January Whole30(+5): My Meal Plan for Days 11-16

Well I did so much cooking over the last few days that my fridge is full of leftovers.  And thank God because I'm honestly pretty sick of cooking right now.  Days 11 & 12 are just going to be cleaning out the fridge, but I'll be prepping some extra things over the weekend for breakfasts and lunches next week.

• Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs and Bacon - If I can freaking find Whole30 approved bacon!  When I went shopping on Friday Wegmans was out, so then yesterday I made a special trip to Whole Foods, just for bacon and now I'm not even convinced that the brand I used to get there actually makes it anymore.  They had a ton of different kinds from that brand and they looked high quality, but they all had sugar in them.  The only one labeled "Paleo" with no sugar was turkey bacon.  NOPE.

• Southwestern Frittata - This is an old favorite that I haven't made in a while, but I'm stick of hardboiled eggs and I've been starving in the morning.
• Mango Chicken with Coconut Cauliflower Rice - I've had this on my pinterest board forever and I was thrilled when my friend Jes suggested it as our meal for our lunch date this weekend.
• Lomo Saltado - Basically another take on loaded fries.  You can totally skip the cauli rice, but do not skip the green aji sauce.  It's so good!
• Paleo Asian Lettuce Wraps - These are so good and you'll only dirty one pan!  I'll probably use pork instead of turkey.  I'll also skip the honey and the dipping sauce all together, they are plenty flavorful (and messy enough) already.
• Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Bacon - I want to do a little practice round before the super bowl, so I'm going to do enlist Dave to do some grilling and then finish the wings in the oven with some buffalo sauce just like my mom's famous wings! 

How do you get inspired when you get into a rut in the kitchen?

January Whole30(+5): My Meal Plan for Days 6-10

If anybody ever told you eating healthy had to be boring, well they lied!

• Flounder with Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes - I'll be topping the fish with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and old bay and baking it at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.  The veggies will have olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh garlic and be cooked for 15 minutes.
• Buffalo Chicken Salad - I love these Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tenders crusted with pork rinds.  The salad will be simple otherwise with lettuce, tomato, onion, carrots, and avocado topped with some Ranch Dressing and extra Red Hot. 

• Cubano Loaded Fries - I'm pretty much obsessed with loaded fries right now and I've been seriously craving a cubano so I thought why not?!  I'll be topping some homemade fries with this Mojo Cuban Roast Pork, some prosciutto (because I don't think Whole30 compliant ham exists), some pickles, and maybe even some dijon mustard.  Insert gasp noises from anybody who knows me well and understands my extreme hatred for mustard.
• Steak with Sauteed Balsamic Mushrooms and Roasted Broccoli - Beef, it's what's for dinner!  Can't go wrong with a ribeye seared in my cast iron.
• Hawaiian Turkey Burgers with this Bacon Lime Sweet Potato Salad - I adore this sweet potato salad.  Too bad Wegmans didn't have any of the compliant bacon.  I may have to make a Whole Foods run...

What's on your menu this week?

January Whole30(+5): Kicking Things Off + My Meal Plan for Days 1-5

You know how it goes.  Hate to be a stereotype, but the Christmas cookies are gone and my pants don't fit, so here we go!

I was already planning on doing something in January when my Whole30 support group started chattering away on facebook.  Then my coach announced a nutrition challenge at the gym, so I was locked in!  I was only planning on doing 25 days, but the gym challenge is 5 weeks, so I'm doing my first Whole35.  Ew lol.

What is the Whole30? 

• Yes: Eat real food.

Eat meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed.

• No: Avoid for 30 days.

More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program. Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness and quality of life.

• Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial
• Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking.
• Do not eat grains.
• Do not eat legumes.
• Do not eat dairy
• Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites.
• Do not try to re-create baked goods,  junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. 

• One last and final rule: You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program.

Today is Day 1 and I'm feeling excited!  My menu for the week is full of tried and true favorites, some simple and quick, mixed with others that require a little more effort.  Healthy eating does not have to be boring!

• Paleo Pad Thai - This one is pretty simple, but has a bit of prep work.  I typically use almond butter instead of sunflower and this time I added bell peppers, water chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and shrimp!
• The Easiest and Most Delicious Crockpot Beef Ever - This recipe is so easy and simple.  I sub coconut aminos for the Worcestershire sauce and always add baby carrots.
• Bora Bora Fireballs - I haven't made this recipe in a while, but I know it's awesome.  Pork, pineapple, and coconut... these are a few of my favorite things!
• Krista's Quick and Easy Crab and Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms - This one is packed with veggies and comes together super quick if you have a food processor.  And you can really throw in whatever protein you want.
• German Bratwurst (from Wegmans) with Sauerkraut and Potatoes Sauteed in Ghee - Because sometimes all you want to do is throw some stuff in a pan.

