Whole30 Diaries: The Home Stretch

We are officially done with Whole30! YAY!!!!! Even though I'm done, I haven't really stopped eating the Whole30 way. The only thing I've had this is not compliant is a little vanilla in my latte and some honey in a sauce I made for my chicken yesterday. The latte tasted sooo sweet though.. yuck! I don't want to ruin my results and go back to how I used to eat. I do plan on splurging a little this week though. :)

What we ate:

I lost some steam this week when it came to making new and different recipes. So some of these are repeats. Sorry!

Monday: Tacos using the Against All Grain taco seasoning recipe and Siete almond flour tortillas. Disclaimer: tortillas are not compliant, even though the ingredients were fine :)

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner- sweet potato hash, scrambled eggs, and sausage.

Wednesday: Spaghetti squash with homemade meat-sauce and roasted green beans. The green beans were sooooo good!

Thursday: Slow-cooker pork with raisins, almonds, and roasted peppers. I made it into a salad and used salsa as dressing. YUM! You can also use the pork to make tortilla soup- the tortillas lol

Friday: Out to eat- meat and veggie kabobs from Fireside

Saturday: not pictured- we had a sweet potato chili at a friend's house

Sunday- Breakfast- sweet potato hash, chicken sausage, and a banana with cinnamon

 Sunday- Egg drop soup with leftover pulled pork and green onions. SOOO good!

Monday: roasted chicken and broccoli

Tuesday: not pictured- Italian roast and veggies

Feeling-

I feel great! I know I've lost some weight and I truly haven't had any stomach issues that I normally do. I feel energized most days, other than just being worn out by life lol. I am definitely not craving sugary foods like I was before. I've been around gingerbread cookies, candy galore, and cupcakes in the last two days and haven't felt the urge to eat any. YAY! I do miss chocolate but the craving isn't there, which is exciting! 

Loving- 

I haven't really tried any new food this week but I am still loving the RX bars, especially the blueberry kind. I also really love the Dasani raspberry lemonade sparkling water but it has sodium in it, which I was surprised about. I thought that most of the sparkling waters were sodium and sugar free. I dunno, it's still yummy!

Craving- 

Pizza. I REALLY want pizza but I'm scared to eat it because I think my body is going to freak out a bit. I haven't had any gluten or dairy :( I think I'll finally eat some this weekend though!

Final thoughts about Whole30-

I always love my results because I sleep better, feel more energized, and I lose weight. It's really hard to sustain it for long-term though. At some point, I want to drink a beer and have pizza lol. Not saying that I need those things ALL the time but the Whole30 helps me practice moderation afterwards.

Overall, I think the program is great if you want to eliminate some bad habits or see how certain food effect you. When you take beans out of your diet and then realize that you all of a sudden don't have bathroom issues... well there ya go! For me, it really helps with my sugar habit. You don't realize how bad it is until you take it out of your diet and then you realize your addiction is intense. Another great thing is that you start looking at labels so much more. Simple things like yogurt can have a ton of sugar. Even though you don't eat that while your doing Whole30, when you add it back in, you'll be much more conscious of what you are eating. Being aware is key!

If you've been thinking about doing the Whole30, just do it! There are so many resources out there to help you and give you some meal inspiration. Yes, it's a little more expensive than normal grocery weeks, and yes it's annoying to do all the dishes and constantly cook. Your health is worth it though! Also, I really recommend starting at the beginning of the month because it's just so much easier to track your days. :) Good luck on your Whole30 journey!

Check out my past posts here:

Whole30 Diaries: Getting Started

Whole30 Diaries: Week 1 Recap

Whole30 Diaries: Week 2 Recap
Whole30 Diaries: Week 3 Recap

Whole30 Diaries: Week 3 Recap

As I am writing this, we are 25 days into Whole30. HOLY MOLY! We've almost made it! I'm so excited. This is going to be a recap of week 3 and then my final post will cover week 4 and my last few days. So now let's jump into the things you're really curious about... what we ate!

