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).
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!
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!
XO
