Day 3 (Sunday) / Chili & Paleo Pancakes

Today was delicious. Got to sleep in a bit. Woke up around 9:30ish and made breakfast before churchy church:

• Paleo "pancakes"
• Disclaimer - whole30.com says you shouldn't really make anything such as "pancakes" with approved ingredients. However, we made an exception for these because where does it end? Should we not make cauliflower "rice" or spaghetti "squash"? Anyways, I LOVE these- so easy to make. I make enough for leftovers as well and store it in the fridge. It only takes a couple minutes to cook for a snack, breakfast item or even dessert. Even better topped with fruit. 
• Potato hash with fried eggs 
• I sauteed green bell peppers, an onion in olive oil, added diced sweet potatoes and red potatoes. Added salt, garlic and pepper. Cooked it in a cast iron skillet and used a lid for a bit. The sweet potatoes took longer to cook so I would either add those in earlier next time or perhaps boil them a bit first? Either way turned out delicious - when the potatoes were done I cracked a few eggs over the hash and put the lid back on. Took a few minutes for the eggs to cook and then it was done! So good!

Whole30 Timeline / What's this headache?!

I am a bit behind posting my daily updates. Sorry, but not too sorry / I'll get to it eventually. I work full time and have other obligations (church, community, social and otherwise). So after all that, I just haven't had the energy to write (read why below). Oh and I've been completely wrought by Making a Murderer.

So, I had a lot of energy on Sunday (Day 3) and Monday (Day 4). I wasn't feeling bloated or yuck like I do sometimes, so I was feeling great. I think my initial energy gave me a false confidence into thinking this 30 days would be a breeze for me. Then came the headache. A nice little sidekick to my day. Now that sidekick has a sidekick called nausea (or maybe it's the tights I'm wearing because it is freakin' COLD here). So where are these frustrating side effects coming from?

Day 2 (Saturday) / Banana Nut Bars

A day of rest, good eating, great roommates, and a good deal of ny/dayquil really helped me heal quickly. I was still sick/congested, but no longer felt like I had been sucker-punched all over my body. I woke up about 8:45am and eventually made my roommates breakfast (after plenty of hand washing):

• Fried eggs over arugula 
• Sweet & red potato hash (olive oil, salt, pepper) 

Snack 1:

• Almonds 
• Banana & almond butter

Lunch: 

• 1 fried egg over left over sweet potatoes 

Snack 2: 

• Banana nut bars (recipe below) 

Banana Nut Bars! Perdy good and very simple to make. I got this recipe from a paleo book/recipe Cristin gave me. I can't find a link unfortunately.

Day 1 (Friday) / Flu City

Friday suuuucked. I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. I had the flu. Body aches, fatigue, congestion, headache, chills, blah blah blah. So thankful for my roommates Julie and Cooper for many reasons, but really only because they made me food this entire day. (It's hard to convey joking without you hearing enunciation in my voice, but whatevs, I'm pretty sure only Cristin reads this. Hey Cristin!). Julie and Cooper are a married couple and have thee CUTEST baby girl named Joanie (a.k.a. Joanster), the chillest/sweetest dog named George, and several lady/diva chickens. I love it.

So I didn't crawl out of bed until about 12:15, and my roommate Cooper was making breakfast/lunch and offered to make me some. We ate:

• Red potatoes sliced & sauteed in olive oil, salt and pepper 
• Potatoes and salt were added to the Whole 30 "okay" list this year. Or some time recently. Don't quote me on that. 
• Fried eggs over arugula
• He taught me this delicious and easy recipe: heat some olive oil in a skillet, place some arugula in the skillet (you can use a number of greens), crack an egg over the greens, cover it with a lid and cook until the egg is cooked the way you like it. 

I also had some green tea. I crawled back into bed and started watching Making a Murderer.

Cliche New Year's Challenge / Whole 30

This blog is anything but consistent. But I'm okay with that. Takes some time to create a post, especially if there are photos involved. It's fun to do, but I be busy, ya know?

Well, it's a New Year and I'm doing a new healthy eating challenge. Way to be cliche, right? But there's a reason people start anew in the new year. It's encouraging to try and change when others around you want to do the same. Also, no one wants to start a diet during the holidays - I mean the chocolate, the cheese, the drinks, the potatoes on potatoes! It's way too much temptation and requires a kind of will power that I simply do not have. Anyways, I'm doing Whole 30 with my roommates and boyfriend. Not to sound basic, but I sooo need a cleanse. I'm feeling real blah and unmotivated and this will get me into gear to get on track with eating a lot of fruits, veggies, nutritionally dense foods.

You can follow that link above to read about Whole 30 and the rules. Disclaimer: I haven't read the book or even the website that thoroughly. My roommates have, however, and it is pretty similar to strict paleo. When in doubt, I ask them about the rules. Click here to read the program rules.

I'm looking forward to it. It'll be fun to cook with everyone and have a little challenge/competition. We have a bet - if someone cheats, the others get to choose a song and the cheater must sing it and post the video on Facebook. None of us want to do that whatsoever. I also like that this challenge/diet does not require you to limit your intake of food or count calories. I haaate counting calories!

I am reading old posts on here about when I did a sort of whole 30 (it was more like strict paleo for 30 days) in 2011. I loved reading about my journey again. I have the worst/best jokes. I also liked reading how much better I felt after completing a challenge and feeding my body right. So hopefully I will blog again about this 30 day journey.

So here goes - tomorrow is DAY 1!!! G'bye to alcohol, chocolate, bread, sugar, ice cream, french fries........ you'll miss me, but not as much as I'll miss you :-( Hello to energy, self-confidence, better fitting clothes - I've missed you and hope you will join me soooooooon :-)

BEATS Sandwich

I crack myself up with the greatest jokes and puns in the world. "BEATS" sandwich -

Bacon (or Bread, or both?)
Eggs
Avocado
Tomato
Spinach
S (I added this extra S to show I used Sourdough bread)

So bad, yet so good. Such a bad joke, but such a delicious sandwich. Eggs are for ANY time of the day, any meal, any cuisine. Thank God for eggs, and bacon, and everything else in this sandwich.

So here's how I made this BEATS sandwich that really has nothing to do with music or any sort of beet.

Motivation is Essential!

Motivational factors are huuuuuuuuuuge for me. If I'm not motivated, I wouldn't try to eat healthy, cook, or go the gym. You know those people who say they can't relax? I just don't understand that. I am the ultimate-relaxer. I seriously love being lazy, eating ice cream, sleeping in, reading, and watching films. All those things are important, but should be enjoyed in moderation. I have to remember what my health goals are and why I'm doing what I'm doing.Therefore, here are some of the things that keep me motivated and help me stay on track. I decided to write them out because I feel like I've been in a rut the last few days.

• I never regret GOING to the gym, but I do regret NOT going. 
• Workout buds are essential. If it weren't for Ashley, Kathy, Julie and Aindrea, I would have missed so many classes, slept through so many walks. I force myself to commit to going to the gym with them or schedule walks ahead of time. That creates accountability! 
• I remind myself how good I feel after eating healthy for a week straight or how strong I feel after completing a hard workout class. 
• Goals - I need goals! I am going to Argentina this fall- leaving October 21. It won't be bathing suit city necessarily, but I'm going to set it as a goal date for me to 10 pounds (of fat, not muscle). That is one pound per week. I can totally do that, and just think about how great I'll feel if I can achieve that?? 

What works for you?