueberries and strawberries
lunch: leftover hamburger soup
snack: Larabar, almonds, 3 clementines
dinner: slow cooker pepperonicini chicken, green beans, sweet potato, and banana "ice cream"
how did i feel? headache all morning, fatigue and hatred towards the world all afternoon. i was extremely hungry and snacked WAY TOO MUCH.

DAY 3 
breakfast: scrambled eggs with salsa and a side of applesauce
lunch: leftover hamburger soup
snack: 2 clementines
dinner: leftover salted mocha burger, cinnamon sweet potato hash browns, and strawberries
how did i feel? MUCH better. no headache! no excessive cravings or snacking. but no motivation to cook; hence the weird dinner.

DAY 4
breakfast: sweet potato and kale hash with a fried egg
lunch: leftover hamburger soup
snack: handful of almonds and dates
dinner: buffalo ranch chicken stuffed peppers with guacamole
how did i feel? feeling good! some crazy back pain, but i don't think that's related to whole30.

DAY 5
breakfast: sweet potato and kale hash with a fried egg
lunch: leftover buffalo chicken stuffed peppers with guacamole
snack: handful of almonds and dates (ok, more than a handful. too many!)
dinner: turkey taco meat (with homemade taco seasoning) over sweet potato hash browns, applesauce
how did i feel? feeling good, but extremely hungry.

DAY 6
breakfast: homemade chicken apple sausage and strawberries
lunch: leftover turkey taco meat over lettuce with salsa, Larabar
snack: handful of almonds and dates
dinner: balsamic roasted london broil and roasted veggies (omit the butter), banana "ice cream"
how did i feel? very tired (maybe because i hadn't exercised for 2 days?), also very hungry. on a positive note, my complexion is really starting to brighten!

DAY 7
breakfast: homemade chicken apple sausage, fried egg, and a clementine
lunch: leftover london broil and roasted veggies
snack: apple and almond butter
dinner: dinner out with friends at a bar & grill -- was able to find a whole30 compliant meal. hot rock-seared filet and scallops, salad with oil and vinegar, sweet potato
how did i feel? feeling pretty great! eating out while on whole30 is a big challenge, but it's not impossible. proud of myself for sticking with it!

Whole 30

this past october and november, i completed my first Whole30. if you don't know what that is, you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about it (and then some!) on their extremely helpful website. basically, for 30 days, i eliminated sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, and alcohol from my diet.

why? WHY? why would someone put themselves through that, you wonder? i mean, because really, what's a life without cheese? and bread?

well, ever since i've entered my 30s, i've noticed an increase of fatigue and sluggishness... basically all the time. and i'm just not willing to accept that i'm going to be tired for the rest of my life! i've also noticed that simply counting calories was no longer keeping the pounds away. so i felt ready to do something radical. something i never thought i was capable of. it was time to "heal" my gut and change my relationship with food and figure out how to make the most of this body i've been given.

i won't lie to you. it was not easy. i work full-time. i am also a wife and mother. it is HARD to make a meal from scratch every day when i get home at 5:30. it kind of sucks to watch your family eat macaroni and cheese while you eat kale salad. but the more you do it, the easier and more natural it will become. and eventually, you'll start feeling so good that all of the extra work doesn't seem so daunting.

here's another important note: i wasn't hungry all the time. i was so afraid that all of the foods i was cutting out would leave me with no options and that i would feel hungry and irritable forever. but that just wasn't the case. i ate plenty. and i ate well. i found some amazing recipes, ate my fill every day, and still lost weight. it was incredible.

so why i am posting about this now? well, mostly for my own benefit. i'm preparing to start another whole30 on monday, so i need to get myself mentally prepared. also, i'm going to post my food diary from my previous whole30 as a quick reference for me and hopefully a good resource to those of you who are interested in taking the plunge.

looking over this food log, i spot a few mistakes that i made last time. namely, too much snacking on almonds and larabars. snacks are not forbidden on whole30, but they aren't strongly encouraged either. i think i fell into a habit of eating a snack in the afternoon just because that's what i always do. so i'm going to work on that this time around.

before i post my food log, you're probably interested i knowing how whole30 affected me. after i got through the "withdrawal period," which included headaches and fatigue for 3-4 days, i felt AMAZING. i can't even describe it. my gut and insides just felt light as a feather. my energy level shot up. i started to enjoy the flavor of healthy, non-processed foods. my skin and complexion started GLOWING. i lost 10 pounds. it was such an incredible experience. and even though it was a ton of extra work (i felt like i lived in the kitchen!), it was entirely worth it.

my next go-round with this starts on monday, january 11. who is brave enough to join me? :-)

BETH'S WHOLE30 FOOD DIARY

DAY 1
2 hard cooked eggs, russet and sweet potato hash
Kale salad with the citrus vinaigrette from this recipe
Apple and almonds
Chipotle chicken sweet potato skins (no cheese)



