January Eats

Woot Woot! 30 Day Challenge is complete!

Quick note.. Please keep in mind there is no one size fits all eating plan, we’re a bit more complicated than that :) Genetics, lifestyle, environment, allergies, health, history all play role in how each of us metabolizes and reacts to what we eat. I can’t express enough – listen to YOUR body. Researching, experimenting and understanding your daily energy and health requirements takes time and yours is most likely different than mine or your besties. Equally important, keep it simple so you can live with it day in and day out. Lastly, energy needs change as we age, your body will be your guide if you listen. Be blessed! xoxo

DAY 30!!!!!

1.30 Dinner

This is how it’s supposed to be, not the soupy stuff previously. This is a fave I used to eat at my aunts in AZ as a kid. Brown 1lb of ground beef with 1/2 thinly sliced onion (or more if you like onions) season and drain most of the fat when done. Add 4 cups of sliced cabbage on top of beef (I used 1 bag of Trader Joe’s shredded cabbage) and cover with a can of diced tomatoes. Simmer on low, covered, until cabbage is cooked, add water as needed. Paste, pasta sauce, or hot sauce work too.

1.30 Snack

2 More snacks. Sigh. Carrot Cake LaraBar. Was very tasty! LaraBars aren’t low cal or fat since they’re primarily nuts. And a Blood Orange. I have found I’m more satisfied eating a higher natural fat diet though and have a new appreciation for ‘raw’ foods.

1.30 Lunch

Yet another snacky day. Finished the dried kale chips, had some pistachios and more Funky Monkey dried fruits (mentally I think I’m trying to eat them out of the house :) .. OK, not a good strategy, I should take them to work and give them away.

1.30 Breakfast

2 Sunny side up eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, a bunch of fresh steamed spinach. Took some sleep help and got 7 hrs of sleep (in spite of getting up 7xs during the night!) so felt somewhat rested and felt like cooking :) Love bacon and eggs for breakfast!

DAY 29!!!!!

1.29 Snack

Yes, more snacks! But as disappointed as I am for caving, I can say I have not gone off plan! Just overindulged in approved foods *sigh*. But ya know what? I’m one day away from completing the 30 day challenge without having ate processed foods, gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, grains, beans, candy, chocolate or coffee!!!

1.29 Dinner

1 Juicy delish steak (not pictured) with TJs sweet onions and a big bowl of veggie pasta (1/2 cucumber, 1/2 squash, 1/2 zucchini) topped with avocado oil, lemon and seasonings. Very tasty meal and am so loving my veggie pasta maker! Will get more creative once I feel better. So easy to use though.

1.29 Lunch

1 Can of WF365 albacore tuna in water mixed with homemade garlic mayo with a bag of Funky Monkey dried fruit. And a blood orange not too long after (egads, I need a muzzle!)

1.29 Breakfast

1 Banana Bread LaraBar (Cherry Pie pictured) and bag of pistachios. I was feeling crampy and lazy today. I’m excited for the first time in approx a year, my cycle is on schedule! However, still major cramps, slight fever and feel sluggish. Should get better in coming months.

DAY 28!!!

1.28 Snack

Funky Monkey is proving to be my weakness. Although they’re 100% dried fruit and not additives, they’re equivalent to 3 servings of fruit and I eat the whole bag each time, sometimes more! I can’t seem to eat in moderation. Sticking with real fruit once these babies are gone.

1.28 Dinner

1 Big beefy sirloin steak. I really enjoy Trader Joes flavorful, tender, grass fed beef. Paired it up with TJs frozen balsamic sweet onions, fresh steamed spinach with avocado oil, lemon and seasonings, and 1/2 sliced tomato.

1.28 Lunch

1 Easy fall back lunch. 1 Cherry Pie Larabar and bag of pistachios. On a side note, I can’t believe how fast time has flown by on this 30 day challenge! Still a bit of PMS but not too tempted to give into those pesky mental desires for sugar!!

1.28 Breakfast
1 Skipped breakfast. Decided to listen to my body and not eat since I wasn’t hungry. Had a nice big cup of nettle & lemon tea though!

DAY 27!!

1.27 Snack

1 Mixed fruit and nut snack. Some macadamia nuts, unsweetened cherries, unsweetened blueberries. Too many snacks today! But I’m so happy to say, I stayed on plan without much temptation to go off. And I even have chocolate in the house. Go me!

