Our Menu for the Week & Reintroducing Beans

Hello!  How's your week kicking off?  I started mine with a bit of a belly ache.  When I saw Dave's mom's appetizer at the family dinner last night, I had every intention of completely avoiding it.  She brought a salsa dish that was primarily black beans and corn with some tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice.  I hadn't tried any of it when Dave's mom excitingly told me that she thought I would like this dish since it had avocados in it and it was pretty healthy!  At this point, I felt obligated to try it and it was pretty tasty.  I should have stopped there, but everyone kept raving about how good it was and I had to agree.  Throughout the night I definitely tried some other non compliant things, but I knew none of them were at fault when I started to have some serious flatulence upon leaving the party. Beans beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you... feel like you need to use the bathroom but just can't.  Needless to say, between this and the chili incident, I will not be including beans in my diet.

Food stuff with my mother-in-law is awkward.  I thought she had the gist of what we eat and don't eat, but I guess we've never discussed legumes.  Do I have food allergies?  No.  Am I going to get sick if I eat pasta/bread/beans/etc?  Do stomach pains count...?  Do I offend my mother-in-law when she makes a dish specifically thinking I will like it?  I'd love to just sit down with her and come clean, but for some reason I always just feel like I'm being ridiculous.  To a woman who shows her love in the kitchen, am I just being a snobby health freak?  Mehhhhhhh.

Between eating out a few times this weekend and the bean situation, it's definitely time to get back on track and do some meal planning!  So what's on the menu this week?  Tonight I made Sweet Potato Waffle Breakfast BLT With Garlic Basil Aioli.  It was slightly labor intensive but it was oh so worth it!  The waffles were great and it was fun to finally use our waffle maker.  I may never make Paleo pancakes in a pan ever again, this was so much easier.

Here's what's coming up later this week:

• Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
• Mediterranean Style Cauliflower Rice 
• Caramelized Italian Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Jam
• Bacon Avocado Cups with a Balsamic Glaze

Dave and I think going out on Valentine's Day is overrated, so our tradition is to stay home and enjoy some homemade chicken parm.  It's my favorite food and I won't be doing anything to try and make it Paleo.  I will be making my own sauce (minus the sugar, plus some fresh tomatoes) and serving it with a big veggie lasagne (hold the noodles but don't forget the cheese).  I'm even thinking of making some treats for Vday and these two recipes caught my eye: Paleo Double Chocolate Cupcakes and Paleo Cookie Dough.

And let's end with some mug shots.

Would you tell your family if you didn't want to eat something they made for you?  What do you think I should do?

My January Whole30 Results!

Without further ado...

Day 1   Weight = 155 lbs

Day 30 Weight = 145 lbs

Weight Loss     = 10 lbs!

This Whole30 was so necessary.  Beforehand, I remember just feeling so bloated.  I was avoiding half of my wardrobe because everything seemed to showcase my inflated tummy.  I started thinking about all the clothing that I gave away because it was too big, wondering if I should've kept it just in case.  I can never understand how I let myself get to that point.  I suppose it happens over time, but I really gave up trying to eat healthy at all.

Sometimes I think about growing up and how it impacts my eating habits now.  When I was young, I ate whatever I wanted with no remorse or real consequence.  My mom cooked delicious meals and there was always some kind of treat in the house.  I loved to eat and I was super active and I certainly never thought about portion control.  On one hand, it's awesome that I never had to think about any of it.  I took pleasure in food and didn't have any disordered thoughts as a young adolescent.  On the other hand, I never learned to practice self control of any kind... which takes us to college.

When I was at Penn State, I tried to watch what I ate and include veggies in my diet during meal time.  But if I was drunk (or hungover) all bets were completely off!  Drunk munchies consisted of 2-3 giant slices of pizza, an order of pokey sticks aka melt in your mouth greasy cheesy bread, or my favorite "fat sandwich" from R U Hungry? piled high with gyro meat, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, bacon, and french fries.  All drenched in ranch, of course.  I can remember watching the Victoria Secret runway show with my roommates while stuffing our faces with booze, pizza, and cookies and thinking it was hilarious.  I gained some weight, lost it during the summer, gained it back... it was only 10 lbs and it never stopped me from eating exactly what I wanted at 3 in the morning.

Fast forward a few years... I find healthy living blogs, I realize that food is fuel (not just something tasty to put in your mouth), I run a half marathon, I discover Paleo and CrossFit... I am a changed woman!  So why do I still find myself chowing down on five slices of pizza and feeling smugly entertained by it?

