Tone It Up Week One

I just finished week one of this 8-week journey with "Tone It Up" and I am pretty excited about it so far. If you haven't heard of Tone It Up check out the fabulous Karena & Katrina here. 

So I've been an avid Crossfit junkie for three years but after some recent soul searching I realized that I need to take a step back and pursue some other fitness options. My best friend did Tone It Up last year before her wedding and she looked g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s; so when we heard that K&K were releasing Beach Babe 4, we joined the team! PS: You can buy the Beach Babe 4 or you can do the free workouts they suggest in its place, both are great.

There is a daily workout plus usually some accessory work and all of it is done in 20-50 minutes depending on the day. So let me be honest here- I'm in my final week of Crossfit where I lift daily, so when I saw the weights used for the TIU workouts were 4-10lbs. I thought it would be easy. I was wrong. Horribly wrong. I've been using 8lb weights and I've been absolutely dying!! It just goes to show that different kind of workouts work-out different muscles in your body. Overall I've loved the workouts and they've kicked my booty (especially the beach booty workouts, ha).

Workouts are one thing but honestly where I fall short is food. I love food and it makes or breaks you in the gym that's for sure. This week I killed it with the food plan and I feel so much better it's kind of stupid. I even texted my friend and told her I think I have abs coming in (which I don't, but I just feel that less-bloated! ha). So here is a quick compilation of what I ate during week 1: 

Monday

M1: Scarmbled eggs + 1/2 Banana

M2: Strawberries + Protein Banana Muffin

M3: Turkey burger (crumbled) + grapes + cucumber wedges + bed of greens + sweet potato chips

M4: No time

M5: Pork tenderloin + oven roasted veggies

Tuesday

M1: Egg cups (with peppers, mushrooms, spinach and ground turkey) + stawberries + booty call shot

M2: Raspberries and Greek yogurt + protein banana muffin

M3: Bed of lettuce and argulua with leftover pork tenderloin + cranberries + raspberries and grapes with balsamic and blue corn chips

M4: Larabar + cutie

M5: Zoodles with grilled chicken in homemade pesto

Wednesday

M1: Veggie and Turky egg cup (peppers, mushrooms, spinach and turkey) with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and raspberries

M2: Banana and two banana protein muffins (oops, too much banana)

M3: GF wrap with grilled chicken, lettuce, mayo/mustard + grapes + mango

M4: Starbucks Acai tea lemonade with 1/2 the sweetner

M5: Avocado balsamic chicken + steamed peas 

Thursday

M1: 2 Egg cups (veggies + turkey) and 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and raspberries

M2: 1/2 banana + protein banana muffin + grapes

M3: Leftover balsamic avocado chicken + sweet potato chips

M4: Veggies with hummus and stawberries

M5: Tilapia + small sweet potato + green beans

Friday

M1: Homemade oatmeal with maple syrup and raisins + Green smothie

M2: Banana protein muffins

M3: GF wrap with ham, spinach, cheese, mayo-mustard mix + stawberries

M4: No time

M5: Homemade chicken tikki masla over rice 

Saturday

M1: Greek yogurt with fresh berries + Turkey Veggie Egg Cup

M2: Banana Protein Muffin

M3: Pesto shrimp + mango + strawberries + tropical smoothie

M4: No time

M5: Chicken pad thai (my 'splurge' meal)

Sunday

M1: Scrambled eggs + 1 piece of GF toast and peanut butter + strawberries

M2: Larabar

M3: Tuna on a rice cake and cheese + argugula salad with grapes and sunflower seeds + pineapple
M4: (not pictured) trail mix with peanuts, raisins, almonds and M&Ms (technically not 'compliant')

M5: burger on bed of arugula, pineapple, goat cheese and balsamic +  sweet potato fries + watermelon

Today (Sunday) I am going to meal prep for the week ahead which includes washing and cutting veggies to be roasted later this week or dipped in hummus, washing and cutting fresh fruit, mixing any dressings or dips I'm going to use, dicing and slicing chicken and making turkey burger patties, making homemade paleo granola and portioning out yogurt and cottage cheese for the week. Looking forward to week two and feeling even better. If you're looking for a new lifestyle to refresh your whole body, mind and soul join with me!!!

Goal for the week: Do all of the workout videos + look for a "goal" trip to take with my best friend when we complete this 8-weeks.

Post Whole 30: A Whole New World

The biggest piece of advice for you post Whole30ers: don't plan a trip to Paris 2 days after you come off your Whole 30. It will not end well. 