In addition to staying compliant with my diet, I've made a few other goals:

• Gym 4x per week
• Floss every night
• 75 oz of water per day
• 10 minutes of stretching per day
• No coffee
• No frivolous spending (no personal shopping, only groceries & necessary house expenses)

It's time to get my life together and I couldn't be more ready for this change!

Are you doing anything in the new year to turn over a new leaf?

Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps + 5 More Easy Whole30 Dinners

Take me back, wahhhhhhhh.

September is long gone and our amazing trip to Hawaii has been over for 3 weeks.  I'm still dreaming of the pristine beaches and turquoise water... and endless sushi, loaded kalua pork fries, and pina coladas.  It's really no surprise that when vacation ended, I was unable to flip the switch back to sensible eating.  So after consuming 4 slices of pizza during a lunch meeting at work, I decided that it was time!

Tis the season for weekends full of Halloween parties and Thanksgiving feasts, so I honestly couldn't find any time to do a Whole30 (21, 14, 10... anything).  But because I believe something is always better than nothing, I am doing a Whole5!  It sounded kind of dumb when I first thought of it, but I'm excited for a quick kick in the pants!  I'm hoping to debloat a little and get back in a healthy eating frame of mind.

I'm really excited about my menu for the week, it's full of delicious favorites!  I didn't realize until afterwards that it was full of ground meat, but I like all the recipes so much I didn't want to change any and it will allow me to buy organic without spending a fortune.

Sunday

• Chicken & Zucchini Poppers with Guacamole and/or Homemade Ranch
• Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower
• Chopped Summer Salad (since I'm still pretending it's summer...)
• Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, minced red onion, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste

Monday

• Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps with Cilantro Lime Slaw and Pineapple Salsa (recipe below!)

Tuesday

• Sun Dried Tomato Meatballs with Creamy Pesto
• Garlic Roasted Broccoli
• Sauteed Spinach

Apparently I've never felt compelled to take a photo of these meatballs.  Although they are delicious, they look pretty unattractive.  Maroon sun dried tomatoes + green basil = brown pile on top of your meatballs lol.  Don't judge the pesto goodness by its gross appearance!

Wednesday

•  Bahn Mi Loaded Fries (Omit honey and substitute a compliant hot sauce instead of sriracha to make it Whole30 compliant)

Thursday

• Zoodles with Shrimp and Bacon
• Balsamic Garlic Roasted Green Beans & Mushrooms (I'll add some onions to this too!)

Friday

• Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps (Omit honey & palm sugar to make it Whole30 compliant. I also skip the water in the dipping sauce, I find it doesn't need it.)
• Asian Cucumber Sesame Salad (Omit maple syrup)

And now, time for a new recipe!

Because ain't nobody got time fo making their own Paleo tortillas or breading and frying fish.  Like most of my recipes, this one is pretty loose.  I generally don't measure things while I'm cooking and to be honest, I don't really think you can mess this one up!  Just remember to taste things as you go and don't start with a heavy hand, you can always add more later.

Ingredients:

Fish:

- 1 lb of cod filet (or tilapia, mahi mahi, whatever you like)

- EVOO

- Lime juice

- Salt & pepper

- Garlic powder

- Onion powder

- Chipotle powder

- Cumin

- Cayenne

Cilantro Lime Slaw:

- Thinly sliced cabbage (shortcut: use a bag of coleslaw mix)

- Thinly sliced carrot

- Lime juice

- Chopped cilantro

- Salt & pepper

Homemade Pineapple Salsa:

- Diced pineapple

- Diced tomato

- Diced onion

- Minced jalapeno (optional)

- Lime juice

- Chopped cilantro

- Salt & pepper

Other:

- Romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce for wraps

- Avocado

- Hot sauce (optional)

Directions: 

1. Cover fish with a splash of EVOO and squirt of lime juice and then sprinkle a generous portion of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, cumin, and cayenne on both sides.

2. Place in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes (or until fish begins to easily flake with a fork).

3. In a bowl, combine all slaw ingredients and place in the fridge.

4. In a bowl, combine all salsa ingredients and place in the fridge.

5. Prep lettuce wraps & slice avocado.

6. Pile all ingredients in lettuce wraps and prepare for a delicious messy feast!

Anybody interested in joining me for 5 days of clean eating?  It's only 5 days!

