Day 30...

I did it!! I knew I could, but I honestly thought it was going to be really tough and that I'd have some moments of wanting to quit. Truthfully, I never had one moment where I thought "forget this, I'm having a cookie." In the challenge I was competing in I scored a perfect score - never missing a workout (that means a total of 26 workouts in those 30 days) always getting enough sleep, drinking enough water (probably more) never cheating on the food aspect and successfully doing away with fruit for the last 16 days - now that part was tough and if I was going to cheat it was going to be with a blueberry as I was making blueberry pancakes for my son. 

The results aren't in on the competition side yet - but the results that matter are the ones I see when looking in the mirror and the results I feel. 

Breakfast - another spicy tuna cake, half an avocado and black coffee. Note to self - always have at least two of those tuna cakes leftover for breakfast - great start to the day! 

Lunch - spinach salad topped with cauliflower, chicken, cucumber, zucchini, hard boiled egg, and slivered almonds. Prior to making lunch I went to Trader Joes to stock up on dates, pomegranate seeds, grapefruits, bananas, blueberries, and pears - fruit strike ends at midnight - my salads are about to get a lot prettier and tastier! 

Dinner - Drumsticks with a spicy green sauce and cauliflower rice. We roasted the drumsticks with just a little salt, pepper and garlic and then whipped up a green sauce to toss them in right when they came out of the oven. We tossed cilantro, half an onion, three garlic cloves, basil, mint, jalapeno, and fish sauce into our Ninja (the real hero of the Whole30 challenge). It was pretty, flavorful and made what could be a boring chicken night, exactly the opposite. On the side we stir fried some cauliflower rice with some onions, scallions and scrambled egg. Love this guilt free side dish. 

Workout - 4 Tabatas: Round 1 - Jump rope & butt kicks; Round 2 - static squat w/ tricep kick-backs & crescent pose w/ weighted lateral arm raises; Round 3 - bicycle crunches & sit ups w/ weighted lat pull downs; Round 4 - air squats and jump rope. 

A lifetime to go...

Day 29...

Well hello 60 degree temperatures - oh and 2nd to last day! It still amazes me what nice weather can do for your attitude, not only did we get lots of time outside - Adam rode his bike and ran around the yard playing walky talky with Andy while I walked Liddy - but that fresh air also inspires CLEANING! We finally organized our hall closet - put in some shelving to neatly store paper towels, toilet paper, etc. Hung some artwork on the walls that I'd been putting off, and vacuumed. Ahhhh, love that "spring cleaning" mode. 

Breakfast - spicy tuna cake and black coffee. I swear I make those spicy tuna cakes simply so I can have the leftovers for breakfast. While Adam chowed down on some blueberry pancakes (which I was so tempted to pop some blueberries in my mouth while I was making them - but held off) I enjoyed a more savory start to my day. 

Lunch - with the nice weather we decided to venture out for lunch. I was a little nervous, but I did some research ahead of time and determined what I would order to stay compliant. We used to eat lunch out quite often on the weekends so I know Andy and Adam enjoyed that I was finally comfortable to do so. I took advantage of the brunch menu and had a made to order omelet (no milk or cheese added to eggs) and was sure the waitress knew my restrictions. Had mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and spinach added to it and it was so good. 

Dinner - seafood salad. Seared sea scallops, garlic shrimp, sauteed mushrooms and zucchini over mixed greens. Did I mention we were loving this warmer weather? Might as well have a dinner that tastes like the beach! :) 

Workout - Two 21-15-9's - Round 1: 21 jump squats, 21 jump rope, 21 skaters - then 15, then 9. Round 2: 21 push-ups, 21 bicycle crunches, 21 scissor crunches - then 15, then 9. Plus a nice walk with Liddy. 

1 more to day to go....wow! 

Day 28...

I'd say that the light at the end of the tunnel was drawing near, but I'm not so sure that metaphor fits. I don't really see these past 28 days as some race towards a finish line, rather 28 days of a new journey that has been well lit with success and triumph leaving me ready to tackle another 30 days, and then another and so on. The challenge may be drawing to a close, but this new way of fueling my body and thinking about food and health is just starting. 

Breakfast - slice of frittata, half an avocado, and black coffee. Maybe that should be the name of this blog. Ha!

Lunch - whoops. Didn't have any. The morning was spent running errands and before I knew it lunch had come and gone - and I wasn't all that hungry. 

Snack - ok, so not having lunch caught up to me around 5:00 - after my workout - so I had a handful of pistachios, a hard boiled egg, and a few cucumber slices topped with smoked salmon. 

Dinner - spicy tuna cakes - couldn't resist bringing these back into the mix. My father-in-law was over for dinner and knew he'd enjoy these. We increased the amount of jalapeno and served them with the zoodles and a side of my avocado/cucumber dressing. 

Workout - 4 Tabatas - Round 1 - Push ups & Plank; Round 2 - jump rope & jumping jacks; Round 3 - jump rope and butt kicks; Round 4 - weighted leg raises - rotating sides. 

2 more to go...

Day 27...

I think it's safe to say that while I've really enjoyed this Whole30 challenge, Fridays have not been the best. Something about Fridays makes me want to have friends over, order carry out or make pizza and of course, enjoy a "you made it through the work week" glass (or 2) of wine. Alas, that hasn't been an option and while I certainly love how Saturday mornings feel, I am excited to get back a little bit of our Friday routines next week. That being said - it was another successful day. 

Breakfast - slice of frittata, half an avocado, and black coffee. Only a few more of these left before I can also have a grapefruit! 