1.27 Dinner

1 Bowl of the chili, sauce, accident recipe from last week, thawed. If wondering if spaghetti sauce freezes and thaws well, this did and it’s very similar. Not that I was hungry, PMS’ing but at least I didn’t go off plan!

1.27 Lunch

1 Hodge podge lunch of bits of everything. Not to make excuses for all this indulgence, but we were snowed in and was a lame day :)

1.27 Breakfast

1 bowl of sliced apples and cinnamon. 1 Larabar and some pistachios.

DAY 26! WOW!

1.26 Snack

1 Bowl of fruit and nuts. Unsweetened cherries, unsweetened blueberries and afew roasted macadamia nuts. Not a lot, maybe a 1/4 cup total all mixed together.

1.26 Dinner

1 Awesome dinner! It’s amazing how different food tastes by changing it’s appearance and texture. The veggie pasta was made of 1/2 yellow squash, 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 cucumber. Dressing consisted of avocado oil, 1/2 lime, 1/2 lemon, 1 tomato, sprinkle of fresh roasted pine nuts and seasonings, Also a small bowl of brisket with sweet onions and some dried kale. Yum.

1.26 Lunch

1/2 Cup of brisket and broth, 2 cups of fresh spinach and seasonings. At office, nuked until beef was warm and spinach wilted. Tasty lunch. Also had a coconut water about an hour later.

1.26 Breakfast

1 Cinnamon Larabar. Great break from bacon, eggs in any combo :) I coupled with a hot lemon tea. Held me over to lunch.

DAY 25!!!

1.25 The could not help myself snack :

Oh Lordy, am I stuffed after eating this unplanned delight! Was going to add to lunch tomorrow but could not help myself. Had brussel sprouts starting to wilt and I remembered a cooking show that fried them with bacon. So I winged it! Fried 4 slices of bacon, halved and quartered sprouts, tossed into pan with bacon, seasoning and pine nuts. Bacon grease vanished quickly so I added a little coconut oil. After browned, I put pan in oven to finish cooking, 350 for 15 mins. Fabulous!

1.25 Dinner

2 Cups of coconut soup from last night. Have I mentioned I love coconut? I plan on trying coconut flour after I’ve gotten through the reintroduction period. You don’t want to eat “new” items during the elimination period because it could interfere with discovering allergies. I’ve found some tasty looking coconut flour recipes I’ll share as I experiment in the future.

1.25 Lunch

1 Spinach, egg, nut, fruit salad (same as yesterday). I bought a big tub of organic spinach from Sam’s so will be eating lots of it this week. On a side note, I’m more about simplicity and don’t have a picky pallet. There are many meals that can be exciting for families to enjoy without them realizing they’re eating healthier :) Oh, and I had coconut water. Hmm, next time I’ll add bacon!

1.25 Snack

1 Snack size Larabar, cashew cookie. Very good. These are 100%, all natural, absolutely not one drop of anything made by man and full of nutrition your body will relish in!

1.25 Breakfast

Hodge-podge of items. Last night I squished a large brisket into my crock pot and cooked overnight. Checked on it early this morning, it was beautiful. Turned it off to let it cool while I got ready for work. I could not resist eating some while breaking it apart with a fork. It’s a very flavorful, tender brisket. Grass fed rocks! Almost forgot, I also ate 1/4 of the apple and 1/4 of the pear while making lunch salad.

DAY 24!!

1.24 Snack

1 Bowl of dried kale. This really rocks and is worth the investment I made in the dehydrator at Christmas. The dried kale at grocery stores is pricey to say the least. But if you prefer to purchase, call Whole Foods and order a case, you’ll receive 10% off (they do that for all of their products).

1.24 Dinner

2 Cups of coconut seafood soup :) Needed to finish weekend’s coconut milk. Thawed 3cps of homemade chicken broth, added 1/2 can of unsweet coconut milk, cinnamon, sea salt, pepper, little cumin and cayenne pepper, Trader Joe’s frozen leeks (thawed), thinly sliced mushrooms, Trader Joe’s mixed frozen seafood (scallops, shrimp, calamari) cooked in coconut oil. It’s not Thai coconut soup without a sugar, but I liked it’s different taste. Almost forgot, 1 kumato tomato with sea salt and pepper.