April Whole24: Meal Plan Days 20 - 24

Well this was my menu before I found out Dave was going away the whole week for work!  This is a first for him and rather unexpected.  Now I will have 4 Kettlebell Kitchen meals to eat to my face, our dinner with friends on Wednesday was postponed till next week, and instead my coworker Jeff invited me over for a Whole30 compliant meal with him and his wife Arley.  Otherwise I'll probably just try and clear out whatever is left in our fridge.  I figured I'd still post my original proposed meal plan since it was all typed out already and it's a bit more interesting than just saying delivery meals and random things in my refrigerator.

Saturday

• Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash (with Fried Eggs) and bacon
• Lunch: Mexican Chicken Soup from Against All Grain that Leah is bringing down
• Dinner: Seafood Feast (as per usual when we're down in Cape May) with grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, and squash

Sunday

• Brunch: Paleo Pancakes topped with apples cooked in coconut oil and cinnamon with apple chicken sausage
• Lunch: Whatever is leftover!
• Dinner: Egg Roll in a Bowl (never made it last week since we had so much food and I didn't want to waste anything I had already cooked)

Monday

• Lunch: Grass-Fed Skirt Steak over a bed of bok choy and mixed vegetables, with a delicious sesame vinaigrette from Kettlebell Kitchen
• Dinner: Brussel Sprout Hash with Sweet Potato and Bacon

Tuesday

• Lunch: Paleo Chicken Nuggets (baked with a Cassava Flour crust), served with Apple Roasted Fennel and Sweet Potato Fries from Kettlebell Kitchen
• Dinner: Chicken Zucchini Poppers with a big salad

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover Chicken Zucchini Poppers with a big salad
• Dinner: Having some friends over that just started their first Whole30!  I'm making Korean Noodle Bowls from Against All Grain (but subbing shrimp for the beef)

And that's it!  Kind of a lame ending, but having 4 of my meals prepped for me already plus dinner at Jeff and Arley's will make for an easy finish.  And next comes the fun part, trying to ride my own bicycle... 

Do you or your spouse travel for work?

April Whole24 Meal Plan: Days 14 - 19

I made my life super easy this week by ordering a few meals from Kettlebell Kitchen, a Paleo meal delivery service that my CF gym recently paired up with!  I ordered a few different meals to give the service a try and give myself a break in the kitchen.  Otherwise, I have a few simple meals planned to try and clean out my fridge!

Sunday

• Lunch: Leftover Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast with Whole30 compliant BBQ sauce and Simple Homemade Coleslaw
• Dinner: Steak on the grill (finally got our grill from our old house, yay!) with roasted broccoli and garlic cauliflower mash

Monday

• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Mushrooms with some homemade garlic aioli and a side of sauteed spinach
• Dinner: The last bit of the massive Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast made into fajitas with a homemade tomatillo salsa (that my coworker made on Friday, it's pretty similar to this recipe)

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover steak, broccoli, and cauliflower mash
• Dinner: Beast Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Potato Mash, Broccoli, and Tomato Sauce from Kettlebell Kitchen

 Wednesday

• Lunch: Grass Fed Beef Dumplings with Spanish Fried Cauliflower Rice from Kettlebell Kitchen
• Dinner: Scotch Eggs from Well Fed with Comfort Noodles

Thursday

• Lunch: Jalapeno Chicken Sliders with Parsnip Fries and Braised Cabbage from Kettlebell Kitchen
• Dinner: Egg Roll in a Bowl

Friday

• Lunch: Leftover Egg Roll in a Bowl
• Dinner: I'm not quite sure yet!  We're headed down to Cape May for the weekend and I know I'll be cooking up a Paleo storm with Leah and our other friends.  I thinking something easy for when we get down there, possibly some Addictive & Healthy Paleo Nachos!

 Have you ever tried a meal delivery service before?

April Whole24 Meal Plan: Days 7 - 13

I'm 8 days in, 1/3 of the way done, and things are going really well!  I'm trying a few new recipes this week that I'm really excited about.  I know a hot bowl of pho will hit the spot when it's in the 40s and raining on Wednesday.  Woof to that forecast since it was in the 70s and gorgeous today.

Sunday

• Lunch: Early Easter dinner at my parents' house - ham, baked sweet potato, sauteed asparagus, and a salad
• Dinner: Leftover Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Mashed Cauliflower

Monday

• Lunch: Leftover Caramelized Italian Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Jam with roasted broccoli
• Dinner: Roasted Garlic & Artichoke Stuffed Chicken with a salad

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover Garlic & Artichoke Stuffed Chicken with a salad
• Dinner: Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast with Whole30 compliant BBQ sauce and Simple Homemade Coleslaw

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover Slow-Cooker Italian Pork Roast with Whole30 compliant BBQ sauce and Simple Homemade Coleslaw
• Dinner: Quick Beef Pho

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover Quick Beef Pho
• Dinner: Krista's Quick and Easy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms but subbing leftover pork for the crab

Friday

• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Mushrooms
• Dinner: Leaving this night open for something fun!  I'm thinking I'll hit the grocery store on my way home from work for some seafood or a big steak.

