January Whole30: Days 6 - 13

Ok, I've been slacking on keeping up with my Whole30 blogging!  I've been kinda busy and kinda lazy.  Oh and we adopted a second dog yesterday!

His name is Butler!  He's 4 or 5 years old, such a cutie, and already blending well into the house.  Puddin' is still getting used to sharing the attention, but I know they'll be besties soon enough.  We adopted him from an amazing rescue named Pitties.Love.Peace!

Day 6, Saturday 1/10/15 - Dave and I kicked the day off with an intense 20 minute WOD.  Then, I felt like I spent all afternoon cooking.  Both brunch and dinner were so delicious that it was worth it though.  I even made homemade mayo for the first time!  And some delicious baba ganoush (go make that, seriously).  Dave really hasn't "followed" the timeline, but today he was all about napping.  My head kind of started hurting around dinner time, I think it was because I didn't drink any caffeine!  I drank a cup of green tea and then ended up napping on the couch before bed time.

Day 7, Sunday 1/11/15 - Ugh... I cheated.  Jesus made me do it lol.  They serve communion at my church twice a year and I've skipped it before while doing Whole30s, but my first week back in choir, sitting up in front of the entire church, I just couldn't bring myself to decline.  I am convinced the grape juice and cracker are the cause of the zit that appeared on my face later that day.  Today was less strenuous in the kitchen.  I intended on putting away Christmas decorations this weekend, but laying on the couch watching football and Breaking Bad was more important apparently.  My entire body was so sore from CrossFit!

Day 8, Monday 1/12/15 - The day started with avoiding treats in the kitchen at work. I skipped my coffee since I've been getting so much sleep and I'd love to be able to go a day without without facing a headache.  I felt great all day, no caffeine withdrawal headache, yay!  Tore it up in the kitchen tonight and made a ton of food.  I was jealous of everyone's Chinese food leftovers today at lunch, so my Asian feast was perfectly timed.  I wasn't particularly interested in anything on TV so instead of mindlessly watching something and staying up late, I read a chapter of my book and turned the lights out around 9:30.

Day 9, Tuesday 1/13/15 - Got after it at CrossFit this morning!  The WOD was 12 minutes of 1, 2, 3, 4.... deadlifts and chest to bar pull ups.  The Rx weight for women was 155 lbs, which my coach recommended I go for.  It was super heavy.  I thought about pulling some weight off my bar mid WOD, but my coach kept encouraging me and I just kept going.  My chest wasn't exactly hitting the bar, but I did all of my pull ups unassisted.  I finished the 7th round and did 8 deadlifts and 1 pull up.  I was proud of this workout!  The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  I skipped my coffee again with no ill effects.  I avoided a trip to Chipotle with my coworkers.  I knew I could get a compliant meal there, but with so much food already in my fridge, I decided to eat what I had and save Chipotle for when I'm in a pinch!  I knew I had some errands to run after work, so I brought extra food to work with me for dinner.

Day 10, Wednesday 1/14/15 - Getting out of bed at 5:15 am has not been easy lately, which is weird since I've been going to bed so early!  My back was feeling pretty sore from those deadlifts the day before, even though my coach said I kept good form throughout the WOD, which made the front squats feel kind of terrible.  This morning's WOD was a 12 minute AMRAP of 3 goblet squats (squats holding a kettlebell), 6 alternating kettlebell snatches, and 9 handstand push ups.  It really just felt like 12 minutes of handstand push ups and for some reason, mine were off.  The rest of the day was very uneventful.  I skipped my coffee again.  For some reason I wasn't really hungry for dinner.  I ate some leftover soup but barely ate a third of the bowl before I decided I wasn't into it.

Day 11, Thursday 1/15/15 - More leftovers for lunch.  I decided to drink some coffee today knowing that I would be out later than my bedtime.  I didn't really notice any serious effects.  I brought some extra food to work, intending on eating before we left for the Flyers game but I was so full from lunch, I had no interest in choking down dinner that early.  I drank a Suja juice (the 24 Karat flavor) on the way down and still wasn't feeling super hungry.  Then we went into a bar... and everything smelled amazing.  I literally had to leave when the guy next to us got a quesadilla and fries.  When we got into our seats in the Wells Fargo Center, Dave told me that he was going to get an order of crab fries and I decided the only way I wasn't going to lose my mind (or eat a bunch of fries dunked in liquid cheese) was if I got some food.  I ordered a sausage with peppers and onions without the bun.  It tasted good, but gave me gas immediately.  I died a little inside when the guy next to us came back with a giant slice of Lorenzo's pizza.

