Whole 30: Week 1 Recap

Hey hey!  How was everyone's winter break?  Ours was glorious!  Filled with tons of playing, friends, family and art.  The kids and I were both bummed when Monday morning rolled around and they had to go back to school.

The other thing that as quite the bummer about Monday was Mark and I starting the Whole 30.  Are you familiar with it?  It's basically 30 days of eating nothing processed, no dairy, grains, soy (or legumes of any kind), MSG, or anything that tastes delicious.  The point of it is to 'reset' your system, relearn how to eat the way nature intended (eating until satiety, instead of engorgement), and to just generally feel better.  We've done this once before, 2 years ago, and both loved the way that we felt, so we decided to do it again!

We started on January fifth, so today is day 8 for us.  I feel like I'm finally turning the 'bloated, withdrawing from sugar/carbs' hump, and am feeling good!  I've also made my way back to the gym, where I am spending way too much time working on my upper body.  I'm only cleared from the ribcage up, so I'm basically turning these shoulders into boulders, and I'm trading in my boobs for pecs.  Sexy, like a man.  Anyways.  I've made some super delicious recipes this week, and wanted to share my top 3 with you guys!

Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash 

(Recipe from Make With Your Hands)

Ingredients:
1 whole butter nut squash (3 c. cubed)
2 tbs. coconut oil (melted)
1/2 tbs. dark cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbs. fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss squash, coconut oil & cinnamon together until all of the squash is thoroughly coated with oil and cinnamon.  Lay the butternut squash on a parchment lined baking sheet, or silpat and bake for 35 minutes.  Pull it out of the oven and  immediately toss with the nutmeg and pepper.  Put it back on the baking sheet and allow it to cool.

Seriously, this is delicious.  Use the full TBSP of pepper.  The nuttiness of the nutmeg, combined with the spiciness of the pepper and the sweetness of the cinnamon is an unreal combination.

Chipotle Meatballs  

(Recipe from Health-Bent)

Ingredients

1 lb ground meat (we used beef)
1/4 c almond flour
2 eggs
1 T chipotle adobo sauce 
1 t dried oregano
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
salt

For the Sauce

1 c chicken stock
15 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 finely diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or you could use just sauce
2 t dried oregano
2 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs, and roll into small, 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch balls.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  While the meatballs are cooking combine all ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and allow to simmer until it reaches desired thickness.  We served these over roasted spaghetti squash with a side of avocado, because this is a spicy recipe!  The original recipe serves it with a side of guacamole.

These meatballs are delicious!  But, our favorite part about them is the sauce.  Because you can't have ketchup or BBQ sauce on the Whole 30, things sometimes seem a bit dry.  This sauce is the perfect solution!  

Bulletproof Coffee

Ok, let's talk about this one.  I was nervous about it too.  It crossed my radar a long time ago, and I immediately thought "Yuck! Hell to the no!"  But, I decided that I needed to woman up, and give it a go, and I am so thankful that I did!  That first day that I tried it I was like the freaking energizer bunny.  I could not sit still!  Which was kind of a bummer, because my bursitis was CRAZY bad, and it hurt me to move, and I couldn't bring myself to sit still.  I didn't make true bulletproof coffee because I'm not having dairy, and the real recipe calls for butter.  Anyways, give it a try!  

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Coconut Oil (virgin coconut oil gives a stronger flavor, so if you don't like coconut just look for regular coconut oil)

1 cup of brewed coffee.

Directions

In a blender combine the coffee and oil and blend until frothy.  I used an immersion blender in my cup, because I hate doing dishes.

Let me know if you have any questions!  These are my top 3 recipes, but I made SO many more!  Missing all of my food posts on Instagram?  Don't fret, I made a new account, just food and fitness related.  Follow me @kendalgetsfit. 

Meal Prep Monday....The Tuesday Edition

So, I'm feeling rather frumpy these days.  I lost 15lbs in 9 weeks, and literally nothing that I own fits me.  All of my favorite shirts hang weird, and honestly, I bought them when I didn't feel that awesome about myself, so they make me look like I'm part bag lady, part 500lbs.  I need to fix this, like yesterday.  I've been watching for good deals on jeans (size 28/29 HOLLA!) and scooping those up when I can, but it has still left me totally empty handed for shirts.  I was online shopping yesterday like "Ooooh!  I need that, and that, and that AND THAT!" But, I plan on this being a temporary size, and I need cute clothes that don't hide all of my hard work, but that I also don't drop a grip load on.  I grabbed a few online that should come in within the next week, which will hopefully help me get through the slump, and then I'll just keep my eye out for good deals at The Rack.  Also, I found the cutest shirt there the other day, but the kids were being crazy and I was just done shopping, so I totally skipped it and I've been kicking myself ever since!  Don't you hate that?  Ugh, such a drag.

One other thing that I really need to kick into high gear is getting dressed every day.  I mean, I don't wear my pajamas all day, but I do rock yoga pants at least 99% of the time.  Did you ever watch that episode of Desperate Housewives where Lynette and her husband had sex for 30 straight days to fall back in love?  That's how I feel with clothes.  Maybe if I put jeans on for 30 straight days I won't hate putting jeans on at the end of it.  I mean, as long as I don't end up pregnant it's a real win either way.

Back to the matter at hand.  I swear, yesterday came and went, and I feel like I blinked and I missed it!  It was our first 'at home' day in almost a week and a half, and aside from grocery shopping and cheer we really did just stay home. The kids were so happy, and it went so well we went ahead and decided to spend the rest of the week doing as close to nothing as possible.  I'm a real giver like that.  Anyways, lets talk about meal prep Monday, the Tuesday edition.  Along with being gone all week last week I also ate out all week last week.  I feel like a slug from putting all of that garbage into my body and my face has broken out!  So these next few weeks before surgery I am focusing hardcore on diet and water.  I feel so much better when I put good food into my body, and my skin glows so hard it basically rivals the sun when I get my gallon of water in a day.

My girlfriend is AMAZING and brought me all of these squash and cucumbers!  It was a serious score.  So, everything that I prepped this week includes either or both of those ingredients.

(such a blurry picture, I was basically shaking with excitement!)

I decided to go simple this week, because that's the goal around these parts, and just sautéed a bunch of squash, added it to seasoned ground turkey and called that the start of lunch!  Breakfast will always be egg whites.  I hate the taste of eggs, so the whites usually just absorb whatever flavor is around them.  Otherwise, the rest of my meals will be even easy-peasier.  Fiber One for my morning snack (hide your jealousy, I dare you), ground turkey over a sweet potato for lunch, a granola bar of some sort afternoon snack and then my previously posted meal plan for dinner.  Geeze, if I keep all of my weeks this simple I might as well change the title of this blog to The Real Mrs. Cleaver!  I'm totally in the market for a homemade, protein packed, granola bar.  If you've got any amazing ones pass them my way, please.