Saturday

• Brunch: Leftovers or eggs
• Dinner: Out to dinner for a friend's birthday!

The Whole30 is not about feeling deprived.  It's not about eating bland "health" food.  And it's certainly not about eating tiny portions and being hungry all the time.  It's about eating nutritious, filling, health promoting food and so far it has been delicious :)

What's on your menu this week?

 

Another Whole30?! + My Meal Plan

Oh God... not again ;)  This time, I wasn't even the instigator! Someone from my January Whole30 facebook support group posted that they were doing another round in April and next thing I know, the post is blowing up with "me too" comments and I started debating.  I really don't want to commit to the prep work required, but who doesn't want to clean things up and look their best right before summer?  We are headed down to TX to visit some friends at the end of the month, so instead of setting myself up for failure (and to make the challenge a little less daunting) I've decided to commit to a Whole24 beginning Monday March 30th and ending Wednesday April 22nd!

If you don't know what the Whole30 is all about go read this guest post I recently wrote for my hilarious blog friend Josie and go visit the Whole30 website!

I'm in a much better starting place than last time when I was coming off a holiday bender of treats and booze.  My diet has been part time Paleo and although I've consumed things like pizza, nachos, and oreos, I haven't let anything take me completely off track which was one of my goals for the year!  I did gain back a few pounds in February, but I've been tracking my weight every morning for the past month and I've been pretty consistent.  My weight has varied from 148 to 152, it goes up and down depending on my diet.  I've noticed that I'm typically at the higher end on a Monday after eating out all weekend.

Thankfully that's a habit I'll be forced to ditch since eating out is so difficult during a Whole30.  My gym just set up a partnership with Kettlebell Kitchen, a Paleo meal delivery service, so I may order a meal here or there if I'm looking for something that I don't have to cook.  But otherwise I need to psych myself up to get busy in the kitchen.  This week I'm mostly sticking with some tried and true favorites to make things as easy as possible.  Here's what the first few days will look like:

Monday

• Lunch: Leftover Mexican Chicken Soup from Against All Grain that I'll be making on Sunday
• Dinner: Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover chicken fajitas that I'll be making on Sunday
• Dinner: Leftover Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover Caramelized Italian Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Jam with roasted broccoli that I'm making Dave cook on Tuesday while I'm coaching
• Dinner: Salmon with sauteed spinach and applesauce

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover Mexican Chicken Soup
• Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Mashed Cauliflower

 Friday

• Lunch: Leftover Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Mashed Cauliflower
• Dinner: We're headed to a preseason Phillies game and I know I can bring my own food into the stadium, so I'm going to bring some chicken sausage with sauteed veggies and a sweet potato

Saturday

• Brunch: Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs
• Dinner: Planning a Paleo dinner date with a friend!

A little throwback Thursday action for you, 2 years ago today I was prepping for my first full Whole30 (I did a Whole21 in January) and wrote this How to Succeed During Your Whole30 post! 

So who's going to join us?  Come on, you know you want to!

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)

• Lunch: Leftover Pad Thai from Well Fed
• Dinner: Pan seared scallops with roasted broccoli

Saturday (Day 27)

• Lunch: Having a handful of girlfriends over for brunch, whipping up some Homemade Paleo Breakfast Sausage and eggs.
• Dinner: Leftover Chorizo Meatballs from Practical Paleo with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

 Sunday (Day 28)

• Lunch: Leftover Crab and Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
• Super Bowl Feast:
• Wings!  I'm thinking of making these Jalapeno Lime Chicken Wings and some Buffalo Wings.  And I'll definitely be making some homemade ranch!
• Paleo Nachos
• Baba Ganoush from Well Fed
• Deviled Eggs made with Homemade Paleo Olive Oil Mayo
• Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
• And if you need a little more Super Bowl inspiration, check out this or this.

Monday (Day 29)

• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner: Sweet apple chicken sausage with bacon and caramelized onions with a sweet potato

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?

