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 Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

What got me through my first whole30 was trying new recipes. Since I had never had many of the dishes before, I had no unhealthy version to compare it to in my mind and therefore I wasn't disappointed if it didn't taste as good. One dish that I saw online was Asian lettuce wraps. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that there would be a substitute for soy sauce and needless to say I was over joyed to see coconut aminos mentioned on the discussion boards on the Whole30 website. Coconut aminos and fish sauce are a great combination to use as a base for any Chinese dish you may be trying to adapt for the whole30 or paleo lifestyle. Most of the fish sauce options at the regular grocery store do have sugar in them. I was able to find several sugar free options at an Asian grocery store in a neighboring city. This combination of coconut aminos and fish sauce is also good if you love Chinese food like me, but are allergic to soy or MSG with are found in most dishes. The recipe I have come up with is so easy to make for a week night since it takes about 15 minutes. It is protein and veggie packed that side dishes are not even needed. My son loves this dish and asks for it all the time. I've learned that if a child can eat the food with their hands, they are much more willing to try something new.

The leftover meat makes a great salad when heated and served over lettuce and spinach.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2 lb. lean ground turkey 1 small onion chopped 1 tsp. minced garlic (3-4 cloves) 3 tbs. fish sauce 4 tbs. coconut aminos 3 tbs. red wine vinegar 1 tbs. Thai basil or cilantro ½ tsp. pepper ½ sweet potato shredded (optional) 1 bag of broccoli slaw Lettuce leaves for serving

Cook ground turkey, onion, and garlic in a large skillet. A little grease if fine, but if there is too much or you aren't using lean meat, drain the grease. Add the fish sauce, coconut aminos, vinegar, cilantro, and pepper. Cook 3-4 min. over medium heat allowing the meat to absorb the flavors. Add shredded sweet potato and broccoli slaw. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender. About 5 minutes. Serve in lettuce leaves.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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

Happy Whole30 Day 5!!!

As you can tell by the title of this post, I am in a good mood this morning. I slept great last night and this morning the sun seems a little brighter and the birds chirping a little less annoying! I'm guessing that means I am officially out of the detoxing slump that everyone goes through during their first few days on the Whole30 program. I struggled last night when I was watching my favorite TV show without my usual bowl of popcorn. I thought about eating an apple or having some nuts but

I used a modified version of the recipe from Nomnompaleo.

ultimately came to the conclusion that I wasn't hungry, just used to the mindless eating! I am so happy I had that realization. Regardless of how much weight I lose, that realization has helped make this process worth it!
I feel like I have a ton of support and resources to make this life change, which makes it all easier. There are a large group of us that all started around the same day that have a running support group going on the Whole30 forum. My 12 year old son is also a very good sport and has actually been enjoying his new breakfast and dinner options. We have also started eating dinner at the table instead of in front of the TV like we normally do on nights we don't eat with his grandparents.

Here is my day 4 recap:

Breakfast:
Sweet potato hash
2 eggs scrambled in coconut oil

Lunch:
Leftover speghetti sauce and zoodles with leftover meatloaf cumbled in.

Dinner:
Asian beef lettuce cups with broccoli slaw

Whole30 Day 1 recap

So here is a recap of my first day on Whole30 (5/4).

Breakfast:
Sweet potato hash (shredded sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, whole30 approved bacon all cooked in EVO)
2 whole scrambled eggs (cooked in bacon grease)
1/2 cup blueberries

Lunch:
Tuna salad on a bed of fresh spinach (tuna, home made olive oil mayo, pickle relish, and hard boiled eggs) ***my 12 year old son asked for seconds he enjoyed it so much!!!

Snack while kayaking:
a handful of roasted almonds
small apple

Dinner:
Meatloaf (ground beef, almond flower, egg, grated zucchini and carrots, garlic and Italian seasoning)
Roasted cauliflower (cauliflower, garlic, olive oil)

All of the recipes are posted on my pinterest board!!!

Sidelined for injury but not out of the game

So I definitely have something wrong with the cartilage in my left knee and had an MRI last Friday. I see my doctor again on Sept. 11, so to prevent from making the injury worse before I know what I am dealing with I remain taking it easy with my workouts. I may be sidelined for the injury, but I refuse to let it pull me from the game. I remain committed to the promise I made myself to live a healthy lifestyle. So here is what I have been doing for the last two weeks... I have been walking when I am able to do so with out much pain. I have been doing more yoga concentrating on stretching and working on strengthening my core muscles.

The big thing that I have been doing though is focusing on what I am putting in to my body. When sidelined by an injury it is easy to get depressed and reach for the comfort foods that I have found really fuel my yeast allergy and in turn causes instant weight gain and more depression. I have really focused on clean eating. I've spent the past few days researching freezer meals and am looking forward to cooking on Saturday to stock my freezer with a month's worth of healthy meals. My decision to try this came from Monday night. We went to the zoo on Monday and after 5 hours of walking and an hour drive home, I was tired and not looking forward to cooking. I did cook however and realized that I need to come up with a plan for meals on nights like that so I am not tempted to eat out. So, I have my shopping list ready and my recipes printed out and Saturday will be my cooking day and if everything goes as planned, I should have 6 dishes that will make 12 meals ready to go in less than two hours.

Wishing you love and sunshine,
Sarah