Whole30 home stretch...Garlic lemon caper chicken

I am on day 22 of my second Whole30 which means I am in the home stretch. I'm through with all of the carb flu/sugar withdrawals and no longer craving chocolate. I am falling asleep earlier, sleeping more soundly, and waking up earlier feeling rested. My energy is higher and by default my house is cleaner...LOL. I have even started making my son's lunches with healthier options which he likes because they are more filling than the sandwich, chips, and applesauce that he has taken daily for many years.

Yesterday when it came time for me to make dinner I got a little flustered. I had been planning on making NomNomPaleo's Cracklin Chicken, but realized that the chicken thighs I bought were boneless and skinless and her recipe wouldn't be a good without the skin. So I had to think quickly to throw something else together utilizing those chicken thighs I had already defrosted. My dad makes an amazing baked dish featuring lemon caper chicken and rice. Being on the whole30, rice is out, but thinking about his yummy dish got the wheels turning and I came up with what is now my favorite meal. I love lemon and this chicken has such a good flavor and lemony kick. I didn't know I was going to share this recipe until after I tasted it, so I didn't take any pictures along the way...I didn't even write down the recipe at the time, but I believe I've remembered it correctly. ENJOY!!

Garlic Lemon Caper Chicken

Recipe by Sarah Golnik

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4-5 servings
Ingredients

• 6-8 Boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp or 3-4 cloves, minced garlic
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 tbsp ghee, melted
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (bone broth preferred)
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• salt as needed
• zest from half of a small lemon

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat baking dish with olive oil and then place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the dish evenly spaced apart.
3. In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients, except for the ghee and lemon zest. Add the melted ghee last stirring quickly. If the other ingredients are too cold, the ghee will solidify again, but if you stir quickly it will be in evenly distributed tiny clumps. 
4. Spoon mixture into the baking dish around the chicken thighs. Sprinkle the top with the lemon zest. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until chicken is no longer pink when you cut it.
5. Serve over cauliflower rice or mashed potatoes using the juice from the dish as gravy.

Sweet Potato Bacon Burger Sliders

So last night was Saturday night and all I could think about was how good a burger and fries would taste. The creative juices got going and I came up with the most wonderful burger and the timing of the sweet potato buns worked out perfect with my oven zucchini fries.

I love bacon. I could eat it every day. Since I've started eating paleo, I've learned to no longer think of bacon as a side at breakfast, but have embraced it as a flavor enhancer...because let's face it...bacon makes everything better! The reason I needed dinner to be better was because I had been suffering from a migraine for three days and it finally went away right before I started preparing this. We haven't figured out what causes my migraines yet. Could be food, could be environmental, could be stress. They seem to happen so randomly though I have a hard time putting my finger on just what the cause is.

 Another thing I love about bacon is the grease it leaves behind as it is cooking. For this recipe I put it to good use and decided to use the grease from the cooking bacon to saute sweet onions. You can use yellow onions if that is what you have, but I think cooked sweet onions and bacon make for a great sweet/salty combination. At first I planned to put this combo on top of my burger, but then I figured it would fall off to easily. The solution was to put it in my burger!

 Time saver tip for the sweet potato buns: line your baking sheet with tin foil. If you are like me you probably have different size baking sheets and one of them is too big to fit in the dish washer. The solution is to line the baking sheet with tin foil. Once you are done, all you have to do is throw the foil away!

Sweet Potato Bacon Burger Sliders

For the bun: 2 fat sweet potatoes, cut into ½ inch slices (leave the skin on!) 1 tbs. melted ghee Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper For the burger: ½ sweet onion chopped 4 slices of bacon, uncooked, cut in to ¼ inch pieces 1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey) 1 egg ¼ cup of almond flour 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried parsley ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp black pepper Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potato slices on a non-stick baking sheet. Brush both sides with ghee. Add a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Bake 20-25 minutes flipping half way. They should be brown and slightly crispy. While your sweet potato buns are baking, put the bacon in a skillet over high heat. Once the bacon generates enough grease, add the onion and continue cooking until the bacon is cooked and the onion is translucent. Drain excess grease and set to the side to allow to cool. Mix the ground beef, egg, almond flour, garlic powder, parsley, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add bacon and onions. Mix thoroughly (I use my hands). Form in to patties slightly larger than the size of your sweet potato buns. Cook burgers on a grill or in a skillet 3-4 minutes per side. Serve bacon burgers on the sweet potato buns with spinach leaves and your choice of condiments.