Monday- Buffalo Chicken Casserole: this was one of Mark's FAVE meals of Whole30. I didn't love it. There's something about casseroles that just grosses me out lol. People rave about this dish though, so try it out for yourself.

Tuesday- breakfast for dinner: Mexican brunch potatoes, sautéed portobello mushrooms, bacon, and two fried eggs. Mark cooked them in the bacon grease so that's why they look dirty lol

Wednesday- Proscuitto wrapped chicken stuffed with homemade (whole30 approved) pesto and roasted veggies. This is from the Against All Grain cookbook.

Thursday- I just couldn't get myself to make dinner this night so we went out to eat. I had an ahi tuna sandwich minus the sauces and bun. I ate it as a salad and WOW it was good.

Friday- I honestly cannot remember what we ate. I'm assuming leftovers??
Saturday- Breakfast scramble with sausage

Saturday dinner- Crispy Orange Beef (minus the honey in the glaze) & cauliflower fried rice. This was Mark's favorite thing I've made. SOOO GOOD! It took a lifetime to make though.

Sunday- Tacos with tomatillo salsa and almond flour tortillas. This is where I cheated a little. I didn't realize you can't use tortillas, even if the ingredients are okay with the program. I looked it up after we ate them. Do I regret it... not one bit lol! These are the Siete almond flour tortillas. They are very expensive but are a good replacement for the processed kind. Disclaimer: I'm not encouraging you to cheat on the program. Stay as true to it as you can :)

Feeling- 

This week I'm feeling pretty great. My body has adjusted to what we are eating/ not eating. I am getting more sleep and feel more rested. I'm not craving sugar as much, which is a plus. Clothes are starting to fit better so I know I must be losing some weight. I didn't weigh myself before I started, because I really just wanted to focus on eating better. Also, I have NO idea where the scale is from our move lol. 

 I am over ALL the cooking and preparations for food though. My goodness I've never done so many dishes in my life. Mark has been super helpful with that though. I have been having weird aversions to food as well. If we've eaten something the night before, and I smell it again, I feel sick. I have NO idea what's going on and no I'm not pregnant lol. It's frustrating because I'll like the food and then just all of a sudden can't eat it. Oh well!

Craving-

I have been super into fresh fruit bowls again. Strawberries are starting to taste like a dessert, which is exciting! I have been eating them every morning for a snack. YUM! I am also still craving pizza but more for the habit of it, not because I actually want it that badly. This is a good sign, because my body is changing! 

Loving-

I am loving avocado on everything! The healthy fat just gives the food more flavor and keeps me full longer. It's super hard to keep avocados in the house that are ripe but not too ripe. Has anyone seen that meme about avocados and the window you have to eat them??? lol I'll try and find it. 

I'm also loving the blueberry RX bars. I found them at Trader Joe's and holy moly they are delicious. 

So that's it for this edition of the Whole30 diaries. Check out my past posts here:

Whole30 Diaries: Getting Started

Whole30 Diaries: Week 1 Recap

Whole30 Diaries: Week 2 Recap

Whole30 Diaries: Week 2 Recap

Hi everyone! Two weeks down...whew! Last week was a lot better than week 1 but time-wise it was a little harder to get meals on the table. I think hands-down the worst part about Whole30 is the amount of cooking and dishes. I feel like I unload the dishwasher twice a day and wash about a million dishes. I just want to sit down and not worry about cooking lol. We are more than half-way through though... we can do this!

What we've been eating...

Monday: PaleOMG's jalapeño popper chicken chili. SOOO GOOD!

Tuesday: chipotle salad bowl with salsa as a dressing (not pictured)

Wednesday: Spicy steak skewers with pineapple, bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions. This is from the Whole30 cookbook. 

Thursday: Grilled chicken with greens and a half of a potato

Friday: Indian Butter Chicken with cauliflower rice

Saturday: breakfast- two over-easy eggs, sausage, and sweet potato hash

Dinner- buffalo chicken salad with Tessemae dressing

Sunday- Steak, roasted broccoli, and roasted golden potatoes. 

