Whole30 Round 2 Day 10 - 12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

Stairway to the crown!

 

 

Inside the crown!

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend as well!
XO

Pizza Night

Pizza night is always the best night - and especially when it is PaleOMG's 5 ingredient pizza. I made this during Whole30 and fell in love and have now been craving it. It's so simple (spaghetti squash, meat, sauce, eggs, onions, spices). No cheese, so of course this is not "pizza." I guess this could be a SWYPO since we're calling it pizza, but it's not, it is a world of it's own and so much better than pizza (that's the Whole30 speaking of course).

I made this for dinner last night with a salad of broccoli and toasted hazelnuts and grape tomatoes. It was so delicious! Ryan even went back for seconds and exclaimed, "I love this pizza." Oh, and he asked if there was enough for lunch - this coming from the man who hates leftovers.

I brought the exact same meal for breakfast Meal 1 this morning. And I got plenty of glares and questions about having broccoli for breakfast. What is wrong with broccoli for breakfast? Breakfast should not be defined by a type of food - bagels, donuts, oatmeal and cereal and milk and eggs...well, since Whole30 I have stopped seeing breakfast as one type of food. Breakfast is a meal, not a category of food. And besides, the pizza had eggs and beef...deconstruct that and you have eggs and bacon.

Tomorrow is my birthday and Ryan is planning to cook coconut chicken and bok choy and I am going to make coconut shrimp. He said he is nervous to make me dinner because I am picky. I said I wasn't picky, just strict. I love food, I eat everything...just not grains, soy, dairy, legumes, etc. So not picky at all!

I had a great workout this morning. 3rd morning  in a row at the SoHo studio. I feel amazing, but so sore.

Monday we did waterski seat, Tuesday was arabesque and today was the ultimate killer - standing seat AND foldover. Nothing like 2 sets of seat to zing you awake on a cold and rainy morning!

I am going to a fundraising event tonight at Hope Lodge with a few Bar Method girls. It is rainy and cold out but I am excited to see these ladies outside of the studio and wearing something other than lululemon...except, of course, I am wearing lululemon leggings today to work! Of course.

Stay warm and dry everyone!

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