Monday, January 25, 2016

Whole30 - Week 3: Meal Plans

Shopping with my guys this week... had to search all over that ridiculous parking lot for a "car cart" of course... thank you to whoever invented these things... and of course because it was green it really wasn't the car cart of choice but guess what, sometimes life is hard and you just gotta deal, right?? haha... So we have switched up our shopping routine... I used to go on Monday or Tuesday and shop for the week, but now I go on Fridays so I can get food to prep over the weekend. It's actually worked out nicely because Mondays are usually hard anyway and we can kind of take it easy.

Grocery Store Tip: Take a pic of your list on your phone in case you happen to drop your list and you have a billion random things you need and for real can't remember any of them. That way you won't have to make a trip back for tomato paste or something random like that. ;0) Does it sound like that happened this week??

Does anyone else just love it when random stranger people come and TOUCH your children's heads and faces??? PLEASE! Come and touch my child, it's flu season, why not?!?!? She was nice and sweet but really, sick kids are no joke! No touchy people!!!
So this week... week 3... the dishes started wearing on me a bit. I told Jacob I thought about setting my timer to see how much time I was spending at the sink and dishwasher during the day and he quickly said, "No babe, you probably shouldn't" haha... I think he knew it would push me over the edge... I've loved the cooking but whew those dishes multiply during the day and over night I think.


Sorry, I really am going to get to my meal plans... these just cracked me up...

Totally me this week.
There's a reason I'm a boy mom... because I truly am considering doing this in a few years... and it made me laugh a LOT thinking about it...
OK, time to get serious. Breakfast. Lunch. Snacks. Dinner. Go.

Breakfast Options:
  • scrambled/fried eggs - use Coconut Oil
  • breakfast bowl - hash potatoes, sausage, eggs... I added salsa and guac (duh of course) but you could also do spinach, bell peppers etc.
  • bacon - make sure it is sugar free (check ingredients) - Pederson is the best!
  • veggies/fruit
  • potatoes (any kind) - cut up ahead of time, boil 10-15 minutes and store in the fridge; when you are ready to cook breakfast just grab a handful and toss them in the pan on the other side with the eggs, add some rosemary to them with ghee. I also diced mine and made a hash with them.
  • smoothie - coconut water, banana, frozen fruit, spinach, avocado, water (technically Whole30 compliant, but they say to use sparingly - lots of sugar for breakfast in the morning sets your blood sugar for crashes throughout the day. I would probably use this as a snack later with just a little frozen fruit)
  • coffee - ok, but they recommend to only drink it before noon - you can use coconut milk  (this is a good brand... just check ingredients and make sure it doesn't have any random ingredients... sometimes guar gum can upset your stomach. It is whole30 approved but some people have a sensitivity to it) instead of creamer with a little bit of cinnamon (seriously... this is what I was mourning the most, and it really wasn't that bad this morning!)
  • Paleo Breakfast Casserole - 2 small Sweet Potatoes, 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Chicken Apple Sausages, ½ Yellow Onion, 4 Eggs, ½ cup Coconut Milk, ¼ tsp fresh Sage, Coarse Sea Salt and Black Pepper (to taste)
    • Preheat over to 350 and grease 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil. Make hash browns out of the sweet potatoes (I used white potatoes because I have a lot of them and just chopped them in my ninja chopper) by grating them and place them in the bottom of the greased dish. Heat 2 tbsp. coconut oil, add diced onion and break up the chicken apple sausage. Season with sea salt and pepper, cook until sausage is cooked through and onions are translucent. Layer sausage and onion on top of the sweet potatoes. Add 4 eggs, 1/4 tsp sage, 1/2 cup coconut milk, ½ tsp coarse sea salt and ½ tsp black pepper into a blender and pulse. Pour egg mixture on top of the sausage and onions. Bake uncovered for 45 min.
Lunch Options:
  • leftovers from dinners
  • crockpot shredded chicken
    • plantain nachos - seasoned with cumin, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper (check ingredients for preservatives/fillers), top with salsa, avocado
    • chicken salad - something crunchy (celery, onions, apples, nuts), something sweet (raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, grapes), something acidic (dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice), seasonings, mayonnaise 
  • canned tuna fish
  • salad -  use leftover meats from dinner, lunchmeat or grilled chicken
  • lettuce sandwich wraps - lunchmeat (applegate is a good brand), avocado, tomato wrapped in lettuce maybe with some mayo and a slice of BACON!
  • random plate of stuff - sometimes I like to just grab random stuff for lunch... orange slices, lunch meat, avocado, plantain chips and salsa, handful of nuts, grapes... get creative!
Snack Options:
  • veggies with guacamole
  • mixed nuts (no peanuts)
  • fresh fruits/veggies
  • chia seed pudding with coconut milk
  • larabars
  • fruit with almond butter (check ingredients)
  • epic bars
  • seasnax
  • sardines
  • unsweetened coconut chips with cacao nibs
  • dinner leftovers
  • smoothie (see above)
  • applesauce (sugar free, organic)
  • boiled egg
Dinner Plans:
  • Sunday Lunch - 
    •  We actually got some Mexican food today for lunch since we had friends in town... fajitas, with guacamole, pico de gallo and grilled veggies! Make sure ask them to leave out the butter! I definitely forgot and almost cried... first fail haha... insert emoji cry face here!
  • Monday - Repeat from week 1! Definitely made two lbs. of meat so I would have lots of leftovers! Love eating this for lunch!
    • Jessica's Spaghetti Sauce - Brown 1 lb. ground beef, add onion and drain fat, add two cans of tomato sauce and then fresh garlic and Italian spices. You can also add diced carrots and diced squash. Cook for two hours in skillet, serve over spaghetti squash.
    • Spaghetti Squash - Cut in half width wise for longer noodle strands, scoop out the seeds, brush oil over the squash and turn inside face down onto baking sheet. Bake on 375 for 45 minutes depending on the size of your squash. Once it is done and cooled a little, get a fork to shred the squash out. This is SO yummy, once you've had spaghetti squash, it will be so hard to go back to regular noodles!
    • Salad, Green beans, Broccoli, Other veggies...
  • Tuesday 
    • Sausage Egg "McMuffins" from NomNom Paleo - consists of making a sausage patti, and then two eggs as the "bun" part. Check out the website for step by step instructions. There is a link in the website for how to make sausage if you can't find Whole30 compliant sausage, but I think I'm going to use the one in the next bullet from my friend Natalie.
    • Natalie's Sausage - 1/2 lb ground pork, 3/4 tsp dried sage (or 1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves), 1/3 tsp dried thyme, (or 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves), pinch of ground nutmeg, coats salt and ground pepper, 1/2 tsp olive oil

