Week Three

This week was harder emotionally. I was just done- counting down the days, planning my meals out for after my 30 days of torture were up. On the Whole 30 timeline of what you'll feel like and when, days 12-15 sums me up this week: Boundless energy! Now give me a dang Twinkie. So does day 21: I am so over this.

I do feel good. Lots of energy. I want coffee (because I like the creaminess and general yumminess), but I don't NEED coffee. I fit (very well) into jeans I haven't worn in quite a long time. In general, I FEEL good, but I still WANT a pumpkin spice bagel with cream cheese and my latte and a yogurt.

So, last week I said I was bad at remembering to take my pictures, I think I was worse this week- sorry!

Day Fifteen (October 26)

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato and shredded zucchini with eggs (I always do one whole and 2 whites- I just prefer it that way), and spinach with salsa on top
3 pieces of chicken sausage (I can't remember the brand- from Whole Foods)

Lunch:
This pretty much was lunch today. We were at a toddler birthday party with pizza, chips, candy and cake. I ate this instead of any of that. 

I did have some chicken and an apple with my pumpkin pie dip when I got home, but was so hungry, I forgot to take a picture!

Dinner:
A big salad with olives
Salmon with lemon pepper 

And some pineapple (yes canned, but in juice, not syrup)

I was still so hungry an hour after dinner (from my tiny lunch!), that I made scrambled eggs! One whole, one white.

And some almonds.

Day Sixteen

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato with eggs, spinach and ham
1 1/2 slices of Trader Joe's uncured turkey bacon (had to share with the hubby)

Lunch:
Egg drop soup (recipe)
An apple and a banana (apparently, I felt the need for sweets!)

Snack before evening church:
An egg muffin with taco turkey and sweet potatoes














Dinner:
A Trader Joe's Angus Burger
And a lot of almonds. 

I wasn't super hungry.

Day Seventeen

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato with eggs, spinach and Applegate uncured turkey salami
Canned pineapple

Lunch:
Baked sweet potato with clarified butter
Turkey salami
And an apple

Snack:
Homemade coconut Larabar















Dinner:
The first time we've eaten out this 30 days! We were out running errands and were so hungry!
Doc Green's salad- romaine, eggs, avocado, bacon (not compliant...), and the driest chicken EVER, and tiny dips of the italian salad dressing

Day Eighteen

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potatoes with eggs
Homemade turkey sausage! It was easy and yummy!

Snack:
Apple and almond butter

Lunch:
Salad with carrots, broccoli and olives
Turkey salami

Dinner:
Steak
Green beans 
Amazingly yummy coconut sweet potatoes (recipe)

Dessert:
I know dessert isn't really approved, but I like to try to do a "date night" type meal every week or two for me and the husband, so I made baked apples. I thin sliced three small apples, put a little bit of apple juice over them, then chopped pecans and coconut in the food processor with a little coconut milk to hold it together. Then baked them til they were all bubbly and gooey. Then I tried to drizzle coconut milk over the top. It didn't look as pretty as I had hoped, but it was yummy, and a nice little post-baby-bedtime "date night" dessert for us. 

Day Nineteen

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potatoes
Eggs
Homemade turkey sausage

Really, the same stuff, just not all together in one dish. I didn't care for the unchecked sweetness from the sweet potatoes. I prefer them all mixed. :-)

I had a coffee with coconut milk, too.

Lunch:
More of those awesome coconut sweet potatoes
Almond crusted chicken
Sugar snap peas

Snack:
Clementine















Dinner:
Pork tenderloin (in crock pot)
Broccoli

Day Twenty

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato with eggs, spinach and ham

Lunch:
Salad with broccoli, carrots, and olives
Sliced chicken 
An apple

Forgot the picture until it was almost too late!

Dinner:
Half of a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods (didn't eat all the chicken)
Broccoli

And grapes, 'cause I was still hungry/ wanting sweetness!

Day Twenty One

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato with eggs
Banana

Lunch:
Salad with carrots and broccoli
Chicken
Grapes

Snack:
Apple with almond butter

Dinner:
Butternut squash pumpkin soup with chicken 

I'll post a recipe for this later!









Week three- done! I hope this is helpful. Leave me comments if it is, or if I can answer any questions for you.

Week Two

Week two has been a little bit easier, but also harder. Let me explain. 

Meal prep and planning has gotten easier. I've gotten in a groove with breakfasts and it's definitely been easier to prepare for lunches and dinners. But, it's harder because I crave cookies, cupcakes, huge hunks of cake, bread, or really any baked goods. I was envious of my 2-year-old's PB & J sandwich the other day. I'm also craving my lattes. And with the cooler weather- pumpkin spice lattes in particular. 

