Starting Week 3....or Week 2 Again

I have a few thoughts that I figured, since I'm here, updating my blog after being missing for...months, I might as well say what I want to say.  I feel off the wagon.  Not hard, but enough to have a little bump, and I think it's completely ok.  Here's the deal, being dedicated 100% of the time is ideal, but the average person (who I have classified as someone who doesn't work as a trainer, or own a gym, or has a part time job, or a stay at home job, or a significant other, or who doesn't have a passion for good food or drinking with friends) will find it very difficult, almost impossible to be 100% perfect with their eating habits. This is a totally fine concept, and realistically, being mentally strong is part of this dedication.  I also think its a poor excuse to say everything that I've said above - but finally, I think that there is an absolutely sound and reasonable happy medium.  I live, currently in that medium.  I understand the need to have indulgences, but I also understand the need to pick and choose, to not over-indulge and to listen to what you're body is telling you (for the most part; if your body is screaming that you need cheese fries every day, tell it to STFU). I also know my triggers and I think that this is a HUGE piece of understanding food and fitness and how to have a "healthy" relationship with food.  I know that a lot of wheat gives me migraines, I know that dairy makes my stomach sad.  I know that while I love fruit, too much of it keeps me from the fitness goals I want and that I should reach for veggies instead.

So here it is, I feel off the wagon a bit...and it was worth it. The weather in Chicago finally hit that temperature and feeling that keeps people living in Chicago.  And while during my Whole 30, alcohol is a no no, who can turn down a drink in a beer garden and some appetizers? Mmmm, not I said the fly.  So there I sat, with a beer, and then half a tequila drink - and some deliciously fresh chips, salsa and tacos at Big Star.  Here's the part where I tell you how I chose - I chose the chips, so I sacrificed the tortillas of the taco.  Small cheat - totally ok.  That's the point of this post - to let people know that as important as it is to be dedicated, it is just as important to be realistic and be true to your expectations. More so, it's important to know what your triggers are, and that if you are challenged with being able to say no to something, or restrict yourself to smaller portions - stay away from it until you have gained that relationship. As a result, I'm counting this as my second week and have added another week to my 30 days.  I think I owe it to myself to actually challenge myself instead of making excuses where I see it fit.

Finally - a few tips on eating paleo, primal, following a whole 30esq program - be realistic with recipes also. I've done this before.  I did it once where I didn't really call it paleo - I looked at more so as low-carb, low alcohol and low fat.  Doing it this way didn't even make me really deviate from my normal cooking much, just changed what my expectations were of meals.  I would make Steve, rice, and I would load up on veggies.  The difference then? I had a wedding dress and very expensive alterations to fit into - so I was really cautious.  The one time I went "paleo" and was "strict" about it, and I spent all this money on arrowroot powder and different "flours", sauces - things that were gluten free.  This is challenging. The portions of a lot of these items are small and they're expensive, and most recipes have so many of these ingredients as an attempt to make the recipes taste like they were made with non-paleo approved ingredients.  This time around, I'm realizing that its all about KISS - keep it simple, sucker.  Here's my tip and my last thought - just keep it simple.  Eat real meat and real veggies, and let that be your paleo way. Determine the few things that you really cant live without, and find some paleo recipes for that - but have them as a treat versus a daily thing.

Enjoy, eat well, live well - be well!

Nearly Paleo "Golumbki" - AKA Stuffed Cabbage

I have great childhood memories of my mom's stuffed cabbage.  She'd cook it in this old dutch oven, sprinkled with white specks where it was once black and worn down.  It might be so old that it might have been my great grandma's but I'm not so sure.  My mom made plenty of dishes in that pot - roasted chicken and gravy, roasts with veggies browned from the meat drippings, meatloaf (not a fan of ever, sorry ma) and my favorite, stuffed cabbage.  My mom would always make plain meatballs, not wrapped in the cabbage in case one of us four kids didn't like the cabbage, and then extra pieces of cabbage for those of us (me, me!) who loved the cabbage.  The sauce always was thick and delicious, and I loved to top my rice with the sauce and the extra cabbage.  It's one of those things that my mom didn't make often because it was always best for a cold, winter day and not everyone in the family liked the cabbage (my dad was more interested in stuffed peppers, which I think the rest of us could have done without). 


