health + food thoughts during a whole15

hello friends!

so it was time again. time for a 'whole15'. i had done a SERIOUS number on myself with enjoying the holiday menu{s} and my birthday. i felt pretty sluggish the final few days of 2015, and the first week or so of january my sugar cravings were over-the-top. i am glad to say that i am all in for this new whole15 adventure...

i did some prep. such as for several days before i began to cut way back on my gluten + legume intake. i increased my water consumption and did a fair amount of meal prep.  {bulk protein prep, and a big fridge clean out} i was hoping all of this would help with making my 15 days a little easier.


the first few days - sleep was so crucial. oh and eating in a timely manner. however i noticed that my first and second days weren't super difficult to say 'no' to certain foods. i did have a few cravings but i was able to push them aside. i think it was the fact that dinner was already made and i was drinking black coffee and hot tea.

i also have noticed that i'm getting more okay with just eating what i need. hm, i have cooked veggies, hard boiled eggs and black olives... okay that's a meal. i served them at one time but not mixed up in a bowl or anything like that!

the past few days - i had a really hard time turning down a beer at the brewery on friday night. but i was able to do it. i think i should be able to use that momentum to push forward. i am honestly already thinking about turning this into a whole30 instead. but let's get through 15 days first, okay?!

what is next - my plan is to finish off the whole15 (or grow it into a whole30) then stay away from gluten + legumes and limit my sugar, alcohol + dairy intake. i think this year is all about the REAL food and how to keep my body filled with veggies, quality protein + good fats.

as for healthy movement - i am also making it a goal to hit my 5 mile step goal with a 85% rate in 2016. this requires a bit of effort some days (about two days each week it is very easy to hit my step-goal without even thinking) but i think it is a worthwhile goal. and it gives me just a little wiggle room which will be helpful if i get sick or something like that (i can miss one day each week and still hit my goal for 2016). so far i was short on my steps three days this year.


how have your meals been in january? want to read about my past posts on whole30? click HERE

real food + whole15 inspiration {january 2016 edition}

hi there!

i am using today to start a 'whole15'. just a little reset to relieve some of the bloat and get my sugar cravings back under control. having the holidays and several family birthdays (including my own last week) always make about eight weeks a terribly difficult time for me to make good food choices. i hope i can be a little smarter next go-round. being a year older an' all...

so in honor of my reset i've pulled together a few links/ideas of what/who has been inspiring my prep-thoughts for my whole 15. (which maybe it will turn into a whole30 i don't know, but last time i set out for a whole30 i found 15 days was great and i was able to move forward with many good food plans for quite a while after that... so we are starting here with 15 days)

dollyessfit {i follow her on instagram}

Dolly is super positive and i love her quick work out videos. she also shares many recipes where you can use leftovers or with just a few tweaks the same ingredients will be a different lunch than the day before.

my chickens
these ladies are still laying eggs on the sunny days. full force! so on yesterday's blustery sunday (no eggs or only one when it is cold and too gray - we are not putting in a lamp this year to increase winter egg production) i made two dozen hard boiled eggs for snacks and lunch salad toppings. thanks ladies!!

epicureannie {i follow her on instagram}
Annabelle is working for way more than just a whole30 (i believe she is going for a whole60). her health gains on her overall journey are amazing. i love seeing her food photos - especially the simple snacks/quick lunches, which make me not feel so bad when i am just really needing a coffee and a larabar to get the kids to the end of the school day. (we are all human, right?) she also is such a positive reminder of thinking ahead with again, the quick fixes that you can take along with you when you know it is going to be difficult to stay compliant when out with friends or around town.

of course i still use whole30.com and i follow whole30 on instagram and that is always super helpful + motivating. day one can be exciting so here's to hoping i don't crash out on day two!

happy monday!