    Wild nights at the Campbell house...
    • Wednesday - leftover night!!
    • Thursday - THIS was AMAZING. 
      • Oven-Braised Mexican Beef from NomNom Paleo - 2½ pounds boneless beef short ribs, beef brisket, or beef stew meat cut into 1½-inch cubes, 1 tbsp. chili powder, 1½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed, ½ cup roasted salsa (I use Trader Joe’s Double Roasted salsa), ½ cup chicken stock, ½ tsp fish sauce, ½ cup minced cilantro (optional), 2 radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
        • Preheat oven to 300°F with the rack located in the lower middle. In a large bowl, combine cubed beef, chili powder, and salt. toss. Melt coconut over medium heat in a large, oven-proof dutch oven. Add onions……and sauté until translucent. Stir in tomato paste and fry for 30 seconds, then add garlic and seasoned beef. Pour in salsa, chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover pot and place in over for 3 hours or until beef is tender. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve, top with cilantro, radish inside of a lettuce leaf, guacamole.
    This was soooo yummy...
    • Served on top of Pantacones with guac and sweet angel tomatoes - so a couple of tips for the pantacones... 
      • I smashed mine between parchment paper with the smooth side of a meat pounder (at the moment I can't remember if there is a more appropriate word for "meat pounder" because my sad mommy brain is just plain tired...) This was easier than using a glass jar or bowl. Also, if you have more brown plantains, they are easier to smash for pantacones. Green plantains are better for making chips.

    This one actually didn't fall apart so he got his picture taken.
    I used ghee with these guys tonight too and uhh delicious. Got this bad boy from Amazon of course.

      • 1.5 cup spinach, 1 can artichoke hearts, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1 pkg. Proschiutto, 8 Chicken filets/cutlets, Sea salt, lemon pepper, toothpicks
      • Stuffing: Steam the spinach, then combine with artichokes in a food processor. Add coconut milk gradually and then salt and lemon pepper to taste. (I used my ninja chopper)
      • Preheat oven to 350, pat chicken filets with a paper towel to remove excess water. Spread about a tbsp of stuffing onto one side of the filet. Roll the chicken and wrap one slice of proscuitto. Hold together with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Lay side by side in a pyrex glass baking dish. Bake 25-30 min.
    • Served with mashed sweet potatoes ...
      • Heat 2-3 potatoes in the microwave after poking holes in them for 5-6 min, rotate them and do another 4-6 min, maybe more or less depending on the size. After they are soft, cut them open with a knife and let them cool for a few minutes, then scoop out the sweet potato. Add ghee, coconut oil and sea salt or other seasonings and stir! So yum!
    • Roasted squash and zucchini - I've made this a bunch of times before and it's super easy... cut up squash and zucchini into chunks, spread them over a cookie sheet and sweep with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and other seasonings if you like. Bake in the oven for 20ish minutes until soft but not over done.
    • Saturday - Probably will have leftovers but just in case... By the way, finally found some chicken apple sausage at HEB! Whoo hoo!
      • Chicken Apple Sausage - Slice sausage links and heat in skillet on stove until warm and a little brown around the edges.