1.24 Lunch

1 Wilted spinach, egg, nut, fruit salad. Filled a container with fresh spinach, chopped mushrooms and some pumpkin seeds. In another container had 2 chopped eggs and 3 scallions. In another container, 1/2 pear and a 1/2 gold rush apple chopped covered in cinnamon, some lemon and small amount of currants. Nuked spinach mix until wilted then tossed everything together. Topped with dressing of avocado oil, lemon, seasonings mixture. Purdy tasty! Will have again tomorrow.

1.24 Breakfast

2 Egg, bacon, veggie casserole muffins. These were the first pair I had from the freezer. I took them out the night before and let them thaw in the frig overnight and …. wal’la! Breakfast in a micro-snap :) A little spongy but good.

DAY 23!

1.23 Snack

1 Bowl of homemade dried kale. So easy and tastes so good. I even like it better than chips because it has an interesting flavor rather than the same o same o. A bit pricey but sold at healthfood stores.

1.23 Dinner

1 Serving of yesterday’s pasta/chili sauce over Trader Joe’s grilled eggplant, zucchini and asparagus. And finished off the blueberries.

1.23 Lunch

1 Cherry Pie Larabar, Funky Monkey dried fruit, and coconut water.

1.23 Breakfast

1 Cup of blueberries with 1/2 of coconut milk, walnuts, almond slivers and pumpkin seeds. Also added a few currants for a bit more sweetness.

DAY 22

1.22 Dinner

1 Pack of pistachios and 1 cherry pie LaraBar. Thinking this will be dinner since I’ll be out of town this evening with friends. If there is something that fits within plan, I’ll enjoy but I love these two items enough I don’t feel like I’m missing out.

1.22 Lunch

1 Bowl of tomato hamburger veggie chili type sauce (?). It’s a botched recipe that thank goodness tastes good. It started out as this, but I accidentally used a bigger (way bigger) can of crushed tomatoes (NJ Fresh are the best!) and it turned into a sauce of sorts. I like my foods with a little kick, so I added a shake of cumin, cayenne pepper and a few other spicy seasonings. Also used a few Italian spices and mushrooms.

1.22 Snack

1 Ramekin of the remaining walnut/red pepper dip, mushrooms and a ramekin of blueberries. I love dips. I need to find some other Paleo dip combos and get dipping veggies.

1.22 Breakfast

1 Cup of blueberries topped with 1/4c of coconut milk, a few walnuts and pinch of pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds and unsweet coconut flakes. Tasty but not as sweet as I prefer. Usually I make with yogurt instead of cc milk and add honey rather than cc flakes. Leaving flakes out next time.

DAY 21!!

1.21 Snack 2

1 Bowl of pistachios. Got a tad hungry after an hour. Two things come to mind, didn’t eat enough during the day or 1 1/2 chicken tenders with veggie noodles is enough :)

1.21 Snack

1/2 Pint of sweet potato chips (finished the jar off!) and enjoyed every bite :) I had mixed some spicy with the cinnamon, good combo. In the summer when coconut oil doesn’t turn solid, I’ll use that instead of avocado or olive oil. Should make a little sweeter.

1.21 Dinner

1 Leftover pork & kraut I forgot I had from 5 days ago! I came back from running errands, in spite of a good lunch, was s t a r v i n g. So gobbled up first thing of substance, rested while I refueled a bit, then made an awesome dinner. This may be one of my favorites.

1 Bowl of veggie pasta consisting of 1 cucumber and 1 small yacon made with my awesome veggie slicer. Topped with 1 kumato tomato, 1 avocado, last of chicken tenders, pine nuts, avocado oil, juice of 1 fresh lemon, seasonings to taste. Friggin awesome! The seemed like real noodles! great texture, can twirl with fork, etc. Looking forward to making zucchini pasta with hamburger spaghetti sauce!

1.21 Lunch

1 Olive Garden grilled chicken breast and veggies in olive oil, plus a salad without eliminated items mixed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Forgot to take picture bc I was so excited to see my missed friend from previous job. It was great catching up!!

1.21 Breakfast

3 Sausages. Only 2 pictured because I accidentally deleted the pic of 3 before loading :) Breakfast on the run, needed to be at work by 730a and these had reached their “best by” date. Goal is no waste in 2011!

