Whole 30 bound

OMGoodness, I can't believe I've survived almost a week without coffee and animal cookies (particularly Targets Market Pantry in the teddy bear container)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's pretty much an amazing feat for me as I pretty much live on them. However, my body has been telling me these past weeks that I need a change. I've been relying to much on coffee and cookies to get me through the day and yogurt, eggs and nuts for my main source of protein.
 
I need to stop being lazy about my food preparation and start making nourishing choices with my food.  So after reading around a few blogs and searching pinterest to see what others have done I came across Today's Letters and her Whole 30 challenge.  It intrigued me and so I decided to see what this Whole 30 thing was all about. I liked that it took a lot of the foods I've been relying on out so that I would be forced to be creative and think again outside of my box, which is something I used to do very well with my food choices.  I also liked that it would help me ween myself off the caffeine and cleanse my body of all the dairy since I'm lactose intolerant I knew it wasn't doing good things for me. 

You are giving yourself 30 days to eat in a way that is nourishing to your body. Each successful day that passes will get easier and easier.

Overall, I'm pretty happy so far with the results, especially in my energy and my abilities to cook again in MY  kitchen.  I emphasized MY because I have my own kitchen in my own townhome.  It's kind of awesome to have it set up the way I want it, though it's still a work in progress on how I want it to look. 

For breakfast I made a Fruit Smoothie ,however, I forgot when I went to the grocery store that SO DELICOUS COCONUT MILK wasn't a Paleo approved option, but I'm going to finish it out and when it's gone I will buy the canned coconut milk.  I made a few variation, but my favorite is with

Fruit Smoothie
1 Frozen Banana
3 Fresh Strawberries
Frozen Bananas
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Organic Breakfast Blend 100% Juice
1/2 cup Spinach (too much makes the smoothie taste not as good)

Snacks: I kept it simple with a LaraBar (with hb egg) & {Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds}
Lunch: Chicken & Veggie Meatballs with Pesto Zucchini "Noodles" the first half and Organic Spaghetti sauce (without sugar) the other half of the week.  I was shocked at how many sauces contained sugar and in the 1st four ingredients.  side: Strawberries and Pineapple
Dinner: Spiced Tilapia with Cucumbers in lemon juice and chili powder

I have yet to make the Banana Ice Cream.she has on her blog, but I hope to try some this week.



 goal
stay focused
create meal plns
prep food
maybe even keep eating paleo even after the 30 days
read it starts with food



 however, is a month of diligence. Really putting my effort into cleanly fueling myself, which means paying attention to some of the things that I let slide regularly: seed oils, options when dining out, dairy products and booze. It’s the A++ version of how we normally eat, and I’m excited to see the results of our efforts — whether they are dramatic or not know that I am going to be challenged with the sheer amount of food prep this month is going to require. I definitely rely on things like Post-Workout protein shakes and some pre-made convenience items right now that probably aren’t doing me any favors. Eliminating those will be different, so for me, I have to make it fun. I’ve got a calendar chock full of awesome recipes that I am SO STOKED to make, and post work out options that are fun, fancy and WAY MORE DELICIOUS than a shake. I’ve got to make it fun or I’ll want to quit.