My Favorite Lunch

Hi!  How was everyone's Thanksgiving?  Hopefully everybody had a wonderful day filled with turkey and pumpkin pie.  I know mine was.  :)  Sorry I was MIA for a week, expect that to probably happen again as life can get a little hectic.

I have a hard time finding the perfect meal for lunch.  If I eat too much meat I feel sluggish, too much veggies and I'm starving by 3pm.  So lunch needs to be a good blend of healthy fat, protein, and veggies to keep me full but not ready for a nap.  Enter the delicious and simple Coconut Milk Butternut Squash Soup.  I hope you all enjoy this easy recipe as much as I do.


Coconut Milk Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
-Whole Butternut Squash, cut into ~1 inch cubes
-olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-can of coconut milk

Directions
-Toss squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
-Roast at 350 for 1 hour or till fork tender.
-Put squash and milk in a food processor and blend till a thick soup forms.  (Will look like baby food.)


I like to make this on a sunday night and then I have a quick and filling lunch for 3 or 4 days (depending on how hungry I am).

On a side not I've walked 20.5 miles since I started my 90 miles challene.  Only 69.5 miles to go!  

Honey Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings

I had my first chicken wings a little over two years ago when I went to a wing and pitcher night with some friends.  I became very hungry due to consuming several pitchers of beer and ended up eating a dozen glorious chicken wings.  Since then I've consumed many chicken wings and these honey garlic ginger chicken wings are just as delicious as their deep fried counterparts.  As a cheaper alternative you could use this recipe with drumsticks and thighs.  They go well with sweet potato fries and some pineapple slices.  Mmmmm.

Honey Garlic Ginger Chicken Wings
(adapted from: thepaleomom.com)

Ingredients:

-3 lbs chicken wings

-1/3 cup honey

-1/4 cup lemon juice

-1/4 cup water

-2 tbsp soy sauce

-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

-2 tsp garlic powder

-3/4 tsp ginger powder

Directions:

-Mix together the marinade ingredients.  

-Add chicken to the marinade and let marinate for 2 days.

-When ready to cook pre-heat oven 400 degrees.

-Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

-Put a baking rack on the baking sheet and place chicken on top of rack.

-Bake for 30 minutes then turn chicken and bake for another 30 minutes.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday...just think a week from now we'll be eating turkey!  :)

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I found a non-paleo version of this delicious homemade meatball recipe several years back and since then it has become a staple of my winter weekly menu.  Even though I'm convinced Albany is the tropics, the early sunset definitely puts me in hibernation mode and has me craving some hearty winter food.  (Anytime I type meatballs I think of "Schweddy Balls" from that SNL skit.  I am a 13-yr-old.)

So here is my recipe for Paleo Meatballs and spaghetti.  I hope you enjoy!

Paleo Meatballs and Spaghetti

Ingredients

-1 to 2 lb ground beef

-1/3 c. almond meal

-2 eggs

-1/2 to 1 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning mix 

-1/4 c. parm cheese (optional, and not paleo but it was for the husband)

-Jar of no sugar added tomato sauce or your favorite pasta sauce 

-One whole spaghetti squash

Directions

-Mix together beef, almond meal, eggs, seasoning, and parm. 

-Pour pasta sauce into a crockpot.

-Form meat mixture into balls and drop into sauce in crockpot.

-Cook on low for 8 hours.

-One hour before meatballs are done preheat oven to 350.

-Rinse off spaghetti squash and place it whole on a parchment sheet lined baking sheet.

-Bake for 60-80 mins.

-Remove from oven, cut in half, de-seed, and scoop out the innards with a fork.  It will automatically form spaghetti strands.

-Serve meatballs and sauce over the squash.

Contagious Emotions

I'm taking a class online through Coursera.org called Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence (if you're not familiar with this website definitely check it out).  Last week's topic was on contagious emotions and while I always knew how the emotions of others affected me I was surprised by the scientific studies that had been conducted on the subject.

A basic synopsis of the readings and the videos I watched was that people mimic the emotions of other people.  Everyone has had an experience where they subconsciously mimicked the emotions of another person. Think about a time where you interacted with someone who was miserable, did you leave feeling more miserable than when you had arrived?  On the flip side, a time when you had an interaction with someone who was friendly and upbeat.  You probably felt happy when you departed from their company.  Now think about how your emotions are affecting others.  When you snap at your co-worker because you are tired or when you smile at your co-worker and genuinely ask how their weekend was.  Both of those interactions carry a lot of emotion with them and can change the emotion of the other person.  I've tried to take this lesson into my everyday life and not only try to influence people's emotions positively but to recognize how the emotions of others are affecting me.  There is one very important part to this though and it is that your emotion must be genuine.  People are not stupid and can very easily pick up if you are being fake happy.  Take a moment before you walk into work tomorrow to take a deep breath and think about the emotions you want to spread to others, hopefully it will help put you in the right mindset for the rest of the day.

So what do you think?  Ever picked up a positive or negative emotion from someone else?  Ever changed the emotion of someone else?

Here is one of the articles if you would like to read it.

Paleo-ish Gluten Free Banana Bread

I love banana bread, it's my number one way of making old bananas into a delicious treat.  I've tried a number of Paleo Banana Bread recipes and wasn't super impressed, either the texture was off or it just tasted down right bland.  So I've decided to compromise with a Paleo-ish Gluten Free Banana Bread.  Enjoy!

Paleo-ish Gluten Free Banana Bread

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour mix
-1 1/4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 whole egg
-1 cup mashed bananas
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Directions:
-Combine the maple syrup, oil, bananas, and vanilla.
-In a separate bowl (I usually just use a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup) combine the dry ingredients.
-Add egg to the wet ingredients then dry to wet.
-Mix till combined.
-Pour into a well greased 8-inch cake pan.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

(An extremely professional picture of ingredients.  I would love to be one of those people that takes beautiful food pictures but I'm like "I need to make food as quickly as possible so I can get down to the eating part".  Anyone want to come take pretty food pictures while I cook?)

On the exercise front yesterday I did an awesome workout through bodyrock.tv.  I don't know if anyone else is familiar with them but I love their workouts.  The workouts are usually only 12 minutes long and definitely kick my butt.  This is the workout if you want to check it out.  

Hope everybody is having a great Monday!! :)

Eggplant and Tomato Marinara Sauce

This recipe comes from a couple months ago when I had a plethora of eggplant and tomatoes in my CSA box.  I'm not a crazy tomato fan (although I do love tomato sauce and ketchup) and Jim isn't a big eggplant fan.  So as I was searching around Pinterest looking for recipes (like I do everyday) I stumbled upon a '100 no-processed crockpot meals' pin.  As I began searching around in the 100 recipes I found the perfect solution to my abundance of eggplant and tomatoes.  The solution was Eggplant and Tomato Marinara Sauce.  Plus as a bonus it is cooked in a slow cooker, basically a win all around.

