Liebster Award... It's an amazing thing!!

Well better late than never... Amazing Blacklist Nutrition nominated me for a Liebster award... So I figured I would finally fill this out since I'm back in my blogging game... 

These are the questions she had for me! 
1) Why did you start blogging?


Truthfully, I finished school and didn't have anything to do with my free time, then I found out I was pregnant so I figured since so many life changes are happening I might as well add a blog to the list! Sometimes I feel like I have some good info to share as well! lol

2) If you had a super power, what would it be and why?
I would say teleport? Is that a super power? It would be so nice just to wake up in the morning and go to the beach without the traffic! lol

3) What would you do if you won one million dollars?
I would buy land back in Montana and build a dream home on it, then I would save the rest :)

4) What is your favorite type of music?
Country for sure... I can't help myself!

5) What is your favorite food?
Anything coconut... coconut butter being at the top of the list!

6) What is your favorite quote, and why?
"good is not enough if better is possible." It always reminds me to keep pushing and doing my best at all things versus just getting things done...

7) What is your most prized possession?
This is really a hard one... I would have to say my star sapphire ring that was my great grandma's. It has been passed down for many years and I absolutely love it.

8) Describe your personal style in three words.
Fitness Hippy Chick? Im either always in workout clothes or tie dye with my toms on.

9) What is your biggest challenge?
Staying committed. I always have big plans but most of the time I don't stick with them because I would rather not try then fail at them. One of my New Years resolutions was to be better about it and so far I have made some pretty big leaps and bounds towards that goal!


10) If you could invite three people to dinner, who would they be and why?
wow... hardest question in the world... 
First off, Dana Lynn Bailey, because I love her, she is so committed to what she does and seems to have the more caring personality. Plus I would want to pick her brain about how she looks so good and stays on track! 
Next, Paleomg... She is just amazing, her and her frenchie, I would love to just sit down with her and hang out with her and her good style! 
Lastly, to please my crunchy side, Ina May Gibson, she is my hero, her books are amazing and her wisdom about the female body is amazing. 

Wow... This turned out to be an interesting bunch. I like it! If I could have someone that has already passed though, Weston A Price would be my first pick for sure! 

These are the blogs I'm going to nominate: 
** Most of these people aren't very active on their blog but are really active on Instagram... they are mostly all new mommies and amazing motivating people!!** 

Megan To Momma 

Homegrown Paleo

Hungry Fitness

Healthy Ashley

Fitaholic

All Natural Mom


Natural Mommyhood

Fit To Be Pregnant

Questions for my nominees: 

1.)What motivates you to live the life you live? 
2.)Why did you start your blog? 
3.)If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? 
4.)Whats your favorite color and why? 
5.)What is your life motto and why?
6.) If you could hang out with one person (dead or alive) for 24hrs who would it be and why?
7.) What is your favorite meal? 
8.) How do you stay active and why does it work for you?
9.)  What's something you just can't live without?
10.) What is your favorite book? 


I hope you guys have fun with it!! :) 

Paleo on a Budget

Food is expensive if you want to eat even half way decent. It's a shame to just eat well you have to spend so much more compared to the normal packaged food eating person.

You can't coupon and eat whole foods, you can't just go anywhere to eat dinner or grab a snack. So the real question is, how the heck do you stay on budget!? 

For the last 4 years I have been on this paleo bandwagon along with the overall goal of just eating whole foods. I have found some tricks along the way to help me save money where I can! 

First off... I don't step foot into Whole Foods... Ever.

Whole Foods is known as the health food meca and it for sure lives up to it's name. I view it like target once you go inside you can't help but want to buy all of the things... Then you wake up at the register realizing you just spent $400 on 6 items. Whole Foods is a place you go if you have money to blow or you absolutely can't find it anywhere else. If you want the good for you food store experience stick to Trader Joes where things are a little more inexpensive! 

Now... The places to go...

If you live on the east coast, find the nearest Aldi!  

