Day 20: 20 down and 10 to go...

It feels like the last 20 days have flown by!! It feels like I just started. However, I know from experience that the next 10 days will drag so I am going to change up my recipes and try to keep the program fresh and fun... this is about the time when I start hating eggs. So I am going to be making banana nut pancakes. ALL ingredients in these are whole 30 friendly. Granted this might be considered SWYPO... They do not taste at all like actual pancakes... they taste more like baked bananas. If you want to leave out the word "pancake" to make yourself feel better... then fine. Call them banana round ups or something equally as creative.

Breakfast:
Banana Walnut Pancakes

Lunch:
Chipotle! I was super busy today! so I swung in and grabbed:
burrito bowl- carnitas, guacamole, double pico, and double lettuce.

Snack:
Thats it- mango bar.

Dinner:
Mustard salmon
italian asparagus
Sweet potato cakes

Yummy new recipes to add to my repertoire are the best!!

Day 19: Ahhh... thats much better

I am back to feeling great. Thankfully it didn't take as long to feel good again after birthday weekend. I will say I am nervous about how the end result will be of this whole 30 considering this hiatus I took. I am not sure it will be as great as the last time I did it. I am not going to stop as no matter what... I will be better off doing the program and taking a break, then not doing the program at all or putting it off. I can always do another one down the road.

Breakfast:
Banana Walnut Pancakes

Lunch:
Steak and eggs
salad topped with fancy peas and vinaigrette

Snack: Apple

Dinner:
Almond crusted sole
steamed carrotts
mashed parsnips

Tally Ho!

Day 18: Oye...

So after my little hiatus I was back to no sugar... and I paid for that birthday cake. The headaches are back! NOOOO!! I am hoping that they subside soon!!

Breakfast:
Banana nut pancakes

Lunch:
Chicken Thigh
Side salad w/ veggies
Dijon Vinaigrette

Snack:
Thats it! bar
Baby Carrots

Dinner:
Mediterranean Steak
Fancy Peas
Smashed sweet potato

I am hoping that the bugger subsides soon because I am ready to get back to feeling better!! I skipped my workout today because I felt terrible! Which is maybe the worst part... not only is eating poorly a bad deal for your body dietarily... but you are less motivated to workout because you feel awful! Slipper slope!!

However... I would do it again. How many times do you turn 30?

Day 17: Back in the Saddle

I am back from the birthday hiatus! It was a great one, despite the gluten headaches and upset stomach from cheese that is. Which was a great incentive to get right back on track! Here are some things that I noticed while eating non whole 30 foods.

1. I get full much faster. I couldn't finish a single meal that had any gluten in it. Usually two bites in I was stuffed.

2. After my first taste of refined sugar, the sugar/carb cravings came back almost immediately.

3. I was 4 hours into my break before I started feeling sluggish and weighed down.

4. I never had a negative reaction to wine... which just means that I don't have an allergy to sulfites or alcohol. That doesn't mean that drinking it in high quantities is ok. Even if that happens sometimes.

So there is a little taste of what happens when you get off the whole 30, except for the wine thing which I think might just be me. Pink Champagne cake was delicious, but this isn't inspiring me to get off the whole 30 track again any time soon. In fact my boyfriend mentioned over the weekend that while he didn't participate this time around, he is interested in doing it again and possibly scheduling it in permanently somehow to our lifestyle. Some kind of a 3 weeks on, 1 week off scenario. So I will keep you posted on the development of that!

My "twin" Shanley and I at our Birthday Party Sunday...

Here is what I had today...

Breakfast:
2 Eggs
avocado slices
1/2 apple
isernos breakfast sausage

Lunch: Sabai Thai Kitchen
Chicken Yellow Curry- no rice, no potatoes

Dinner:
Chicken thighs
Arugula Salad with Pesto Dressing
Fancy Peas

So I guess I am 30 now... I don't feel any different. Other than getting a smaller pair of hudson jeans as a birthday gift. The gal at Nordstrom actually wanted me to go down 2 sizes. I mean I eat sausage, I just don't want to look like sausage!

Either way...Thanks Whole 30!

Day 16: We interrupt this Whole 30 to bring you my 30th Birthday...

This weekend is my 30th Birthday. I understand that this whole 30 was poorly planned. However, I feel that I desperately needed it. So I in fact fully plan on drinking wine this weekend. I will be sticking to the Whole 30 very closely, except for that aspect. Of course as promised- The Whole 30 does not recommend taking any kind of break or deferring from the program in any way during your program.

