Whole30 : Day 25, 26, and 27

Day 25:

*breakfast - 3 hardboiled egg whites; one apple
*snack - handful of walnuts
*lunch - the other half of my barbacoa salad from Chipotle
*snack - Apple Pie Larabar
*supper - Chicken Casserole (I just used the fresh veggies I had on hand...green beans, mushrooms, an onion, carrots, and a red bell pepper. Very, very tasty. I'm a big fan of this recipe.)

Day 26:

*breakfast - 3 hardboiled egg whites; one banana
*lunch - leftover Chicken Casserole
*snack - carrots; handful of walnuts
*supper - leftover Chili Pulled Pork w/cilantro, diced tomato, and an avocado; one small cucumber

Day 27:

*breakfast - 3 hardboiled egg whites; one banana
*lunch - leftover Chicken Casserole; handful of walnuts
*snack - Cherry Pie Larabar
*supper - Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

I changed up the Chicken Cacciatore recipe a bit because I think the original sounds "blah". I still used the chicken, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and a green bell pepper. I added mushrooms, zucchini, plenty of oregano, red pepper flakes, and a bay leaf. I cut the vegetables into thick chunks and made sure they were at the top of my Crockpot. I'm not a fan of veggies that are cooked to a mush.

It turned out okay. Definitely edible, but still pretty "blah". I'll tweak a few more things next time I make it.

Only three more days!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord
• my wonderful B and the chance to spend some time with him this weekend
• my sweet family and friends
• a roof over my head, clean running water, food in my fridge, electricity, shoes on my feet, clothes in my closet, all the gadgets and appliances that make my life more convenient
• my job, my coworkers, and the fact that I get a summer break
• over a month left of my summer break :)
• a surprise visit from Mama on Tuesday...so fun!
• a busy but fun and productive week
• plans for FriendshipFest coming along quite nicely
• almost successfully finishing the Whole30
• good exercise that leaves me sore the next day
• mine and Lauren's plans to go to a cooking class in a couple of weeks...the menu sounds great and I'm excited!
• discovering an AMAZING new dentist, who referred me to an AWESOME endodontist...I am most definitely not excited about my upcoming root canal, but I feel like I'm in great hands
• sweet B and his offer to go with me to have my root canal done...he knows how nervous I am about it and he knows it'll make me feel better to have him there...I will certainly be taking him up on his offer :)
• fun plans for the Fourth of July
• sunscreen
• some unexpected money coming my way soon...what a fun surprise!
• air conditioning
• being literate, my weekly tutoring sessions, and finishing some good books: Orphan Train, And the Mountains Echoed, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
• tickets to see The Lumineers with dear friends in October and Alton Brown with DennyJ in November...I love having things to look forward to
• finding out that Mumford & Sons is coming in September...seeing them live has been on my bucket list for a few years and I want to go so badly I can hardly form words about it...I've been trying not to talk about it much so I won't jinx it :)
• laughter and contentment
• my simple little life

HAPPY WEEKEND, yall! Enjoy it!

Whole30 : Day 22, 23, and 24

Day 22:

*breakfast - 2 hardboiled egg whites (wasn't really hungry)
*lunch - Napa Chicken from Applebee's, minus the sauce and the potatoes (Thanks for lunch, Grandad! Thanks for getting everybody together, Cousin Jerry!)
*snack - Cashew Cookie Larabar (eh...not my favorite)
*supper - leftover hamburger patty with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms; leftover roasted broccoli; one small cucumber; one peach

Day 23:

*breakfast - leftover Cinnamon Steak; one peach
*lunch - leftover hamburger patty with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms; sliced tomato; one small cucumber
*snack - handful of walnuts
*supper - Chili Pulled Pork lettuce wraps with guacamole (I added a diced tomato...minus the seedy goop...to the guacamole.)

Day 24:

*breakfast - 3 hardboiled egg whites; frozen mango; handful of walnuts
*lunch - leftover Chili Pulled Pork w/cilantro and diced tomato; one small cucumber
*snack - Cherry Pie Larabar
*supper - half of a barbacoa salad from Chipotle

Time is flying! B and I are both feeling really good. I'm starting to plan ahead for life after our Whole30 ends. I really, really want to stick close to it and eat as "clean" as possible while still enjoying some splurges every now and then. That's my plan...now hold me to it!