Eggplant and Tomato Marinara Sauce
(Adapted from: http://www.stacymakescents.com/crock-pot-garden-marinara-sauce)

Ingredients:
-3 ½ lb of fresh garden tomatoes roughly chopped or 2 – 28-oz. cans.
-2 to 3 Tbsp of minced garlic
-1 onion, chopped into large chunks
-2 cups of chopped eggplant (I mostly peeled the eggplant but wasn't super concerned)
-1 ½ Tablespoons of brown sugar (to cut the acidity)
-1 ½ Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning
-2 bay leaves
-1 teaspoon salt (add more or less to taste)
-Freshly ground pepper, to taste

-1 lb of ground beef

Directions:

-Combine everything except for the meat in a crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

-When done process in batches in the food processor till a uniform sauce is formed.

-Now I would let this sauce sit in the fridge for a couple of days before eating.  I found that the flavor of the sauce was much better a few days after the initial cooking.  It's not terrible the first day but it's way better on the third.

-When ready to serve: brown meat and add sauce to combine.  Heat throughly and enjoy!

Also Tucker and I went for a walk at the town park today despite the dreary weather.  We clocked in 2.32 miles which is a good start to my 90 mile goal.  Plus I have a happy tired dog.  :)

I hope everyone had a nice relaxing Sunday!  Go Buffalo!

Let's do this

Hello Everybody!

I'm back and have a challenge for myself (and any of you that want to join) from tomorrow (November 17th) to the end of 2013.  Over the next 45 days I will eat healthy paleo friendly meals, I will walk a total of 90 miles, and I will do non-cardio exercise atleast 3 times a week.

Why am I setting this challenge up for myself?  Well my life has been crazy for the past 4 months and I want to take control over my food and health again.  It has been a whirlwind journey of moving to a new place and starting a new job but I feel like I'm starting to be more settled and want to get back into my healthy routine.  There has been a lot of pizza, wings over Albany, and beer over the past  4 months and my energy level and complexion are suffering.  Oddly enough I will admit that I have not gained much weight but I attribute this to having an office on the 2nd floor and having to constantly go up and down 3 flights of stairs.  (Old creaky elevators terrify me.)

Obviously exceptions to this are going to be Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners because I love stuffing, pumpkin pie, christmas cookies of all kinds, and I'm not about depirving myself of these loves!

So join me if you want or just stop by for some more delicious recipes that I've been working on.  Either way thank you for reading and here's to the next 45 days!!

And now an adorable dog nose.  You're welcome!

This Is the End, My Only Friend, The End

Hey!  Sorry I didn't blog the last week.  It was a whirlwind of a week but I'm happy to say that I have a job and a place to live!  I hope everyone enjoyed the recipes and if I start having free time again I might start posting more recipes.  Until then thank you all for reading and I wish you the best with your healthy eating!

Love you!

Day Twenty-Two - New Guide

The Whole30 creators recently compiled a list of commonly asked about foods.  It's pretty informative and definitely worth the read.

Day Twenty-One - Grilled Chicken Wings

This recipe is from my mom and is a classic staple of the volunteer fire department bbq chicken fundraiser.  I like to marinate chicken wings for 2-3 days in the recipe and then cook on the grill.


Chicken Marinade

Ingredients
-chicken (wings, breasts, whatever you want)
-1/2 c. olive oil
-1 c. apple cider vinegar
-2 tsp. salt
-2 tsp. poultry seasoning
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-1 egg

Directions
1.  Mix together all ingredients in a ziplock bag and marinate for 1-3 days.
2.  Grill and enjoy!

One thing I've discovered is that marinades in the store are expensive.  A lot of times you can find a mock recipe online and it doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup or other undesirable ingredients.

What is your favorite homemade marinade recipe?

This is an unrelated picture but I thought this post needed a picture.  :)

Day Twenty - Finances and Food

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm a crazy financial nerd.  I love crunching the numbers and figuring out how I can save here or there.  Luckily I married a man who not only tolerates my love of excel spreadsheets but embraces my need to number crunch.

That being said the biggest expenditure in our house, after rent, is food.  When we switched over to eating more Paleo/Whole30 style I was worried it would affect our budget.  So I did what any number crunching nerd would do.  I set a budget and tracked my expenses to see how I would do.

The results were that I wasn't really spending more money eating paleo then I was eating a regular standard american diet.  I actually found I was spending more for quality meat but less for snack food.  Overall I've been able to eat healthy, delicious food for around $400-$500 per month.  Now I know to some that may seem like a lot but we don't eat out and we are constantly feeding friends and family so it's not always just the two of us.

One trick I use is to try to spread meat out to two or three meals.  Like slow cooking chicken breasts or a pork or chuck roast, shredding it, and then using the meat in a taco dish one night and stir-fry the next.

Another great tip is to shop at Aldi.  Now I know that not everything is great at Aldi but you can find some great stuff there for way cheaper than the grocery store.  (See my salsa shout-out from yesterday.)

All in all though I find if you glance at the fliers before you leave and make your meals so that they are dinner and lunch the next day, you can stretch your budget pretty far.  I feel confident that if I was just feeding myself I could probably do a month of paleo for around $200.

So what do you budget for food?  Has your food budget increased with eating paleo?

(Also if anyone is interested I love the Dave Ramsey model of personal finance and it is basically what we follow in our house.  Also check out his podcast on itunes, its a great motivator.)

Day Nineteen - Snack Pack

Sometimes you are between meals and hunger strikes.  Sometimes you are on the go and too busy to stop for a conventional meal.  And sometimes you just need something to munch on, like while watching a movie or on long drives.  When any of these scenarios happen it is important to have quick access to healthy and filling snacks, as this is when you are most likely to fall victim to a snickers.

So what out there is a healthy paleo snack?  (Note I said paleo.  Some of these are a bit gray on how Whole30 they are with a little bit of soybean oil or high salt content.  You are an adult though and I trust you can make a decision on what you feel is best.)

1.  Sweet Potato Chips
-I discovered these last month and I've never been a potato chip fan but they are awesome!  Crunchy and salty to satisfy those cravings.

2.  Guacamole
-Make sure it's just avocados and other clean stuff.  Apparently some people put mayo in guac which is both gross and weird.  Right?  Use sweet potato chips or baby carrots for dipping.

