Whole 30 Halfway Point - Day 15 (Recipes included)

This challenge really hasn't been all that hard.  Having such a great support group and such wonderful food choices this time of year, I haven't really been all that tempted to stray from the plan.  I will admit that walking through Costco on a Sunday while hungry was VERY difficult!  They had some kind of pie sample table RIGHT near the produce section and it smelled oh so good!  However, I snuck an apple out of my container of apples and munched on that to get me through the store. 

I've come to really enjoy black coffee, something I thought I would never say!  I crave blueberries and sweet potatoes.  And water!!! I am no longer starving by 11:00am and can easily make it until 12:00 for lunch...sometimes I have to remind myself to eat as I have a 1:00 meeting and won't have time to eat again until later in the day otherwise.  My skin is flawless (could be the Proactive, could be the diet, could be both!).  I do still want a beer or a glass of wine on a Friday after a long work week but am finding enjoyment in mango/pineapple smoothies as a treat.  I can see a noticeable difference in my legs, butt and stomach.  Mainly, less of them all! 

My post WOD recovery does not seem to have suffered at all (my shake mirrors the same grams of carbs/protein/fat I was taking in pre Whole 30 which I assume helps here).  I have felt great in the gym (aside from my back) and feel more than motivated to continue for the next 15 days!  I've also found I have no shame in eating, regardless of what people think!  On my way to go hiking on Saturday, after a great WOD, I munched on a pre-cooked sweet potato on I5.  I received several curious looks as people tried to figure out what the hell I was eating!  Also, I carry cinnamon in my purse because you never know when an apple or sweet potato might need a little cinnamon!

My food prep takes less time the more I do it.  Yesterday I hard boiled some eggs, boiled chicken to make shredded chicken for a salad and cooked peppers, mushrooms, pineapple, shrimp and scallops on the BBQ.  My prepped meals for the beginning of the week look like this:

Chicken Salad (modified a recipe I found but didn't really like)

Boil 4 chicken breasts and shred once cool
Chop 1 red bell pepper in to small pieces
1 can artichoke hearts (or about 1 cup)
1/4-1/2 cup homemade mayo
Yellow mustard to taste
Spices (onion powder, garlic powder)

Mix everything together and chill.  I plan on eating this as a small dinner while getting my hair done tonight.  You could eat this as a salad topping, by itself, as a side dish, in lettuce wraps...however you want!

BBQ Skewer Goodness

This one is simple!

Protein - pick whatever you want.  I like shrimp (with tail on) and scallops, both thawed.
Veggies - Again, pick whatever you want.  I used 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper and mini portabella mushrooms I picked up at Costco
Flavor - I added pineapple chunks to add a little sweetness.  I also marinated the shrimp and scallops in lime juice (fresh) and black pepper.
Extra - I like to use Guacamole as a dressing, for pretty much everything, but especially this salad since the fat content is very low.

For simple cooking I keep all the veggies/fruit on their own skewers and put the protein on separate skewers.  I use the metal ones as they hold up better and don't require soaking.  So good, I could eat this every day!  Well so long as the protein source changed.

My breakfast still consists of a hash of some sort, eggs and sweet potatoes mostly.  Snacks include hard boiled eggs, tuna fish, fruit.  I still struggle a bit with late night snacking urges, but not nearly as bad as I used to!  I'm honestly excited to finish these next 15 days!  Thanks to my CFLO family, and husband, for being such a great support group through this!  Not sure I would have even attempted this if it wasn't for you!

Whole 30 - Day 8

So I had more to say but didn't want everyone to miss my great lunch!  So as I admitted to everyone on Facebook, I caved and weighed myself.  the hubbs was very disappointed in me and made me promise not to step on it again until the end of the challenge.  While I wanted to argue that it was different, he was right in that me stepping on the scale would be the same thing as him drinking a diet pop.  It's a mental thing, a habit, a routine and we both are working hard to break away from our bad habits.  The temptation to step on the scale is still there every morning when I wake up.  So today, rather than step on the scale, I went back and looked at pictures from when I first started blogging and when I first started doing Crossfit.  Um...I'm buff now!  Haha, but seriously, I took some 'before pictures' and posted them and never followed up with 'after' pictures.  I just went back and looked at them and although I weighed less than I likely do now, I didn't have a lot of muscle tone. Now though?  Watch out!

Just kidding, however, it was really refreshing to look back at what my goals were, what I looked like and enjoy how far I've come. 

Next point, I have a sweet tooth and I have a problem!  I figured out how to make wonderful Whole 30 ingredient approved smoothies and find myself eating them for dinner instead of dinner.  Why?  Because they are cold and sweet and wonderful!  So I am going to work on limiting these over the next week to maybe 2-3 a week as a treat vs one every day!

