Due to the continuation of our nasty weather I woke at 6:15 on Day 9 to go downstairs and workout. Unfortunately, I also woke to the news that Parker's school had been canceled due to freezing rain. Lame. Although my hopes of going to the Commissary with only one kid and not two were dashed, I still trudged downstairs to workout. I was tempted to turn on the Wii to do one of the workout "games" I have for that, but I have consistently been disappointed with the workouts. So, I decided to use our fancy new Blu-Ray player's WiFi and log into our Amazon Prime Instant Video and find something good. One of the first workouts that came up was Jillian Michaels "Banish Fat Boost Metabolism". It is a 40 minute circuit workout with about 6 different circuits with 4 moves per circuit. It kicked my butt. I almost didn't finish it, but funnily enough what got me through was reminding myself I will need to have perseverance to finish the W30 and had to practice that perseverance by finishing the workout. It was awesome and I will definitely be doing it again.
Breakfast: Eggs over leftover sausage, peppers, and onions from egg muffin prep. After the workout this breakfast was great!
Lunch: Leftover Zoodles with Meat Marinara and half an apple
Dinner: AMAZING! I made Nom Nom Paleo's Super Easy Roast Chicken With Caramelized Shallots. As advertised it was very easy and delicious. I used two packages of chicken thighs so I have lots of leftovers. I made noodles for Ben and the kids to go with the chicken. I also sauted up some green beans with onions in some bacon fat.
Now off to the weekend. I will admit the weekends are my biggest struggle because of the temptation to have the glass of wine and some off-plan food. But I will persevere (word of the day) and I already have a trip to Trader Joe's planned to stock up on more freeze-dried fruit.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Day #9 Freeday Friday
Back in the day, by that, I mean pre "TW30", "Freeday Friday" would lend itself to activities that the name implies; Free eating, Free drinking, Free whatever my little old heart desires (within the confines of weekly chores that get put off until Friday, of course). But, now that I am within the throes of making changes as a result of TW30, Freeday Friday takes on a new meaning.
I still treat "Freeday Friday" as a bonus day, during which I indulge myself. But right now, indulging means taking a little longer over my coffee, lingering over my yummy breakfast, taking a walk later in the day and then perhaps a creative pursuit. I also will be getting my hair cut and colored this afternoon; believe, me...right now this is a necessity, not so much an indulgence! Anyway, one of the things I also do during Freeday Friday indulgences is to peruse some articles of interest on the internet. I found this article the other day and quickly skimmed it, saving it for a more focused read later on. This morning, I took a little longer to read it. I found the author's points very interesting and pretty insightful. He addresses some of the thoughts I have had around alcohol and TW30 and, in a larger sense, a healthy lifestyle.
http://www.primalpal.net/paleo-recipe-blog/143/Whole30-and-Alcohol-Consumption
In addition to these lovely pursuits, I also love Freeday Friday because I can take the time to prepare a nice, healthy meal and not feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants. I have a whole chicken defrosting on the counter. Tonight will be thyme roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and probably a green salad. Speaking of which...
I have made reference to MPV; short for MaPat's Vinaigrette. After having a wonderful salad served with a basil vinaigrette at a local restaurant several months ago, I came home to try my hand at re-creating the recipe. Here is what I came up with.
TW30 disclaimer; when reading the ingredients of the Penzey's creamy peppercorn seasoning, I found that there is a small amount of sugar (ingredient 3 in a list of 6). So, if you're wanting to make sure that no sugar sneaks into your TW30 foods, go ahead and make your own version of this herb mix, using my note at the bottom of the recipe, omitting the sugar)
MaPat’s Magical Basil Vinaigrette
Now off with my Freeday Friday
Breakfast: The last of the artichoke, spinach, coconut milk, seasonings that comprised the filling for the prosciutto wrapped chicken tossed with some spaghetti squash (I tell ya, I'm getting some mileage out of this week's spaghetti squash!) and warmed. Served two fried eggs over this and topped with cubed avocado. 2 strips of bacon. Fresh pineapple. Coffee w/almond milk.
Lunch: (on the run) Teriyaki jerky, baby carrots, roasted rosemary almonds, banana
Pre Dinner beverage: Lemon Blossom tea; love this!
Dinner: Thyme roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes (seasoned with thyme, garlic powder, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper), sautéed greens (chard, collard greens, chopped sautéed onions, crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar)
I still treat "Freeday Friday" as a bonus day, during which I indulge myself. But right now, indulging means taking a little longer over my coffee, lingering over my yummy breakfast, taking a walk later in the day and then perhaps a creative pursuit. I also will be getting my hair cut and colored this afternoon; believe, me...right now this is a necessity, not so much an indulgence! Anyway, one of the things I also do during Freeday Friday indulgences is to peruse some articles of interest on the internet. I found this article the other day and quickly skimmed it, saving it for a more focused read later on. This morning, I took a little longer to read it. I found the author's points very interesting and pretty insightful. He addresses some of the thoughts I have had around alcohol and TW30 and, in a larger sense, a healthy lifestyle.
http://www.primalpal.net/paleo-recipe-blog/143/Whole30-and-Alcohol-Consumption
In addition to these lovely pursuits, I also love Freeday Friday because I can take the time to prepare a nice, healthy meal and not feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants. I have a whole chicken defrosting on the counter. Tonight will be thyme roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and probably a green salad. Speaking of which...
