DAY 15! HALFWAY THERE

I cannot express how good it feels...I am so thankful to have found Whole30 and to be halfway through the journey. I have so much support from Ryan and my friend who is on the journey with me and I could not be happier. I thought it would be hard and I was intimated and scared to begin, but I feel like I have conquered so much in 15 days mentally and physically.

In 15 days I have learned to eat fat...Fat does not make me fat! I have embraced full fat products (avocados, oil, dressing); I have stopped weighing and counting and worrying. I feel free. I do not feel like food is the enemy of it is something to be afraid of. I love food and other diets and programs just made food the enemy and something that needs to be restricted. But Whole30 has given me the ability to appreciate food and love and understand what I am putting in my body.

I have never been happier - I feel happy, I feel energized and strong. This isn't just about my clothes fitting better (and some pants even being too big now), this is about how I feel and I feel great! I also feel empowered - free from a sugar addiction that never allowed me to say no. But now I can confidently go in a room and say "no thank you" to sweets. That's not to say I don't want it, but I know that I don't need it (and I know the difference now). Obviously after Whole30 I will plan to have a paleo brownie or cupcake or coconut bread but my tastebads have changed, my mind has changed and I know that these sweet treats are not needed every day.

I used food a a reward - do good at at something, celebrate something - it all revolved around food and rewarding myself with food was just poisoning my body. Instead I need to see food as energy not as something I earn. I don't earn a meal or a dessert just because I do something good one day. I need to learn to find other ways to reward myself like a manicure, a new pair of shoes, workout clothes - things that make me look and feel better. Food is not a reward.

If this is what I can learn in 15 days I can't wait to see what I learn in another 15!

Lunch today was a fresh mixed green salad with walnuts, eggplant, tomatoes, asparagus, carrots and broccoli. And I had one last spice rubbed chicken thigh that I brought to cut up and add to it.

Unfortunately, I spent most of the day reworking my weekly menu so I was only looking at food all afternoon and I guess I felt "hungry" so I had my first snack in 15 days. It was a couple of pieces of apricots and dates and a few almonds. I'm not totally upset with what I ate but I am upset that I let myself snack. I should have gotten water or tea, but I let the sugar win. Even though it is natural sugar, I still gave in to the 3:30pm crash. Well good to know I can't look at recipes at 3pm because all I will think about the rest of the afternoon is food!

Day 13 & 14: Second Weekend Down!

This weekend was perfect - we stayed inside watching Nurse Jackie, cooking and I went to a Level 2 Bar Method class! We had a wonderful family dinner on Saturday and yesterday we had afternoon tea with the neighbors. Ryan and I felt so relaxed and enjoyed each others company! This weekend seemed easier than last - I managed to stick to my 3 large meals and not want to snack or feel out of control with eating habits. We cooked amazing food and if you can believe it, I turned down chocolate brownies and cupcakes! I am still in shock that I was able to say "no thank you!" Whole30 must be working!

Saturday begin with a new breakfast recipe - an apple pie omelette with some inspiration from Peaches and Cake. It was so sweet (rather than a savory vegetable omelette) and Ryan loved it. I served it with a side of aiddles chicken & apple sausage, Trader Joe's Roasted Plantain Chip (the only ingredients are plantains, sunflower oil and salt) and leftover brussel sprouts and bacon (gotta have green on that plate). The omelette was so easy to make: I cooked sliced apples with cinnamon until they were soft. After removing them from the pan, I made an omelette with an egg, unsweetened applesauce, coconut milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. It was a bit tricky to flip over to cook the other side because it was a bit more watery than I was used to so I made a little bit of a mess! After it was cooked on both sides, I put almond butter and the cooked apples on half of the egg and then flipped the other side over. I topped it with unsweetened applesauce and more apples! Yum!!

We spent all afternoon on the couch watching Nurse Jackie - the end of season 3 and first half of season 4! I was so happy that I was full from breakfast and did not feel the urge to snack all day. I felt more in control this weekend than I did last weekend and got the mental part out of my mind that it was Saturday and food doesn't count on Saturday! It was also really nice to just be at home with no plans and no responsibilities and spending time with Ryan and Haley! While we enjoyed this time, my mom texted me and we planned to have dinner together as a family - they hand't seen the apartment in weeks so we wanted to show it off with the table and chairs, the lighting and all the photos hanging! It's a great feeling when you're proud of your home and you want to have people over - we lacked that in Brooklyn! Because of Whole30 I decided it would be so much better to cook for everyone (and cheaper) rather than order in! I rearranged my Week 3 Meal Plan and decided to make Chocolate Chili from Well Fed for dinner since it served 6 people (originally this was planned for Sunday so I would have leftovers all week so today I have to spend some time rearranging meals and figuring out a menu for the week).