    • Baked Potato Bites - Chop potato into bites, in a bowl drizzle some olive oil, rosemary or parsley and some dijon mustard. Lay out on baking sheets and cook for 35-40ish min on 350
    • Steamed Broccoli and other veggies (squash, zucchini) or steamed carrots with coconut oil
    This guy... getting big and getting into baby trouble. Loves that dog food and was so proud of himself climbing up to the table this week. Hope y'all enjoyed the meals, happy cooking!!!

     

    Sunday, January 24, 2016

    Whole30 - Week 2: My Thoughts

    So one of the things I really liked about the Whole30 Guidebook is that they have a timeline of the month and how you can expect to feel. It has been really interesting because it has been extremely accurate in how Jacob and I have felt this week. One of the reasons I wanted to do posts about my thoughts was just to keep track of some things we were noticing in case we wanted to revisit our first "experience." hehe


    How I felt during the week:
    • This week I was noticeably thirsty... it was kind of weird! But then I was reading in my guidebook that this can be totally normal. They weren't completely sure why, but some thoughts are that cutting out processed foods also cuts out a lot of sodium, which makes your body retain water. They recommended eating more "wet" foods like veggies a fruits, up your water intake and adding salt or sea salt to the food you are preparing.
    • So the guar gum in the coconut milk and my tummy are not friends. It seems as if it doesn't bother me when I cook with it, but I cannot drink it straight with my coffee in the morning. For that reason, I made some almond milk from the Against All Grain cookbook and it is so delicious in my morning coffee. It was super easy to make too so that's always a plus. See my Week 2 Meal post for more info. I also drink black tea some mornings if I want something a little less acidic.
    • I still have been tired this week, but it has been different... it is a completely exhausted because I'm not sleeping as much as I need to tired, but I've still had good energy to keep up with the boys and taking care of our home all day. I told my hubby that it's kind of been weird hehe.
    • My clothes are fitting so. much. better. and I haven't even been exercising! I want to, and hopefully will be adding running back into my routine but I have just been so worn out lately that I am just ready for bed at night! it's been nice though because my whole life I have had to exercise to lose weight, and run and run and run... but this time I just changed my diet drastically and my body did what it was designed to do. So cool! 
    I usually don't post stuff like this but I was too excited to get into these jeans to not take a pic! haha!
    • I haven't been having the blood sugar spikes and drops like I used to have. Before doing Whole30, I would feel really sick if I didn't eat often enough, would get nauseated and shaky... maybe even a little hangry haha... but now my meals are lasting longer and my body is so much more even. Another reason I am hoping I can keep up a lot of this diet after the 30 days!

    Thoughts on Food:
    • I definitely needed to eat some form of carb for each meal. I found that when I didn't eat enough carbs, I would be super light headed during the day. So this week I was trying to be better about having more carbs like sweet potatoes for each of my meals, or other starchy veggies.
    • I'm also trying to be better about eating more veggies... not sure if I'm getting enough at each meal. 
    • I am still loving the meals we are putting together. The recipes are simplistic, and aside from some odd ingredients I haven't used before, it really doesn't take a lot of effort! You just have to do it!
    This has definitely helped me stay on track so far... hahaha....
    • Food just tastes better. It is more flavorful. I just enjoy eating more. I don't have those massive cravings for specific things, I just eat and feel good after. It's nice enjoying your meal and not worrying about "how much" you are eating, or what kind of calories are involved... and it's really nice feeling good after you ate and not like you need to go lie down haha!!
    • My cravings are getting better for the most part... working on replacing things with better options so this can be more long term. Cutting things permanently can be unrealistic at times, so instead of eating muffins in the afternoon when my kids are sleeping, I grab some unsweetened applesauce or a larabar. Kind of a healthier treat option. 
    Random Facts I learned: Like I said in my first post, I like information and organizing things I read about, so that is what this section is for. :)
    • With grains and legumes (beans etc.), there are better options for fiber and nutrients fruits and veggies that don't raise your Glycemic index to high too quickly and have better benefits for your body.
    • Grains contain compounds that are called anti-nutrients, which attach to minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium) and change them into an indigestible form, so your body can't absorb them in the small intestine. So all those nights I was eating cereal with milk, the grains could actually prohibit my body from absorbing the calcium in the milk.
      • "Eating a nutrient is not the same as being able to use that nutrient." - (pg. 112, It Starts With Food)
    • Gluten is a protein resistant to digestion, which is why some people cannot tolerate gluten in their diets. Some of these proteins actually change the function of the intestinal barrier and can enter inside our body and interact with immune cells in our body, causing lots of inflammation and other autoimmune diseases... think about asthma, allergies, Crohns, eczema, fibromyalgia...
      • What I also found interesting is that these effects can be seen in our brains in the form of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder... one of the biggest reason I have been doing this diet is to hopefully help me with my anxiety and figure out what is causing it. 
    • Peanuts are legumes that contain protein structures that also can cross the intestinal barrier and cause inflammation in the body. Try using sunflower butter instead of peanut butter.

