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!!!

Birthday Weekend Celebrations

This weekend Ryan and I continued to celebrate my birthday. It was a beautiful weekend but Ryan and I actually spent most of it inside watching House of Cards. We have become completely addicted to the Netflix series and watched 21 episodes this weekend and have only 5 remaining!

Saturday began with delicious frittata filled with ground chicken, chicken sausage, sweet potatoes and egg. I had mine with a side of avocado, grape tomatoes and leftover brussel sprout and apple salad. Ryan might have to learn to like avocados since he plans on doing Whole30; they are such a great healthy fat to add to his diet so we will see if I can start sneaking it into some dishes! There is plenty of leftover frittata so at least I will have a few breakfasts on Bar Method mornings.

After breakfast and a couple of episodes of House of Cards we headed to the Hester Street Fair in lower Manhattan. We shopped around and Ryan had a pork sandwich for lunch and then we walked back to our apartment - 1.8 miles! We made a quick stop at the Essex Street Market which is an open concept grocery store, butcher shop, fish market, juice bar, etc. We ended up buying half a gallon of coconut oil which will certainly last us a lot longer than the 16 oz. bottles from trader joe's! It only cost $20 which is so exciting! This will be so helpful during our Whole30 in a couple of weeks because we will be cooking so much for the next month and coconut oil is a great cooking oil because it can stand high heats!

 

After a few more episodes of House of Cards we got dressed for a really exciting Birthday Dinner! We had been planning to go to Delmonico's for my birthday since March 1 when we had our anniversary dinner at Eleven Madison. The main dessert during our 16 course menu was a baked alaska which we were told was based on the world famous one at Delmonico's. We loved the dessert so much at Eleven Madison that we knew we had to try the original!

We got dressed up for dinner - Ryan wore dress pants and a pink button down shirt with a tweed dress coat. I work a black dress and my wedding shoes! Who doesn't love a good excuse to get dressed up!

Delmonico's can be found on the corner of Beaver and Williams street in the financial district. 

We stepped inside and knew we were in an extremely historic setting. Delmonico's represents many firsts in America and the restaurant business including:

*The first dining establishment in America to be called "Restaurant"

*The first dining establishment to have a printed menu

*The first restaurant to offer a seperate wine list

*The first restaurant where guests sat at their own tables

*The first restaurant to offer Eggs Benedict

It's a restaurant that represent luxury and class and it can be felt as soon as you walk into the building. 

Ryan started with an iceberg salad topped with bacon, tomatoes and blue cheese and I started with the tuna tartare and hamachi!

For our entrees, I ordered the famous Delmonico's Steak and Ryan had one of the specials - a T-Bone topped with Blue Cheese. For our sides we had onion rings and asparagus with a fried egg. Delmonico's Steak is a boneless ribeye and "originated around 1830 as the house cut" of the restaurant.

Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted incredible. The meat melted in my mouth and I wish it never ended. 

And of course for dessert we had the Baked Alaska!

It was such a special dinner, and such a treat to spend my birthday at New York's historic Delmonico's.

After dinner we walked through the Financial District a bit before heading home to watch more House of Cards!

Sunday began with another frittata. I used leftover zoodles and bolognes and made a frittata. I added spinach and tomatoes to it and again, there's enough leftovers for a few more breakfasts!

Again, a few more House of Cards episodes and then we were off for a couples massage! I was given a wonderful gift by my best friend from College - a 60 minute hot stone massage. Ryan bought a deal on groupon for the same massage so we decided for my birthday to treat ourselves. We hadn't had a couples massage since our honeymoon when we got Thai Massages on Rome! The massage was a perfect way to end the weekend and definitely helped relax us. We headed home for more House of Cards episodes and wrapped up our special weekend on the couch with Haley.

