Whole30 – Day 10 + Breakfast

Yep, that’s #nofilter paleo breakfast. Having breakfast prepared for a week at a time has been crucial to my success on Whole30.  Since last weeks casserole was so good I made a repeat this week. The only difference being that I used coconut oil to grease the dish before adding all the ingredients. I spent way longer than I should’ve scrubbing that dish last week.

If you need the recipe from the chorizo and zucchini casserole from last week here’s the link.

Day 10 was uneventful but on track.  Barre class was challenging because there were an inordinate amount of standing leg lifts (something I’m terrible at). It’s funny how such a small movement can be so humbling. I am also constantly reminded of how inflexible I am when I go to class.  I hear it gets better the more classes you do. 🙂

Lunch that day was half a salad from moby dick.  Yum…meat on a stick.

Dinner that night was…surprise, more porkbelly with avocado, romaine, lemon juice and salt. Party on.

Random tidbit of info. I’m using my LG G3 camera phone for all my pics. As of (mostly) all posts after this one I started using the 13 MP setting for higher quality photos. Curious if there’s a noticible difference.

Whole30 – Day 9 + Snacks

Snacks. Sometimes we need them. There are lots of Whole30 approved snacks available out there. I used this Whole30 challenge to try a new one and continue with some that I already know and use. We’ll start with larabars…

I needed to replenish my Whole30 approved emergency snack stash and saw these bags at Whole Foods. Mix and match bars and get 10% off! I went in thinking I was going to be stuck with a whole box of the coconut larabars but to my chagrin I was pleasantly surprised to get some variety. Not all the flavors are Whole30 approved (you can probably figure this one out if you read the labels).

I just got some Primal Pacs bacon infused sticks (think slim jim or beef jerky) in the mail after seeing a promo on the Whole30 Instagram page. Got them in the mail today and they’re pretty good. They definitely have some of the natural snap you would expect from something with casing. Consider these BLDPaleo approved as well.

I can’t say that I would want to eat these regularly (I’m not independently wealthy. Tragic.) but these would be amazing to have on a road trip or flight when there aren’t any real healthy options.  

Day 9 has been very normal and on track. Clothes still fit the same but I have noticed rings to be loose on my fingers.

Looking forward to spin class this week as the class just got a couple additions. Working out with friends is the best!

Whole30 – Day 8 + My Goals

In addition to doing the whole30 I also decided to set some additional goals to follow during the month:
1. Get 8+ hours of sleep.
2. Have a glass of water with lemon juice from half a lemon.
3. Barre class 3x’s per week
4. Spin class 1x per week.
5. Share the experience using social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress).

Another goal could be to stop using a scale if you have one. Think about all the times you’ve hopped on and been disappointed with the number that comes up. Why not ditch the scale and pay more attention to how your clothes fit. It’s a lot more rewarding to fit into those jeans you haven’t been able to wear in a couple months than to stare at a number that just makes you feel bad.

When setting goals just remember to keep them realistic and reasonable.  I always think of the whole30 as kind of a science experiment on your body. Take away a few inputs and see how the outcome changes. Unless you’ve done it once before it can be challenging to know what kind to goals to set. Have fun with it and be honest with your meals.

Quickly looking back on week 1 all my workout goals were exceeded. I made it to all three barre classes and spin class as well as took a longer 14 mile ride on the weekend as well as a couple extra yoga classes in the evenings. Lemon water in the mornings is on track. The problem areas have been not getting enough sleep and being a couple days behind on sharing the experience on this blog. Other than that a successful week 1!

Don’t forget, if you want to follow along on Instagram or Twitter, you can find me as precisepilates.

Whole30 – Day 7 + Staying Strict

Having a meal that you didn’t prepare yourself can be risky. Going through the specific list of whole30 items that are allowed we see that canola oil is actually (reluctantly) allowed.

So the two instances dunring week 1 where this has been an issue was at two places: whole foods and chipotle.

Whole foods has a pretty awesome prepared food hot bar and salad bar but you have to be careful and read labels. Even something healthy like grilled asparagus has canola oil in it. Whomp!