So going into the Whole30 I knew that I'd be going to Paris at the end. I partially did the Whole30 to feel better going into this vacation, which I did. I lost inches, a few pounds, and was on the cusp of another smaller pant size. My post two days after the Whole30 were okay, I added some dairy (hard cheese) back into my diet, some sugar (honey) and wine (because commmme onnn). Not too bad. I packed my carry-on bag full of Whole30-approved snacks to combat the airplane munchies that accompany a 6-hour flight. When I got to the airport I realized I should probably eat dinner before getting on the plane and having the questionable food selections so I stopped and got a baked potato with butter and bacon and a grilled chicken breast. Again, not too bad.

On the plane I had a plethora of snacks including sweet potato chips, Larabars, grapes, raisin and sunflower seed trail mix and some already pre-peeled clementines. I only drank water (ginger-ale used to be my go-to airplane drink) and ate my little snacks and plugged my headphones in to watch "An American in Paris" (fitting I know). Dinner hour rolled along and the attendants brought our options: a choice of pasta or chicken. I chose the chicken and ended up just eating the 4 pieces of green leaves and the hunk of carrot and tomato salad. Mom was tempted to eat the chunk of bread that was there but we both knew it wasn't even worth it and left everything else on the plate. We spent the next 5 1/2 hours watching movies, reading and taking a quick nap before it was already morning in Paris and we were making our descent into the City of Lights. Naturally that meant another food run from the flight attendants- we were shocked that it wasn't a muffie and instead was a greek yogurt and granola. So we had that. Again, not bad.

Up until this point, I was like "oh man, we can totally do this Whole30 thing abroad. We've got this".

And then I got off the plane.

The biggest piece of advice for you post Whole30ers: don't plan a trip to Paris 2 days after you come off your Whole 30. It will not end well. 

Okay but honestly, I knew I was going to Paris and I knew I wanted to enjoy every last bite and I wasn't going to feel guilty about it. We had the most amazing trip and really it was one of my dream trips to take and we ate so many wonderful things that were so NOT Whole30 approved and I was completely fine with it. Croissants, baugette, fresh cheese, pastries, odious amounts of champagne and wine; you know the 'not-approved' list my friends- well basically I solely ate from that list. It was worth it. I would've a) starved to death because Parisians live off bread, wine and cheese and b) been so disappointed and sad if I would've avoided all the quintessential Parisian treats. 

A quick look at our lovely (#NOTWhole30) eating in Paris:

One of the funny things I always find while I'm in Europe is that I'm totally fine eating gluten. So far I've been able to eat gluten in United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal and have been completely fine. France was no exception (and considering the amount of gluten I ate...I was shocked). But the funny thing is- as soon as I got back to the States and ate something in the airport (secretly praying that I'll be cured of this stupid disease) I got sick again. Darnit. Back to a gluten-free lifestyle.

The hardest thing for me was coming BACK from Paris and getting back into a groove again. I was good for a week and then fell off the wagon again by letting dairy and sugar creep back into my life. So on the wagon I go again. I'm not sure what my #PostWhole30 life is going to look like, but I'm trying to figure that out. One meal prep at a time, one week at a time because after all it really is like a WHOLE new world.

Whole 30 C'est Fini

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:30

Okay so maybe the Whole30 isn't necessarily a religious experience, but for some of us who love food, it kind of is a religious experience. The journey is done, it is finished. I never imagined I would've actually made it through the program but here we are at the finish line and are filled with a mix of relief, exhaustion, hunger, fullness and fear of the unknown. 

However I do have to say that the 4th and final week has been the easiest and some of the best foods we've made while on the Whole 30. Mothers Day happened to fall during the final day so I did make a wonderful recipe from Against All Grain (check out her great cookbooks and website) but adapted it slightly. I made one that had everything on it and one that was dairy-free. See here for recipe.

Another successful breakfast item I made this week was homemade sausage. Never again will I buy those pre-made sausage patties, these are awesome and you can make them as spicy (or non-spicy) as you want.

I ate them plain but I also crumbled them up in an egg mixture to create a sausage-egg scramble that was delicious too!

What do you do when your veggies are about to turn bad and you don't know what to do for dinner? Chicken and vegetable stir-fry. I made a bed of zucchini noodles along with chunks of grilled chicken breast, water chestnuts, carrots, broccoli, snap peas, peppers, onions, and pineapple. I just made it up, but here are some recipes to try for stir-fry.