Snacks:

Spicy cocoa almonds- from the Whole30 cookbook

Feeling:

This week I felt like I had no energy. We definitely needed to add more carbs into our diet, so we tried to eat more potatoes. I think this was in combination of it being such a busy week as well. I also felt like I slept better, which is funny because of the lack of energy. I am sticking to my New Year's goals to go to bed earlier and to stay off my phone late at night.

My clothes seem to be fitting better which is great! I still feel a little bloated but it might be from all the nuts I'm eating. I'm going to slow down on those this coming week. :)

Craving:

I haven't had any major cravings this week other than chips & salsa. I would kill to have that as a snack right now. I'm pretty much over everything we've been making to eat, so I need some fresh inspiration for next week. 

I'm also craving time to make breakfast in the morning. I truly don't have enough time or willpower to make a full on breakfast in the morning which means that I am starving by lunch. I always have some protein in the morning and then fruit as a snack, but I need something more. 

Loving:

I'm truly loving how much healthier I feel when I do Whole30. I just feel like I am eating good food, that's fueling my body. Now I just need to find the right balance of protein and carbs. :) 

Whole30 Diaries: Week 1 Recap

We are officially done with our first week of Whole30, woohoo! The first week is usually the hardest because your body is adjusting to the new change in diet and the lack of sugar. You really don't realize how much sugar you consume, until you take it out. Then it's like this nasty demon comes out and you can smell a cookie from a mile away haha, well not really, but maybe!

So for the first week, we were super prepared. I had tons of food ready to go and a meal planned for every night. We normally eat leftovers for lunch, so I made sure we would have plenty. I also prepped lots of food for snacks because that will help in those moments when you are starving. Keeping food on hand is super important.

Some snacks were: apples (with cinnamon on occasion), the apple+ banana fruit bars from Trader Joes, bananas, berries, beef jerky, nuts (almonds, cashews, and walnuts), RX bars, dried pineapple, sausage sticks from Trader Joes, pickles, veggies with guacamole, and many more...

Here's what we ate for dinner (+some breakfast and lunches):

Monday: Grilled rib-eyes, roasted broccoli, and a mediterranean salad

Tuesday: Slow-cooker Italian beef- from the Whole30 cookbook

Wednesday: Chicken & green olive meatballs with spaghetti squash from the Whole30 cookbook

Thursday: Lechon asado + fried plantains **forgot to take a picture, whoops! This is from Juli Bauer's Paleo Cookbook

Friday: dinner out- lettuce wrapped burgers

Saturday: breakfast- sweet potato hash, sausage, and two fried eggs.

Lunch- chicken & apple sausages with sautéed peppers.

Dinner- chopped salad with Tessemae dressing

Sunday: lunch- roasted chicken, cucumbers with vinegar, and a pickle :)

Dinner- braised short rib "tacos"- from Juli Bauer's Paleo Cookbook 

Feeling:

The first week you feel like you are obsessed with food and alcohol. All you think about is wanting to eat pizza and have a beer. Well, that's how we felt lol!! It's crazy how much your mind can play tricks on you. Also, on day 5 we both had a massive headache and were super run down. This is pretty normal because you're body is trying to figure out why you aren't giving it all the quick energy sources from grains and sugar that it normally uses. It gets better, I promise!

At some point, you will think, "Why am I doing this?? This is dumb! No one should deprive themselves.... I obviously need to eat some carbs." These are normal feelings and they will pass :) I pretty much felt this way all last week!

Craving:

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. We were pretty bad over break when it came to having treats, so the sugar monster was rearing it's ugly head last week. I was definitely craving a sweet treat and ended up having an apple or dried fruit in times like that. It helps, but I'm also trying not to be dependent on those sugary items to get me through. I also just want pizza, really bad.

Loving:

La Croix sparkling waters, especially the passionfruit and apricot varieties. Plain water gets really boring so these sparkling waters really jazz things up. I also found a couple recipes for drinks in the Whole30 cookbook that I plan on trying this weekend.

RX bars have also been a lifesaver. As I've talked about in previous posts, the mornings are not my friend. I am like a sloth in the morning and can barely get myself out the door, much less make a big breakfast. RX bars save me during those mornings. They are also a good "emergency" snack for long commutes, or other times that you are out of the house.