 

The chili was delicious - it simmered for 2 hours and all of the flavors of the chocolate and the spices came together to create a warm, great tasting dish! It was made with beef (next time I will mix and match beef and turkey for even more flavor) and I served with with avocado for some creaminess and sliced almonds for added crunch. Everyone loved it! I served it with kale and broccoli that was roasted in ghee and for appetizers I served cucumbers topped with cashew cheese (YUM) and my favorite go-to recipe, dates wrapped in proscuitto. Everything was perfect and everyone loved the meal.

I had to be careful in the kitchen though because my dad brought a loaf of bread for him and my brother for the chili (for dipping of course) so I had a separate cutting board and knife for the bread so it didn't contaminate my food. I served it in the center of the table and it was strange how instinctual it was to reach for a piece of bread without any though that I was doing it. I caught myself a couple of times reaching mindlessly for the bread and had to concentrate really hard to say no! It is strange to think how habits are so ingrained in us that we don't think about them while we do them! It is still a journey for me to change my habits!

We talked a lot at dinner about Whole30 and "It Starts With Food." The main question I kept getting was "well, what do you eat." I kept pointing at the table and showing them and explaining all the real foods I eat, the fats, the protein, the vegetables and explaining the hidden ingredients in our food (soy in tuna fish and mayo, honey in beef stock, etc.) I think it was eye opening to my parents and my brother and I hope that I can positively effect how we all eat. I hate that people assume this is just another diet that I am doing, but really it is a way of life and even without Whole30, I have seen the difference and changes in me and I will continue to live this lifestyle after the 30 days!

After everyone left, Ryan made brownies. Yup, double fudge brownies with walnuts and pecans. I didn't take a photo because I didn't want to torture myself! It was weird though how comfortable I felt in the kitchen with him helping him bake them - I didn't feel like I was going crazy or my heart start to race or my mind start to go in different directions when I was presented with chocolate. Normally I would have calculated the WW Points for a brownie and just eaten it. But with Whole30, I didn't even crave it - I didn't need the sweetness after my meal, I was satisfied and didn't need anything more. Again though, I found myself reaching for the bowl with the batter and almost dipping my finger in it - out of sheer habit! And when I cut the brownies and plated it for Ryan, I almost licked my fingers with brownie on it, just out of habit, not because I wanted it. It's so mind boggling the things we do out of habit and how easy it is to fall into these habits and routines without a second thought. It is much harder to create new habits but now I know I am treating myself better by not having the lick of batter or bite of brownie. I am still shocked though that I was able to bake brownies with Ryan and not have one. My how things have changed in 13 days!

Sunday began early - I woke up out of habit at 8:00am but I was scheduled for a Level 2 Bar Method class at 11:45am! I never take class this late in the afternoon because it disrupts the day - I usually stick to 8:30am or 9:00am classes so that I can be home when Ryan wakes up and we can have breakfast today. However, I really wanted to push myself to take a Level 2 class while doing Whole30 because I have never felt more energized or strong! I feel amazing when I work out now and I wanted to push myself a little bit further.

Breakfast was a vegetable omelette (spinach, tomatoes, onions) with almond butter filling and topped with pomegranate seeds. After I ate, I decided to make the Chunky Monkey Lara Bites recipe that I found last week. They seem like such a great pre-workout meal because they are filled with nuts (very similar to n'oatmeal) and because they're frozen, they are unique and different than just having a handful of nuts in the morning! They were really easy to make and I had one before my Level 2 class. I loved them!

Level 2 was great - Danielle taught a great class which got my shaking early on and I felt the burn the entire class. It has been over a year since I've taken Level 2, just because of timing and I am glad I did. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it a regular thing because I didn't get home until 1:30pm which seems so late to me, especially when the weather gets warmer and Ryan and I have plans! But it was a great experience and I know it won't be my last! Post-workout was a Blueberry RxBar!

When I got home, Ryan and I watched more Nurse Jackie - the rest of Season 4 and beginning of Season 5. I know this sounds completely unproductive, but it was fun not to plan and schedule and be up and out of the house!

Lunch was left over burgers which was so satisfying and really hit the spot. Because we had made the chili Saturday I had to think quickly what to make for dinner that night! I had gone to Trader Joe's Saturday and picked up fresh scallops so I rearranged the meal plan and planned to make Orange Zest Pistachio Encrusted Scallops with a Fresh Fig salad and homemade plum vinaigrette! But not before afternoon tea with the neighbors!

