Whole30 Round 2 Day 10 - 12

Memorial Day Weekend is my favorite holiday to spend in NYC. The city empties out because everyone is going to the beach - the streets are empty and quiet and everything seems so peaceful. I was walking along St. Marks Street Saturday morning and I was the only one on the block. Nobody was in my way; my pace was slow, my head was up, and I was smiling while I walk. It's rare, but it was a moment that I had to myself to enjoy the city!

Saturday morning began with a wonderful and filling meal 1. Leftover chocolate chili with fried eggs and brussel sprouts. Ryan said it basically looked like last nights dinner! Which it was.

I was so full from breakfast that I didn't even need a pre-workout meal before I headed to SoHo to take my Level 2 Bar Method class. I am always nervous when I go into the studio for Level 2. It's all mental though. I have been taking class for over 4 years, that's over 530 classes, I know what I am doing. But Level 2 is a bit intimidating all on its own because you have to be on your game - you have to know how to set up, how to adjust yourself and how to push yourself harder than you ever would. But Amanda's class was incredible and I am so glad I went. I am so glad I made going to a Level 2 class one of my Whole30 goals because it pushed me to go to the afternoon class and work my glutes off! I was shaking and crying on the inside but I left the studio feeling so strong.

After class I walked to Hu Kitchen to get lunch and Ryan and I sat outside at the park and ate. We got the vegetable pasta salad and fish sticks. All in all a good meal - we really didn't want meat since we were so full from chili two meals in a row. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and watching TV and Ryan studied for the GRE's. This is basically how the rest of our summer will be!

Meal 3 was absolutely delicious. We made spaghetti squash with pesto (Trader Joe's is Whole30 approved) and steamed clams. It was a summer treat and reminded me of my dad's pasta vongele that he makes in Fire Island all the time. I found out later that my parents made the same dish, just without the pesto, while they were at the beach! Ryan and I rented a movie and got comfortable on the couch for the rest of the evening!

Sunday we woke up really early - 6am early. We needed to eat Meal 1 and get ready to head to the Statue of Liberty! Meal 1 was a spinach and tomato omelet with chorizo. I found sugar free chorizo at a grocery store near our house and I guess it is going to be bought weekly because Ryan proclaimed it's his favorite!!

We headed down to Battery Park to catch the boat and by 9am and were at Liberty State Park. We climbed the 357 stairs to the crown - it was a difficult steep climb, but the views were absolutely beautiful! We walked around the statue taking in the gorgeous views and sights and then got back on the boat to go to Ellis Island. It was only 10am still and we felt like we had already done so much! We got to Ellis Island and walked around the rooms where immigrants came when trying to enter the United States. We also went to the Wall of Honor and I found my family member, Samuel David Chriss, who passed through Ellis Island! By 11am we were back on the ferry and back in the city.

 

 

 

Stairway to the crown!

 

 

Inside the crown!

 

We were starving before noon since we had meal 1 so early but we held strong and did not have our emergency RxBars. We walked from Battery Park to SoHo and ended up at Dos Caminos for lunch. We were seated and looked over the menu and knew that with Mexican Cuisine we would have to do some substitutions and eliminations to make it Whole30 approved - we just didn't realize how difficult some kitchens could be. First we asked if the tacos could be turned into salads - Ryan wanted fish tacos and I wanted carnitas. We were told absolutely no, the kitchen was really strict about that. Strict about what? Taking the same meat and serving it over a plate of lettuce and saving the tacos? Hmmm. Okay. So then we both ordered the cobb salad; I had mine with grilled shrimp and Ryan had his with grilled chicken. We told the waiter, no corn, no tortilla strips, no beans, no cheese. He looked at us after we ordered and laughed and said "I see you guys are on a diet." I said "actually no, we just can't physically eat those items." We also put in an order for guacamole and told him to hold the tortilla chips (free) and send over a plate of crunchy vegetables ($5). Well, we got 6 vegetables for an entire bowl of guacamole and paid for it in comparison to the free bottomless bowl of chips. The food came out and although it looked delicious, it looked so plain. I guess that's what happens when you eliminate everything from the plate. I was just surprised that the kitchen didn't think to add more lettuce or vegetables since we didn't get anything else! Then I got mad - the waiter came over with a plate of rice, beans and cheese and said: "In case you change your mind!" In case I change my mind about what? About not wanted my stomach to hurt after I eat it, not wanting my acne to come back, not wanting to feel tired and run down? And even if I was on a diet like he thought I was, that was rude to put a plate of fattening cheese beans and rice in front of people who specifically asked for those items to be removed from the dish. Just because I didn't want it in my salad, doesn't mean I want it on my table! So for a bowl of guacamole, vegetables and 2 salads, we paid $70. Yeah, not ideal! But we didn't let it ruin our perfect day so we walked home through the park and enjoyed the beautiful weather!