My main problem is that when it's just me at home I really don't feel like making/eating dinner.  So instead I graze and snack.  I'm usually hot and sweaty after the gym and therefore tend to default to fruit and other cold/sweet things.  When Matt is home I do better because he is better at actually eating dinner!  So my other goal is to make myself eat dinner and if I'm craving something after to try to stay away from fruit as the default.  My guess is that I won't want to weigh myself as much because I know I'm doing better by not eating as much fruit.  I think my desire to weigh myself is to make sure I'm on track and when I'm not sure if I am on track or not it's a way to check in with myself.

Anyways, all that said, Whole 30 is going great!  I've come to really enjoy breakfast and lunch!  I feel good and have gotten over some digestion issues I had during the first few days.  My energy levels are great, I feel strong in the gym and love the feeling of being prepared for the day!

Whole 30 Day 8 - Best Lunch Ever (Recipe)

If you follow my blog then you already know this by now, but I am a creature of habit.  I forced myself to branch out this weekend as my husband cannot eat the same thing all time, unlike me!  So to help him stay on plan I had to think out of my standard meal list to come up with something easy and different.  Ugh, yeah right, I have no idea what I'm going to buy/make all came to mind.  I started looking through the fridge and freezer to come up with my grocery list when I came across a bag of frozen shrimp we bought a few weeks ago.  Then it came to me, a tropical seafood salad would be a great summery meal, and different than anything I've made during this challenge.  I don't have an exact recipe because I kind of just threw everything together, but here is an 'outline'

Thaw 1 bag frozen shrimp
Thaw 1 bag scallops (from Trader Joes)
1 canned pineapple chunks (in 100% juice)
1 bag of spinach
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 bunch of green onions
Homemade Guacamole (however you like it)  Mine included 4 small avocados, chopped red onion and lime juice.

I put the shrimp, scallops and pineapple on skewers and bbq'd them.  Easy and fun!  Although I bought these nice metal ones but didn't think about how hot they would be and how difficult it would be to turn them (lesson learned!).  The meat/fruit combo cooked very quickly and in the meantime I chopped and put together the salad.  You could add whatever you want to the salad that you think would taste good.

Once everything is done, combine and eat!  I used the guacamole as dressing and ate it for lunch today!

Whole 30 - Day 4

Although I was nervous going in to this challenge I honestly wasn't that scared even though I acted like it.  In fact I was excited because I wanted to feel great I wanted to see the results I have long been waiting for (hoping to see an ab muscle haha!).  My biggest challenge as I've shared each day is not stepping on the scale.  My way of knowing I've done well with my diet and exercise is to step on the scale and see a rewarding number.  I've been stepping on the scale each morning for several years now.  I step on it when I know it's going to be bad as a way to remind myself to do better.  I step on it when it's going to be good and I step on it every where in between.  I am feeling good at day 4, I feel like I've lost some of the bloat in my stomach and my energy levels seem great.  This just doesn't seem like enough though, I REALLY want to step on the scale to see if I've lost weight. 

However, I won't.  I'm already learning that one of the lessons I'll take away from this challenge is learning to tune in to what is good for my body not by what the scale says but by how my body feels and what I'm able to do with it. 

Now on to food.  My favorite go to lunch is a taco salad!  It's so tasty and SOOO easy to make!  I cook up some ground beef and spice it up.  I use cumin, chili powder and onion powder.  I don't measure, just shake and pour on, the more the better!  Once the beef is cooked I add a can of diced tomatoes and some clean salsa from Trader Joes.  For the salad I cut some green leaf lettuce and add in some cut up bell peppers.  For the dressing I make some clean guacamole.  That's it!  Takes as long as it takes for the meat to cook!

Breakfast's typically include sweet potato and eggs in a nice scramble.  I might add some ground pork as well if I have any.  Nice and filling and replaces my fruit with a more nutrient dense carb that doesn't spike my blood sugar early in the morning.  Dinner always remains the challenge because I am tired and beat when I get home from the gym.  However last night we went to Red Robin and had a Whole 30 approved meal.  Plain natural burger with avocado slices, lettuce wrap, onion and sliced melon.  It was fast and make us not hungry anymore, which is the key!

We had our first Whole 30 'dessert' last night thanks to some inspiration from Jean!  We mixed frozen (fresh picked in Oregon) raspberries, blueberries, canned coconut milk and a little water in the blender for a frozen treat.  After working out in the heat all I crave is something cold and this hit the spot!

Having a group that is doing this with us makes it so much easier.  I love getting ideas from others and I love having a group that is constantly supporting each other.  Go Crossfit Lake Oswego Whole 30 participants!!!!