It's really frustrating to look back over the past few years on the blog.  My January 2015 starting weight was the same as my January 2013 and July 2014 starting weights.  I feel like I'm losing the same 10 lbs over and over again.  I know weight is just a number, the scale does not tell the whole story.  I know that I am getting stronger in the gym.  I know that my body is beautiful!  However, the way my stomach blows up like a balloon when I stop caring about my diet makes it's easy to see that that is not working for me.  Since this is my 4th Whole30 (plus a 2 month Paleo challenge), I guess it's pretty obvious that 30 days is not long enough for me to make the healthy habits stick.  For me, following strict rules for 30 days is the easy part... it's riding my own bike afterwards that is so damn hard.

Right now I feel great.  My skin is clear.  I don't need coffee every day.  I don't feel like I'm going to pass out at my desk after lunch.  My clothes fit again!  I don't finish meals feeling like I've got a food baby in my belly.  My stomach feels good, no weird pains.  Come to think of it... I didn't get ANY cramps when shark week came along this month!!!!

So what now?  After every other Whole30 I've done, as soon it was over I stuffed my face with a bunch of crap and then felt awful.  I am desperately trying to avoid that scenario this time around.  I am trying to reintroduce individual things (dairy, gluten, etc) to see exactly how they affect me.  After I test each thing, I am planning on staying mostly compliant at home (compliant + cheese) and being more relaxed when I'm out to eat or at a party.

So far I've tried a few forms of dairy without much of a reaction.  I think my tummy might not be a huge fan of crappy oils that french fries are fried in and that exist in some salad dressings.  We ate out a few times this weekend, but I made good choices and didn't make myself ill.  I do regret the roll I ate with my Saladworks for lunch today.  It was crusty, yet soft and delicious covered in grass-fed butter, but then it made my tummy feel yucky and bloated afterwards.  Tonight will be a true test at a Midgley family dinner.  There is always quite a spread of tasty appetizers, some wine, and I'm already thinking about the birthday cake.

My number one goal for 2015 is to commit to clean eating and don't let indulgences here and there take me completely off track, so now it's time to put my money where my mouth is!

Would you ever do a Whole30?!  Or do you think I'm crazy?



Looking for more Whole30 Results?

• My Whole21 - Results! 
• My April Whole30 Results!
• Guest Post: Sarah's Whole30 Results! 
• Guest Post: Heather's Whole30 Results! 
• Even More Whole30 Results 
• Guest Post: Julia's Whole30 Recap!
• My July Whole25 Results!

Don't forget to like Busy, Bold, Blessed on Facebook!
 

January Whole30: Days 21 - 30

Day 21, Sunday 1/25/15 - I've been wanting to go to CrossFit on a Sunday for a few weeks now since they've been doing the barbell club meaning the workout is based on heavy lifts and there isn't a WOD, but the timing is really tight with church and I decided meal prep was more crucial.  I plopped some beef in the crockpot and prepped the brunch I was going to scarf down between church and leaving for my cheer banquet.  I completely skipped the dessert reception after the banquet, I didn't want to put myself in a tempting situation.  I stopped at my mom's house and she was making my fave, chicken parm.  I swear I could've taken the entire block of mozzarella to the face.

Day 22, Monday 1/26/15 - So many treats in the kitchen at work!  Avoided all the cupcakes, brownies, etc.  Dave and I tore it up in the kitchen at dinner time.  I really love this salad (I skipped the maple syrup in the dressing).

Day 23, Tuesday 1/27/15 - I worked from home, even though the snow storm was pretty much a complete bust.  Dave started joking about ordering a pizza.  It wasn't funny!  We stuck to our leftovers.  I made Krista's mushrooms for dinner and they were so easy and delicious.  Next time I think I'll whip up some Paleo tartar sauce to go with them.  Her photos are a lot prettier than mine.

Day 24, Wednesday 1/28/15 - After blowing off the gym two days in a row due to "inclement weather," I decided I had to go!  The lifting portion was a bunch of heavy front squats and they were really hurting my back.  I tried my best to focus on form, but I ended up actually taking some weight off my bar because I didn't want to risk an injury.  Perhaps a trip to the chiropractor needs to happen sooner rather than later.  I'm also thinking I may need to do some extra core work to strengthen my back.  The WOD sucked.  It was a 12 minute AMRAP of 100 wallballs (throw a medicine ball into the air, catch it, squat, repeat), 75 shoulders to overhead (women's Rx 55 lbs), 50 alternating pistols (one legged squats), and 25 burpees.  As many rounds as possible?!  Hahaha.  I made it through the wallballs and 33 S2O.  And it was terrible!  This workout left me seriously winded, like almost lightheaded.  I felt worse afterward this WOD than I have in a while.