Saturday was the first time in 45 days that I reintroduced gluten, dairy and sugar back into my diet. At first I was really scared but I didn't want to go to this special restaurant and pay an enormous amount of money for a meal that I would barely eat. It didn't seem fair or right to Ryan so rather than feel guilty about the meal itself, I ate the food and enjoyed every bite. I had 2 bites of bread that were put at our table - 2 small bites just to get ready for the meal. The steak was served with fried onions on top and I ate every piece. They added a great texture and flavor to the steak and I didn't want to miss any part of the meal. I also had a bite of Ryan's salad with blue cheese and his onion rings (gluten and dairy). And of course the Baked Alaska. I felt absolutely fine during the meal - no headaches, stomach aches, pains or nausea. It wasn't until Sunday morning that I felt a few side effects of the reintroduction but nothing that made me regret any decision I made the night before.

I was completely achy trying to get out of bed Sunday morning. My muscles were sore, my back was tight and I had a huge headache that dulled a bit with some coffee. I also didn't feel hungry when I woke up so I knew my body was completely off balance. The best way for me to help myself get through this was not to eat a bagel or some cereal and taken the easy way out by saying "well, I already ate it yesterday so I might as well continue the weekend and start fresh on Monday." No! Instead, I got to cooking on a frittata and vowed to not let a little reintroduction throw me off track. It was a deliberate slip off of my Whole30 eating patterns but a little indulgence was not going to turn into a weekend of bad eating. After the massages we picked up salads and for dinner I grilled some vegetables and meat. The only thing that I did Sunday which was out of the norm was snack. I think I my body was so imbalanced that I couldn't tell if I was hungry or craving something. And it seemed that I was craving sweet things which I guess was to be expected after reintroducing sugar! For my snacks I had plantain chips and dates stuffed with almond butter and some apple sauce with hazelnuts. It seems that the sugar dragon was coming back. But eating dairy, gluten and sugar for one meal Saturday and not spending the whole weekend eating that way proved to me that this is a lifestyle, not a diet. It is a way of eating, a way of living and it does not mean I have to feel left out of anything. One meal is not a whole weekend and eating one way for a special event does not mean I have to eat that way all the time. My birthday was something special that ahead of time I deemed worth it to indulge and not follow Whole30 or paleo. Spending the time with Ryan and sharing in the special meal meant more to me than saying "I can't eat that." It is my way of living that is working for me and I am proud that I was able to go off track and back on the next day and not convince myself otherwise.

Luckily today I woke up feeling better than yesterday - still a little achy but rested. I headed to Bar Method and had an incredible class! I was determined to work hard to help my body recover from a lazy weekend spent mostly on the couch and filled with lots of food - all whole30 approved except for Saturday's dinner! I pushed myself hard and felt strong and was shaking a lot!

Today I have my second acupuncture session and Ryan goes on Wednesday. This seems to be the weekend of relaxation and pampering so why not continue with an acupuncture session? 60 minutes forcing me to stay away from my phone, tv, computer, and just focus on myself!

I hope everyone has a great start to their week!

XO

Day 5, Meal 3

What do you do when you can't decide between Japanese or Chinese food for dinner? You have both! I got home and ordered tri-color sashimi (salmon, yellowtail, tuna) and while I waited for the delivery I quickly whipped up broccoli and pork.

 When I got home I still had a headache and rather than sneak some chocolate like I normally would have, I had a small bowl of vegetable soup. Whole30 recommends having a small salad before a meal, so I figured a small soup would be great. It helped fill me up enough so that I could wait for my entree without having something bad for me, even if it is on the program, like apricots or a larabar!  So I ate soup while I ordered dinner!

 

When I finished the soup, I threw some broccoli, red onions and kale into a saucepan and let them cook for about 5 minutes. I wanted to mimic the balsamic sauce the pork was made in so I added some water so the onions would caramelize and then balsamic vinegar. Right at the end, I added the leftover pork ragout just to heat it through. Right as I was finishing my "Chinese" food, my Japanese food arrived!