We hung out on the couch when we got home at 2pm. It honestly felt like 5pm with all that we had done. We knew meal 3 would have to be early so Ryan and I split half an RxBar at 3:30pm. Not the best thing to eat, but obviously lunch wasn't that filling. Dinner was French Seasoned Lamb Ribs from Trader Joe's which I served with a side of zoodles topped with curry sweet potatoes from Hu Kitchen (apricots, almonds, potatoes, egg, apple cider vinegar) and prosciutto wrapped dates. Everything was delicious, but everything was very sweet. Ryan couldn't even finish his potatoes or dates because they were too sweet for him. What a difference 11 days make! After dinner, Ryan studied for the GRE's and I fell asleep early. I was so worn out and tired. The next morning Ryan admitted to having a late night snack of a frozen monkey muffin (banana, cashew, pecan, walnut, dates). He said the sugar rush from dinner made it so he craved more. I totally believe him and understand the hunger he felt, because, to be honest, I snuck one too when he was in the shower! It really must have been the sweet flavors that blocked the satiety from the fat of the lamb so we never got full. And also our early morning start and early lunch and early dinner didn't help either. But it was 1 day with a snack and with the amount of walking we did earlier, it's okay! We can't be too hard on ourselves. We didn't cheat or mess up Whole30.

Yesterday we had the day off from work so I went to Trader Joe's early to get some groceries for the week. I didn't get much because it is a short work week and I am off Friday and Friday night we are at the Yankee game. It was probably the least amount of money I ever spent on groceries for the week so we will see how long it lasts. Meal 1 was another spinach and tomato omelete with chorizo. We then went to Stuyvesant Oval to lay out and read for a little bit and then came back for Meal 2. Meal 2 was a tuna salad made with broccoli slaw and vegetables and Tessamae's lemon garlic dressing. We served it on top of romaine lettuce so it was like a taco (hmm, Dos Caminos should try that) and a small side of chocolate chili.

We then walked to SoHo and went to see "Fed Up," the new documentary about sugar and obesity in our society. It was so eye opening to see how the food industry is controlling our government and in turn controls us. Good thing we are doing Whole30 or this movie would have made us feel bad about ourselves. In one segment, it discussed what the recommended amount of sugar is (less than 6 tsp) and then should a typical day for most people who think they are eating healthy. A bowl of cereal with milk and OJ in the morning already has more than 6 tsp of sugar! Followed by a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, nutella for a snack and whole wheat pasta with sauce for dinner. All of this put people over 10x the recommended amount of sugar. And this was Ryan's typical healthy diet only 12 days ago! It also showed people "dieting" and using low fat, reduced fat and no fat products and diet food products like special k, weight watchers and lean cuisine and yet their weight actually increased the more they ate the diet foods. That's because it is all processed and not real food!

After the movie we walked home and Ryan went straight for the kitchen. He told me that he was going to make dinner tonight and I was instructed to stay out of the kitchen! Lucky me!

Dinner was incredible. Beyond perfect and I am so impressed and proud to see Ryan cooking whole30 approved meals that are so good for us! He made spicy almond encrusted chicken tenders (they had a great spice and kick to them), spaghetti squash with mixed vegetable salad (we made an extra spaghetti squash on Saturday since they take awhile to cook - so great to have this on hand to use) and bok choy in garlic. It was such a perfect dinner and we had no leftovers - which made me sad because I am craving chicken tenders right now.
 

I just have to remember to lessen my portion sizes. I feel like Ryan and I are eating the same amount of food which is not good. I am so much smaller than him and he needs more food for more energy so I need to watch how much I am eating with each meal. It's just so much easy to split everything half and half but I know I can't do that. Maybe that's also why Ryan is hungry sooner than me, because he is eating less than he should be. He served dinner 50/50 last night and of course I ate it because it was on my plate, but I probably should have had 2 chicken tenders and he should of had 6 instead of 4 and 4. Oh well, good thing I had 4 because they were really good!

