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.

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.

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 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 Day 1 recap...breaking habits again

Well...Day 2 of my second whole30 is winding down now. Yesterday went smoothly as I knew it would, but I came to a realization late in the day. I realized that the snacking habit that I had broken during my first whole30 had come back in my life during my two weeks on vacation. I didn't eat unhealthy snacks, but they were still mindless calories. So...that is my struggle again this time.

I went to the gym this afternoon for my workout and I am excited because I can feel myself getting stronger again with every workout. I am taking it slow, because, as I mentioned before, I will spend the rest of my life recovering from the damage I did to my body during my younger and more athletic days. That is okay though. Instead of increasing my weights each week and doing 3 sets of 10, 8, and 6 reps with a higher rep each set, I will be staying at 3 sets of 12 reps all at the same weight and not increasing until it becomes ridiculously easy. Just as with everything in life, the ability to adapt and change is the key to survival!



Day 1 recap

Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled
3 pieces of compliant bacon
1/2 of a cucumber sliced
fresh cherries

Lunch:
Taco salad with seasoned ground beef, spring greens, spinach, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, salsa, guacamole, and a sprinkle of lime juice

Dinner:
Steak grilled with Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning
Boiled red potatoes with green beans (both from the farmer's market)
Watermelon

Workout:
30 min. of yoga
2 hours of yardwork ;-)

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 reintroduction delays...

Happy Monday! Friday was the start of my reintroduction phase following the completion of my first

Eggs scrambled with peppers, onions, prosciutto, and cheddar

Whole30. I added dairy back for each of my meals, but by Friday night I was at the urgent care getting antibiotics. I had been sick earlier in the week and my weakened immune system allowed for an infection to creep into my lungs. So needless to say, since I was already feeling horrible, I knew that I wouldn't be able to really gauge the effects of adding milk back Friday. I have gone back to eating whole30 again while the antibiotics do their work. Tonight I am going to reintroduce non-gluten grains as long as I continue feeling better. I will not try milk again until the end of my reintroduction so that I can get an accurate assessment. I can honestly say though from eating it on Friday, that I haven't missed it! My chai tea tasted strange with milk instead of coconut milk. I have always loved cheese, but I didn't feel like the cheese made my omelet taste any better. I did enjoy the sprinkling of Parmesan on my meatballs at lunch. So if nothing else the revelation that I have made is that if my body can handle milk products, they should be more of an accessory rather than a main ingredient.

So the rest of the weekend I tried to rest in between taking my 12 year old to a mud run and archery practice and trying some more new whole30 recipes. Some of the new dishes were big hit like a pizza casserole I made using a recipe posted by PaleOMG and making some modifications. My son, who normally doesn't eat leftovers, requested it for lunch the next day as well! Dinner last night was my favorite meal of the weekend. I made grilled Jamaican lime chicken breasts served with fresh mango salsa and roasted garlic sweet potatoes (done on the grill). I will be adding these recipes to my recipe section soon!!

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 Results and...the rest of the story

The results are in!! I applied for a new job at the beginning of this process and because of everything listed above, I had the confidence to go through the interview process. Yesterday, on my last whole30 day, I was told I got the job which is a huge promotion. I will be leaving the position I've had for 9 years! Oh and I guess I should also mention I lost 15 lbs, 3.5 inches from my stomach, 3 inches from my chest, 2 inches from my hips, and an inch from each thigh!!! All of those numbers are just icing on the cake!

Here is my whole story...

In 2004 I was having horrible mood swings and I just didn't feel good. That year I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and started on medications. That started a 12 year battle with medications to control my sleep, medications for my mood, medications to counteract the side effects of other medications. I gained 100 lbs which I was told was a side effect of all the medications. The doctors had to keep switching my medications because nothing seemed to really work.

Things changed when we brought a puppy into our home and my allergies got out of control and to diagnose it my ENT ordered a full gambit of allergy tests. Other than the dog, we found out I had a huge reaction to yeast and mold. My allergist recommended that I go on a yeast free diet. I went home and immediately started researching what kind of diet that entailed, but also the symptoms of a yeast allergy. I noticed that there are a number of psychological symptoms to anaphylactic shock. I started thinking about the times when I felt the worse with depression and anxiety and realized that those were the times I was eating what was the worst for a yeast allergy- fast food and preservatives. I immediately started to clean up my diet. Luckily my psychiatrist was very open minded and willing listen to my theory that I wasn't bipolar, just having an extreme allergic reaction and the reason we couldn't find a medication to help me was because we were trying psychiatric drugs on a physical problem. He tapered me off of my medication and I continued cleaning up my diet. 