Cave Girl in the City

Home Cooking Memories 

Mego on the Go

Have I mentioned that I never used to like Pellegrino or any other type of sparkling water? Now it's what I live for. That, in a wine glass, with a bit of lime...heaven!

stnuts

One final recipe I'd like to share was this Paleo shepherd's pie (made with ghee, not butter or cream). My whole family was home one evening for dinner including my grandmother who had flown in from Minnesota...she even wanted the recipe. So I figured if my 88-year-old Swedish grandmother approved, it must be good. Another simple way to use up some of those veggies you don't know what to do with. Best thing- is you can make it how you want it!

I've done a lot of "life after the whole 30" research and let me tell you, the results have scared me. Some have gave up everything that isn't 'approved' forever and ever amen. Others went off the plan and fell into old habits. While others tried to add in once-common items into their diet like milk, popcorn and wine and have gotten horribly sick. The idea of eating this way forever makes me sad. Not that the food isn't great, not that I don't feel better, not that I couldn't do it. I just know it's such a huge time commitment, financial commitment, and overall I just miss simple things like peanut butter and air-popped popcorn. Give a girl a break for godoness sakes! I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do come tomorrow. Part of me wants to gorge out on The Melting Pot or somewhere lovely with chocolate and cheese. Then part of me wants to keep going with the progress I've made. I think I'll need to add some other things back in like the occasional dairy (butter and cheese) into morning eggs to keep me from going mental. I'll definitely need to add soemthing crunchy back in like rice cakes or air-pop popcorn: I need a mid-afternoon crunch. But I read over and over that the 80/20 rule works for most; eat paleo/whole30 80% of the time and have your "cheats" or your whatever meals 20% of the time (about 4 meals a week). I think that is sustainable....I say that now at least...

The Results

After reading It Starts with Food a bit, reading peoples stories with the Whole 30 and seeing before and after results...I was excited to maybe finally get down to an even leaner frame and lose another 10 pounds or so to be a lean-mean-green-eating machine. Well the results weren't quite that way. I am an avid Crossfitter, 5-6 days a week usually. I like to lift weights and heavy at that. So in order for me to lose pounds, it takes quite a miracle. So here was the stats for my 30 days

Pounds lost: 4 lbs

Arm: 1"

Thigh: 1"

Hips: 3.5"

Bust: 1" (dangit)

Waist: 2"

Overall what I learned:

1. My relationship with food was unhealthy, even though I was eating "healthy"

2. I don't need a sweet treat every day, 1-2 a week will be just fine

3. I'm learning to like vegetables in a new way, the color they add and the flavor they add

4. The farmers market is a great way to buy fresh produce and meats

5. I should buy chickens with how many eggs I eat

6. It takes a lot for me to loose pounds, so be happy with the inches and progress made in that aspect. Don't get caught up in the stupid number on the scale. Look at your pant size and how your body reacts to you

7. It's just an number

8. My body hasn't felt this good ever

9. My skin became clear and glowed, many people commented on how I looked tan and my eyes were bright and open; something I never noticed before

10. Never once did I have to take an antacid or digestive pill during the 30 days, my gut was happy with me for once (coming from a gluten-free gal that says a lot)

11. Doing this with a support system (my mom) saved me; I would've given up without her! I recommend doing this with someone even if it's a virtual friend you meet on a Whole30 chat- it helps really!

12. Plan plan plan. Plan ahead your meals, your snacks and your workout time because you will be exhausted and may fall into old habits. Don't do it!

13. I never did get that "energy boost" in fact I actually felt more tired than ever. I went to bed earlier these last few weeks than I have in a while. Maybe my body just needed the rest...and some days I was so hungry (emotional) that I just went to sleep instead

14. Don't go shopping while hungry. Just don't.

15. If you have to cry, then girl you go ahead and cry. You'll feel better afterwards.

16. Embrace the change and don't be discouraged if you make a mistake. Keep going and get through it, you'll come out on the end of 30 days and be amazed at all you faced and give up.

17. There will never be the "perfect" time to start so just stinking start. There'll always be a birthday, a wedding, a bridal shower, a graduation, a work function, a girls night, a date night, a tired-and-just-want-to-order-pizza night, there will be a vacation or a holiday...so just commit to it and do it. You'll wish you would've started today, tomorrow...trust me!