Thankfully there were enough options to make a suitable choice and stick with the plan.  A large container of braised kale, salmon and veggies worked out well for lunch on day 7.

Then there’s Chipotle. Last time I did whole30 I learned that soybean oil (not allowed) was used for the steak, chicken and barbacoa, leaving the pork carnitas to be the only safe bet. I was so excited to share that I had managed to have a whole30 meal at a restaurant only to find out that all of their meats are now cooked in some kind of seed oil (rice bran oil or sunflower oil; here’s the nutrition info). I guess it’s not the end of the world but without writing too much more and going further down the rabbit hole, let’s revisit the reasoning and wrap things up.

Seed oils should be avoided in order to reduce inflammation and support healthy immune function according to the It Starts With Food book (see the cheat sheet here). 

At the very least this is still a learning experience the second time around and it will be interesting to see if I have a noticible response to anything I’m eliminating if I happen to reintroduce them in the future. 

Whole30 Day 6 + Porkbelly

Porkbelly…the only food I love more than bacon. True statement.

Day 6 was great. It’s a treat to be the only person in a bar not drinking alcohol. As the night gets later, people start getting more awesome. It’s basically people watching at its best.

Ok, ok so back to day 6. Cravings had basically subsided. I added an apple to the food agenda and I think it helped me to deal.

Two highlights of the day for day 6; exercise and food. I managed to get on the bike for 14 miles as well as had my best meal of this whole30…porkbelly salad with romaine, avocado, sea salt and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

First I seared the porkbelly in a pan with some ghee. Then I let it rest for a few minutes, sliced it and salted it.

Finally it went on top of this delicious  salad. So that’s it. Day 6. Success. Done.

Whole30 Day 5 + Casserole Recipe

Day 5. The first day during this Whole30 that I went to hang out with friends at a bar. It is definitely strange to not have a drink when you’re at a bar with all your friends who have a drink but I think they understand. Or they make fun for 5 minutes and then we move on.

Breakfast was still casserole and lunch was still porkchop and broccoli. Lets recap the recipe for the casserole, shall we?

1 dozen eggs
4 zucchini
3 chorizo sausage
1 onion
1 jalapeno

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Coarsely chop the onion and zucchini and place in a baking platter. Finely dice the jalapeno and add to the veggies. Squeeze the chorizo out of the casing and crumble on top of the veggies. Break the dozen eggs into a bowl. Mix. Pour over the veggies. Bake for 50 min or until the top starts to slighlt brown.  Viola!

Pretty simple and you can be creative with this. So many combinations of sausage and veggies.

Cravings were noticeably deteriorating today. Felt a little thinner in the waist. Possibly a little more tricep definition coming through thanks to all the pushups and weights in barre class.  Yay.

Whole30 – Day 4 + lunch

So here’s my lunch for the week. A delicious and juicy bone-in porkchop cooked in ghee with a ton of steamed broccoli. Make sure to pick out a cut with a little more fat. You’ll thank yourself with flavor later. I’m still trying to play with ratios so with this meal I was targeting about 30% protein and 70% veggies.

Meals are going well and I’m eating enough that I feel full but I’m definitely still having cravings. Specifically I’m craving those Haribo gummy cherries that I get once or twice a year from the German deli. They’re so good but I really don’t need to be thinking about them for the next month.

I’m still drinking a glass of water with lemon juice every morning and I successfully made it to barre class Mon/Wed/Fri morning this week.

Whole30 – Day 3 + Ceviche Recipe

Checking in on day 3. Feeling pretty good. Went to Courtney’s 630 AM barre class at Spark today. Fantastic and challenging. You thought 3 lb weights were light? Haha. But seriously it’s a fun class. I’m headed back on Friday.

Let’s talk recipes. Specifically, ceviche. Ok so this was something I’ve never made before. Ever. It’s super easy and your place doesn’t smell like fish when you’re done. Yay.

