Thursday, January 29, 2015

January Whole30: Meal Plan Days 26 - 30

We're in the home stretch now!  Just in time for the Super Bowl... womp!  But no worries, I'm planning a huge compliant feast.  I'm also going to grab some kombucha and maybe some green juice so I can feel like I'm enjoying a special beverage with everyone else.  I'm also really starting to think about how I'm going to approach my post Whole30 diet.  I know I can't just go buck wild or I'll end up with a bunch of tummy aches, but I will definitely be eating some cheese and chocolate in the near future!  I would love to follow the reintroduction protocol to actually see how certain foods affect me, but I always find it so hard to commit to after already being so strict for 30 days.  I'm not sure yet!  In the meantime...


Friday (Day 26)
Saturday (Day 27)
 Sunday (Day 28)
Monday (Day 29)
Tuesday (Day 30)
  • Lunch:Leftovers
  • Dinner: I'll be at my mom's house before cheerleading so I'll probably bring some extra leftovers

Do you have any fun plans for the Super Bowl?




Sunday, January 25, 2015

January Whole30: Days 14 - 20

Things are chugging along!  Other than trying a bunch of tasty new recipes, most of this week was pretty uneventful... until a big slip up at the end of the week taught me quite a lesson.

Day 14, Sunday 1/18/15 - Today was a lazy lounging day since the weather was so gross.  I had mid afternoon munchies so I cut up a big apple and then ate a few slices of prosciutto.  Both Dave and I were seriously craving burgers and I just happened to have a pound of ground beef in the fridge, so dinner was epic burger salads.  And then the fridge was basically empty!


Day 15, Monday 1/19/15 - Skipped my coffee and drank some green tea, with no afternoon headache.  I'm seriously craving chocolate though!  I spent a million dollars at the grocery store today, woof.  I suppose I'm not really trying to be thrifty (salmon for dinner, making enough chili for an army for my coworkers, etc.), but I could probably do better.  I whipped up some muffins for breakfast for the week before making dinner.



Day 16, Tuesday 1/20/15 - Over half way!  I keep waking up before my alarm.  But not really in a good way... more like I'm anxious that I'm going to oversleep.  Heaven forbid, I miss my workout haha!  The skill portion of CF was seated box jumps.  I got 38.5"!  Box jump maxes are kind of scary, if you miss... it can really suck!  I have to avoid over thinking them and psyching myself out.  The WOD was 2 rounds of 30, 20, 10 medicine ball cleans and pull ups with a 3 minute rest in the middle (18 minute cap).  I knew I wasn't going to come close to finishing, so I did as much as could in the first 7 minutes, took my 3 minute rest, and then finished the last 8 minutes picking up where I left off.  During the round of 20 pull ups, I experienced the dreaded callus rip on both hands.  Ugh!  I finished that round of bloody pull ups, but subbed push ups for my last 10.  I made it through the first round + 13 med ball cleans.  Not my favorite workout.


I felt pretty sleepy between breakfast and lunch, not sure why since I got over 7 hours of sleep last night.  Dinner came together quick and was so delicious!  I proclaimed the Korean Noodle Bowls a new favorite until my stomach felt kind of iffy later that night, not sure what that was about.  I fell asleep on the couch before 10 pm.  Grandma status.


Day 17, Wednesday 1/21/15 - I didn't have any stomach issues after eating my dinner leftovers, so I'm not sure what upset my stomach last night.  Perhaps the chicken salad I had for lunch but I ate that batch of homemade mayo before without any issues and I know everything I ate yesterday was compliant.  Weird.  My skin is really starting to look great.  The Whole9 facebook page posted this satirical article and it is perfect!  “He must see the strange, skeptical looks everyone gives him whenever he's eating nutritious and full-flavored foods, but he actually seems to be into it."


Day 18, Thursday 1/22/15 - I'm starting to be able to see the outline of my abs!  No coffee today, since I was feeling super energized.  I felt kinda hungry around 10:45 am so I ate some pistachios.  I realized afterwards that I was probably just thirsty.  Dave made dinner tonight, which was super helpful since I had to make a giant batch of chili.