Whole 30 - Day 1

This morning I woke up and felt excited to be starting 30 days of super clean eating.  After watching the 2011 Crossfit Games all weekend, to say I am motivated to do and be better would be an understatement!  As I made my coffee (which I drank with a spoonful of coconut milk) and my scramble I started to feel proud.  Each time I opened my fridge and saw all the meals already cooked and the drawers overflowing with fresh veggies and fruit I felt proud!  I packed my lunch and as I walked in to my building I wanted to show everyone my amazing lunch and snack that I brought for the day!

I planned out meals for a few days, definitely not the entire week but enough to get me going.  For breakfast I plan on doing scrambles for most mornings (some might just be eggs and veggies, others might be sausage, egg and sweet potato, which is what I did this morning).  Quick and easy to make. 

Lunch and Dinner - I typically make 'dinners' with more of an intention to eat them for lunch than dinner.  Dinner is the one meal I tend to skip out on if it's just me at home.  Instead I'll snack, maybe do a protein shake and then snack some more.  So the challenge is going to be to eat an actual meal for dinner each day rather than depend on snacking.  Last night I made a taco salad which I took for lunch today.  I also made up some paleo pad thai on Friday which I might have for dinner tonight if there is any left.

My uncle sent me home this weekend with a HUGE piece of Salmon, so we'll cook that for dinner tomorrow since Matt will be home.  I also bought ingredients to make chicken fajitas as well as a chicken/melon salad.  Since each are easy to make I'll likely cook/make them as dinner with plans on taking for lunch.

For snacks I'm keeping it simple.  Hard boiled eggs, apples, tuna (with homemade mayo), bell peppers.  All super easy things to make and take on the go.  My post WOD shake will be the pumpkin/applesauce 'shake' I posted awhile back.  I am a big believer in post WOD nutrition and plan on having this after most workouts.  I make it up in the morning before I leave for work, takes about 5 minutes.

The key for my success really lies in planning ahead.  I'm not that great of a cook so finding easy recipes I can follow is essential!  Honestly the most difficult thing for me to give up during this 30 day challenge will be stepping on the scale.  I'm a scaleaholic and step on it EVERY day.  I stepped on it this morning to get my before stats and then (I'm very proud of this) PUT IT AWAY!  Yupp, I took it out of my bathroom where I might be tempted and put it in the spare bedroom. 

I am excited to start feeling better.  Knowing this challenge was coming up I actually went a little off the deep end regarding cheats and ate worse than I have in a long time.  I'm paying for it now and am excited to get through this first week and start feeling strong and healthy again!

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Mexi-Salad w/Fresh Guac

I was doing so good until Friday came along.  Friday included Froyo, pizza and Katy Perry!!!  Saturday I did 2 WOD's and was feeling good about myself, however after consuming too much wine and pizza again I woke up Sunday feeling like crap!  So, I'm starting the week off with good, clean food and will be starting the W30 challenge on 8/1!!  Below is a recipe I quickly whipped up yesterday to take for lunch today.

I found this recipe here.  It took maybe 15 minutes to make and is super tasty!

Taco salad:

•2 lbs. organic, grass-fed ground beef (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
•1 can (16 oz.) of organic diced tomatoes (read ingredients!), or dice your own
•1 tsp paprika
•1/2 tsp chili powder
•1/2 tsp cinnamon
•1/2 tsp cumin
•1 head of fresh, crisp romaine lettuce, chopped
•1 each yellow, green and red pepper, diced
•1 jar of organic salsa (or make your own )

Guacamole:
•4 fresh avocado, pitted and mashed
•1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
•2 limes, squeezed for juice (squeeze them like you’re deadlifting!)
•1/4 tsp cumin
•1/4 tsp chili powder
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•fresh ground black pepper, to taste
•fresh cilantro (chopped), to taste

Instructions:
Prepare the guacamole ahead of time, and chill while you make the salad. Mash the avocado in a glass or ceramic bowl* to desired consistency. Pour the lime juice over the avocado right away to prevent browning. Use a wooden spoon* to mix in all other ingredients.

*The lime juice in this recipe is reactive with metal, so avoid metal mixing bowls and spoons. Plus, we always prefer alternatives to plastic.

Start to brown the ground beef. Add tomatoes and spices and simmer until it’s no longer pink. Drop a pile of chopped romaine on a plate, top with ground beef, sprinkle with diced pepper and cover with fresh salsa. Spoon a hearty helping of guacamole on the side.

We’d also like this topped with black olives, onion or chives, or any other fresh vegetables you can think of. You can also boost your leafy green consumption by using baby spinach as your salad base… but there’s something about the warm ground beef on top of the crispness of romaine that we really like. (A blend of both lettuce and spinach might be just the thing.)