Whole30 Day 14...Tiger Blood

 

"Days 16-27: Tiger Blood. Goodbye cravings, hello Tiger Blood! This must be what everyone is talking about. You’ve hit the downhill slope of your Whole30 and life is beautiful. Your energy is through the roof, you’ve kicked the cravings, you’re experimenting with new, delicious food, and you’ve finally got the time to notice that your clothes fit better, your workouts are stronger, and you are generally more awesome."         - See more at: http://whole30.com/2014/04/tiger-blood/#sthash.vwF8Jm9w.dpuf

I got tiger blood on day 10 this round. I woke up at 6:30 am without an alarm and spent all day Saturday cleaning my kitchen. I believe I cleaned areas in my kitchen that haven't been cleaned in the decade I've lived in my house and probably weren't cleaned by the previous home owner either!! I cleaned out my spice cabinet, organized it and refilled spices in my spice rack. I even went to the store to buy organizers for my cabinets! I know...crazy, right?!?

I figured that I need to put all of this energy to good use by working out a little harder. Both Monday and Tuesday this week I hit the gym at 6 am to get a workout in before work. I've been working out everyday during this whole30 in hopes that I would get even better results, but my workouts have been at home and have been centered more around physical therapy than sculpting, so it was nice to get back in to the gym. Today it is icy out so I'm planning on doing some arm and shoulder exercises with the dumbbells I have at home and doing some yoga/Pilates exercises for core strength.

Last night I tried something new for dinner as part of a challenge that was issued by several of the Paleo bloggers. I made NomNomPaleo's Spicy Tuna Cakes and served them with oven zucchini fries and my paleo ranch dressing. Making oven fries out of veggies is a great way to get your kids to try new veggies because they are in a familiar french fry shape and they are finger foods that are great for dipping.

Whole30/Paleo Oven Zucchini Fries

Makes 2-3 servings. Recipe can be easily doubled. 1 zucchini cut in to fry like pieces 2 eggs ½ cup almond flour 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp Italian seasoning ½ tsp salt 1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the olive oil on a large baking sheet and set aside. Mix almond flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Dip the zucchini pieces in the egg and toss in the flour mixture. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all of the zucchini pieces are coated and on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip each fry. Bake for 10 additional minutes.

Whole30 day 8: Whole30/Paleo Chili

So...we had a crazy cold snap last night and it was 8 degrees outside this morning! I'm sure most of my readers are experiencing the same thing considering 80% of the country had below freezing temperatures this morning. When it get's cold, I start thinking about hot stews and soups that I can make that will warm me from the inside out. Chili is a go to for most people, me included. I am such a fan of my dad's chili, all full of kidney beans, but being on the Whole30 that is forbidden. I read over some interesting recipes for paleo chili. Some recipes had squash, some had unique ingredients like coffee or cocoa powder, but none really sounded like they would cure my craving for my dad's chili.

The first thing I needed to do was to put together some chili seasoning. Most chili seasoning that you can buy pre-made at the grocery store is laden with sodium and MSG, not to mention sugar and various types of flour. Chili seasoning is so easy to make and if you cook even a little you will find most of the spices you need for it in your spice rack already. Chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt are what you need. The measurements I've included in my recipe below are more guidelines than rules. That is what I start with and after the pot has simmered a bit, I taste it to see if I want to add any more of any one of those spices.

I thought about just making a meaty chili, but decided I wanted a hearty substitute for beans. Ultimately I decided to add a diced sweet potato. I also kicked the spice level up a little by adding diced jalapeno. I've always big a fan of mixing sweet and spicy, so why not try it in chili?! I wasn't disappointed! It is the perfect combination and it still tastes like traditional chili.

My favorite thing about the Whole30 program is that it encourages you to step out of your comfort zone. During my first whole30 I realized how much I truly love to cook. I enjoy experimenting with flavors and making meals from scratch. That is one non-scale victory that stuck with me after that 30 days and I have really been embracing for the last six months.

It is day 8 for this whole30 and I'm feeling pretty good. My ring that I always wear is too loose to wear on my ring finger and I expect in another week I'll be able to wear it on my middle finger. My arthritis has been horrible for the last two nights because of the sudden change in weather. I wish that I could be one of those people who could say they are pain free at the end of a whole30 round, but sadly I don't think that will ever happen to me. What I can expect though is a healthier me and I'm okay with that. This whole30 hasn't been as much of a struggle. I attribute that to eating one or two compliant meals a day since I completed my first round. I've also really plugged in to the community aspect of this. I am so excited to be talking to so many people that are also on this journey. It is so much easier when you aren't doing it alone!