Interrupting this Whole30 to bring you a Whole15

that's right. i've felt so good {+ so good, so quickly} this third round of the Whole30 that i've decided to make it a 'Whole15' instead. ever since my first Whole30 a goal of mine has been to work my way thru resets until i'm only needing a Whole15 every so often. and i think i'm there!

i have so much energy behind eating well right now i've decided to head off {slightly} from the strict Whole30 guidelines and just add back in small amounts of dairy. that really is all i'm working with now. a serving of cheese or a glass of milk each day. my plan is to only eat quality dairy ingredients that are really worth it to me. i think to keep some sort of balance i will not eat cheese as a snack - i've learned in the past that snacking on cheese seems to increase my sugar cravings.


as for everything else, i guess i'll only splurge when i really feel something is worth it. but my hope is to keep treats and all sugar to a minimum. gluten is such a bother to me that i think i'm steering completely clear of that situation if possible.


i'm hoping that with this early end to my reset that i will continue to make these healthier choices and begin to establish new routines which will rarely include the foods that make me feel the least like myself.

Whole30 Meal Reflection {and simple meal suggestion}

I'll have to tell you that during this round of the Whole30 I am a hungry person! However, I'm eating well and really enjoying it. Sometimes I find it a little difficult to decide what to make - and other times I just tell myself - protein, veggie and a good fat is all I need. Therefore we often are just eating eggs with simple veggies and avocado. And sweet potatoes - always sweet potatoes.

The "Italian Bowl" is one of our favorite dishes which is Whole30 compliant and on a regular rotation in our home dining experiences.

It is actually very simple and we like to make it two different ways... either with beef or sausage.

We often like to use chopped sweet potatoes for our "pasta" replacement. Sometimes instead of browned ground beef or mild italian sausage - yes, just make sure it is sugar-free and all that good stuff - I make compliant meatballs {similar to this}.

Either make your own pasta sauce {I often oven roast - similar to this} or read those labels carefully. I don't know why, but so many food manufactures want to put sugar in the jar with those tasty tomatoes!

Italian Bowl {Whole30 compliant - be sure to check your ingredients}

coconut oil
1 large sweet potato
1 pound of ground beef or mild italian sausage
1 small onion
A few garlic cloves
1 medium bell pepper
salt + pepper
tomato sauce


Brown and season meat. Chop all veggies to preference. Use coconut oil and medium heat and cook sweet potatoes. Add onions, peppers, garlic. Heat pasta sauce. Once everything is desired temperature and softness scoop up your vegetable and protein portions and top with tomato sauce. I like to store leftovers separately. It keeps the potatoes and the protein flexible for various dishes later in the day. Because you're probably going to hungry again soon.

My Third Whole30 Experience {It Starts}

Hello friends! I am happy to say that I'm several days into my third Whole30 experience. As our local produce kicked it up a notch I felt like I was ready for a reset. I was ready for a complete and true Whole30 and I really wanted to stay clean the entire 30 days this time. {Read about my first - here + here - and second Whole30 adventures} I knew it was time for some seriously healthy eating and was already feeling grateful for all the things I would learn from this round.

The week before I was planning to start my Whole30 I splurged with pizza, ice cream, nachos, a root beer float and a hamburger - bun included - oh, and a pint of my favorite local beer! So of course the few days before I even started I woke up feeling bloated and tired. How poorly someone is eating can dictate how awful they feel during the first few weeks of the Whole30. So, I don't recommend going too crazy on poor food choices. I found my poor decisions and the consequences of how negative I felt actually fueled my desire to eat clean this summer.

To get started I did some easy prep to make eating whole food a tad bit more simple - chopped fruits and veggies, made bulk protein (like grilled chicken for salad, and browned sausage for breakfasts), filtered water and cold-brewed some coffee. I also stocked up on organic fruit, almonds and pickles. The first few days I was chugging water and black coffee and logging seven to nine hours of sleep to make sure I didn't have serious headaches. I also tried to eat very regularly with plenty of protein and good fats. On day one and two I had a few headaches and stomachaches but by day three I remembered to eat slowly and often. As my after meal stomachaches seem to stem from waiting too long to eat and then scarfing my meal down. Day four and five it was difficult to get up but for the most part I was already feeling better. I think it is all in getting enough water, sleep, and eating meals regularly - oh and if you are a regular caffeine consumer like me... quitting coffee should happen when you aren't also experiencing sugar withdrawals.

