Whole30 Diaries: Week 2 Recap

Oh my gosh this week was tough! Not only was I dealing with cravings for chocolate and Diet Coke left and right, but I had to deal with some serious temptation. It just so happened that everyone in the office decided this was going to be the week to bring in junk food to work. I stayed strong and turned down pizza, ice cream, and iced coffee, not to mention our squadron was passing out free doughnuts and coffee on National Doughnut Day! It was tough. REAL tough. Thankfully yesterday I found some LÄRABAR's at the Base Exchange yesterday. The fruit and nut bars are going to be perfect for those late night snacks and give me an extra boost of fiber.


Most people think I'm absolutely bonkers when I tell them that I'm doing Whole30 and explain to them what it is. Now that I'm about almost halfway through the program it's become more than just trying to lose weight; I want to prove to myself, and everyone else, that I can actually do this. A year ago this would have never even been a possibility, but now I'm more determined than ever to push myself and test my boundaries in my effort to achieve the healthiest version of myself.

The fact that I'm experiencing great results doesn't hurt either. We went to the mall yesterday for the end of the season sale at my favorite store, Express, and I'm officially down a size! I don't know what was sweeter; the size, or the 70% off price tags. I scored 2 pairs of jeans, 3 lace bralettes, and 6 shirts for under $150!

Here's a look at what I feasted on during Week Two:

Steak, Brussel Sprouts, and Baked Sweet Potato

Blueberry Clafoutis

Spinach Omelette and Grapefruit

Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs, Crushed Tomatoes and Spinach

Paleo Taco Salad

Broccoli Spinach Frittata with Caramelized Onions

Moving Out and Moving On

This past weekend was the first big wave of packing up our house. It was sad, and stressful, and messy. I'm not too fond of the actual house itself, but the fact that it was Scott and my's first place together makes it totally and utterly special to me. 

Thank goodness we haven't accumulated too much "stuff" at this point and that a lot of the stuff we don't mind trying to sell, donate, or just throw out. Because one: I don't think I have the patience for that and two: we want a completely fresh start in our new home. 

This is our cross-eyed cat, Carl. Who we took in after he wandered into our backyard very ill last spring.
He's pretty excited about the move.

I'm giddy for what the future holds for us. We just found out that Scott was approved for an early release from the service so hopefully he will be joining me in Washington in mid August. We'll both be starting over. New state, new jobs, new home. Talk about a new beginning! I feel like this is finally the time that Scott and I are going to start a life together. Living in New Jersey hasn't been the greatest. It's almost like we've been living in limbo for the last year, but now our fate has finally been decided!

Whole30 Diaries: Week 1 Recap

I am ecstatic to report that I successfully completed my first week of Whole30! I'm shocked. And proud. And amazed that I didn't stray from any of the program's guidelines. I mean, have you read them? It's hardcore. And with any sort of experience similar to this, they say the first week is the hardest and is going to set the tone for the remaining 23 days. Because I handled my first week so well I'm even more excited and optimistic about doing this Whole30 thing!

For those of you who are becoming intrigued about Whole30, but don't think you have the will power to "say no" here are just a few examples of some of the meals I ate (and enjoyed!) during my first week. I couldn't be more serious when I say, "If I can do it, so can you."

Chicken "Italian" Salad

Baked Egg in Avocado

Blueberry "Tortilla" and Coffee with Coconut Milk

Eggplant Sliders with Tomato Sauce

Sweet Potato Chili

And here's what I got lined up for next week:

WEEK 2 MEAL PLAN

Breakfast:

Broccoli Spinach Frittata with Caramelized Onions

Omelet Muffins

Grapefruit with Sea Salt

Blueberry Clafouti

"Potatoes" O'Brien

Lunch:

Leftovers from dinner

Pork Chops with Steamed Mixed Vegetables

Chicken "Italian" Salad

Dinner:

Slow Cooker Chicken and Veggies

Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs

Slow Cooker Taco Meat

Creamy Lemon Chicken Kale Soup
Steak, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Broccoli

Snacks:

Apples

Almonds

Coconut Water Smoothie

Carrots

Celery

Grape Tomatoes

Pineapple

Strawberries

REMEMBER: Preparation is key guys and gals!

Whole30 Diaries: Prep for Success

Yesterday I ranted and raved about how big of a help food prep has been so far with my Whole30 success so today I wanted to share one of my breakfast preps. With less than 20 mins for preparation and bake time, this breakfast is a win-win!

Egg McNothin's

Ingredients:

• 6 Slices of organic meat (I used organic turkey breast)
• 6 Organic eggs
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper

Instructions:

1. The original recipe said to line a muffin tin with 6 muffin cup liners, and place organic meat slices in the muffin cups, but I had a difficult time getting the meat to stay in the liners, so I just did without and they turned out fine.
2. Crack eggs into each muffin cup, and sprinkle seasonings on top according to your personal taste preference.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, until the egg white is thoroughly cooked, and the egg yolk is slightly cooked but not dry.
4. After your egg McNothin's have cooled, portion them out and then place in to Tupperware containers for the week -- That's it!

BEFORE

AFTER

So easy, right?

It's made the breakfast part of this whole process extremely easy and quite yummy. Below is my breakfast from this morning. I try to make breakfast my biggest meal so in addition to two of my egg McNothin's I had 3 of my homemade pork sausages (also part of my meal prep), and half of an avocado.

Talk about a breakfast of champions!

Whole30 Diaries: Dinner Day 2 and 3

It's Day 4 of my Whole30 and I'm feeling GREAT! Supposedly the first 3 days are the hardest, but I really only struggled on the first. I think it's primarily because I had the most incredible hankering for a Big Gulp of Diet Coke from 7-Eleven. 