I could not go over there empty handed so we brought some brownies that Ryan made and Baked By Melissa Mini Cupcakes. Ideally, I should have made a Whole30 dessert but I really wanted to not have sweets and treats like the program recommends. Tea was fabulous, it was great to talk to our neighbors and feel part of the community. She had made homemade chocolate cake but used almond flour because when we had moved in I had made and shared gluten free chocolate chip cookies. It was so sweet and so nice and I was so humbled and appreciative. I had to have a few bites to not be rude. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who scarfed down half of his cake immediately and then swapped plates with me so my one bite looked like a lot! I did not want to be rude because turning down the cake would have made me feel worse than having a couple of bites. Honestly the cake tasted great - not too sweet or sugary and knowing that it was gluten free, made with almond flour and cocoa powder made me feel good - I honestly didn't feel guilty about the 1 bite, and I do not think it is worth starting my program over for! I had 1 bite and my biggest achievement was being able to have that bite and be satisfied - I wasn't ravenous for more and I didn't cave in and say "Oh well I had one bite of cake, I might as well have a brownie and cupcake too." NO! I was able to stop, say no and I applaud myself for that. I have learned more than I think with Whole30 and starting the program over would admit defeat, when really I think I was successful in the situation. I would have felt so guilty and so bad having turned down the cake and having to explain Whole30 so it made me happy, made our neighbors happy and made for a more enjoyable afternoon!

When we got home (all of 5 feet from the neighbors) we cooked dinner together. It was fun to have Ryan in the kitchen excited to cook with me and share in the experience. We made homemade dressing to start which was 2 plums, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I had bought figs at Trader Joe's and thought it would be so great to have a spinach salad with fruit to compliment the scallops and the nuts! We also made an orange vinaigrette for the scallops which was fresh orange juice and olive oil. So easy and so fun!

The recipe comes from Yes To Yummy! and was a great find. The ingredients were all fresh and it was so easy to make! The nuts were a mix of pistachios, ghee and orange zest and were so crunchy on top of the scallops and added great flavor to the dish! And the dressing for the scallops had a great citrus taste that balanced out the nuttiness and the seafood. This would go great with bacon and prosciutto too! But we can't seem to keep bacon in the house long enough! Yay Paleo and Bacon!

 We had the fig salad on the side along with asparagus and mushroom saute. And to finish the last 2 pieces of prosciutto, we made dates wrapped in figs. It had become my "dessert." Ryan had a brownie for dessert and while we cleaned the kitchen I had a quick snack of plantains and almond butter. I know snacking after a meal, especially after dinner later in the evening is not Whole30 approved, but I have to say, between no brownies, no cupcakes and 1 bite of almond flour chocolate cake, I needed to treat myself to some almond butter! I know Whole30 discourages against rewards with food for doing something good with our dietary preferences but this is me we're talking about - a self proclaimed chocolate addict. So all of these triumphs in the past 2 days, I am really proud of myself and I feel great for making the hard decisions and a little almond butter and roasted plantain chips are not going to de-rail me!

Over all it was a great weekend and I can't believe that I conquered a second weekend on Whole30 already!

XO

Day 12: Friday's Feast *Made by Ryan!*

Yup, you read that right; Ryan made dinner tonight. With a little bit of help and a couple of good recipes on hand, Ryan made a delicious Whole30 approved dinner (for me at least).

Ryan's!

Leslie's!

 We had been planning on burgers so we made burgers, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and sweet potato fries. I had my burger on a bed of butter lettuce and he had a gluten free roll.

We made nomnompaleo roasted brussel sprouts which have become a favorite of ours! It's so easy and so delicious! We also made sweet potato fries with cinnamon and paprika (pre-cut from FreshDirect).

And as a treat, I made cashew cheese!!!!! I have had cashew cheese ravioli from Juice Generation and when I found out how easy it was to make, I couldn't wait. Not only was this perfect on my burger, it would make a great dip for chips, or on top of cucumbers as an appetizer. The cheese on my burger even "melted" and was "cheesy." It was sweet and creamy and I didn't miss not having cheese on my cheeseburger.

It was so easy to make! I found a recipe and just like the recipe says, it is stupid easy!

Cashew Cheese
 Recipe from Bold Vegan

1 cup cashews
3 cups water + 1/4 cup
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp lemon juice

1. Soak cashews in 3 cups of water for 1 hour or more. You want them soft!

2. Drain and rinse the cashews and put in a food processor with salt and pepper and lemon juice.

3. Pulse for 1 minute to combine ingredients.

4. Add 1/4 cup of water and process for a minute until all ingredients or combined and it has formed a creamy mixture and is smooth!

Serve and enjoy!

I have so much left over - I can't wait to find ways to use this!

I am so happy I let Ryan cook tonight and I know it made him happy! I just watched and helped read the recipes but he prepped, cooked and served! It was a great Friday night dinner together. I know during the week we like being on our own for meals because we have our own timing for the evening so it is nice to come together at the end of the week for a great meal together.