Whole30 : Day 19, 20, and 21

Day 19:

*breakfast - 3 hardboiled egg whites (I don't really like plain hardboiled yolks); whole avocado w/onion powder
*lunch - leftover Cinnamon Steak; leftover roasted carrots; 1/4 of a red bell pepper
*snack - frozen mango
*supper - half of a salad with carnitas and guacamole from Chipotle (Thanks for supper, B!)
*dessert - Banana Ice Cream

I did a bunch of cooking today so that B wouldn't have to do much cooking for himself during his work weekend. I wanted to surprise him with a little happy :) I made him Avocado Chicken Salad (I added hardboiled eggs because he likes those in there), Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Bacon (I added 1/2 of an onion, thinly sliced), and Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken Breasts. He should be set for his shifts this weekend!

We made banana ice cream for dessert tonight and it was good. I added too much coconut milk, so it was kind of runny. Boo. It was also much richer than I thought it would be; I couldn't finish mine. Pretty tasty, though.

Day 20:

*breakfast - 3 hardboiled eggs whites; whole avocado w/onion powder
*lunch - the other half of my salad from yesterday
*snack - frozen mango; handful of walnuts
*supper - hamburger patty with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms; roasted broccoli

Day 21:

*breakfast - 2 hardboiled eggs whites; 2 pieces of bacon; one banana
*lunch - leftover Cinnamon Steak; leftover roasted broccoli; one peach
*snack - carrots; walnuts
*supper - leftover hamburger patty w/caramelized onions & sauteed mushrooms; sliced tomato

I went to the farmer's market today and stocked up for the week. I can't believe we've only got 9 days left...June has flown by! B and I are both feeling really good. B says he's been sleeping better, which is especially nice since he's on night shift right now. I'm proud of him for sticking to the Whole30 even though he's working 12 hour night shifts and spends plenty of time around folks who are eating/drinking things he can't have. He's a stud!

Whole30 : Day 16, 17, and 18

Day 16:

*breakfast - leftover Chicken Casserole
*lunch - leftover Enchilada Chicken Stew with an avocado
*snack - Apple Pie Larabar
*supper - leftover chili with wilted spinach; frozen mango

Day 17:

*breakfast - leftover Chicken Casserole
*lunch - leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Meatballs; leftover roasted green beans; Apple Pie Larabar
*supper - leftover Enchilada Chicken Stew with an avocado; frozen cherries (slightly thawed)

Day 18:

*breakfast - leftover Chicken Casserole
*lunch - leftover Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Meatballs; roasted carrots
*snack - Cherry Pie Larabar
*supper - Cinnamon Steak; leftover roasted carrots; frozen mango

These were some great days! Sleeping great, tons of energy...awesome. I've been having some cravings lately, which I find odd since I'm over 2 weeks in, but they've been easy to manage. I owe B a big ol' smooch for fixing enough food last weekend to last me through Wednesday. He's the best...so good to me. And don't worry, I plan on returning the favor by cooking up a storm for him!

Frozen mango has been a great dessert substitute. It's so soft that you don't even have to let it thaw. It literally melts in your mouth. Great fix when I start craving something sweet!

Whole30 : Days 13, 14, and 15

Day 13:

*breakfast - apple with almond butter (I haven't been doing great for breakfast. I just haven't felt much like eating when I wake up. My goal next week is to do better with this!)
*lunch - leftover Enchilada Chicken Stew with an avocado; a whole bunch of snow peas
*snack - Apple Pie Larabar
*supper - hamburger lettuce wraps with caramelized onion and mashed avocado

Day 14:

*breakfast - handful of walnuts; Coconut Cream Pie Larabar
*lunch - Chicken Casserole
*supper - Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Meatballs

Day 15:

*breakfast - 2 hardboiled eggs; handful of walnuts
*lunch - bunless hamburger with mustard, lettuce, tomato; Whole30-compliant andouille sausage; roasted green beans (Happy Father's Day!!!)
*snack - handful of baby carrots
*supper - leftover chili with wilted spinach

Day 14 was really tough. I spent that day with B, and we didn't do a great job of planning our meals. We waited until we were getting hungry to start thinking about what to eat, and then we still had to go buy the groceries, and THEN we had to cook everything. No bueno. I was ravenous by the time the food was ready. I have blood sugar issues and one of my signs that I'm getting to "the danger zone" is intense grumpiness. Bless B's heart...he was so patient with me and did the majority of the cooking so that I could get food in my stomach ASAP. I think he was just trying to do whatever he could to get his normal girlfriend back :) He is so, so sweet to me and I'm thankful for him every single day!

