Whole30 = D.O.N.E.

I meant to keep my food journal the last few days and then got busy and got behind and now, well, I don't remember everything I ate. And I don't want to sit here for 20 minutes trying to piece together my meals over the last 3 days. There are at least a million other things I'd rather do :)

Yesterday was the last day...we made it!!! Woohoo! We both felt really great and lost some weight. I lost 10 pounds and B lost close to 17 (I think). He definitely won our weight loss challenge, but I'm proud of both of us!

My plan is to stick to "clean eating" as much as possible. Friends at work, hold me accountable once school starts back...I'm serious! Help me keep from slipping! I'm not going to forbid anything, and I'll eat what I want to, but I want the majority of my food choices to be healthy ones. I celebrated today by eating a brownie with Rachel and a few chocolate chips later this afternoon. That was hours ago, and I still feel pretty out of whack. Bleh. Not worth it! Celebration over...lesson learned :)

PS---The brownies were quite tasty, by the way. If you're not sensitive to sugar, you should absolutely give them a try. I used Ghiradelli Double Chocolate mix and butterscotch chips. That's it. So easy!

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!!!

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!

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!

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!

Whole30 recap

My Whole30 adventure wrapped itself up on Sunday, and I've got lots to share! Thanks so much for all the support, well-wishes, and love during this journey. It means so much to me!

After navigating through the first few "give me carbs before I kill you" days, I really felt the best I have in a long time. I had more energy, and I felt stronger, lighter, and bloat-free. You know how you sometimes feel like you're stuffed to the gills when you eat a carb-heavy meal? I never, ever felt like that when I stuck to meat and veggies. It was much easier to stop eating right before I was completely full. That was a nice surprise! I also noticed that I was better able to concentrate, I felt more productive, and I slept really well. The purpose of this challenge is not to lose weight, but it was a welcome side effect for me :) Over the course of 30 days, I lost 14 pounds...without anything but walking for exercise. This has also completely changed the way I look at food, eating, and preparing meals. I really, really don't miss many of the foods I used to eat, and I'm actually still eating mostly Whole30-approved foods.

I highly recommend the Whole30. I also recommend jumping in absolutely head-first cold turkey. There's no way you'll be successful on this plan if you "ease yourself in" or allow cheats. No way at all. It's only 30 days. Suck it up, buttercup!

Helpful hints:

• Have a blender handy. Mine got a near-daily workout.
• You'll be washing lots of dishes. Ready yourself...or your dishwasher.
• Eat plenty of protein and good fats (avocados, olive oil, nuts). This will keep you from being hungry an hour after you eat.
• Use lots of spices to jazz up your veggies. My faves were cinnamon, onion powder, salt, and red pepper flakes.
• Try the Cinnamon Steak. And the Avocado Chicken Salad. And the Ropa Vieja. You won't be sorry.
• Find and make lots of new recipes. It'll keep you from getting bored.
• Eat way more veggies than fruit. Fruit is really good for you, but it's gots the sugar. And sugar is sugar, no matter where it comes from.
• Figure out a way to enjoy the large amount of food prep that goes along with this. You'll be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so you might as well get a kick out of it!
• Do your homework before going out to eat. Chipotle was my go-to place during my adventure. I honestly think it's just easier to not eat out while you're eating this way. It may not be fun, but at least you know exactly what you're eating if you prepare it at home!
• Plan your meals ahead of time. I literally planned out all of my breakfasts, lunches, suppers, and snacks for a week. It made me feel more confident to know exactly what I was going to eat and when, and it took away the fear of that "Oh no, it's time to eat and I'm ravenous and the only thing available is deep-fried mac and cheese with donuts on top!" moment. Not that that moment ever happened, mind you, but it could. Gotta use your noggin. 
• Keep a journal detailing what you ate and how you felt. That's what I did through my blog. It was interesting to see what I had eaten on the days I didn't feel great. That helped me to make quick and easy changes.