I have made reference to MPV; short for MaPat's Vinaigrette. After having a wonderful salad served with a basil vinaigrette at a local restaurant several months ago, I came home to try my hand at re-creating the recipe. Here is what I came up with.
TW30 disclaimer; when reading the ingredients of the Penzey's creamy peppercorn seasoning, I found that there is a small amount of sugar (ingredient 3 in a list of 6). So, if you're wanting to make sure that no sugar sneaks into your TW30 foods, go ahead and make your own version of this herb mix, using my note at the bottom of the recipe, omitting the sugar)
MaPat’s Magical Basil Vinaigrette
½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup Champagne or white wine vinegard
¾ cup olive oil (I used light)
1 tbsp. Penzey’s creamy peppercorn salad dressing seasoning (I LOVE Penzey's for top quality spices; here's the link to their website http://www.penzeys.com/)
Place all ingredients in glass measuring cup or immersion blender container. Blend with immersion blender, tipping to incorporate and emulsify oil. Cover and refrigerate. Good for up to one week.
(Assuming you don’t have any Penzey’s seasoning on hand, I would just use a combination of pepper, kosher salt, sugar, garlic powder, dried thyme and dried parsley to equal 1 Tbsp.; those are the ingredients in the Creamy Peppercorn Seasoning).
Since it is currently winter, my supply of basil leaves much to be desired; by that I mean it consists of some spindly brown stems sticking out of some slimy dirt/compost in a garden container on the patio. I'm reduced to getting my basil at the grocery store (when I'm lucky enough to find it) or :::gasp::: substituting dry for fresh. If you substitute the dry, use roughly one generous tablespoon. Believe me, this recipe alone makes planting a little basil in your garden or containers worth it.
Since it is currently winter, my supply of basil leaves much to be desired; by that I mean it consists of some spindly brown stems sticking out of some slimy dirt/compost in a garden container on the patio. I'm reduced to getting my basil at the grocery store (when I'm lucky enough to find it) or :::gasp::: substituting dry for fresh. If you substitute the dry, use roughly one generous tablespoon. Believe me, this recipe alone makes planting a little basil in your garden or containers worth it.
Breakfast: The last of the artichoke, spinach, coconut milk, seasonings that comprised the filling for the prosciutto wrapped chicken tossed with some spaghetti squash (I tell ya, I'm getting some mileage out of this week's spaghetti squash!) and warmed. Served two fried eggs over this and topped with cubed avocado. 2 strips of bacon. Fresh pineapple. Coffee w/almond milk.
Lunch: (on the run) Teriyaki jerky, baby carrots, roasted rosemary almonds, banana
Pre Dinner beverage: Lemon Blossom tea; love this!
Dinner: Thyme roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes (seasoned with thyme, garlic powder, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper), sautéed greens (chard, collard greens, chopped sautéed onions, crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar)
Day 8 - Adventures in Chick-Fil-A Cuisine
On Day 8 I woke with much more energy than previous days. I still couldn't get a run in because the temperature had only risen to a balmy 12 degrees with windchill. But, I puttered around the house to try to at least get some energy out. I am definitely starting to see some subtle changes that I am grateful for - I have definitely noticed that my face is less puffy and my love handles (which have become very UN-loveable indeed) have shrunk a bit! As I said before, I didn't even weigh myself before beginning the challenge this time, so these changes are truly the way I am measuring results.
We also had to do a little shopping for a friend who just adopted a brand new baby girl, so we were heading out to Rockville and Buy Buy Baby - also know as the Baby Crack Store. After picking up some baby essentials for my friend Ashley we headed over to Trader Joes to see what kind of goodies we could find. Of course some Rocketship crackers for Parker and a couple of LaraBars for me.
We also found my FPF of the day: Trader Joes Freeze Dried Strawberries. They are amazing. It is a pretty big bag of just strawberries. They definitely satisfy the sweet/crunchy thing that can be missing from the W30. The serving size is a whole bag, but I could never eat it all in one sitting - they are very flavorful. I ate a couple in the car after my disappointing lunch (get to that later) and then also had a few after dinner during another episode of Justified. I definitely plan to go buy some more this weekend. A little spendy at $3.49 a bag, but a great little treat.
I made a second attempt at roasting Kale chips and solidified my decision that I do not enjoy Kale. The leaves themselves were OK without the stems (which were very bitter) but once again, the people who say that they can substitute that for chips are crazy - luckily I don't really eat chips anyway, so it isn't a big loss. I did find a great bag of pre-washed pre-cut Kale at TJ and only baked up about half of the bag, so I am going to try some sauted Kale recipes and see if I like it that way better...