I'm not sure what our plans are this weekend but we were invited to our new neighbors important Sunday afternoon for some tea. Maybe I'll bring cashew cheese appetizers! I also want to make chocolate chili Sunday for dinner which needs to simmer for 2 hours so I could make it a let it cook while we are at the neighbors and come home to a wonderful dinner! I have a few recipes planned for this week including another serving of pad thai! If Ryan can have pasta once a week then I certainly can have spaghetti squash a couple of times!

I love that I really have been making something new each night. Whole30 has given me the confidence to try new recipes, be creative and experiment with new ingredients. I never would have bought ghee if I hadn't started Whole30. Or realized that it is okay to eat half an avocado without weighing 31 grams to have only 1 point! I feel free from counting points and weighing and I know Ryan is so much happier seeing me happier. He is also less stressed having to weight my food and worry about measuring oil to exactly 1 tsp. I am still measuring for recipes of course but I am basing my proteins and fats on the Whole30 guidelines and I feel better. I told Ryan I wanted to continue Whole30 after the 30 days were done and I mean it (maybe a few paleo brownies here and there, but really sticking to no grains, no dairy, no sugar)!

Have a great night everyone!

XO

Day 11: Whole30 Approved Shrimp and Sausage Pad Thai

That's right...Pad Thai! This is a recipe I have to make again during Whole30, after Whole30, really anytime because it was that good!

It was so easy to make and the vegetables can be changed to make this different each time. I am still waiting for my coconut aminos to arrive so next time I will have to add a little of that because I didn't have any "soy sauce" for more of a Pad Thai recipe. But everything was so delicious that I might not even really need it!

I finally got to have the fresh seafood I was craving so much this week after having a lot of turkey, chicken and ribs! I cooked the shrimp for 3 minutes in coconut oil and removed them from the pan. Then I add an egg to the same pan and scrambled it (who doesn't love eggs in their pad thai)! Then I added Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausage to the same pan along with the vegetables I had in the fridge which included peppers, onions and butternut squash (leftover from the night before so this won't be a regular ingredient in this dish). I added salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and let it cook for about 5 minutes until the sausage was cooked, the squash softened and the flavors all came together. Then I added the remaining spaghetti squash to the pan and mixed everything together. I let this cook an additional few minutes until the spaghetti squash was warm and crispy. I added the shrimp back into the pan, and this is where it got fun! I add 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp vegetable broth and 1 tsp of almond butter (yup, almond butter)! This replaced the peanut sauce that is so dominant in Vietnamese and Thai cuisine. I mixed everything together and let it cook 1-2 minutes until the almond butter melted and was spread all over the spaghetti squash (I would also add the coconut aminos at this time). When everything was mixed and the shrimp were perfectly cooked (form a C-shape, overcooked is an O-shape), I plated it and enjoyed a delicious meal!

 

 It was so flavorful and the spaghetti squash had a nice crunch. I loved this dish and the combination of the meat and sausage was a great change from chicken!

This morning I had an amazing Bar Method class. I took a 7am class with Danielle and there were only 5 people! It was almost like a private class and she was able to give each of us individual attention. She was fun, energetic, peppy and worked us really hard. She kept holding my leg higher and straighter in round back, pushing my shoulders down in curl, and making me go lower and shake more in thigh. We even did a new seat work - arabesque on a 45 degree angle to the bar. It was a nice change from the usual position and fun to try something new! Pre-workout I had 2 slices of oven roasted turkey and some almonds. Post-workout I had a turkey blueberry muffin!

For breakfast, I needed something besides my usual vegetable omelette so I opted for a salad (my first of the day since I also have a salad for lunch). I had spinach and cabbage salad with tomatoes, peppers, almonds, cashews, broccoli, clementine (only a few since I really have not had any fruit in 12 days) and 2 hard boiled eggs. I ate it slowly and am definitely full and satisfied.  Since I am working out more in the mornings as part of my goals I really have not had a chance to cook breakfast at home so I need to keep breakfast on the go different so I don't tire myself out. I think next week I will make a batch of n'oatmeal to have on Bar Method mornings and have eggs on the 2 mornings I stay home. I want to try an apple omelette which sounds really delicious, I mean you can't go wrong with eggs and shredded apple!

I also want to make these tonight! They look so delicious, of course I would leave out the chocolate chips and vanilla to keep  it Whole30 approved, but these would make amazing pre-workout meals! And so convenient to eat while I commute and I love they they are frozen. Makes it feel decadent and like a real treat!

Tonight Ryan and I are going to be cooking a lot of yummy things! We are going to have burgers, roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potato fries! I feel like I should be saying it's fat Friday, but really, this all sounds so delicious and not an indulgence, but just another meal on Whole30!

Happy Day 12!

XO

Day 10 Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs for Dinner and Finally, Day 11, Got a Post-Workout Recovery Meal!