As I mentioned before, I have this organic share and like Forest Gump's box of chocolate, "ya never know whatcha gonna get".  This week, I got cabbage.  Cabbage is one of those veggies that I enjoy, but that I have to truly craft to get Steve to enjoy it as much as I do.  The idea popped into my head - stuffed cabbage! But oh, shit, I'm grain free - ohhh the disappointment! Then the idea came to me. I've used cauliflower as a rice substitute before, why not do it this time too? So I went to work and I will say, I think it was pretttty successful.  I did make ONE mistake though, and I've corrected it in the recipe but will tell you here what that mistake was - I reached out to my mom to determine what she used as sauce, and she mentioned she either used tomato soup or tomato puree.  Wanting to keep this as organic and natural and paleo as possible, I opted for Trader Joe's Organic Creamy Tomato Soup - while this soup is fantastic, and tasty and was great with the stuffed cabbage, it wasn't the right kind of soup.  When my mom uses soup, she means condensed soup, not something with all of the extra liquid added! In the end, my base ended up too soupy and less saucy like I remembered as a kid.  While I did not make it this way, I put this substitute into my recipe below.  

Almost Paleo Stuffed Cabbage

1 lb ground beef (80/100)

1 head green cabbage

1/2 sweet onion, diced

1 1/2 c riced cauliflower 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp tomato paste (save the rest in case you need it for thickening later)

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp salt 

2 c tomato sauce or condensed tomato soup (this is your non-paleo part unless you puree yourself)

Chop off stem of cauliflower and add to large stockpot of water.  Allow to boil slightly, with the goal being to allow the cabbage leave to me moldable, gently release them from the head of cabbage with a spoon as it continues to boil. Remove from water and allow to cool.  

Meanwhile, in medium mixing bowl, combine ground beef, onion, riced cauliflower, basil, sage, oregano, tomato paste, salt and egg.  

Form oblong shaped meatballs and roll in cabbage leaves. 

 Leave some unwrapped if you do not have cabbage lovers.  Add to crockpot and pour tomato puree or soup over. Add extra, large pieces of cabbage. Allow to cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.  Serve over cauliflower rice or brown rice. 

I will say, Steve had told me before he ate this that he did not like cabbage. And like so many meals before this, I proved him wrong. He enjoyed the meatballs, liked them with the cabbage and even took a fully wrapped one for his second helping! There were barely leftovers as I was planning for - score! 

Chicken Sausage and Veggie Quiche - Without the fillers

This summer, Steve and I are involved in an organic "share" where we pick up a box of veggies from local farmers every other week.  You basically get whatever their highest growing crop is for the particular week, so it's a little unpredictable.  I try and use everything we get, even though some things are unique or not to our normal taste. We've had some unique veggies that I don't think I would have ever tried on my own - and we've enjoyed them quite a bit, all while supporting local farmers.  One can only do so much with swiss chard, and I usually get a LOT of it, so what better to do than add it into a grain free quiche? Ya'll know how much I love quiche.  It's easy, easy to make paleo and great for leftovers. 


I recently got a Costco membership.  That's a story for another day...I could easily spend hours in that place, combing through all the unique options and sampling all the free food.  They literally have everything and anything one could want, it's semi-insane but also amazingly, awesome.  All that aside, my primary objective of going there was to get some non-gmo, all natural chicken sausage and some turkey burgers.  I try to be superwife, but it gets challenging to balance that and the house, and the dog and cooking, and my fitness goals - so I wanted an option of things I could cook up for Steve instead of making chicken meatballs every week.  I left satisfied, full and wanting more.  I decided to combine my Swiss chard with the chicken sausage to make a delicious, grain free, dairy free (if you want to eliminate it) quiche. 