Well....on to the recipe!!! Make a double batch and freeze some!

Whole30/Paleo Chili

2 lbs. lean ground beef 1 large yellow onion, diced 4 cups beef broth (bone broth if you have it) 1 tbs. chili powder 1 tsp. ground cumin ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper ½ tsp. onion powder ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper 2 whole bay leaves 2-28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (I prefer no salt added) 1-14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (I prefer no salt added) 2 bell peppers diced 1 jalapeno pepper diced (can use a small can of green chilies to save time) 1 sweet potato diced in to ½ inch cubes

Add beef and onions to a large stew pot over high heat. Break up meat and stir with a wooden spoon until meat is cooked through. Drain any unwanted grease. Add the spices, tomatoes, peppers and sweet potato. Cover and simmer 45 min. Optional: Serve with avocado.

First day of a new year and another whole30 round!

Happy New Year!!!! I am so excited about all of the possibilities that a new year brings. I am hoping to have a much needed knee replacement this year...and yes, I know 34 is way too young to be having joint replacements! My appointment with my surgeon is scheduled for Feb. 11 and they want my BMI just a little bit lower. Since 75% of my weight loss is through diet and only 25% through exercise, I decided another round of the Whole30 is the way to go. I lost 23 lbs and 5 inches off my waist in May of last year on my first Whole30.

Breakfast this morning had to be quick. Scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage, and steamed broccoli did the trick. I decided against coffee and went with herbal tea to drink because I figured this might also be the perfect time to break my coffee habit too.

Lunch today was one of my favorite meals, a buffalo chicken salad. I tossed baked chicken tenders in Tessemae's wing sauce and served the chicken on a bed of lettuce and spinach with tomatoes, and cucumbers and drizzled with my paleo ranch dressing. So tasty it doesn't even seem healthy!!

When I was thinking about what I was going to make for dinner tonight I had to think about tradition. Traditional dinner on new year's day includes cornbread, black eyed peas, and collard greens. Well, I've never cared too much for black eyed peas, so no great loss there. I can do without cornbread. Collard greens though, I love! So how happy am I that the way I fix my collard greens is whole30!!! So dinner tonight was steak grilled with Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning, roasted red potatoes with rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder, and my yummy collard greens.

Sautéed Collard Greens

3 Tbsp. bacon grease or oil 2 Tbsp. minced garlic 3 tomatoes 1 bunch of collard greens, rinsed

Heat the grease in a large skillet. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Tear apart the leaves of the collard greens separating the leaves from the large parts of the stems. Add the leaves to the skillet, covering it after each handful and stirring occasionally. Once all of the collards are in the skillet, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until they reach the desired tenderness and are a dark green in color. About 10-15 minutes. Salt to taste.

Whole30/Paleo: Garlic and rosemary roasted sweet potatoes

Oh my yummy goodness! Tonight's dinner was so yummy that I'll have to do a couple posts to share the recipes. I've had a horrible cold for the last week and a half so I haven't been cooking as much as I normally do. Sadly, I'll admit that one night we had macaroni and cheese with hot dogs for dinner because we were short on time and I felt horrible.

I am trying to make up for being so cruel to my body by making extra yummy paleo recipes this week. On our plates tonight we had North Carolina BBQ with a paleo version of the traditional vinegar based BBQ sauce, coleslaw with homemade olive oil mayonnaise, and garlic and rosemary roasted sweet potatoes. The recipe I'm going to share in this post is for the garlic and rosemary roasted sweet potatoes. These sweet potatoes are so easy to make and are so delicious. They go well as a side dish at dinner, but are also great with chicken apple sausage for breakfast.

The great thing about these potatoes is that you can easily customize the dish with whatever herbs would go best with your main dish. To start with you cut the sweet potatoes in to bite size pieces. Keeping the pieces small reduces the cooking time. Once you have them all cut up place them in a bowl and toss them in extra-virgin olive oil until they are well coated. Then add the spices or your choice- garlic and rosemary at my house tonight. I have been roasting these in the oven recently, but this summer I roasted them in a foil pack on my grill.