I'm planning to not stray too far from this way of eating in the future.  I have eaten a few non-Whole30 foods this week, and while I haven't gotten sick, I don't feel as light and bouncy as I did during my challenge. I need to get back on track! If you have any questions, PLEASE let me know. I'd love to talk you through all of this. And if you decide to dive in, I'll be there to talk you off the ledge when the fried rice cravings push you to the brink :)

Whole30 : Day 22 - 26

Day 22 (8/4):

• breakfast -- scrambled eggs (1 whole, 2 whites) with spinach and cherry tomatoes, one peach
• lunch -- Avocado Chicken Salad
• snack -- four baby carrots (not very hungry)
• supper -- Ropa Vieja (made it without the cauliflower "rice") with wilted spinach, one peach

Day 23 (8/5):

• breakfast -- leftover Ropa Vieja with wilted spinach
• lunch -- family Sunday lunch...steak salad (greens, grilled steak, squash, sliced tomato, homemade red wine vinaigrette), watermelon
• supper -- leftover Avocado Chicken Salad

Day 24 (8/6):

• breakfast -- leftover Avocado Chicken Salad, one peach
• lunch -- Orchard Salad (no cheese or dressing) from The Vineyard Cafe 
• snack -- 1/2 Cherry Pie Larabar (split it with Mimi)
• supper -- Roasted Turkey Cobb Salad (no cheese or dressing) from Yard House

Day 25 (8/7):

• breakfast -- Justin's Almond Butter and a Cherry Pie Larabar (This was to avoid having to eat the hotel's continental breakfast. I didn't see anything that fit in my guidelines, so I improvised.)
• lunch -- grilled chicken breast with pico de gallo and steamed green beans from Lone Star
• snack -- watermelon
• supper -- leftover Ropa Vieja with wilted spinach

Day 26 (8/8):

• breakfast -- scrambled eggs with spinach, baby tomatoes, and baby carrots
• lunch -- leftover grilled chicken from Lone Star, sliced tomato, watermelon
• snack -- two handfuls of walnuts/almonds
• supper -- leftover Ropa Vieja with wilted spinach, one peach

I can't believe I've only got four more days left!! Day 24 and 25 were a bit tough, only because I was out of town. I took a quick, very fun trip to Atlanta with my Mimi, and we did most of our eating at restaurants. Eating out is the only time I feel a bit of despair over my Whole30 commitment. Sometimes it's hard to find meals that you can eat, and even if the description sounds Whole30 compliant, you have no idea how it's being prepared. That led me to some salads with no dressing. Not my favorite in the whole world, but you do what ya gotta do!

The Ropa Vieja is seriously tasty. My only complaint is that the cut of meat called for in the recipe produced more fat at the end than I enjoy eating. I was able to skim much of it off, but I'm going to research leaner cuts of beef that would still work with the recipe. I did LOVE that it's made in the Crockpot. That'll be perfect for when I start work again (uh.....next week).

I would like to try the cauliflower "rice" that's part of PaleOMG's Ropa Vieja post, but I couldn't find any fresh cauliflower. I'm thinking that's more of a fall/winter veggie.

I'm still feeling GREAT and I'm actually planning to not stray far from my Whole30 lifestyle when my 30 days are over. I plan to allow myself a few "cheats" every now and then, but I feel so good and don't want to undo all my hard work! Four more days :)

Whole30 : Days 18, 19, 20, & 21

Day 18 (7/31):

• breakfast -- scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 1 egg white) with wilted spinach, handful of walnuts
• lunch -- Protein Power Plate from Zoe's (There was some feta cheese in the slaw, so I just picked it out.)
• snack -- baby carrots
• supper -- Rosemary Lemon Chicken, sliced tomato, Cherry Pie Larabar

The Rosemary Lemon Chicken was simple and tasty. I didn't have rosemary but I did have Italian seasoning, so I just substituted that. I also must add that the Cherry Pie Larabar is ridiculously good. It is by far the yummiest Larabar I've tried!