DAY 20! AWESOME!

1.20 Dinner

1 Very appetizing tasty dinner. Cooked a pound of chicken tenders yesterday and last few meals are quick n easy to prepare! This is similar to last nights but with added bacon :) 1 Bed of fresh spinach covered with 5oz of chicken tenders, nuked until warm. 1/2 Regular chopped red tomato and one kumato tomato, along with 1 chopped avocado and bacon. Covered with hot sauce. Love this combo.

1.20 Lunch

1 Easy on the go lunch. Several pieces of Trader Joe’s grilled eggplant and zucchini, approx 4oz of chicken. Very filling too. On a side note, all cravings and munchies have vanished. Really was the herbal sleep aids! Glad I figured it out quickly.

1.20 Breakfast

2 Egg/bacon/veggie muffin. Still tasted great after 4 days, next are frozen ones. They’re good with hot sauce, ad even better with avocado. They must be in season, buttery texture. Love them.

DAY 19!!

1.19 Snack

1/2 Golden crisp apple topped with?? Cinnamon of course! I had never eaten golden crisp apples before the CSA delivery. They’re very good, crunchy and sweet! I like them as much as fuji.

1.19 Dinner

1 Delish dinner! 4 Chicken tenders cooked with hot sauce, cilantro and onion. Warmed this eve and put over a bed of steamed spinach, topped with more hot sauce and kumato tomatoes. My side was 1 diced avocado topped with hot sauce and a side of the raw walnut red pepper dip. It’s a nice replacement for dressing.

1.19 Snack

1 Mini (half size) Coconut Pie LaraBar. I’m really glad Diane of Balanced Bites brought these to the seminar she taught two weeks ago. A great carry along for on the go days. Zero additives, 100% real natural food. Have 4 at the office, 2 in the purse and 2 at home. Just in case :)

1.19 Lunch

1 Made up in the moment lunch that turned out pretty darn good! A bed of fresh spinach, 4 cut up sausages and Trader Joe sweet grilled onions. Easy toss in container and go lunch. Born from waking up too early and unable to fall back asleep. Started reading labels and noticed 1 day left on the sausage, had to eat it up! 2011 rule, no waste!

1.19 Breakfast

2 Sausages. See sausage story above :) Thankfully, desire to munch munch munch has tapered off.

DAY 18

1.18 Snack

1/2 Quart of sweet potato chips, after I tried a handful of pistachios and some dried kale. On plan but had a snack attack!! Trying not to fall into old behaviors of munching all evening and skipping breakfast and/or lunch next day bc I’m too full or feeling guilty. Grrrrrrrrrr. I’ll do better tomorrow!

1.18 Dinner

1 Varied bunch of leftovers. Finished the other half of the egg, bacon, casserole extras I had from Sunday night with leftover avocado from this morning (added salsa too!) Finished the tomato, onion, dill, lemon, avocado oil salad but added leftover cucumber. And.. finished the leftover salmon spread from last night. Stuffed.

1.18 Snack

1 Cherry Pie LaraBar. Very satisfying tart treat. Lunch was filling but fighting the munchies for past few days. Think it’s stress in general behind it, I’m not feeling hungry, more anxious.

1.18 Lunch

1 Collard greens and pork. The frozen version reheated wonderfully after being in freezer for a few days. Also very easy (cost effective) take along for lunch, frozen, so no spills! And don’t have to put it in frig. It was half thawed by time I made it to microwave. Wish I had the freezer space and storage containers to make 3 or 4 varieties at a time. Could cook every other weekend :)

1.18 Breakfast

2 Egg, bacon, casserole. Can’t express enough how delish these are! The added half avocado and “authentic” Trader Joe’s hot sauce made for a great breakfast.

DAY 17

1.17 Snack

1/2 Crispy gold rush apple, sliced, then bathed in cinnamon. Yes its as delicious as the pear but different. I’m hooked on both! And cinnamon is so good for you! I thought I knew a lot about food until I started googling nutritional values of what I’m eating. Real food does much for the body, seems a waste to eat the crap now.