3.  Fresh Salsa
-In my opinion Aldi's fresh salsa is the best.  Use sweet potato chips for dipping.

4.  Almonds
-Surprisingly filling and I think they have a delicious flavor.  I like to mix them with walnuts.  I keep a baggie in my purse and at my desk.  Great for quick snacking.

5.  Baby Carrots
-They take a long time to chew so they are great for long road trips.  Not great for movies though.  Too crunchy!

6.  Almond Butter and Apple Slices
-This is such a decadent treat.  Seriously try it.  Almond butter isn't that great on its own but once you dip an apple slice into it magic happens.

7.  Unsweetened Applesauce
-Another great portable snack for when I need a quick blood sugar boost, like during a hike or 10:30 am at work.

8.  Pickles
-I used to hate pickles, now I can go to town on a jar.  Just make sure not to get ones with sugar.  Mmmm....so good after a serious workout.  Salty and delicious.

9.  Sunflower Seeds
-I know there is a lot of salt in sunflower seeds but they are the best snacky food during a long road trip or a very suspenseful movie.

10.  Larabars
-I already touch on these but they are great to keep on you for a quick snack that will fill you up and boost your energy.

11.  Dried Apricots
-I know you're supposed to avoid dried fruits but I love gummy candy.  Apricots are a great alternative to gummy candy and they are one of the few dried fruits I've found without added sugar.

What's your favorite clean snack?

Day Eighteen - Project 333

It seems to me that anytime I begin to over haul and gain control over one part of my life I feel liberated and start thinking of other ways I could improve my life.  The great thing about going through the Whole30 is that it is really a minimalist approach to eating.  Eat these healthy things, don't eat these unhealthy things.  So depending on what's in season you have variety but your options are slimmed down.  Once I adjusted to what was ok it made meal planning and prep actually easier.

Taking this approach I started looking around at different minimalist websites and trying to see what else I could keep variety but slim down options.  That is when I stumbled upon an amazing blog.  Project 333 is a sub-blog (not sure that is even a thing) of Courtney Carver at Be More With Less.  Project 333 basically is a venture to live the next 3 months with only 33 items of clothing.  When I first read that I was floored.  Only 33 items (not including bras, underwear, socks, etc.)!!!

So I went over to my closet and immediately began pulling clothes out and laying them on the bed.  In about 30 minutes I had filled two bags of clothes for friends and discarded everything that was too ratty.  Next I went through and separated out my warm weather clothes from my cold weather clothes and put all cold weather clothes in a bin for storage.  After all that was done I was left with close to 33 items of clothing that actually fit, was in good condition, and was my style.

One thing I discovered was I definitely have a very small color palate that I wear.  Black, blue, white, gray, dark green, and soft pinks are the colors that I look good in and have the most items in.  So if I'm looking at purchasing any new items I know to stick to these colors.  Neons just don't work on me except if I'm hiking and need to be visible.  :)

So I've been working with that closet for a few weeks now and I feel it has made me more stylish and I spend less time getting ready.  Also it's shown me where I have gaps in my closet, like I need a pair of jean shorts and a nice white tee-shirt.  It has been a fun experiment and definitely something I want to keep up for a while.

What do you think?  Could you get by with only 33 items?

Day Seventeen - Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Chili

So I'm seeing a pattern with my recipe posts.  Apparently everything I cook is an easy to throw together, delicious, weeknight meal.  Sorry that today is more of the same.  :)

Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Chili

Ingredients

-1 lb ground beef

-1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cubed

-1 onion, chopped

-2-10 oz cans of tomatoes and chiles

-8 oz can tomato sauce

-1 green pepper, diced

-1 to 2 Tbsp. chili powder

-1/2 tsp. cumin

Directions

1.  Brown beef in large stock pot.

2.  Add peppers and onions and cook till onions are soft.

3.  Add rest of ingredients a simmer till sweet potato cubes are soft and all flavors are combined.

Slow-Cooker Alternative

1.  Brown beef and place in slow cooker.

2.  Add all other ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours.

Day Sixteen - Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

Day Fifteen - Halfway There and How My Body is Like a Pick-up Truck

I can't believe it's been fifteen days since I started this journey.  I've been really enjoying posting my recipes and I apologize that I've gotten a bit behind over the past couple of days.  Life happens.

Anyways today I want to share the way that I see eating off plan.  A lot of people out there (and I used to be one of them) call it cheating or being bad, both of which have a negative connotation.  I've started calling it off-roading and I now compare my body to a truck.

If you've ever been off-roading in a truck or SUV it is fun (yes I am a country girl).  However if you go off-roading all the time eventually you will have a truck that is beat and will no longer run.  Off-roading in a truck to me is the perfect analogy for eating poorly.  It is fun but if you do it all the time you will have a beat up body that doesn't want to run anymore, although parts on a truck are cheaper than on a body.  :)

So what do you think is a good way to look at eating off plan?
    

Day Fourteen - No Sugar Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I have been in denial for a few years.  I acknowledged that I had a problem but I still could not stop myself.  I'm talking about my love/hate relationship with dairy.  Mmmm....cheese and ice cream.  Ugh...stomach cramps and other symptoms I will spare you from.  With my first Whole30 I couldn't believe how good I felt and when I did my reintroduction I immediately learned the culprit of my issues.  Oh dairy how I love you but sadly the feeling is not reciprocated and so ended my love affair with ice cream.  Low and behold though at the end of my first Whole30 I discovered No Sugar Added Coconut Milk Ice Cream.  At $4.99/pint I was hesitant as I thought it would probably be gross and I would waste $5.00.   However in the name of science I bit the financial bullet (I prefer frugal to cheap) and the unknown possible assault on my taste buds.  What I discovered though is now my go to treat for lady time cravings or movie and ice cream night.  The ingredients are good, with a few hard to pronounce but safe stabilizers, and with only 4g of sugar per pint the stats are amazing.  What really speaks for itself though is the taste.

The first pint that I tried was the Butter Pecan.  I'm totally an old person because I lover Wether's, butter pecan ice cream, and root beer barrels.  I would call the Butter Pecan more Butter Rum Pecan because it tastes like someone made ice cream with Malibu Rum.  Tasty unless you had a night in high school where you consumed too much and now the smell makes you ill.  Overall I really enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite of the two flavors I tried (I did it for science!).


My favorite was the Chocolate.  Oh my goodness it tasted like a Wendy's Frosty!  So good and definitely killed my chocolate cravings.  The only problem is a pint seems to not last long.  :)

I still have yet to try the vanilla flavor but I'm sure it's delicious as well.  As with anything processed it is a treat and I try to eat sparingly but I'm so happy to have found a delicious frozen treat that does not make me feel ill 20 minutes after eating.