I will be posting more pictures FB and snapchat as the weeks continue. I hope this helps give you a little insight though!

Whole30 Diaries: Getting Started

Happy Monday everyone! Since it's the first day of the week, you are probably expecting a Weekend Recap but I was pretty terrible at taking pictures this weekend, except for food haha. Sorry! Our life pretty much revolves around our next meal because we are a week into the Whole30. So I thought I would share a little about the Whole30 and some of my tips for surviving. Plus, my friend Dina shared this hilarious blog and I thought you might want to hear about my experience as well.

If you're wondering what in the world the Whole30 is, click here to get all the details. Basically it's a program to eliminate legumes, sugar (including alcohol), dairy, and grains for 30 days. These items can cause all different kinds of issues with your body, but it's also just a great way to reset your metabolism and kick the sugar addiction. If you're like me, then you ate a ton of sweets over the holidays. Even if you didn't eat cookies and candy (and more cookies), you probably just ate more than you normally do and worked out less. It happens, but then it's time to get back on track.

I've done the Whole30 before and I always like my results. I sleep better, I make healthier choices, and I reset that nasty sugar addiction that always seems to catch up with me. The Whole30 isn't a diet but I do usually lose weight from cutting out the processed junk and dairy.  If you go right back to how you ate before, the weight will come back though. The idea is to change your eating habits for the long haul, not just the 30 days. The first time I did the Whole30, I actually stopped drinking soda and haven't gone back since. Well, I have a couple a year but no where near the Diet Coke obsession I had previously. :)

Even though I've done the Whole30 before, this is the first time that Mark is joining me for the adventure. I feel like I am prepping way more food, because the man eats a lot more than I do, but I'm totally fine with it because it's nice to have the support. Doing this with a buddy is so important! It keeps you accountable and plus you don't want to quit because how embarrassing would that be lol??

So step number 1, find a friend to be your accountability partner or get your significant other on board. This will help when you go through all the emotional changes too... oh yes, you will become a grump at certain points.

Step 2- Read and understand the guidelines of Whole30. It stinks to buy everything for a recipe and realize that you can't have peanuts or soy.

Step 3- Plan ahead. Don't let yourself get hungry while you're out and about ,without snacks: nuts, fruit, Lara Bars, beef jerky, RX bars, etc.

Step 4- Stock up. It's so important to have your house stocked with plenty of meat, fruit, and veggies. That way, you won't have to run and get something when you're trying to make dinner. Also, these pantry staples make the Whole30 a lot more enjoyable. We also pretty much stock every flavor of La Croix. We love them anyways but they become essential during this time. Plain water can get so boring and these actually start to taste super sweet because your taste buds start adjusting to what you've been eating. My favorite flavors are passionfruit, mango, and apricot. Mark loves the coconut one too!

**Dina also told me about the Tessemae dressings and holy moly they are good! I am heading to Whole Foods to the ranch and mayo tomorrow.

Step 5- Meal plan. This goes right along with stocking up because if you meal plan, it takes the guess work out of trying to figure out what you are going to make for dinner, when you're already tired and hungry. On Sunday, I plan out my whole week, including options for snack food. We usually eat leftovers for lunch, so I make sure I'm making enough servings, and then buy "emergency" meal staples like chicken & apple sausages.

Step 6- Research a variety of recipes. Don't cook a big batch of something and plan on eating it everyday. This will make you hate everything lol. I made that mistake the first time. Try to change it up and give yourself a wide variety of options. Also, this is the first time that I've had the Whole30 cookbook and there are some great recipes. Invest in this too! You can get it at Costco for a good price.
Some great websites:
Nom Nom Paleo
PaleOMG
Against All Grain

Also, make sure to follow these Instagram accounts: Nom Nom Paleo, Whole30 recipes,  Whole30 sisters, and Homemade Toast.

I hope that some of these tips help you on your way to starting Whole30. I'll be sharing an update on our first week soon!

Cheers to a new you! Don't worry it's water in the cup :)