Filler Free Fancy Quiche

2 c swiss chard

3 sweet italian chicken sausages, chopped

1 small sweet onion, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 - 1/2 c grape tomatoes, diced

1/4 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

4 eggs

4 egg whites

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic, more to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  To a medium fry pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil, onion and Italian sausage. Cook until onions have softened and begun to caramelize and the chicken sausage is browned. Add in Swiss chard and allow to cook down (chard will cook similarly to spinach). In separate bowl, combine eggs, egg whites, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese, beat lightly. Add diced grape tomatoes and sausage mixture.  Grease 9 inch pie dish (I used glass). Pour mixture into the dish, cook for 35 minutes or until the middle is set. 

Bread-less BLAT and Cauliflower "Rice"

I'm week one into my Whole30 challenge and I think I'm doing pretty well. I'm not going to lie, I've cheated a little bit (and by cheated I mean, literally just a bite).  I do not encourage this, I truly believe that one has to be strict and stick to things - however - I'm going to justify my minor cheats in two ways 1.) I already eat really well, I'm just trying to push my limits and since I'm not a crazy snacker or craver, these little bites here and there are not going to ruin this for me, I'm still 98% dedicated and 2.) the premise of a whole 30 progam isn't necessarily just about weight loss or eliminating things from one's diet just to do it, it's to eliminate irritants from one's gut and get them back to a more balanced and detoxified state.  I know my triggers, I cannot do too much dairy, and certain times, I have to watch just how much wheat intake I have. Grains do not affect me negatively, and I also feel that one should not completely deprive themselves, because if you do - you're in for a scary awakening when the program is over.

Overall - I feel great - I already feel leaner and my clothes are fitting looser (woo hoo!).  I did not do a good job of taking measurements/pics so unfortunately, those will most likely be a week into the program versus at the very beginning.

So now, onto eating - it's pretty silly of me to share the "recipe" for my BLATs - but I guess I can at least let you in on the secret of what the "A" stands for...avocado! Also, in order to keep it "healthier" I used Boar's Head bacon which is all natural, naturally "processed" and nitrate free.  Take it another step and do turkey bacon, as long as you pan fry it, it's still delicious! I used red leafed lettuce as my base and campari tomatoes (these take me back to Italy, they're always perfectly red,  ripe, juicy and tender) and then added the avocado slices (1/2 avocado will get you plenty for two wraps).

Now, onto the good stuff. I barely missed the rice (although I did add JUST a little for texture and to make sure that my hubby was filled up enough) - but it was completely unnecessary to the deliciousness of the dish.  I'll be making this to share for a healthy potluck at work tomorrow - hopefully I win for tastiest, healthy dish!

Here's the deal - you can "rice" your cauliflower a few different ways.  Have a Ninja or a Food Processor? Good for you, you're in luck - because this is the EASIEST way to rice it. Remove medium florets from the cauliflower head, throw into food processor or ninja and just pulse until small "grains" are created.  Be careful not to over do it and make it too small. In other words, if you  have some bigger pieces hanging out, you're better off removing those and trying them on their own than trying to make the rest of it too small.  Don't have one of those lovely electronics? You aren't out of luck - you can either knife dice them into small pieces, or use your cheese grater!

Sauteed Onion Cauliflower "Rice"

2 TBSP Bacon grease (you could also add bacon and use olive oil plus the bacon fat)

1/2 medium sweet onion, diced

1/2 - 3/4 c cooked brown rice - optional

1 1/2 C "riced"cauliflower (I used a yellow cauliflower, the taste might be slightly more mild)

salt, pepper, garlic to taste

Heat bacon grease (or olive oil).  Add the onions and cook down until translucent and softened.  Add salt and pepper. Add in brown rice and allow to heat and being to crisp. If you are not adding this, just add the cauliflower.  Cook the cauliflower about 5-7 minutes, or until slightly softened with still a bit of a crunch.  Season with garlic and any additional salt and/or pepper. 

Crockpot Paleo Creamy "Pasta"

I know that eating Whole 30 and challenging isn't the right kind of forever lifestyle for me, but I think it's great to do 85-90% of the time, especially once you've been dedicated for a set amount of time.  I know what you're thinking - "isn't this pretty 'crash diet' focused?", "shouldn't changing eating habits be a lifestyle change, not just a quick fix?", "aren't you all about everything in moderation?".  Yes.  The answer to all of  your concerns and judgment is, yes.  I do think, however, that there are times that one needs a re-calibration of what is realistic for their lifestyle and eating habits and eating whatever one wants and working out and maintaining weight, isn't always the best thing because your body adjusts and prevents one from getting further in their fitness goals.