Aldi is my best friend. They have your basic organic produce usually including lettuce at a cheap price. Also, all their other produce is super cheap as well. I'm not the person to buy all organic, I would rather eat non organic fruits and vegetables then processed foods so I do what I can on the budget I have. The one thing I always buy organic no matter what is lettuce, that's just my personal rule. Moving on... Aldi also has super cheap frozen wild caught salmon, yeah it's not the thickest, yummiest stuff but it's around $9 for 2lbs so it's a great deal!  I wouldn't buy their fresh meat unless it's on sale just because of the price. Their frozen veggies and fruits are an awesome price as well. You can pretty much get all your basics at Aldi. They always have good sales on something too. Lastly, don't forget to bring your own bags and a quater to get a cart. You don't want to be stuck paying for bags or walking around with too much to carry! 

**Oh and a fun fact!! Aldi is owned by Trader joes so you can find the same exact stuff with different labels and a cheaper price at Aldi, how awesome!!**

During the summer always go to your local farmers market. If you are feeling really cheap, go right before the close for the day because most of the time they don't want to haul anything back with them so they try to give good deals on what they have left! 

Next, when you get to the market take a look at all the tables before you buy, there will be many different prices for the same items, so look for the good deal! Don't be afraid to ask questions and strike up a conversation. The friendlier you are the more likely you will be remembered and if you are really lucky you may get the 'good guy' discount!
Also, if they give you a good deal on say if you buy 2 pints of green beans versus 1 don't forget you can always freeze your produce. If I get too much of something I either end up canning it, fermenting it, or freezing it. Buy more while it's cheap that way once winter hits you will still have good produce saved! 

I go weekly, sometimes bi-weekly to my farmers market so I'm starting to get to know it pretty well. The people are great and the prices are even better! I also found a lady that delivers eggs and produce boxes around the county I live in. She has a drop 2 miles from my house so buying eggs and produce from her is always so convenient!

Egg Lady Haul! 

I have always noticed that I save so much money in the summers because there is so much more available all around me. To find a market close to you go to Local Havest.org and you can find pretty much anything you can think of locally!

Since I am military I am able to go to the commissary on post, this also saves us a lot of money. They try to keep things inexpensive for the military but depending on your location the commissary can be full of good foods or bad foods, its just all chance! I usually buy my chicken (and other meat if needed), Ezekiel bread, gf oats, and anything canned I need, such as pumpkin, coconut milk and organic tomato products. Sometimes they have case sales and I can get some simple things there as well.

If you aren't military there is also the option of getting a membership to a wholesale store such as Costco, BJs, and Sams. I would stick to Costco or BJs because they have the largest selection of organic and natural foods. I know both places have kerrygold butter as well which is always amazing. I haven't shopped much at the wholesale stores just because we are military but the few times I have gone, it has been so worth it. So get yourself a membership, you won't regret it!.


Lastly, where the heck to do I get my meat?!? Well... Locally of course!

I have found that buying in bulk is so much better. We buy usually once a year and it saves us so much money. We got a stand up deep freezer and it has been the best thing ever for us.

We buy a whole hog and half a cow. It comes out to be about 500lbs of meat. We found a farm that does grass fed, grass finished cows and free roaming hogs. They give us the meat in vacuum sealed packages that are labeled and weighed which makes life super easy. You can request the kinds of cuts you want and also how you want things packaged.

For all other meat that we eat we usually buy in bulk packages. Almost all stores will give you a deal on 'family packs' so just buy in bulk and split it up when you get home.

Also, buying a whole chicken or chicken with the bone and skin still intacted will be cheaper than buying just chicken breasts! Don't ever buy 'stew meat' buy a roast and cut it up yourself, it will save you so much money! Experiment with the  'less favorable' meats, you won't regret it!

Other places I may go from time to time...

Wegmans...
for the family pack vegetables, bulk unsweetened coconut flakes and dried apricots, and bulk chicken.
Safeway...
for $5 friday, or really good produce deals. (it's literally 1 mile from my house so sometimes its just easy to run there to get something fast)
The Fresh Market...
for $2.99 tuesday for meat, or if they have a really good deal like a couple weeks ago they had buy one get one free wild planet sardines which is an amazing deal.