We don’t count calories or blocks, so we’re not sure what this would work out to from a macronutrient perspective… but if you Zone, you can easily figure that out for yourself. Add or subtract fat in the form of more or less guacamole, and if you need more carbs, consider adding pineapple or making a mango salsa instead of the traditional tomato-based version. Olé!

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Grilled Burger Salad

I was a bit skeptical about grilling lettuce on the BBQ but this turned out to be a really tasty dinner and was SUPER easy to make!  Prep time (less than 5 minutes) cook time (how ever long it takes to cook your burgers, probably 10 minutes).

I used green leaf lettuce instead of romaine because I don't really like romaine.  It worked just as well.  Also, I only put olive oil on the lettuce, no spices. For my 'dressing' I mashed up two avocados, added in some lime juice and crushed red pepper and it was delish!! 

Recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

•2 grass fed beef burgers
•2 hearts of romaine cut in half & drizzled with olive oil, salt, & pepper (cut length wise so it stays together)
•2 avocados smashed
•juice of half a lime
•sliced red onion
•handful of fresh cilantro chopped
•few handful of cherry tomatoes halved

Grill the burgers on the grill until done. Put on a plate and set aside. Grill the romaine a few minutes on each side or until slightly wilted with grill marks. Remove from the grill and roughly chop and put on two plates. Mix the avocado, lime juice, fresh cilantro, and a little salt and pepper to make the “dressing”. Top the romaine and tomato with the burger, the sliced red onion, and the dressing.

Here is my salad:

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Meatloaf Muffins w/Sweet Potato Icing

This was a super simple meal with great flavors!  I made this yesterday at the same time as the Pad Thai.  The sweet potatos really became a side for me as I made them up in advance and stored them separately in the fridge.  However, simple and tasty!!

Recipe can be found here.

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb of ground beef
1 apple, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup of Almond meal
basil
nutmeg
garlic powder
21 seasoning salute

6 small sweet potatoes
nutmeg
cinnamon

The Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until tender.
Set aside and let cool.

In a large bowl add apple and red bell pepper. Mix in 2 eggs and mix well. Add ground beef and Almond meal and mix well with your hands! Add seasonings. I forgot to add tomato sauce or tomato paste but the flavor was great without.

In muffin tins add meatloaf mixture. My meat filled 12 tins exactly. Bake for 20 minutes or until meatloaf is done. While they are in the oven scoop out the center of the sweet potatoes and mash with a fork. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix a little more. Add the sweet potato mixture into a baggie and cut off one corner (just like if you were going to add icing to something) and top the meatloaf muffins with the sweet potato.

Not quite yet

So I haven't started the Whole 30 just yet.  I learned my lesson that eating super clean for even a few days and then having a cheat like frozen yogurt can have unintended consequences, yikes! I had a big break through yesterday and got 6 handstand pushups, had to kip them, but still did them!  Yes!!!  I got to check off one more item on my list of things I can't do.  Every time I get to do this I get more motivated to conquer the next thing!

I had cinnamon roll french toast for breakfast this morning and I can barely keep my eyes open right now.  Partly due to the weather, mostly due to my horrible, yet yummy breakfast!  8/1 is fast approaching and while I plan on eating as clean as possible, I'm not sure I'll give up some of my cheats until we all start the challenge.  As soon as I get the motivation to go grocery shopping I plan on making a meatloaf muffin with sweet potato icing recipe which sounds really good!  I'll post the recipe as soon as I make it.  Go to love lazy Sundays!

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Coconut Crispy Chicken Salad

This salad is GREAT!  I made it yesterday and didn't end up eating it until today.  So with that said the chicken was a little less crispy than I'm sure it would have been if I ate it right after making it.  That said, it was still really good!  The recipe called for unsweetened dried cranberries and to my knowledge no such thing exists.  However, I found freeze dried cranberries and mangos at Wholefoods.  NOTHING is added to them at all and they are crunchy and tasty and delish!!!  Great as a topping to this salad or just as a snack!

Anyways,  below is the recipe.  For the dressing I just made up a small amount to use as needed because I didn't want it to get soggy.  I mixed a small amount of lime juice, spicy mustard (with no sugar added to it) and coconut milk.  SOOO Good!  Also, I used Coconut meal instead of Almond meal, figured it would give it a little more coconut taste!