What is your favorite treat?

Day Thirteen - Balsamic Potato Salad

This is a great potato salad for those that don't like mayo and/or are eating paleo.  I know you're not supposed to eat white potatoes but I figure that it's not a big deal if you are going to a BBQ.  This is also going with us to Whitney's birthday party.

Balsamic Potato Salad
Adapted from the Dinosaur BBQ Cookbook

Ingredients

-1 to 3 lbs of potatoes (I like new reds but this time I used salt potatoes)
-1 lb asparagus
-1 large red pepper
-1 large orange pepper

-5 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
-6 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
-salt & pepper to taste
-1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
-6 Tbsp. olive oil
-several dashes of hot sauce

Directions
1.  Boil potatoes whole till done. Drain and chop into 1 inch cubes.
2.  Slice and saute peppers.  Chop asparagus into 3rds and add to peppers.
3.  Saute till everything is cooked but still a little crisp.
4.  Mix potatoes and veggie mixture together.
5.  Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl.
6.  Add dressing to potato mixture.
7.  Serve hot or cold.

Day Twelve - Blueberry & Blackberry Crumble

I love berry crumble and inevitably would find a clean crumble recipe.  I'm taking this to my friend Whitney's birthday party on Saturday for all paleo and non-paleo to enjoy.

Blueberry & Blackberry Crumble

Adapted from here

Ingredients

-2 c. blueberries

-2 c. blackberries

-juice of one fresh lemon

-1 to 2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder

-1 c. almond flour or meal

-1/4 c. walnuts or pecans

-5 pitted dates

-1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1.  Mix berries together and place in a 9x9 dish.

2.  Drizzle lemon juice over berries then sprinkle arrowroot powder over berries.

3.  In food processor combine almond flour, walnuts, dates, and cinnamon.

4.  Pulse till well combined.  

5.  Pulse in coconut oil 5 to 7 times.

6.  Place crumble on top of berries and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

On a side note I'm currently reading World War Z and it is really good!!  What is everyone else currently reading?

Day Eleven - Pulled Pork Tacos

So these are really more like pulled pork fajitas but Jim adamantly calls them tacos and I just go with it. I don't know where I originally got this recipe but I've adapted it for the Whole30 and it is just as good as when it had brown sugar in the marinade.  It is another slow-cooker recipe so it is good for a week night and you can either use fresh peppers and onions or grab a bag of frozen peppers and onions.  Either way it is pretty quick to throw together.

Pulled Pork Tacos

Ingredients

-3 to 4 lb pork roast or loin
-3 peppers and 1 onion cut into strips (or bag of frozen pepper and onions)
-2 tsp. dried oregano
-2 tsp. cumin
-2 tsp. chili powder
-1 Tbsp. salt
-pepper to taste
-4 cloves of garlic or 2 heaping Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
-2 Tbsp. olive oil
-3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
-1 large onion (cut into quarters)
-1 Tbsp lime juice

Husband Friendly Ingredients
-tortillas
-cheddar cheese

Directions

1.  Put everything except the pork and peppers & onions into a food processor.  Process everything till a marinade forms.
2.  Rub the pork roast with the marinade.
3.  Slow-cook on low for 8 hours.
4.  When roast is done, cook up the peppers and onions in a frying pan.
5.  Remove roast from slow-cooker and shred with two forks.
6.  Place meat back in slow cooker and stir so that flavoring coats the meat.
7.  Add meat to the peppers and onions mixture.
8.  Serve on top of mixed greens.

Husband Friendly Directions
1.  Serve in a tortilla with cheddar cheese.

Day Ten - Super Easy Whole Roast Chicken

When I discovered that it was really easy to roast a whole chicken I gained one of my greatest entertaining tricks.  Who knew that people are super impressed if you pull a beautifully browned and moist whole chicken out of the oven?  Even better it only takes about 5 minutes of prep, the meat usually can be stretched to 2 or 3 meals,  and (depending on size) costs around $10!  Also if you don't have time to roast in the oven, this recipe also works for slow-cookers* too.

Super Easy Roast Chicken

Ingredients

-whole roaster chicken 

-lemon

-onion

-2 Tbsp. olive oil

-1 tsp. rosemary

-1 tsp. thyme

-salt and pepper

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 450.  

2.  Rinse and dry whole chicken.  Put in a 9x13 dish.

3.  Quarter the lemon and the onion.  Stuff into the cavity of the bird.

4.  Mix together olive oil and seasonings.  Rub on the outside of the bird.

5.  Put in oven at 450 for 30 minutes.

6.  Turn oven down to 350 and cook for an additional hour to hour and a half depending upon size.

7.  When chicken is done pull out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting into it.  This step is the most important!!!  The chicken needs to rest or it will be dry.  Trust me.

-Additionally I like to wrap up sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and bake them for a side dish while the chicken cooks.

*Slow-Cooker 

1.  Prep chicken as above.

2.  Put whole chicken in slow-cookers on low for 8 hours.

3.  No need to let it rest as it will be fall apart tender from the slow-cooker.

What is your favorite meal to impress guests?  

Day Nine - Speides Chicken with Veggie Skewers

This weekend has been a whirlwind already!  I've had an awesome time hanging out with a lot of great people, however this has lead to not the cleanest eating.  I've tried to make sure that the core of my meals has been as clean as possible but I definitely ate a piece of cake on friday (birthday party) and saturday (graduation party).  The funny part was that I was hungover from friday's piece of cake on saturday morning.  Literally hungover from a piece of cake!  I'm taking a breath today and starting out with some delicious protein and veggies to help stabilize my blood sugar and a lot of water.  I hope everyone is having a great weekend too!

Recipe of the day is one of my favorites for grilling.  If you live down by the Binghamton area or have been to the NYS Fair you know this one for sure!

Spiedies Chicken

Ingredients

-3 to 4 chicken breasts*

-1/3 c. olive oil

-1/4 c. lemon juice

-1/4 c. white vinegar

-2 garlic cloves minced

-1 Tbsp. dried parsley

-1 Tbsp. dried basil

-1/2 tsp. oregano

-1/2 tsp. garlic salt

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

1.  Cut chicken into ~1 inch cubes.

2.  Mix all other ingredients together and put in large ziplock bag or casserole dish, add chicken.

3.  Let chicken marinate for 24 hours.

4.  Put chicken on skewers and grill till done.

*I also like to use thighs and drumsticks.  Just marinate and grill.