The pants I wore to work fit me pretty well at the beginning of the month, but today they were seriously loose, yay!  This pad thai is so good!

Day 25, Thursday 1/29/15 - My quads were SO sore!  This day was pretty uneventful otherwise.  I felt great.  Dinner was quick and easy.  Just another day in Whole30 land...

Day 26, Friday 1/30/15 - Hit the gym at 6 am.  The strength portion was a bunch of cleans.  I didn't lift as heavy as I wanted to since I was still feeling something in my lower back.  The WOD was a 6 minute AMRAP of 6 Thrusters (squat and then push overhead, 65 lbs for women) and 12 kettlebell swings (the prescribed (Rx) weight was 53 lbs, I swung 36 lbs).  The thrusters felt a lot heavier than I expected them to.  I'm still not 100% comfortable swinging the 36 lbs kettlebell.  I know I can do it, but when I get tired sometimes I lose control of it at the top.  I may or may not have put a dent in the floor at the end of the workout.  I should've used some chalk to get a better grip on the handle, it felt slippery as soon as I started.

12 hours later, I went to my first yoga class in a long time.  I found a local studio offering $5 Fridays in February!  It felt so great and I plan on going back next week!  The rest of my Friday night was spent running around to 2 different grocery stores in some crazy cold wind, cooking the quickest dinner ever (chicken & shrimp fajita bowls) when I finally got home after 9 pm, and then promptly passing out on the couch.  #partyanimal

Day 27, Saturday 1/31/15 - I hosted a surprise sprinkle for my girlfriend Kimber at the house.  It was a potluck so I made compliant sausage and my friend Leah (also doing the Whole30) made parsnip hummus with veggies and a delicious Mexican Chicken Chowder from the Against All Grain cookbook.  I ate some fresh fruit as dessert and felt super satisfied.  I did have a little cupcake envy...

A little peek at my dining room.

Day 28, Sunday 2/1/15 - Sunday morning started with a barbell club class at CrossFit.  There is no workout of the day, just a bunch of different movements to work on lifting technique.  We worked on our snatch form and I really liked it.  After church, I did some relaxing and then a lot of food prep!  I also learned a few things... like fresh garlic is way stronger than the jar of preminced garlic and that the chicken wings I purchased were whole wings and preparing them involved a lot more work than I ever realized.  We had an epic super bowl feast, I made way too much food and didn't even end up serving some of it!

My friend made some Paleo but not quite Whole30 approved snacks and I couldn't help but indulge.  She makes a version of these Bacon Avocado Cups with Balsamic Glaze and they are my favorite thing in the world.  She also made some sweet potato fries (that had a dipping sauce involving butter & brown sugar that I touched with my finger to check if it needed to be reheated and then licked my finger... whoops).  Shortly after enjoying a delicious plate of Paleo Nachos, I ended up with an awful tummy ache that lasted about 10 minutes.  I guess it could've been from butter, the miniscule amount of brown sugar I consumed, or the sunflower oil the plantain chips were baked in.  I have no idea, but it sucked.  Thankfully I felt better in time to stuff my face with wings :)

Day 29, Monday 2/2/15 - You know what's great about not drinking?  No super bowl hangover!  I also loved having leftover wings for lunch.

Day 30, Tuesday 2/3/15 - CrossFit at 6 am! I worked on my pull ups during the skill portion of class.  I was able to connect 3 or 4 pull ups together multiple times!  The WOD was 3 rounds for time of 6 ring dips, 12 front squats, 24 bar-over burpees, and 48 double unders with a 2 minute rest between rounds.  I knew I wasn't going to make it under the 20 min cap.  Burpees suck and double unders suck more.  I got through 2 rounds + dips + front squats + 20 of the burpees.

Can you spot me?  I'm the lone lady.

I had cheerleading after work so I made sure to pack a good snack so I wouldn't be tempted to end my Whole30 a few hours early.  I ate a couple deviled eggs and a clementine before I left work and honestly wasn't hungry for the rest of the night.  I had a few frozen banana treats (future recipe...?) when I got home and was proud of myself for not going with one of Dave's mom's brownies from our freezer as a finishing reward.

And that's it!  I did it.  Results post is in the works and hopefully some guest posts from my facebook support group... stay tuned!  For now... enjoy these pathetic pups!

Did you have a delicious super bowl feast?