It was a fabulous weekend and I feel relaxed and happy! I am also extremely sore and achy from all of the walking we did this weekend but it felt good to be outside and in the sun and enjoying the nice warm weather! It makes me so happy and in such a good mood!

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend as well!
XO

Whole30 Round 2 Day 6 - 9

Time seems to be escaping me, both good and bad! I feel in control, happy and full! Whole30 Round 2 is going great and I love seeing Ryan's success and watching him feel as amazing as I did my first round. He is having a few non-scale victories including his pants being loose and needing a belt, working out, going to sleep early, cooking every night and not ordering pizza, and getting so focused that he is now preparing to take the GRE so he can apply for PhD programs! He is excelling in his first week of Whole30 and I couldn't be more proud.

My first week went well too! It was a busy one and I wasn't home for meal 3 three nights, but now that Ryan is doing Whole30, I know the food he is cooking is compliant so I feel less stressed about eating, having leftovers, meal prepping and staying on track! A non-scale victory that I had this week was bringing meal 2 every day to work and not buying anything and because I meal prepped on Sunday, I had meal 1 prepared for my Bar Method mornings. I went to Bar Method Monday, Wednesday and Friday and am going this morning (Saturday, Day 10). I am even going to take a Level 2 course since that was one of my goals!

Another non-scale victory that I had during week 1 was hitting my NikeFuel Goal every day! That's over 10,000 steps per day. It feels great to be active and not be confined to a gym in order to do so. I know the warmer weather helps with my activity so I am more than excited for the warmer weather to arrive in NYC.

We ate really well this week and had some great recipes and meals that produced amazing leftovers!

Tuesday - Day 6
This evening I went to Hu Kitchen for meal 3 because nomnompaleo was doing a book signing. It was really exciting to see Michelle and have my huge red paleo cookbook signed, but it was also amazing to go to Hu Kitchen and have an amazing meal that was whole30 approved. I even bought leftovers for Ryan's meal 2 the next day. I went to the book signing with a friend who is also doing hole30 so it was a great evening talking about our new lifestyle and the success we're having as well as the hardships. Meal 3 was roasted brussel sprouts and Italian Meatballs. I got the same meal for Ryan's lunch.

Ryan's meal 3 was bison burgers with a homemade roasted peppers and fig balsamic sauce. He made extras for me for my meal 2 the next day!

Wednesday - Day 7
This morning I had a great Bar Method class and had my chicken and vegetable frittata for meal 1 at the office. Meal 2 was a huge salad topped with guacamole, salsa, and bison burger.

I promised Ryan we would cook meal 3 together since it was the only night that I was home to cook with him. He has been doing such a great job of cooking every night and I wanted to give him a break. We decided to make shepherd's pie using cauliflower mash instead of mashed potatoes! It was delicious! The cauliflower was creamy and light and we didn't even think that we were missing anything by not using white potatoes. The meaty filling was hearty and delicious and we had enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch! We made a side of roasted kale chips and used Tessamaes zesty ranch dressing which gave them an amazing kick! I ordered a lot of Tessamaes dressings that arrived so that Ryan would not get bored with a salad most days for lunch. We are using leftovers a lot but a side of salad at work is so easy but using oil and vinegar every day can get boring. I got lemon garlic, italian, raspberry vinaigrette, cracked pepper, zesty ranch and ketcup, hot sauce and bbq sauce!!

Thursday - Day 8
Meal 1, Ryan and I made spinach and tomato omelets with a sweet potato, carrot and zucchini hash on the side! I added cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to the hash to make a bit sweet which was so satisfying!

 

Meal 2 was left over shepherd's pie, kale chips and a small salad.

Meal 3 was at an Irish pub - not the best place for paleo food finds but it was a work event so I went and enjoyed the night. I didn't give in to temptations though of mozzarella sticks, nachos and chicken tenders. I was able to order a grilled salmon over mixed green salad with fruit. I didn't eat the fruit because I didn't want the sugar to derail me. If I had eaten the sugar, it would have been harder to say no to the fried foods in front of me!