All in all, saving money on whole foods is an art. It takes time to do your research and find the best prices but it will all pay off in the end and you will find a routine.
I have also found the more you make yourself the more money you will save. I personally make my own ghee, kombucha, coconut butter, almond butter, and recently started fermenting my own foods (sauerkraut, pickles, beets).

Have any questions?  Just ask!
If you are looking for the cheapest places to get something, I bet I can tell you where to find it. I am a deal hunter thru and thru.

Busy Summer Time...

So I have come to the conclusion that I'm not very good at keeping up with this blog thing. Most of the time I feel like I don't have much to say. I mean I make kombucha, ferment foods, cloth diaper, buy local foods, and all in all am a pretty crunchy mama. There are so many like me out there so most of the time I don't share what I do daily.

I decided Im going to change my outlook though, who cares if others write about the same things I do. I am doing this for me and doing what I love.

So hopefully this post will lead to something new.

As of right now, I'm loving summer. I workout with a wonderful group of ladies here locally so no need for a gym. I have pushed myself to start trail running and so far I'm loving it! I have been eating local (besides chicken) which makes me so proud. Farmers markets are my favorite things and summer leads to so many good markets. I also bought a sewing machine and I'm determined to make some awesome things with it, so watch out!!

I will catch you all up here soon. This weekend I will dedicate some time to this lonely blog. I will tell you about my kombucha brewing success, how to buy local and keep it cheap, in 10 days my first batch of fermented vegetables will be ready so I will share about those as well.

Here we go!!

Whole 30 Snacks

Since I can't make it through the day with just 3 meals like most people do during their whole 30 journey I had to find good snacks and products to get me through the day. Here is a good list of things that got me through!

Larabars

I tried to only use these when I was on the go. I kept them in the car so I wouldn't snack on them just because. They are very dense in calories and sugars so they don't fill you up for long but they are packed with nutrients. It seems like lately when I leave the house I only plan on being gone for an hour or so but then that turns into 3-4 hours and I get hungry so having these were nice to hold me over until I could get some real food. Even in the book It Starts With Food they recommend you staying away from bars and smoothies that combine whole foods and make them into dense nutrients because then your brain can't fully process the calories you are intaking so keep that in mind when eating bars/ smoothies. 

Turkey Epic Bar 

There are 3 kinds of epic bars turkey, beef, and buffalo. The beef and buffalo have ingredients that don't work during the whole 30 but I have heard they are pretty amazing. I tired the Turkey and I really liked it even though it was really different! It was like having jerky and trail mix all mixed up into a bar. lol It filled me up for awhile so thats why I liked it so much. But again it is another bar so your brain can't register it properly so you don't feel as full as you would if you were to eat a handful of almonds and cranberries with a 2oz side of turkey. Also, these are pretty spendy at around $2.50-$3 a piece. For an active person or crossfitter doing a whole 30 though I could see them being the perfect post workout meal. 

Trader Joe's Mixed Nuts

Nuts are one of the easiest snacks for on the go. Having healthy fats with you keeps you fuller longer during the whole 30. Trader Joe's has mostly all of their nuts in a dry roasted form now which is awesome. I chose the mixed nuts, cashews and macadamia nuts all in the salted and dry roasted variety. Not having salt on my nuts is a little too boring for me but it's just personal preference. 

Made In Nature Dried Fruit

I found these gems at the commissary, which I was blown away by! They have no sulfates added to them, they are just tree ripened/dried. Also, they are organic so you can't go wrong with them! They are a little spendy as well at $3.99 a bag but they were perfect for after my workouts. I would have 2-3 pieces and that would satisfy me. I also ate them if I was craving something sweet and they always did the trick. 