1.17 Dinner

1 Can of salmon mixed with an interesting ‘raw’ dip. I had a red bell pepper nearing it’s last days, so I googled. I followed the recipe closely except for halfing the nuts since I added a can of salmon. I also added some tahini paste, lemon and lots of seasonings. In place of crackers, I stuffed dip into 4 large mushrooms caps and piled on four thick slices of cucumbers, topping with capers and dill respectively. Paired this with a bowl of sliced tomatoes, onion, avocado oil, lemon and seasonings. Very tasty meal.

1.17 Lunch

1 Bowl of pork and kraut. I purchased a jar of fermented kraut and threw it in the crockpot with water, seasonings, apple cider vinegar, sliced small onion, half an apple and the other half of the Trader Joe’s pork used with to make collard greens. It simmered for approximately 4 hours (until onions and apples were soft). The apples are a great replacement for potatoes.

1.17 Breakfast

2 Breakfast muffins! Tasted great reheated and a filling breakfast with tea.

DAY 16

1.16 Dinner

1 Serving of egg, bacon, veggie casserole, salsa and 1 whole sliced tomato with drizzled olive oil and seasonings, topped with scallions. This was delish. Recipe was from this blog but put into muffin pans for work week. Had a little extra so had it for dinner.

1.16 Lunch

Pork & kraut. Purchased fermented kraut to try before doing it on my own. While cooking in crock pot, sampled a few more times than a few, likely equivalent to a bowl (very tasty!) and ate half of an apple (used other half in pork & kraut dish.

1.16 Breakfast

Finished yesterday’s smoothie with added ice. Also had some tea before I started the sweet potato chips.

DAY 15

1.15 Dinner

2 Bowls of collard greens and pork. This was a hodge podge after I got the crockpot going. 3 Cups of homemade chicken broth, 4 pork bones, 5 pieces of fried bacon sliced into bite sizes. Using bacon grease, sauted thinly sliced onion and 1 clove of garlic, tossed in pot. Added chili pepper, tobasco sauce, sea salt, pepper. 1 Large bunch of collard greens rinsed, thick stems removed from leaf, rolled leaves like a cigar and cut 1/4 rows, tossed into pot. Cooked for a few hrs then added Trader Joe’s cooked pork and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro. Cooked on low another hour or so. Addictive good!

1.15 Snacks

2 Packs of Funky Monkey dried fruit and some pistachios. Today was a bad snacky kind of day while cooking. Plus side, I stuck to the right foods and didn’t cheat. Go me!

1.15 Lunch

1 Bowl of collard greens and pork. Really more of a late lunch, not too far behind dinner. Yes, I ate 3 bowls!! But it was very good and had just the right amount of kick.

1.15 Breakfast

3 Cups of fruit & veggie smoothie. 1 Handful of frozen spinach, 2 beats, 1 apple, 1/4 cup of blueberries, handful of unsweetened coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds and walnuts, ice. Definitely need a vitamix to blend. It was better than the green but needs a little work. The flakes & nuts don’t blend well amongst other ingredients :). Need to use coconut milk and almond butter next time. Adding a fat and/or protein helps minimize fruit sugars from spiking blood sugar.

DAY 14!!

1.14 Snack

1 Pear sliced into fry like sticks of goodness and smothered in cinnamon – perfection! Going to try farm fresh apples delivered by the CSA over the next week. I’m sure they’ll be just as fantastic.

1.14 Dinner

1 Fish taco salad to die for. Pure bliss actually. 2 Tilapia fillets pan fried in ghee with seasoning. While cooking, blended 6 tbs of avocado oil with generous amount of cumin, cayenne pepper, sea salt, ground pepper and seasonings in a bottle. Shake to mix. In large bowl mixed 2 cps of Trader Joe’s shredded cabbage, 1/2 grated cucumber, 1 grated carrot and generous amount of fresh cilantro. Added dressing and mixed well. Topped with 1 cubed avocado and the tilapia, followed by juice of 1 lime and more seasoning. Fabulous.

1.14 Lunch

1/2 Can of albacore dolphin friendly tuna, 1 can of string beans, avocado oil, juice of one lemon, seasonings and 1/2 cup of unsalted pistachios on the side. Quick lunch prep, woke up late and decided breakfast was more important. Was filling and easy on rush day.