It only took 11 days, but I think I figured out a better post-workout recovery meal that I can eat in the locker room at Bar Method and is better than a protein bar! Well, it wasn't that easy to eat in the locker room - I did get some really weird looks, especially when I tell you that I was eating an extra lean turkey muffin (yup!) but it worked for me and with my evolving taste buds, it wasn't too sweet, which the bars have definitely become! More on this in a minute...

So remember when all of my food spoiled and left me with 2 nights of unplanned dinners and lunches? Well I spent a lot of the day figuring out inexpensive meals that utilized what I already have at home and groceries that I could quickly buy on my way home from work. I needed to be able to make enough for leftovers, but still not buy a lot because this is an added expense that I was not prepared for.

I went with a simple spice rubbed chicken thigh (cinnamon, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne - basically Moroccan rub, but Moroccan rubs have sugar in them). I baked 6 thighs for 40 minutes in a glass pan topped with ghee for extra juiciness and crispiness. I also made butternut squash seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon and steamed broccoli and carrots. It was a perfect dinner and I have chicken leftover for lunch and a few thighs left for the weekend for lunch!

While the chicken was cooking I prepped my post-workout recovery meal. I have been eating RxBars and LaraBars after Bar Method but I don't want to use bars as a replacement meal. Although these bars are Whole30 approved, they are made with fruit and nuts and do have fat as well as protein and they are becoming very sweet the longer I follow the Whole30 program! I don't want to rely on bars because it becomes a sugar rush and I want to keep my meals balanced. Whole30 also emphasizes the importance of protein and carbs after a workout to speed up muscle recovery and to not have fat because fat inhibits proteins and carbs helping our muscles because it slows us down. This eliminates hard boiled eggs post workout even though they are a great pre-workout and Meal #1 option.

I found a great recipe in my browsing yesterday for blueberry turkey muffins. Now I know this sounds incredibly strange and trust me, Ryan was giving me weird looks when I was making it, but they actually turned out great! And I bought extra lean ground turkey so there was plenty of protein and no fat! Also the sweetness of the blueberries balanced out the turkey and onions in the recipe so I still had some sugar and sweetness but it was not noticeable! They looked really weird going in the oven, weirder coming out of the oven, and even weirder the next day when I was eating it at Bar Method. I know I got strange looks, but trust me, this is much better than opening Tupperware with chicken breast, or a can of tuna that will stink up the place! I also found a great recipe for pumpkin carrot muffins that could have a lot of great protein and carbs from the starchy vegetable. I will have to try that next time! There's also a great "pizza" muffin made with eggs and meat (bacon!) and tomato sauce. I did find Whole30 approved oven roasted turkey deli meat at Fairway yesterday which I was really excited about. I bought it, with no plans to eat it, but I was so excited to have found something not cured in sugar that I had to purchase it. I might make a turkey, bacon, tomato, lettuce wrap for lunch this weekend! That will force my to maybe try to make homemade mayo!

Yup, still looks weird!

Now I know I am not supposed to snack after dinner, but I had to try a muffin to make sure I wasn't completely insane for putting these together so unfortunately last night I did have an after dinner "treat" but since the muffins came out of the oven as I was cleaning my plate, I don't really consider it a snack because I ate it, almost, with Meal #3! Yeah I know, bending the rules a little bit.

Today was BAR METHOD CLASS #500! I started April 3, 2011 (so almost 4 years ago) and today I feel really accomplished, really strong, really empowered and really happy! This is really huge for me because I never thought 4 years ago about working out, I hated gyms, I never thought about health and wellness or cared about treating my body the right way. But Bar Method completely changed my life and I am forever grateful for that. However, I am not so happy about Amanda's zinger during seat today - that was a killer. I guess it was only appropriate for #500 to be extremely difficult! I was shaking the second we started and didn't stop until after the final stretch! What an incredible feeling to still be shaking 500 classes later. It never gets easier, I have just been getting stronger!

I stuck with my usual vegetable omelette for Meal #1and have a vegetable packed salad with leftover chicken for lunch! Dinner tonight is going to be the remaining spaghetti squash served with shrimp (I bought a fresh 1/4 lb last night when I went shopping - only $3.75) and maybe applegate chicken and apple sausage with a garlic lemon sauce. And then Friday - BURGERS and FRIES (sweet potato fries of course). I am thinking of an apple and onion burger served on butter lettuce with tomatoes and a side of oven roasted brussel sprouts with bacon (Ryan was obsessed with that recipe)!

All in all I feel good. I have been really full from my meals which is great and not having any chocolate cravings (I think that is even weirder than the turkey blueberry muffin). I'm not worried about weight loss with Whole30, but my clothes feel better, I am less worried about something fitting because I may have overeaten the night before. Really my problem with bloating was the late night sugar snacks which is why my clothes were tight the next morning. Now that I have controlled those I feel more confident that I can wear my clothes and feel good in them.