Unfortunately I ate dinner on the couch watching TV, against my goals, so I ate it really fast and barely thought about what I was eating, but it was so good and I am so glad I got my sushi fix! I always liked sashimi and never needed the rice or the special rolls and special sauces and tobiko so this isn't difficult for me. The few difficult things when ordering sushi though is making sure there is no tobiko, crab or special/say sauce in the dish. Luckily, the miso soup, rice and soy sauce that came with the delivery were at the bottom of the bag, so I took out my platter and closed the bag back up and immedietely threw it out! No temptation! I tried shopping for coconut amino acids as a soy sauce replacement, but I can't find it in stores so I will have to order it online. Luckily, my pork and broccoli was salty enough that I didn't need any sauce with the fish!

Now I am curled up on the couch with Haley about to watch a movie. One more night alone so I have some cleaning to do before Ryan gets home! Cooking every night means lots of dishes and messes!

Have a great night!

XO

Day 3, Meal 3

Update: I didn't need an herbal tea at 3pm or 4pm...I was still satisfied from lunch and didn't have a craving for sweets. I drank a lot of water if I felt like I needed something and took a quick 5 minute walk! And it worked!

I got home to a lot of packages outside of my front door! My Rx Bars and Amazon order had arrived. I am so excited to try the Rx Bars, especially because the packages for the bars are resealable!!!! That means I have no excuse to eat a whole bar if I am not hungry because it is so easy now to save some for later! These will be a perfect post-workout meal...I may not be able to control myself only eating some, they look so good!

My amazon.com order contained ghee, dates, 100% cacao powder, unsweetened coconut, hemp seeds and the Whole30 book "It Starts With Food." As part of my Whole30 goals, I am going to read the book in the next 27 days so that I can gain more education and insight into the program and the idea of eating whole foods!

It was really nice to get home from work to an empty house and not feel rushed to cook dinner...I was on my own time and rather than cook right when I got home, I settled a little bit, prepped and then began cooking. It was really great not to have to eat dinner at 5:30pm with Ryan right when I walked in the door. Eating later is so much better, as long as I can hold off from lunch at 1:30pm, because then I am less tempted to go back for more food or something sweet! I am going to have to convince Ryan to eat better lunches that keep him fuller longer so we both can eat later and I don't feel rushed, or we just won't eat together, which is fine with me during the week since our schedules are so different. I just hope he isn't jealous of my meals that I have planned for next week!

I made coconut encrusted tilatpia tonight (unfortunately I only bought 1 filet so I don't have leftovers for lunch tomorrow), with steamed vegetables and instead of a salad, I had vegetable soup! The coconut, even though it was unsweetened, was perfect sweet and the fish was so flaky and cooked to perfection! I loved the smell of the coconut and the sharpness of the taste. It would be great with a ghee and balsamic dressing next time! I can't wait to make macaroons with the coconut!

Coconut Encrusted Tilapia

1 filet of tilapia
1/4 tsp coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
coconut oil
1 egg white

1. Prep by having 1 egg white in a bowl, and mixing coconut flour and coconut flakes on a separate plate.

2. Heat pan over medium heat. When hot, add coconut oil (or fat of choice).

3. Dip tilapia in egg white and make sure it is coated completely.

4. Cover tilapia in coconut mixture, coating both sides evenly!

5. Place tilapia in pan. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Be careful not to loose too much of the coconut when you flip the filet over.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Really easy recipe and can be made with other types of fish or meat!

I prepped my lunch for tomorrow - a vegetable salad and vegetable soup (basically the same dish, one hot, one cold). I added some hemp seeds, we will see how that tastes!