1.14 Breakfast

2 Pieces of bacon, 2 eggs scrambled, 3 sliced mushrooms, 1 generous bunch of spinach, seasonings. Always a satisfying, filling breakfast. Haven’t ate breakfast in – years. Just coffee. Oatmeal, cereal, bagels, etc, never worked. Hungry within 2 hrs so gave up on breakfast to maintain energy and focus through workday. So different now. Breakfast fuels me.

DAY 13

1.13 Dinner

1 4oz steak, 1/2 tomato, 1 avocado, sea salt, pepper. 1 Pear, lots of cinnamon. This was such a satisfying meal. I know the pic and description doesn’t sound like much, but it really was the perfect quantity and doesn’t leave you stuffed with the tired – groggy feeling afterwards. Just eat until satisfied, it’s empowering!

1.13 Snack

1/2 Larabar. These really do rock. 100% natural, no added junk. Doesn’t get much better than that. On a side note, I’m going to make homemade versions soon, using almond butter as the glue. More to come!

1.13 Lunch

1 4oz bag of steak bites, carrots, v8 juice. Got a bit behind this morning, made an on the go lunch. Satisfying but missed the usual serving of veggies. I have noticed meals I’m light on, I get hungry faster. Not sure how I used to skip meals before. But also eating as I feel hunger vs. because the clock says so.

1.13 Breakfast

1/2 Cup of pistachios, unsalted. I forget to eat nuts and these little fellas are nutrient powerhouses and great for mornings when not very hungry or short on time.

DAY 12

1.12 Dinner

1 Four oz steak, sweet onions, spinach. Avocado salad, 1 avocado, 1/2 tomato, salsa and sliced pear fries with cinnamon (pic below).. also some dried kale before bed (not pictured).

1.12 Lunch

1 Serving Trader Joe’s grilled eggplant and zucchini in olive oil (delish!), some chicken, 1/2 cup blueberries. Simple lunch makes getting ready quick and easy. Surprised to find sweet blueberries this time of year.

1.12 Breakfast

2 Sliced eggs, 1/2 tomato, lime juice, scallions, seasonings, sugar snap peas, tea. Making new meals each day is a bit time consuming. I’m going to get boring soon and eat the same thing a few days.

DAY 11

1.11 Dinner

1 Delish 4 oz steak, 1 cup cooked spinach, 3 mushrooms, sweet onions, spices, worcestershire sauce. Salad 1/2 cucumber, 1 tomato, 1/2 onion, fresh basil, olive oil, lemon, seasonings. Very good dinner. Love steak! Oh and I had a craving for chips, but ate dried Kale instead, Frito alert over!

1.11 Lunch

1/2 Can of tuna, 1/2 celery, 1/2 dill pickle, homemade garlic mayo. Salad 1/2 cucumber, 1 tomato, 1/2 onion, fresh basil, olive oil, lemon, seasonings. 1 Coconut water. Tasty lunch but I ate late because I forgot it at home and couldn’t get back to get it until 2p. I ate 1/2 of a Larabar to tie me over.

1.11 Breakfast

2 Hardboiled eggs, 2 sausages, seasonings. Breakfast on the go!

DAY 10

1.10 Dinner

1 Spicy chicken soup made with chicken broth, chicken, cilantro, onion, tomato, and added seasonings, lime juice, garlic, oil, salt, pepper. Cucumber salad, 1/2 cucumber, onion, garlic mayo, fresh dill. Very delish dinner. I’ll be making both again later in the week. Oh, and kale chips I made yesterday for a snack.

1.10 Lunch
1 Avocado chicken salad made with an avocado, chicken, seeded tomato, onion, lettuce, cilantro. Dressing made with a touch of tahini dressing, cilantro, lime, onion, jalapeño pepper, sea salt, pepper. Disappointed I accidentally deleted the picture after I thought the email went through to my computer.

1.10 Breakfast

2 Poached eggs over wilted spinach, mushrooms and 2 sausage links with salsa. Eggs don’t get old. Just love them.

DAY 9

1.9 Dinner

8 Stuffed endive mini tacos. These were delish and easy. 8 endive leaves for shells, 8 cubed slices of bresaola, 1/2 cp cubed tomato (seeded), 1/4 cp cubed cucumber (seeded), a little thinly sliced onion, 1/4 cp sliced spinach, 1 fresh sliced basil leaf, 2 sliced dried dates, 1 sliced apricot, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, juice of one lemon.