So mom and I survived our first Whole30. Everybody says you'll do another one eventually, but right now I'm just enjoying the freedom to say, yes, I will have a piece of chocolate and a glass of red wine...and not feel bad about it.in.the.least

Whole 30 Week 3

It's Day 21! During the first few days even making it into the 20s sounded crazy, but here we are with only 9 days standing in front of us.

This past week was full of new challenges: the real world. I hosted my best friends bridal shower last weekend and had originally agreed to make the cake for dessert. What I found interesting was that although I’ve been gluten-free for years so I couldn’t even normally have a cupcake- all I wanted was a cupcake! So strange. I also found out how MINDLESSLY we eat. I can’t count the number of times I almost licked a piece of frosting off here or tasted a spatula there; all while not even realizing it. I’m absolutely shocked that I didn’t have anything but I didn’t have one crumb or sprinkle of the sweet treats. Luckily I had some other wonderful bridesmaids to help with the food so I wouldn’t be tempted with that mess as well.

Another struggle I found this past week was reality catching up; super long days in the office followed by running around after work, going to the gym or trying to catch up with life meant I was left several days without dinner until 8 or 9pm and sometimes lunch was nothing more than some fruit or a Larabar.

Dinner: Hamburger with bacon and a homemade pineapple-mango salsa (this is a similar recipe, I just left out the peppers as Scandinavians don't do spice

Arugula salad with a Dijon mustard dressing (omit the honey from this recipe) 

homemade sweet potato chips (got a little burnt- oops)

grapes 

Dinner inspiration brought by Whole30Recipes Instagram account. A slow-cooker pulled beef that was pretty good although I’d increase the time a touch, it didn’t fall apart as much as I’d hoped for.
Garlic Cauliflower mash - don't overheat/cook it gets a funny texture otherwise

Fresh green beans cooked with balsamic and toasted almonds

Breakfast became an old stand-by, bacon, eggs and fruit

inspiration for dinner tonight came from Instagram Whole30Recipes too. It was a cashew/almond-crusted chicken tenders with homemade potato oven fries and another repeat of a quickly-becoming-favorite cucumber/tomato/onion summer salad. 

Cucumber-Tomato Summer Salad

1 English cucumber

handful of roma tomatoes

2-3 cuts of red onion (more if you like onions)

1 part water to 1 part apple cider vinegar

Fresh dill

Cut up the cucumber and red onion into slices and place in a bowl. Sprinkle in some fresh dill. 

Cover the cucumber/onion mixture with 1 part water and 1 part apple cider vinegar until it is completely covered **Apple cider vinegar gives it a sweetness, so don't be scared by the horrendous smell. 

Cover and let chill in the fridge for at least 1-hour.

Remove from the fridge, cut the tomatoes in half and combine in with cucumber/tomato mixture. Sprinkle in more fresh dill and salt and pepper for seasoning if you like.

Serve chilled.

Homemade Oven Fries

(serves 4 people)

3-4 white potatoes

olive oil

salt

pepper

onion powder

garlic powder

fresh rosemary

Wash and dry the potatoes, patting dry with a paper towel.

Peel the skins off and then cut the potatoes lengthwise, creating long thin strips of potatoes, similar to a "french fry" shape.

Place the fries into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil (I used a mixture of regular olive oil and garlic infused olive oil), salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.

Lay out the potatoes on a foil-covered cooking sheet (foil=less clean-up later). Make sure the fries are evenly coated. Add more salt and pepper if you'd like. Sprinkle fresh rosemary all over the fries.

Cook on 350 until done, about 30-35 minutes if you like them soft. Flip them over half way through. If you like them crunchier, keep in for 5 minute increments but check frequently so they don't burn.

Proof that you can eat out during Whole30. Now it wasn't the most fabulous meal I've ever had but I got by. It was a turkey & chicken cobb sandwhich (obviously without the bun) which came with lettuce, tomato, turkey, chicken breast and topped with avocado. Then I had a side of fresh fruit and water with lime. I couldn't inspect the meat packaging on whether there was added sugar but you know what, for me, I had to go out to eat and it was something that I knew I was compliant mostly so I ate it and didn't feel bad about it. It was a much healthier option than the vanilla cheescake I really wanted soo.....

Other realizations and tips from Week 3:

1.    I realized I rely way to heavily on Larabars and sweet potato chips from Trader Joes (seriously these things are like crack)

2.    Planning is key to this lifestyle: no planning = becoming hangry = having meltdowns = poor eating = feeling bad. Plan ahead people!

3.    You CAN eat out if you’re super picky and very careful. Be “that” person who is “allergic” to everything and severly annoying…just remember to be extra nice to your wait staff and tip a little extra- it’ll go a long way!