Makes 4 servings at $10 for a total of $2.50/serving.

Veggie Skewers

Ingredients

-zucchini

-peppers

-onions

-mushrooms

-whatever other veggies you want!

Directions

1.  Chop veggies into uniform pieces and skewer.

2.  Grill till done.

Price depends on what veggies used.  :)

Note:  I always do all the same veggies or meat on a single skewer.  This is because different veggies and meat take different time to cook.  For example if you put peppers on with chicken, the peppers would be burnt by the time the chicken was done.  

How's everyone's weekend going?  Anyone else have a hangover from eating something off plan?  

Day Eight - Portabella Pizzas

When Jim and I got married he very seriously told me that I had to promise to not come between him and his mistress.  He then informed me that his mistress was Pizza.  Seriously though that man loves pizza so much that we have probably eaten it once a week since we've lived together.  As I embarked on this journey I knew that pizza would be a weekly  part of this journey so I looked for an alternative.  Behold the Portabella Pizza!

Portabella Pizza

Ingredients

-4 large portabella mushroom caps
-small jar of sugar free pizza sauce
-toppings of choice

Directions

1.  Wash and dry caps.  Scoop out the gills with a spoon.
2.  Line a baking sheet with foil and put caps on scooped side up.
3.  Put meat topping of choice (I've done pepperoni (probably not clean!), ham, and italian sausage.  Pick one.)
4.  Put sauce over meat.
5.  Top with any veggies desired.  (I did green peppers.)
6.  Bake at 420 for 15-20 minutes

Makes 2 servings at $7 (depending on toppings) for a total of $3.50 per serving.

As for a husband friendly option I just make him pizza.  :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Day Seven - Lara Bars and DIY Lara Balls

Day Seven!!  Great job everyone, you've made it through the first week which can be the hardest!  I'm so proud of all of you for sticking with it and even if you've had a beer or a sliver of rhubarb pie you've just continued on and not thrown in the towel which is the important part.  :)

So now to the recipe part.  Today I'm going to talk about one of my favorite clean snacks: LaraBars.  For those of you who don't know, LaraBars are a clean eating "granola" bar that is prepackaged, delicious, convenient, filling, and gives you a burst of energy.  So they are pretty much amazing.  The only not amazing part of LaraBars is the cost, at $1.49 per bar they can be a little pricey.  If you can handle that then I have a review of three Whole30 compliant flavors and if not keep reading because I have a simple DIY recipe for LaraBalls.

LaraBar Review

I tried the blueberry muffin, coconut cream pie, and apple pie flavors.  Hands down the coconut cream pie was my favorite!  Then again I love coconut cream pie.  The blueberry muffin surprisingly tasted like a blueberry muffin and I even bought a five pack of them at Target (sadly they didn't have five packs of coconut cream pie).  The apple pie was the only one I felt "eh" about.  I'm not a real fan of dried apples anyway but I just felt it lacked something.  Maybe it needed some nutmeg or something.  I would eat it again but only if the other two flavors were not available.  I ate most of them as a snack between when I got home from work and taking Tucker for a walk.  They gave me a little boost and kept me full till dinner time.  They are also a great hiking snack for a quick boost of energy.

Recipe for LaraBalls
(I'm so immature that I giggled when I typed balls.  How are any of you friends with me??)

The recipe is a basic ratio that can be mixed and matched to make a variety of different flavors.  The basic recipe is:

1/4 c. dates
1/4 c. dried fruit (make sure no sugar is added)
1/3 c. nuts
dash of whatever seasonings you need

Pretty simple right?

To make them you:
1.  Process dates and dried fruit in a food processor till it comes together in a ball.  Remove and put in a bowl.
2.  Process nuts in food processor till nuts are finely chopped.  Add seasoning and pulse to combine.
3.  Add nuts to fruit mixture and combine with your hands.
4.  Roll into 4-6 balls and refrigerate.

Here is a couple of my favorites:

CB&J.
1/4 c. dates
1/4 c. raisins
1/3 c. cashews

Cran Almond
1/4 c. dates
1/4 c. craisins (hard to find sugar free so I have done sugar sweetened ones, if you find a brand let me know!)
1/3 c. almonds

Blueberry Muffin
1/4 c. dates
1/4 c. dried blueberries
1/3 c. mix of cashews and almonds
dash of cinnamon

Apple Pie
(haven't tried but I feel this is basically what the recipe is)
1/4 c. dates
1/4 c. dried apples
1/3 c. mix of cashews and almonds
dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Again I want to say how proud of all of you I am!!  Let me know how you did.  What was the easiest part and the hardest?  What do you miss the most and what did you discover that was delicious?

Have a great weekend!

(Also as a disclaimer all reviews are my own.  LaraBar has no clue who I am.)

Day Six - Ham and Sweet Potato Hash

Hey Everyone!  I apologize that this didn't get posted yesterday.  Our internet was down so I couldn't set it up to post and then our house guests arrived early!  It was a crazy day to say the least.

Today's recipe is one of my favorite brunch recipes.  With ham you definitely have to check what is in it and where it's coming from.  Ham is probably not the cleanest meat but I like it before a day of hiking or kayaking to get a little extra salt.  I hope you all enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Ham Hash

Ingredients

-ham steak
-2 medium sweet potatoes
-2 Tbsp. oil (ghee, coconut, olive, or butter)

Directions

1.  Peel the potatoes and dice into ~1/2 inch cubes.
2.  Heat oil in large frying pan and add potatoes to pan.
3.  Do not stir the potatoes for the first 5 minutes!  During this time dice up the ham steak.
4.  Give potatoes a good stir (one side should be browning) and let sit again for 4 minutes.
5.  Stir potatoes and check to see if they are done (they should be soft with a crispy outside).
6.  When potatoes are done push to the side and add the ham to the other side of the pan.
7.  Fry ham for 2-3 minutes then mix potato and ham mixture together.

Note:  If you use olive oil watch the potatoes like a hawk because they will be more likely to burn!

Sorry again that this did not get posted.  I will post Friday's a little later in the day but then I should be back on track.  Hope everyone is doing well with their eating!!

Day Five - Sunshine Love Smoothie

When I get home from work sometimes I am ravenous.  This is not awesome as I usually have 2-3 hours before Jim will be home for dinner.  I have discovered that a delicious fruit smoothie fills me up and gives me a wonderful boost of energy.  Now I know that some paleo people would consider a fruit smoothie the equivalent to a big glass of sugar.  Agreeing that it probably shoots your blood sugar up I don't drink smoothies for breakfast but I love them for a snack or if I'm dying for something sweet.  My favorite smoothie is great if you are feeling run down or on the verge of being sick.