Ingredients
1 lb rockfish
1 jalapeno
1 yellow onion
Bunch of cilantro
Juice of 2 lemons

Remove skin from the fish (or as I learned the hard way…get your grocery store to do it) and chop into small cubes or pieces. Dice the jalapeno and onion and combine in glass dish with rockfish. Squeeze lemon juice over veggies and fish. Mix and let sit for about 3 hours.

Before serving, add salt and minced cilantro.

This is one of the more expensive meals because of the fish. Try to get something on sale.

Rockfish $20
Jalapeno $1
Onion $1
Cilantro $3
Lemons $2

Total $27 (comes out to about 4 servings so under $7 per serving).

Time to go to bed. Waking up for a 6 am spin class at Revolve.

Whole30 – Day 2 and Late Kickoff

I know, I know.  It’s been a while since we’ve talked.

Also, I understand you’re wondering why we’re starting with Whole30 day 2.  All of your questions and more will be answered below.

First things first.  Whole30 program started yesterday.  What is Whole30?  Well, it’s really similar to Paleo (the way most of my crossfit crew knows Paleo from Patriot Crossfit).  The main differences are as follows:

1. No paleo treats.  Don’t go thinking you can live for a month on Paleo pancakes and breakfast muffins.  I knew exactly what you were thinking.

2. All types of potatoes are allowed.  These would have to be the home prepared variety…as in, no you cannot stuff your face with freedom fries for a month.  If you can prepare potatoes at home then go for it.

3. No butter.  You can use ghee or clarified butter.

Otherwise, Whole30 is basically the same.  You can eat wholesome, healthy and non-processed foods for a month.  You might feel awesome when you’re done.

So yeah, my personal Whole30 program started yesterday.  I have a fabulous friend that’s getting married in October and between Whole30 and doing yoga and barre we’re going to be ready for this wedding.  I also just spent the last two weeks in Spain and France indulging in way too much food.  So…no further questions, let’s move on.

That said, if anyone wants to join us for the rest of August feel free!  We’re sharing food photos on Instagram (follow me on precisepilates or just check out all the photos under #Whole30). There’s a couple others who are not doing Whole30 but instead committed to dry August.  

Let’s chat a little about day 2…

How did I feel?  Energetic.  Hungrier.  I thought I would only need one slice of my breakfast casserole (zucchini, chorizo, eggs, onions) but I was still hungry so I had a second and boom. Satisfaction indeed.  I’ve also been starting my day with a glass of warm water and fresh squeezed lemon juice (half a lemon) to help with liver detox and digestion.  This can also help with poop. Yes, I said it.  Poop.

What did I eat?  Breakfast casserole and organic coffee (black).  Steak salad for lunch. Ceviche for dinner.  I ate slowly but enough so that I wasn’t hungry.  I will cover recipes for these meals in separate posts.

Consider this post the official kickoff for Whole30.  

Science. All in. Time to make a SCOBY.

What’s a SCOBY?  A SCOBY is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.  Sounds yummy, right?  It’s also what people use to brew kombucha.

What’s kombucha?  It’s this really expensive drink at whole foods.  Ok, ok it’s also a fermented fizzy drink that has lots of probiotics and health benefits.

Why am I writing about this?  Well, I’m attempting to brew some.

I’ve been following Stupid Easy Paleo on Facebook and she posted her kombucha brewing efforts (which look awesome BTW) so I’m going to give it a go.  Balanced Bites also has a really great post on kombucha and I’m going to follow the instructions on Food Renegade to actually make the SCOBY (despite their guidance on the store-bought kombucha reformulation of 2010 – thank A LOT Lindsay Lohan).

So far I have a gallon jar, a dozen 32 oz jars and I just need to pick up one plain kombucha, some organic green tea and sugar.

I fully understand the store bought stuff might not be enough to generate a SCOBY but I’ve got some time and yes, I like science…so stay tuned.  If the experiment fails then I’ll purchase a SCOBY but in the meantime I’ll continue to blow money on my two favorite flavors of kombucha: Gingerade and Strawberry Serenity.

If anyone is brewing kombucha and they want to give me a SCOBY…speak now!!