Day 19 (8/1):

• breakfast -- green smoothie
• lunch -- leftover Rosemary Lemon Chicken, sliced tomato, baby carrots
• snack -- Justin's Almond Butter (Yup. Straight from the packet.)
• supper -- Avocado Chicken Salad with leftover green beans

Great day! The Avocado Chicken Salad is a creation from my own little brain. I think it's super tasty. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Avocado Chicken Salad

*2 ripe, soft avocados (Mine were not nearly ripe enough to mash, but they still worked fine.)

*cooked, shredded chicken (I used a package of boneless, skinless breasts.)

*1/2 red bell pepper, diced (Any crunchy vegetable would be a great substitute.)

*2-3 handfuls chopped walnuts

*drizzle of olive oil

*lime juice (from 1-2 limes, depending on your taste)

*seasonings (I used a sprinkle of salt, some onion powder, and a generous few shakes of red pepper flakes.)

Mash avocados, if they're ripe enough to mash. If not, just chop them up. Mix in everything else. Season to taste. Done!

Day 20 (8/2):

• breakfast -- scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 2 egg whites) with 1/4 red bell pepper sauteed in the same pan
• lunch -- leftover Avocado Chicken Salad, watermelon
• snack -- Pecan Pie Larabar (yum)
• supper -- leftover Rosemary Lemon Chicken, sliced tomato, roasted carrots

Awesome day. Ten more to go!

Day 21 (8/3):

• breakfast -- leftover Rosemary Lemon Chicken, leftover roasted carrots, handful of walnuts (Yep, this was my breakfast. I'm trying to eat up the food I have before I make a grocery store trip and I'm just the one to eat it!)
• lunch -- scrambled eggs with spinach and red bell pepper, the last two spoonfuls of Avocado Chicken Salad, the last 5 roasted carrots (Aren't hodgepodge meals the best?)
• snack -- Justin's Almond Butter
• supper -- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich from Rojo (minus the bun and, uh, the cheese) and a fruit cup, not a drop of anything to drink but water :) at Tin Roof 

FUN night out with lifelong friends. It's really nice to still be friends with people who've known you for 23 of your 27 years on Earth. It's also getting easier to go out on the town and stick to the Whole30. It doesn't bother me now to sip on water while everyone else enjoys an adult beverage or two. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it, even with temptation around every corner! Eight more days...

Whole30 : Days 15, 16, and 17

Day 15 (7/28):

• breakfast -- leftover roasted broccoli and carrots (I wasn't very hungry.)
• lunch -- leftover Cinnamon Steak and the rest of the roasted broccoli/carrots
• snack -- handful of walnuts, one peach
• supper -- okra, tomatoes, onion, Cajun seasoning, & one and a half links of nitrite-free, organic chicken sausage, one peach

I got the okra, tomatoes, and onion at the farmers market and just made up this little recipe. It was really, really good (and simple). Very tasty. I'm trying to limit my fruit/Larabar intake for the rest of my Whole30 adventure, but I absolutely had to eat two peaches today. Had to. They came from Chilton county, after all, and were the best peaches I've eaten all summer. Holy moly. So good!

Day 16 (7/29):

• breakfast -- Justin's Almond Butter with baby carrots (I wasn't very hungry again this morning. Hmmm. This is new.)
• lunch -- leftover okra-tomato-onion-sausage stuff, one peach
• supper -- hamburger with mustard but no bun or cheese, green beans, salad, roasted eggplant, watermelon (My birthday supper! Thanks, family, for not complaining too much about a watermelon instead of birthday cake. My determined-not-to-cheat self thanks you for your cooperation!)

Day 17 (7/30):

• breakfast -- leftover hamburger with mustard and no bun, one peach
• lunch -- Mom and I met Daddy on his lunch break, and I had half of a salad from Chipotle (lettuce, chicken, green salsa, pico de gallo, a smidge of Mom's guacamole)
• snack -- watermelon
• supper -- the rest of my salad from lunch, leftover green beans from yesterday, watermelon (I'm watermelon's biggest fan...can you tell?)

