Has New York just decided to give up on bringing us nice weather?! I know it's only May, but I feel like there have been just the teeniest handful of days where I have actually wanted to go outside. Yesterday was one of them, but it kept being super nice, then down-pouring out of nowhere, leaving me feeling very confused. Sunshine, where are you?
Speaking of yesterday, it was the best day that I have had in a while! On Saturday night, Mom, Dad, and the dogs slept over our apartment, and then Tyler joined us in the morning for a Mother's Day brunch made by yours truly! Luckily, the weather was nice for a bit, so we brought the dogs to the park and took a walk along the water. It was so nice having everyone together, and I always love hosting! After they left, Brett and I took a walk to SingleCut Brewery (he drank a yummy beer and I had to satisfy myself with just smelling it), where I kicked his ass in Othello.
Anyway, I have completed my first week of the Whole30, and wanted to share how it's been going for me so far! For those of you who may not be familiar, the Whole30 is a program you follow for 30 days in which you eliminate foods that are found to have negative effects on your body, such as cravings, digestive issues, low energy levels, etc. The basic rules are as follows: no grains, alcohol, legumes, added sugars, or dairy for 30 days, and absolutely no cheating. After the 30 days, you reintroduce these foods one at a time, to see what, if anything, these foods do to your body and mind. As someone who has had digestive issues and very low energy levels for years, I decided that I have nothing to lose by following the program! So, I bought the book, read all about it, and threw out a whole bunch of chocolate that filled our kitchen cabinet. I felt like a new woman already (but only because after organizing the cabinet, I realized we had a ton of space that was being wasted.)
Aside from myoccasional almost daily glass of wine, and love for cheese, chick peas, and cashew milk ice cream, I don't eat *too* much dairy or grains, and I'm a rather healthy eater, so the plan didn't seem too different than my typical day-to-day already. With that being said, I have never read so many labels to see if sugar has been added to the food product (almost always yes), and have never been so anxious about going out to eat at a restaurant (what in the world am I even able to order?!). After spending some time researching food ideas online and reading through the book, I completed my first week of the Whole30 and am pretty proud of myself!
Things I'm loving:
1. GT's Kombucha: Thanks to our trip to Whole Foods (Brett and I aren't allowed back after the amount of money we spent there on Saturday), I now know that GT's makes rosé flavored kombucha. Yes, real life. No, I can't believe it myself either. It is delicious, and totally Whole30 approved!
2. Veggettied Sweet Potatoes: Veggettied? I made that word up, and it means something that has been put through the Veggetti. Spiralize a sweet potato, sprinkle some oil, salt, paprika, and cinnamon on it, bake on 400 until the pieces start to look a little crispy, and then eat hiding in the closet so your boyfriend doesn't try to steal some bites.
3. Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning: I have put this on everything. Hard boiled eggs, sweet potatoes, chicken, etc., etc. It is too good to be true. I bought it two weeks ago and have used almost half of the bottle already. Next time I go to TJs, I'm going to stock up on them in case they're seasonal. Seriously, go buy now!
Things I'm struggling with:
1. No Chocolate: I'm a 90% dark chocolate kinda gal (and will generally pass on the milk chocolate). My favorite is this one from Trader Joes. I'm aware that a piece of super dark chocolate is totally innocent and not going to do anything horrible to my body, but I'm following the rules, and not even taking a nibble, to ensure that my system is cleared from anything and everything that I shouldn't be eating for the 30 days.
2. Not Taking Just a Little Nibble: I haven't cheated the program at all, and don't intend to. My goal is to fully dedicate myself to these 30 days and see if I can figure any of my stomach issues out. With that being said, it is so, so hard not to take a sip of Brett's beer, or a taste of the incredible looking cinnamon buns we made for Mother's Day. Thankfully, my willpower has been pretty strong, and Brett reminds me that one little taste isn't worth it.
So far, the Whole30 has been rather easy and super yummy. I've eaten out once (Bareburger was amazing -- very accommodating and very not difficult to find something compliant), cooked some tasty new meals, and have tried my best not to impose my decision on anyone else that I've been around. Hosting Mother's Day brunch made it really easy for me to make Whole30 compliant foods, while also feeling like I was doing something special for Mom! Speaking of Mother's Day brunch, I made an amazing egg and sausage casserole inspired by this recipe (I added cheddar cheese, and baked a bit without cheese in a separate dish), mashed sweet potatoes with (sugar-free) bacon, berry and mint cocktails (mine with sparkling water), fruit, and cinnamon buns (I just drooled on them).
I never follow recipes -- I either come up with my own ideas, or look at a recipe for inspiration and go off and do my own thing with it (also, who wants to measure spices?! My spice motto is "go all out"). My favorite recipe inspiration this week is this Creamy Lemon Slowcooker Chicken. I added a ton of different spices before browning the chicken, skipped the arrowroot because who even owns that, and almost halved the amount of chicken broth the recipe called for, and Brett and I loved it! I actually made it twice this week, and am sure it is a recipe I'll keep in the back of my mind for the future.
