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.