But I am turning 30... if that is not a good reason to be lax about the alcohol part of this, I don't know what is. I also plan on having a small piece of cake on sunday... and paying for it Monday. My head hurts already! It is what it is. Judge, berate, do your worst. Bottom line, if I don't celebrate this milestone, I will regret it forever.

If you are really irritated that I am doing this and are insisting that I call my program the Whole 28, then you are weird. Get a life. I'm celebrating... I have been alive 3 decades, and I am going to drink wine. Suck it. :)

Breakfast:
2 slices of compliant Bacon
1 egg
sweet potato hash browns

Lunch:
4 oz petite steak w/ Mediterranean seasoning
Arugula salad w/ home made vinaigrette

Snack: That's it! bar

Dinner: Dinner party at our friends house
Olive and Caper Chicken
Roast Green Beans
Side salad with figs and balsamic/oil.
and WINE! This one I am not going to be upset about.

Let the birthday festivities commence!

Day 15: The Half Way Point

This is the part of the whole 30 where you say to yourself... "Wait a minute... this isn't so hard! I'm already half way there!". It feels good to hit this point, because you realize that you can make it to the end. I'm even considering tacking on another 2 weeks for good measure. Both because I can, and because I feel like it will make up for the tortilla chip incident.

I am also headed back to work after our winter hiatus! So I am armed with lunabars, Thats it! bars, green tea, and a protein packed lunch!

Breakfast:
Isernos Chicken Sausage
2 eggs fried in coconut oil
1 banana

Lunch:
Lettuce wrapped burger w/ avocado, bacon, and tons of veggies
mustard and Creamy Pesto Dressing

Dinner:
Mediterranean Lamb Chops
Arugula Salad
Sweet Potato Hash browns

15 down... 15 to go!

Bistro Italian Salad

This is a versatile one! This is actually a variation of a pasta that I saw on Pioneer Woman... I think hers was called "Pantry Pasta" because all of the ingredients were found in her pantry. If you can do it with pasta, I figure you can do it with salad!

I love this recipe for lunch because I usually am cooking for 1 or 2 and this recipe really utilizes all of my delicious leftovers. I cooked steak the other night using my Mediterranean rub, which can be found in my Mediterranean Lamb recipe. It was developed for the Lamb recipe, but really its good on anything. I used it on NY steaks. The leftover steak was perfect for slicing and putting on this salad. Most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry and I serve it with my Creamy Pesto Dressing . 

Ingredients:

2 cups Mescaline Greens

Leftover Steak 

1/4 cup Artichoke hearts drained and chopped

1/4 cup roasted red peppers drained and chopped

1/4 small haas avocado sliced

1/4 cup chopped mixed olives

1/4 cup of chopped pepperocinis

2 tbsp chopped almonds

Optional: 1 fried or hard boiled egg (if you need extra protein)

Assemble and toss... we all know how to make a salad. I don't need to spell it out for you. :) 

Day 14: Lets start over...

Ok so that was a fail... but lets start over shall we? Thankfully it was something that I don't have a sensitivity to so I didn't feel yucky this morning. STILL DOES NOT MAKE IT OK!!

We are headed home today. We will be stopping by the Black Butte before we head out of town and grabbing a nice lunch at the lodge... thankfully they don't serve tortilla chips. :)

Breakfast:
2 hard boiled eggs
1 banana
5 strawberries

Snack: Thats it! Bar

Lunch:
Chicken breast, tomato, lettuce, onion, avocado, and mustard
Chicken Chili Verde (no cheese)

Dinner:
Chicken Breast
Mescaline Green Salad w/ home made vinaigrette
1/2 sweet potato w/ ghee and salt.

Workout: 45 minutes on AMX Machine

Day 13: Cheater cheater tortilla chip eater...

FAIL! Super fail... So today was a very long day, but no excuses... I definitely cheated. UGH... It wasn't a huge cheat, but I know I am going to feel the effects of it tomorrow. SO here is what happened...

I was very good all day, but I didn't get enough protein and fats at lunch. So when it was time for dinner and all that was on the table were tortilla chips and salsa, I went for it. I was to the point of nausea and needed something in my stomach. This was my biggest error. Anyone who has done any kind of a regime like this will tell you preparation is everything. I failed to prepare and as a result - I cheated.

I was on vacation, I was starving, I couldn't take it. Whatever... bottom line is that those are reasons not excuses. Bottom line, I didn't prepare... ARGH.

I will remain mad at myself until tomorrow and then I start over... that's all I can do.

