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!!!

Day 24, 25 & 26!

I don't know where this week went - or even the past 26 days. I feel like I have gotten so much done - been busy at work, been working out, been cooking, been eating, and feeling great. I'm a bit tired today but that's to be expected when the week gets away from you and it's Friday already!

I have been feeling fabulous- went to Bar Method Wednesday and Thursday morning and had a great class! Wednesday I went to the new Midtown studio and it was gorgeous. The studio was so large, so pretty and really a great addition to the SoHo community. I did miss my friends at SoHo - the girls in the morning keep me coming back to class just as much as the exercise itself!

 

I am so glad I meal prepped the egg and proscuitto cups, they have really come in handy the past couple of days. It was great to have something beside an omelette on my Bar Method mornings. I had a salad on the side to have some extra vegetables with my meal. They were salty and sweet and I will have to make these more often for my busy workday mornings!

Meal 3 on Wednesday was so much fun to make! ZOODLES! I used the larger blade this time to make thicker and curlier zoodles and they are my favorite. I topped the zucchini with chicken sausage and fire roasted diced tomatoes. It was so filling and so easy and so clean! I added hazelnuts for added crunch and chocolatey flavor and avocado for fat and creaminess to the sauce! I had so many leftover zoodles that Meal 2 on Thursday was zoodles with leftover turkey and spinach stuffing from my sweet potato meal on Tuesday! I love using leftovers and creating new dishes from different ingredients!

 

We walked along the river again and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the wonderful views of Long Island City from the East River!

Day 25, Meal 3 was the best though! I came home from a really busy and stressful day at work (in the past 2 days I never left the building despite the incredible weather, and I barely got up form my desk) to dinner served and ready to eat by Ryan! It made me so happy to not have to come home and start planning, cooking and cleaning. And I was so impressed that he made it Whole30 approved for me!

Meal 3 was Trader Joe's pork ribs (he only used salt and pepper to cook but doused his in BBQ sauce after he purposely separated mine so it wouldn't be cross-contaminated), coconut oil roasted brussel sprouts and we split a leftover sweet potato (don't want too many starches in the same week). It was so delicious. The pork ribs were so crispy and the sweetness of the potato (and I had a side of avocado) balanced each other perfectly. I ate all of my ribs (cavewoman style) and then we spent the rest of the evening on the couch watching The Following and Shameless. I fell asleep at 9pm, exhausted and worn out from this week!

I was planning to either sleep in or go to Bar Method if I woke up early enough on my own without my alarm clock. Well neither of those happened - great way to start Day 26! I woke up at 5am but couldn't go back to sleep, but couldn't get myself out of bed and dressed and packed to go to Bar Method. So instead I spent some extra time in bed and then made a wonderful breakfast for me and Ryan. I made nomnompaleo's egg mcmuffins! We had bison burgers in the freezer that I quickly defrosted and reshaped into 3 burgers. This was really easy to make and such a great alternative to our usual egg omelettes. I steamed 2 egg "buns" for each burger and served the remaining zoodles I had with crushed tomato sauce on top. Ryan said he had never had a burger for breakfast, but this is the process of not defining our meals by what we eat. It is a meal just like any other and if we want burgers for Meal 1 then that is what we will eat. This will definitely have to be made again anytime we have leftover ground meat! Such a simple and easy idea!

Today was another busy day at work but it's finally the weekend! I can't believe this is my last weekend on Whole30! I have a hard ending though to this journey with Passover Monday night. Half of the dishes are Whole30 approved so I have to try my hardest to stay away from everything else! Hopefully being the hostess of the event will distract me enough from the food!

Meal 2 was a mixed green sandwich that I bought and then added my own oven roasted chicken and the remaining prosciutto egg cups. It wasn't anything fabulous but it got me through work today and I felt full.

Meal 3 was the best! I had 2 friends over for dinner and got to make them whole30 approved dishes! We had planned ahead earlier to make paleo pad thai, prosciutto wrapped dates and spicy shrimp in a coconut cream sauce. The food was delicious!!! I have to make this shrimp again for Ryan (who was out playing poker while I had a girls night in). The girls were so impressed with the meal and they even got to help cook a bit with me. It's so much fun to share food and good times with friends. After dinner we watched Frozen! It was a perfect night!