    Friday, January 15, 2016

    Whole30 - Week 2: Meal Plans

    Haha this made me laugh... Fake out, we're not done yet!!!
    WHOO HOO!!!! We made it to week TWO!!!! YAY!!!!! Ok, I am feeling so much better already. I'm kind of amazed about it. I'm so excited to see how the rest of the month goes and I'm really hoping that I can continue a lot of this eating lifestyle after the month is over. It's really been so much easier than I thought it would be. And seriously, if you are thinking, "There is no way I could do this..." just start out small... do one of these meals here and there each week. Then add another. Gradually clean stuff out of your pantry. Then when you decide to really commit to the full month, it won't be as hard. I feel like that's kind of what I did. I cut out dairy in the summer/fall because it was bothering Jude nursing, so that was easier to let go of this past week. A lot of these meals we were already doing here and there, so it was just a matter of doing it all day every day.

    So here's the breakdown for week two plans. The breakfast and lunch will be familiar, I just copied and pasted from week one what I had and then added a few more things. Whole30 recommends treating meals as just a meal, and eating any kind of protein, fat or veggie at any time of the day, but my brain can't really wrap itself around that quite yet... I'm still an eggs for breakfast kind of girl!


    Breakfast Options:
    • scrambled/fried eggs - use Coconut Oil
    Pantacones (smushed fried plantains) are yummy for breakfast too!
    I had one leftover that was getting more brown, and it was great for breakfast!
    • bacon - make sure it is sugar free (check ingredients)
    • veggies/fruit
    • potatoes (any kind) - cut up ahead of time, boil 10-15 minutes and store in the fridge; when you are ready to cook breakfast just grab a handful and toss them in the pan on the other side with the eggs, add some rosemary to them with ghee. I also diced mine and made a hash with them.
    • smoothie - coconut water, banana, frozen fruit, spinach, avocado, water (technically Whole30 compliant, but they say to use sparingly - lots of sugar for breakfast in the morning sets your blood sugar for crashes throughout the day. I would probably use this as a snack later with just a little frozen fruit)
    • coffee - ok, but they recommend to only drink it before noon - you can use coconut milk  (this is a good brand... just check ingredients and make sure it doesn't have any random ingredients... sometimes guar gum can upset your stomach. It is whole30 approved but some people have a sensitivity to it) instead of creamer with a little bit of cinnamon (seriously... this is what I was mourning the most, and it really wasn't that bad this morning!)
      • How to make your own coconut milk... haven't tried this yet but Natalie and Jessica said it's great!
      • Almond Milk from Against All Grain - So I haven't been the biggest fan of coconut milk in my coffee... kind of had a chalky taste to it and wasn't settling in my tummy well, so I went for the almond milk this week and I. Am. In. Love. This was so easy to make, well, once I figured out what a "Milk Nut Bag" (???) was it was easy to make... Thank you Amazon (because really, where else do you go when you have some random product you've never heard of... and I guarantee you Target doesn't have milk nut bags in stock...) but really, it tasted amazing in our coffee. I think at this point I won't be going back to my creamer.
    WAT?! NO CREAMER?!
    You heard me... I said it. No more creamer.

    Here's how you do it... Put one cup of raw almonds in 4 cups of filtered water and let it soak overnight. Pour off the water and add 4 cups of fresh water. Pour water and almonds into your blender and add a date, then blend it up! Pour the mixture through the "milk nut bag" (I'm sorry, that's just the weirdest name ever and we couldn't stop laughing about it lol... guess I'm channeling those former 8th grade students again... I think they've ruined me for life at this point. No going back.) and squeeze out the milk into a bowl or container to store it in. Easy peasy. Done. 

      
    • Bacon and Butternut Squash Quiche -  ok, saw this on pinterest and had to try it. I've never had butternut squash before (I know, shocker, yikes! Where has this been my whole life?!) and it was so tasty! Put this together Saturday night (took 25ish minutes, probably will be faster next time) and refrigerated it overnight, popped it in the over Sunday morning. I would make this again, the only thing I would do differently is maybe add a couple of eggs to the recipe. But that's just me.
       

      Lunch Options:
      • leftovers from dinners
      • crockpot shredded chicken
        • plantain nachos - seasoned with cumin, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper (check ingredients for preservatives/fillers), top with salsa, avocado
        • chicken salad - something crunchy (celery, onions, apples, nuts), something sweet (raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, grapes), something acidic (dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice), seasonings, mayonnaise 
      • canned tuna fish
      • salad -  use leftover meats from dinner, lunchmeat or grilled chicken
      • lettuce sandwich wraps - lunchmeat (applegate is a good brand), avocado, tomato wrapped in lettuce
      • random plate of stuff - sometimes I like to just grab random stuff for lunch... orange slices, lunch meat, avocado, plantain chips and salsa, handful of nuts, grapes... get creative!
      Snack Options:
      • veggies with guacamole
      • mixed nuts (no peanuts)
      • fresh fruits/veggies
      • chia seed pudding with coconut milk
      • larabars
      • fruit with almond butter (check ingredients)
      • epic bars
      • seasnax
      • sardines
      • unsweetened coconut chips with cacao nibs
      • dinner leftovers
      • smoothie (see above)
      • applesauce (sugar free, organic)
      • boiled egg