On his next weekend off, we'll do much better with the planning and will make sure we're armed with what we need for our meals BEFORE we get hungry.

I really liked the chicken casserole, and B thought it was pretty good. We both loved the meatballs. (He made those entirely by himself, by the way, so I wouldn't have to worry about it. I love him!)

Halfway there!

Whole30 : Days 10, 11, and 12

Day 10:

*breakfast - Apple Pie Larabar; handful of walnuts (I needed to eat more but ran out of time before leaving for the day.)
*lunch - half of a barbacoa salad from Chipotle (I met my 5th grade coworkers at The Depot for lunch and wanted to take something Whole30-compliant. So, I was that girl who brought her own lunch to a restaurant :)
*snack - leftover sweet potatoes
*supper - leftover Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Day 11:

*breakfast - the other half of my barbacoa salad (I'll eat pretty much anything for breakfast. B thinks this is disgusting...haha.)
*lunch - the last of the leftover Spaghetti Squash Carbonara; leftover sugar snap peas; frozen mango
*snack - apple
*supper - chili; wilted spinach

The chili was phenomenal...absolutely delicious. You should try it!

Day 12:

*breakfast - apple; avocado (I was in a bit of a hurry and this is what I had time for)
*snack - Cherry Pie Larabar
*lunch - half of a carnitas salad from Chipotle (I was at a meeting all day so I took this to guarantee I'd have something Whole30-compliant for lunch.)
*supper - Enchilada Chicken Stew

These days were all really good. Tons of energy and I'm feeling great!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord
• my sweet B, and the way he includes me in his life...lurrrv him
• my fun family and friends
• my health, and the health of my loved ones
• a roof over my head, clean running water, food in my fridge, shoes on my feet, clothes in my closet, my dependable little car, air conditioning, appliances and gadgets that make my life easier
• my job and the fact that I get a summer break
• fun plans this weekend...excited to spend some time with B and then celebrate Daddy and Grandad!
• a successful CSI meeting today...I'm glad to be on the leadership team this year
• making it through 12 days of the Whole30...only 18 to go!
• very exciting news from friends this week...pumped to have 2 friends moving this way and I can't wait for Baby Miller to make his or her arrival in December!
• being literate, my weekly tutoring sessions, and finishing a good new book
• learning, as I did Monday, that bowling a 36 and a 38 in consecutive bowling games does not make you a bad person...it just makes you a really terrible bowler :)
• a fun gathering with my 5th grade teammates and their little ones on Tuesday...love them!
• good exercise
• getting enough sleep...makes such a difference
• a nice little chat with Bub the other day
• sunscreen
• early mornings before the sun beats down and the world gets busy
• my simple little life

HAPPY WEEKEND, yall!

Whole30 : Day 7, 8, and 9

Day 7:

*breakfast - a few spoonfuls of Justin's Almond Butter (I felt nauseous again this morning. Boo. I felt much better by about 9:00, though.)
*lunch - leftover chicken with tomato gravy; wilted spinach; frozen mango
*snack - apple with natural peanut butter (This has turned into my go-to snack.)
*supper - Spaghetti Squash Carbonara (I added plenty of red pepper flakes and opted out of the Parmesan.)

Today was a good day. I had more energy and I think it's because I ate more protein at lunch. I also think the little bit of peanut butter with my snack helped.

Day 8:

*I just did some research and found out that peanuts and peanut butter aren't allowed on the Whole30. Well that's just dandy. I'm frustrated with myself for not remembering that from last year! I've been eating a little bit of peanut butter pretty much every day and now I feel like a big ol' cheater :( I'm not starting over, but I'll just steer clear from here on out. Boo.

*breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs; one Whole30-appropriate chicken sausage; 1/2 avocado with lime juice, onion powder, red pepper flakes (This is a bigger breakfast than I normally eat, but I woke up very hungry this morning. At least I wasn't feeling queasy like yesterday! I've also decided to try eating my largest meal in the morning and then eat progressively smaller meals throughout the day.)
*lunch - Avocado Chicken Salad; handful of baby carrots; frozen mango
*snack - apple with almond butter, not peanut butter (For the record, I don't like almond butter nearly as much.)
*supper - leftover Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Great day. Tons of energy!