 

I was out until 8pm which wasn't too late, but I think eating, drinking and socializing didn't allow me to focus on my food and what I was eating because even though I was full, I wasn't satisfied. On my way home I had a blueberry RxBar. I didn't need it and honestly didn't feel proud for eating it, but there are worse choices to make for late night eating. I was happier eating the RxBar though than going home and eating almond butter and dates which is what I would have done during Round 1 or after Whole30 ended. I guess that is another non-scale victory - I haven't had almond butter in a week and have not had any late night snacking besides this bar!

Friday - Day 9
Summer Friday has started! This means I am done working at 1pm so I didn't plan any meal 2. My morning still began early with Bar Method and the remaining pieces of chicken and vegetable frittata at the office!

Meal 2 was amazing. The food was filling, I was at home cooking and eating, and Ryan was there. It wasn't good weather so it was nice to spend the first Summer Friday at home resting on the couch watching TV and doing nothing, though in the future I hope to spend time outside and take advantage of the warm weather and afternoon sunshine. Meal 2 we made Trader Joe's chili lime chicken burgers over a large spinach and vegetable salad, topped with salsa and guacamole. I love using salsa and guacamole as dressing because it adds good fat, vegetables and a lot of flavor and spices! Ryan noted how full he was which made the meal a success.

I spent the rest of the afternoon laying in bed and being completely lazy! Ryan studied for the GRE's and got a lot of work done. Meal 3 was the amazing Chocolate Chili from Well Fed that we made during Round 1! I started cooking at 5:30pm and let it simmer for 2 hours so we ate late. But that was okay - the weather had gotten worse and a thunderstorm and pouring rain had started so we were staying in anyway and it felt good to eat late. Another non-scale victory is that we have been eating a lot of meal 3's together at our dining room table and not on the couch in front of the TV!

We made roasted brussel sprouts using Tessamaes lemon garlic dressing. We topped the sprouts with a fried egg! We topped the chili with crushed almonds and flaked coconut. I doubled the recipe so we have a lot of leftovers for te weekend and maybe even 1 meal during the week! I also used a combination of meat (turkey and lean beef).

 

It has been an amazing week 1 in terms of food and meal planning and working out. I am however feeling a bit tired and run down. Maybe my tiger blood hasn't kicked in yet but I am waking up most mornings feeling achy and tired. I also get tired mid-day to the point where I could fall asleep at my desk! I am 3 weeks without caffeine so I don't want to give in and have some to wake up. I am making great food choices and working out so my energy should be peaked. Maybe it was the week of not being home most nights so I will see how week 2 goes!

Have a great weekend!
XO

Whole30 Round 2 Day 5!

Day 5! I feel like Whole30 is going by quickly, maybe because I am doing it with Ryan and my mom and there's so many more people to talk to about it with. I love that it's so new to them - even though the daily emails are the same as Round 1, I still read them every morning so I can talk to Ryan about them. I love how they know exactly how he is feeling in terms of energy, cravings, sleep, work, life...the emails are an amazing support system and I don't think Whole30 would be as successful without them!

Yesterday started off with a great Bar Method class. Arabesque is not my favorite seat work but after a weekend of not going, it felt good to work hard and shake hard! Pre-workout meal was a monkey muffin - I am trying not to eat them all the time since it is bananas, dates and nuts but I couldn't have a hard boiled egg, I just wasn't in the mood. Post-workout was a handful of chicken that I picked up at Trader Joe's - ready to serve and cubed. I had a few bites and felt full and satisfied knowing that I wouldn't eat meal 1 for another hour!

Meal #1 was a frittata that I had prepped Sunday. It had ground turkey, chicken sausage, asparagus, onion, mushroom, tomato and blueberries (I know it's still weird to have turkey, eggs and blueberries but something about the sweetness and the salty make it so yummy). I still am not eating whole fruits because I had such an addiction to the sugar and ate fruit all the time in between meals. It was a habit I needed to change so I am sticking to only eating fruit in meals a few times (I am in love with Hu Kitchen apple & fennel salad). I know this looks weird, but it was so delicious and 2 pieces filled me up for the morning! And it was packed with vegetables and protein so I didn't need any salad on the side!

 

I have a lot of pieces left and they will be perfect for Wednesday and Friday morning when I have Bar Method and even for lunch on Thursday if I need protein for my salad.