I also have a lot more energy and drive to go to Bar Method! I have always loved Bar Method and the workout but some mornings it felt like such a struggle to be there and I was only going through the motions of the workout to say I did it that day. But now, I find myself needed to workout, to feel stretched and elongated and it is a great feeling. I want to work my body harder because it feels better and stronger from eating so well! Food is fueling me rather than bringing me down!

I can't believe it's Day 11. It seems like I have a lot longer to go, but those 11 days seem to have gone by pretty quickly!

Have a great day everyone!

XO

Day 9 Struggles - Too Much Food! and a fresh new Day 10!

Well, I over-ordered groceries this week. I meal planned and worked really hard to coordinate dinners and leftovers for lunch and had a large FreshDirect order delivered Saturday and yesterday my dinner plans were ruined as were tonight's due to spoiled food. I guess by trying to save money and buy a lot of food and have leftovers, I wasted money because now I have to throw food out and re-buy. I am starting to plan next weeks meals and I think instead of ordering FreshDirect, I am going to buy 2 nights worth of food at a time at the grocery store on my way home from work to ensure that my food is fresh. It is really frustrating to have meal planning sabotaged because that is when I would go off track and snack and binge and eat whatever I could find. Luckily last night I thought quickly about what to cook and only slightly went off plan.

Last night I had planned to make shrimp. I was craving fresh seafood since I had been eating a lot of meat this week and had ordered 1 pound of fresh shrimp (guess I should have ordered frozen). I was debating between coconut shrimp, shrimp stirfry and shrimp fra diablo. While I was deciding, I prepared cauliflower rice which wasn't too bad but I will have to work on the recipe to make it more flavorful and a better texture. Cauliflower rice was really easy to make - I put cauliflower heads in the food processor and pulsed until it looked like rice. Next time I might do this in batches because some was rice and some was mush from over-pulsing. Then I heated a pot with ghee and added the "rice" and covered and let cook for 10 minutes!

 This is where things got complicated...I was already making the rice, and I had vegetables frying in a pan with coconut oil and my shrimp was spoiled. Obviously I was making a stirfry at this point, but what to stirfry...I quickly looked in the fridge and grabbed the last remaining coconut chicken leftover and cut it up and threw it in the pan with the vegetables. I added some balsamic vinegar (I really need to buy coconut aminos because balsamic stirfry is just not the same, it's just a salad)! It was quick, easy and I was done thinking about cooking. I was full from the meal, but I guess I wasn't satisfied because my mind quickly started wandering to what I wanted to eat next. Trust me, I was not hungry, but being full and satisfied are two completely different feelings. I grabbed the last 2 dates wrapped in proscioutto and hoped this would fix me need for sweets - but alas, it did not and I ended up eating the remaining half of the cocoa RxBar. So although I didn't go off whole30, I still snacked and was not happy about it. However, I did not feel as guilty as I would have had I gone to the freezer and grabbed ice cream and other sweet treats. At least I knew that I needed protein to satisfy me which is why I gravitated to the RxBar. After that I was full and happy(ish) and had some peppermint tea before going to bed early.

Today I took the morning off from Bar Method to spend time with Ryan (tomorrow is class 500)! We had a wonderful breakfast together. He had an apple raspberry nutribullet and a sausage, cheese and vegetable omelette with a side of bacon. I decided to get a little creative and get away from my usual omelette and used the remaining cauliflower rice to make tortillas! They were perfect and so filling and I honestly liked them better than cauliflower rice (which was more like cauliflower mash). I added an egg to the leftovers (which were about 1 cup) and placed the mixture in 3 circles on a sheet of parchment paper and baked at 375 for 10 minutes on each side. Then I took them out of the oven and put them in the pan to fry them and make them crispy for 5 minutes on each side!

I used the last coffee-cocoa short rib and made vegetable-rib mix and topped that with an egg white and served it over the tortillas. Honestly, as similar as this was to dinner, this was so much better! It was a bit sweet from the ribs, a bit crunchy from the tortilla, and packed with vegetables (broccoli, peppers, cherry tomatoes, avocado). There is another lunch meeting today so let's hope this gets me through the endless platters of sandwiches that will be served. I brought leftover spaghetti squash and turkey bolognese and salad for lunch. There's still one more serving of spaghetti squash left so I have to figure out a creative way to use that (squash tortillas?).