Sunshine Love Smoothie

Ingredients
-1/2 orange
-1/2 c. chopped pineapple
-1/2 banana
-coconut milk (canned coconut milk is a delicious treat here)
-ice cubes
-dash of vanilla

Directions
1.  Peel orange.
2.  Place all fruit in blender.
3.  Add 1/2 c. of coconut milk to start and blend.  Add more till everything is blended.
4.  Add 6 ice cubes and a dash of vanilla and blend till ice is chopped.
5.  Serve with a straw!

What time of day are you ravenous and are you a sweet tooth (like me!) or do you crave savory?

Also because it is wednesday and everyone needs a good laugh here is a video of Prometheus and Bob, to go along with the whole paleo thing.  Enjoy!

Day Four - Philly Cheese-Less Steak Salad and Contentment & Compassion

This is another great weeknight dinner recipe.  In case you didn't know it, I love my slow-cooker!

Philly Cheese-Less Steak Salad

Ingredients
-2 to 4 lb beef roast
-1 c. beef broth (the Rachel Ray brand broth is clean)
-3 green peppers
-2 onions
-mushrooms
-mixed greens

Husband Friendly Ingredients
-sliced provolone cheese
-hoagie rolls

Directions
1.  Put roast and broth in slow-cooker and set on low for 8 hours.
2.  When you are ready to eat slice and saute peppers, mushrooms, and onions in large frying pan.
3.  Pull roast out of slow-cooker and shred with two forks.
4.  When peppers, mushrooms, and onions are cooked add ~1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid from slow-cooker to deglaze pan.
5.  Add shredded beef and mix together.
6.  Serve on top of mixed greens.

Husband Friendly Directions
1.  Turn broiler on high.
2.  Place foil on baking sheet and put opened hoagie rolls on sheet.
3.  Top one side of roll with beef, peppers, and onions.
4.  Place a slice or two of provolone cheese on top of beef mixture.
5.  Broil for ~2 mins to melt cheese and toast one side of the bun. (Watch to make sure it doesn't burn!)

Makes 6 servings at $18.58 ($20 for HF) for a total of $3.10 ($3.33) per serving.


I recently read Leo Babauta's beautiful pieces on his two life principles: contentment and compassion.  I love how simple and yet incredibly profound the articles are and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Love you all and hope your day is going great!

Day Three - Chicken Stir-Fry and a Question

Happy Monday!  Too much enthusiasm for a Monday morning?  Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays.  (I couldn't help myself.)  How was everyone's weekend?  Did you hit up the Farmer's Markets that are back?  I stopped by the Fledging Crow stand on saturday and picked up some mustard greens, baby kale, and a giant bunch of scallions.  They have the best veggies!

 Today's recipe is a veggie rich one that is for those busy days when you don't have a lot of time to cook.


Chicken Stir-Fry with Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients

-2 to 3 chicken breasts
-2 packages of frozen mixed veggies (I like Pepper and Onions, and Sugar Snap Stir-Fry Mix.  Just make sure it's sauce-less i.e. just veggies.)
-1 Tbsp. olive oil
-1 tsp. sesame oil
-1 tsp. Chinese five spice
-1 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
-1 tsp. sesame seeds

-1-4 dashes of hot sauce (depending on preference)
-crushed red pepper (depending on preference)
-1/2 tsp. ground dried ginger
-1 tsp. fresh basil paste or 1/2 tsp dried basil
-1/2 head of cauliflower
-1 Tbsp coconut oil

Husband Friendly Ingredients
-1 to 2 tsp of soy sauce
-Rice

Directions

1.  In morning throw raw chicken breasts in slow-cooker on low for 8 hours.  (I like to do a whole huge package of chicken breasts so that I have cooked chicken on hand.)
2.  Saute frozen veggies in frying pan, spooning off excess water.
3.  Remove chicken breasts from slow-cooker and chop to bite sized pieces.  Add to veggie mix.
4.  Make cauliflower rice using coconut oil.  Follow this awesome tutorial.
5.  Mix up oils and spices in a bowl then add to the veggies and chicken.  (Play with the seasonings and see what you like best, we like it spicy!).  Stir till all veggies and chicken are coated in sauce.
6. Serve veggies and chicken on top of cauliflower rice.

Husband Friendly Directions

1.  Make up rice according to directions.
2.  Add soy sauce to his bowl of stir-fry.

Makes 4 servings at roughly $12 (taking partial costs of spices and oils into consideration) making it $3/serving.

So now for the thought of the day.  I was flipping through a website the other day and came across an article titled "Can you accept your body and still want to lose weight?".  In the video she says "I feel like I love myself/Wish I was a completely different person".  This cracked me up because I have definitely thought that before and felt like a total oxymoron.  (See what I did there.)  The question got me thinking though: Can you love who you are and still want to improve yourself?  To put the initial question in a different manner: Can you accept your natural intelligence level and still want to further your education?  Most people would say yes but that to further your education depends upon your skills.  Simply put not everyone can be a MD but they could be a really skilled plumber, builder, care giver, mechanic, salesperson, etc.  So using my logical progression I reword the initial question to:  Can you accept the natural body you have and still strive to improve it?  Personally I believe yes.  It's taken me a long time to face the fact that I will never be a size small because my body structure is simply not built that way.  However I can feed myself well and exercise to put a nice healthy body over my solid frame.

What do you think?

Day Two - Expect Problems and Eat Them for Breakfast

Before starting this plan I would eat a whole wheat english muffin with homemade jam and a cup of coffee with french vanilla creamer for breakfast.  It was so yummy (and for all those who've had my jam you know what I'm talking about) but by about 9:30-10 I was hungry.  By noon I was hangry.  (Hangry is when you are grouchy because you are hungry and we've all been there.)

All that has changed since I started eating a healthy mix of protein, natural carbs, and fat for breakfast with a cup of black coffee.  Now I feel full, alert, and am less cranky mid-morning at work.

So what does breakfast look like?

Black Coffee or Green Tea
- You can use coconut creamer in your coffee but I suggest trying black for a week.  I really enjoy the flavor now and don't even miss the cream and sugar.

Eggs
-Lots of eggs from a good source.  I'm lucky in that I have a fresh egg delivery service (Thanks Sara!) but if you aren't as lucky as me try to purchase eggs that are from free range chickens.  The omega-3 content is much higher and trust me they taste way better.

Avocado
-Slice and enjoy!  I like to fold sliced avocado with sauteed mushrooms and spinach into an omelet.