I am going for my first ever colonic tomorrow and part of the prep for the colonic is to not have animal products the day of. This means my protein at lunch is out, so I may have to have half of a larabar or an Rx Bar to make sure that I am full. I have to stop eating at 2pm and stop drinking at 4pm since my treatment is at 6pm so tomorrow may be a little more difficult than normal. I am not sure if I am going to go to Bar Method in the morning or sleep in and relax since my body will be pushed later in the afternoon. My session also isn't until 6pm so it will be a long day. But I am feeling antsy since I didn't workout today and I think going to Bar would be good for me. I really want to make N'Oatmeal for breakfast, I am getting a little tired of eggs, but if I go to Bar then I will have an RxBar and an omelette. N'Oatmeal is something I found online, it is various nuts pulsed in the food processor and cooked on the stove until "nutty" and then eggs whisked in until it becomes of a consistency of oatmeal (not scrambled eggs). I might make this on Friday morning since I have to eat light and clean the day after the colonic to help my body heal. I will set my alarm for Bar and see how I feel when I wake up - if I fall back asleep then I know it's a sign to sleep in. I feel good though, usually a day without working out I feel bloated and uncomfortable and "fat" but I feel healthy and satisfied and great when I look in the mirror so I am not as anxious to get to Bar. I don't want to push my body and make it tired if it already feels good right now.

Ryan landed in Houston and checked in to the hotel and is at the hotel restaurant having a burger and fries - not gluten free on this trip and that's okay, I just want him to enjoy his trip and relax. He has been so busy and he deserves the break, even if it is a work trip!

Have a great night everyone!

XO

Slow Cooked Turkey Meatballs

I love coming home to the smells of a home cooked meal. I think it was part of growing up - my mom would cook dinner every night for the family when we got home from school and the smell of it throughout the house is something I will never forget. And she always had fresh baked bread to go with the meal. On weekends, she would even make homemade bagels.

Last night I walked home from work. It was a little bit cold, but since I had been sitting at my desk all day and I hadn't done a morning bar class, I knew I needed a little activity! So I walked home (that got me to a total of 9,000 steps for the day and 1 WW activity point). I got home within 20 minutes and the turkey meatballs I had prepped in the morning were warming in the slow cooker. I love that I was able to cook them for 6 hours, but still keep them warm even though I wasn't home! Slow cooking is so easy and because I slow cook in large batches, we have leftovers for days! I was already thinking about all of the meal possibilities that we could make with left over meatballs (meatball parm or meatball wraps anyone)!

Ryan and I had meatballs with mashed potatoes (FreshDirect Sides in a Snap) and asparagus. I love crunchy, bright green asparagus and it was a nice break from our usual salad. 4 meatballs with sauce were 5 points and 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes were 5 points. The meat was dense, but still moist from having slow cooked for 6 hours. Next time I might even cook it for 4 or 5 hours since the meatballs are so small. Or I could make 12 meatballs instead of 24 so that 2 meatballs would be 4 points. However, eating more is a mind game so having 4 meatballs (small) instead of 2 (large) seems like a lot more to me. And if I think I am eating a lot more, then I stay fuller longer!

For dessert, I had a Yopa greek yogurt with dark chocolate bits that I had put in the freezer. It was just like eating ice cream, and I topped it with a banana.

Tonight I am going to SoHo for a Bar Method class. I really wanted to sleep in now that the upstairs neighbors haven't been so loud and I wanted to have breakfast with Ryan! He made ham and cheese on udi's gluten free bread with eggs over easy and I had an egg white omelette topped with powdered peanut butter, flax seeds and a banana! It was fun to sit around with Ryan, watching the morning news and getting ready on my own time. However, this morning, I am feeling not working out and I feel a little sluggish. I am excited for an evening class, but I am not excited about it being at 6:30pm. It means I won't be home until 8pm. I hope it warms up a bit so maybe I could bike home. It's been awhile since I took citibike since I got so used to the early morning bus/train commute, so it's about time I took a bike ride!