Sardines

Most people say sardines are absolutely disgusting but I feel the complete opposite… I ate a can a day through my whole, whole 30. They are full of omega3s, calcium and protein. You can't go wrong with this snack. I tried many brands and by far my favorite was wild planet! They were also the most expensive at $2.69 a piece. Most of the time I ate King Oscar brand ($1.69) or chicken of the sea ($1.00) just to save the money. I also tired trader joe's smoked sardines which were super good! My advice, take the dive and try some sardines, I promise it won't kill you!   

Coconut Aminos

I used this to add flavor to a lot of my foods when I was feeling they were pretty bland. I made stir fry, cauliflower fried rice, and shepards pie with it and they all turned out amazing. 

Bubbies Pickles and Sauerkraut 

These are amazing!! They are fermented and full of healthy probiotics which is great for your system. I would eat the sauerkraut with eggs or my sardines. The pickles I would just have as a snack here and there. I liked them mostly just because they helped me increase my probiotic intake which I think is very important to optimal health. A healthy gut is a happy gut!!

All of these things made me a happy camper during my whole 30! I hope these things help you get through your own whole 30! 

Whole 30 Reintroduction

I learned so much during this phase of my whole 30. Things that I thought never caused me problems were actually really hard on my body....

The first reintroduction I did was legumes... 

I had my normal whole 30 approved breakfast but added some peanut butter on top of my sweet potato. About 30 mins later I felt like complete crap and looked about 6months pregnant with a peanut butter food baby! haha I used to eat peanut butter every day and not even think about why I was having gastro issues but now I know I have to be an almond butter girl versus a peanut butter girl! 

Later for dinner I had some black beans. I remember always getting an upset stomach after eating too much chipotle so I was convinced they were going to give me problems. I was totally wrong though... no bloating no nothing. I guess my body does well with black beans which makes me happy because they are SOOOO delicious! lol 

I went back to my whole 30 routine for 2 days and then introduced non-gluten grains back in. 

For breakfast I had my oatmeal that I have missed so much. I had some slight bloating but no stomach upset. I thought I had no problem with oatmeal so I was surprised to have any sort of reaction to it. I decided oatmeal that I love so much will be turned into a treat breakfast so I don't cause myself any gastro problems. 

For lunch I had some white rice and it went awesome. No problems at all which I'm not surprised by at all. So yay for rice, I need some heavier carbs since I'm breastfeeding so I'm glad I found something that works for me! 

Lastly, for dinner I made up some quinoa. I love quinoa.... quinoa does not love me back though... I think of all the foods I tried this was my worst reaction. I looked even more pregnant then when I had peanut butter and my stomach was so cramped up from it, I went to bed so uncomfortable. NEVER AGAIN!! 

I also remember by the end of the day I was in a really cranky mood, I'm not sure if it was the day or if it was my body reacting to the change in my diet. Either way I remember being a big B word to my hubby all night and I didn't understand why! lol 

Again I went back to my whole 30 for 2 days and then had some dairy! I was so scared for this since Olivia seems to have a hard time with dairy... 

For breakfast I had some yogurt, I was so excited for it but once I tasted it, I didn't even finish it. I ended up with a tiny bit of bloat but really overall no problems. It just didn't taste good to me so I don't think its something I'm going to add back in or have any time soon. I will stick to the almond milk yogurt which is simply delicious! 

Dinner, I had some cheese on top of my lettuce tacos for dinner. I had no problem at all. No bloating no nothing. I had some shredded organic cheese which didn't have any crazy ingredients and it was totally fine! I was so excited about this because I like being able to have some cheese here and there to add some flavor to things such as tacos! 

After dinner I had a tiny single serve coffee flavored gelato. Super simple ingredients, milk, egg yolk, sugar, coffee. I got a tiny bit of bloat from it but no other tummy troubles. After I finished my reintroduction phase I did have ice cream again, some ben and jerry's craziness, that made me bloat up like crazy and even my husband commented on how pregnant I looked! lol So I think if I want ice cream I have to keep it simple because the dairy seems to agree with me but the other crazy things they put into ice cream now a days does not! 