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 25 min. Yields: 4 servings 2 large sweet potatoes 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tbs. minced garlic 1 tsp. rosemary Sea salt (to taste)	Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes in to rectangular bite sized pieces. Toss sweet potatoes, olive oil, and seasonings in a large bowl until well coated. Place on a large cookie sheet or in a metal roasting pan. Cook 25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt while still hot.

Whole30/Paleo Easy Shepherd's Pie

Who doesn't love an easy casserole?! It doesn't get much easier than shepherd's pie for a quick and healthy meal. What makes this meal quick for me is that I make extra mashed potatoes with dinner the night before I make this and used leftover mashed potatoes. This meal is easy customize and a great way to sneak in extra veggies. For my shepherd's pie tonight I added grated carrots and diced spinach. I have learned that if you have a meal with tomatoes, it is easy to sneak carrots into a meal because the tomato flavor masks the taste of the carrots and if you dice spinach small enough most people will over look it as a spice. 

Brown 1 lb. lean ground meat, diced onions, grated carrots, and seasoning in a large skillet.

Add a can of diced tomatoes, green beans, and spinach. Stir well to mix.

Top with garlic mashed potatoes and bake.

For maximum flavor while keeping to Whole30 guidelines, make your mashed potatoes with chicken broth, sea salt, and a 1/2 tsp. of mined garlic. If you aren't Whole30 you can add cheddar cheese into the garlic mashed potatoes or top with Parmesan cheese.

Easy Shepherd’s Pie
1 lb. ground meat (beef, turkey or lamb) 1 small onion chopped 1 large carrot grated ½ tsp. Italian seasoning 1 can of petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz) 1 can of green beans or 16 oz bag of frozen green beans ½ cup fresh spinach leaves chopped 3 cups garlic mashed potatoes	Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the ground meat, onion, grated carrot, and Italian seasoning together in a large skillet until meat is thoroughly cooked. Mix in tomatoes, green beans, and spinach. Add mixture to a casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake for 30 min.

Whole30 day 3 & 4 recap...still going

I'm not going to lie to ya'll...I was a little depressed yesterday and didn't feel up to blogging. The pain in my knee is finally easing off a bit today. I didn't do any workout the last couple of days because I knew that if I went to the gym even if I was doing an upper body workout, I would be pissed off. You have to know when to take a break and there is no better time than when you are in real pain.

Work has been crazy this week since I was on vacation for the last two weeks, combine that with knee pain, and headaches from cutting sugars out again and I have not been the happiest of campers. I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend.

Day 3
Breakfast: Deviled eggs, sweet potato hash, roasted brussel sprouts
Lunch: Chicken breast w/ marinara, steamed broccoli, cherries
Dinner: 3 egg fritata w/ spinach, peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and coconut milk

Day 4
Breakfast: pizza casserole
Lunch: Chicken breast with marinara, boiled potatoes and green beans
Dinner: Meatballs and 1/2 of a baked potato with beef mushroom gravy, and steamed broccoli

Whole30 day 3...a tough blow to my momentum

This has been one of the single worst days for me...not even whole30 related. I hurt my "good" knee yesterday (good knee because it has only had one surgery as opposed to my bad knee which has had 8!) I felt okay during my workout, but when I was walking down stairs on my way out of work, a sharp pain went thru my knee and it buckled on me. I iced it last night twice and took Advil, but it remained so painful all night that I couldn't sleep and was still really bad this morning. I have never been in this much pain (even post surgical) and when I went to my doctor, I was told to just take advil and tylonal for a couple weeks until insurance will approve an MRI. I feel like I might cut my leg off myself by that point, but I have no choice. (to make it more ironic, I work for the insurance company...lol) So between the pain and last minute appointment I didn't feel like eating much breakfast and didn't have time to eat all my lunch. Now it is an hour till dinner and I am starving, lightheaded, in pain that is keeping tears in my eyes... but you know what?!?!?!?!
I AM REMAINING COMPLIANT!!! Life is not perfect and will never be perfect, but my health is more important that a bad day!

Pizza casserole and fresh cherries

Scrambled eggs, sweet potato hash and 1/2 a cucumber.

So...Day 2 recap

Chicken baked with marinara sauce, potatoes boiled with green beans, and roasted brussel sprouts

 Day 2 workout: 20 min. on the elliptical, leg press, hamstring curls, lat pull down, and seated rows.

Whole30 Round 2 Begins!!