In March of this year I was official dismissed as a patient of the UNC Neurosciences Clinic and have been medication free for almost 2 years. I have struggled though when it came to sticking to eating clean. I started paying attention to the mood swings I would have and think about how they were caused by slipping in to old habits. That is why I chose to do the Whole30 program. I needed something to give me the kick in the butt that I needed to do what is right for me, not just for 30 days, but to be the first 30 days of the rest of my life.

I can't help but think about all the years that I have wasted by not trying to eat clean when I first started having problems, but I won't think about it too hard. At 33, I have a long life ahead of me and this 30 day period wad just the start!!!

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30- LAST DAY!!!

Finally! Today is my last official day! I am excited and saddened at the same time. I really am not interested in reintroducing some things to my diet, but I know I need to do the reintroduction just so I know what the effects are of certain foods I may eat (or may not be able to avoid). So...I will do the introduction but then I am going to go back to how I'm eating. I am planning on staying paleo and mostly whole30 from now on. I'm going to work for a 90/10 balance.

I am starting to feel like myself after being sooo sick for the first few days this week. Yesterday I went walking for the first time after three days of barely moving. I managed to get 6 miles done without feeling too bad, although I am a little dehydrated still.

Stay tuned for before and after pics, measurements, and weights.

Yesterday's recap:

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs
Bacon
Steamed broccoli

Lunch:
Chicken soup

Dinner:
Tuna salad w/ olive oil mayo and
fresh spinach leaves

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

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 28- Party time!!!

Whew! What a day!!! Had a most fabulous time at the BBQ for my family. I got tons of compliments on my Whole30 compliant food. Because I've been doing a lot of advance prep work on the weekends during this program, I was able to use this new found talent to have everything prepped and ready so I could still enjoy the party. I highly recommend bacon wrapped sweet potatoes as an appetizer for any occasion.

I admit I did look longingly at the cupcakes my sister brought for dessert. I took one and put it in a tupperware container in my freezer to eat after I introduce gluten back. A friend of the family left a few bottles of beer that he had brought for us to try, so I would be able to try it once I'm done with my Whole30. I feel so great with what I've been eating though that I am not looking forward to the negative effects that a beer will have on my body now that I have cleaned what I put in it. I also have a severe yeast allergy which amplifies the negative effects.

I'm looking forward to taking my after pictures, especially since I was constantly pulling up my jeans today. A smaller size is definitely a victory!

Today's recap:

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs
Sweet potato hash
Blueberries

Lunch:
Chicken salad on a bed of spinach

Dinner:
Hors d'oeuvres:
Bacon wrapped sweet potatoes
Veggies w/ homemade ranch dip

Main Course:
Broccoli salad
Ribs with Cherry BBQ sauce
Deviled eggs

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 26...more challenges I overcame!

I've been missing the last couple of days because I had to go into my office to work since I had to be onsite for some job interviews (I normally work from home full time). I really learned from some of the office eating mishap stories on the Whole30 forum and really made the effort the past two days to

Burgers, guacamole, spinach, apple and cashews

coconut shrimp, sweet potato, broccoli

make sure I had plenty of food with me and a couple compliant snacks (just in case). I made it through Tuesday without hiccups and even went out to eat for my mom's birthday that night. We went to Outback and since I went there on mother's day, I knew just what to order (steak grilled w/o seasoning, steamed broccoli, and a sweet potato plain). It was still yummy and nice to know that I can go out with my whole family and still stick to my healthy choices. They were advertising a new cocktail and I have to admit that the thought of alcohol makes me a little sick right now...and that is good. I actually have a yeast allergy and shouldn't have any alcohol, but before the Whole30, I would still indulge in a glass of wine or two on the weekend and wind up feeling horrible for days afterwards. I should hear about both of the new positions I interviewed for by the middle of next week. Hopefully it will be good news to celebrate along with the end of my whole30 (whole34 really).

Yesterday I was in too much of a hurry in the morning and didn't eat enough for breakfast. I only ate
about 2 eggs and half of the sweet potato hash...no other veggies. I paid for it and stayed hungry the rest of the day even after eating proper portions for lunch and dinner. That really cements for me that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day!!

The salad my dad prepared...so yummy!

My son and I often eat dinner with my parents on weeknights. I chose my whole30 start day purposely because they were going to be out of town for the first couple of weeks. They are back this week and each day I've called my dad to ask what he was making for dinner to see if I could eat any part of it and if I couldn't I brought my own. Yesterday my dad sent me a message through facebook
and was so excited that he was making a dinner I could have. He grilled chicken and we had grilled chicken salads with locally grown lettuce, strawberries, and blueberries. He also added walnuts and avocado. It was so great and felt so good to know that my dad was now thinking about the whole30. My mom has also expressed interest in reading the book and trying the whole30. I am so glad my family supports me and it definitely makes the process so much easier.

