Whole30 - Day 28

I'm a little late on the post. My apologies to everyone. I've been under the weather since Saturday and have been resting as much as possible. I've been repeating to myself: "I'm young, healthy and strong. I am starting to feel better." I've never been one who takes being sick very well. I usually spiral into a negative tailspin and it's just not a good experience. My husband helped to give me a different perspective and mindset.

When I went to sleep on Monday night, I thought I was feeling better. I packed my gym bag so I could run at the gym before work. I had everything prepared to leave the house early. Well, that plan came crashing down when I awoke to congestion, fatigue, exhaustion and sinus pressure. My body needs time to recover and get rid of whatever this sickness is. I slept until 6:30, ate breakfast and left for work. I thought I was feeling ok enough to handle a workday. Oh, I was in for a rude awakening. After the slip 'n' slide of a drive to the office (it had snowed an inch or two Monday night and the side roads were a layer of ice), I spent a couple hours working. While sitting in my office, I started feeling nauseated and severe pressure in my head/eyes/ears. I just couldn't focus on anything but the pressure. I was constantly blowing my nose. I went home and rested a while on the couch. I decided to eat lunch, which was not an enjoyable experience. I actually felt like I was suffocating while eating, because I could barely breathe. I called the doctor after lunch, because it was just getting to be too much. Luckily, they were able to fit me in. I had a feeling going to the doctor would be a waste of time, but I was giving her the benefit of the doubt. The only positive things that came out of the visit are: I learned I had a fever, I do NOT have the flu and she wrote a prescription for an antibiotic.

That was my day in a nutshell. Oh, what a glamorous life I live.

Breakfast: I ate some egg casserole topped with a diced Roma tomato and bowl of blackberries on the side.

Lunch: Leftover almond butter & strawberry burger with sweet potato fries. So colorful and delicious. Just wish I could have breathed better as I was eating it.

Dinner: Turkey Tacos on Pure Wraps. I cooked the ground turkey with a couple cloves of garlic and seasoned it with chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, dried minced onions, sea salt, pepper and a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes. We topped our tacos with lettuce, tomato, avocado and salsa.

I wanted to blend up frozen bananas in my Vitamix (to make "ice cream") but it didn't happen. We went to pick up my prescription after dinner and by the time we got back, I was feeling completely nauseated. I felt horrible and didn't want to eat anything else at all. I needed to lie down and focus on something other than being sick. We watched an episode of NCIS and it helped get my mind off of things.

I took some medicine last night so I could sleep soundly. I ended up sleeping 9 1/2 to 10 hours. I'm apparently wiped out and needing all of this extra sleep (I typically only sleep 8 hours per night). I might take a short nap in a few minutes.

Hope you're all having a good week!

Whole30 - Day 24

If you read my previous post, then you know I wrote it this morning. It took a little longer than anticipated, so I rushed to make breakfast and get to work.

Today was rather uneventful. I took a break to run on the treadmill during lunchtime. I wanted to get in some speedwork. I didn't up the pace as much as I should have, but it was a good variation from the norm. I ran a half-mile warm-up, 8x200m (ranging from 7.7-8.2mph) with equal jogging in between (7.0 mph) and then ended up finishing strong to 3.1 miles. Finished the 5k in 24:59. I decided to continue, so I increased the incline to 2.0 and ran at 6.1-6.4mph until I hit 3.5 miles. I finished up with 100 squats and 50 sit-ups (will finish the rest after I post this).

I had to stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up some food for dinner. This afternoon, I decided I wanted to make some Paleo pancakes w/ strawberry puree, veggies, meat and eggs. I'll probably make some quick Paleo chili tomorrow, so I bought some ingredients for that. I wrote the basic recipe and will finish it up tomorrow, so I can share it with you.

Breakfast: Bowl of blackberries. Green bell pepper, sliced beef hot dog, tomato and two scrambled eggs. Pure Wrap on the side.

Lunch: A bowl of Zesty Beef Stew from Mmm...Coffee (we bought extra soup last night), plantain chips, two diced kiwis and a banana. A little after lunch, I ate some dried mango and a Pecan Pie Larabar. I ate my soup and fruit too quickly to get a picture. After eating, I realized I forgot to take a picture. Oops!

Dinner: As I mentioned above, I wanted Paleo pancakes. Really, I just wanted breakfast for dinner. It sounded good this afternoon. I made these banana pancakes since I had ripe bananas. I pureed some strawberries in my Magic Bullet. I had assorted bell peppers, so I diced those along with an onion. I cooked them in a little olive oil. After they cooked down, I added a package of sliced mushrooms. In another pan, I cooked up some beef hot dogs and then fried the eggs in coconut oil. The pancakes were decent. I think they would have been better with more almond flour and one less egg. Overall, it was a tasty meal and satisfied my breakfast desires.

We're watching "Ocean's Thirteen" on TV. I'll probably get to bed at a reasonable time. I'm feeling a little irritable and tired tonight. If I'm not a happy/positive person, the best place for me to be is lying in my bed. I've already decided on a couple meals for the week, so I'll have to pick a few more. I plan on making a chicken minestrone soup (recreate the soup we ate at Mmm...Coffee). I also would like to make Paleo tacos and some type of burgers (on mixed greens or spinach). I think a chicken pot pie casserole would be a tasty treat. It's supposed to get chilly on Monday and Tuesday, so that would be a perfect dish.

