Whole30 Days 8-12

Eggs, sausage and avocado – usual breakfast

Lunch was a hotdog, some mashed sweet potato with caramalized onions

Thai chicken meatballs, sweet potato fries

Eggs with onions and poblano pepper and sausage

Mashed potatoes with tomato-y pot roast and asparagus

Chicken Bacon Ranch Poppers with some compliant frozen fries

Sausage and cabbage beet slaw, there is feta on the slaw – leave off for true Whole30

Thai Pineapple Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice – SO GOOD

Scrambled eggs with veggies and sausage

Found this to go with my coffee, it is really good. A Whole30 game changer!

Leftovers for lunch – chicken poppers and pineapple chicken cauli rice with dairy-free ranch

This Whole30 is different than others I’ve done – I still have a headache that comes and goes and I really feel no different than before starting. I have lost weight though and that is the primary reason for doing this.

So, we’ll keep going. It’s actually going pretty fast and I’m proud of myself for sticking with it.

I haven’t had any cravings until the last couple days. I’ve been craving a sweet coffee! Really bad! I’m so tempted to add stevia or splenda to my coffee in the mornings but I  know that would trigger a ton of other cravings so I will stay strong! And I’ve been dreaming about pizza, literally. Which goes right along with the Whole30 timeline!

 

Diet Update

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated, things have been busy around here! Meaning, I’ve mostly been chasing my kinda, newly mobile infant daughter all around the house. She is a busy little bee and I love it! Being her Mama is my favorite thing in the whole world!

I’m still following a low carb diet (down about 10lbs!!), however, I’ve decided today to cut back on dairy a little bit. I’ve been having a lot of it, at every meal and almost every snack and I’m pretty sure it’s causing me (and my daughter) some tummy troubles!

Here is a little of what I’ve been enjoying lately:

Low Carb Day 6

Breakfast:

Eggs, sausage, greens and coffee

 

Lunch:

Ground beef, onions and greens with some of this Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa sauce, realllllly good!

Dinner:

Pot Roast with salad – everyone else had potatoes and rice with theirs but I was good!

 

Dessert:

I had one of these with some peanut butter, such a tasty treat!

Whole30 for a Third Time!

I’m getting ready to start my 3rd whole30 on May 1st. I’ve had so much success with these the past two times that doing it a third time is a no brainer! It will help me to reach my weight goal and my goal of optimal health. And I just feel a hundred times better when I’m eating whole, unprocessed foods. Life is busy, especially when running your own business! (If you live in SW Washington/Portland OR area, check us out – PC Rescue Wiz). So, we need to be at the top of our game and eating whole, natural and unprocessed foods helps us do that.

Lately, a lot of my friends and family and blogging friends have started their first (or second) Whole30 and are a week or few weeks in and seeing amazing results. What I love about the Whole30 is that it’s not a gimmick, it doesn’t contain or promote any diet supplements, drinks or pills. All you need to do is eat tons of fresh veggies, fruits, some nuts, seeds and protein! It’s so simple to do and it’s free. All you pay for is your groceries which you already need to buy anyways.

If anyone is interested in trying it out or just wants more info, their website is a great resource. They have forums, blogs and tons of tips. I have gone on there quite a bit for info and have always found what I was looking for. They also provide you with a shopping list of all the foods approved on the Whole30.

Whole30 Day 30!

I made it all 30 days and honestly didn’t really notice if the time went slow or fast. I lost a total of 9 pounds and one pant size in 30 days. So, I’m doing this again! Starting May 1st! My aunt and my mom did it with me and we all had awesome results. I had a few things during the 30 days that I shouldn’t have. Like a splash of heavy cream in my iced espresso or a bowl of ice cream with my husband after a long day. But I kept the indulgences to a minimum and I’m happy with the results!

Dinner tonight was a good one! Chicken cooked in garlic infused olive oil and chicken broth with some frozen peas thrown in at the very end served with roasted cauliflower. So good!

From now until May 1st, I don’t plan on going crazy with the sugar or gluten/grains. But I may indulge in some dark chocolate or dairy a couple of times. I really want to be more strict with myself on the next whole30 and see if my results will be much different.

I’ll keep you posted!

Whole30 and Squat Challenge Update

Today is day 24 of the whole30! But I have no intentions of quitting after the 30 days, I’ve decided to turn this into an everyday thing. Of course following the whole30 strictly for the rest of my life is really not a realistic thing to do. But if I follow it as much as I can and eat this way at home and when I go out and stick to the rules as closely as possible, then I will consider that successful. Will I enjoy some chocolate and a glass of wine and maybe some cheese here and there? Of course! Because I love those things. But I’m at my healthiest and feel my best when I eat those things sparingly. And I’m at a point now where I can do that and it’s not as much of a struggle as it used to be.