Have a great weekend!

XO

Day 21!

Today's Whole30 email came at an appropriate time - it discussed building new habits, which ironically is my biggest struggle, as seen by yesterday's snacking!

The email states that although we have been going for 21 days to build new habits, it takes much longer, 66 days, to form a habit. The habits that I am changing have also been built over a long period of time so it is much harder to break them, change them, and create new ones than 21 days. My fear is the end of the program and going back to eating desserts all of the time. I'm only human and I can't deprive myself forever, so although I have already committed to continuing to eat Paleo after Whole30, paleo brownies, cookies and pizza will have to exist in my life, just not every day, every week or every month. I now know I can go 21 (hopefully 30) days without dessert so why would I give it up on day 31! I need to continue eating Whole30 for myself, my health and my well-being.

I want to start writing in a habit worksheet as suggested by today's Whole30 Daily email. This will help me keep track of where I was, what I was doing, who I was with, and what I was feeling when I craved sweet, or needed to snack, etc. I need to recognize the cues that triggered a habit so that I can create a new habit for the same cue. I already seem to have gotten over the 3pm snacking slump at the office, but what I really seem to be struggling with is the weekends at home with access to my pantry and fridge at all hours. I can't not have food in my house, especially because I live with someone else and we buy in bulk, so how can I not be tempted by the food I have on hand. How can I go into the fridge for water and not reach for a date? I also want to break habits like eating LaraBars or RxBars for snacks or post workout meals because those are like candy and they are my crutch - I look forward to them because they are sweet and remind me of dessert. That is not the point of the bars and I need to slowly rid my daily diet of them, except in the cases of emergencies.

I remember when I quit smoking cigarettes, I had to change the cues and triggers. I assocaited a cigarette with a specific route I walked every day to work so I had to take a new route so I wouldn't be reminded of having a cigarette. I needed to have dessert after dinner instead of a cigarette (I created a new habit by ending an old one and now I am trying to do the same with Whole30). The 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months and 3 years have always been the hardest for me (I am on 3.5 years now without a cigarette) so I expect this week, my 3rd week on Whole30 to be difficult. I am not home a lot at night so I won't be in control of dinner and have less leftovers for lunches so I need to stay focused and control and not give in to the temptations of snacking and meal replacement bars/treats.

I have been sticking to my Whole30 goal of going to Bar Method 4 times a week so even though this week will be tiring and long, I need to keep up my routines because they are new habits that I am working to create. I have started reading It Starts With Food and I hope to finish it in the next 10 days but even if I don't I will continue to read it because it is so important to learn the science behind my Whole30 program and since I might continue it after 30 days, I need to keep reading!

I have a few things coming up that I know will be difficult for me regarding eating:

1) Thursday I am having some friends over to hang out. I plan to cook a Whole30 approved meal but it doesn't mean they won't want dessert or snacks.

2) April 14 is Passover and even though I have planned my Whole30 approved dishes, I need to avoid my favorite dishes and desserts.

3) April 19 I am going to a Bridal Shower - should I eat before I go? Should I bring a LaraBar or RxBar to have in case there is no food I can eat? What food will there be that I can eat?

4) May 3 Ryan and I are going out to dinner for my birthday and although I will have steak and vegetables since it is a steak house, we have already planned to get the Baked Alaska for dessert. It is what this restaurant is known for in NYC and the point of going to this restaurant is for this specific dessert and I don't want to upset Ryan by not going here because we planned it months ago. It will be a special treat and maybe if I go all of April without dessert even after Whole30, it won't derail me and set me back into my old habits. I don't want to call it a "reward" for doing Whole30 because Whole30 has taught me not to reward myself with food because that was an old habit (do well at work, get cupcakes, go all week eating well, have cake). But I don't want to have regrets either so Baked Alaska will happen. And I don't want to feel guilty about it so it is 1 dessert, 1 time and before and after I stay focused and on Whole30 track!