1.9 Lunch

Lunch was ongoing taste testing during today’s cooking spree. Made a batch of chicken stock and picked at the chicken while removing from bones. Also sampled the kale marinade, a few times (very good!) while mixing and then sampled finished product after drying. Egads, also had 4, yes 4, clementines today. Going positive route, wasn’t bread, pasta, candy, or cheese. Yay!

1.9 Breakfast

Started the day with orange tea and a clementine. Not very hungry after the late dinner.

DAY 8

1.8 Dinner

2.5 Cups of coconut chicken soup.. based loosely on this but tweaked. Approx 1.5 cps of homemade chicken stock, 1/2 cp coconut milk, 2 thin slicked baby carrots, 1/4 cp thin sliced sweet potato, leeks, 3 asparagus spears, 2 thin sliced mushrooms, 1 cp chicken meat, cumin, tabasco, chili pepper, sea salt, ground pepper to taste. Delish!

1.8 Lunch

1 Larabar sample and 1/4 cp mixed treats; raw almonds, walnuts, raisins, dried apricots. The Larabar was awesome! Dried cherries (no added sugars), almonds, and dates. Picked a few up at Trader Joe’s on way home to keep in purse for busy days I’m tempted to skip a meal.

1.8 Breakfast

2 Cups green smoothie. Some kale, spinach, ginger, cinnamon, yacon, grape tomatoes, cranberries, pumpkin, coconut milk. Not sure what possessed me to mix this together, it was awful LOL. But I choked it down with a straw for minimal taste factor since I was running late for class. Obviously I didn’t learn much yesterday!

Woohooo! First week on Whole30… go me!

DAY 7

1.7 Snack
1 Clementine

1.7 Dinner

Several slices of TJ’s beef bresaola, spinach, mixed lettuce, 1/2 tomato, mushrooms, 1/2 sm onion, handful greek olives, avocado oil, lemon, sea salt, ground pepper. 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios. First time I’ve eaten bresaola, very good.

1.7 Lunch
Breakfast repeat to finish off the mix. I meant to drink coconut water later but forgot. It has wonderful skin benefits and drinking to help rehydrate my winter skin.

1.7 Breakfast

2 Cups of smoothie made with handful of spinach, kale (kale rocks health!), carrots, celery, sm orange, beat, coconut milk, egg, piece of yacon. Basically easy veggies and protein I could get my hands on fast. This wasn’t the best combo but gave me an idea of how veggies mix. Picked up cranberries and pumpkin for future smoothies. Vitamix is the best for juices and smoothies!

DAY 6

1.6 Dinner

1.5 servings of homemade beef soup, TJ’s grilled zucchini and eggplant, pear fries with cinnamon, yocan. Oh boy, dinner!! Didn’t get a chance to eat lunch. I was pretty hungry!

1.6 Lunch
Had to skip but coconut water was helpful!

1.6 Breakfast

2 Eggs, 2 sausage, handful of spinach. Cut up sausage this time, very very tasty meal!

DAY 5

1.5 Dinner

1 Serving of homemade beef soup, handful of grape tomatoes with evoo and balsamic, seasoning, grilled zucchini and eggplant (Trader Joe’s rocks!).. but what’s not in the pic is the pickle I ate for a snack and clementine. Discussing chocolate and candy is not a good idea! Kicked in the mental cravings but I’m winning!!

1.5 Lunch

1 Serving of homemade beef stew with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, canned diced tomatoes, seasonings. Very filling and tasty, maybe a bit too much garlic and onion. Also had some coconut water, very good and seemed balanced.. forgot to include in pic but linking to remind me.

1.5 Breakfast

2 Eggs, bunch of spinach, coconut oil, seasonings, 2 sausage dealies (love Trader Joes). What a wonderful tasty breakfast. I’m going to get boring because I plan on eating this for the next few days!

DAY 4

1.4 Dinner

1 Serving of grass fed steak (so good!), 1/2 sautéed sweet onion, 1/2 cucumber, seasoning, lemon. I couldn’t hold out for the CSA delivery Thurs, and, I’m way glad I didn’t! What a yummy steak! Cubed the rest and tossed it into the slow cooker with some vegies. Can’t wait until tomorrow!