I’m on day 4 of my 30 day squat challenge and it has definitely been a challenge! Squats are not something I made part of my workout routine regularly because I just never really thought about them. And right now, my muscles are screaming at me!

Day 1 of the squat challenge, I did 50 squats. Day 2 was 55, day 3 was 60 and today is a rest day. Then tomorrow, it’s 70! On day 30, I should be able to do 250! I’m actually looking forward to that. I’m a competitive person so anytime you give me a challenge, I’m up for it!

Here’s another one of my typical whole30 meals:

Roasted broccoli, chicken and spinach, english cucumber and guacamole

30 Day Squat Challenge!

I’ve seen the 30 day plank challenge going around and then I saw this – 30 day squat challenge! Since we’ve targeted our core, why not now target our rear end?! I’m sure everyone would love a better looking butt right? This looks hard (for me) because the most squats I’ve ever done at one time is 30, so starting at 50 might be a little tough. But I’m willing to try it out. I think this can be customized pretty easily, just start at whatever number you want – 10, 20, 30, 80 and add 5 the next day or 10 or however many the chart says to add.

I’m starting tonight, who’s doing it with me?!

Whole30 Day 14 – Jambalaya Soup (Recipe)

I can’t believe 2 weeks have already gone by! I’ve lost 7 pounds so far and one jeans size! I’m super excited and plan to definitely continue on a strict paleo diet after the whole30 is over.

Since Jambalaya is one of my favorite things to make, I had to find a way to make it whole30 approved. I’ve tried it with cauliflower rice and it is just not that good. So I thought a soup is perfect! The recipe is similar to my original except I took out the rice and added kale and a little extra meat.

3 medium size chicken breasts

3 mild smoked andouille sausage links

A bunch of kale (I had a bag of torn up kale and just kept putting some in until it looked right, I added more than I thought was necessary because it will cook down a bit)

1 can diced tomatoes with juice (I got the one with no salt added)

4 cups low sodium organic chicken broth

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 t Italian seasoning

1 t paprika

red pepper flakes (optional)

S&P to taste

Begin by cutting the chicken up into cubes and brown in olive oil

Slice the sausage anyway you like and add to the chicken

Add the chopped onion and garlic, the black pepper and spices (except salt) and cook everything together until aromatic

Add the can of diced tomatoes + juice

And stir to combine

Add the chicken broth and bring to a light boil

At this point you can taste the broth to see how much salt to add. I always add a little less than I think is necessary because the flavors of everything will become more intense as the soup simmers. Right before I serve it, I taste it again to see if it needs more.

Add the kale last and then let soup simmer for about an hour and then serve!

Whole30 Day 6 – BBQ Chicken

Almost one week in and I’m down 5 pounds! I know you’re not supposed to weigh yourself on the whole30 but I was feeling so good and my clothes are much more loose that I just couldn’t stand it, I had to see where I was at! Super exciting!

Working out has been a lot of fun, because I have way more endurance now, I’m able to do a lot more and go for longer and I don’t get pooped as quickly. I’ve also been able to increase the weight on all my strength training exercises which is awesome!

In my last post, I made BBQ ribs with the whole30 approved paleo BBQ sauce by Tessemaes and we loved it so much that I made it crock pot BBQ chicken with it for dinner last night. That sauce is amazing! There are dates in the sauce and when it cooks, it caramelizes and it becomes sweet and spicy. It doesn’t taste at all like traditional BBQ sauce, it tastes better!

I put two frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and covered them with the BBQ sauce and a little bit of chicken broth and cooked on high for about 3 hours, the last 30 mins or so, I took the lid off and let the sauce thicken up. It was so good!

21 Day Sugar Detox

Tomorrow is Day 1 of my 21 day sugar detox. I’ve tried this detox a couple of times in the past year and was never able to finish it because I ended up with a bad cold each time.

This time I’m determined to finish it and NOT cheat ONCE! I’m doing this to prepare for another Whole30 in March. I’m super excited about it! So far, 3 other people have said they’d like to do it with me. Anyone else want to join? It’s better to do it with other people, then you have someone to relate the symptoms with and to help keep you accountable.

Come on people! It’s good for you!

Here is a link to the 21 day sugar detox and the approved food list: 21 Day Sugar Detox