Also, when it comes to Olivia, I noticed that day and the day after I had dairy she had a lot more spit up, nothing crazy and she wasn't overly fussy or gassy so that was good, seeing that she grew out of her sensitivity a little! YAY! I did  notice personally I did get more of my acne back the days after having dairy. So for me, dairy is pretty much out the question until Olivia is a little older and my hormones balance to get rid of this postpartum acne business. ick. 

Then here we go on the home stretch! 2 more days of whole 30 and then I got to have some gluten. 

By this time I had family in town and it was memorial day weekend... I had fallen off track a little. Had wine one night and had some potato chips as well. So my body wasn't optimally cleaned out still like it should be but these are the reactions I got... 

For breakfast I had 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, it was so crunchy and good and I had no problems with it at all. 

We went into DC for the rest of the day to enjoy the beginning of Memorial Day weekend and Rolling Thunder. We met up with some friends and I ended up having a few beers (Guinness to be exact). I didn't seem to have any problems with it and had a great night out with my hubby and friends. 

Most people have a really hard time with gluten but every time I have it I seem to do fine... I swear I have the weirdest body in the world sometimes. 

For example today I had a maple glaze donut and yes it was simply amazing because I have been craving one since I was still pregnant with Livy so I had one. I had no reaction to it at all. No bloating, no sugar rush, no anything. I guess I should feel lucky but I sure do find it weird.  

Overall I loved doing the whole 30 and I learned so much. I now know what I can eat and what I should stay away from. I decided that I will stick pretty close to the whole 30 just because I feel so good when I do it. 

Eating whole foods and giving my body what it needs is very important to me so I will keep doing it!  

Now it's time for more fun paleo/whole 30 and fitness posts! 

STAY TUNED!!

Whole 30 Week 4

Day 22:

Breakfast: 

2 eggs cooked in ghee, curry ground beef with tomato, mushroom, and spinach, and broccoli, and avocado. Don't forgot my decaf coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch:

Bowl of everything, curry seasoned beef and vegetables, broccoli, spaghetti squash with ghee and a small piece of lamb. 

Dinner:

Cube steak with leftover mushroom cream sauce, and sautéed kale with onions, mushrooms and garlic olive oil. 

Post Workout: 

Cold decaf coffee blended with coconut milk and 2Tbsp of Great Lakes gelatin 

Snacks: 

5 baby bell peppers, 7 strawberries, handful of almonds, and a spoonful of coconut butter 

Day 23:

Breakfast:

2 eggs cooked in ghee, cube steak, broccoli, and coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch: 

Paleomg spaghetti squash pizza pie, a handful of mixed nuts and 7 strawberries 

Dinner: 

Slow cooked chicken thigh in medium salsa, spaghetti squash, green beans and a handful of mixed nuts. 

Snacks: 

Can of sardines, 6 bell peppers, a few almonds, a big spoonful of coconut butter, 2 dried figs, 1 bubbies pickle, and 4 slices of applegate farms pepperoni ( I was super hungry today!) 

Day 24: 

Breakfast:

2 eggs cooked in ghee, a small piece of lamb roast, sautéed kale with mushroom and onions, 3 strawberries and my coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 

Paleomg spaghetti pizza and a small sweet potato with coconut oil and cinnamon 

Dinner:

Curry seasoned ground beef with tomato mushrooms onions and kale topped with avocado. Also, green beans and garlic cauliflower mashed potatoes 

Snacks: 

1 fresh apricot, 3 dried figs, 4 baby bell peppers, 1 bubbies pickle, 2 pieces of applegate farms pepperoni, a can of sardines, a big spoonful of coconut butter and a la croix grapefruit drink.