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)

• Lunch: Butternut Squash Breakfast Sausage with Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fritters (leftovers will be breakfast for the week)
• Dinner: The Easiest (and Most Delicious) Crock Pot Beef Ever (I'll be subbing coconut aminos for the Worcestershire sauce or maybe I'll get real crazy and make some homemade) with carrots and cauliflower mash

Monday (Day 22)

• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner: Chicken & Zucchini Poppers with Roasted Fall Vegetables Salad

Tuesday (Day 23)

• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner: Krista's Quick and Easy Crab and Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Wednesday (Day 24)

• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner: Pad Thai from Well Fed

Thursday (Day 25)

• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner: Chorizo Meatballs from Practical Paleo with Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

January Whole30: Meal Plan Days 11 - 20

As always, better late than never...?

 
Breakfast for the week is a batch of Apple Streusel Egg Muffins from Practical Paleo.  Days 11 & 12 consisted of leftovers, a Flyers game, and my company holiday party as discussed here.

Saturday (Day 13)

• Lunch: Leftover Slow Cooked Cinnamon Pork Loin with Parsnips with Awesome Sauce
• Dinner: BLT Salad with Avocado (using the homemade mayo I made last weekend)

Sunday (Day 14)

• Lunch: Leftover Slow Cooked Cinnamon Pork Loin with Parsnips with Awesome Sauce
• Dinner: Pan fried burgers (1 lb ground beef, minced onion, chopped bacon, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, chili powder, paprika) topped with sauteed onions, homemade guacamole, bacon, tomatoes, homemade mayo, and lettuce with half of a sweet potato w/coconut oil

Monday (Day 15)

• Lunch: Leftover burgers & sweet potato
• Dinner: Oven roasted salmon (topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, and old bay) and broccoli

Tuesday (Day 16)

• Lunch: Chicken salad (chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning, homemade mayo, chopped celery, walnuts, grapes) served over lettuce with leftover broccoli
• Dinner: Korean Noodle Bowls from Against All Grain (my new cookbook!)

Wednesday (Day 17)

• Lunch: Leftover Korean Noodle Bowls
• Dinner: Indian Spiced Pork Loin with Cumin Curry Carrots from Against All Grain

Thursday (Day 18)

• Lunch: Leftover Indian Spiced Pork Loin with Cumin Curry Carrots
• Dinner: Wild Mushroom & Herb Chicken Sausage with sauteed onions and peppers

Friday (Day 19)

• Lunch: A light portion of leftovers since I'm participating in a chili cook off later that afternoon.  I'm making my own version of this Paleo Crockpot Chili!
• Dinner: Leftovers

Saturday (Day 20)

• Lunch: Whatever leftovers we need to get rid of.
• Dinner: Most likely going out to Applebee's with my family for my brother's birthday, unless the predicted snow storm alters our plans.  I'll probably stick to a steak and some steamed veggies.  If it looks like we're going to get snowed in, I may brave the crowds at the grocery store on Friday.

Previous meal plans:
Days 1-5
Days 6-10

What's on your menu for the week?

January Whole30: Meal Plan Days 6-10

Hello!  How's it going?  Tomorrow is Day 5 and I think I've officially made it past the detox phase, thank God!  I'll have a recap of my first few days this weekend, but for now let's do some meal planning!  So far I've mostly followed my meal plan with a few random substitutions or changes.

Friday (Day 5)

• Lunch as shown in the Meal Plan for Days 1-5: Leftover Chili Cilantro Lime Crock Pot Chicken with sauteed onions and peppers and homemade guacamole (the guac replaced the cauli rice I said I was going to make, I totally forgot to buy cauliflower and guacamole is obviously a superior choice anyway!)
• Dinner: Chili Lime Tilapia with Mango Avocado Salsa and steamed frozen broccoli

Saturday (Day 6)

• Lunch: Perfect Paleo Pancakes topped with apples sauteed in coconut oil and cinnamon with Jicama Home Fries from Well Fed
• Snack: Baba Ganoush from Well Fed with carrots
• Dinner: Bacon-Jalapeño Burger Balls w/ Dill Relish & Awesome Sauce with Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sunday (Day 7)

• Lunch: Leftover Jicama Home Fries and an egg casserole (which will also be breakfast for the week) - 12 eggs, chopped apple chicken sausage, caramelized onions and probably some sauteed shredded sweet potato, cooked for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees until the eggs are set
• Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Monday (Day 8)

• Lunch: Leftover BJBB and Sweet Potato Fries
• Dinner: Lemon Ginger Chicken from the 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook with Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice

Tuesday (Day 9)

• Lunch: Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Dinner: Slow Cooked Cinnamon Pork Loin with Parsnips

Wednesday (Day 10)

• Lunch: Leftover Lemon Ginger Chicken and Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Dinner: ???  