I can't believe I have less than two weeks left...still feeling great! And significantly older and wiser, since today's my birthday :) I'm so glad I decided to do this Whole30, and I'm thinking 27 is going to be a fabulous year!

Whole30 : Days 12, 13, and 14

Day 12 (7/25):

• breakfast -- green smoothie (water, spinach, flax seeds, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries...I didn't have any bananas and noticed a huge difference...bleh!...I still drank it but it was no bueno)
• lunch -- leftover Sweet Potato Hash
• snack -- Justin's Almond Butter (I squeezed that little packet right into my mouth, because I had no fruit/veggies to put the almond butter on. Do what ya gotta do, folks.)
• supper -- scrambled eggs (2 whole eggs, 1 egg white...red pepper flakes, dried chives), sauteed kale, Marinated Mushrooms, Ginger Snap Larabar (yum...if the whole season of fall had a taste, it would be a Ginger Snap Larabar!)

I'm starting to really, really like kale. It's been more of an acquired taste for me than spinach (which I consume on the regular), but it's very tasty. I loosely followed the mushroom recipe, but I think hers is probably better. I didn't have any harissa (and I will remedy this soon), so I just improvised with various spices from my cabinet. My mushrooms were pretty good, but my "recipe" has a lot of room for growth. I'll be trying these again, her way. I also didn't use skewers, and just baked them in the same glass dish I marinated them in.

I felt great today; it makes me happy to know that I'm doing something good for my health! I could definitely get used to feeling like this all the time.

Day 13 (7/26):

• breakfast -- green smoothie (exactly like yesterday, only with a frozen banana added...much better)
• lunch -- scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 1 egg white) and leftover Sweet Potato Sausage Hash
• supper -- spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning

This day started off great but I started to feel sick to my stomach about 2:30. I have no idea what caused it, but I really thought I was in danger of losing my lunch. I was feeling a bit better by suppertime, and I had planned to make Spaghetti Squash Carbonara. Instantly, the thought of cooking bacon, smelling it, and then having to eat it put me back in that icky state I spent the whole afternoon in. Bummer. I put the bacon back in the freezer and just freestyled the spaghetti squash. It was pretty good, and thankfully I felt much better after I ate. Strange.

Day 14 (7/27):

• breakfast -- green smoothie (exactly the same as yesterday)
• lunch -- Blackened Chicken Salad from Golden Rule (minus the bacon bits, croutons, cheese, and dressing...I made my own dressing out of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and herbs)
• snack -- Justin's Almond Butter and leftover Marinated Mushrooms (not together, though...ick!)
• supper -- Cinnamon Steak (ridiculously good...please try this sometime soon) with roasted broccoli and carrots, Cashew Cookie Larabar (bleh)

My tummy was back to normal today...praise the Lord! Today was a stellar day. The Cinnamon Steak (with a smidge of salt and onion powder added) has been my favorite Whole30 meal so far, and I planned it on purpose for tonight. I felt like having a celebratory meal to go along with my little Olympics opening ceremony viewing party tonight. Great day.

Whole30 : Day 10 & 11

Day 10 (7/23):

• breakfast -- scrambled eggs (2 whole eggs, 1 egg white, red pepper flakes, onion powder) and steamed broccoli
• lunch -- Avocado Chicken Salad (Super easy and so good! Mix cooked, shredded chicken with two avocados. Add the juice from one lime, and throw in some chopped walnuts. I also put in a bit of olive oil and some red pepper flakes. I think this would be really good with some kind of veggie...maybe chopped bell pepper. Or celery, if you like that sort of thing...I do not.)
• snack -- Justin's Almond Butter and carrots
• supper -- green smoothie (water, spinach, flax seeds, avocado half, squeeze of lime juice, leftover almond butter, frozen blueberries, banana) and the last of my leftover green beans

I felt amazing today! Glad to be back in that happy place :) I really think it was lunch that made the difference. I tried to pack as much protein and (good) fat in as possible, and it must've worked! I ate lunch at 12:30 and didn't feel hungry enough for my snack until about 4:30. That's definitely some progress from my previous "full for 30 minutes" routine. Thanks to those who have supplied nutrition advice for me!

