My Whole21 - Days 14 through 21

I did it!  Here's the recap of my last week (plus):

Sunday, Day 14 - We ate dinner at my parents' house and spiedies were on the menu.  Spiedies are a dish from Binghamton, NY where we used to live and I knew the marinade wasn't compliant but didn't want to not eat the meal my mom prepared, which was compliant otherwise.  I'm not sure if the barleygrass & wheatgrass in the Green Machine juice I drank are Paleo or not, the internet seems undecided, but standing in Wawa looking at the all treats that I really wanted and controlling myself was a win.  The juice was a delicious treat on our way home from the mountains, with a green kick to boot.  I need to focus on NO cheats this week!

Monday, Day 15 - Went to two different grocery stores to stock up for the week.  I was supposed to cook a new recipe tonight, but by the time I got home I didn't feel like.  I found some Whole30 compliant chicken sausage at Trader Joe's, so that made for a quick dinner.  I never liked sauerkraut in the first 25 years of my life, but apparently I like it now!

Tuesday, Day 16 - I was very tired after lunch, but not sure why!  And then my head started to hurt.  I started to go downhill throughout the afternoon and by the time I got home I felt terrible.  I laid on the couch and took a short nap while Dave made dinner.  He even made the recipe that I was planning to make that night!  What a guy!  After I ate dinner, I took a two hour nap on the couch.  Then I woke up and went to bed.

Wednesday, Day 17 - No headache today, thank goodness!

Thursday, Day 18 - Very tired around 2:30 pm.  I'm not sure why I've been feeling like this :(  Arrived at my parents' house to a fresh baked cake on the counter, a bowl of mixed cookie dough in the fridge, and candy everywhere.  I was seriously dying over the temptation.

Friday, Day 19 - I think I got more pork at DiNic's by ordering a bowl instead of a sandwich!  Wishing I could've hit up the Amish desserts at the Reading Terminal Market, but I survived!

Saturday, Day 20 - More of the same, I had to practice some serious self control when everyone was eating nachos and boneless wings at Applebee's.  However, my sister left the restaurant feeling "SO FULL" and I felt just right.

Sunday, Day 21 - I survived 21 days of clean eating!  I took my "after pictures" and then ate a brownie at 10 pm!  It was so delicious but it definitely threw my stomach for a loop.  I didn't really have stomach pain, I just felt kind of bloated and I was very aware of my stomach experiencing the brownie.  The brownie didn't taste "too sweet" as I thought it might, it tasted exactly how I remembered brownies tasting aka oh.so.amazing!  I'm not sure why I thought eating a sugar bomb at 10 pm was a good idea, because I could NOT fall asleep.

I still can't believe I did it!  Overall, my Whole21 was a great experience, I learned a lot, lost some weight, and tried a bunch of new recipes.  Stay tuned for a summary of my results and some before and after pictures!

Have you ever given up some of your favorite foods?

Double Date at the Auto Show!

Friday night, as the snow was coming down hard and everyone seemed to be stuck in traffic somewhere, we were on the train headed into the city. Our night started out with some delicious pork from DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market. Karisa and Frank met us there and then we all headed to the Philly Auto Show! We drooled over luxury cars, rumbled through a terrain course in a Jeep, almost lost our hearing in the DUB section (apparently big wheels go hand in hand with big speakers!), and the boys furthered their bromance.

I had never been to a car show before and we had a blast!  But it definitely made me want to go buy a new car... and not one in my price range ;)

Today is the last day of my Whole21!  I made it!  I will definitely be posting more about my last week and my results, but for now go like my new Facebook page!

Have you ever been to an auto show?  What's your dream car?

My Whole21–Days 7 through 13

Day 13 and guess what, I’m feeling great!  Here’s the recap for the past week:

Sunday, Day 7 - Buffalo chicken, french onion, and beer cheese dips were all in my house and I did NOT eat them!!!! Victory! I was super close to abandoning my diet completely (seriously), but I held strong. I’m not sure if I'm eating too much sugar via fruit but it’s still better than the peppermint bark that Dave keeps eating.  Enter the green eyed monster!

Monday, Day 8 – So much chocolate at work, driving me crazy! I tried making zucchini and squash "noodles" for the first time. They were ok as just a side, but will be better topped with something. Yay for trying new things in the kitchen!

Tuesday, Day 9 – I was fighting some serious cravings around 2 pm, and was trying to decide if I was actually hungry or not. I knew I was taking a fail with some canola oil in the pesto I had already purchased from TJ’s, but I was so bored with my meals and really wanted the pesto. I never made sweet potatoes before and I was surprised how much I liked them (especially with some cinnamon). Another easy recipe out of Practical Paleo.

Wednesday, Day 10 - Coffee free, 4 days in a row! Guess that's what happens when you get tons of sleep :) I've been searching the internet for some Whole30 support/recipes/etc. and I keep seeing everyone talk about eating sausage, but when I looked in Wegmans every.single.sausage had sugar listed in the ingredients. But I did some googling and learned that there are a ton of Applegate products that are Whole30 approved. I will be buying these next week, I want some sausage (and variety) in my life!

Thursday, Day 11 - Started the day off feeling awful, I should've gone to bed earlier and I was definitely feeling the lack of sleep. Coffee to the rescue! I was feeling slightly worried about going away this weekend but I knew planning ahead would be my best chance at success! I went to my first yoga class in a few months at a new-to-me studio. I loved the class and left feeling great.

Friday, Day 12 – I was slightly sore from yoga, but I felt so inspired that I did a few sun salutations before my shower in the morning. I really wanted to add chicken to my grocery store salad bar mix but I wasn't sure what it was cooked in and decided to skip it. I was super annoyed when the salad oil was a mix of EVOO and canola oil... really???

Saturday, Day 13 - I'm so glad I packed a bunch of food and snacks for my trip. I ended up eating some sugar and other crappy ingredients in the taco seasoning that we used for the ground beef, but the rest of the meal was Whole30 compliant. Oh well!

I feel so good!  I’m more than halfway through and I know I can finish this thing.  So many people are sick right now, but I’m feeling better than ever.  Eating clean is definitely paying off and my waist is looking tiny and I’m never hungry.  I’m spending the weekend up in the mountains with a small group of friends.  Today was literally a perfect day for skiing, I loved spending the day in the sunshine on the slopes.  I hope you’re having a great weekend!

What’s something healthy you did for yourself recently?