Lunch - spinach salad topped with chopped up meatloaf from the night before, shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, half an avocado and slivered almonds. Three more of these salads to go before I can get my dates and pomegranate seeds back in the mix!

Dinner - Chicken Pad Thai - but this time instead of spaghetti squash we did cauliflower rice. I liked the cauliflower rice in this recipe. Very tasty! 

Workout - Two 21-15-9's - Round 1: 21 air squats, 21 static squat w/ dumbbell rows, 21 dead lifts w/ bicep curl - then 15, then 9. Round 2: 21 lat pull down sit ups, 21 chest flies w/ legs extended & off ground, 21 chest press w/ legs extended & off the ground (talk about a core/leg workout bundled w/ upper body!) then 15, then 9. 

3 more to go...

Day 26...

So much for those nice temps - wind was howling today! How much longer until spring? 

Breakfast - buffalo chicken patty & half an avocado w/ black coffee on the side. My husband laughed at me for having this for breakfast - but it was honestly what I woke up craving. Filling, healthy, & satisfying. 

Lunch - mixed green salad topped with shredded carrots (leftover from the patties), zucchini, cucumber, and you guessed it - the last buffalo chicken patty chopped up on top. So good. 

Dinner - meatloaf and sweet potato/cauliflower mash. I was inspired by our chicken and zucchini poppers to add shredded zucchini to my meatloaf - ads moisture, flavor, and bonus - hides the veggies from my 5 year old (still trying to ease him into this healthier lifestyle). I also had read about using chopped mushrooms as a substitute for bread crumbs so I chopped up some portobellos to add in as well. Did a combo of ground beef and ground pork and put an egg and a little coconut flour in as well. It turned out really well and you can't go wrong with cauliflower/sweet potato mash (just a little bit of sweet potato for the texture and sweetness). 

Workout - If I had a rest day to use, I would have cashed it in today - but alas, I didn't so I pushed through and got in two 21-15-9's. Round 1 - 21 push ups, 21 seconds of plank, 21 mountain climbers - then 15, then 9. Round 2 - 21 scissor crunches, 21 bicycle crunches, 21 sit ups, then 15 then 9. Not the most intense workout, but I got it done. 

4 more to go...

Day 25...

Today the weather was in the mid 50's and it got me realizing how close we are to a new season. I am very excited for Spring to arrive and bring with it longer days and warmer weather. There's nothing quite as motivating to get up and get moving than nice weather to walk your dog in. Which is exactly what I did today. Of course tomorrow the temps are supposed to plummet, but I soaked up what I could while it lasted.

Breakfast - Slice of frittata, half an avocado and some of the avocado/cucumber sauce & black coffee of course. 

Lunch - mixed green salad topped with smoked salmon, hard boiled egg, half an avocado, cucumbers, zucchini and slivered almonds. 

Dinner - Buffalo chicken sliders - wow, another winner! Just took ground chicken, shredded carrots, some Franks Hot Sauce, and chopped scallions. Mixed it all together and formed patties (guess they really weren't sliders). Then pan fried them in a little olive oil and served alongside zoodles. These things were so good and packed with flavor. I even commented halfway through that it actually tasted like there was blue cheese in these - probably just a mental thing with the combo of chicken and buffalo sauce. These will be making regular appearances this summer! (Heck, all year long!) 

Workout - Started at the house with 2 21-15-9's. Round 1 - 21 static lunge w/ weighted butterfly raises (not sure how else to describe that - picture hands/weights meeting at belly button then raising up shoulder length), 21 squats & 21 weighted good mornings - then 15, then 9 - arms killing after that one. Round 2 - 21 leg raises w/ weights - right side, 21 leg raises w/ weights - left side, 21 sit ups w/ weighted lat pull downs (picture back on ground and arms outstretched behind you- then pulling them down w/ the sit up) - then 15, then 9. Then I did 10 push-ups, for fun I guess and then it was off to the YMCA with the family. Hit the treadmill for a 7 degree incline 1 mile walk/hike. Then lifted weights for about 20 minutes. After that it was time to walk Liddy - I definitely felt great after all of that on a Wednesday! 

 5 more to go...

Day 24...

Breakfast - It's back...I made another frittata - this time with spinach, vidalia onion, mushrooms and zucchini. The spinach is a great addition - I know I did it in the first one, but felt it needed to make another appearance. Had a slice of this with half an avocado and black coffee. 

Lunch - mixed green salad topped with a hard boiled egg, half an avocado, cucumber, and slivered almonds. I need to hit the store and up my toppings game. (5 more days until dates can make a comeback - hooray!). 

Dinner - Rogan Josh - or as I like to call it Josh Groban. This is from Well Fed and is also on The Clothes Make the Girl blog. I used the book for the recipe but just found it on the blog as well only to find that Melissa also thinks of Josh Groban - and Seth Rogan - when she makes this dish. Speaking of this dish - woah. Talk about flavor overload - and I mean that in a good way. We don't usually make or eat Indian food - so heavy and usually does a number on our stomachs - but this version was the opposite. Served over cauliflower rice this dish tasted nothing like "health" food. I love how out of the box this Whole30 challenge is keeping us. 

This was just the beginning as the lamb and onions browned. The "after" photo wasn't too photogenic, but so tasty.

Workout - 5 Tabatas - Round 1 - squats and pliet squats; Round 2 - scissor crunches and sit ups with lat pull downs; Round 3 - weighted leg raises - 2 minutes on each leg - gotta work that outer thigh; Round 4 - oblique crunches - 2 minutes on each side; Round 5 - chest flies with legs extended and chest press with legs extended - legs, abs, arms, chest - it's all good. 

6 more to go...