Since my first whole30 ended at the beginning of June, I have started working out almost daily at my company's gym and have tried to keep eating as healthy as possible. I have lost another 6 lbs and another inch off of my thighs and while that is great, I know I could be doing better for myself. So today I started another round with a vow to not only eat right for the next 30 days, but to also exercise which is something I didn't really do during my first round.

So, this morning I kicked off day one and did a lot of of cooking during my Sunday food prep time.

Whole30 day 32- new challenge I overcame

So, if you have been following my journey you know that I have to do 34 days due to non-compliant

bacon in the beginning. I am now on day 32 and while I have had many challenges, I hit the hardest one yet on Sunday morning. I woke up that morning with a slightly sore throat, but by that afternoon I was running a fever. Now, I am the type of person that can have full blown pneumonia and never run a fever so this was really unusual. I spent all day Sunday and Monday in bed and napped more than I have ever napped before. To make matters worse, I didn't drink enough water on Saturday because of the BBQ I hosted and was already dehydrated before the fever kicked in. Don't worry though, I got through it and stayed compliant even though a few tears were shed out of misery and frustration! I sipped herbal tea and the broth from chicken soup, gargled salt water, and discovered the wonder of an epson salt bath to help with the leg cramps I had from dehydration.

I am now feeling about 75% better and am thankful I didn't make myself more miserable by reaching for comfort foods I would have in the past. As I am wrapping up my first whole30, I'm thinking about everything that I've learned from this process and I'll be sharing those tidbits over the next few days. Here are a couple to get me started:

1. coconut is extremely versatile i.e. coconut oil, coconut aminos, coconut milk....
2. The term SWYPO (Sex With Your Pants On) makes me smile but is a great analogy and we all too often try to make substitutions to what we are eating but those substitutions aren't always good.

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 day 27- in the home stretch!

I am finally sleeping better!!! It took more than 20 days for me to have that non-scale victory, but it has finally come. I have the fitbit flex on my wrist and have been using it to track my sleep. Previously I would have 12 times or so a night of 7.5 hours of sleep that I would be restless, but the past 4 nights I have only been restless 1-2 times. That leaves me feeling fabulous in the morning with extra energy. I am putting that energy to use this week too with having a BBQ at my house tomorrow for 12 people and I'm serving a ton of whole30 compliant food....ribs with cherry bbq sauce (I'll have regular sauce too just in case), deviled eggs, broccoli salad, cut veggies with paleo ranch dip, compliant hot dogs, bacon wrapped sweet potato bites....I can't wait!!!

Unexpectedly I have become a foodie! I have always loved food, but I feel that now I have stripped all the sugar and the other crud from what I am making, I have gained a greater appreciation of the natural flavors! I have added a recipe section to my blog that I am going to start posting my recipes on and am very excited about having pins of my recipes as opposed to me looking at other people's pins.

Day 26 recap:

I made chicken salad yesterday morning intending on it being for
lunch, but it looked so good I decided to make a breakfast of it! I then had an equally fabulous lunch with 2 hamburgers topped with Tessemae's ketchup, half of a sweet potato topped with cinnamon, and a salad of spinach, strawberries, blueberries, avocado, and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. Dinner was beef stew made by my dad who again was excited that he made it without using flour or cornstarch to thicken it so that I could have it.

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 day 22 and more revelations

Friday was a rough day where it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I missed lunch and really felt the repercussions by 3 that afternoon. It was a firm reminder that I am no good at helping other people solve their problems if I don't take the time I need for myself and that includes fueling my body. I guess that is why the book was so insistent about us taking the time to sit down and eat at a table. Taking that time not only helps you slow your eating pace down, but also gives you a great stress break. I'm so glad I've figured that out.

I also bought my first Lara bars on Friday. I will definitely be saving them for my backpacking trip because they seem a little like Paleo crack! So yummy and addictive!

A mug of chicken bone broth w/ breakfast

Right now I am planning a menu for a party I'm having next Saturday to celebrate my son and my mom's birthdays as well as my mom's retirement. I will be doing a bulk of the cooking myself and everything that I'm making is going to be Whole30 compliant. I figured that would be my best defense against the cakes that I'm ordering for dessert. I am planning on making a compliant lemon custard with raspberries so I can have something too. Fingers crossed!!