Day 19, Friday 1/23/15 -  I really had to convince myself to get out of bed and hit the gym in the morning, but I was glad that I did.  The strength portion was snatch deadlifts (aka a deadlift with a snatch grip and set up).  I don't really enjoy touch and go deadlifts, they can be hard on my back.  The WOD was a quick burn of 21-15-9 kettlebell swings (36 lbs for women) and burpees.  I only recently graduated to the 36 lbs kettlebell (from 26) and it felt pretty heavy, so the burpees ended up being my rest.

This day was an epic fail.  I spent the whole afternoon setting up a chili cookoff at work.  I made my own Paleo chili and should've just stuck to that, but after smelling 15 different chilies all afternoon, the mouthwatering aroma convinced me to give them a try.  I picked around the beans in each tasting, but consumed beer, sugar, and a bunch of other random non compliant ingredients.  I anticipated my tummy being somewhat uncomfortable... however, I did not anticipate feeling like I was going to die in the bathroom at work.  On top of that, the mild headache I had right before the event (before eating any of the chili) intensified and my head was absolutely pounding.  And no joke, a zit appeared on my nose instantly.  I bailed on helping clean up, grabbed my chili leftovers, and did everything I could not to throw up again while I was driving home.  I got home, tossed my cookies again, and spent the rest of my night napping on and off on the couch.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!  Seriously, why did I ever think that was a good idea?  I played with fire and I got burned.  I feel like the Whole30 gods were watching and punished me lol.  I may never eat chili again.

Day 20, Saturday 1/24/15 - I woke up feeling much better!  I felt kind of bloated, but I'm sure I would've felt worse if I hadn't thrown up most of the chili. I finally had an appetite so I whipped up some sweet potato hash with fried onions, bacon, and dippy eggs and it really hit the spot!  My exercise for the day consisted of taking the dogs for a snowy afternoon walk.  It was nice to get out and get some fresh air with Dave and the pups.  After my parents and Tom came over to meet Butler, I made some guacamole because I didn't want to be starving when we all met Michelle and Alex for dinner at Applebee's.  At dinner, four out of seven of us ordered steaks and along with my sister, I skipped the potato side for another helping of veggies.  I did not feel deprived.  I was sad to skip double chocolate cake back at my parents' house though.



Tom is 23, I can't believe it!


Is tomorrow really Monday already?


Saturday, January 24, 2015

January Whole30: Meal Plan Days 21 - 25

Thankfully we didn't get too much snow overnight, because our fridge is looking a little bare.  Today we're headed to the grocery store and then my family is coming over to meet Butler!


 Happy weekend everyone :)
  

Saturday (Day 20 - updated from my previous meal plan)
  • Lunch: Sweet potato hash with onions, bacon, and fried eggs
  • Dinner: Applebee's with the fam!
Sunday (Day 21)
Monday (Day 22)
Tuesday (Day 23)
Wednesday (Day 24)
Thursday (Day 25)

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Our Wedding Recap Part 6: The Reception

Ok, here it is!  The final installment of our 6 part wedding recap!  I'm sorry it took me so long to share all of these recaps, but I really wanted to make sure I got each part just right.  I am so glad I'll have these detailed accounts of each part of such a perfect day!  Maybe someday I'll even get around to posting about our honeymoon!

Catching up?
- Part 1: The Day Before
- Part 2: The Ladies Get Dolled Up
- Part 3: The Guys & Our First Look
- Part 4: Photos in Valley Forge Park
- Part 5: The Ceremony


When the ceremony was finished, we ended up doing an unplanned receiving line.  Once the hugging in the lobby started, it just kept going.



It was nice to greet all of our guests, especially since some members of our church came just for the ceremony.  I was slightly nervous this would push back our schedule and we wouldn't make it to the cocktail hour on time, but the Fullers cruised through our family photos and we finished perfectly on time!