Meal 2 was tuna & salmon sashimi because I went out to lunch with a coworker. I love being able to go out to eat like a normal person even when my diet since anything but normal. I didn't think I would be full after eating only a few slices of fish, but surprisingly I had no cravings or desire to eat, even at 3pm which is always my hardest time of day! I had saved a few bites of chicken from post-workout and had them before I left work since I was going to acupuncture and wouldn't be home for meal #3 until late!

While I was at acupuncture, Ryan was home cooking dinner. Normally, I'm sure he would have ordered pizza or made a frozen meal, but he really took the time to make a delicious dish and I was so proud. He made PaleOMG's spinach & artichoke chicken carbonara. He made enough for him for meal #3 and both of us for lunch as leftovers. I told him I would rather us both eat it for lunch than one of us have to go out and buy food since there is so much food in our fridge so I had already planned to eat leftover chili lime chicken and zucchini latkes when I got home.

Acupuncture was great. I love being able to have an hour to myself once a week to relax. No cell phone, no TV, no husband, no work...just my and my thoughts - though yesterday I almost fell asleep so I guess I needed to break more than I thought. I have no fear of needles and I go in there with an open mind that chinese medicine is healing and soothing. My acupuncturist is also an amazing woman and I love talking to hear and learning from here and seeing how I grow each week when I visit her.

My meal 3 was quick and easy since I was heating up leftovers (chicken, latke, steamed broccoli rabe, tomatoes) and after, Ryan and I went for a long walk on the river. It was so beautiful out and I just didn't want to be inside!

 

I can't wait for my lunch tomorrow to try Ryan's dish. I know it makes him so happy to cook for me and to not have to worry about weight watchers points and measuring. It is such a relief to be able to enjoy food with my family!

Have a great evening!

XO

Whole30 Round 2 Day 4

What a great weekend! the weather was beautiful, Ryan and I were busy and we ate so well! Ryan is so committed to Whole30 and supporting him really is helping my second round. It seems to be a lot easier for me this time because Ryan and I can eat the same food and he isn't tempting me with sweets and chocolate and pizza!

Day 4 started with an amazing breakfast, mainly because we had whole30 approved bacon. Bacon always makes the day so much better. We ate all leftovers for breakfast, mainly because I wanted to show Ryan how to reuse food! We had salmon cakes, asparagus and soft-boiled eggs! It was my first time making soft-boiled eggs - they were extremely delicious, but a bit tricky to peel. I took a lot of egg white off with the shell and they are so delicate because the yolk is still runny that a few broke. I did have a perfect cup and was able to dip my salmon cake into it! I'll keep trying!

After meal 1, we watched some episodes of Weeds and then headed out on this beautiful spring day in NYC to Hu Kitchen for meal 2. We weren't that hungry after such a filling meal 1, but we needed to get out of the house. We walked to 5th avenue and 13th street so we both had a lot of activity. I ordered apple & fennel salad and the stuffed portobello mushroom (which is basically dessert in a mushroom - it's so sweet with sweet potatoes, carrots, dates, cashews)! Ryan got the thai chicken salad and steamed broccoli rabe. He really wanted the slaw salad but it had honey. So not fair!

We walked back to Stuyvesant Town oval with our food and ate in the park. It was so great to be outside, enjoying the beautiful weather and just spending time together!

We got back to the apartment and meal prepped for Meal 3. My parents were coming over for dinner so we had a few dishes to make. Ryan made his sweet potato and zucchini fritters. He learned how to use the shredder for the food processor which saves so much time and energy. We even have extra shredded sweet potato for sweet potato hash for breakfast! I just have to make sure I'm not eating too many starchy vegetables. I barely ate potatoes round 1 and now in 3 days I have had 3 servings of sweet potatoes! Might have to cool it for the week now. The rest of the dinner was easy. We made seared tuna steaks and bok choy in a garlic sauce. I served a platter of avocado, mango, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and dates so everyone could pick at it. The meal was absolutely delicious and since my mom is doing Whole30 with us, it was a great family meal!

Sorry, started eating before I remembered to take a photo!

Ryan and I cleaned up after dinner and got into bed. I watched some TV and Ryan began studying for the GRE's. He didn't have any evening snacks, desserts, or even caffeine. Now I know whole30 has a lot to do with those changes in only 4 days and I couldn't be happier!!!