I found the recipe using Chowstalker.  You can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients
1.5 lbs chicken breast (used about 1/2 for this and the rest i'll eat for lunch this week)
1/2 cup almond meal
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 head of green leaf lettuce
1/2 avocado
1/2 small red onion
1/6 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1/4 up sunflower seeds
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons mustard (spicy brown, i would have used something milder, but it was the only one I had that is paleo friendly)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:


1) Cut chicken breasts into small 3 bite sized pieces, about 1/4 inch think
2) Set up 3 bowls 1 with almond meal, 1 with eggs, and 1 with coconut flakes seasoned with salt
3) Dredge all chicken pieces, first lightly in almond meal, the lightly in the eggs, then press a little bit firmer into the coconut flakes. Lay coated chicken in a single layer on a plate before cooking.
4) Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan on medium high (if you use 1.5 lbs of chicken like me, you'll probably need to use to pan) when the oil is hot place the chicken in the pan, and cook for 3 minutes
5) When chicken has browned flip over and cook for another 3 minutes
6) While the chicken is cooking prepare the salad, cut up lettuce and top with diced avocado, cranberries, sunflower seeds, and thinly sliced onion. Separate evenly into two bowls.
7) Make dressing by juicing lime in top a bowl and a mustard, whisk together and then slowly whisk in olive oil. Taste and then season with salt and pepper if desired
8) Remove chicken pieces from pan and salt to taste.
9) Top salad with chicken pieces (3-4 each) and dress with lime dressing.

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Paleo Pad Thai and Sunshine Sauce

I have to say, this recipe was pretty dang close to the real thing and was REALLY good!  Below is the recipe as stated in the Whole 30 success guide.  I made the following changes:

I used 4 chicken breasts instead of 2.  Rather than measure out the spaghetti squash I just used a whole squash.  I also don't like peas and neither does Matt so instead I added green onions in place of the peas.  I topped the dish with fresh cilantro and slivered almonds.  It ended up giving us about 4 servings.  The sauce didn't needed to be changed, was more than enough to give everything great flavor. SO GOOD!!

I would recommend cooking the squash ahead of time to save time.  

Ingredients for Pad Thai:

• Grilled chicken thigh or breast, diced (portioned for two).
• 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
• 1 cup snap peas, slivered
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP coconut aminos (I found it at Whole Foods)
• Cooking fat of choice (I used coconut oil)
• 2 batches of Sunshine Sauce (recipe at the bottom!)

Directions:
Heat some cooking fat in a pan over medium heat.  Saute the onion and snap peas until crispy-tender, not too long.  Then set aside.

Heat a little more cooking fat in the pan.  Mix the raw eggs with the coconut aminos.  Pour in the egg and let spread out into a pancake.  Cook the eggs in a flat sheet until they are set and beginning to brown, then flip to lightly brown the other side.  Cut the eggs into strips and set aside.

Heat a little more fat in the pan.  Add the spaghetti squash, snap peas/onions, eggs and chicken.  Stir fry until heated through.  Add the Sunshine Sauce and stir fry until everything is well blended and hot.

Top with any or all of these:

• Chopped Cashews, almonds or sunflower seeds
• Chopped scallions
• Chopped cilantro
• A squeeze of lime juice

Sunshine Sauce Recipe
Double the recipe below for the Pad Thai and DO NOT USE THE WATER.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP organic Sunbutter (if you are doing Whole30, be careful only the Organic Sunbutter brand doesn't have added sugar etc, I made this mistake so will have to be more careful next time!)
• 2 TBSP lime juice
• 1/2 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic paste
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• 2 tsp coconut milk
• Dried or fresh ginger, to taste
• 2 TBSP water, as needed

Directions
Blend all ingredients (except water) in a food processor or blender.  If desired, add water slowly until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.  Eat.

** I just used a fork to blend in a bowl and it worked just fine!

Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations: Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review/Giveaway

First I have to say that I LOVE the Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations blog. I stumbled upon this blog through Chow Stalker, another great PALEO site. There are tons of great recipes and information on this blog. Best part, he is offering a Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway! For all those crossfitting paleo nerds out there, this is our kind of giveaway! Visit the link below to learn how to enter the giveaway. And while your at it, if you read my blog consider following it as I plan to add recipes and lots of great informatoin regarding the Whole 30 I'm about to embark on!

Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations: Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review/Giveaway

Cleaner Eating

So I'm close to Whole30 type eating, however since I have planned cheats coming up, I've decided to wait to dive in to it completely until at least next week.  I will be going wine tasting with my dad this weekend (and other family and friends!) as a belated fathers day gift.  Who am I to deny him his father's day gift by not drinking wine with him?!  Haha, so knowing that is on Saturday I figure I'll eat as clean as I can while still enjoying heavy cream in my coffee and maybe some FroYo at some point this week too.  Since I'll be going 30 days CLEAN I figure I can have one last cheat.  You can save your comments if you don't agree with me because I'm pretty stubborn and don't plan on changing my mind anytime soon on the FroYo!