The almond butter came in a little squeezable packet, which I bought because I wasn't sure if I'd like it. No sense in buying a whole jar if it's no good! It tasted like sugarless peanut butter, just made with almonds. It'll take some getting used to, but I'm kinda diggin' it! It was so filling with the carrots that I only ate half the packet, so the rest went into my smoothie. 

Day 10 made me happy!

Day 11 (7/24):

• breakfast -- green smoothie (water, spinach, flax seeds, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, frozen banana)
• lunch -- leftover Avocado Chicken Salad (even better the second day!), 1/4 of a red bell pepper, handful of baby carrots
• supper -- Sweet Potato Sausage Hash (recipe below)

Today was so good! I can't get over how awesome I've felt these last two days. I had tons of energy and no headaches. Since the whole reason I'm doing this is to get healthier and feel the best I possibly can, this makes me happy! I've also lost five pounds in eleven days. I'm not doing this Whole30 as a diet and a means to lose weight, but that is a welcome side effect :)

I actually didn't even eat a snack today since my lunch was so filling. Plus, I got so busy working in my classroom that by the time I looked at the clock, it was time to go home and fix supper. And I didn't get hungry between lunch and 5:00...VICTORY!!!

Supper was really, really, ridiculously good. I made it up as I went along, and it actually worked really well. Check for the recipe below. Sorry for the less-than-scientific measurements...that's how I roll.

Sweet Potato Sausage Hash

4 small to medium sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

1/2 sweet onion (I may use a whole one next time.)

several stalks of kale, torn or chopped

2 chicken sausages*, sliced

Heat some olive oil in a pan (or even better, a cast iron skillet) on medium-high heat. Throw everything in and cook until potatoes are tender and sausage is brown. This took about 20 minutes for me, stirring every now and then. Taste as you go and season as needed (I used salt, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and cinnamon). Simple, colorful, healthy, tasty. Enjoy! If you try it, let me know what you think!

*The chicken sausages I bought were nitrate-free and all sort of other stuff-free (in order to be Whole30 compliant). There were four in the package and I saved two for another time. Use as many as would float your boat. They were also fully cooked, but make sure to check your package and cook as long as required.

Just Darling...and various other drivel

*I've been hearing a song on my XM (the Highway channel) lately and am pretty hooked. I've never heard of Sarah Darling before this, but I love her voice. I hope she goes on to do something awesome!

*Today was Day 10 of my Whole30 adventure, and it went much, MUCH better than yesterday. Praise the Lord! I'll catch yall up tomorrow.

*I can safely say that this season of the Bachelorette was my all-time favorite. I didn't know if I'd like Emily at the beginning, but she was fabulous. It was nice to see a Bachelorette with morals, class, and good ol' common sense. I'm so excited she picked One F Jef!

*Yes, I'm also planning on watching Bachelor Pad. Yes, it's trash. No, I don't care :)

*I just finished reading Heaven Is for Real and LOVED it!! I remember the buzz when it came out a couple of years ago, but then I got busy and never got around to reading it. What an incredible story! I absolutely believe that little Colton went to Heaven, and his description made me even more excited about what's in store for us someday! I'm on the waiting list at the library for To Heaven and Back. I saw the author on the Today show the other day and am interested to read her account of her experience. Once I read it, I'll report back!

*My sweet friend Angie mentioned a blog on facebook at the beginning of the summer, and I started reading. And then I got hooked. And then I read four years' worth of posts, starting from his very first post in 2008. Yep. Four years. That's a lot of posts.  Matt Logelin and his wife Liz were excitedly expecting their first baby four years ago, and then Liz very suddenly died. Matt uses the blog as an outlet for his grief, and it was amazing seeing the life he;s made for himself and Madeline in the years since Liz died. He wrote a book not long ago, and it's on my birthday list. Check his blog out if you have several weeks to kill, 'cuz you'll probably be hooked.