Now, on to the disappointment of lunch...After all of our running around I promised Parker a stop at Chick-Fil-A for lunch. I was originally planning on just having a LaraBar and water until I got home and could add some veggies, but decided to go ahead and try a Chick-Fil-A salad instead. I ordered their Cobb without cheese or dressing with grilled chicken "nuggets". As we sat waiting for our food to be delivered I checked out the Chick-Fil-A website to see how their grilled nuggets are made. Unfortunately I found: 100% natural chicken breast, seasoning (salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika). So, pretty disappointed in the monosodium glutamate and sugar. Decided not to eat the chicken on the salad. So, pretty much ended up with a green salad without protein. There was also some corn on the salad that I had to pick around that I would remove next time...Oh well Chick-Fil-A, not horrible, but not a "win" for me.
Finally, I cooked up a great recipe of sweet potato egg muffins for my crazy mornings - like when we are headed out to school. The recipe originated from here: http://www.paleonewbie.com/paleo-sweet-potato-egg-cups-recipe/ but I adapted it a bit for what I had. Additionally, I did not pre-cook my sweet potato. I grated it and then put it in my baking cups - which by the way, silicone baking cups are my greatest new find - how did I not know about these before? I put my uncooked potatoes in the oven at 375 for about 35 minutes until they were crispy. My filling was eggs, green peppers, onions, and sausage. I cooked the sausage first, then sauted the eggs and peppers in the sausage fat before combining it all with the whisked eggs. They came out great. I also had extra grated sweet potato so while my muffins baked I fried up the leftover potato into hash and had that with the leftover sausage/pepper/onion mixture with some fried eggs for breakfast. Based on how good that was, I have high hopes for the muffins.
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash, sausage, onions, peppers, eggs
Lunch: Green Salad (no dressing), freeze dried strawberries, hard boiled egg at home
Dinner: Grilled Chicken (yay Ben!), green salad, roasted baby carrots
Post-Dinner Snack: toasted coconut and freeze-dried strawberries!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Day #8 ... And you do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around...
Sorry, about the post title. I had to. From what I hear, Parker is learning the Hokey Pokey, and I love the Hokey Pokey! Plus, I thought that particular line just worked, right?
Anyway, Day #8 and away we go! It's my Friday!
BS: 126
Breakfast: 2 eggs, scrambled with a couple of tablespoons of the leftover filling mixture from last night's prosciutto wrapped chicken, I also chopped up the small amount of leftover prosciutto and mixed that in with the scrambled eggs. I served this over spaghetti squash and topped with MP salsa and diced avocado. I also served myself 2 strips bacon but ended up only eating about 1/2 of a strip; the egg dish was quite filling. Fresh pineapple. Coffee w/almond milk.
Lunch: Leftover prosciutto wrapped chicken, green beans, orange
Dinner: Deconstructed (i.e. no shell/chips, cheese or sour cream) taco salad (with lots of other goodies; seasoned meat, lettuce, olives, carrot curls, tomatoes, salsa and avocado). This is one of those dishes that, for me, didn't actually convert particularly well; taking out the sour cream, cheese, refried beans and tortilla shell left my salad a bit lacking. However, I was exhausted by the time I actually was ready to face dinner and having the seasoned meat all ready and just tossing all of the other ingredients together made it a fast, easy fix.
As promised, here is a great recipe I found in Paleo Indulgences:
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Potatoes
4-5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
3Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced red onions
1 small can black olives
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I always use flat leaf)
1/3 cup Paleo mayo (here's a great recipe, http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/06/03/the-secret-to-homemade-mayo-patience/). When I make this, I use my immersion blender; I combine all the ingredients (including the oil) allow to come to room temp and then blend, putting immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the container and then tipping and lifting to incorporate all of the oil. It works great!
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp granulated onion
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
(I also added a small amount of chopped dill pickle)
Preheat oven to 450.
Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl, add the coconut oil and stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place the sweet potatoes in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are soft and browned. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Meanwhile mix the salad ingredients in a large bowl. (I mixed the dressing ingredients (mayo, seasonings and herbs) together in a separate bowl, adjusted seasonings to taste and then, once blended, tossed it over the other salad ingredients. Add cooled sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Chill salad at least 1 hour before serving. Store salad in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days.
Note: I cut this in half and it made approximately 4 generous servings.
Enjoy!
Day 7 - Would This Weather Please Leave?
I NEED TO GO ON A RUN!!! This weather is nothing short of debilitating. I hate it. I really don't mind the cold - or running in the cold - but I can't justify bundling up the kids and then making them ride in the BOB in a windchill of 9 degrees. That seems like minor child abuse, and I would like them to keep their noses. Another school day for Parker yesterday and I was missing my morning run! I had really hoped that we would be able to venture out on Friday for our pre-school run, but I now learn there may be freezing rain! AHHHH! If we ever move to Alaska I don't know what I would do - join a gym I guess!