Ok that's it for now!  I tried to plan more days than that but we're going to a Flyer's game on Thursday and we have my company holiday party Friday night so I'm still trying to decide how I'm going to handle those nights.  We'll see!

What are your favorite Whole30 recipes?  Please share!

January Whole30: Meal Plan Days 1-5

This week I'm keeping it pretty simple!  I'm mostly using recipes that I've tried before, but I'm mixing in a few new ones to spice things up.  I'm anticipating feeling pretty crappy while I detox the first few days, so I didn't want to go with anything too complicated or labor intensive.  I've only meal planned for the first five days because I find planning too far in advance can get unrealistic for me and I end up changing everything anyway.  And I'm sick of meal planning at the moment ;)

 Breakfast for the week (prepping on Sunday): Southwestern Frittata

Monday

• Lunch: Taco Salad with leftovers from these Paleo Nachos that I'm making for lunch on Sunday
• Dinner: Lemon Artichoke Chicken from Practical Paleo with roasted asparagus

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover Lemon Artichoke Chicken and asparagus
• Dinner: Portobello Prosciutto Pizzas with a side salad

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover Lemon Artichoke Chicken and a side salad
• Dinner: Shrimp Scampi with Creamy Garlic Fettuccine from the 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook with Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover Portobello Prosciutto Pizzas and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
• Dinner: Chili Cilantro Lime Crockpot Chicken with cilantro lime cauliflower rice and fajita veggies

Friday

• Lunch: Leftover Chili Cilantro Lime Crockpot Chicken with cauliflower rice and fajita veggies
• Dinner: I'm thinking I'll take a break from the chicken leftovers I'll definitely still have, head to the grocery store with some new recipes in mind, and prepare a weekend treat like scallops or a steak.

I hope you found some inspiration from my last post.  Meal planning can be hard, but just remember that every meal doesn't have to be something crazy.  I like to mix simple meals (burgers, something in the crockpot, salads) in with more labor intensive or complex dishes to avoid burning out in the kitchen.  Another way I simplify my life is I always make enough food to have leftovers so I don't have to worry about lunch.  And if you have time on the weekend, do as much prep as you can to make the work week a breeze!  Good luck everyone!

How have you been prepping for a healthy 2015? 

July Whole 25: Week 4 Meal Plan

Honestly I'm losing steam.  I'm super sick of planning my meals and cooking.  I opted for a lot of simple meals this week and a lot of the recipes were picked because I had most of the ingredients in my fridge already.  I'm so ready to eat the bacon that has been taunting me in my fridge!

Although I've really been enjoying my weekly breakfast selection, I really don't feel like making anything.  I may hard boil some eggs tomorrow night while I'm cooking dinner, but if not I have fruit and Lara Bars.

Monday

• Lunch: Leftover Lemon Ginger Chicken from The 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook with Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Dinner: Onions, peppers, mushrooms, and spinach sauteed in a pan with some shaved beef, some tomato paste, a splash of ACV, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover Lamb Meatballs with Paleo Tzatziki Sauce and a side salad
• Dinner: Chicken Spinach & Prosciutto Bundles with some roasted broccoli and cauliflower

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover Chicken Spinach & Prosciutto Bundles with some roasted broccoli and cauliflower
• Dinner: An Asian salad similar to the one from last week but with some shrimp and mango!

Thursday

• Lunch: Whatever leftovers we need to get rid of!
• Dinner: Grilled chicken (marinated in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, chipotle spice blend) with grilled veggies and possibly some guacamole

And then I'm DONE!  I'm planning on eating some more leftovers for lunch on Friday since I know I'll be indulging this weekend.  I need to really start thinking about my approach for post Whole30.  I have no intentions of staying 100% compliant, but I know I need to do better than I was doing before or I'll just end up right where I started.

Do you try to follow a certain style of eating on a regular basis?  How do you keep yourself in check?

July Whole25: Week 3 Meal Plan

I'm a meal planning machine :)

Breakfast this week is an egg casserole I whipped together tonight!  I cooked some onions, peppers, and mushrooms in a skillet with some ghee.  When they were sufficiently cooked, I added 2 chopped apple chicken sausages to brown them a bit.  Then I combined all that with 11 eggs (already used one for something else) and some salt and pepper in a ghee greased pan and cooked it for 25 minutes (or until it didn't giggle) uncovered in the oven at 400 degrees.