Sweet Potato Homefries
-Cube and fry up with coconut oil or olive oil.  I will be posting a sweet potato and ham hash recipe at some point so stay tuned.

Fruit
-Apples, Pineapples, Bananas, Strawberries, the list is endless.

Nuts
-A walnut and almond mix is my favorite and the cheapest.

Chicken Stir-fry
-I know this is weird but I really like it for breakfast.  Also any dinner time leftovers can be consumed for breakfast.

If you are missing oatmeal, cream of wheat, or any other hot breakfast.  Try this quick and delicious recipe.  I haven't tried making it the night before and heating in the morning but I assume it would work fine.

Banana Nut Meal
Makes one serving. Adapted from here.

Ingredients
-1/2 to whole ripe banana (I think unsweetened applesauce would work too)
-Little less that 1/2 c. of mixed nuts (I like almonds and walnuts but pecans would be wonderful too!)
-1/2 c. unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk
-dash of vanilla (also maple extract adds a nice flavor)
-pinch of cinnamon

Directions
-Process nuts in food processor till coarse meal develops.
-Add sliced up banana, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon to nut mixture.
-Process till smooth.  Just a couple of pulses will usually do the job.
-Pour out onto bowl and either eat cold or put in microwave for 30 secs to 1 minute for hot.

If you haven't got much time in the morning these are my favorite quick breakfasts:
-Handful of mixed nuts and an apple or banana
-Two hard-boiled eggs and a cup of unsweetened applesauce (I usually hard-boil 6 eggs at the beginning of the week for a quick snack or breakfast.)
-Scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms (I saute up a big container of spinach, mushrooms, onions, etc at the beginning of the week and then just throw in the pan with two scrambled eggs.  Takes roughly 2 minutes in the morning.)
-Smoked salmon and avocado (Wish I could eat everyday.)

Hopefully this helps anyone that was feeling stumped about what to eat for breakfast!

Thought of the Day:

"Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for a boat to save; they just stand there shining." - Anne Lamott

What is your favorite Whole30 breakfast?  Are there any recipes you want to try?

Day One - Italian Stuffed Peppers and Letting Go of Perfection

I love peppers.  This was not always the case, as my poor green pepper loving parents will testify.  Sometimes I think I was just picky to be that way. Anyone else?

Anyways this recipe combines two food loves: peppers and italian food.  This recipe is also man friendly.  Please refer to the husband friendly section in the recipe.  I will do a "husband friendly" variation on most of my recipes so that if only one person in the house is eating clean it is easy to modify.  Also I will try to post overall cost and cost per serving on each recipe.  Eating healthy doesn't  have to cost a ton of money. :)

Italian Stuffed Peppers
adapted from here

 Ingredients

  -1 lb of good quality ground beef (or you could substitute ground chicken, turkey, or pork)
-24 oz can of sugar free tomato sauce
-6 peppers (I like to get green and tri-color)
-1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
-1 to 1.5 tsp italian seasoning mix (or combo of basil, oregano, marjoram, and rosemary)
-salt and pepper (optional)
-box of frozen chopped spinach

                                                           


Husband Friendly Ingredients

-ball of fresh mozzarella
-1/4 c. parm cheese

Directions

1. Brown ground beef.  Defrost spinach in microwave.
2. Add sauce, garlic, seasonings, and spinach to beef.
3. Wash and cut peppers in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds, stems, and veins.
4. Line baking sheet with foil.
5. Fill pepper halves with beef mixture and place on sheet. (See below for Husband Friendly option.)
6. Bake at 450 for 20-30 minutes.

Husband Friendly Directions
1. After filling half the peppers add the parm cheese to the beef mixture, stir, and fill remaining peppers.
2. Slice the cheese into 6 slices and top the husband friendly half peppers.

Makes 6 servings for $17 ($13 without the cheeses) for a total of $2.83/serving ($2.17/serving).

Thought of the day: I used to have perfectionist tendencies.  Sometimes it was paralyzing and kept me from even starting because I was sure the end result would not be perfect.  Then I had an amazing discussion with someone about perfection and she laid it out like this:

Say you have two balance beams.  Balance beam A is 5 inches off the ground and balance beam B is 6 feet off the ground.  Which one do you feel you would need to walk perfectly across and which one do you think you are more likely to fall off?  I bet most everyone could skip across A but would be wobbly if not fall on B.

My take away (setting aside the whole setting the bar high part that could be construed here) is when you try to be perfect you are more likely to fall.

So how's everyone doing on Day One?

If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.

Tomorrow is day one and I wanted to share the timeline of the next 30 days as put together by the Whole30 people.  It's a pretty funny read and depending on your former habits can be pretty accurate.  I definitely had the I just want to take a nap for the first week and kind of evened out after that.  I think that the timeline shows that you will have your ups and downs over the next 30 days but it's ok, everyone does.  :)

                                                                 Image taken from Pinterest.

Also I wanted to share with you some of my favorite paleo cooking blogs.  Cooking blogs are amazing and I've used a wide variety of cooking blogs over the past 4 years to create delicious food.  So when I went through my first Whole30 it only seemed appropriate that I turn to blogs for ideas.  These are just a few of the many out there but are definitely my favorite.

Slim Palate

Elana's Pantry

Paleo Cupboard

Living Healthy With Chocolate

PaleOMG

Chowstalker - Whole30

And of course just straight up Pinterest

                                          Image taken from Pinterest.

Also I just wanted to touch on not worrying about what you can't eat and enjoying everything you can.  Eat as much food as you want and don't worry about if you need to have a snack. I know some hardcore paleo people are anti-snacking but I think that if you need to snack, do it.  This isn't about restriction it is about freedom.  The freedom to not feel hungry/guilty/tired/just plain crappy anymore.

Finally, tomorrow morning I want you to hop on the scale and take you measurements.  Write this down and then don't worry about weighing or measuring yourself for the next 30 days.  Seriously, don't even peek.  :)

So are you ready?  Do you have a favorite healthy cooking blog or cookbook? 

Adrenal Fatigue

This first time I heard about adrenal fatigue was when a friend was diagnosed by their family practitioner.  Not knowing what adrenal fatigue was I researched it and now it seems as if information on it is everywhere I turn.  So why am I bringing this up?  Well I believe that adrenal fatigue can play a huge role in why some people can't seem to lose weight and/or don't have the energy to exercise.