DAY 2
2 hard cooked eggs, russet and sweet potato hash
Leftover chipotle chicken sweet potato skins
Grilled chicken with mushroom cream sauce and roasted broccoli
Banana "ice cream"



DAY 3
2 hard cooked eggs, russet and sweet potato hash
Larabar
Leftover grilled chicken with mushroom cream sauce and roasted broccoli
Banana "ice cream"
Leftover chipotle chicken sweet potato skins

DAY 4
Banana, apple, and almond butter
Longhorn Steakhouse garden greens salad with sirloin and oil & vinegar
Almonds
Pulled pork, green beans, and oven roasted potato crisps



DAY 5
Homemade sausage, mashed sweet potatoes, and strawberries
Kale salad with citrus vinaigrette
Almonds
Leftover pulled pork, roasted broccoli, and tangerine



DAY 6
Omelette with onions, mushrooms, and kale
Leftover pulled pork, mashed sweet potato, and sugar snap peas
Larabar
Sicilian roasted chicken, baked potato, and carrots



DAY 7
Homemade sausage, hard cooked eggs, and strawberries
Leftover pulled pork, mashed sweet potato, and sugar snap peas
Almonds and dates
Oven baked salmon patties, green beans, and pomegranate seeds



DAY 8
Homemade sausage and mashed sweet potatoes
Leftover salmon patties and grapes
Almonds and dates
Spaghetti squash with meat sauce, roasted broccoli, and pomegranate seeds



DAY 9
Homemade sausage, apple, almond butter
Leftover spaghetti squash with meat sauce and grapes
Almonds and dates
Aidell's chicken & apple sausage and kale salad with citrus vinaigrette (this is one of the only whole30-compliant pre-packaged meats that i found in our grocery store.)



DAY 10
Breakfast meatloaf, fried egg, and tomato
Leftover spaghetti squash with meat sauce
Apple with almond butter
Chicken sausage with mashed sweet potatoes



DAY 11
Breakfast meatloaf and diced tomato
Leftover salmon patties and peppers
Almonds
Kale salad with citrus vinaigrette

DAY 12
Breakfast meatloaf and diced tomato
Kale salad with citrus vinaigrette
Larabar
Breakfast sausage and mashed sweet potatoes



DAY 13
Blueberry "tortilla" (not great... don't make this.) :-)
Kale salad with oil and vinegar
Apple
Paleo meatloaf, green beans, and banana "ice cream"



DAY 14
Apple and almonds
Roasted turkey, tomatoes, pickles, and Larabar (a weird meal because i was at a funeral lunch)
Chicken sausage and mashed sweet potatoes with sautéed onions

DAY 15
Scrambled eggs with sautéed onions and 1/2 apple with almond butter
Leftover chicken sausage with kale salad
Almonds and dates
Sweet potato and kale hash with fried egg and banana "ice cream"



DAY 16
Breakfast meatloaf and tomatoes
Leftover sweet potato and kale hash with fried egg
Almonds, dates, and apple
Grilled chicken with mushroom cream sauce and roasted broccoli

DAY 17
Breakfast meatloaf and tomatoes
Leftover grilled chicken with mushroom cream sauce and roasted broccoli
Apple and almond butter
Chicken sausage with spaghetti squash hash browns



DAY 18
Spaghetti squash hash browns and fried egg
Kale salad with oil and vinegar
Spaghetti squash and paleo meatballs with organic tomato sauce
Pomegranate seeds



DAY 19
Scrambled eggs with organic salsa
Leftover spaghetti squash and paleo meatballs with organic tomato sauce
Paleo Mediterranean steak, roasted potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and banana "ice cream"



DAY 20
Scrambled eggs with organic salsa
Leftover paleo Mediterranean steak, roasted potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts
Almonds
Claire's chili on hash browns and grapes (the picture does no justice to this recipe. this is our new favorite way to prepare chili!)



DAY 21
Fried eggs with organic salsa and half an apple with almond butter
Leftover Claire's chili on hash browns and grapes
Larabar
Asian meatballs and green beans



DAY 22
Fried eggs with organic salsa and half an apple with almond butter
Leftover Claire's chili on hash browns and grapes
Roasted pumpkin seeds
Pork carnitas with pineapple guacamole over sweet potato hash browns



DAY 23
Mushroom and onion omelette with organic salsa
Leftover Claire's chili on hash browns
Apple and almond butter
Leftover pork carnitas with pineapple guacamole over sweet potato hash browns

DAY 24
Scrambled eggs, hash browns, and organic salsa
Kale salad with oil and vinegar
Larabar
Paleo acorn squash



DAY 25
Scrambled eggs, hash browns, and organic salsa
Leftover paleo acorn squash and grapes
Turkey taco meat (using homemade taco seasoning) over sweet potato hash browns



DAY 26
Fried eggs and sweet potato hash browns with organic salsa
Leftover paleo acorn squash and grapes
Buffalo chicken casserole and roasted Brussels sprouts (NOT GOOD.  i can't even find the recipe now, but it doesn't matter because i would never recommend this to anyone.) :-)
Banana "ice cream"



DAY 27
Fried eggs with organic salsa and 1/2 apple with almond butter
Leftover taco meat over sweet potato hash browns
Larabar
Salted mocha burger, green beans, and banana "ice cream" (our new FAVORITE burger recipe. sooooooo good!!)



