Day 31 Meal Prep and Day 32

Yes I am still following Whole30...no I am not starting re-entry protocol...no I have not lost my mind. I love how I feel, I love how I control food now and I don't want to go back to how I felt 32 days ago! I will eventually reintroduce natural sugar like honey back in to my diet so that I can have Paleo treats and breads occasionally but I honestly want to do my best to keep dairy, soy and gluten and wheat out of my diet as best as I can (with the special Baked Alaska for my Birthday of course)! I don't want to feel deprived or left out so I have to make this work for me and my life and right now this is my choice to continue Whole30...or basically Whole45 until May 3rd dinner.

Last night I think I panicked though. Mentally I knew it was the end of Whole30 which meant no more support daily emails and no more telling people I am on Whole30. Really, I could have opened my freezer and microwaved dinner and had bee done with it, or picked up a delicious dollar slice of pizza on my way home. But instead I decided to meal prep. In 1 hour, I baked 3 things! Dinner...pre-workout snack and post-workout snack. If I can keep some semblance of a routine, especially early in the morning than I think I can have control without the support of Whole30 everyday!

Pre-workout snack was Monkey Muffins again since I was running low. they are such a great treat early in the morning and help me feel full and energized through my commute and Bar workout! They are sugar free and have a lot of nuts (so I have to be careful not to eat too many of them as snacks during the day! The ingredients are 2 cups of cashews, 1/2 cup of walnuts, 2 bananas, 10 dates, cinnamon, salt, 1/2 cup coconut oil. This made 12 perfectly portioned muffins and they're sitting in my freezer waiting for my morning workouts!!

Post-workout I went with my turkey blueberry muffins again (turkey, blueberries, coconut flour, onions, eggs, spice).  Really easy, really simple, easy to commute with, easy to eat in the locker room and filled with great lean protein and carbs for post workout recovery. And they taste a lot sweeter now than they did my first week of Whole30. Everything tastes sweeter now that I have gone a month without sugar!

Because I was meal prepping when I got home last night I had a quick pre-dinner snack. I had a few figs with some cashew cheese. And I was able to control myself and only have 4 figs...32 days ago I would have been pigging out on the sweet treats!!

Dinner was delicious. I made spaghetti squash quiche! Using the spaghetti squash as the crust is such a unique way to use it and it is so different than just having "pasta." This is why it is allowed on Whole30...it is not a replacement for pasta because psychologically in our minds it is not pasta since we use it so many different ways. A brownie is still a brownie and that's why it is not approved! It's all mental! I used PaleOMG's recipe and added spinach and tomatoes for added color and vegetables so I didn't even need a salad on the side! Even Ryan tried some and loved it! This to me is a huge success!!!

I brought some for Meal 1 today with an avocado which was such a great meal after a really intense and wonderful Bar Method workout this morning. Meal 2 was a mixed green salad with tons of vegetables and almonds and leftover salmon from passover. You would think with all of my meal prep yesterday I would know what I am having for Meal 3 tonight, but I don't and I'm a little stressed about it but I'm trying not to worry and to stay in control!

I hope everyone is having a great day!

XO

Day 27 & 28: The Perfect Weekend

It was the perfect weekend! The perfect weather, the perfect food, the perfect activities...everything about this weekend makes me smile. I did have some hard times and a few struggles but everything is still on track!

Saturday, I wanted to workout but I didn't want to commute to SoHo for Bar Method so I went across the street to the Asser Levy Recreation Center (Ryan and I became members last week) and decided to join a spin class. Now this is not Pablo's spin, or soul cycle, or fly wheel...this is a spin class for 6 women who just want to ride a bike with an instructor. The NYC Recreation Center's are a great addition to the city and allow everyone to workout (it is $150/year to join! I pay $250/month for Bar). But the machines are old, the rooms are multipurpose and it is dingy and shabby. But it was perfect for what I wanted - a place to sweat. The girls I was spinning with were so nice and welcoming and I ended up have a great workout and a fun time! I will plan to go back some Saturday's when I don't have time for the commute and 1 hour bar class, or in the winter when it is too cold to even walk outside!

After spin, Ryan and I had Meal 1 (egg mcmuffins again).

Then we went downtown to The Elevated Acre. I had never heard of it, but a friend showed me photos - it is an elevated park (just like the highline) that looks over the East River, FDR, Heliport and has stunning views of the Brooklyn Promenade and the Bridge. Ryan and I were up there alone for a bit before a few other people came up but we laid out and just read. It was so relaxing, so peaceful and so much fun to have the views of Brooklyn when for 3 years we had the views of lower Manhattan.