One other thing I haven't given up yet is stepping on the scale.  Now I don't do it near as often as I used to and DON'T step on it after a cheat day but have to say that I am pleased to see my numbers return to pre vacationish just after two whole days of clean eating.  I know I'm not supposed to step on the scale during the Whole 30 and I mostly promise I won't :) 

After last night's 2lb PR (hey gotta celebrate the little things) and tasty shake, I'm feeling more confident going in to this that I can continue to gain strength and improve in the gym while cleaning up my eating and *fingers crossed* losing some weight.

The food I cooked up on Monday is almost gone, enough for Matt and I to both have lunch.  That means when I get home from the gym tonight, dinner won't be ready.  I always find that either I cook too much and it goes to waste, or not enough and then I'm left scrambling.  So today when I can find a spare minute I am going to find a few new recipes, hopefully easy ones, to make tonight and tomorrow while I'm working from home.

Paleo/W30 Recipe - Post Workout Shake and a Pasta Salad!

So yesterday's shake was N A S T Y!  However, not one to give up after one failure, I decided to give it another try today!  Today's shake was T A S T Y!!!  I am feeling more confident about transitioning completely to Whole 30 now that I know I have a post workout shake that actually tastes good!

Oh also, I got a 2lb PR on my Push Press tonight!  I'm now at 120!

Recipe:
4 eggs whites (16 grams of protein, add more or less depending on what your nutritional needs are)
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut milk

I blend everything together in my blender and keep cold until I'm ready to drink it.  This one actually tasted really good!  If you add more protein than listed above be sure to add carbs too in order to get a good carb:protein ratio.

Pasta Salad
This is a SUPER simple recipe that I created on my own (well modified from one I found online but still)

Cook 1 spaghetti squash (takes about an hour in the oven so do this ahead of time)
Cut up 4 cooked chicken breasts and add to the spaghetti squash (after cooking and shredding of course)
Add 1 red pepper (or other colors or even other veggies you want)
Mix everything together.  Then add lemon and lime juice for flavor with some olive oil for desired 'wetness', since this is your dressing.  I also added some onion powder.  Otherwise, nothing to it.  Serve cold!

W30/Paleo Recipe - Paleo Casserole

So I am making an effort to clean up my eating so that when I make the 8/1 cutover the only things I'm really giving up are my occasional cheats, alcohol, my coffee creamer and sweetener, and gum.  Oh yeah, have I told you I'm freaking out about not being able to chew gum!!  I am paranoid about having bad breath and ALWAYS have gum in my purse so I can ensure I'm never THAT person.  However, on the Whole 30 I can't chew gum.  This freaks me out more than not being able to use my heavy cream and Truvia in my coffee!  Yikes!!!

I got really brave yesterday and aside from doing the workout RX (well at least the front squat, 5 rounds of 7 135# front squats) I also made my own recovery 'shake'.  It was GROSS!  I almost threw it back up about 10 times.  However, with some tweaks here and there I think I can come up with something not so nasty.  My shake yesterday consisted of 2 raw eggs, 3/4 cup pumpkin, 1/4 cup coconut milk (canned) with cinnamon and nutmeg.  I blended this up and although it was supposed to be pudding, it wasn't.  For today I'm going to try it again but I am going to add in some applesauce as well.  My carb to protein ratio was not optimal yesterday so I'm hoping that today it will be better!

I also cooked my pants off yesterday!  I made some avocado deviled eggs for a pre-workout snack.  I simply mixed the egg yolks with avocado and a little tomato paste to create a super healthy snack.  They don't taste as amazing as normal deviled eggs, but again with a few tweaks I think this will be a great snack!

I also made a paleo casserole (recipe below). I didn't use the eggs because, well lets be honest, that 'shake' I made yesterday left me a little egged out!  It turned out really good though.  I just added spices as I went and came up with a SUPER healthy, SUPER clean meal!

On top of that I made a 'pasta' salad which I'll post later today or tomorrow.  Enjoy!


Paleo Casserole:

Recipe can be found here.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground meat
• 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 Zucchinis 
• 1 Sweet Potato 
• 2 Carrots 
• Onion 
• 3 cloves Garlic
• Handful of Chopped Mushrooms
• 3 Eggs
• Oregano
• Salt n Pepper

Directions:

 

Turn on your oven to 400•. Slice your zucchini on a mandolin into thin noodles and set aside. Cook our meat on your stove top. While the meat is cooking cut up your carrots on the mandolin and grate you sweet potato with a cheese grater. I find sweet potatoes to hard to slice on my mandolin. When the meat is almost cooked add the tomato paste, onions, garlic and the mushroom. Cook for a few minutes more. Once the meat is cooked add it to a large bowl and add in the zucchini, sweet potato and carrots. Whisk the three eggs and add those to the bowl along with the spices. Mix everything together and add to an 9″x13″ dish, cover with foil and toss in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 20 minutes and you are all done. Enjoy.