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: 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.

Whole30 day 12: #NonScaleVictory

I can't believe this is day 12 for me of my first Whole30. I find sticking to this plan very easy now that I have worked out the kinks. I haven't snacked too much and am able to adhere to the regular 3 meal template. Last night I took my son to a pizza party through our church. I brought my own meal of sweet potato hash, steamed broccoli, and a chicken apple sausage. The pizza still smelled sooooo good! I have an allergy to yeast though and I just tried to focus on how horrible the pain was in my stomach following the last time I ate pizza. Worked like a charm!

When I got home and was getting ready for bed I went to remove my makeup and realized that I didn't even put any on! My skin is so clear and even toned just from changing my diet that I didn't realize I had not even put makeup on. Just another #nonscalevictory !!!

Saturday is my son's 12th birthday and instead of going on his Boy Scout fishing trip he said he would rather spend more time with me. I know it is going to take some extra planning on my part to make sure I have meals or can get meals when we are out doing things. We are going to the lake to do some kayaking and also planning on doing some shopping. I'll figure it out though!

Day 11 recap:

Breakfast:
Deviled eggs
Sweet potato hash
Blueberries

Lunch:
Tuna salad with olive oil mayo and relish on a bed of lettuce and spinich leaves.

Dinner:
referenced above

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Whole30 Day 10

Good morning everyone! Day 10 for me. I didn't sleep well last night for the second night in a row. I am sure our crazy weather is to blame and my body just isn't used to sleeping with the warmer temperatures yet. Because it was a rough night, I got off to a slow start and am feeling like I am dragging a bit. I ate a good breakfast and am hoping I can get out of my funk soon. My son also wasn't feeling well this morning so I am hoping we aren't coming down with something. Anyway...I'll keep carrying on and maybe my lunch time walk will help perk me up :-)
Here is my recap of day 9:

Breakfast:
2 proschiutto egg muffins (w/ peppers and onions)

blue berries

Lunch:
Chicken breast with cherry bbq sauce
Roasted cauliflower
Grilled zuchinni

Dinner:
Steak with cherry bbq sauce
Roasted brussel sprouts
Grilled veggie kabobs

My 12 year old requested that I make larger batches of the cherry bbq sauce (Nomnompaleo) because he loves it so much!! I am loving that he is really enjoying this experience! It really makes me feel good as a mom to know that I am teaching him healthy options.

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah

Start of Whole30 day 6...um...er...maybe not

So morning of day 6...or should I say day 3 since I found out that I didn't look close enough at the

nitrate free cruelty free  bacon that was in my sweet potato hash for the first few days and found out that it too had sugar. That is what I get for trying to shop with my son who rushes me in the grocery store. I was so bummed about it that I had a hard time falling asleep last night. Then my dog had an upset tummy in this middle of the night which kept me up for a couple hours during the time of night when I normally get my best sleep. I went to make breakfast of scrambled eggs with green peppers and ham...Boar's head ham is supposed to be compliant, but almost all the varieties at my local store had a sugar or honey glaze. I bought the boiled version since no sugar, and just before I was about to put it in the skillet I looked at the package and noticed that it has MSG in it. sigh....I cried. Maybe I should also mention I have possibly the biggest job interview of my career this afternoon. I'm trying to get out of this funk but

I'm am on the verge of saying "to hell with it!"

Or I was until I called my mother for support. Instead of getting support though, I got comments like "It is too hard and too restrictive." and "I don't think you can do it for 30 day. You should stop now and just try my diet." What?!?!?! My mom has been "dieting" for years and hasn't lost any weight. She eats to few calories and doesn't eat a balance between protein, fat, and good carbs. Newsflash mom...there is a reason you aren't losing weight. Stop subscribing to the archaic idea that you can lose weight alone by just cutting calories!

I am no longer sad. I'm angry and I am going to stick with this and add 3 days on to the end of the 30 to make up for the first 3 I messed up on.

Here is my day 5 recap:

Breakfast:
3 deviled eggs (6 halves)
apple
chai green tea with coconut milk

Lunch:
sweet potato hash (sans bad bacon)
leftover asian beef lettuce wraps

Dinner:
Chicken salad (chicken, olive oil mayo, apples, celery, chives, raisins, chopped pecans, and a touch of vinegar)
fresh spinach leaves