Day 25:

Breakfast:
2 eggs cooked in ghee, a small piece of lamb, spaghetti squash, an apricot, and my coffee with coconut milk
Lunch:
Curry seasoned ground beef with tomato, mushrooms, and onions topped with avocado with spaghetti squash and cauliflower mash for sides
Dinner:
Herb and Lemon roasted chicken, brussel sprouts, and diced sweet potato with 2 dried figs for desert
Snacks:
A can of sardines with hot sauce, plantain chips, 1 strawberry, a few carrots,  a spoonful of coconut butter and a handful of almonds

Day 26: 

Breakfast:

2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, seasoned ground beef, roasted sweet potato, and my coffee with coconut milk (forgot to take a picture! So my awesome workout summary is the picture you get!) 

Lunch: 

Leftover curry beef and lamb roast, cauliflower mash with ghee and spaghetti squash 

Dinner: 

Went out for Mother's Day! Got a 12oz NY strip and broccoli. Also had a small salad as a starter! 

Post workout: 

Diced sweet potato, an apricot  and shredded chicken! It was the first time going back to a real gym today, got an amazing workout.

Snacks: 

Plantain chips, 5 baby peppers, 3 dried apricots, 3 dried figs, 2 strawberries, a small handful of mixed raw nuts, and a large spoonful of coconut butter 

Day 27: 

Happy Mother's Day! 

Breakfast:

2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, shredded chicken, broccoli, a banana and my coffee with coconut creamer

Lunch: 

Big salad, spinach, tomato, orange bell pepper, avocado and topped with chicken and hot sauce 

Dinner: 

Crockpot cooked pork ribs, sweet potato with ghee, and broccoli 

Snacks: 

A can of sardines in olive oil, handful of carrots, a spoonful of coconut oil, a few plantain chips, 2 strawberries and 2 dried figs 

Day 28: 

Breakfast: 

2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, small side of pork, broccoli, a few strawberries, and my coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 

Wild planet sardines, a handful of carrots, an apricot, and cauliflower mash with coconut oil 

Dinner: 

Simply balanced spinach and garlic chicken sausage, a chicken thigh, sautéed kale and spinach with mushrooms and onions, a sweet potato with ghee. 

Snacks: 

3 leftover ribs, a handful of macadamia nuts, 2 dried figs, 4 baby bell peppers and a small handful of plantain chips

Day 29: 

Breakfast: 

2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, a chicken thigh, sautéed kale with mushrooms and onions, strawberries and my coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch: 

Whole 30 salmon cake, avocado, and broccoli with my new addiction... La croix sparkling water! 

Dinner: 

Baked cod, asparagus, and mushroom cauliflower rice

Snacks: 

A banana, 3 slices of applegate farms pepperoni, 2 dried apricots and a dried fig, a spoonful of coconut butter, and a few macadamia nuts! 

Day 30!!!! 

Breakfast: 

2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, cauliflower mushroom rice, seasoned ground beef, strawberries and a cup of coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 

Whole 30 recipe salmon cake, 1/4 avocado, sweet potato with ghee and broccoli 

Dinner: 

Stir fry with mixed vegetables and grass fed london broil served over zoodles 

Snacks: 

8oz of kombucha, a handful of macadamia nuts, 2 dried apricots and 1 dried fig, a spoonful of coconut butter and plantain chips

Summary of the end of my Whole 30:

This last week and a half has been pretty good. Eating this way is now just the normal and I don't even have to think about it. I find myself always grabbing more healthy choices now because I now know how some foods make me feel versus others. 

I have been working out daily still so I have had to keep my carb intake pretty high. I have learned that I really don't do well on a high fat diet. I have to watch my fat intake very closely or I end up getting moody and very run down with major muscle fatigue. How a high fat/ low carb diet effects my body has really come out during this whole 30 since my body is now so sensitive to changes. I love finding this stuff out though. 

I have decided that I will get mostly all my fats from coconut sources and avocado. Those sources seem to work really well for me and not cause any system upsets. Also I'm going to keep up the high carb. I see a lot of sweet potatoes and butternut squash in my future oh and don't forget those plantains that I have learned to love! 