Image from Steamy Kitchen

All that said - it is so hard to go from eating in moderation anything you want...and then cutting it all out cold turkey. It doesn't work, it won't happen and you will fail.  I decided that there is a moment of ease in this - and with that I eased in with something that completely followed the rules, but didn't taste like it did. I realized that coconut milk...is a God send.  I immediately looked for uses for it and was amazed at what I found. Ok, enough about the food, lets get to it!

Creamy Tomato Spaghetti Squash

Adapted from Stir It Up

2 small spaghetti squash or one medium one

1.5 lbs chicken breast or thighs (I used thighs as I felt they'd give the rich flavor I was looking for) 

1 - 8oz can low sodium chicken broth

1 package all natural chicken sausage (I use Aidell which is all natural and comes in an organic version. I used the chicken and apple but there are a lot of fantastic flavors!)

1/2 c canned coconut milk (this should be thick, not like the coconut milk to drink)

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 c tomato paste for thickening if necessary

1/2 c fire roasted tomatoes 

1 1/2 c fresh spinach

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

 1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp oregano

1-2 tsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp finely grated sea salt, more to taste

Pepper to taste

In crockpot, add chicken and chicken  broth.  Cook on high 3-4 hours, remove chicken and shred, adding back to the crockpot with coconut milk, tomato sauce, tomaot paste, fire roasted tomatoes and seasonings.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees, cut off both the top and bottom of the spaghetti squash and then slice down the middle (hot dog bun way). Lightly brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place flesh down onto cookie sheet. Roast 30-40 minutes or until flesh can easily been scraped into "noodles" (you can do this ahead of time and just save the cooked/shredded squash in the fridge.  Once cooked, add the spaghetti squash and spinach to the crockpot allowing to cook on low several minutes.  If you are adding the chicken sausage, slice thin and fry up - then add to the crockpot and serve! 

Plain Egg Whites and Black Coffee - Straight Up

I'll post before and after pics and measurements later,  but since I usually leave before Steve in the morning it was hard to actually get someone to take pictures. Unfortunately, they will be 4 days in.  I thought I'd share my meals and workouts this week (or at least a general idea) as well as a recipe that I really recommend for a clean eater who is too busy to make meals every day or have a huge prep day.  No food pics, sorry - I can't do everything :).

This week's workouts:

• Sunday - Jaime Eason's LiveFit Day 4 Shoulder Workout+ high pulls + Chest Incline Press
• A note on this Jaime Eason workout - she is ridiculous.  Steve and I did this together and it was challenging, quick, and effective.  We both were pretty wiped out and sore afterward!
• You can access her whole program HERE - I plan on following a few of her workouts throughout my whole 30 challenge
• Monday - Running program - 10 minute run at increasing intervals starting 6.3 and ending at 6.8. 15 minute of sprint/walk intervals changing pace every minute, increasing sprints up to 11mph. 5 minute jog at 6.3 mph, cool down
• Leg Daaaay! Started with a pyramid: 20 squats, 30 lunges, 40 toe touches, 50 second wall sit, 100 jumping jacks, and then back up (we just did the down so we could lift too)
• Leg curl - 25x1, 15x3
• Squats - 15x3
• Sumo Squats - 15x3
• Straight Leg Deadlifts - 15x3
• Leg Extensions - 25x1, 15x3
• Tuesday - "Rest" Day - 2 mile walk, 1 hour of softball
• Wednesday - Power Spin - Angel's class is INSANE.  We completely fogged up the studio halfway through. He structures it so that we do power sprint intervals and never take down the resistance.  This is certainly no ride in the park and I love it
• Thursday - Bis and Tris + Cardio
• TRX Trainer Bicep Curls
• TRX Trainer Tricep Extension
• Bicep and Tricep circuit with abs
• Incline Terrain - 25 minutes
• Friday - Full Rest Day - went shopping instead :)
• Saturday - planning on doing interval sprints for 30-35 minutes plus Back and Chest followed by a massage 