So what's an adrenal?
-Adrenal glands are in all mammals and are endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys.  The main purpose of the glands are to release hormones in response to stress through the synthesis of corticosteroids (like cortisol) and catecholamines (like epinephrine and norepinephrine).  Adrenal glands mobilize these hormones as a response to every kind of stress (physical, emotional, or psychological) to help you cope.  If you have constant job stress, chronic pain, relationship stress, or are just overwhelmed with life your adrenals are working pretty hard to just maintain homeostasis.

So how can you tell if your adrenals are fatigued?
-If you feel chronically tired.
-If you frequently are ill and have a hard time recovering quickly.
-If you have brain fog.
-If you have alcohol intolerance (you seem to become drunk after only a glass of wine or have a hangover even if you haven't drank a lot).
-If you are jumpy or overwhelmed by stimuli.
These are just some of the most common symptoms but if you google fatigued adrenal symptoms there are several more that come up.  Honestly I believe that in our society most everyone suffers unknowingly from some degree of adrenal fatigue.

So what should you do to recharge your adrenals?
-Eat a healthy, well balanced diet with plenty of protein and fat.  Like a whole30 diet! :)
-Set aside time to relax each day.  Drink a cup of chamomile tea before bed, sit in the sun, snuggle with a dog, cat, or human, take a bath, etc.
-Go to bed at the same time every night.  I know this one is tough but at least being in bed around the same time with all electronics off is what I try to shoot for.
-Replenish electrolytes.  And no you do not need Gatorade to so this.  Try coconut water or simply a wedge of lemon in water.
There are definitely other things you can do so research it a little and see what works for you!

This is obviously a very simplified explanation of adrenal fatigue and it goes without saying that I am not a doctor just a girl with a laptop so please seek medical advice.

Do you think you suffer from adrenal fatigue?  Is there anything more that should be touched on?





 

No Body Is Worth More Than Your Body

Exercise is definitely a key component of the next 30 days.  I suggest going easy for the first week as your body will be looking for its normal quick fix of sugar or sugar in the form of bread.  Listen to your body.  If you really want to take a nap instead of workout then go for it.  Now I said nap not watch tv,  actually give yourself rest.  Also I recommend bubble baths.  :)

After the first week I would ramp up my exercise.  What does this mean?  Well it depends on your personal fitness and exercise level.  I am an avid walker, mostly because I have a large high energy dog, so I walked for 30-60 minutes at a brisk pace with hills everyday.  I find that walking hills gives me a great workout and is way easier on my joints.  Also I just finished a 20 day yoga challenge with a wide variety of classes depending on my energy level.

My friend Jen is really into crossfit and maybe I can talk her into doing a post on crossfit with a sample workout routine.  (Hi Jen!)  This is great if you love high intensity, sweaty, group workouts.  I know that being obligated to a group can help keep people motivated.  Simple bodyweight exercises are great too and there are a million online resources like Nerd Fitness or BodyRock.

The most important thing when it comes to exercise is to pick something that you can and will want to do.  I have a large grey coach that becomes ornery if walks are not a part of his life, that keeps me motivated.  I love yoga because I don't think for the 30-90 minutes I'm on the mat.  Shutting off your brain is incredibly freeing.


What do you like to do for exercise?  What keeps you motivated?

Preparation

I don't know who said it but I love the quote "If you fail to prepare you prepare to fail".  In many aspects of my life I have taken this quote to heart and it is no different with a month of eating clean.  There are many different factors to take into consideration when preparing for the next 30 days.

Personal Prep:

Is your significant other and/or kid going to be eating clean or will you modify their food?
-Jim was awesome the last time around but I definitely made him rice with our stirfry, pizza, and he had a bun with his burger.  The hardest for me was watching him eat tortillas, seriously.  But he ate almost 90% of what I ate so it made food prep easy.

What is your food weakness?
-Half of avoiding a trap is knowing it's there.  Last time I did this all I wanted was a cheese quesadilla and knowing that I kept cheese and tortillas out of sight in the beer fridge.  Know your weakness and have a strategy to avoid said items.  Also important is knowing what time of day you are most likely to binge.  For me it's between when I get home from work and dinner.  Apple slices with Almond Butter are my savior.

How do you feel about yourself and food?
-I know so many women (and yes it's most all women) that try to punish themselves and their bodies for eating poorly.  STOP!  Its ok.  You are not a better or worse person because you did or did not eat a cupcake.  Be kind to yourself over the next 30 days and don't associate food with self worth.  Just eat good food.

Food Prep:

How do you want to plan your meals?
-In my opinion the best way is to find a cheap calendar or use pepperplate.com (they also have an app) and set up your weekly menu.  I make a menu for the week of usually 7 dinners and then we eat leftovers for lunch.  Breakfasts are usually the same throughout the week.  Know what days you are busy and be honest about how much time you can commit to making dinner.  Some nights I'm fine with 30-40 mins others I just want to do 5 minutes of prep and let the oven or slowcooker do the work.

What is your best day of the week to go grocery shopping and do food prep?
-I advise going to the grocery store only once a week during this program.  You'll save money and there will be less temptation to grab something off plan.   After going grocery shopping I will usually spend a little time doing prep.  Also I am not afraid of shortcuts and definitely pick up sauceless chopped frozen veggies and frozen strawberries.  

How do you want to document what you are eating?
-So I know it sounds weird but I didn't count calories or measure portions last time around and it was incredibly freeing.  I ate when I was hungry and ate as much as I needed to feel full.  I'm a fairly active person and I was hungry a lot.  I documented what I ate for the first 20 days so that I could track what food I was eating and to make sure I was getting enough fat.  I just used a simple diary app but a notebook or word document would work just as well.

I feel like that covers most of the prep I needed.  Is there anything additional you think should be considered in prepping?

Beginning

Hello Everyone!

I don't know who all is reading this but welcome!  I wanted to start this as kind of a forum to post recipes and support through a Whole30 month starting on June 1st.

For those of you that are not familiar with Whole30 go read this but I will simplify it here for you.

So the gist is that for 30 days you eat:
Meat
Fish
Seafood
Veggies
Fruit
Nuts and Seeds
Coconut everything!
Healthy Oils

And you eliminate:
Dairy
Grains
Legumes
Soy
Sugar
Alcohol

So probably at this point it sounds like the food equivalent of waterboarding but I promise you that it is not that hard.  Plus the best part is you don't count calories, points, or measure portions!  For me the pay off was great but even if you do not have amazing results its just 30 days right?

Speaking of results when I did my first whole30 I lost 7lbs, 3 in. on waist, 2 in on hips, and 1.5 in on my thigh which means I lost a lot of fat and not a lot of muscle.  What was the best was my skin cleared up and I had tons of energy.  So join me for another 30 days of delicious and healthy eating!

Love you all!