End of Whole 30 / Kale Power Bowl

So, I ended whole30 a while ago. I was semi-disappointed because I only lost 4 pounds. My boss lost like 12! However, 4 pounds is still a healthy amount to lose in 1 month. I felt good during whole30. I never had that guilt of regretting what I just ate. Never felt bloated or gross or overly full. However, I don't necessarily agree with all of what whole30 advocates for. I don't think there's anything wrong with quinoa, rice, whole wheat, black beans, greek yogurt, and a few others - at least in moderation. These past couple weeks I haven't been doing great as far as eating healthy, I must confess. It's difficult for me to find a good balance - either I'm all in or I'm not.

Day 28 / Lemon Chicken & Pan-Fried Chicken

Pan-Roasted Chicken Legs

I recently watched Food Inc. I always knew if I saw what really went on with factory farming that I'd probably become a vegetarian. However, part of the movie discussed some farms who are still doing it the right way (i.e. they let their animals eat things like grass, give them enough room to roam around, and don't stuff them with hormones...and actually let them see and feel the sun). It's a really informative documentary if you haven't looked.

Day 27 / Cauliflower & Carrot Soup

I love a good creamy soup. This recipe is also extremely easy. I didn't have beef broth, but my roommates made chicken broth from the roasted chicken I did a few days ago. I think it really enhanced the flavor of the soup!

Golden Cauliflower Soup (from Whole30 Recipes Instagram)
Serves 6-8 | Prep 10 min | 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower (about 3 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 cups Whole30 compliant beef broth (like I said, I used chicken broth)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk

Day 25 / Almond-Crusted Chicken & Sweet Ginger-Dijon Dressing

Day 25! The end is near. Chocolate is calling my name.

Almond-crusted chicken, salad, roasted veggies

Last week, I made a delicious meal with almond-crusted chicken, kale salad with bell peppers, avocado, and sweet ginger-dijon dressing, and roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

The almond-crusted chicken tenders recipe is here (thanks for the recommendation, Cristin!) I added some more salt, pepper, and Italian herbs into the almond meal. I sliced my chicken breasts fairly thin, so I should have lowered the cooking time. Otherwise, it's really tasty! I ended up cutting the chicken and tossed it in my salad, and the flavors of avocado, the dressing, and crunchy almond chicken was great.

This dressing is deliiiicious. I wish I had doubled it!