*Seeing the Aurora movie theater shooter in court on TV today was a stop-me-in-my-tracks experience. Holy moly. There are some scary, scary people in our world.

*Do you consider 27 the end of the mid twenties or the beginning of the late twenties? I'll be there in a week, so this is need-to-know information. Please advise. Thanks.

Whole30 : Day 8 & 9

Day 8 (7/21):

• breakfast -- leftover Spaghetti Squash Carbonara (Now would be an excellent time to tell yall that I have absolutely no problem eating non-breakfast food for breakfast. No problem whatsoever. Can we still be friends???)
• lunch -- pork chop bites, wilted kale, roasted green beans (Thanks for the super duper lunch, DennyJ!)
• snack -- Blueberry Muffin Larabar (This one was way yum!)
• supper -- sesame stir-fry with pork, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion (Thanks for feeding me twice today, Paw! I'm a lucky gal.)

I felt good today. I was definitely hungry by the afternoon, but the Larabar kept it under control. Yay!

Day 9 (7/22):

• breakfast -- scrambled eggs (2 whole eggs, 1 egg white) and leftover green beans
• lunch -- leftover Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
• snack -- handful of walnuts, slightly thawed frozen cherries
• supper -- green smoothie (water, spinach, flax seeds, frozen mango chunks, frozen blueberries)

I didn't feel very good today. The headache was back and my energy was at about -16% by about 2:00. I'm not sure what was going on. I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough, or maybe I'm not getting enough protein/fat. I'm full after all of my meals, but I'm significantly hungry again usually within 2-3 hours. I definitely feel like my food is digesting much faster than back when I was eating the way I used to. I seriously need to work on my lunches/afternoon snacks. They're not keeping me full, and I'm tired of counting down the minutes until I can eat supper. Any ideas?

My goal for this coming week is to eat less fruit and fewer Larabars. I know the sugar in those is natural, but it's still sugar. I'm nervous about cutting back on these tasty treats so think good thoughts for me!

Here's to Week 2 of my adventure!

*A big THANK YOU to Morgan who reminded me that green beans are indeed Whole30 compliant! This makes me happy because I'm in a green bean fan club. Well, not really, but if one existed I might be!

Whole30 : Day 6 & 7

I'm feeling really, really good these days. No more headache (woohoo!) and tons of energy, which is a very nice change from the first days of this adventure! I'm also starting to enjoy the prep work that goes into my meals. All the chopping and cooking is more trouble than opening a box or a bag, but if it helps me feel this good, I think it's worth the trouble. I'm starting to have fun with this!

Day 6 (7/19):

• breakfast -- green smoothie (water, spinach, flax seeds, half an avocado, one frozen banana, frozen blueberries)
• lunch -- salad from Chipotle (lettuce, carnitas, green salsa, guacamole)...thanks for buying lunch, Mom!
• snack -- Key Lime Pie Larabar (I was not a fan of this one...it wasn't bad, but not something I want to eat again)
• supper -- leftover Cinnamon Steak, leftover roasted sweet potatoes and carrots

Day 7 (7/20):

• breakfast -- scrambled eggs (2 whole eggs, 1 egg white), leftover roasted sweet potatoes and carrots
• lunch -- green smoothie (exactly the same as yesterday, but with the juice from half a lime)
• snack -- red bell pepper strips
• supper -- Spaghetti Squash Carbonara (minus the Parmesan)

The Spaghetti Squash Carbonara ended up being very good. I wasn't sold when I first started mixing everything together because it needed some serious seasoning. Enter: salt and lots of red pepper flakes. MUCH better. I bought nitrate-free (and lots of other stuff-free) bacon to make sure it was Whole30 compliant. I also used a paper towel to blot as much grease from the cooked bacon as possible to make sure it was Julie-compliant :) I like bacon, but I'm certainly no fan of greasy bacon. I used only half of the bacon in the package. I think one pound like the recipe calls for would be way too much and would overwhelm the squash. The recipe says to leave 3/4 of the bacon grease in the pan to saute the onion/garlic, but I drained as much of it as I could. The onion/garlic cooked fine. When I make this again, I'll probably only use half an onion.