      Dinner PlansWhole30 Pinterest Board
      • Sunday Lunch - Again, I am doing a slow cooker on Saturday evening to cook all night and be ready for us when we get home from church! And this one makes plenty so there will definitely be leftovers!
        •  Pork Carnitas -  Rinse and dry pork, place in crockpot. Mix 1 tbsp dried oregano, 2 tsp ground cumin and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a little bowl and then rub onto pork. Top with sliced onion, sliced jalapeño, minced garlic and squeeze 2 oranges of juice over the pork. (I actually only had mandarin oranges so I used 4 little ones instead of 2 big ones.) Cook on low 8-10 hours. Once it has finished cooking, remove pork from the crock pot and shred it, then heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and place the pork in the pan. Spread it out and press it down so one side gets a little crunchy. I also got some of the juices from the slow cooker and poured it on top of the meat. So yummy.
        • Serve on pantacones (cut a plantain in half, heat in coconut oil, then remove from pan and smush with a jar or glass bowl, return to coconut oil and fry with sea salt - there's probably a better way to make them, this is just what I did.), with avocado, tomato, salsa... whatever toppings you want!
      Y'all, I never thought I would say this, but who needs Gringos. This was SO good.
      • Monday 
        • Prosiutto-wrapped Mini Frittatas Muffins from NomNom Paleo - check out the website for instructions and pictures! - 4 tablespoons fat (coconut oil, ghee, etc.), ½ medium onion, finely diced, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, ½ pound of cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced, ½ pound frozen spinach - thawed and squeezed dry, 8 large eggs, ¼ cup coconut milk (the fatty stuff at the top of the can works best), 2 tablespoons of coconut flour, 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved, 5 ounces of Prosciutto di Parma, Kosher salt, Freshly ground pepper, A regular 12 cup muffin tin
          • preheat oven to 375, cut up veggies, sautee onions in coconut oil, add mushrooms and garlic and cook until moisture is gone, add salt and pepper, remove from heat and let cool on a plate. Beat the eggs with coconut milk, coconut flour, salt and pepper. Combine with the mushrooms and spinach. Brush muffin tin with coconut oil and line with prosciutto, then pour in the frittata batter and top with sliced cherry tomatoes. Cook about 20 min, rotating the pan half way through. 
       
      • Tuesday
        • We had a ton of leftover pork so we finished that off tonight!
        • Wednesday
          • Chicken Salad - Cooked some chicken breasts in the crockpot overnight Tuesday, shredded it Wednesday morning and made this for lunch today.
            • Added mayonnaise, grapes, walnuts, dijon mustard, a little apple cider vinegar, apple slices, salt, pepper... served on fresh spinach. yumsters. Had this for lunch with a friend and dinner today, and brought it to lunch out Thursday at the mall with my little man haha... 
        • Thursday
          • Buffalo Chicken Wrappers from Practical Paleo -  Slice 1 lb. chicken thighs into strips and place in mixing bowl, add 2 tsp. chipotle powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, sea salt and black pepper. Heat up 2 tbsp of coconut oil in a skillet and cook chicken all the way through. Place buffalo chicken in lettuce leaf, top with cherry tomatoes and avocado slices. These babies are spicy so make sure you get that avocado and tomato on top to even it out!


          This has been my little helper this week... teething, plus mental leap, plus being super mobile equals "mommy hold me!"
          • Friday
            • Crock-pot Beef Stew - 1 onion, 3 celery sticks, 4 carrots, 4 small potatoes, 3 lbs beef stew meat, 3 garlic cloves, 1.5 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp parsley, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tomatoes quartered, 29 oz. can pealed crushed tomatoes, 4 cups chicken broth, cilantro 
              • Place chopped onion, celery, carrots and quartered potatoes in the crock-pot. Add beef stew meat and cover with spices, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Cook on high for four hours or low for 8 hours. Garnish with Cilantro.
          This made a TON and was perfect to share with some of our besties who are now parents!!!
          Sorry, I just liked this picture of us and had to add it in the post. There isn't any relation to Whole30 except I was probably standing in the kitchen contemplating what we were about to eat or cook haha...
          • Saturday - I don't know about you, but it's nice to repeat an easy meal on the weekend! 