Day 9:

*breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs; one chicken sausage (Protein on top of protein is hardly my favorite breakfast; it's tough for me to get that down first thing in the morning. I was just making do until I could get to the grocery store.)
*lunch - leftover Avocado Chicken Salad with a whole bunch of spinach (needed some veggies after my breakfast)
*snack - apple with Justin's Almond Butter
*supper - Cinnamon Steak; roasted sweet potatoes with bacon; sugar snap peas

Another great day! I did Pilates for about an hour today and it was REALLY tough but was able to get through all of it. Yay! Now, whether my muscles hurt too much to get out of bed in the morning may be a different story.

I fixed sweet potatoes tonight to convince B that they can be good. I decided bacon was the best way to do that, and it worked...he liked them :) I prefer them without bacon, so I had to find a recipe to make for him. When I make them for myself, I use olive oil, salt, and onion powder. I'm just happy B ate them AND took leftovers home. Victory!

Whole30 : Day 3, 4, 5, and 6

Day 3:

*breakfast - a couple of spoonfuls of Justin's Almond Butter (I woke up feeling kind of queasy and knew I should eat something but didn't want to eat much.)
*lunch - leftover egg bake, a whole avocado with lime juice, salt, onion powder, red pepper flakes (I was feeling WAY better by lunch.)
*snack - Cherry Pie LaraBar and a handful of walnuts
*supper - 3 Greek meatballs and roasted green beans
*snack - Fuji apple with natural peanut butter

Other than feeling a bit nauseous this morning, today was a great day. Yay! Day 3 during my Whole30 last year was REALLY tough, and I was excited that Day 3 this year was much easier. I learned a lot last year about what kinds of foods keep me full, so I think that's helping me be more successful. I'm also happy to report that I haven't really had any cravings except for on Day 1. That makes things much easier!

Day 4:

*breakfast - 3 hardboiled egg whites (I usually squeeze the yolks out because I don't love them); a handful of walnuts; one small peach
*lunch - barbacoa salad from Chipotle (fun lunch in Tuscaloosa with the fam...thanks for lunch, Grandad!)
*snack - Fuji apple with natural peanut butter
*dinner - barbacoa salad from Chipotle (Yep, I went to Chipotle again. B and I had a little gathering to go to, and since pizza was on the menu, we needed something else to eat. I know Chipotle is "safe", plus we both love it. Win-win!)

I felt really good today...plenty of energy. B spent about 8 hours of his day on the road and didn't cheat once. I know it was tough for him tonight being around friends eating pizza and drinking beer, but he didn't cave. I'm proud of him!

Day 5: 

*breakfast - leftover egg casserole; handful of walnuts
*lunch - leftover barbacoa salad from yesterday; leftover green beans from a couple of days ago
*snack - Fuji apple with natural peanut butter (my fave snack these days)
*supper - Pesto Meatzas (ground beef, homemade pesto, diced tomato, caramelized onion) with roasted broccoli
*snack - half of a Banana Bread Larabar (split it with B)

Today was a GREAT day! I felt amazing. I've been surprised that, unlike my Whole30 experience last year, I've had no cravings. I mean, there have been times when I'm not excited to eat a handful of walnuts for a snack, but I haven't had any serious cravings. I've also managed to avoid (so far) that dull headache I had for several days last year. Woohoo!

The "meatzas" that we made last night were good, but the pesto left a lot to be desired. The recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic, and our cloves were absurdly huge. I should've just put in one because the garlic flavor was intense...way more intense than I like it to be. It tasted like garlic paste. Ick. B said he liked it but I want to try it again with way less garlic.

Day 6:

*breakfast - the last of my egg casserole; the last of the leftover green beans; 1/2 avocado with lime juice, salt, red pepper flakes, and onion powder (so good)
* lunch - green smoothie (spinach, water, frozen banana, chia seeds, frozen strawberries, frozen mango, 1/2 avocado, lime juice)
*snack - Fuji apple with natural peanut butter
*supper - sauteed chicken with tomato gravy; wilted spinach (I just piled everything on the plate together...yum)

I felt okay today, but not incredible. Nothing wrong in particular, just a bit "blah". I think my lunch/snack combo was too much fruit and not enough protein...maybe that was what did it. I'll work on that tomorrow.