Yesterday was definitely one of the worst wine craving days I have had. By the time the kids were down I really just wanted some wine, but alas, I stuck with my sparkling water and then tea. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. Of course, the new season of Justified started on Tuesday night, so we have it saved on our DVR. That is one of the few shows Ben and I both truly enjoy together, but we decided we want to watch last season again before we watch the new episode. So down to the basement I went with my cup of tea to watch the first episode of last season with him - to which he so nicely commented that he always told himself he would never watch Justified without a beer. Ha ha! Starting to see more and more the examples of food association behaviors that they talk about in ISWF...Luckily I didn't have to worry about that particular temptation because Ben has a PT test on Friday so he isn't drinking this week either...come the weekend I might have to resort to other measures. But I did enjoy my tea downstairs and I ate a package of the freeze-dried apples from Costco.
Which leads me to what I will now be calling Fabulous Paleo Finds (FPF) - The freeze-dried fruit packs from Costco are lifesavers. I love them for snacks. I don't eat them for meals - I am trying to limit my fruit and so I will only occasionally have fruit with a meal, and when I do it is a regular piece (or half) of fruit. But, when I want something crunchy and sweet these are a lifesaver. I don't really think it is breaking the W30 spirit to have these as a sweet snack, because I honestly can say that before it would have been a piece of chocolate! So, I feel good about the switch and can definitely see myself continuing it post W30.
My other FPF so far is Larabars. I mentioned them in an earlier post. And although I haven't had another one yet, I keep one in my purse in case I am out and can't/don't want to eat what the kids are eating - Like a Chick-Fil-A Day that I see in the near future. They are kinda spendy - all those energy/power bars are - and I don't like the packs available from Amazon. I don't want 16 of the same bar, and the multipacks have bars that are not W30 approved. So, for now I will probably just buy mine at Whole Foods...I may check Trader Joes too...but either way, at least in the store I can check the ingredients.
Breakfast: Eggs over Asparagus and Onions with bacon - I really am going to make some Sweet Potato Egg Cups tomorrow.
Lunch: Avocado Chicken Salad using the chicken from last night. It was really good. I added diced red onion and some garlic salt. I used romaine lettace for wraps and yum!
Dinner: Crock-pot Balsamic Beef - modified from a pinterest recipe. I put about 1 TBS oil in the bottom of my crockpot, added about 1 1/2 TBS minced garlic and 1 sliced onion. Beef round roast on top. Then mixed 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup coconut aminos and 1 cup beef broth. Poured that on top and set the temp to low. It cooked for about 7 hours. The flavor was awesome. The meat was a bit tough, but that was because I didn't have the right kind of roast. Next time I will find one with more fat, because those do better for crockpot recipes.
The kids and Ben had white rice and I had another pass at Cauliflower rice. I sauted onions and garlic in olive oil, added chopped snowpeas and some shredded carrot. Sauted it all until soft and then tossed in the cauliflower "rice" and mixed it all a bit to soften added some of the Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blend that came from Amazon yesterday. It was very good. I do think next time I will add a little coconut aminos, but the cauliflower rice has redeemed itself.
We also had a salad and I followed up on my experience from Panera the other day and just topped mine with EVOO and Lemon - it was great.
Note: I also used an awesome Pinterest trick for saving my avocados yesterday! I had purchased the bag at Costco with 5 avocados. They were all very ripe yesterday - on the verge of going over the edge. So, I scooped all peeled avocados into a bowl and smashed them with my Pampered Chef Mix'n'Chop (my favorite kitchen too). Then I divided the avocado into 4 FoodSaver bags and vacuum sealed them. They are now hanging in the freezer. I did this once before when Ben brought home some avocados from work (a gift from an avocado lobbyist LOL) and it worked great. Whenever I need some avocado I take out a bag and let it defrost on the counter. The bag of mashed lasts me about 2 days, but I guess I could make smaller bags too. But once it is thawed I mix it with a little lime or lemon juice to keep it from browning and then refrigerate in a tupperware.
Yesterday was definitely one of the worst wine craving days I have had. By the time the kids were down I really just wanted some wine, but alas, I stuck with my sparkling water and then tea. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. Of course, the new season of Justified started on Tuesday night, so we have it saved on our DVR. That is one of the few shows Ben and I both truly enjoy together, but we decided we want to watch last season again before we watch the new episode. So down to the basement I went with my cup of tea to watch the first episode of last season with him - to which he so nicely commented that he always told himself he would never watch Justified without a beer. Ha ha! Starting to see more and more the examples of food association behaviors that they talk about in ISWF...Luckily I didn't have to worry about that particular temptation because Ben has a PT test on Friday so he isn't drinking this week either...come the weekend I might have to resort to other measures. But I did enjoy my tea downstairs and I ate a package of the freeze-dried apples from Costco.