4. On Instagram? Follow Whole30Recipes - that is where I got inspirations all the time for recipes and suggestions

5. I spend any morsel of 'free' time outside of work and the gym inside the kitchen. Seriously, it's exhausting.

6. You have to go to the grocery store multiple times a week if you eat a lot of fruit- it disappears!

Whole 30 Week 2

Well we've survived our first week of Whole 30 and surprisingly we managed through our 2nd week without any cheats…which amazes me. Again, I can't say enough for having a support system during this journey.

The second week brought new challenges: boredom. Breakfasts were starting to get a little boring, eggs and bacon every day sounds great until you're 15 days in and you're getting a little green at the thought of one more egg. So this week we got creative and branched out. I think the first week, you're so worried about eating something bad that you get caught up in eating the things you know are safe. Or, like we did- we got super adventurous and they didn't go according to plan so you wilt back to your safety net of grapes, salads, and grilled meats. 

Anyways, for week 2 we got a little more adventurous with our recipes and trying new things. Instead of cooking eggs and bacon every morning, on Sunday we did some prep and made these super simple and versatile meat and veggie egg muffins. Here is an example of a recipe we used. We made egg-spianch-sausage egg muffins and were able to put them in the fridge and reheat them in the morning. Our secret ingredient this week: apple pie spice by Penzy's. A definite life-saver. I've used more cinnamon and apple pie spice in the past few weeks than I have in my whole life!

Above: egg muffins, fresh mango and strawberries for breakfast

Some other good recipes from this week included a Summer Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Paleo Mexican Chicken Soup 

and I made a variation of this Garlic Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles which was delicious, I did a little homemade pesto (without the cheese of course) and I think I could've ate 3 helpings.

La Croix water: I used to hate it. Now I'm obsessed 

Arugula with a homemade mustard/olive oil dressing and Moroccan Meatballs (I'll try to find the recipe because these were absolutely delicious)

Another fun adventure this week: homemade sugar-free applesauce. I also cut up some fresh strawberries and pureed them together to make homemade strawberry applesauce- I highly recommend.

Keep on, keepin' on folks. You can do it!

Whole 30 Week 1

The Whole 30. And so it begins. 

Today was the end marker of my first week on the Whole 30 journey. Last week while driving back from Florida, my mom read the book "It Starts With Food" and wanted to try the Whole 30 challenge. So after a few months of travel and a holiday weekend, mom and I decided to start the whole 30 challenge. Interested in the Whole 30? Not sure what the hype is all about? Check it out here. 

The Whole 30 was "established by Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system" Basically it's a 30-day reset of your body that changes your relationship with food, resets your metabolism and helps restore order and harmony in your body.

So here is an overall recap of my first week on the Whole 30.

Day 1

Breakfast was great: eggs, bacon and fresh fruit. Nothing too crazy. Lunch on the other hand, I would've quit if I wasn't doing this whole thing with my mom. A stressful day at work had me craving things I couldn't have, chips, pretzels and lemonade tea. So instead I made a "tuna salad" boat made with avocado and a side of grapes. Eh. I survived. Dinner was a simple grilled chicken, green beans, sweet potato mash with ghee and cinnamon. Not too bad overall but again- a support system is 

Day 2

Breakfast is simple and easy, eggs, bacon and fruit. Lunch was a salad that was less than thrilling and left me starving by mid-afternoon. Dinner was a failure, I overcooked pork chops and failed at making cauliflower rice so I ended up going to bed just tired, grumpy and hungry. Day 2 wasn't shaping up to be much better either.

The rest of the week was a mix of emotions. Breakfasts were always easy although I'm getting a little sick of eggs and bacon; I felt great and could head to work energized and ready for the day. Lunch time made me annoyed because I wanted things I could't have (have I mentioned that sugar is in EVERYTHING?!). However dinner time was the hardest. Getting home from work and being purely exhausted, all I wanted to do was snack or munch. The carb flu also hit me hard at the end of the week; I felt tired, sluggish, kind of in a daze somedays, hungry and just ill in general. 

Things I learned on Week 1:

1. I love sugar…oh wait, I already knew that

2. I get exhausted during the afternoon…but I already knew that too

3. I workout in the morning before work so by 10am, I'm hungry again- I think I need to add a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack in, almost as a "post workout" snack

4. Cauliflower rice isn't as easy as it looks

5. When in doubt…just go to bed.