Monday

• Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti Squash Bolognese from Practical Paleo with asparagus from the weekend
• Dinner: Salmon (topped with EVOO, salt, pepper, and old bay), Cumin-Roasted Carrots from Well Fed and a side salad of spring mix, spinach, red bell pepper, and some cucumber and yellow cherry tomatoes from Dave's dad's garden with balsamic vinaigrette

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti Squash Bolognese from Practical Paleo with asparagus
• Dinner: Lemon Ginger Chicken from The 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook with Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice

Wednesday

• Lunch: I'm headed out with my coworkers, I plan on ordering a salad
• Dinner: I plan on repurposing some of my Lemon Ginger Chicken in an Asian inspired salad with cabbage, carrots, celery, snap peas, jalapeno, scallions, sesame seeds, mandarin oranges, and sliced almonds, dressed in some marinade I intend on putting aside when I make the chicken

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover Lemon Ginger Chicken from The 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook with Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Dinner: Steak fajitas with homemade guacamole

Friday

• Lunch: Leftover steak fajitas
• Dinner: I'm headed to a themed dinner over at a coworkers - Greek night!  I'm making some Lamb Meatballs with Paleo Tzatziki Sauce and I know there will be a Greek salad (and my coworker said he'd even keep the feta on the side :D)

Saturday

• Brunch: Whatever leftovers we have or some eggs!
• Dinner: We're going to a party.  I know there will be some pulled pork and buffalo chicken, I'm thinking I'm going to bring a Paleo veggie side.  Not sure what yet.  Any ideas???

Sunday

• Lunch: I'm headed out to eat again!  I'm not sure what will be served, but I'm sure I'll be picking some sandwiches apart and making it work!
• Dinner: I can't even think about this yet.

Do you like to plan your meals?  Do you enjoy leftovers for lunch?

 

July Whole25: Week 2 Meal Plan

Today wraps up Week 1!  The eats were tasty and I already feel like my stomach has deflated a bit.  I definitely haven't gotten enough sleep and I'm looking to fix that this week.  My workouts went well and I'm hoping to continue that into this week too.  I'm utilizing some cookbook recipes for Week 2 to spice things up since I actually have some time to cook!

In last week's meal plan, I said I usually don't eat much for breakfast but I was working out in the am and I was pretty hungry so I ate some fruit, leftover veggies and Southwestern Frittata.  This week I'll be whipping up a batch of Apple Streusel Egg Muffins from Practical Paleo!

I didn't exactly follow my meal plan for last week since I never make the Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast.  I was so burnt out on cooking from my 3 hour stint on Monday (yes, I was too lazy to even throw something in the crockpot), so I skipped it.  I ended up making the Crock Pot Beef Stew yesterday to eat after the grad party because I figured we might feel like we skipped a meal since we ate in the late afternoon and I'm making the Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast today (so that's why it's featured again in this week's meal plan).

Monday

• Lunch: Leftover Crock Pot Beef Stew and (unsweetened) apple sauce 
• Dinner: Asian Orange Pan-Seared Scallops from Practical Paleo with Caramelized Brussel Sprouts & Onions from The 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast with leftover Caramelized Brussel Sprouts & Onions from The 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook
• Dinner: Coconut Chicken Fingers with Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries and a side salad (and I plan on making some Roasted Cauliflower while I have the oven on, to have later in the week)

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover Crock Pot Beef Stew and some Roasted Cauliflower
• Dinner: Spaghetti Squash Bolognese from Practical Paleo

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover Coconut Chicken Fingers with Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries and a side salad
• Dinner: Chicken sausage sauteed with onions and peppers and (unsweetened) apple sauce

Friday

• Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti Squash Bolognese from Practical Paleo
• Dinner: Leftover Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast with leftover Roasted Cauliflower

Saturday

• Lunch: Deli meat roll ups (ham/turkey with lettuce and tomato rolled up inside) or a salad topped with the meat
• Dinner: Seafood feast (down the shore!)

Sunday

• Lunch: Deli meat roll ups or a salad topped with the meat
• Dinner: ?????

We'll be down the shore this weekend, so I'm not really sure how things will go.  I will be balancing the Whole30 principles with trying not to offend my mother in law.  She knows I'm doing some kind of special diet thing, but loves to plan our eats for the entire weekend and doesn't seem very interested in learning anything about Paleo.  So I'm going to do a combo of eating my own foods and eating whatever she makes that is Paleo but maybe not Whole30 compliant.  If I succeed at avoiding my favorite dessert (her banana split cake aka whipped cream, bananas, pineapple, chocolate chips, and more), then I will deserve an award.

Does your family eat the same as you?  If not, are they supportive?

 

July Whole25: Week 1 Meal Plan

Happy 4th of July everyone :)

(source)

My Whole25 starts on Monday, so I'll let you guess what I'm doing this weekend...