Which leads me to what I will now be calling Fabulous Paleo Finds (FPF) - The freeze-dried fruit packs from Costco are lifesavers. I love them for snacks. I don't eat them for meals - I am trying to limit my fruit and so I will only occasionally have fruit with a meal, and when I do it is a regular piece (or half) of fruit. But, when I want something crunchy and sweet these are a lifesaver. I don't really think it is breaking the W30 spirit to have these as a sweet snack, because I honestly can say that before it would have been a piece of chocolate! So, I feel good about the switch and can definitely see myself continuing it post W30.
My other FPF so far is Larabars. I mentioned them in an earlier post. And although I haven't had another one yet, I keep one in my purse in case I am out and can't/don't want to eat what the kids are eating - Like a Chick-Fil-A Day that I see in the near future. They are kinda spendy - all those energy/power bars are - and I don't like the packs available from Amazon. I don't want 16 of the same bar, and the multipacks have bars that are not W30 approved. So, for now I will probably just buy mine at Whole Foods...I may check Trader Joes too...but either way, at least in the store I can check the ingredients.
Breakfast: Eggs over Asparagus and Onions with bacon - I really am going to make some Sweet Potato Egg Cups tomorrow.
Lunch: Avocado Chicken Salad using the chicken from last night. It was really good. I added diced red onion and some garlic salt. I used romaine lettace for wraps and yum!
Dinner: Crock-pot Balsamic Beef - modified from a pinterest recipe. I put about 1 TBS oil in the bottom of my crockpot, added about 1 1/2 TBS minced garlic and 1 sliced onion. Beef round roast on top. Then mixed 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup coconut aminos and 1 cup beef broth. Poured that on top and set the temp to low. It cooked for about 7 hours. The flavor was awesome. The meat was a bit tough, but that was because I didn't have the right kind of roast. Next time I will find one with more fat, because those do better for crockpot recipes.
The kids and Ben had white rice and I had another pass at Cauliflower rice. I sauted onions and garlic in olive oil, added chopped snowpeas and some shredded carrot. Sauted it all until soft and then tossed in the cauliflower "rice" and mixed it all a bit to soften added some of the Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blend that came from Amazon yesterday. It was very good. I do think next time I will add a little coconut aminos, but the cauliflower rice has redeemed itself.
We also had a salad and I followed up on my experience from Panera the other day and just topped mine with EVOO and Lemon - it was great.
Note: I also used an awesome Pinterest trick for saving my avocados yesterday! I had purchased the bag at Costco with 5 avocados. They were all very ripe yesterday - on the verge of going over the edge. So, I scooped all peeled avocados into a bowl and smashed them with my Pampered Chef Mix'n'Chop (my favorite kitchen too). Then I divided the avocado into 4 FoodSaver bags and vacuum sealed them. They are now hanging in the freezer. I did this once before when Ben brought home some avocados from work (a gift from an avocado lobbyist LOL) and it worked great. Whenever I need some avocado I take out a bag and let it defrost on the counter. The bag of mashed lasts me about 2 days, but I guess I could make smaller bags too. But once it is thawed I mix it with a little lime or lemon juice to keep it from browning and then refrigerate in a tupperware.
These Are A Few of My Favorite Things
It's tough to remember where you saw what; was it Pinterest? Someone else's blog? A recipe that someone emailed to me? YIKES!
Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite resources:
For the nitty gritty, there is nothing like "It Starts With Food" (ISWF). This is the cornerstone to TW30. I had been dipping my toes in the Paleo Waters and Lorna (my guru for all things Paleo) recommended this book. I had received a copy right before we were flying east for Parker's birthday. I was probably half way through it by the time we arrived. Well, amidst all of the birthday fallderallandfiddledeedee, the book got set aside. And then, we received the phone call that rocked the start of my 2013; Grandma Sterr had likely developed pancreatic cancer (this was confirmed within a few days). On our return flight, I finished ISWF; the information contained within was compelling. This was it. I was going to do The Whole 30; my mom's condition and the information I gathered from the book put me firmly on that path.
A great beginner Paleo recipe book is Well Fed, followed by Well Fed 2 by Melissa Joulwan. These are both filled with tasty, basic Paleo recipes. Melissa Joulwan does a great job of putting things forth in a simple, straightforward manner. These are not "foo foo" recipes (as Larry would say) but just good, clean basic Paleo. Here is one of my most favorites of her recipes:
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/
This is amazing! And I just love the spice blend she rubs on the chicken! I make up extra and keep it in the freezer; I've used it on grilled pork chops and fish.
(And, her blog is pretty funny too)
Speaking of blogs, one of my new favorites is http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex
She has a TON of great recipes, I've provided the link to a list of them, above. But also, just poking around her website is fun; she has a great sense of humor. She also seems to be very responsive to comments and questions on the blog.
Another book I like is Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. I haven't dug into this book as much as a couple of the others, but it's really, really informative and has a ton of recipe and menu planning ideas.