The tomato gravy was pretty good! I went against the directions and drained off most of the bacon grease before I added the onion and garlic. I'm just not a huge fan of bacon grease, or really grease in general. I simmered the gravy for a long time to let it thicken. I also thought it needed a bit of work so I added red pepper flakes and a bit of cinnamon. Overall, pretty tasty and I'll most likely make it again.

Mama and B have joined me in eating healthier. Mama is doing a bit of an adapted Whole30 and has been doing great and feeling good, too. B has proven himself to be quite a champ! He's been blowing this Whole30 out of the water, and it's been so helpful for me to have a buddy doing the same thing that I am. He's whipped up a few very tasty meals on his own and has been staying strong even during his long nights at work. I'm so proud of my fella!

Thankful Thursday

Yeah, yeah, yeah...it's Friday. But I was thankful yesterday, and I'm still thankful today. Just a little forgetful since I'm on summer break. And yes, that will be my excuse until August, at which point I'll come up with a new one :)

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord
• my wonderful B and the fact that he compliments my cooking all the time, even when I fix the occasional recipe that is NOT worth complimenting :)
• my sweet family and friends
• my health, and the health of my loved ones
• my job, my coworkers, and the fact that I get a summer break
• a roof over my head, clean running water, food in my fridge, shoes on my feet, clothes in my closet, a dependable car, enough money to pay for life, my shower, all the doodads and gadgets that make my life convenient, my comfortable bed
• a very easy Whole30 experience so far, much easier than last year (I hope I didn't just jinx it!)
• getting to visit with Kira, Oliver, and their sweet babes Monday morning
• supper out with Sash Monday night...much-needed 
• getting to eat lunch with Mimi, Grandad, Mama, DennyJ, Bub, and O on Wednesday...love them
• a fun little gathering of friends Wednesday night...happy birthday, JJ!
• tickets to see the Lumineers in October...so excited I can hardly stand it
• exercise that makes me feel like I'm really accomplishing something
• cute summer dresses
• naps on my little couch
• getting to take Lilly and Bella for a walk last weekend...they did unexpectedly great on their leashes and I was proud of them
• my Brita pitcher
• exciting news for some special friends this week...such a blessing
• running into Carrie and Anna Claire at the library this week...I love fun surprises
• the occasional cloudy, rainy day...we need those every now and then
• the smell of summer rain
• a fun weekend to look forward to

HAPPY WEEKEND, yall!

Whole30 : Day 1 and 2

I'm doing the Whole30 again, but this time I have a sweet, studly boyfriend to join in :) I told B a while back that I wanted to do the Whole30 in June and wanted to know if he'd eat the food I fixed. He did me one better and told me that he'd do it, too. Score! We're only two days in (we kicked off on June 2nd), but it seems easier this time now that I have someone to hold me accountable and share recipe ideas with.

Day 1:

*breakfast - Creole Breakfast Casserole (I used locally made chorizo that B bought at Pepper Place on Saturday. It. Was. So good.)

*snack - one tiny (but very tasty) peach and a handful of strawberries

*lunch - baked chicken breast, wilted spinach, 1/2 avocado with onion powder, salt, juice from half a lime, and red pepper flakes

*snack - walnuts

*supper - Cinnamon Steak and roasted carrots (This was my favorite meal from my time on the Whole30 last year, and it did not disappoint. So yum.)

*snack - the other half of the avocado with all the same stuff on it as earlier

I ate more than I planned to, but I also felt hungrier than I thought I would. Otherwise, this was an easy day and I felt good!

Day 2:

*breakfast - 3 Greek meatballs, leftover roasted carrots (The meatballs were another meal that B and I made on Saturday. We made them with 1 lb of beef and 1 lb of turkey instead of the lamb that was called for. We both thought they were okay but need some tweaking. Challenge accepted.)

*lunch - egg bake (I sauteed mushrooms, red bell pepper, onion, and chicken sausage. In a baking dish, mix up 8 eggs, salt, and pepper and then add the veggie/sausage mixture. Bake it on 350 for 30 minutes and eat it up!) and strawberries

*snack - slightly thawed frozen cherries and a handful of walnuts

*supper - grilled chicken salad from Ruby Tuesday (oil and vinegar on the side, no croutons or cheese)

Good day! I didn't feel as hungry as yesterday, so that was good news. B is doing well, too, and he took nothing but Whole30-approved food with him to work tonight. He even opted out of the food run to Slice, and I know that was tough for him. This is his first shift at work since we started, and I'm proud of him for staying strong!