With a few tweaks, I think this one is a keeper!

Whole30 : Day 4 & 5

I'm scared to jinx myself, but I think I may have turned a corner. Woohoo! Yippy skippy! Hallelujah!

Day 4 (7/17):

• breakfast -- leftover Egg Bake (the recipe made so much that I might be ending this until the end of days)
• lunch -- leftover grilled chicken with salad (exact same as yesterday)
• snacks -- one banana, walnuts, baby carrots
• supper -- Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-A (no bun, no sauce...just chicken, lettuce, tomato, and three disappointingly tiny pickles)

I was much hungrier this day than I was on Day 3. I was also much grumpier (not with others, thankfully...just myself!). I actually had this conversation in my head when I sat down to eat lunch:

J: It's time to eat your colorful, healthy, nutritious salad!

Self: There's no frickin' dressing on that salad. No bueno. 

J: I know. I didn't have time to make any and we can't eat bottled dressing anymore.

Self: I repeat...there's. no dressing. on that salad.

J: Suck it up, buttercup. Dive in.

Please assure me that you have conversations with yourself like this. It would make me feel better.

Supper was my first foray into eating out since I've restarted my Whole30. I had tutor training from 5:30-8:00, and while I snacked throughout the meeting (as did everyone else...I'm not a pig!), I knew I needed something for supper. There wasn't too much at Chick-fil-A I could eat, and I'm not a huge fan of their grilled chicken, but it was fine. At least I know now I have options!

The dull headache was still around but never medicine-worthy. The cravings greatly subsided on Day 4 which was a good thing, because on Day 3 I was about to start bashing my head against a wall to distract myself from fried rice thoughts. PS--I don't even remember the last time I ate fried rice. Random.

Day 5 (7/18):

• breakfast -- leftover Egg Bake (I finally ate it all!)
• lunch -- Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-A (exact same as yesterday, including the missing bun and tiny pickles...I ordered two sandwiches last night because I knew I had nothing else for lunch today), tomato slices
• snacks -- broccoli florets, Cherry Pie Larabar
• supper -- Cinnamon Steak with caramelized onions, roasted sweet potatoes and baby carrots (I have half a steak and plenty of veggies left over.)

Today wasn't bad. I felt great this morning but was absolutely ravenous by about 2:30. I've learned that afternoons will be my most challenging time of day, and I've got to start eating more for lunch. Either that, or I've got to start eating more substantial foods for lunch. That's the only way I can see myself making it through the afternoons without endless snacking.

I tried my first Larabar this afternoon, hoping it would end the hunger revolt my body was threatening. Holy manna from heaven. It was SO good, and it talked me back off the ledge this afternoon. As far as I can tell, they are completely Whole30 compliant (except the ones with chocolate chips). I feel pretty good about it because I did lots of research on the computer before I made my purchase. I bought five of them, so I hope the other flavors are just as good.

Also, the cinnamon steak I made for supper was moment-of-silence good. Dear me. I varied a bit from the recipe in the link, so here's what I did. I seasoned the steak with a little bit of salt, cinnamon, and ginger. It went into a baking dish with a bit of olive oil. That's it. I sliced up two sweet potatoes and put them in a baking dish with a few handfuls of baby carrots and some olive oil. I baked both of 'em on 385 degrees for about 25 minutes, stirring the veggies and flipping the steak once. While I was waiting for that to cook in the oven, I caramelized an onion on the stove. I really think it was the caramelized onions that put the steak over the top. Holy moly, I can't even describe the splendor that was this meal. Goodness gracious. You must stop everything you're doing and make this right now.

The headache was still there today, but not very noticeable. I'm hoping that headache mess is on its way out...this girl is officially over it!

Day 5=done! One day at a time...