And a new favorite of mine is one that Tiffany gave me for my birthday; Paleo Indulgences by Tammu Credicott. There are quite a few recipes that, while Paleo, aren't TW30 compliant. So, I'll be marking those to try out after TW30. But in the meantime, there are lots of great recipes that WILL work during TW30. One is a recipe for a great Roasted Sweet Potato Salad. I'll post that recipe later on.
There you have it, These Are A Few of My Favorite Things. Shall I break into song?
Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite resources:
For the nitty gritty, there is nothing like "It Starts With Food" (ISWF). This is the cornerstone to TW30. I had been dipping my toes in the Paleo Waters and Lorna (my guru for all things Paleo) recommended this book. I had received a copy right before we were flying east for Parker's birthday. I was probably half way through it by the time we arrived. Well, amidst all of the birthday fallderallandfiddledeedee, the book got set aside. And then, we received the phone call that rocked the start of my 2013; Grandma Sterr had likely developed pancreatic cancer (this was confirmed within a few days). On our return flight, I finished ISWF; the information contained within was compelling. This was it. I was going to do The Whole 30; my mom's condition and the information I gathered from the book put me firmly on that path.
A great beginner Paleo recipe book is Well Fed, followed by Well Fed 2 by Melissa Joulwan. These are both filled with tasty, basic Paleo recipes. Melissa Joulwan does a great job of putting things forth in a simple, straightforward manner. These are not "foo foo" recipes (as Larry would say) but just good, clean basic Paleo. Here is one of my most favorites of her recipes:
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/
This is amazing! And I just love the spice blend she rubs on the chicken! I make up extra and keep it in the freezer; I've used it on grilled pork chops and fish.
(And, her blog is pretty funny too)
Speaking of blogs, one of my new favorites is http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex
She has a TON of great recipes, I've provided the link to a list of them, above. But also, just poking around her website is fun; she has a great sense of humor. She also seems to be very responsive to comments and questions on the blog.
Another book I like is Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. I haven't dug into this book as much as a couple of the others, but it's really, really informative and has a ton of recipe and menu planning ideas.
And a new favorite of mine is one that Tiffany gave me for my birthday; Paleo Indulgences by Tammu Credicott. There are quite a few recipes that, while Paleo, aren't TW30 compliant. So, I'll be marking those to try out after TW30. But in the meantime, there are lots of great recipes that WILL work during TW30. One is a recipe for a great Roasted Sweet Potato Salad. I'll post that recipe later on.
There you have it, These Are A Few of My Favorite Things. Shall I break into song?
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Catching Up...
Whew! Thanks, Mandy, for creating this. I think it's a great way to keep all of our TW30 thoughts, logs, recipes, menus, challenges and encouragement in one place! So, since I am officially transferring over from "that other place," here's my "catch-up" (as opposed to Ketchup, which has sugar in it dontcha know)
Day #1: 01/02/14 (workday)
BS165
B: Eggs in a cup (2 eggs, chopped cooked bacon, chopped mushroom, handful of baby spinach) microwave 2 min. Orange. Coffee w/almond milk
L: Turkey soup. Spinach salad (baby spinach, shaved HB eggs, bacon, mushrooms, MaPat's vinaigrette)
D: Pan seared pork chop (seasoned with best chicken rub), thyme roasted sweet potatoes, baby artichokes w/homemade mayo
Day #2: 01/03/14 (Freeday Friday)
BS 126
B: Eggs in a cup (see above). Orange. Coffee w/almond milk
L: (none; breakfast too late) Note to self: must eat breakfast before 9 a.m. in order to get three meals in
Snack: (see above, because I was STARVING right before dinner) almonds, clausen dill pickle, black olives, baby carrots
D: Spaghetti meat sauce (Mandy's homemade marinara, ground beef, tomato sauce/paste) spaghetti squash
Day #3: 01/04/14 (Saturday)
BS 131
B: 2 Egg muffins (for 12: 12 eggs, 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion, 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms, 2 c chopped baby spinach, appr. 1/2 pound browned country style sausage bake at 350 20 minutes. Freeze. Bag it up.). Orange.
L: (again, no lunch, late breakfast...FIX THIS)
D: Rib steak (Safeway, tough and definitely NOT a rib eye steak.Disappointing. Note: it SUCKS to be disappointed in a food item when you're trying to hard to eat carefully and enjoy it, to keep from getting discouraged/unsatisfied). Mashed cauliflower with crumbled bacon, chopped green onions (try as I might, I'm still not lovin' the mashed cauliflower, it's something about the texture), green salad w/beets, crushed almonds, avocado, MPV
Snacks: (late night) Trouble sleeping, craving SOMETHING. Got up and ate some almonds (too many, I'm sure) and a banana. Had some "Calm" drink. That helped. Note to self: Have Calm every night before bed.
Notes:
(1) Rough day, this Day #3. Headache. Feeling like I'm "fighting" something (could be de-toxing OR fighting Larry's cold).