I also plan to go to spin tomorrow night. If I am going to complain about feeling bloated, sluggish, tired and not happy, then I need to do something about it. A good diet is great, but exercise helps get everything moving and sweating mentally tells me that I am doing something good for my body. I sweat a lot more in evening bar classes because the studios are warmed up, people have been in classes all day, and the air is not as fresh (sounds gross, but the morning classes have cold studios from not being used all night, so I don't break a sweat). It's all mental - I am not working any harder in an evening class than a morning one, but sweating makes me feel like I am pushing myself harder. I also am a bit more flexible at night because my body has been moving all day (well, not really since I sit for 8 hours). I feel more flexible, stronger, and more capable of going lower, tucking harder and even taking some of the challenges like raising my legs in flat back or the L shape in round back. I did hurt my shoulder last night, so unfortunately I will be modifying with push-ups at the bar tonight. I am going to have a Quest Cookies and Cream bar before class (my new favorite flavor) and a pre-made kale and grain FreshDirect salad when I get home for muscle recovery protein! Night classes usually energize me, so I hope that I will be able to fall asleep reasonably early. I have been feeling so refreshed lately now that I have been sleeping through the night!

I also worked to work this morning, again, it was cold, but it felt good to get in some activity before I sat around all day since I didn't do a morning bar class!

Below is the Turkey meatball recipe. Skinnytaste recipe can be found here! I used 99% fat free turkey breast and gluten free breadcrumbs. This can be made with turkey, chicken or beef (WW Points will vary). Enjoy.

Skinnytaste Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs
Servings: 6 (4 meatballs)
Weight Watchers Points: 5

Meatballs
1 pound turkey breast, ground
3 tbsp Schar gluten free breadcrumbs
4 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup parsley
1 egg
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce
1 tsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Mix all of the ingredients together.

2. Form small meatballs and set aside (24 meatballs)

3. Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

4. Add garlic and saute until golden, be careful not to burn.

5. Pour crushed tomatoes into slow cooker with bay leaf. Add garlic and oil from pan.

6. Add meatballs to slow cooker.

7. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve and enjoy!

Snowy Day Kiddy Lunch

A snow day means making lunch from whatever I can find in my house! That means my lunch plate looks like a 5 year old's lunch! But it was gluten free and it was good.

I heated up 4 Gluten Free chicken nuggets (3 points) and a Spinach Garden Lites Souffle (4 points). I also had some frozen grapes in the freezer. The spinach souffle tasted great. It was a but more watery than the other ones I have had, but it was light, airy, and had a lot of flavor. At 140 calories per souffle I feel good eating it. I love frozen grapes. They are like dessert - cold, sweet and just all around fun to eat. I wish I could afford to always have them in the house but freezing them helps me control how fast Ryan and I eat grapes. I also love adding fresh grapes to salad when I want something juicy and sweet.

I am still torn between staying home tonight and going out to Long Island. I really want to see my friends and I think I will have a good time once I am there. It will also get me off the couch and dressed and outside. But should I really be outside when it is -15 degrees and the News says it is dangerously cold and has conditions for hypothermia? My fear is standing on the train tracks waiting for a train that could be delayed and freezing my butt off. I just want to be there or not. The traveling part is what I hate the most. I have to leave at 4:30pm if I decide I am going. Everyone is offering to pick me up from the train station because they really want me to come out, which is so nice and I am so appreciative. I just have to decide if I can physically bear going out in the frigid cold!

A Lazy Snow Day

Well, I haven't moved from the couch since I found out work was canceled. This really isn't normal for me to spend 3 days barely moving. Ryan and I spent New Years Day watching TV all day, and it looks like I am doing the same today. Bar Method opened for classes this morning and I really want to take a class, but I really don't feel like putting on a lot of layers and venturing into the city from Brooklyn on the subway. Doesn't sound as fun as it should be. My friend Christie said "Bar will still be there tomorrow!" And she is right!

Haley and I are staying warm inside drinking tea and watching the news. Ryan is finishing up at the office and hopefully headed home soon. I am trying to figure out what we will be doing for dinner tonight. I wasn't expecting to be home tonight for dinner and without an oven and without a lot of groceries our options are very limited.