A few ideas that have really helped me so far:

+ pepper slices are pretty tasty with mashed avocados {just a little salt and pepper}

+ hardboiled eggs are great to have at the ready {ever try to make them in the oven? try it, you'll thank Corey from Family Fresh Meals too! - Thanks Corey!}

+ carrying around a large jar of ice water at all times means more water in my system {cute straws help too}

Anyone else working thru a Whole30 reset?

Cutting Down on Sugar {reflection of my second Whole 30}

Over 30 Days have passed since I began a second Whole 30. This time through was difficult and I wasn't a perfect eater. However, I feel better than I did prior to starting and I lost about ten pounds! So I'm feeling pretty positive about my second Whole 30 experience!

I'm leaving this Whole 30 focusing on keeping forward motion and making healthy choices just a daily routine. Sure I might have some birthday cake this month for my niece and nephew... but I don't want to make it a weekly habit.

Our family is trying to figure out what we can enjoy as a healthy Whole 30-ish menu that gives us a little wiggle room for foods we love. Foods that are not compliant but foods we can still eat because they do not negatively  dictate our moods or cloud our thoughts {say oatmeal...} . I've just started really poking around the website whole9life.com to see the wisdom shared there and possibility let that inspire our upcoming meal plans and food choices.

I'll wrap up this reflection with a few tips that I thought about during these last 30 days.

Build Momentum + Make Eating Healthy Easier
It is definitely easier to turn down sweets after the first two weeks of Whole 30. Build on that and just keep staying away from all forms of sugar. When you sneak a little something it is very difficult to keep that sugar high off your mind and sweets away from your plate.

Bulk Prep + Stream Lined Planning
The final two weeks of our Whole 30 I really simplified meal planning. As in I made the week's worth of compliant breakfasts {one breakfast item that we ate daily - such as mini breakfast bakes} and the week's worth of compliant lunches on Sunday afternoon {also one main lunch dish that would be enjoyed with a fruit and large salad for the entire week's worth of lunches - such as a hearty soup or stew}. Then Monday and Tuesday I would make dinner, but make enough to eat several times. This meant I was buying in bulk and cooking in bulk and making very few menu decisions. It was automatic and simple and didn't give me the option to stray from the diet guidelines. We were not having loads of choices, but since our foods were based on healthy proteins and vegetables we were getting all the carbohydrates, calcium, and protein our bodies needed from maybe five to six total different meals over the entire week.

Make a Mistake + MOVE ON!
I wrote about my run-in with a bowl of ice cream. I forgave myself and then continued right on. If I would have made a huge deal I would have made more poor food decisions in the following days due to my guilt.

So, how about you? Try any great Whole 30 inspired recipes lately? Or healthy meals without a ton of sugar, gluten, or dairy? I'd love to hear about it!

Cutting Down on Sugar {Half Way thru my second Whole 30 + Coming Clean}

Okay, friends. This Whole 30 thing is trying. Even the second time through - it is a struggle. {read about the start of my last Whole 30 :: here}

I'll be honest and tell you {yes, I'm super ashamed} - I had a little break down over the weekend. I'm going to blame it on the state I was in after seeing the movie Whiplash - no joke. I jittered out of the theatre and right into a single scoop of the best + most local ice cream I could. {But really, go see the movie, it is intense so don't plan on going straight to bed - and do your best not to spoil your Whole 30 meals after the viewing}

Of course I had a ridiculous sugar crash the next morning.

Lesson learned.