After the group photos were done, we loaded back into the trolley and headed to the hotel.  The hotel staff was amazing and guided the wedding party back to a private room full of appetizers and drinks.  I chugged some water and stuffed my face with some duck breast on a wonton, pesto flatbread, and spinach phyllo.  And then we headed out to greet our guests!  The weather was literally perfect for our poolside cocktail hour, which seemed extra amazing because of the monsoon the day before.




I was so happy to make it to out to join everyone, since I feel like a lot of people miss their own cocktail hour and it's usually one of my favorite parts of a wedding.  I grabbed a cocktail, swirled around the space trying to talk to as many people as I could, and ate a few of the beef on a crostini appetizers.  And soon we were headed to our reception!

Our wedding party lined up and danced into the room to I Feel Good by James Brown.






Our entrance to Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder was extra dramatic since the hotel staff had us wait a full 30 seconds until we entered to build the suspense!


Soon we were swaying to Only Love by Ben Howard for our first dance.  It was lovely, but almost unmemorable because of what happened next.  Dave had something up his sleeve!  He had been working on some dance steps with my bridesmaid Jes and he lead me through our second dance to All of Me by John Legend.  It was such a surprise and such a special moment!

 



After our dance, I danced with my dad to Hey Now by Crowded House, which is a song we used to sing together while he played guitar.


Toasts were up next, one by my dad, one by the maid of honor Michelle, and one by the best man Frank.  Apparently we caught my dad off guard, although I'd swear that we told him he was going to have the mic.  He kept his short and sweet ending with a nice "na zdrowie" which is a Polish toast that literally translates as "for health!"  My sister's speech was up next and it was just perfect.  Frank's speech was just as good and it was a really nice balance!





Our friends and family hit the dance floor before the salad course was even served!  The salad wasn't very memorable to me, but dinner was another story.  The prime rib was just excellent and we had plenty of time to eat and relax (which I'm very much aware is not the case for all brides and grooms).  When we only finished half of our dinners, we asked the hotel staff if they could wrap up the rest for us.  Instead they sent brand new plates up to our room and we enjoyed prime rib for lunch and dinner the next day!

While dinner was being served, I had a distinct memory of the day we booked the space and the wedding coordinator at the time telling us about the beautiful sunset views in the large ballroom windows.  I briefly mentioned it to one of the event staff and they sort of half opened the curtain over one of the windows and asked me what I thought.  I wasn't sure if it would make the room too bright or not, so next thing I know I'm polling the crowd and everyone is shouting that they'd love to see the view.  When the staff opened all the curtains, the large windows revealed a beautiful painted sky!  It was the perfect backdrop to our dinner.


After dinner, we did so much dancing!  I always hate when dinner seems to take too long at weddings and the time on the dance floor is disappointingly short, so I made it very clear that I did not want that to be the case.  The hotel staff, the photographers, and our DJ did a great job to keep things moving!



 


We didn't do too many of the common wedding traditions (skipped the garter & bouquet toss), but we did cut the cake.  Dave decided to start our marriage on good terms and didn't smash the cake in my face.  Even though I made it very clear how I felt about it, I really wasn't sure what he was going to do!




We also did an anniversary dance, which ended with my mom's parents, my grandmother's twin sister & her husband, and their close friends being left on the dance floor!


The rest of the night the dance floor was completely full and it seemed like we had forever to bust a move.  Tom refused to dance until Sexy and I Know It was played, and when it came on a giant circle was formed and everyone was cheering!





Later in the night, Dave was lifted in the air and carried around by some of our guy friends.  Our friends also convinced the bartenders to make some shots (which was not supposed to happen) so they could get some immediate use out of our favors!



I had so much fun!


The night continued with an after party at the hotel bar! (Well, after we took a quick pit stop up at the room... you know to make things official ;D)  Everything got a little hazy here since everyone seemed to be buying us shots, but I do remember the midnight Wendy's delivery we arranged with our friend Devon!  Everyone was beyond happy to stuff their face with cheeseburgers, chicken, and fries after working up such an appetite on the dance floor.  The night ended with the after-after party in our hotel suite until around 3 am when both Dave and I were passing out and a friend kicked everyone out.

Our wedding day was everything I ever dreamed of and more <3




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