I had my first cup of chicken bone broth with breakfast. It took me a couple sips to get used to the

idea, but then I decided that it was great! I have a hard time eating first thing in the morning still. I'm hungry, but just don't feel like eating (if that makes sense). I'm going to start sipping on a cup of bone broth first thing in the morning to see how that might help.

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 day 20: not weird to bring your own

Wow...day 20. This is such an amazing journey, but not without complications. My son and I typically have dinner at my parents' house during the week. They have been out of town most of this process and last night was our first night having dinner at their house. I called before going over there to ask my dad was he fixed and he told me it wasn't compliant. I quickly threw together a plate of food from what I had fixed in the fridge and took it with me. It wasn't weird and no one minded that I brought my own because I have been upfront with everyone about what I am doing and what it means to me. I did get questions and comments early in this journey about why I am doing this and why is it so restrictive. People had their doubts about my commitment, but I have to say now that I am on day 20, they see my commitment and they are seeing the changes in my mood and appearance.

Day 19 recap:
Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with prochiutto
Sweet potato hash
Cucumber

Lunch:
Baked sweet potato
Steamed cauliflower w/ EVO
Chicken with cherry bbq sauce

Dinner:
Pork chop with cherry bbq sauce
Cucumber
Sweet potato hash

I'm going to be making bone broth tonight for the first time and I'm very excited. The name turned me off, but yesterday I finally read up on bone broth and its amazing health properties.  Here is an interesting article from Weston Price about it.

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 day ?: who cares!!

Good Morning!!! I have reached the point that I am so happy with how good I feel I don't even care what day of my Whole30 that I am on! So, according to my calendar it is day 19. My son said that he can tell I am enjoying this so much that he thinks I will just not stop after 30 days. I will go through the re-introduction period though just to help me figure out what my body doesn't work well with, but I can definitely see me staying pretty compliant to the program.

Slept great last night despite an increased amount of joint pain (not sure why: weather? nightshades?). My dad was released from the hospital last night. He had a really really bad infection in his mouth and they think they have it under control. I feel like I have handled my stress a lot better this week, perhaps because of regulated blood sugar.

Made another batch of nomnompaleo's cherry bbq sauce last night. My son and I love this sauce!! We have had it on steak and chicken and my son asked if I could put it on ribs this weekend. It is simple to make and sooo very tasty!

I work from home and my team is having a meeting today and they wanted to have a breakfast potluck. I elected to not go to the office and will be calling in from home so I will not be tempted. I do have to go to the office next week for two days for round 2 of the interview process for a fabulous new job. Luckily we have big refrigerators and microwaves at work so I can bring everything I need to eat right.

Day 18 recap:

Breakfast:
Deviled eggs
Cucumbers
Sweet potato hash

Lunch:
Roasted chicken
Roasted cauliflower
Collard greens

Dinner:
Chicken legs w/ cherry bbq sauce
Deviled eggs
Steamed broccoli
1/2 Sweet potato with cinnamon

Whole30 day 18 and dealing with stress

I'm having a lot of stress right now but am staying compliant. My dad had to go into the hospital yesterday which was an unexpected curve ball, that led me to trying to throw together dinner for myself and my son at the last minute and eating dinner almost two hours late. I ate so quickly I don't think I tasted my Asian meatballs (nomnompaleo) and cauliflower rice. Then because I ate quickly, I ate too much for the first time in 18 days and felt miserably full instead of just satisfied. I am learning that no matter what you have going on, you need to find a way to stick to an eating schedule. If you are used to eating dinner at 5, not eating till 7, does not help you deal with stress better! Next time I find myself in that situation I'll try to snack on a handful of nuts or cucumber slices while I'm cooking.


Making sure I have food on hand for a Whole30 quick fix meal is essential to my survival during times of stress. I'm aware now, that in the past when I have had nights like last night, it was so easy to head to the local Mexican restaurant or to pick up Chinese take out. Eating unhealthy, preservative laden foods that I am allergic too will not help my body or mind deal better!!  I have a yeast allergy and preservatives are a big no no. When I got stressed out in the past I turned to unhealthy choices that would cause me to gain 5-10 lbs and feel depressed. It has taken the Whole30 program for me to see how bad my coping skills are. In just a few weeks I am feeling more confident in my ability to cope.