DAY 28
Scotch egg and 1/2 apple with almond butter
Leftover buffalo chicken casserole
Larabar
Hamburger soup



DAY 29
Scotch egg with sweet potato hash
Leftover hamburger soup
Apple with almond butter
Omelette with onions and peppers and sweet potato hash



DAY 30
Scotch egg and 1/2 apple with almond butter
Leftover hamburger soup
Apple with almond butter
Spaghetti squash with meat sauce and roasted broccoli

goals and accountability

hey friends! i'm back again and feeling pretty great. my weight loss continues to be slow, but my workouts have been solid and i'm feeling strong. i'm completely on board with yoga now too--love how it makes me feel. in addition, i have an accountability group now! three friends and i have joined together to check in with one another, encourage, and motivate towards our fitness goals. (my goal is to not have my mother-in-law look better than me in a bathing suit when we go to florida in september.) :-)  accountability and a goal are, perhaps, a big part of what i've been missing in this journey, so i'm excited to see how things progress. (i'll work on fine-tuning my goal... perhaps to something a bit more measurable and slightly less self-deprecating.) :-)

anyway, let's get to my favorite part of this blog. recipe reviews! buckle your seat belts, folks, because i've got some good ones today.

sweet potato and kale grilled cheese

this first recipe is my favorite. sweet potato and kale grilled cheese. my mouth starts to salivate when i say those words. it's all of my favorite things living together in blissful unity between two slices of nutty, multigrain bread. i can't much more about, lest i start to cry -- because you guys, this sandwich was perfect. eat it and forevermore be changed.

asian turkey lettuce wraps

these beautiful asian turkey lettuce wraps come in at a close second for my favorite recipe in this batch. they are quick and easy to make and sooooo tasty. and let's be honest -- they are super adorable. everything looks cuter when wrapped in lusciously green, tender boston lettuce.

cheesy avocado quesadillas

these baked avocado quesadillas were a surprising treat. i'm ever-wary of the avocado craze, but at the recommendation of a friend, i gave this recipe a try.  great flavor!  and i love, love, love that they are baked instead of fried! 

oven baked blackened tilapia

i made this oven baked blackened tilapia on a whim -- an oh-no-i-forgot-to-put-my-planned-meal-in-the-crockpot-before-work-and-now-i-don't-know-what's-for-dinner whim.  though this recipe has a lot of ingredients, they are all fairly standard.  it came together nicely!  TONS of flavor and the homemade tartar sauce really brought it home.

 cranberry pecan quinoa salad

yum. another win for quinoa. this cranberry pecan quinoa salad with honey orange dressing is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. i have two bits of advice for this recipe. 1.) add some feta crumbles! somehow, that made it feel like more of an entree rather than just a side. and 2.) you MUST toast your pecans. i love pretty much all nuts raw, but toasting them brings them to a whole different level of amazingness. i think it's super important to the overall flavor of this salad, so don't skip that step!

feta and date toast

this isn't really a recipe. i saw a pin of various toast ideas, and this one caught my eye.  multigrain bread + feta + dates + nuts.  (the original pin recommended almonds, but i had some delicious pine nuts on hand.)  just top your bread with some sliced feta (the crumbles would probably work too, but i had a block of it), then add chopped dates and pine nuts.  put in your toaster oven for a few minutes until it starts to get golden.  oh man, the saltiness of the feta in contrast with the sweetness of the dates is total perfection. and the toasted pine nuts just melt in your mouth. soooo good!  satisfies pretty much every craving i could ever have. and totally gives me energy to make it through the morning!

paleo lemon bars

easter is over now so i'm back on sugar. (what you can't hear is the fact that i'm cheering right now!) but during my lenten sugar fast, i tried this recipe for paleo lemon bars. my expectations were low because -- if you know me at all -- you know that i'm OBSESSED with lemon desserts. i have very high standards for lemon bars. and while this paleo version was not as good as the sugar-filled variety, they were mighty impressive. the crust in particular was surprising. i kept these in my fridge for a full week, and by the end, the crust was still crispy! i couldn't believe it. the lemon layer was a little zingy-ier than a regular lemon bar, but i suppose that's to be expected when you sweeten it only with honey. overall, a great recipe. definitely worth a try, especially if you are of the paleo-persuasion.