**I added onion powder and chili powder to the beef and a little bit extra to the dish as well**

Preparing for W30

I did a lot of research last night and bought the Whole 30 Success Guide today.  I actually found TONS of recipes I'm excited to make and am honestly looking forward to starting this challenge.  In fact, I might start it earlier than the 8/1 date just because I'm so excited about it and try to go longer than 30 days so I'll still be doing it with everyone from the gym.  For now I'm starting to make small changes to clean up my eating.  I know they say to jump right in to it, that it's not hard.  And maybe it's not hard, but it can be really expensive to buy all new food for your house.  So for now I am going to use up some of the things sitting around the house, slowly transition from heavy cream in my coffee to coconut milk, from bacon and eggs to veggie scrambles and hopefully start feeling that much better each day!

I learned some interesting things from reading the success guide which differ a bit from other paleo websites.  First, pineapple is actually a preferred fruit, whereas apples are not.  I thought pineapple had too much sugar and was to be avoided, however I'm reading differently, which is great and awesome and I'm excited because Matt and I both LOVE pineapple!

• Preferred fruits include: blackberries, blueberries, cherries, kiwi, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple, plum, raspberries, strawberries

Also, I see green beans are included on the shopping list of what vegetables to buy, I thought green beans were off limits.  I still don't plan on adding them in, but now I'm curious.  Also, corn is technically a grain, not a vegetable...WOAH!  That changes some thinking now doesn't it!

I knew that fats were important and should come from good sources, however I always considered almonds a good source.  Turns out, they are more of an occasional type of fat source, below are the best fat sources for both monounsaturated and saturated fats:

• Avocado, avocado oil, hazelnuts/filberts, macadamia nuts, macadamia oil, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut flakes, coconut milk, animals fats

Polyunsaturated fats should be eaten occasionally and include:

• Almonds/Almond butter, brazil nuts, cashews/cashew butter, pecans, pistachio

I'm not trying to give away the Whole 30 information for free, however I think it's really important people realize that even when we choose to eat fruits, vegetables and nuts that there are better sources than others, which may differ from what we originally thought.  I am only on page 17 of 85 and have already learned that some of what I thought was a good option may only be an okay option with better ones out there.

I have to say that I am REALLY excited to go to the Sherwood farmers market this weekend, I'll be filling the dog's backpacks up with tons of fresh produce!  If anyone knows of a great place to find CHEAP farm fresh eggs please let me know.  Eggs have been an important protein source for me and will likely increase in importance since they are so easy to prepare and go well in so many different things.  However, it can be expensive to buy organic, farm fresh eggs from the store so I'd like to find a better option if possible!

Also, if you haven't already, you should check out Chow Stalker!  It's a GREAT website with tons of recipes.  It's linked on the sidebar of my blog, so check it out!

I'll be posting some recipes this week, once I try them, with my reviews and revisions if any were made!

Whole 30 Rules

More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program.  Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness  and quality of life. 

1. Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc.  Read your labels (and your Success Guide FAQ), because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
2. Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, pre-packaged snacks or meals, protein bars, milk substitutes, etc.
3.  Do not consume alcohol, in any form.  (NEW! And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
4. Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, millet, oats, corn, rice, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa.  Yes, we said corn… for the purposes of this program, corn is a grain!  This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on.  Again, read your labels.
5. Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, kidney, lima, etc.), peas, lentils, and peanuts.  No peanut butter, either.  This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, tamari and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
6. Do not eat dairy. This includes all cow, goat or sheep’s milk, cream, butter, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream.
7. Do not eat white potatoes. It’s somewhat arbitrary, but they are carbohydrate-dense and nutrient poor, and also a nightshade (refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details).
8. Most importantly… do not try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold.  This means no “Paleo-fying”  less-than-healthy recipes – no Paleo pancakes, Paleo pizza, Paleo fudge or Paleo”ice cream.  Don’t mimic poor food choices during your Whole30 program!  Those kinds of food miss the point of the program entirely.

One last and final rule.  You are not allowed to step on the scale during your Whole30 program.  This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer.   So, no weighing yourself or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30.  (NEW!  We do encourage you to weigh yourself before and after, however, so you can see one of the more tangible results of your efforts when your program is over.)

he Fine Print

A few concessions, based on our experience, and those of our clients. These are less than optimal foods that we are okay with you including during your Whole30.  Including these foods in moderation should not negatively impact the results of your Whole30 program.