Breakfast: Continental Breakfast at the Hotel
2 hard boiled eggs
1 banana

Lunch:
Steak salad w/ avocado and oil and vinegar

Dinner:
8 TORTILLA CHIPS... BOO
Grilled Chicken fajitas with onion and peppers cooked in canola
salsa, fresh made mango guacamole
Iced Tea

... and a slap on the butt!

Day 12: Bend and beyond...

I headed to our home on the ranch to survey the "damage" aka... check out how the house has been demo'd and then headed into Bend to pick out doors, counter tops, cabinets, tile, stone, the list goes on! It was a very fun day and one that required a lot of energy. To make it more fun and complicated, of course I brought Bitsy... She is my sidekick!

Thankfully I ate a hearty breakfast and packed snacks. 

Breakfast: Continental Breakfast at the Hotel

2 hard boiled eggs

5 strawberries

1 banana

Snack: Thats it! Bar

Lunch: Whole Foods Hot Bar

Butternut Squash

Roasted Chicken Thigh

Kale Salad

Beet Medley

Snack: Apple

Dinner: Three Creeks Brewing Company

Steak Greek Salad w/o Feta add Chicken 

dressed in Oil and Vinegar 

I was also in bed by 9:00 and passed out cold before 10:00! It was a very long day. 

Mashed Parsnips

If you are a mashed potato lover this one is for you! Same consistency and flavors as mashed potatoes but with a hint of carrot as the parsnip is in the carrot family. Great dish in the fall and winter, any time you are craving comfort food!

Ingredient:

4-6 cups of parsnips, peeled and cut into even pieces (as even as you can make it. Obviously- the smaller the piece, the quicker they will cook)

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Pepper

8 cloves of garlic roughly chopped

1 shallot roughly chopped

1/4 cup ghee melted

Boil the parsnips until they are soft all the way through. In a food processor blend the other ingredients together. slowly add the parsnips until all are added. Blend until nicely pureed. 

You can stop there... OR you can put the mashers in a greased casserole dish and brush the top with melted butter. Bake in the oven at 450 until the top is crispy brown. 

These are a great accompaniment to any meat but delicate enough to serve with fish as well!

Day 11: Off to Sisters!

This afternoon I headed to Sisters, Oregon with my mom. We are renovating our vacation home at Black Butte Ranch in central Oregon. These next three days are going to prove challenging, as the food in Sisters is delicious, but not exactly always healthy. I am up for it though so here we go!

Before I left I decided I should try and make my own chai concentrate for home as I heard you can make your own fairly easily in a crock pot. I miss my lattes so I am going to try and create a chai latte with coconut cream and apple cider! When I get the ratio right I will be posting the recipe for that, but in the meantime, I will go ahead and post the recipe for the concentrate.

Breakfast:
Sunday Hash
Sliced bananas
Orange Spice black tea

Lunch:
Italian Steak Salad w/ Creamy Pesto Dressing

Snack: Thats it! Bar

Dinner: From Rio in Sisters
Carne Asada Steak, grilled vegetables, pico de gayo, guacamole
Cup of Chicken tortilla soup- no cheese, no chips
Iced Tea

So far so good with staying on track!

Day 10: Movie Night

Matt and I are going out for date night round 2! Lucky me! We are going to the David Minor Theater for a late night showing of We Are The Millers. The DM theater is a local theater/bar. Similar to last night... while I am not drinking, we are coming up with fun things to do on friday and saturday nights for the both of us.

I love this theater because they have something called "Text-a-beer"and by this they mean text-a-anything! They have a full menu of delish food (much of which is compliant), along with candy, beer, popcorn, wine, and lots of other naughty treats that I cant have for another 20 days! :) So you text in your order, your name, and what theater you are in and they deliver it to you! How great is that!

Here was my day...

Breakfast:
2 eggs
2 slices of bacon
Sliced strawberries w/ coconut cream

Lunch:
Paleo Burrito Bowl
Iced Tea

Snack: Thats it! Bar... which I just found in the grocery store! So awesome! All made from fruit!

Dinner:
Mediterranean Steak (using the seasonings left over from the lamb chops)
Mashed Parsnips
Buttered Peas

Snack at the theater: Compliant sweet potato fries- just potato and canola oil. No complaints about that!

Paleo Pesto / Creamy Pesto Dressing

I have been on the hunt for compliant pesto for a long time. I have had no luck finding any as they all either have cheese or soy products in them. So I decided to make my own and as it turns out, it is really easy! Nothing like the burden of making paleo mayo (which I have done successfully, but it was my 3rd try). I also took the pesto and made a creamy dressing that was out of this world!