1.4 Lunch

2 Chopped celery sticks, 5 chopped baby carrots, handful of chopped spinach, 1 chopped date, 1 chopped apricot, handful sf coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, cinnamon sprinkles. Dressing, warmed coconut oil and juice of ½ medium orange. Also, 1 egg, ½ pack of albacore tuna, garlic mayo, ½ chopped celery, sea salt, pepper to taste. Delish!

1.4 Breakfast:

1 Egg, ½ chopped celery stick, ½ pack of albacore tuna, homemade garlic mayo, ½ chopped tomato, sea salt, ground pepper to taste and herbal tea. Forgot how great tuna salad is! The CSA is bringing apples on Thurs. Looking forward to tuna salad with apples next time!

DAY 3

1.3 Dinner

2 Eggs cooked in coconut oil, spinach, onions, 1/2 avocado, salsa, lemon, organic seasoned salt, ground pepper, and a pear with cinnamon sprinkles. Guess what? I’m in love with pear fries! And 4 eggs in one day was not intentional. I forgot to read the wild salmon patties label, until tonight, and sure enough fillers from the elimination list. grrrrrr. However, very pleasantly surprised by the delish unexpected dinner. I’m absolutely stuffed. Really!

1.3 Lunch

1 Can of lemon & pepper seasoned tuna, sugar snap peas, 1/2 avocado, 1 plum tomato, lemon, sea salt, pepper to taste. While not my first choice, it was darn filling and I felt good eating it. No petering out after 2p and never felt hungry through dinner. Update: Poop! The tuna had soy oil in it :(

1.3 Breakfast

2 Hard boiled eggs, 2 red beets, sugar snap peas, tea.. Not the most glorious breakfast but Trader Joes boiled beets are sweet a’la natural. Hint: Peel eggs before work, they’re as bad as an old banana peel in the trash! Glad to report breakfast was satisfying and filling. Felt full right up to lunch.

DAY 2

1.2 Evening Snack:

1/2 Pear sliced into sticks sprinkled with cinnamon. I can’t express enough what a delish snack this makes. I’ve rarely eaten pears, and this was the first time I’ve had a purple skin variety. Very delish. On a side note, mine was still a bit firm. I would imagine a really ripe pear would yield floppy fries.

1.2 Dinner:

Dinner size salad with cucumbers, tomato, greek olives, creamy garlic dressing, sea salt, ground pepper. Opted out of having any meat since I wasn’t too hungry after the big lunch.

1.2 Lunch:

Chicken Soup (x2! I’m stuffed!) -3 cps chicken stock, 1 cp cooked chicken, 1 can spicy tomatoes drained, 1 red chili pepper, 1 jalapeño, half lime juice, sea salt, pepper to taste, few sprigs of cilantro

1.2 Breakfast:

2 Soft boiled eggs & tomato slices with sea salt and ground pepper, 1/2 pear cut into sticks with cinnamon (yum!), nettle tea and vitamins

DAY 1

1.1 Evening Snack:

1 Serving of Funky Monkey freeze dried fruit
(equal to that of reg fruit vs dried fruit which has increased sugar content)

1.1 Dinner:

Pan seared tilapia recipe without flour, nuked asparagus, sea salt, small salad and dollops of seasoned garlic dressing.

Not sure why my phone took a blue pic, unfortunately I didn’t notice until after I licked my plate clean. Very tasty dinner and easy cleanup. I’m surprising myself!

1.1 Lunch:

Canned salmon over mixed lettuce greens, capers, half cucumber, half tomato, homemade garlic seasoned creamy dressing

The creamy dressing is a homemade mayo mixture of garlic, lemon and seasonings but I didn’t make it as thick and I used an immersion blender (so easy!) When using seasonings, don’t use premixed; buy the ingredients and create your own. Unless it says sugar free, assume the “natural flavors” contain sugar and flour fillers.

1.1 Breakfast:

2 Soft eggs, 1 tomato, ground pepper, sea salt, fresh parsley, hot tea with coconut oil, vitamins

I used my little egg steamer for the first time. It’s awesome and makes making eggs quick and easy. My pantry is skinny until my CSA arrives next week. I’m real excited to get my first order from farm to my kitchen! All grown organically and picked at the peek of ripeness. Not to mention the pasture raised chicken and beef. Yum!