I'm back on the sugar-free + narrow.

I had a big heart to heart with my husband over our {completely compliant} Sunday breakfast and we decided to just continue with our Whole 30 plans. Chalk it up to earning a deeper commitment. I guess we aren't really "starting over", we are moving forward.

We know that our ultimate goal is finding what foods fuel our bodies the best and limit the ones that don't. But we also know that once in awhile there will be times where we might indulge. We're just not going to do so during the rest of our thirty days. I am not going to let a little bit of cream and sugar sabotage me. I will also not let the date on the calendar continue to hold this mistake over my head for weeks to come. I know that I will feel that I've completed this Whole30 once I reach that feeling of "reset".

So, to help me make peace with this + to build momentum I will share a few links of recipes I've really been enjoying these past two weeks:

Easy Slow Cooker Taco Meat {From Rubies & Radishes} - love making this for easy taco salad lunches!

How to Roast Vegetables in the Slow Cooker {From Chocolate Covered Katie} - this is wonderful for a prep + forget side dish

Paleo Crock Pot Chili Recipe {From Paleo Newbie} - tonight's dinner...


and these two I've got my eye on for an upcoming dinner:

Easy Balsamic Infused Beef Pot Roast {From Just Enjoy Food}

Lazy Sunday Pot Roast {From Rubies & Radishes}

Cutting Down on Sugar {Whole 30 Eve}

Here we are. The eve of my second Whole30 experience.

In the summer of 2014 I participated in my first Whole30 {learn more about the Whole30 program- click here}. We had gotten to this foggy, sugar-driven place in our eating habits and decided to give it a go. I had read the book It Starts With Food so we were prepared for the first few weeks... which were difficult. But eventually we felt loads better - sugar cravings had lessened and my head was so clear. At the end of the thirty days we gladly tried the reintroduction schedule and found that certain food groups treated our bodies differently.

For the weeks following we kept pretty on top of what we were eating. We of course had a few meals that consisted of choices we weren't proud of but we were keeping it in check. Then we slowly slipped back into several bad habits that were coming up more often than "just once in awhile" {gluten, sweet coffees + treats}. All of a sudden we were cranky and creaky {I had forgotten how stiff I can be when I wake up in the morning!} and sugar was dictating our eating schedule. It was time to try a new round of Whole 30.

I thought I'd take a moment to remind myself {and anyone else trying a Whole30 diet} what I learned from our first run through of the program:

:: get enough sleep ::
Sleeping seven or eight hours is a must for me. It helps with staying on the diet and making appropriate food choices. It also keeps me from crying when I just really want a cookie.

:: drink enough water ::
This is a similar note as getting enough sleep. I could just tell the days when my body was tired or dehydrated. Feeling refreshed, rested and quenched was critical to keeping positive each day.

:: drink more water ::
Yes, it is this important. Keep drinking water. I was filtering water, drinking ice water, drinking hot water and even making jars of infused water to keep it interesting {I tried many different fruit or vegetable + herb combinations - similar to this}

:: find a cravings replacement ::
Sometimes those cravings hit hard. You know how it goes - four o'clock and all you want is a little special snack to get you to dinner. Or a certain taste goes with a certain activity {example: backyard fire + s'mores} It was crucial for me to find appropriate replacements. Like... I love sweet coffee drinks when we go for a long drive. So for me making cold brew coffee at home to take in the car was the next best thing. I actually love cold brew coffee now and will sometimes pass up an iced mocha just to have one. {To be Whole30 compliant I was drinking it black - just over ice} A few replacements that worked for me:
- infused water
- hot tea
- iced, black + cold brewed coffee {here is a great post about making cold brew coffee at home}
- homemade + oven roasted sweet potatoes
- apple slices + almond butter
- dill pickles {watch those labels if you're shopping for this!!}

:: prepare some approved meals + snacks ahead of time ::
Preparation is key. We have started setting aside Sunday afternoons for cooking and preparing several lunches and one or two dinners just to make sure we are ahead of the game. If we come home {hungry and tired} to nothing even remotely prepared that was when it took real gumption to push through and make a Whole30 approved meal.  You can always restock your 'already cooked meal' after you eat. That way when tomorrow comes around you'll be ready.

