Whole30 - Day 4

It's the weekend! Saturdays mean lazy mornings. I stayed up way past my usual bedtime last night, so my body wanted to sleep until 9am. That's late for me. I guess if your body needs the sleep, you let it sleep.

I started off the day by figuring out our menu for the week. I looked through my Pinterest boards for some recipes/ideas. I did some other pinning of foods to make post-Whole30. I just know I will be limiting the intake of Paleo goodies after this is all over. My mindset is already shifting after 4 days. I realize I don't need those foods. I'm satisfied without the sweets.

At 9:30, I figured I better get a start on breakfast. We had some bell peppers and diced onions in the fridge, along with leftover turkey burgers from last night. So I got to work putting something together. Pictures and description in the menu below.

After cleaning up from breakfast, we both did our daily squats (and my sit-ups and push-ups). I'm challenging myself to 100 squats, 100 sit-ups and 25 push-ups everyday this year. It takes 21 days to create or break a habit. I'm focused and driven right now, so I have no doubt about it. My husband is doing 275 squats per day. That's crazy! My legs are pretty sore with just doing 100 per day. We relaxed for a while. I finished writing my grocery list. Since we were running low on food, I suggested we go to Whole Foods for lunch and run a few errands. The salad bar is a great option. So is rotisserie chicken. After lunch and errands, I dropped my husband off at home before going to my regular grocery store (Sprouts). By the time I got home and put all the groceries away, it was time to make dinner. I'm finally sitting down while watching "Hot Tub Time Machine" on Comedy Central. Hilarious!

Breakfast: I sauteed some diced onions, green and yellow bell peppers and some spinach in a little bit of coconut oil. I threw a diced tomato on top. Heated up a turkey burger from last night for us to share. I fried one egg each. I also tried these Paleo English Muffins. They didn't turn out as expected. I only ate 1/2 of mine, because it just wasn't great. Maybe I should have used a narrower/smaller bowl so they would have been thicker. I gave it a shot.

Lunch: I decided to make a huge salad from the salad bar. Mixed greens and spinach as my base. Then I went a bit crazy with toppings. Peaches, mangoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, shredded beets, roasted chicken, hard boiled egg, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Tessemae's just so happened to be sampling their dressings when we got to Whole Foods. I really liked the Cracked Pepper dressing, but have also heard good things about the Zesty Ranch. I topped my salad with some of the Zesty Ranch. These dressings are olive oil-based and would be easy to make at home.

Dinner: I made Paleo Steak Tips with Mushroom Gravy by The Preppy Paleo. This dish was flavorful. The meat was tender. I give this meal an A+. I made cauliflower "rice" and broccoli on the side. I did have to add a little arrowroot (mixed with cold water) to thicken the gravy. It just wasn't thickening on its own. After dinner, we had some blackberries and cantaloupe. Blackberries are so incredibly sweet. I'm realizing that fruit makes great treats.

I did snack a little today. I had a few Pizza and Sunflower Flax Snax. I also ate a handful of Lemon and Chocolate Super Cookies. Whole30-friendly (in moderation, of course). I took a few sips of my Strawberry Kombucha as well. 

Overall, I'm feeling good. I plan on running 5-6 miles tomorrow. Forecasted high is close to 50 degrees. Just have to finish before the Colts playoff game at 11am. 

One last thing, I'm making bone broth for the first time ever! It's simmering in my dutch oven and takes 20 hours! We'll have bone broth at 4pm tomorrow. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Whole30 - Unofficial Day 1

Today is my unofficial Day 1 of the Whole30. I will officially start tomorrow, so I may end up doing 31 days. I'm OK with that.

Last night was New Year's Eve. We went to one of our favorite restaurants - J. Alexander's. They serve decadent American fare: steaks, seafood, chicken, salads, burgers, sandwiches and appetizers. They do have Paleo options, but for some reason I always stray when we eat there. We ordered the Spinach con Queso Dip (served with pico de gallo and tortilla chips). We also got sourdough bread to snack on. For my meal, I ate a veggie burger topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard (no bun). I had their insanely cheesy mac & cheese as my side. Can you say cheese overload?

Needless to say, today was a recovery day from all the low-octane foods I put into my body last night. We stayed up until midnight last night as well... that's very difficult for someone who typically is in bed by 9:30pm everyday. Sleep is such an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

After arising around 8am, I heated up some of our leftover Paleo sausage & veggie pizza that I prepared for lunch yesterday with a slice of cantaloupe on the side. I used this pizza crust recipe from The Unrefined Kitchen. It doesn't really crisp up. It's more of a soft crust, but tastes amazing!

Sausage and Veggie Pizza

1 pound lean ground pork
1 small can tomato sauce (read the labels so it doesn't have sugars - it already has spices in it - you could make your own as well)
1/2 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 - 1 1/2 t. sage
1 - 1 1/2 t. rosemary
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. thyme
A few dashes of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 t. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

I just cooked the pork and veggies in a frying pan with all the spices (and a little olive oil). After pre-baking the crust, spread the tomato sauce on top. Then I topped with my sausage and veggies. I had some leftover cashew cheese sauce and drizzled it over the top before baking for another 10 minutes.

For the cashew cheese sauce:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 3 hours (overnight or all day is the best)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 T. olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 t. sea salt

Drain the raw cashews. Add to a high-speed blender with enough cold water to cover them (I used my Vitamix). Blend until creamy. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. Add to the blender with the nutritional yeast and sea salt. Blend again until smooth. Add water as needed (may need a 1/4 cup to thin it out).

For lunch today, we went to a local sports bar to watch the Purdue bowl game (my Alma Mater). I had their pan-seared lemon salmon plate with broccoli, spinach and red bell peppers. It's a very tasty meal.

Before making dinner, I did snack a little on these. I had three of each flavor: Lemon and Chocolate. There are dates, so these would need to be kept to a minimum during Whole30, but are an occasional treat. I've also tried their Pizza Flax Snax. Amazing.

For dinner tonight, we ate Paleo chicken fajitas served on Pure Wraps with diced avocado and salsa. In my fajitas, I used chicken breast tenders, green/red/orange/yellow bell peppers, onion and a jalapeño. Marinade: olive oil, fresh lime juice, cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder and sea salt.



Fajitas in the pan

Assembled Fajita

 

I don't feel deprived today. I did feel bored this afternoon and wanted to snack, but refrained. I knew it was boredom and not actual hunger.

 

Menu recap for January 1st

Breakfast: Leftover pizza and cantaloupe

Lunch: Salmon with spinach, red bell peppers and broccoli

Snack: a few Go Raw Super Cookies

Dinner: Two Chicken Fajitas

 

I may snack on some fruit and a few more of the Go Raw Super Cookies and then call it a day.

 

What was your favorite food that you ate today?