I'm so glad that I planned and prepared days in advance because it's made this process pretty easy thus far. I made a meal plan, and only purchased the ingredients and amounts necessary for those recipes because I didn't want anything to go to waste and I didn't want to spend more than I had to. Pretty much right after I returned from the commissary I started to rinse, chop, and portion out my produce for my recipes and made sure I had pulled my meats so they could thaw properly. I'm telling you, doing little things like this ahead of time are such a lifesaver!

Below is the recipe for Paleo Taco Soup I put on my meal plan for dinner this week and I LOVED it! I plan on using it even after I complete my Whole30. It may not seem like there's much to this soup, but one bowl of this hearty soup is all you need! I was comfortably full by the time I finished eating. This recipe was also so great because it was enough to provide dinner for my husband and for two nights AND lunch for him today.

Paleo Taco Soup

Ingredients:
·         1-1.5 lbs of ground beef or turkey (I used 1.5 lbs of lean ground turkey)
·         1 orange bell pepper, large dice
·         1 carrot, peeled and cubed
·         1 onion, diced
·         4 garlic cloves, chopped
·         1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced finely (I left out because the commissary didn't have them.)
·         2 cups of organic beef stock
·         1 – 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

Seasoning Blend:

·         1 tsp kosher salt

·         1 tsp onion powder

·         1 tsp garlic powder

·         1/4 ancho chili powder

·         1 tsp (regular) chili powder

·         1/2 tsp cumin

·         1 tsp coriander

·         black pepper, couple grinds

Instructions:

1. Heat a large soup pot to medium high with a little fat (I used coconut oil).  While that’s heating, prepare the vegetables, open the can of tomatoes, get the stock measured out. Add the ground meat and carrots. Let this go until the meat is no longer pink.
2. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, Serrano/jalapeño and the seasoning blend. Mix well. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, the ground meat has some color to it and brown bits are sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the stock to de-glaze the pan, then add the crushed tomatoes. Make sure to mix everything well.
4. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer. I let mine simmer for an hour, but if you don't have that much time, or if you're just stubbornly impatient, reduce heat to medium/medium-low and give it maybe 15-20 minutes.

I served mine with slices of avocado and my husband had his with tortilla chips, cheese, and Greek yogurt. For extra flavor you could also serve with some cilantro or lime over top. Enjoy!

Whole30

Today is the day! I'm having my first go at Whole30. I've only eaten breakfast as of yet, but so far so good! I made my meal plan and I have my shopping list ready to go. I figure the best way to be successful with this program is by proper planning and food prep execution. Brace yourselves because my instagram and blog are probably going to be flooded with whole30 photos, recipes, and testimonies. Wish me luck!

WEEK ONE MEAL PLAN

Breakfast

• Egg McNothin’s
• Blueberry Tortillas
• Broccoli Spinach Frittata with Caramelized Onions
• Sweet Potato, Apple and Pancetta Hash

Lunch

• Baked Pork Chops and Asparagus
• Chicken Breast and Steamed Mix Vegetables

Dinner

• Spaghetti Squash with Lean Ground Turkey and Mushrooms
• Sweet Potato Chili
• Taco Soup
• Eggplant Sliders

Snacks

• Cherry Tomatoes
• Baby Carrots
• Sliced Peppers
• Celery Wedges
• Apples
• Berries
• Bananas
• Green Smoothies made with Coconut Water, Green Ice Cubes, and Minimal Frozen Fruit.

* Most of these recipes make multiple servings which means leftovers, which means, I won't have to cook every night - BONUS!

Saying Goodbye

I just finished reading The Fault in Our Stars and now I feel empty. I'm not sure if it's because of the way the book ended or if it's because cancer has a direct relevance to my own life. I haven't spoken about it much because I am terrible at communicating my feelings when it comes to dramatic emotion. 

I lost my grandfather about 2 months ago to Esophageal Cancer and I don't know what pains me more; the fact that he is no longer physically here with us, or that I didn't get to say "goodbye." His health had been hanging in the balance for over a year so, sadly, my family and I had the mentality of  any day now, but he toughed it out for as long as he physically could. The character of Augustus Waters reminded me so much of grandfather with the way he didn't let cancer control his life. You could hardly tell he was sick because he had this incredible warmth, a contagious happiness, and still had a real thirst for living. He genuinely loved life and didn't take a single day for granted. Eventually, despite his efforts, the cancer prevailed and even though his body was present for his last few weeks, his spirit had already passed on. In the novel Hazel mentions having a conversation with Augustus on his Last Good Day and even though she is just a character in a novel, I know exactly what Hazel meant and how she feels, as many, if not most, people feel as they see the lives of their loved ones slipping. Despite my grandfather living in California and the countless hours of treatment and rest he required I was fortunate to speak with my grandfather on his Last Good Day. He hardly sounded like the man I knew and grew up admiring. His voice was unrecognizable and very faint, but I will cherish our seventeen minute conversation forever because it was the last time we'll ever speak.

My birthday is the day before my grandfather's. I couldn't help but get emotional this year when we flew to California to spend the weekend with my family thinking it would be my grandfather's last birthday, and it was. This is the last photo and one of the last tangible moments I had with my grandfather. My birthday won't be the same this year.

Who knew that reading a novel for young adults would have the power to stir up so much thought and emotion? I'm glad it did because it is about time that I finally open up about my grandfathers passing, even if it's only written.

Every person deals with stuff like this differently and for me, I just needed time.