Day 12, Friday 1/16/15 - After getting to bed fairly late after the hockey game, I debated skipping CF in the morning, but I liked the workout so I decided to make it happen.  The WOD was pretty brutal, but I Rx'd it!  My legs were definitely feeling it later.  I was pretty sad eating leftovers for lunch while everyone else was enjoying free pizza from our company.  Pizza is definitely my weakness!  My company holiday party was that night.  I knew the menu beforehand and decided I was going to indulge in the Paleo choices and enjoy the party.  I ate some raw veggies and fruit, an antipasto kabob (minus the mozzarella ball), bacon wrapped scallops, bacon wrapped sirloin, crab stuffed mushrooms, and coconut shrimp.  I'm positive they weren't all Whole30 approved, but I felt good about my choices and they didn't give me a stomach ache.  Skipping the cheese plate and the dessert (omg, the cannolis looked amazing) was the hardest part.  I'm pretty sure some of my coworkers thought I was pregnant since I wasn't drinking the whole night lol!  I stuck to water and a coffee but still stayed out late with everyone and busted some serious moves on the dance floor.

Day 13, Saturday 1/17/15 - Today was the big adoption day, so we ate leftovers except for dinner.  I didn't really like the pork dish I made earlier in the week, so I whipped up some more of this sauce to up the flavor.  I was already thinking of making a BLT salad and seeing this post sealed the deal.  We took the pups for a nice walk, which was great for my sore legs.  I felt energized throughout the day and I'm really starting to feel slender.  I've been wearing some clothing that I had been avoiding for a while because they just weren't flattering.  Yay :)

I owe you guys a meal plan!  We've been eating leftovers and making do with whatever we had in the fridge, but tomorrow I'll definitely be hitting the grocery store!  Tomorrow is Day 15, going strong!

What's your diet kryptonite?

Guest Post: Krista's Quick and Easy Crab and Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Hi, Happy Friday :) Today I'm so excited to share a guest post from my friend Krista!  She is an amazing Paleo chef and definitely inspires me in the kitchen.  Hopefully this will not be the only time we hear from her!

Friday nights in are a luxury we don’t often have at our house with our busy schedules, so tonight it was great to make an early dinner and get to hang out even though we're missing a weekend of skiing being sick at home. My favorite thing to do, when I have the time for it, is improvise in the kitchen and make new fun recipes. I've made stuffed portobello mushrooms before, but this time, knowing Amber wanted me to make a guest post, for the first time ever I actually wrote down the recipe while I was cooking! If you know me, you know this is a big deal because my mind and hands are always in a billion places at a time in the kitchen.

Working 11 hours a day makes it tough to find time to cook when I get home, but one of the things I always try to do in the kitchen is find ways to speed up the prep process without sacrificing taste. When making anything stuffed where the pieces need to be minced but not necessarily uniform sizes my secret tool is the blender. Sounds weird, I know! But how annoying is it to stand there and mince all your veggies with one of those things you bang on the table - or even worse, take the time to cut them with a knife?! Not me, that's for sure. This recipe is super easy because there is very little prep involved when you only have to push a button and maybe scrape the sides a little bit. (If your blender is an older model that needs liquid to run without burning out you'll need to use a food processor instead!)

My other two must have kitchen tools are specifically for garlic. I'm Italian; I love fresh minced garlic and I'm proud of it. It's so annoying to prep and mince though unless you have the two magical tools I have. The white tube is from Pampered Chef and all you have to do is slide in a clove of garlic with the skin still on it and roll it on the table back and forth. It removes the skin for you so your hands don't smell! Then pop it whole into the other round orange tool and roll that on the table, it minces it for you so you don't have to cut it up. Beautiful. There's nothing like the taste of fresh minced garlic.

These are just a few of the tricks that can help you make those awesome whole30 dinners quickly and deliciously. There's probably a bunch more online, and people like me who have been eating Paleo for 2+ years are an awesome resource. Feel free to contact me with any questions or to let me know what you think of the recipe!

Crab and Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Makes 4 medium or 2 large mushrooms
*Sauce recipe is still in development but the one found here is a good pairing.

Ingredients:
- 4 medium or 2 large portobello mushrooms
- 1 cup tightly packed lump crab meat
- 2 cups loosely packed cauliflower chunks
- 1/2 cup tightly packed spinach
- 4 mini peppers of any color (I buy the multicolor mini pepper bags)
- 1/4 of an onion
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp old bay seasoning

Directions:
1. Set oven to 375°.

2. Line the baking sheet with tinfoil or silicone baking mat for easy cleaning.

3. Scoop the insides out of the mushrooms with a spoon, being careful not to break the sides (unless you're like me and buy ones that are already broken!) It helps keep the filling inside. Rub or brush a small amount of avocado oil over the top and bottom of the mushrooms so they don't dry out and place on the baking sheet. Discard the insides of the mushroom.

4. Place cauliflower chunks into blender or food processor (depending on the size you have it may take more than one round to “rice” all of the cauliflower) and use the pulse setting to mince or “rice” the cauliflower.

5. If you have a smaller unit, transfer this to a large bowl. My ninja can fit this along with the other ingredients. Place onion, garlic, spinach, and peppers into blender or food processor and pulse until minced. Transfer to same large bowl.