(2)Really, REALLY, REALLY wanted wine! Chamomile tea DOES seem to ease this craving a "bit."
(3) Checked the Costco Fletcher's bacon, lo and behold, it does have sugar in it. Damn. Oh well. I'm not going to chase all over the globe looking, nor pay an outrageous price, for sugar free bacon. This is going to be one of those things that I let go of; I'm still going to enjoy my moderate amount of bacon.
(4) I "thought" the sausage I bought from Sherm was free of all of the crappy stuff; it was his own ground sausage. Not. It does have sugar. Albeit, not all of the other crap, nor sugar in the form of corn syrup, but it's there. I'm not going to toss the muffins I made, but I WILL be on the lookout for sugar free sausage
(5) Almond milk. Baby steps. I thought it was compliant until I read it has tapioca starch and carrageenan. Again. I'll let this go; huge step from Carnation Coffee Mate and even a big step from my Coconut milk creamer.
Day #4: 01/05/14 (Sunday)
BS (forgot to test it)
Walk 40 min. 2 miles
B: 2 Egg muffins. Orange. Coffee w/almond milk
L: (light because it was 3:00) Turkey soup
Snack: roasted almonds
D: Chile verde, wrapped in cabbage leaves, roasted sweet potato salad
Day #5
Great night's sleep (note to self: remember nighttime vitamins and Calm); probably 7+ straight hours
Woke up clear headed. As shower, prep was underway, energy/focus definitely much improved. Yay! The Magic may have started already!
BS 126
B: 2 egg muffins, 1 orange
L: chile verde wrapped in cabbage leaves, roasted sweet potato salad
Snack: almonds
D: spaghetti meat sauce over spaghetti squash, green salad w/ MPV
Day#6
BS 116
Felt like I was "coming down with something" yesterday. Hopefully, a false alarm and a symptom of TW30 cleanse. The flu is running wild around here and Larry has been sick for a week. Didn't sleep quite as well last night, tough falling asleep, but once I did, out like a light.
First "food dream" last night, except it was a "drinking dream." Dreamt I had a beer (mindlessly) and was devastated when I realized what I had done. Silly me. It was just a dream
B: 2 breakfast muffins, 1 orange, coffee w/almond milk
L: Meat spaghetti sauce over spaghetti squash, green salad, MPV
D: Baked hamburger steak, mashed cauliflower, steamed broccoli
Tough time falling asleep, got up and ate a banana to ease up the RLS.
Day #7
One week!
Last night was rough. Incredible sugar cravings late at night. TOUGH time falling asleep, finally about 11:30. Didn't drink my Calm last night. Also suffering from RLS. Need to switch to a different sleep aid. Advil PM isn't working well (may be the cause of the RLS). Try Nytol.
BS 136 (hmmm, wonder why it crept up? Could it have been the banana late at night? Also, could the dip early in the week have been a result of walking? I need to research this a bit)
B: 2 egg muffins, 1 orange, coffee w/almond milk
L: Baked hamburger steak, roasted sweet potato salad, broccoli - note, those hamburger steaks are filling! I was satisfied right up until dinner.
D: Spinach, artichoke stuffed chicken breasts, roasted sweet potatoes, green salad (plan)
D: (ACTUAL) In the non-TW30 days, this would have been "one of those days" when I threw in the towel and said, "forget about what I planned for dinner, I'm exhausted" and would have eaten crap food from the freezer (i.e. pizza) or gone out for Mexican food. But persevere, I did. I ran by the store to pick up a couple of things I needed to make the stuffed chicken breasts. However, I didn't have it in me for roasted sweet potatoes and a green salad with MPV; that would have required even more work as I didn't have any MPV on hand. So instead, it was a can of green beans and some fresh pineapple. It worked. And Mandy, those WERE good. Dad even like them! (Be still my heart!). And I have enough leftover for lunch tomorrow.
So, there you have it!
Happy TW30!
Day #1: 01/02/14 (workday)
BS165
B: Eggs in a cup (2 eggs, chopped cooked bacon, chopped mushroom, handful of baby spinach) microwave 2 min. Orange. Coffee w/almond milk
L: Turkey soup. Spinach salad (baby spinach, shaved HB eggs, bacon, mushrooms, MaPat's vinaigrette)
D: Pan seared pork chop (seasoned with best chicken rub), thyme roasted sweet potatoes, baby artichokes w/homemade mayo
Day #2: 01/03/14 (Freeday Friday)
BS 126
B: Eggs in a cup (see above). Orange. Coffee w/almond milk
L: (none; breakfast too late) Note to self: must eat breakfast before 9 a.m. in order to get three meals in
Snack: (see above, because I was STARVING right before dinner) almonds, clausen dill pickle, black olives, baby carrots
D: Spaghetti meat sauce (Mandy's homemade marinara, ground beef, tomato sauce/paste) spaghetti squash
Day #3: 01/04/14 (Saturday)
BS 131
B: 2 Egg muffins (for 12: 12 eggs, 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion, 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms, 2 c chopped baby spinach, appr. 1/2 pound browned country style sausage bake at 350 20 minutes. Freeze. Bag it up.). Orange.