As far as how I'm feeling... I've been less bloated than usual this week and have been sleeping like an angel baby, but don't think I look or feel very different otherwise. My nails are hella strong -- unsure if that's related. I had Brett take some pretty unflattering photos of me last week, so I'll be able to see in the end if I look any different at least.
If anyone has completed the Whole30 in the past, I would love to hear about it!
XO
Speaking of yesterday, it was the best day that I have had in a while! On Saturday night, Mom, Dad, and the dogs slept over our apartment, and then Tyler joined us in the morning for a Mother's Day brunch made by yours truly! Luckily, the weather was nice for a bit, so we brought the dogs to the park and took a walk along the water. It was so nice having everyone together, and I always love hosting! After they left, Brett and I took a walk to SingleCut Brewery (he drank a yummy beer and I had to satisfy myself with just smelling it), where I kicked his ass in Othello.
 |
| Mom & Me |
 |
| Managed to get the dogs to sit long enough for a photo ~ |
Anyway, I have completed my first week of the Whole30, and wanted to share how it's been going for me so far! For those of you who may not be familiar, the Whole30 is a program you follow for 30 days in which you eliminate foods that are found to have negative effects on your body, such as cravings, digestive issues, low energy levels, etc. The basic rules are as follows: no grains, alcohol, legumes, added sugars, or dairy for 30 days, and absolutely no cheating. After the 30 days, you reintroduce these foods one at a time, to see what, if anything, these foods do to your body and mind. As someone who has had digestive issues and very low energy levels for years, I decided that I have nothing to lose by following the program! So, I bought the book, read all about it, and threw out a whole bunch of chocolate that filled our kitchen cabinet. I felt like a new woman already (but only because after organizing the cabinet, I realized we had a ton of space that was being wasted.)
Aside from my
Things I'm loving:
1. GT's Kombucha: Thanks to our trip to Whole Foods (Brett and I aren't allowed back after the amount of money we spent there on Saturday), I now know that GT's makes rosé flavored kombucha. Yes, real life. No, I can't believe it myself either. It is delicious, and totally Whole30 approved!
2. Veggettied Sweet Potatoes: Veggettied? I made that word up, and it means something that has been put through the Veggetti. Spiralize a sweet potato, sprinkle some oil, salt, paprika, and cinnamon on it, bake on 400 until the pieces start to look a little crispy, and then eat hiding in the closet so your boyfriend doesn't try to steal some bites.
3. Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning: I have put this on everything. Hard boiled eggs, sweet potatoes, chicken, etc., etc. It is too good to be true. I bought it two weeks ago and have used almost half of the bottle already. Next time I go to TJs, I'm going to stock up on them in case they're seasonal. Seriously, go buy now!
Things I'm struggling with:
1. No Chocolate: I'm a 90% dark chocolate kinda gal (and will generally pass on the milk chocolate). My favorite is this one from Trader Joes. I'm aware that a piece of super dark chocolate is totally innocent and not going to do anything horrible to my body, but I'm following the rules, and not even taking a nibble, to ensure that my system is cleared from anything and everything that I shouldn't be eating for the 30 days.
2. Not Taking Just a Little Nibble: I haven't cheated the program at all, and don't intend to. My goal is to fully dedicate myself to these 30 days and see if I can figure any of my stomach issues out. With that being said, it is so, so hard not to take a sip of Brett's beer, or a taste of the incredible looking cinnamon buns we made for Mother's Day. Thankfully, my willpower has been pretty strong, and Brett reminds me that one little taste isn't worth it.
So far, the Whole30 has been rather easy and super yummy. I've eaten out once (Bareburger was amazing -- very accommodating and very not difficult to find something compliant), cooked some tasty new meals, and have tried my best not to impose my decision on anyone else that I've been around. Hosting Mother's Day brunch made it really easy for me to make Whole30 compliant foods, while also feeling like I was doing something special for Mom! Speaking of Mother's Day brunch, I made an amazing egg and sausage casserole inspired by this recipe (I added cheddar cheese, and baked a bit without cheese in a separate dish), mashed sweet potatoes with (sugar-free) bacon, berry and mint cocktails (mine with sparkling water), fruit, and cinnamon buns (I just drooled on them).
 |
| Bison Burger with guacamole and a fried egg, wrapped in collard greens. XO I <3 U BAREBURGER. |
 |
| Mother's Day Mocktail: Sparkling Water, muddled berries, mint, and lime |
I never follow recipes -- I either come up with my own ideas, or look at a recipe for inspiration and go off and do my own thing with it (also, who wants to measure spices?! My spice motto is "go all out"). My favorite recipe inspiration this week is this Creamy Lemon Slowcooker Chicken. I added a ton of different spices before browning the chicken, skipped the arrowroot because who even owns that, and almost halved the amount of chicken broth the recipe called for, and Brett and I loved it! I actually made it twice this week, and am sure it is a recipe I'll keep in the back of my mind for the future.
As far as how I'm feeling... I've been less bloated than usual this week and have been sleeping like an angel baby, but don't think I look or feel very different otherwise. My nails are hella strong -- unsure if that's related. I had Brett take some pretty unflattering photos of me last week, so I'll be able to see in the end if I look any different at least.
If anyone has completed the Whole30 in the past, I would love to hear about it!
XO
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