:: find entertainment that will not tempt you to stray from your food goals ::
The reason I have and am about to make these very calculated food choices is because it makes my body and mind feel right. Better than my usual normal. It is easy to talk yourself out of making proper food choices in a weak moment. I knew that on my weaker days it was better to not even tempt myself at all. For example we went to a coffee shop instead of meeting friends at our local brewery - talking over drinks still happened, just a different location.

:: bring your own food if needed/possible ::
We often brought salads {with lemon wedges for dressing} to parties and cook outs. Especially if we weren't sure what was going to be served. Just bring something large enough and plated in a way that it can be shared - surely your host won't mind. We would also bring approved food choices for in the car incase we were still hungry after going to a restaurant that had limited choices for us.

So here I venture into a second Whole30- early to bed, multiple bottles of water in the fridge and cold coffee brewing...

Cutting Down on Sugar {Whole 30 Reintroduction}

After our 30 days of eating very clean -following the Whole 30 guidelines {read about our 30 days here and here} we were able to give our systems a chance to see how some of our old favorite foods would make us feel. Basically during this time one type of food is reintroduced then you eat Whole 30 compliant for two days and monitor how you feel - both emotionally and physically.


How it went for us...


Non Gluten Grains: we ate gluten free bread, tortilla chips, and rice

The day of reintroduction: we both felt off pretty much all day - I was dizzy off and on all day and my husband had an upset stomach all day.

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): I had a hard time getting out of bed and was still a little foggy and my husband was on the mend.

We are going to try a few other gluten free grains - one at a time to see if there are any that we are able to eat without negative effects.


Legumes: we ate black beans, peanut butter, chick peas, and soy milk

The day of reintroduction: we felt great all day - no headaches or stomach discomfort

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): J felt fine, I noticed that my nose was stuffy and my ears had started popping (which happens to me often, but it went away during the second half of our Whole 30 days - which I didn't notice that specifically until it came back... I just kept noticing my head felt so clear); I also still wasn't back to just hopping out of bed in the morning like I did the final few days of the Whole 30.

Dairy: J already avoids dairy like the plague that it is, so he did not reintroduce... but I ate a bit of cheese on two salads

The day of reintroduction: I felt fine.

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): I was noticing some strong sugar cravings the next few days. I don't know if this was because of the dairy or just I was ready for something sweet.



Gluten: We both reintroduced gluten. However, most days (for about 18 months prior to Whole 30) I severely limit gluten as I believe that I have a slight sensitivity that manifests in bloat and tingling hands (when I wake in the morning specifically). Both of these sensitivities seemed to have disappeared over the Whole 30 month. For reintroduction - we ate half of a bun on a burger and I had croutons on a salad.

The day of reintroduction: We felt fine.

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): J was totally normal and pumped to consider eating some gluten again. I felt foggy and my hands were asleep in the mornings. I didn't get the bloat I was expecting though.


*Alcohol: this isn't on the Whole 30 reintroduction schedule but we love to go to the brewery so it was on ours... we drank less than a beer {shared a flight of seven samples between 4 adults}

The day of reintroduction: We were extremely caught off guard by the negative feelings we had that night. Within a few hours of our tasting we were bloated, uncomfortable and in bed about two hours early. The next morning I felt very stiff and tired. Even the following morning I woke up super stiff. We actually did an extra day of Whole 30 prior to evaluating a different food.

Other things I noticed during reintroduction:

*I was either really thirsty for water or very tired of having water during our reintroduction phase. I made lots of iced tea those few days just to have something different that didn't have added sugar or anything else I was currently not reintroducing.