            • Burgers - We had friends over this weekend so just decided to grill burgers because that is easy to please everyone with! Topped them with a fried egg again and some guac and also fried some plantain chips! YUM! The green plantains worked out much better this time around.
          Jackson x 2 




          Whole30 - Week 1: My Thoughts



          Just some quick notes on how the week went and some other random information... I wanted to make notes for myself for if we do this again later, so I can see how things compare a second time around. :)

          How I felt during the week:
          • Most of this week I was pretty tired, kind of sleepy, day 6 and 7 were the worst.. part of that was probably because I wasn't drinking as much coffee in the morning and afternoon without the creamer and I wasn't getting those random sugar highs from snack and processed foods I was grabbing here and there. Also, I have been up a lot with my littlest man at night (yay for babies sensitive to being over tired and teething! eek!) so that could have been part of it too.
          • I've had congestion since Christmas and it literally cleared up within just a day or two of eating this way.
          • Even though I have been tired, I don't feel run down and sluggish. Already I just feel better, not bloated and yucky, no stomach issues this week. :)
          • I was a little cranky at the end of the week, but that's because my oldest little man decided to head bonk me in the face while we were "snuggling" on the couch watching morning cartoons... so yeah, that put a damper on my disposition a little bit because my face is hurting haha! Thanks son! Hazards of being a boy mom I tell you!
          This is the closest selfie I've ever taken in my life. You're welcome.
          Thoughts on Food:
          • I have really enjoyed the simplicity of the meals... fewer ingredients and really I didn't notice a huge shift in time in the kitchen because I was already cooking for lunch and dinner on a normal basis, maybe just not as often. I was doing more dishes though, just because I was eating all of my meals at home!
          • I loved not eating out. It was nice to not spend money in this area, and I didn't have to deal with the huge carb highs afterwards and feeling bleh. :)
          • I realized how much I just "grab" things during the day. I was mentally having to stop myself from just snagging a goldfish from my son's snacks or a piece of chocolate during nap time. I feel like this week has been a lot of just stopping and thinking before I eat, which is a good thing!
          • I still miss my creamer and muffins. I'm so in love with muffins, it is definitely a problem. But I've been proud of my self control this week. I feel like with each passing day I can do this and make good changes, so hopefully the cravings will get under control. The average craving lasts 3-5 minutes, so if I want a muffin, I just get myself distracted for a few minutes and then I don't want one anymore! Hopefully I can keep the momentum going!
          Might have felt like this at one point this week though haha...
          Random Facts I learned: (Disclaimer: I'm kind of obsessed with information haha... I love to read and learn things!! Keeps that brain working!! It's probably obvious then why I loved teaching science because it's all about learning facts and applying them!! My mother-in-law says I read too much haha and in some cases that's true and you have to just stop because it makes you paranoid!! In this case though, the more I know, the more motivated I am to make good food choices, so I'm hoping that encourages you as well. Just thought I would share some of the things I picked up from the Whole30 sites and books.)
          • So much of our immunity is in our gut. Our intestines are the front lines for filtering through the good and bad for our body. They are permeable, which is how nutrients are absorbed from our gut into our blood stream for our body to use. So by eating too much/more processed unnatural foods, more of the bad gets into your body because our immune system physically cannot keep up. This is when your body starts going into overdrive, attacking itself, and developing auto-immune diseases such as fibromyalgia. One thing I realized was that by cleaning up my diet, I was helping my body out because my immune system didn't have as much junk to try and process through so it could focus on working in my body the way it was designed to. When we eat better foods, we're helping our gut heal so that less from the outside of our body gets inside of our body.
          • It is really important to consume quality oils like olive oil and coconut oil. As I am still reading "It Starts With Food" (and rather slowly I might add haha), I got to the chapter about oils and how much of the American diet consists of different seed oils  (10%!!) and other oils that degrade quickly. Some become rancid before we even consume them just from reacting with the light in the grocery store! What?! Much of the issues we have regarding cancers, high blood pressure ect. comes from the inflammation caused our body from these oils. Listed below are the oils they said to avoid...

          • I've been very surprised at what some of the marketing captions on food really stand for... It can be very misleading because "whole wheat" doesn't mean whole wheat, but that a certain portion of the bread is whole wheat. Also read a lot about how different food companies pay for certain kinds of testing just so they can prove that their product "is or possibly is" healthy. Yeah, probably will make you paranoid wondering, but point being... less ingredients in your food is best, and being able to pronounce the ingredients (as in you know what it is and it's not some mumbo jumbo scientific word) is really important.
          So those were the highlights from the week. Good luck to you if you are trying this out too!
          I could actually say that I haven't felt like this yet!


          Sunday, January 3, 2016

          Whole30 - Week 1: Meal Plans

          Alright everybody! Here is my breakdown of WEEK 1!!! Eeek!! Ok so maybe some people will roll their eyes at this but I am so proud of Jacob and I that we have finished one full week of eating WHOLE FOODS! Y'all, that means I can pronounce everything I ate this week haha! But really, it's amazing how much you just grab and go, or how often I would steal stuff from my toddler here and there... this lifestyle change has definitely made me see food differently and I love how it's making me feel. I'm still in that kind of tired stage while my body is adjusting to processing food differently but overall I just feel so much better.

          I posted what we ate this week and updated with some pictures. I'm definitely not a professional food blogger so sorry if they're kind of lame haha... 