5) In June we are going to Puerto Rico - a lot of meat and vegetables which is fabulous but I need to avoid the rice and dairy. Also, it is a business trip for Ryan and a vacation for me, so I will be alone a lot so I need to control my snacking. Just because no one is around to see me eat, doesn't mean it didn't happen!

6) SUMMER: ICE CREAM! Ryan and I love getting ice cream on a warm summer night. I don't want to always say no or feel left out. I need to look into sorbet and small portions and not every day or week!

7) September we are going to San Francisco. I plan to eat clean, but also not miss out on anything. We will not be gluten free or paleo for this trip, but we will be aware of the food we eat. I plan to do a Whole30 immediately after the trip!

I know these things so far ahead but I have to plan, I have to recognize my weaknesses and figure out how to overcome the tough moments in my life related to food!

This morning Ryan and I went to Trader Joe's early and bought a lot of meat and vegetables for this week. I still don't have a plan but I have food and I will work backwards to find recipes based on the groceries.

Meal 1 was a delicious omelette with turkey, spinach, bruschetta and avocado and almonds with a side of Spicy Chicken Sausage and zucchini fritters cooked in bacon fat.

We are going out tonight from 4pm - 6pm (prime cooking time) so we are not planning a big Sunday dinner like usual. I bought a steak for myself and have leftover brussel sprouts so it will be a cook, but Whole30 approved dinner! We are going to a cocktail reception for Clark University, where we went to college and met, to meet accepted new students. I plan to have Meal 2 around 1pm and will have a LaraBar in my purse for an emergency because I am sure none of the food will be something I can eat. I don't want to feel like I need to eat since I should still be full from Meal 2 before Meal 3 but being around the food is a trigger and I want to be prepared just in case! 

Have a great day!

XO

Day 16

Good Morning and welcome to Day 16 on Whole30 -- the beginning of the downhill journey. I know I still have 14 days left, but I really don't want it to end. I have never felt so good, so happy, so energized, so fresh, so excited...and I am almost afraid of Day 31. I really think after Whole30 I will continue and do another Whole30, or at least keep with the lessons I have learned and continue to eliminate certain foods from my diet. Eliminating dairy, grains and sugar has not been as hard as I thought I am feel incredible. Where I used to feel sluggish and tired and bloated, I no longer do and I know it is because of my food choices the past 15 days. I know that by eating protein and fat and eating 3 large meals a day and not snacking that I have changed my taste buds, my habits and my body in a good way. My blood sugar is regulated, my body is using fat for fuel instead of sugar and all aspects of my life are benefiting! That's not to say I will never have a paleo brownie or cupcake, but not on a regular basis and certainly not everyday. I am definitely going to stay with a paleo lifestyle after Whole30 and keep grains out of my diet and dairy because I know those things negatively effect me and my body and mind! Sugar will be on special occasions - like a Saturday evening at home baking with Ryan, or an event where I can bring something sweet so I know I can have something while everyone is having sugar laden and carb heavy treats. I don't want to deprive myself, I just want to control when and how I "treat" myself. I want to get rid of seeing food as a reward and more as a decision that I am conscious of making!

The first day downhill started with a morning at home with Ryan! I really wanted to go to Bar Method but sometimes an extra hour of sleep is more important than an hour working out. Breakfast for Ryan was a bowl of gluten free cereal and a simple scrambled eggs!

I used the remaining leftover chocolate chili from Saturday night and made chili with fried eggs (runny) and some slivered almonds, shredded unsweetened coconut, pistachios and goji berries. It was delicious - so warm, so filling and was a great alternative to a vegetable omellete. I really love the chili and next time I need to make a larger batch to freeze!

Lunch today is a large vegetable salad with leftover pork chop and mango salsa!

For dinner I really want to make spaghetti squash "pizza" from OMGPaleo but it takes a lot of time to cook because the spaghetti squash takes 40 minutes and then the pie takes 1 hour of additional cooking time. But it is going to be great for morning breakfast instead of omelettes on Bar Method mornings the rest of this week so I really want to do it. Ryan said if he gets home early enough he could buy the spaghetti squash and prep it for me to save time! Fingers crossed!

Have a great day everyone!

XO

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 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