I've also been worse about taking pics of everything- especially snacks. Sorry about that. I'll work on it. 

I think I also have about one La Croix drink every day- I never took a pic. But they help with the sweet cravings in the afternoons.

Day Eight (October 19)

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato, eggs, nutritional yeast, spinach, with salsa
One piece of Trader Joe's bacon
One piece of Applegate sausage

And a clementine

Lunch:
Apple, carrot, broccoli, and almond salad
Chicken breast slices
Hard boiled egg white (yolks are still yuck)
One leftover piece of bacon
Grapes

Dinner:
Almond crusted chicken nuggets with strawberry balsamic sauce (recipe- no sugar or corn starch in sauce- so yummy!!)
Asparagus
Summer squash

After dinner snack:
Apple
Pumpkin spice dip (recipe)

Day Nine

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato, eggs and spinach
3 pieces of uncured chicken and/or turkey sausage
Half a banana

Snack during church (why is it that I'm always hungry during church??)
This yummy Larabar
 

Lunch:
Beef taco meat with lettuce and olives and salsa on top

Snack (because that salad wasn't quite enough):
Grapes- they're so yummy!















Dinner:
Baked sweet potato (which J ate 1/4 of)
Cauliflower "rice"
Pork loin with the same strawberry balsamic sauce from last night, it was so good, I made it again!

Day Ten

Breakfast: (copy and paste from every other day...)
Shredded sweet potato with ham steak cubes, eggs, spinach, and salsa
Half a sweet potato
Grapes

Apparently, I was hungry

Snack/First lunch:
An apple with my yummy pumpkin spice dip

Second lunch:
Chicken breast strips with salsa



It was a busy day- we were out during lunch time, so I ate this lunch late...










Dinner:
Pumpkin butternut squash chicken soup
Broccoli

After dinner snack:
Dried apples and salted almonds

Day Eleven

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato, eggs, spinach and ham with WHAT?? shredded zucchini?? trying to mix it up- went a little crazy! But, I still put salsa on top
And I only ate one of those clementines

I wanted to make a latte sooooo badly that I tried to re-create one using coffee and coconut cream. It was pitiful, but I drank it anyway.

Lunch:
Salad with carrots, almonds, olives and sliced grilled chicken
Apples with more of my pumpkin spice dip
 

Dinner:
Coconut chicken (recipe- modified- no flour- used coconut flour, and no cornstarch- it didn't need it anyway) Yummy!!
Lettuce/salad
Asparagus

Day Twelve

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato and zucchini (I need to use these suckers!), spinach, eggs with salsa and avocado on top
Three pieces of Applegate turkey bacon
Grapes

Lunch: A bit weird, but it was leftovers...
My yummy pumpkin butternut squash chicken soup
Beef taco meat








 

Snack:
Dried apples















Dinner: forgot the pic...
Salad with carrots, olives and broccoli
Sliced chicken breast
3/4 of an apple (guess who ate the rest?)
One hard-boiled egg white

I was still super hungry when we got home from church, so I made scrambled eggs and turkey bacon!

Day Thirteen

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato with spinach, avocado, eggs and shredded chicken with salsa


I've always been weirded out by the idea of chicken and eggs in the same dish. It seems... I don't know... morbid or something. And this dish confirmed my hesitations. It was kinda bland and not super yummy...  





 

Found these at Big Lots- freeze dried apples with cinnamon. Not the best place to go when you are tempted to eat lots of cookies and sweets... But, these are W30 approved (kinda- they're technically snacks...) and were ok. Not like eating a fresh baked muffin or anything, but they crunched and were sweet.

Lunch:
Apple with pumpkin spice dip

and a salad with carrots, broccoli, olives and sliced, grilled chicken

Dinner:
Baked sweet potato
Stuffed pepper (recipe)














I also had some almonds in there somewhere... Probably a snack between lunch and dinner. 

Day Fourteen

Breakfast:
Shredded sweet potato and zucchini, turkey salami, eggs and salsa
Half a banana

Lunch:
Baked sweet potato with clarified butter
Some chicken slices
And about half an apple

Also, coffee with coconut milk- I was babysitting for a friend and needed a little caffeine boost...









Snack:
Apple (another one!)
Pumpkin spice dip

Dinner:
Veal stew with sweet potatoes, carrots and celery
Asparagus with clarified butter













After dinner snack:
A handful of coconut flakes



So, that's the end of week two!! I feel good. I definitely have more energy and I'm consistently one belt hole smaller. I can't wait to see how the rest of the 30 days go!