Day 17 recap:

Breakfast:
Deviled eggs
Cucumbers

Lunch:
Salad with roasted chicken, cucumbers, peppers, avocado, and home made balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Dinner:
Asian meatballs
Cauliflower rice


Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 day 17: Learning more and seeing more benefits

While I have noticed a ton of benefits so far for this 30 days, I seem to be having more arthritis pain than usual. Several people on the forum for the Whole30 have mentioned eliminating nightshades. I had never even heard the term nightshades before, but I started reading. Nightshades are part of a species of plants that are commonly used in my diet on a daily basis. They include tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes among many others. Many spices also fall in this family, like paprika. Nightshades seem to cause more inflammation in the body. Since I have started the Whole30 program, I have been eating so many more of these veggies and spices and it could possibly be the reason I am having more pain. I am now looking at eliminating nightshades and/or doing the autoimmune version of the Whole30 in the future.

Outside of my painful joints, I am noticing so many wonderful benefits. My skin is so clear and even toned that I haven't needed to wear foundation for a week. I love that my already minimal makeup has been cut back even more. I also have noticed that my nails are stronger. When I went shopping over the weekend I was trying on clothes in regular stores, not just stores with plus sizes and that felt amazing! I am dying to take my measurements, but I can hold off another 13 days!

When I started the Whole30 I was hungry all the time and really had to play with my portions to feel satiated. Now, I am noticing the size of my portions is leveling off and I am starting to leave some on my plate at the end of the meal. I love that not only am I eating the right foods, I no longer feel the need to eat all of the food on my plate.

Here is my day 16 recap:

Breakfast:
Deviled eggs
Broccoli slaw salad







Lunch:
Pork chop w/ strawberry avacado salad
Roasted cauliflower
Collard greens

Yup, ate dinner sitting in the car!

Dinner:
Roasted chicken
Steamed broccoli
Sweet potato
w/ ghee
and cinnamon


Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 day 16: Weekend recap and another eating out on Whole30 adventure!

Good morning! I finally discovered Tazo's Passion Iced Tea bags yesterday....sooo yummy!!!! It will

be a great sugar free drink for me to enjoy this summer! This was an eventful weekend for me. Saturday I celebrated my son's 12th birthday. We went to almost every sporting goods store within 3 counties of us and then had lunch at Chipotle. I found out by reading numerous other blogs that a salad with carniats at Chipotle was safe for Whole30. It was so yummy and nice to know that there is another restaurant that I can eat at and still make great food choices!

I had my parents over for dinner last night. Stuffed peppers, salad with home made balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and a dessert of berries topped with coconut cream and toasted coconut was all a big hit. Cooking such awesomely flavorful dishes are a great way to win your family over on the Whole30 adventure.

The highlights of my Whole30 food this weekend!

I took another set of pictures yesterday (day 15 for me) and am so amazed at the changes I see! I have decided to step up my activity level for the rest of the program. No...I am not becoming an admirable crossfitter...I'm just going to start adding in more strength and resistance training in to my daily routine of walking.

Have a great day folks!!

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30: Two weeks in words of wisdom

Things are going really well for me even though I am feeling a little under the weather on my 15th day of my first Whole30. I thought I would share the top 5 things that are helping me the most on this journey:

1. Bacon...Here is a link to the bacon that is whole 30 approved http://pedersonsfarms.com/product/uncured-no-sugar-hickory-smoked-bacon-natural-paleo-bacon/ ...if you use the search on the top of the page you can find some near you. We have 2 Whole Foods stores, both about 30 min from my house and only one of the two carries the sugar free kind. This bacon has been a savior for me during this process.

2. prep for an hour over the weekend. This morning I made a batch of mayo, boiled 9 eggs, made sweet potato hash, and browned a lb of ground turkey with taco seasonings, and cut up green peppers all in less than an hour. The turkey I can use on salads for taco salads. The boiled eggs are handing to have for breakfast (I make them in to deviled eggs) or to put in tuna or chicken salad. Prepping is a huge time saver and gives you quick fix options for the week.

3. When I do have time to cook, I make a little extra. Last night I grilled steaks for my son's birthday and while the grill was going I grilled some sweet potatoes and some chicken (that I will add some cherry bbq sauce to this week).

4. Every time I leave the house I take a bag of almonds or cashews, an apple, and a bottle of water for my purse.

5. Tea with lite coconut milk (I like the light one in tea because it cuts the bitterness but doesn't add coconut flavor). There are lots of different flavors of tea and it provides a great break from water.

Any time I start questioning what I am doing and if it is worth it I read the success stories on the Blog or in the Forum on Whole30.