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I can't say that stuffing my face with crap beforehand is a good choice, but I would be lying if I said I was eating healthy to prepare.  Well... some preparation is better than nothing, right?!  During my first Whole30, I didn't do any meal planning and I have no idea how I survived. 

I honestly don't usually feel very hungry in the morning, so breakfast throughout my Whole25 will be coffee, tea, some fruit, maybe some hard boiled eggs, leftovers, or Larabars (only some of which are compliant, so read those labels!)

Monday

• Lunch: I didn't have a chance to hit the grocery store before our weekend away and my coworkers are planning a lunch out at one of their favorite local restaurants, so unfortunately I'm starting my Whole25 with a meal that may not be 100% compliant (yeah, I know... fail!).  We're headed to a Thai restaurant, so I believe my meal will be compliant aside from possible non compliant oils/soy/sugar
• Dinner: After heading to the grocery store to seriously stock up, I'll be putting Dave to work grilling this Spanish Chicken & (Cauliflower) Rice dish in a foil pack, while I cook up a Southwestern Frittata and roast multiple pans of veggies to have for the rest of the week including: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, peppers

Tuesday

• Lunch: Leftover Spanish Chicken & (Cauliflower) Rice
• Dinner: I have a meeting so I'll be eating leftover Southwestern Frittata and roasted veggies, but I plan on cooking this Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast for Dave and leftovers for the week.  I love it because you can eat it as is or if you get bored, change it up with some Franks Red Hot or compliant bbq sauce, or even add some Mexican spices, onions and peppers and violà you have fajitas!

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast and roasted veggies
• Dinner: I'll be attending a BBQ at a friends house, so I'll be eating whatever meat is served with a Paleo side I'm going to bring, I'm leaning towards prosciutto wrapped asparagus

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover Southwestern Frittata and roasted veggies
• Dinner: Leftover Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast with a side salad

Friday

• Lunch: Whatever leftovers we have left!
• Dinner: Blue Ribbon Country Captain Chicken from Well Fed with roasted brussel sprouts

Saturday

• Brunch: Veggie egg scramble
• Lunner: We'll be at a graduation party, so I plan on eating whatever meat is served with a Paleo side I'm going to bring and honestly I think I'm going to bring the prosciutto wrapped asparagus to this party too because it will be so easy to just double the quantity from Wednesday

Sunday

• Brunch: Leftover Blue Ribbon Country Captain Chicken with brussel sprouts
• Dinner: We'll be having some family over to help with some housework so I think I'll be throwing this Crock Pot Beef Stew together to have something that will cook itself while we're working

As you can see, I plan on cooking a lot at once and then utilizing the leftovers for future meals.  I'm a huge fan of this method, Whole30 or not.  I learned it from my momma :)  I'm also trying to keep it pretty simple this week.  I really don't mind eating the same thing for a few days in a row and both Dave and I have lot going on, so we really won't have any time to cook Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.  I know we don't have plans for Friday, so I'm looking forward to staying home and cooking a more involved meal.  Get it in when you can!

If you're doing the Whole30, don't forget to record your before stats!  Weight yourself, bust out the tape measure, and take those dreaded before pictures.  All right, I'm headed out to enjoy some Independence Day cocktails.  Enjoy your weekend :)

Are you enjoying some treats over the holiday weekend?

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge (aka our Whole56): Week 2 Meal Plan

Better late than never right?

Breakfast this week is a mix of Lara Bars and some mini egg muffins that Dave was inspired to make from a recipe on the challenge forum (similar to these).  I just recently started doing a new task at work that has me out in the field all day, so that threw a wrench in my usual lunch plans of just eating whatever I made for dinner the night before!  On Sunday we made a big batch of baked chicken (cooked in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, and chipotle powder) to have with a salad, an avocado, sliced cucumbers, some fruit, etc.

Monday

• Dinner: Buffalo chicken meatballs and some leftover eggplant in tomato sauce

Tuesday

• Dinner: Leftover Thai curry chicken

 Wednesday

• Dinner: Portobello proscuitto pizzas

Thursday

• Dinner: Steak with grilled zucchini, peppers, onions, and mushrooms and a sweet potato

Friday

• Dinner: Leftovers or last Friday we headed over to Wegmans after CrossFit, we sat outside and put our meal plan together, while enjoying a snack, some live entertainment, and the sunset, before we went grocery shopping for the week, and then came home and made a delicious meal.  This Friday could be a repeat!  You know you're getting old when...

Saturday we're headed to a beer fest in Philly so that will definitely be a cheat and the rest of the weekend will fall under next week's meal plan!  Happy Hump Day!

How's your week going?