I'll keep the food basic with some general meals and snacks unless there were deviations:

• Breakfast - as the title suggests, I ditched my splenda, my truvia, my almond/coconut milk..my everything and went full on black coffee to pair with my egg whites.  In the beginning of the week I eased into blandness and had egg whites with sauteed onion, green pepper, mushroom and tomatoes and added one packet of splenda and a splash of almond and coconut milk to my coffee
• Snacks - smoked salmon on cucumber slices, all natural chicken sausage (sometimes added to egg whites), small apple, fruits and veggies as I had them and needed them, cashews, almonds, pistachios
• Dinner - protein and veggies is all you realllly need to know, BUT I'm going to be sharing a recipe for Creamy Tomato Spaghetti Squash that I had for dinner one night.  I also had a breakfast skillet of sweet potatoes topped with poached egg and had a salad from Potbellys and egg white breakfast one day for lunch

Enjoy! TBC....

Whole 30 Challenge - Days 1 and 2

I decided to embark on a Whole 30 challenge - AKA Paleo lifestyle for at least the next 30 days.  I'm a pure glutton for bad weekend binges and one too many calories from beer and decided that if I wanted to truly challenge myself, that I would have to be strict and realistic.  I have done Paleo before, but also bent the rules as I saw fit.  Before my wedding, my diet was mostly starch free and fast, fried food free, alcohol free- the whole gamete. I figured, why not see if I can push myself to my limits and embark on both a mental and physical challenge.

I had been asked several times in the past few months if I had ever considered competing in a figure competition.  The questions intrigued me and got me curious as if I could put myself through such a strenuous and strict routine.  Based on when I would want to compete and our heavy wedding season, I deemed it unrealistic for this year and decided to at least see where I could go being almost as strict as if I were competing.  The concept started in which I was going to do the 21 day Beach Body Challenge.  After research and looking at what restrictions there were, I came to the conclusion that the 21 day challenge mostly eliminated things that I already avoid for the most part.  Enter the Whole 30 Challenge.  In this capacity I will be restricting the following for 30 days (I have already scheduled one day, a friend's bachelorette party, that I MIGHT have a glass of wine):

• No Alcohol
• No White Starches
• No Grains (not even ancient grains, i.e. quinoa)
• No Legumes or beans (with the exception of sugar snap peas and green beans)
• No Sugar (I am to avoid even artificial, for the first week I'm trying to just put a little in my coffee and then hopefully eliminating from there)
• No Fast Food/Processed food
• No Dairy (bye cheese, I'll miss you!)

So what exactly am I going to be eating? Meats, veggies, fruits, seeds, nuts - cavewoman style.  I'm on day two - I had kind of a rough day yesterday and wanted just a little bit of comfort, so I had ONE tortilla chip - i couldn't help it.  I've been eating egg white with veggies for breakfast the past few days, I had a chicken breast and fruit for lunch and then this great crockpot, spaghetti squash dish which had chicken, tomato sauce, coconut milk, spinach and spaghetti squash.  I topped it with a poached egg and it was pretty tasty - that's my lunch today and tonight we'll be having lettuce wrap tacos and something on the side, not sure what yet though! I've been snacking on cashews, apples and smoked salmon with cucumber (sooo yummy!) 

TBC....

IOU

I owe a bunch of recipes.  I've been writing them down and trying to take pictures when I remember, but somehow, life got really busy and I haven't been able to dedicate the time here that I want! I hosted Mother's Day Brunch again this year and made an awesome breakfast pizza of sorts with bacon, ricotta cheese and apricot jam.  It was super easy and I'll post a recipe for that soon. Here is a list of recipes to come (provided I can find where in my scattered mind I put the recipes...):

*Homemade carbonara
*Better than Take Out Chicken and Broccoli
*Sweet and Savory Breakfast Pizza
*Breakfast Waffle Sandwich
*Goat Cheese and Sausage Orzo
*Fiesta Rice Salad
*Easy Sausage and Broccoli Casserole
*Crockpot Taco Soup
*Puppy Chow Bars

Ciao for now! IOU