Ingredients:

3-4 cups of basil leaves

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup of olive oil

6 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp salt

Put everything but the basil leaves into a food processor (If you have a mini-prep food processor use that over a larger one). Blend until all are well pureed together. Slowly add the basil leaves, one little bunch at a time. Continue until all are in the processor and continue to blend until all ingredients are sufficiently pureed together. 

I like to put these into individual dressing cups and freeze. You only need a little at a time, and it freezes very well. 

Creamy Pesto Dressing:

1/4 cup paleo mayo (or any compliant mayo you have found in the store)

1/4 cup paleo pesto

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

Whisk the three together and let sit in fridge for 20-30 mins. DONE!

The dressing will be a crowd favorite, it would be a wonderful accompaniment to a veggie platter if you are looking for a good appetizer to serve or bring to a party. They don't need to know its paleo... they wont be able to tell anyway! 

Mediterranean Lamb Chops

This is a very easy dish, and one that will impress as well! This is an elegant recipe that is very easy for even a beginner chef.

Ingredients:
6 lamb chops (1.5-2 inches thick)
2 tbsp ghee

For the rub: (I always make extra of this...you can use this on almost any meat! So if there is leftover, save it and use it on something else)

1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp of dried basil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 sulfite free garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp of pink himalayan sea salt

TIP: You can find all this in the spice section of your grocery store, but if you don't feel like committing to full jars of all these spices, you can find them in the bulk section and buy in small quantities OR you can always just buy a W30 compliant mediterranean spice mix in your bulk section and not mess with the rub at all. However... it will not be as good!! :)

Take the chops out of the package and give them a quick rinse. Dry them thoroughly with a paper towel. Warm 1/2 tbsp of ghee in microwave for 10 seconds. You want the ghee to be melted, but not piping hot. Here is why... and bare with me! dip your fingers in the butter and massage each chop with it. continue until each chop is coated in butter. Then continue the "lamb massage" by pouring a little of the rub on each chop and massage the rub into the meat until each side is properly coated. Heat a large skillet to medium high. Melt the remainder of the ghee in the pan and swish it around until the pan is coated evenly. Add the chops, cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on how well done you would like your meat/how thick they are.

Voila! Perfect chops! I know that massaging the lamb seems overkill, but there is a reason why they call the spice blend a rub!

I served it with Arugula Salad and Sweet Potatoes, but any side dish will do!

Day 9: Date Night at the Brew Pub

Happy Friday!! Matt and I are going out on the town tonight! This is always challenging during a Whole 30, however we have decided to go out for Trivia Night to a local pub, which is fantastic because I am not a huge beer fan... no temptation to cheat and a fun activity whether you are drinking or not! PERFECT!!

I also experimented with home made chai tea in my slow cooker this afternoon. I have been craving lattes! I am hoping to make a creamy chai tea latte with coconut milk, pure apple juice, and the extract... I will let you know how that works out! It might take a few tries before I get it right.

Breakfast:
Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche
1/2 sliced pear
hot black tea

Lunch:
1/2 sliced pear
Salad of: 1/2 cup of diced rotisserie chicken, 1/4 cup of peas 1/4 cup sliced avocado, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

Snack: Pear and Apple "Thats it" bar

Dinner:
Side garden salad w/ oil and vinegar
6 ounce steak
double roasted veggies cooked in canola w/ salt, pepper, and dehydrated garlic

Just because you are restricted doesn't mean you can't have fun! Make sure you pick things to do that are fun without alcohol! Such as dinner and a movie, going to see a band, game nights, and of course trivia nights are always so much fun and your friends/significant other will always appreciate a designated driver!

Sage Roasted Butternut Squash and Butternut Squash Soup

This is one versatile dish! There are so many things you can do with this dish as a leftover and I absolutely love it.

Note: I double this recipe when I make it because I use it not just as a side dish, but I also use the leftovers and make paleo butternut squash soup (recipe below), add it to salads, and I even use it as a rice/bean replacement in burrito bowls! So good!

Note: I double this recipe and set aside 4 cups of the completed recipe if I am going to make soup the next day.

Sage Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
3 cups of cubed butternut squash
1 tbsp dried sage
1/2 tsp sea salt (or if you have it Pink Himalayan... it makes everything taste good)
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small roasting pan mix all ingredients together until the cubes are evenly dressed. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the cubes are soft and edges of the cubes are starting to brown.

Let sit for a few minutes and serve! So yumm!!


Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups leftover Sage Roasted Butternut Squash
1 cup of full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp ghee
1 shallot chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a medium sauce pot to medium, melt the ghee, and sauté the shallot in it until butter until translucent. lower the temperature to med-low. Add the butternut squash and coconut milk and stir lightly. Using an immersion blender, puree the contents in the pot until they are fully blended together. Let simmer for 20-30 mins on low stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you taste it before you add the salt and pepper! Remember the squash was already salted and peppered well when roasted, so it might not need much more.

This soup freezes really well and will keep in your fridge for 4-5 days.

Day 8: See Ya Santa...

Today is the last day it is socially acceptable to have lights on your house in my neighborhood. Sure if you are catholic and celebrating advent it will be overlooked. However, in general having your lights up past January 2nd is my neighborhoods holiday equivalent of leaving your trash cans on the street all week long and not mowing your lawn. So given that I am the youngest primary resident of a home on my block by at least 15 years... I try to keep up with those who are a little more on the ball... at least from the outside. The lights are coming down. Always such a sad day.

As far as the whole 30 goes... I am also spending part of this day on recipe development! So I have some yummy new ones to share with you this week! Hooray!

Breakfast:
Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche- 1 serving
Sliced strawberries

Lunch:
Paleo Taco Bowl

Dinner:
Mediterranean Lamb chops
Roasted Butternut Squash
Balsalmic Green Beans

Exercise: 60 mins on AMX elliptical machine

Today was an excellent food day! All of my recipes have turned out delish and I cant wait to share!!

Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche

Quiche is one of my all time favorite dishes! This recipe takes it to a whole new, HEALTHY, level! Great for Breakfast served with fruit or Lunch served with a light green salad!

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 large sweet potato- grated (should yield 3ish cups of loosely packed grated sweet potato)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
2.5 tbsp clarified butter

For the filling:
8 eggs
8 ounces of isernos chicken breakfast sausage
3 slices bacon chopped (remember it has to be sugar less!)
1/3 cup diced onions
pepper
salt

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Heat up a large skillet to medium high and melt 2 tbsp clarified butter in the pan. Drop in the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and lightly brown. With the remainder of the clarified butter, grease a standard pie dish. When the potatoes are cooked thoroughly and a little brown let them cook slightly so they are not uncomfortable to the touch. Starting with the center of the pie tin, begin making your crust. Gently make a solid even layer of potatoes around the bottom and sides of the dish applying a little pressure so that the potatoes are packed, not loose in the dish.

Put into the oven for 5-7 minutes to set the crust. When the crust starts to brown on the top, take it out.

In a large skillet cook your bacon. As soon as the bacon is about 2/3 of the way cooked drain excess grease and add the sausage and the onion. The little bacon grease that is left in the pan should be plenty to cook the onions and sausage in, no need to add more. As soon as they are fully cooked, dump them into the pie tin.

In a bowl whisk your eggs together and salt and pepper them to your liking. Dump the eggs over the sausage mixture. Put back in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Done! Love love love this dish! The best part is that it is 280 calories for 1/6 of the quiche!! Perfect breakfast and keeps you full for a long time!

Day 7: Starting 2014 Off Right...

Today was the fist day since Paris that I made it to the Gym. I know to a lot of you cross fit/whole30 people out there this sounds sacrilegious. However, one thing you need to also know about me is that I own a retail store... a retail store that specializes in custom and monogrammed gifts. We also offer full service monogramming and do all of the monogramming for the local Pottery Barn. During the holidays it's hard for me to do anything, let alone make it to thy gym. This year I managed to squeeze my schedule tighter than usual because of the trip to Paris. I managed to workout through the first 2 weeks of December which was a feat! While in Paris I walked everywhere which was definitely exercise enough! It was when I came home that things came to a stand still. I had a week until Christmas and I had around 65 stockings to monogram for Pottery Barn customers in addition to our mountain of orders that was collected before leaving for the trip. SO needless to say I locked myself in my office until it was time for Christmas.

After Christmas I took a few days off of doing anything due to exhaustion. Now its January 1st and if I wait any longer, I think it would be unacceptable. So, today will by my first post where I included my workout schedule in addition to my daily food log. HOOORAY!

Breakfast:
Monkey Salad
Hot Green Tea

Lunch:
Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche
w/ Roasted Sage Butternut Squash

Snack:
4 Buffalo Chicken Wings
10 carrot sticks
10 celery sticks

Dinner:
Hamburger Patty w/ avocado and bacon
Side Salad with garlic vinaigrette

Workout: 65 minutes on the AMX Elliptical Machine w/ arms

We headed to my folks place to watch the Rose Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl as well! I brought my own iced tea and my buffalo chicken wings again! They were such a hit at the last party, I decided I needed a repeat!