Lately I have been feeling good - less bloated, full, happy...today, maybe because of the dinner situation last night, I am feeling a little down and frustrated. It is so upsetting to plan and get excited about meals only to be let down. I also woke up early this morning to marinade chicken for tonight, but of course, the chicken spoiled. So now I don't know what to make for dinner and will have to pick up some ingredients on the way home. I also have to buy ingredients for burgers tomorrow so it looks like I will be spending more money on groceries this week than I had planned. I am also feeling a bit "bloated" in the sense because I have been eating a lot of meat and vegetables and need some variety to my meals - that is why I was looking forward so much to fish last night. I just feel weighed down a bit and need to "lighten" up. A lot of my meals seem to be the same - a meat stirfry with vegetables. I think week 2 is hard because I was so excited and motivated week 1 and week 2 is a bit more "real." Hopefully I can prepare some exciting meals for next week and better plan grocery shopping. I don't want to lose my drive for Whole30 and eating clean - I am still not craving sweets or chocolate so I know everything is working, but in order to keep it up, I need to satisfy myself with better meals so I don't start snacking again!

Have a great day everyone!
XO

Day 8 Spaghetti Squash and Turkey Bolognese

Last nights dinner was delicious! I made Spaghetti Squash and Ryan made Turkey Bolognese! I will have leftover spaghetti squash for days now! Ryan served his with gluten free pasta which was a great compromise, and he waited for me to get home before he started cooking. I acted as Ryan's sous chef and provided him with a turkey bolognese recipe to follow and he did great! I was only a bit controlling and critical of his cooking (who uses a pancake spatula to mix and crumble ground turkey) but the meal was delicious and I have leftovers for lunch.

Spaghetti squash is so easy to make that I'm not sure why I haven't made it before, I guess because Ryan doesn't like it! But it is so inexpensive and I have so much leftover for other meals. I simply cute the spaghetti squash in half (well, Ryan did, it was really hard to cut)! I scooped out the seeds, brushed on some olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper and baked face down on a cookie sheet in the oven (preheated to 375) for 40 minutes. After it was done, I used a fork to scrape the insides into "spaghetti." That easy! And Ryan made the bolognese while the squash cooked and it was timed perfectly.

The bolognese recipe was adapted from Joyful Healthy Eats. I made it a bit easier by buying pre-cut mirepoix with carrots, onions and celery. This saved a lot of time dicing vegetables! We used ground turkey and omitted the bacon. This sauce was so easy to make and extremely versatile. Next time we will use ground beef or even bison! I have leftover sauce which would make an amazing breakfast tomorrow - eggs in purgatory. Yumm! Or spaghetti squash and sauce for dinner one night so Ryan can eat on his own and not have to wait for me and I can be lazy and not cook! The possibilities are endless which is what I love about cookie and not reducing the recipes to feed only 2 people. It may seem expensive now to buy larger quantities that feed 4-6 people, but leftovers are now a thing of beauty! I still have a short rib and some dates and 2 fritters left so this could be the perfect meal one night this week when I don't want to cook!

Turkey Bolognese

1lbs ground turkey
1 tbps coconut oil or fat of choice
2 onions, diced*
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups carrots, diced*
2 ribs celery, diced*
2 tbsp basil
2  tbsp oregono
2 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp thyme
1/2 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
15 oz. can diced tomatoes

*or buy mirepoix pre-cut for added convenience and add ingredients all at once.

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil and let melt. Once hot, add onions and let cook until slightly caramelized.

2. Add garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add carrots and celery and sautee for 7 minutes.

3. Add ground meat and cook for 8 minutes, crumbling as it cooks.
 

4. Add spices and stir to combine everything.

5. Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes to pan. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Today we have another lunch meeting at work - PIZZA. I have not eaten pizza at these meetings in the past because it was too difficult to calculate WW points so I won't be too tempted. I brought left overs for lunch and steamed broccoli and carrots in a bag! Tonight's dinner is something with shrimp - coconut? Who knows, but I will figure it out and probably serve with spaghetti squash or maybe cauliflower rice!

Pre-workout meal was a handful of almonds, cashews and walnuts. And after Bar Method I had half an Rx Cocoa bar. I wasn't planning on eating only half, but I listened to my body and got ready while I ate and by the time I was leaving the studio, I still had half a bar left. I felt full so I wasn't too worried that I didn't eat enough. Bar Method classes are different for me each day so I will continue to listen to my body on how much fuel it needs after class to heal and restore to the best of its ability. Not that each class isn't hard, but I feel different depending on whether it's a morning class versus evening, weekday versus weekend, cold  in the studio or hot, etc. Today was a good class and I was shaking and enjoying myself but half a bar seemed to work great for me today!

Last night I started reading "It Starts With Food" as one of my goals in the program. It's great to read the science behind Whole30 and how it was started and success stories. I hope I can get as much out of the program as other people have. I feel like on Day 9, my body hasn't changed much, I know I haven't lost weight, but mentally I have gained a lot. It is also Day 9 and one week is still the beginning - my body has a lot to adjust to and it is a slow progress, so who knows how I will look and feel by Week 3 and even 4! I am excited to see though!

Have a great day everyone!

XO

Short Ribs to end Day 7 and the beginning of Day 8!