* About a week after the reintroduction schedule I noticed that I was having strong sugar cravings and some mood swings. I am considering trying a Whole15 or a second Whole30 to see if I can shake it.

Cutting Down on Sugar {Whole30 - 30 days complete!}

We've completed 30 days of Whole 30! And wow - we've been feeling pretty great!

After our first half we were really hoping things would start to even out for us. And it did. We continued to eat meals in a timely manner and feel better and better each day.

During days sixteen through twenty-one I was out of town for a conference and I really got bored with my food options. It wasn't too difficult to find things to eat - but sometimes it was just a lot of one type of vegetable and multiple salads per day. My husband was able to cook at home and found several easy recipes that he continued to make for us during the rest of the Whole 30.

Around day twenty-two to day twenty-four we really started noticing consistent energy levels pretty much all day. And at this point I realized I wasn't missing cream nearly as much in my coffee anymore!

On day twenty-five we went to bed late and work up early on day twenty-six; all day we had a terrible time keeping up with activities at hand. Anytime I sat down I was half asleep and I took more than one nap to make it through the day.

My husband and I were a little negative/bored again with our food choices for a couple of days {days twenty-six to twenty-eight}. We felt like we should just move on to the reintroduction program (and start reintroducing gluten, dairy, legumes and non-gluten grains) but we didn't. We decided to stick it out.

But we really felt fantastic on day twenty nine and day thirty! At that point we really noticed how all of our efforts from the last thirty days were working together. We felt well rested (it was even easy to get up in the morning), great energy levels, no major mood swings, no headaches, and we were only hungry when it was actually time to eat.

Our take away from the Whole 30 - if we eat well, and sleep an appropriate amount of time each night we find that we really do feel much better than our daily feelings that were our normal in the past. We are really looking forward to our reintroduction days and see what is the best balance for us.

Cutting Down on Sugar {Half Way thru the Whole 30}

The other day I mentioned that our family is cutting out sugar. It's true, my husband and I are working our way thru the Whole 30 - day by day.

We are. And it is hard.

Not too hard, in fact some days we think 'why didn't we do this sooner' while other days all we can do is talk about what we want to eat when our 30 days are up.

I like to think that we eat good food, but we also indulge often in sweet and fatty foods. We choose quality ingredients but often the quantity of our servings are oversized as well. The first few days of our elimination diet highlighted how much sugar we usually eat (sometimes added by us and sometimes just added by the food product we buy - our favorite local breakfast sausage contains brown sugar for seasoning and we didn't even notice before).

It was staggering how much sugar we probably consumed on a daily basis. During those first few days we also noticed how we felt almost antisocial when we would turn down desserts or ask friends to go to the coffee shop (iced black coffee is pretty great these days) instead of an evening at our local brewery.  We were surprised that our sugar (along with dairy, gluten, legume) elimination was not just physical but also emotional.

The first few days were difficult. Lots of headaches and lots of cravings. Days four, five and six - my husband and I both woke up as if we were hung over. We were drinking lots of water but at that point our bodies were having a super difficult time adjusting to the foods we were eating. I was especially tired - taking naps and the whole bit on days six and seven.

After the first week things were turning around. We discovered a serious love for sweet potatoes. Our digestive systems were getting used to so many vegetables. However, we were noticing dull stomach aches after meals.

On days eleven and twelve we realized that the dull stomach aches were after meals that we ate quickly. (Usually because we had waited too long to eat.)

Two weeks in and it is easy to stop when we are full and slower eating is becoming the routine.

And that's about it - because we're currently half way thru!

We are hoping by completing the Whole 30 that it will give us some insight into what is "in moderation" for us. And maybe discover what foods we no longer want to eat.

The truth is, we might be some of those sugar-crazed people that actually require more than 30 days to break sugar cravings and habitual sweet eating patterns. But at least we're starting with the 30 days. We'll see what we need to do once we get there.