1. Fruit juice as a sweetener.  Some products will use orange or apple juice as a sweetener.  We have to draw the line somewhere, so we’re okay with a small amount of fruit juice as an added ingredient during your Whole30… but this doesn’t mean a cup of fruit juice is a healthy choice!  Refer to your Shopping Guide for clarification.
2. Processed Meat.  On occasion, we are okay with organic chicken sausage (those that are nitrate, sugar, gluten and dairy-free), and high quality deli meat, packaged fish (like tuna or smoked salmon) or jerky.  Read your labels carefully, because Whole30-approved processed meats, especially jerky, are hard to find.
3. Certain legumes.  We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas.   While they’re technically a legume, these are far more “pod” than “bean”, and green plant matter is generally good for you. (Refer to the FAQ for details.)
4. Certain processed foods.  We’re okay with cans or jars of olives, coconut milk, sauces and spice mixtures like tomato sauce or curry, or vegetables like sweet potato or butternut squash, but only if the labels prove they’re “clean”.  (Refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details.)
5. Vinegar.  NEW!  All vinegar, with the exception of malt vinegar (which generally contains gluten), is allowed during your Whole30. This includes white, apple cider, balsamic, red wine, rice, and other non-malt vinegar varieties.

Count Down to the Whole 30

Read through my blog and you'll know that I know that I need to be strict about my diet.  I have been paleo for awhile now (with cheats) but it's more of a dirty paleo as I still use protein shakes, protein bars and recovery shakes which are definitely not clean, real foods. 

A girl at my gym posed the Whole 30 challenge, and since I'm not one to turn down a challenge, I told everyone that I'M IN!  I am nervous because I have a few things that I allow myself as cheats which I'll have to give up.  These are more comforts to me, habits that start my day (heavy cream in my coffee), end my workouts (recovery drinks) and end my hectic work weeks (nice cold glass of beer or a glass of wine).  I started to try to justify some cheats here and there but really, what does that say about me that I can't go 30 days without cream, recovery drinks or alcohol?  I know that I need to reset my body and get my diet back on track.  I really want to achieve some of the body weight movement goals I've had for awhile (strict pullups, handstand pushups, ring dips) and I know that if I can bring my body weight down a bit it will make it easier to achieve these!

So what is the Whole 30?  Well, it's basically 30 days of eating really clean.  Real food, no sugar, no grains, no alcohol, no legumes, no fake/processed anything.  You can read more here: Whole30

So with this challenge looming in the very near future I figured it was time to start blogging again as a way to share successes, struggles, recipes etc.  I am trying to get prepared now by slowly getting rid of the non-Whole 30 stuff in my house and transitioning to different post WOD recovery food etc.  Certainly the last thing to go will be the cream for my coffee!!

So for today I am going to try to research some dinner ideas.  Dinner is the meal I need the most help with.  Breakfast is almost completely Whole 30 compliant so I'm going to start with the meal that isn't and work my way through all meals as part of planning for this challenge.  Matt is going to do it with me so that will be fun!

Crock Pot Pork-Stuffed Peppers

I made this tonight and it's currently cooking in the crock pot.  I have a large crock pot and wish I had bought 6 green bell peppers instead of three because I had the room and PLENTY of the meat mixture left over.  So, if you have a large crockpot, I would go with 6 instead of 4.  The recipe and pictures below can be found here. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground pork (or a combination of pork and beef)
• 4 large green peppers
• 1 large onion
• 2 carrots
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dry oregano
• 1 tablespoon dry or fresh tarragon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tops of the peppers and clean the seeds out.

Arrange peppers in the Crock-Pot standing up and make sure they fit securely.
Grate onion, carrots, garlic and cauliflower in the food processor. You can also just chop them into small pieces with a knife if you don’t have a food processor.

In a big bowl, combine ground pork, shredded vegetables, seasonings and tomato paste.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the peppers with the mixture and arrange leftover meat between the peppers. Add half a cup of water, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

If you don’t have a slow-cooker, the dish can be cooked in the oven, covered, for 1-2 hours.

BBQ Pulled Pork - To be used with the BBQ Sauce

The pulled pork recipe is SUPER simple, all you need is the following ingredients and a crock pot.  I cooked it for 8 hours...it was PERFECT!!

4 pound pork shoulder or boston butt
28 oz. of liquid (i used chicken stock)
2 bay leaves
1.5 medium onions, chopped or sliced

Put the onions and bay leaves on the bottom, put the pork shoulder on top and then pour in the liquid.  Cover, cook and shred!

Recipe can be found here.