Last nights dinner was delicious. The ribs were falling off the bone when we took them out of the slow cooker and we served them with zucchini fritters and a blood orange salad! I even got to have leftover ribs with my salad today for lunch! They were so sweet and the spices were perfect. Next time we will make spicy spare ribs!

Today is Day 8 - one week on program and I am feeling great. I feel less bloated, less hungry, more in control of my eating and well balanced and happy. I can't believe it has also been a week without measuring or counting points or grams, or oz! I am impressed with myself. And I am not hungry! It has been 1 week of not snacking at work or at home after dinner. I never thought I would be able to control my eating this much that I feel satisfied and not having cravings! I only hope the rest of the 22 days goes this smoothly! Tonight I am planning to make spaghetti squash with a turkey bolognese. Ryan hates spaghetti squash so he is going to make pasta to serve with his bolognese! That means I will have left over spaghetti for lunch and another dinner hopefully! I think my only error with groceries this week is that I planned 4 dinner and leftovers for lunch but I am missing something, more salad? more sides? I don't know what. It is just so expensive to order groceries for the week that I feel like I got so much but still didn't get anything at all. I want to make burgers but didn't buy the meat, I want to make fritters again, but didn't buy enough zuchhini and between 2 people eating salads, we definitely don't have enough mixed greens. We are going to have to find a better solution for grocery shopping because FreshDirect and our grocery stores are just too expensive!

This morning I had the remaining small cup of n'oatmeal at Bar Method in the locker room. I got there really early for the 6:45am class with Brittany, so I took some time for myself and relaxed and ate and had a cup of green tea. Class was great! We did standing seat facing the bar which I haven't done before (yes, after almost 500 class there is always something new to learn at Bar Method)!

After class I had a Larabar Carrot Cake. It tasted good, not too sweat, very similar to Cashew Cookie. The ingredients were "dates, almonds, walnuts, raisins, pineapple, unsweetened coconut, carrots, cinnamon, olive oil." I am so glad I ate in the locker room at 7:45am while I was getting ready because I did not eat breakfast until I was at the office and settled by 9:20am. I used to never eat before or after Bar Method so my last meal that I was working out on was dinner at 6pm and dessert at 9pm. Not the best way to have energy in the morning. I wish I could have lean protein right after my workout but it seems impossible to have grilled chicken in the small locker room at Bar Method while over 25-30 girls are trying to shower and blowdry their hair and get dressed.

Breakfast was a yummy vegetable omelette but I really need to figure out breakfast at work besides eggs! It's keeping my full for awhile, but it's starting to get boring! And lunch was a delicious vegetable salad with short ribs, a zucchini fritter and 2 dates wrapped in prosciutto left over from Saturday (my dessert!)

The fritters were really easy to make and Ryan LOVED them. They were a bit soggy so after pan-frying them I put them in the oven to dry out. They were less moist today after I microwaved them but I wish they were a bit crispier. I need to purchase a cheese cloth in order to get all of the water out! Just when you think you have squeezed the zucchini hard enough, squeeze some more! They need to be absolutely dry! I know I got lazy after squeezing 5 zucchini's so there was water still left. But the flavors were there! I also want to make this again and have them with cashew cheese. Now that I have learned the wonders of a food processor, cashew cheese is going to be the best thing to make ever! I became obsessed with cashew cheese when I started eating the Cashew Ravioli from Juice Generation. I found a recipe but never made it because I thought it would be so hard, but seriously, the food processor is amazing and I have used it everyday now that I learned how! Not sure I would know what to do without it (shh, don't tell my mom I said that)!

Zucchini Fritters
Adapted from Stupid Easy Paleo

5 zucchini, shredded
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
coconut oil or ghee for cooking

1. Shred zucchini using food processor (or by hand). Place in a bowl with salt and toss. Let sit for 10 minutes

2. After 10 minutes, squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini! Place dry zucchini in a separate bowl.

3. Add coconut flour, egg (beaten), pepper and baking soda. Combine!

4. Form fritters by packing zucchini mixture in hand and rolling into a ball. Set aside. I made 9 fritters.

5. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add fat of choice. When hot, add zucchini fritters to the pan. Do not over crowd. I flattened mine when they were in the pan and needed the extra space. Add more fat with each round of fritters. Cook for 5-8 minutes on each side.

 

Serve and enjoy!

We had these and the ribs with a blood orange salad which was simple - blood oranges, diced red onions, pepper, lime juice, lemon juice, cilantro (toss and serve).

 

Day 7 was successful and I am so proud of myself for getting through the weekend without snacking! And we stayed home all day Sunday and never left the couch, we watched a whole season of Nurse Jackie! Normally I would have eaten so many bowls of cereal and sandwiches and quest bars, but I controlled my appetite and had a wonderful omelette, a huge garden salad with leftover almond-coconut chicken and our wonderful dinner!

 

One week down, 3 more to go!

XO