6. Add crab to bowl and stir in. Next, pour in 1 tbsp avocado oil and 1 tsp lemon juice along with the salt, pepper, oregano, and old bay seasoning. Stir in and combine all ingredients. It should be clumping easily and not cracking apart, but if it looks too dry add a bit more oil.

7. Scoop onto portobello mushrooms pressing lightly to compress and shape. Try to keep the stuffing inside the rims of the mushroom if possible.

8. Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes depending on size and thickness of the mushrooms. Should be soft when it's done with a very light crust on top. Serve plain, or pair with Remoulade sauce. Nom away!

Thank you so much Krista!  I can't wait to make these :) 

What's your favorite time saving trick in the kitchen?

January Whole30: Days 1 - 5

As Day 5 comes to a close, I'm happy this weekend is pretty open for me.  I'm definitely feeling exhausted, which is right on schedule with the timeline.  Day 6 and 7 are "I just want a nap..." so I'm planning on relaxing... and cooking of course!  5 days down, 25 to go.  So far so good!

Day 1, Monday 1/5/15 - I started the week with a bang and worked out at 6 am, which was possibly my first Monday morning class ever!  I didn't have breakfast since I burned out on cooking on Sunday and didn't finish my casserole, so I was starving for lunch.  I stuffed my face with a huge taco salad, an apple, and a clementine.  Dinner came out great, lemon artichoke chicken is such a simple but delicious meal.  I went to bed at 9 pm in anticipation of feeling crappy. Today was pretty easy.

Day 2, Tuesday 1/6/15 - My legs hurt SO bad!  I was definitely happy I had bfast this morning.  It really hit the spot.  Lunch wasn't huge, but it was perfectly satisfying.  I was waiting to feel like crap, but I felt good for the entire workday.  However, I went super downhill after I left work and literally felt like I was dying.  My head hurt so bad.  I struggled to eat dinner and spent the rest of the night sleeping.  I also struggled to get an appealing picture of the Portobello Pizzas.

A close up of my breakfast for the week.

Day 3, Wednesday 1/7/15 - My legs were still killing me but at least I didn't have a headache.  I skipped my planned workout because I felt so crappy the night before and figured my legs wouldn't mind the extra rest day.  I felt kinda blah midday so I took some ibuprofen, I could NOT do a repeat of the night before.  My zucchini noodles came out good, but I just can't seem to master a thick Paleo "cream" sauce.  I randomly added some beef with caramelized onions to our dinner plan since we got free samples from a meal delivery service rep earlier in the week.

Day 4, Thursday 1/8/15 - Another 6 am workout in the books.  The heat isn't working in our section of the gym (we have a room in a big sports complex building).  It was 46 degrees in the gym when I got there!  I was so cold I did my warm up in my shin length winter coat.  My tummy seems like it's debloating from all the crap I ate beforehand, so that's nice.  My lunch was sort of light today, so I was extra ready for dinner.  The chicken came out great in the crock pot and guac is my favorite thing in the world.  I got a little feisty when Dave got home (Days 4 & 5 are labeled as "kill ALL the things!" in the Whole30 timeline) but I quickly realized what was happening and stopped myself.

Day 5, Friday 1/9/15 - I intended on working out in the morning, but sleep won out!  The lack of heat at the gym was also a deterrent.  I'm surprised at how hungry I've been in the morning since I usually don't eat anything for breakfast.  I went to the mall and to two different grocery stores after work so didn't start cooking dinner until 9 pm.  I was pretty hungry by then, but not starving.  I popped some fresh blueberries in my mouth to hold me over.  They were so delicious.  Dinner wasn't so bad either!  The homemade mango salsa over tilapia was definitely a treat.

If you're interested in the food in my photos, go check out my meal plan!

Worst part:  The crazy headache on Tuesday!  I knew it was coming since I ate so terribly before I started, but it was truly awful.

Best part:  My clothes are already fitting better and my skin is clearing up!  My energy levels are also a lot more even throughout the day, aka no afternoon slump.

Favorite meal:  The Lemon Artichoke Chicken from Practical Paleo on Monday night (tonight's dinner was a close second), it's so easy and simple, but so delicious.  I honestly never thought I'd be into cookbooks, but ever since Heather bought me that book over 2 years ago, my views have been changed.  It includes a lot of understandable explanations about why you would want to follow Paleo as well as many simple but flavorful recipes to ease the average Joe into the world of Paleo cooking.  It was a perfect first step into Paleo for me.  Also, I know there are infinite recipes online, but there's just something about having the book right in front of me as I cook.  And I love the beautiful photography.  The Against All Grain cookbook just arrived on my doorstep today and I can't wait to find some new favorites.

Thing That I'm Loving Most:  The facebook support group!  I've done this with previous Whole30s and the group has been beneficial, but it's never been this large.  There are 23 people in the group and everyone is constantly interacting: posting pictures of their meals, sharing recipes, asking questions, and providing a ton of support for each other.  I am loving this group so much and I know it is making the Whole30 easier for all of us!

Do you have any fun plans for this weekend?  Are you cooking up anything interesting?