Other things I have learned this last week by listening to my body even closer is that very fatty meats such as lamb, ribs, or a fatty roast don't sit well with me so again I will have to watch that as well. I do better with fish and chicken which is fine by me! 

I have also found La Croix flavored sparkling water. It is heavenly and whole 30 approved! Sometimes water gets boring and now that it's getting hotter out it's nice to have something bubbly to sip on. I highly recommend checking them out! 

This next week I will be reintroducing foods to my diet. Im looking forward to see how they make me feel! I'm hoping non gluten grains such as rice and quinoa sit well with me because I do miss them and they are a good filler with all the extra food I need to eat while breastfeeding. (fingers crossed!!) The rest I could really be ok without. I haven't had really any dairy for almost a year so I think Im totally fine without it but Im still going to reintroduce it to see how I feel. 

I will keep you guys updated on how I feel after testing each thing (legumes, non gluten grains, gluten grains, and dairy). 

Lastly, I made it through! I did it with still making non whole 30 foods for my husband. He has bread, beer, bacon and rice daily. Those things didn't slow me down one bit. If I can make it through with being surrounded by 'bad' food the whole time I think anyone can do it. I see it as a commitment to myself and making myself better. Who doesn't want to be better? Being at your best always feels good. 

Commit, try it out, you can do it, don't doubt yourself, invest in you, I promise it's worth it!

Whole 30 Week 3

Day 15:

Breakfast: 

2 eggs, cod, and broccoli with my cup of coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch: 

Sweet potato shepards pie 

Dinner: 

Sautéed kale in ghee with mushrooms and onions, chicken apple sausage cooked with onions and a small gala apple. 

Snacks: 

Handful of cashews, a few plantain chips,  a handful of baby carrots, a small side of cauliflower mashed potatoes with ghee, and a can of sardines

Day 16: 

Breakfast: 

2 eggs, leftover chicken stirfry, broccoli and coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch: 

Sweet potato shepards pie, a handful of carrots and 2 dried apricots 

Dinner: 

Huge salad: spinach, kale, red bell pepper, grape tomato, and avocado then I put leftover meatloaf on top 

Snacks: 

A few leftover plantain chips, a small bowl of cauliflower fried rice, coconut cream pie larabar, wild planet sardines and a handful of macadamia nuts

Day 17:

Breakfast:
2 eggs, ground buffalo meat, cauliflower fried rice and my coffee with coconut milk
Lunch:
Sweet potato shepards pie and a handful of cashews
Dinner:
Chicken thighs in coconut cream mushroom sauce with a side of baked asparagus and butternut squash
Snacks:
3 dried plums (made in nature brand) after my workout, 5 baby bell peppers, a can of sardines, spoonful of coconut butter I made (had to try it out)! 

Day 18: 

Breakfast: 

2 eggs (one double yolk!), ground bison, butternut squash, fourth of an avocado, and my coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 

Roasted cauliflower mushroom chicken soup, 6 baby bell peppers 

Dinner: 

Lamb shoulder steak, sweet potato with ghee, and green beans. A spoonful of coconut butter for desert 

Snacks: 

A leftover chicken thigh in cream sauce, a handful of carrots, a handful of mixed nuts, 3 dried apricots 

Day 19: 

Breakfast: 

2 eggs, half an avocado, ground bison, green beans and decaf coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch: 

Leftover shepards pie with extra ground beef on the side 

**Went to a concert and had a little bit of whole 30 no no. I'm not going to stress about not being perfect though!**

Dinner: 

It was 'BBQ turkey' from the BBQ booth at the concert... Turned out to be thick turkey lunch meat... I wasn't not going to eat it after paying $10 for it!!! So this was my first slip up... I had it with the packed macadamia nuts and carrots that I packed. After the concert we went to copelands and had their chicken cob salad. I got it without the blue cheese or bacon. The dressing was supposed to be on the side... But it wasn't so I had balsamic vinegarette on it... It probably had sugar and soybean oil.. So that was my second oops... Oh well though I could have done WAY worse. 