Question of the day: Do you plan out your meals? Do you have a unique way of displaying the menu? Chalk board? I would love to display my menu in a creative way, but our kitchen doesn't really lend itself to putting a board on the wall (don't have any open walls). Also, our refrigerator isn't magnetic (it's stainless steel), so anything magnetic is out.

Whole30 - Day 21

21 days to break a bad habit or set a good habit. I'm on day 21. I'm not gonna lie - a huge piece of chocolate cake brownie with buttercream frosting sounds pretty good. I'm not craving it, but I have thought about it. What is stopping me? Well, I'm still on Whole30, silly! There are Paleo versions of brownies that are pretty good and I could enjoy following the 30 days. I'm just not sure I want to ruin such a good thing. I've conquered my sugar addiction and know I will end up eating sugar (in the form of honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar) in the future, but want to limit it the best I can. I want to spend my sugar allowance on something really phenomenal.

Today was a rough day. I woke up to the 5:30 alarm and managed to get myself out of bed within a few minutes. I put on my cycling clothes and headed to the basement for an early morning workout. I did 3x15min segments of cycling with jumping rope, squats, sit-ups and push-ups in between. It felt pretty good and was the best part of my day (up until I got home from work). I worked for 8+ hours straight and was on the phone with our payroll service provider for a good portion of my day. I just couldn't figure out a specific issue. At least the customer service rep was a nice girl. We were on the phone for quite a while. Our names are almost identical (first and last) and we are the same age. Good conversation. Everyone needs some conversation. Next time you talk to a customer service rep, ask where they are. They'll usually tell you. You may have a connection with that location and it'll start a conversation while they're helping you. 

Breakfast: 2-egg omelette with mushrooms, green bell peppers, sliced turkey hot dogs and a smear of cashew "alfredo" sauce. There was a little bit of banana pancake batter left, so I cooked those. (I only ate half of them... just wasn't in the mood.) I had a small glass of strawberry-banana juice on the side. I couldn't get a good picture of the juice, but you can find it here. 

Lunch: Leftover pork chop, roasted zucchini/yellow squash and an apple with almond butter. I didn't snap a picture because I was rushed to eat while on hold. It was a crazy day. 

Dinner: Crockpot Beef Stew - my own creation. I chopped all the veggies on Sunday and put everything together this morning. I'll write up the recipe this weekend. Here's a summary of ingredients: onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, celery, beef roast (grass-fed), tomato paste, combo of veggie and chicken broth, thyme, basil, oregano, sea salt and pepper. I did coat the roast with coconut flour and then browned it in a frying pan with a little coconut oil. I cooked everything on low for 8 hours and then shredded the beef. It would have tasted good with diced tomatoes as well. In addition to the stew, we ate some crackers. I also made these biscuits using coconut oil. We were going to eat the biscuits along with the soup, but ended up saving them for dessert. I pureed some blackberries in my Magic Bullet and poured it over our biscuits. Yum! 

I would have to say the biscuits were the best food I ate today. Perfectly flaky. We have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, so I'm already looking forward to that. 

Question: What was the best thing you ate today? 

Well, I'm ready to hit the hay at 7:30pm. I think it's about time to take my medicine and turn in for the night. By the way, "Big Bang Theory" is probably the funniest show on TV. OMG, I cannot stop laughing. Laughter is good for the soul. Good night!

Whole30 - Day 6

20% complete! I'm not noticing a big difference in the way I look, but that may be because I look at myself daily. We'll see what happens. I'm feeling great though.

With that said, I woke up feeling a bit drained. I had a somewhat restless night's sleep. I had some crazy dreams and just don't feel like I hit that deep sleep at all. After yesterday's workout, my body said take a break today. I did my sit-ups and push-ups this morning. I made a quick breakfast before heading to work. Since I took a rest day from working out and it was a beautiful day, I decided to take a walk during my lunch hour. After work, I headed to the doctor to get my allergy shot. I have to go twice per week for the next 9 or 10 weeks. Thereafter, I'll be in the maintenance phase, which will most likely be once per week for 3-6 months. Immunotherapy is a huge commitment! Hoping it'll be worth it in the end so I can rid myself of these severe year-round allergies.

View on my walk today

Breakfast: Leftover scrambled eggs w/ veggies/meat from yesterday. I added one fried egg on top and had a bowl of blackberries.
Lunch: Leftover yam & carrot cakes from last night, along with prosciutto, sausage and roasted veggies.
Dinner: Apple Dijon Burgers on lettuce with sauteed onions, fried egg and avocado. Strawberries on the side.

Left: Breakfast pictures (close-up and with blackberries). Middle: Strawberries after dinner. Right: Dinner from two angles. Delicious food day. Lunch is pictured in yesterday's post.

We're watching the National Championship game tonight (as I do my 100 squats). Roll Tide! I did grow up in Notre Dame Country, but for some reason am not a fan anymore. I'm a Purdue grad, so I love the Boilermakers. I'm also a Buckeye-convert (my husband is a huge fan). I follow the Colts and Steelers. Not big of hockey, baseball or professional basketball. I'll watch most college basketball games, especially when it comes to March Madness.

Who is your favorite team in college and/or professional sports?