 

After soaking up some sun we went for lunch at The Paris Cafe, opened in 1873 and had so much history!! They had just reopened after closing for 1.5 years because of Hurricane Sandy. Ryan ordered fish and chips (so tempting not to reach across the table and just grab a bite) and I ordered the warm mushroom salad. On the menu it was an arugula salad with mushrooms, pine nuts, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette. I kindly asked the waitress to serve it with no cheese and no dressing and add grilled chicken. 26 days ago I would have been to nervous to ask for these modifications but Whole30 has taught me to make it work so rather than not eat with Ryan, I found the best and easiest dish to modify and it was delicious!!!

After Meal 2 we took a 4 mile walk along the East River back home! It was so sunny, so warm, the skies were blue and everyone was so happy!

Dinner was leftovers since lunch was so late (3pm) so I had paleo pad thai.

Yesterday was just as incredible. I slept in a little (so no Bar Method in 3 days - yikes) and had breakfast. Ryan was craving donuts so I was a good wife and got him donuts and myself a vegetable omelette (topped with guacamole) served with a n'oatmeal muffin on the side.

Next, we headed out to the Roosevelt Island Tram. After living in NYC for 26 years, I have never taken the tram or been to Roosevelt Island and yesterday was the perfect day for it. The tram is at 60th street and 2nd avenue and it is a 10 minute ride over the East River (next to the 59th street bridge) and down to Roosevelt Island. Roosevelt Island is so small with only a few shops and we decided to walk to the North point. The views of Manhattan are gorgeous and there is so much history on the island and I can't wait to come back and go to the South Park. We walked 1 mile from the tram to the Blackwell Lighthouse and back around through the parks.

We headed back to Manhattan on the tram and went to Whole Foods and got lunch from the salad bar. I made a spinach salad with all of the vegetables, an endive and pomegranate seed salad and pulled chicken. And i topped it with Tessamae's Cracked Pepper Dressing. We took the salads to go and ate at home (again a really late lunch - 3pm) and hung out before cooking Meal 3. I had so much salad that I only ate half and saved the rest!

Meal 3 was incredible. It was a spice rubbed Ahi Tuna Steak cooked perfectly to rare/medium rare for Ryan. Ryan was so adamant that he would never eat rare fish and it had to be cooked but I told him to trust me! And he did...and he loved it! I had never made tuna steaks before but now I want to make it a lot more often. And it was so much cheaper than ordering sushi!

The steaks were coated with salt, pepper, paprika and coriander. Over a medium-high heat i added coconut oil and when the oil was hot (whips of smoke coming off the pan), I added the tuna. I seared the steaks for 2 minutes on each side and then let the fish rest for an additional minute. I sliced the steaks and served with asparagus, avocado and tuna topped with artichoke bruschetta. It was a delicious meal and Ryan loved it, which made me love it even more!

Now I know this sounds great and completely Whole30 compliant but I did have a few bumps in the road - nothing off plan - but some snacking! And I hate that I needed to snack and that I let food control me but some of it was necessary.

Saturday's snack was plantains and hazelnuts that I brought with me to the Elevated Acre. I snacked on them slowly throughout the day. And on Sunday I had 1/2 an RxBar while we were at Roosevelt Island and last night I had plantains, dates and carrots with almond butter and a fig/hazelnut spread. I know it doesn't sound crazy but for me it felt a little out of control. However, even though I snacked, I know why - and knowing why is just as important. We didn't meal plan so I brought snacks with me while we were out which was definitely great since I went more than 5 hours in between Meal 1 and 2 but not planning forced me to think too much about food. Eating late also led me to be a bit ravenous when we were home. And the pantry won.

Surprisingly, the past few days I have been craving something sweet which is why I keep going back to dates and almond butter and plantains after my meals. I shouldn't need sweet tasting things after meals but old habits are rearing their ugly heads again and I am not happy. Late night snacking of cooking and brownies is what got me in trouble 28 days ago and I don't want to feel out of control again. I was doing so well not eating after meals but lately - almond butter has been screaming my name. I don't know if I am craving it because it is in my pantry of if I really need it. I just don't know if I could not have certain things in my pantry because I do cook with dates, almond butter, figs - all of the sweet stuff!

Hopefully I can come out of Whole30 more control of my food choices, my activity and my outlook on happy and healthy living!

XO

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