L: (again, no lunch, late breakfast...FIX THIS)
D: Rib steak (Safeway, tough and definitely NOT a rib eye steak.Disappointing. Note: it SUCKS to be disappointed in a food item when you're trying to hard to eat carefully and enjoy it, to keep from getting discouraged/unsatisfied). Mashed cauliflower with crumbled bacon, chopped green onions (try as I might, I'm still not lovin' the mashed cauliflower, it's something about the texture), green salad w/beets, crushed almonds, avocado, MPV
Snacks: (late night) Trouble sleeping, craving SOMETHING. Got up and ate some almonds (too many, I'm sure) and a banana. Had some "Calm" drink. That helped. Note to self: Have Calm every night before bed.
Notes:
(1) Rough day, this Day #3. Headache. Feeling like I'm "fighting" something (could be de-toxing OR fighting Larry's cold).
(2)Really, REALLY, REALLY wanted wine! Chamomile tea DOES seem to ease this craving a "bit."
(3) Checked the Costco Fletcher's bacon, lo and behold, it does have sugar in it. Damn. Oh well. I'm not going to chase all over the globe looking, nor pay an outrageous price, for sugar free bacon. This is going to be one of those things that I let go of; I'm still going to enjoy my moderate amount of bacon.
(4) I "thought" the sausage I bought from Sherm was free of all of the crappy stuff; it was his own ground sausage. Not. It does have sugar. Albeit, not all of the other crap, nor sugar in the form of corn syrup, but it's there. I'm not going to toss the muffins I made, but I WILL be on the lookout for sugar free sausage
(5) Almond milk. Baby steps. I thought it was compliant until I read it has tapioca starch and carrageenan. Again. I'll let this go; huge step from Carnation Coffee Mate and even a big step from my Coconut milk creamer.
Day #4: 01/05/14 (Sunday)
BS (forgot to test it)
Walk 40 min. 2 miles
B: 2 Egg muffins. Orange. Coffee w/almond milk
L: (light because it was 3:00) Turkey soup
Snack: roasted almonds
D: Chile verde, wrapped in cabbage leaves, roasted sweet potato salad
Day #5
Great night's sleep (note to self: remember nighttime vitamins and Calm); probably 7+ straight hours
Woke up clear headed. As shower, prep was underway, energy/focus definitely much improved. Yay! The Magic may have started already!
BS 126
B: 2 egg muffins, 1 orange
L: chile verde wrapped in cabbage leaves, roasted sweet potato salad
Snack: almonds
D: spaghetti meat sauce over spaghetti squash, green salad w/ MPV
Day#6
BS 116
Felt like I was "coming down with something" yesterday. Hopefully, a false alarm and a symptom of TW30 cleanse. The flu is running wild around here and Larry has been sick for a week. Didn't sleep quite as well last night, tough falling asleep, but once I did, out like a light.
First "food dream" last night, except it was a "drinking dream." Dreamt I had a beer (mindlessly) and was devastated when I realized what I had done. Silly me. It was just a dream
B: 2 breakfast muffins, 1 orange, coffee w/almond milk
L: Meat spaghetti sauce over spaghetti squash, green salad, MPV
D: Baked hamburger steak, mashed cauliflower, steamed broccoli
Tough time falling asleep, got up and ate a banana to ease up the RLS.
Day #7
One week!
Last night was rough. Incredible sugar cravings late at night. TOUGH time falling asleep, finally about 11:30. Didn't drink my Calm last night. Also suffering from RLS. Need to switch to a different sleep aid. Advil PM isn't working well (may be the cause of the RLS). Try Nytol.
BS 136 (hmmm, wonder why it crept up? Could it have been the banana late at night? Also, could the dip early in the week have been a result of walking? I need to research this a bit)
B: 2 egg muffins, 1 orange, coffee w/almond milk
L: Baked hamburger steak, roasted sweet potato salad, broccoli - note, those hamburger steaks are filling! I was satisfied right up until dinner.
D: Spinach, artichoke stuffed chicken breasts, roasted sweet potatoes, green salad (plan)
D: (ACTUAL) In the non-TW30 days, this would have been "one of those days" when I threw in the towel and said, "forget about what I planned for dinner, I'm exhausted" and would have eaten crap food from the freezer (i.e. pizza) or gone out for Mexican food. But persevere, I did. I ran by the store to pick up a couple of things I needed to make the stuffed chicken breasts. However, I didn't have it in me for roasted sweet potatoes and a green salad with MPV; that would have required even more work as I didn't have any MPV on hand. So instead, it was a can of green beans and some fresh pineapple. It worked. And Mandy, those WERE good. Dad even like them! (Be still my heart!). And I have enough leftover for lunch tomorrow.
So, there you have it!
Happy TW30!
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