          What I want you to see though with this post is that this is something anyone can do. If you've been thinking, "Hey, I've heard of this, it might be worth a try but whoa I cannot give up my (fill in the blank) for a whole month! That's Cray Cray!!" But really, it might be hard at times, but if you want to do it you can. It's the way with anything in life, might be hard at times but overall we do what we want to do. :) The meal preps definitely take time, but what I noticed is that the meals I'm preparing were simpler than they used to be, so my time in the kitchen was kind of just rearranged a little. I may be cooking more at dinner but then less at lunch because I just reheat leftovers. 

          Another thing I've noticed is that my grocery bills have stayed about the same. I was under the impression that you spend SO much more money eating this way but that's not the case. I'm not buying cases and cases of granola bars and cereal anymore, so that money can go to meat and produce. Besides that, we're not eating out as much as we did before so that saves money there too. 

          If you think it's a lot of foods to cut at once, start out with one thing like dairy or cokes, then another  thing here and there, add a whole foods meal here and there until you get used to that kind of way of thinking and then fully commit to the month. I feel like that's what we did and it made an easier transition. 

          My breakfast, lunch and snack options will probably be basically the same for my meal plan posts. I may add something if I find another good idea, but these are pretty basic. There are a lot of good breakfast casseroles out there so if I find a good one, I will post that as well. I love the idea of making a casserole on Saturday evening and having it in the fridge for a few days for us to just grab breakfast and heat it up.

          My dinner plans are listed at the bottom. I will briefly explain or list recipes I chose, and link them or reference the book if you are interested in that. Again, hopefully my pictures don't gross you out haha... food is like that in pictures... either looks really good or just kind of weird. P.S. most of the things I made have pins, so you can see them on my Whole30 board here.

          Breakfast Options:
          • scrambled/fried eggs - use Coconut Oil
          • bacon - make sure it is sugar free (check ingredients)
          • veggies/fruit
          • potatoes (any kind) - cut up ahead of time, boil 10-15 minutes and store in the fridge; when you are ready to cook breakfast just grab a handful and toss them in the pan on the other side with the eggs, add some rosemary to them with ghee. I also diced mine and made a hash with them.
          • smoothie - coconut water, banana, frozen fruit, spinach, avocado, water (technically Whole30 compliant, but they say to use sparingly - lots of sugar for breakfast in the morning sets your blood sugar for crashes throughout the day. I would probably use this as a snack later with just a little frozen fruit)
          • coffee - ok, but they recommend to only drink it before noon - you can use coconut milk  (this is a good brand... just check ingredients and make sure it doesn't have any random ingredients... sometimes guar gum can upset your stomach. It is whole30 approved but some people have a sensitivity to it) instead of creamer with a little bit of cinnamon (seriously... this is what I was mourning the most, and it really wasn't that bad this morning!)


          Lunch Options:
          • leftovers from dinners
          • crockpot shredded chicken
            • plantain nachos - seasoned with cumin, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper (check ingredients for preservatives/fillers), top with salsa, avocado
            • chicken salad - something crunchy (celery, onions, apples, nuts), something sweet (raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, grapes), something acidic (dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice), seasonings, mayonnaise 
          • canned tuna fish
          • salad -  use leftover meats from dinner, lunchmeat or grilled chicken
          • lettuce sandwich wraps - lunchmeat (applegate is a good brand), avocado, tomato wrapped in lettuce
          • random plate of stuff - sometimes I like to just grab random stuff for lunch... orange slices, lunch meat, avocado, plantain chips and salsa, handful of nuts, grapes... get creative!
          These RXBARs were pretty tasty! A little pricey, but
          sometimes you need something to throw in your purse
          for emergencies!
          Snack Options:
          • veggies with guacamole
          • mixed nuts (no peanuts)
          • fresh fruits/veggies
          • chia seed pudding with coconut milk
          • larabars
          • fruit with almond butter (check ingredients)
          • epic bars
          • seasnax
          • sardines
          • unsweetened coconut chips with cacao nibs
          • dinner leftovers
          • smoothie (see above)
          • applesauce (sugar free, organic)
          • boiled egg


          Dinner Plans:
          • Sunday Lunch - Sorry, no pictures to post here haha! When we got home and got that baby down for a nap we chowed down! For dinner tonight we will probably bring snack stuff to eat in the car on the way to church and then just have some eggs once we got home after church.
            •  Miranda's Slow Cooker Roast - lay 3-4 strips of sugar free bacon on the bottom of your slow cooker and place rump roast on top, maybe put a slice of bacon on top too. Cook for 8-10 hours. I put this in Saturday night and let it cook all night on low for 10 hours but will probably do 8 next time. When we were ready to eat, I just pulled out the roast, shredded it and poured some of the juice on top, it was so moist and yummy!
            • Mashed Sweet Potatoes - you can bake these in the oven or heat in microwave, then mash with some ghee or coconut oil, top with sea salt
            • Salad - You can add any other veggies you want, artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes... use olive oil with a little lemon juice, or basalmic vinegar as dressing, maybe salt and pepper if you want.
          • Monday
            • Jessica's Spaghetti Sauce - Brown 1 lb. ground beef, add onion and drain fat, add two cans of tomato sauce and then fresh garlic and Italian spices. You can also add diced carrots and diced squash. Cook for two hours in skillet, serve over spaghetti squash.
            • Spaghetti Squash - Cut in half width wise for longer noodle strands, scoop out the seeds, brush oil over the squash and turn inside face down onto baking sheet. Bake on 375 for 45 minutes depending on the size of your squash. Once it is done and cooled a little, get a fork to shred the squash out. This is SO yummy, once you've had spaghetti squash, it will be so hard to go back to regular noodles!
            • Salad or Greenbeans
          Little Jude Man even liked the spaghetti! I've noticed that a lot of these meals so far are baby/toddler friendly as well... although Jackson is far from doing Whole30 with me haha... I would love to say that he is but yeah there's no pealing that kid away from his fruit snacks right now!
          Love the Ninja Chopper for cutting up and dicing the onions, carrots and zucchini ... made the meal prep super fast! I also posted some pictures of my squash below. I saw on an instagram feed I follow that cutting the squash width wise yields longer strands, so it's up to you what you prefer! I just use a fork to pull out the strands once it is done. The longer you cook it, the less crunchy it will be. The spaghetti squash also reheated well too which I was kind of surprised about.