Snacks:

I packed a blueberry larabar, macadamia nuts, baby bell peppers and sardines and I ate them all :) oh and I had a venti unsweetened green tea from Starbucks on the way to the concert. 

Day 20: 

Breakfast: 

2 eggs, ground turkey, 3 baby bell peppers, 4 strawberries and my decaf coffee with coconut milk.

Lunch:

Salad: spinach, red pepper, grape tomatoes, avocado, topped with ground turkey. 

Dinner: 

Cod, roasted butternut squash, broccoli and for desert a big spoonful of coconut butter! 

Snacks: 

4 dried apricots, a handful of mixed nuts, a tablespoon of almond butter and a banana. 

Day 21:

Breakfast:

2 eggs cooked in ghee, ground turkey, broccoli with ghee, coffee with coconut milk
Lunch:
Paleomg pizza spaghetti pie  , a side of green beans, 1/4 avocado, and a handful of mixed cashews and macadamia nuts.
Dinner:
Lamb leg roast, sweet potato with ghee, and green beans
Snacks:
Handful of carrots, a small bowl of roasted cauliflower chicken soup (in my freezer meal blog post) and a handful of almonds
Post workout:
small amount of ground turkey, 4 baby carrots and 2 dried prunes

RECAP: 

This week for some reason was tough. I felt hungry all the time again. I'm not sure if it was because I had an imbalance of carbs, fats, and proteins or if it was just emotional. Maybe it was just my increased metabolism, either way I feel like I fell off the whole 30 train a little. I didn't eat any bad foods (besides at the concert by mistake) but mentally I wasn't giving it my all. I'm making it a goal for this next week to stay more on track and push harder on my workouts.

Also, I wanted to talk about the concert I went to and how I had the worst time trying to find food that I could actually eat… in the book, It Starts With Food, they talk about how it's 'not that hard' to eat out. Well… lets just say that's a bit of a lie. I packed some food with me but not enough so I was subjected to eating some lunch meatish turkey. Eating out when you are living a paleo lifestyle is pretty easy but not the same with whole 30. For the next 9 days I'm not planning on going anywhere so I should be safe from eating anything else.

On a side note, It took me 24hr+ for me to feel better after eating that turkey. My stomach was sooooo messed up and I looked like I was 6 months pregnant for that whole time. I can now see how 'crap' food react in my body and how 'crap' really does mess with our fine tuned machine that we call our body.

The book advises you to start your whole 30 over if you slip up at all. I say that is WAY too much work and puts way too much stress on yourself for no reason. We are all human and it happens. I'm not going to restart the program just because I may have had some chemicals and sugar in my turkey. I know most people won't agree with how I feel about it but to each their own.

Before I know it will be done with this whole 30 and I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick pretty close to the program. I know for sure that I'm going to go through the testing period and spend different days introducing different foods to see how my body reacts to them. I'm excited to see what works well with my body and what doesn't. I love being in tune with my body so this will help me even more which I find so awesome. I know… I'm a little bit of a food freak. lol

Lastly, I wanted to talk a little about my workouts. It has been going great! I have been rocking out in the basement doing Efitmama's 8 week Bikini Body Program (click on link to find the program) I spent $20 on the program because she was running a special on it at the time. I would say it is totally worth the money! It even gives you nutritional advice which for someone new to working out is awesome.

I'm just starting Week 3 and it's still keeping me interested which has always been the problem for me. So I give the program a thumbs up for sure! I do miss the gym dearly and I can't wait until I can go back. Even if it's not Crossfit going back to a normal gym will be so nice when it happens. I miss cardio, and for the people that know me, that is totally not a 'me' thing to say!! When you don't have it in your life though, you miss it and want to get back to it! Once Olivia turns 6 months old and I can take her to the childcare you bet your butt I will be back though!! :)

Overall, I feel great. I would say this whole 30 thing is totally worth it. It's helping me lean out and also gain a lot of my muscle tone back which I'm thrilled about! I hope the results I'm seeing inspires people to give the whole 30 a try!