           


           
          • Tuesday
            • Plaintan Nachos - Brown ground beef, drain and add a little water and homemade taco seasoning and cook for a few minutes. I sliced plantains really thin, then fried in coconut oil. Greener plantains are better for this. You could also bake them. Place beef on top of plantain chips, top with tomatoes, avocado and salsa.
          My new obsession. I peeled as I went to help grip the plantain while I was slicing it on the mandolin.
          Probably my most favorite meal so far... I thought Whole30 was supposed to get rid of food addictions, not start new ones haha!
          • Wednesday
            • Leftovers - Jacob always meets the boys and I at church on Wednesday nights so I will just have leftovers or something quick before we go! 
          • Thursday
            • Kale Balsamic Sausage - Slice sausage links and heat in skillet on stove until warm and a little brown around the edges.
              • I couldn't find the chicken apple sausage at our HEB, but plan on looking again this week. However, these were a good replacement. Full of flavor and had a unique taste to them!
            • Baked Potato Bites - Chop potato into bites, in a bowl drizzle some olive oil, rosemary or parsley and some dijon mustard. Lay out on baking sheets and cook for 35-40ish min on 350
            • Steamed Broccoli and other veggies (squash, zucchini) or steamed carrots with coconut oil  
                                      
          • Friday
            • Bacon burgers with egg and avocado - Grill burgers, make egg "buns" using a round biscuit cutter to cook the eggs, layer burgers, tomato and avocado
              • I went to the grocery store Friday evening so definitely was pushing it with dinner. Didn't have time to make the fancy egg buns so I just fried up some eggs and threw them on top. Also reheated potatoes from the night before. SO yummy!
            • Plantain Chips and Salsa - You can buy plantain chips but they are not hard to make. See pin/recipe here - slice plantain thinly, heat up coconut oil in pan and fry chips.
          • Saturday - We actually did leftovers tonight just trying to clean out the fridge before next week. I went ahead and left my plans below though for you if you needed something else, and for myself when we repeat haha!
            • Erica's Baked Chicken - Season chicken thighs with sea salt and black pepper, garlic powder and a little paprika. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 min.
            • Baked sweet potatoes - Slice sweet potato, cut up into smaller pieces if you want, brush with coconut oil and sea salt if you are in the mood for a salty taste or cinnamon if you are in the mood for sweeter taste! Bake at 350 for 30ish min.
            • Roasted veggies - Slice zucchini, squash and lay on baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 15ish min. Adjust time depending on how crisp you want your veggies.
          Preparation goes a long way! Jacob and I spent some time Saturday evening grilling chicken for him to take to work this week and slicing some veggies and potatoes! I tore up lettuce for salads and left some salad pieces whole to do sandwich wraps. Makes it much easier when you are grabbing stuff to cook in the evenings!

          I loved this because we were all spending time together in the kitchen, playing and talking with the boys as we cooked and just talking with each other rather than sitting and watching TV or something! I was have been so proud of my hubby for jumping on this crazy idea boat with me and being so willing to help out! I  also put the slow cooker on Saturday night for Sunday lunch because Sundays are SO cray cray with the boys, and I will do the same thing again this Saturday.
          Cut up sweet potatoes and white potatoes to heat up for breakfast with my eggs!

          Busy doing stickers while we were cooking!
          Our sidekicks :)


          I know there's probably not a ton of variety even thought I was trying to have variety, because I like different tastes and don't want chicken five nights in a row... but I wanted this to be EASY. Easy so my life doesn't get stressful doing this program and easy so other people can say, "hey, you know I think I could do this!" Cut things up earlier in the day, get spices mixed together before dinner... just little things here and there so you don't spend a ton of time on it later. 

          What I've noticed just with our first meal is that it took LESS time than normal with LESS ingredients, it had more flavor and most importantly it was all real food with names I could pronounce! Love that! Can't wait to see how the rest of the week goes!