Bee Free Treats!

In the midst of Whole 30, the company Bee Free contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying some of their Gluten Free and Paleo Friendly products.

Of course I would! I had to wait until I finished the Whole 30 challenge, but I was so excited when my samples arrived in the mail. I ripped into the box as soon as we got inside and that was probably my first mistake. The kids saw me, saw what was inside, and immediately demanded a cookie! So I had to share my stash...boo!

The first one we tried was Snickerdoodle and it was delicious. Soft and chewy with a wonderful buttery flavor. Thank goodness Bee Free sent three!

After I fed the kids a cookie, I went through and pulled out the chocolate ones and hid them. I know...I'm greedy like that. I had two different kinds to try: Chocolate Krinkle and Chocolate Berry Bliss. After trying these I was sold!

The Chocolate Berry Bliss is almost like eating a candy bar...but without the guilt!

And I don't even know what to say about the Chocolate Krinkle except that I ate them all except for half of one which I begrudgingly shared with Nick. These were my absolute favorite and I will be ordering more!

The kids ate all of the Vegan Cowboy Cookies, but I did get a bite so I would be able to review it as well. It is like a chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie. Definitely the way to go if you like a classic chocolate chip cookie.

Last, but not least was this little gem. The package wasn't marked and I didn't see it on the website, so I'm guessing it is a sample product but I would highly suggest that Bee Free begin offering them to their customers. It was so good!

Thank you to Bee Free for the samples and for making paleo friendly products that are a delicious and healthy option! Visit them here to order some yourself!

After the 30 Days

Well, Whole 30 is done. Finished. Complete!  Nick and I completely transformed our diet by cutting out sugars, alcohol, dairy, legumes and grains for 30 days. Transforming our diet changed our bodies from the inside out, but it also changed our minds.

I find it easier to make meal choices now and I no longer feel like I want to indulge in a sweet treat or drink simply because "I deserve it." What I deserve is a healthy body and the paleo dietary lifestyle has given me that.

Have I "cheated" since we finished on Tuesday? You bet...I got a big chocolate shake (one of the things I craved a lot). It was delicious while I drank it, but afterward I thought, "That wasn't really worth it." I understand now why a friend said to cheat big. Plan a meal, eat it, and then go right back to paleo.The way she explained it was that eating one healthy meal a week doesn't make you healthy, so eating one cheat meal a week doesn't make you unhealthy.  Tonight Nick and I are going out to Cheesecake Factory for a belated birthday meal...that meal will be worth it! Then we're back to paleo tomorrow. :)

Now that I have my eating habits in a healthy place, I'm ready to add an exercise plan. I exercised a bit through Whole 30, but my focus was on what I ate. After all, you can't out exercise a bad diet...abs are made in the kitchen!

I've also loved the interest from friends in the Whole 30/paleo lifestyle. I have one friend who is halfway through her own Whole30 and several others that have asked for more information. Let's make clean eating the new norm!

It's been a great journey, but I'm not finished. These are habits that can last a lifetime!

Going Into The Homestretch

Today is Day 22 of the Whole 30 Challenge. I can say, without a doubt, that this is the best I have ever felt. Here are just a few of the benefits of eating a paleo/primal diet: Wake up rested, no migraines, clearer skin, flat belly/no bloat, and a lot more energy!

It has made such a difference to Nick and I that we are transitioning the kids to a semi-paleo diet. By semi-paleo I mean that we are not eliminating dairy and some grains from their diet. They will still have organic milk, yogurt, cheese, oats, and whole wheat bread. Processed foods are out! Colson is completely on board...Lilly-Belle is still asking for her Kraft mac and cheese. :)  I will share another time how we are making the transition fun.

We've also been thinking about what will happen on August 28th. Our Whole 30 ends on the 27th....what's next? Our plan is to maintain an 85/15 or 90/10 paleo diet. I think we could definitely do 90% paleo, 10% non-paleo. One of the main things we miss are sweets. On Whole 30 you can't even make compliant "treats" because you are breaking the emotional association with food. But once Whole 30 is complete, we can make paleo desserts when we want a sweet. Of course, there's always that 10% when we break bad and eat a cheesecake, milkshake, etc.

Here are a few more things we've been eating.

Breakfast:

Eggs with Garlic Mushrooms and Cinnamon Apples cooked in Coconut Oil

Egg with Bacon and Avocado and Grapes

Bacon Wrapped Apple Egg Muffins

Recipe: For 4 muffins: Spray 4 muffin tins with cooking spray, line each with a strip of bacon. Mix up 4 eggs and 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Divide egg evenly between tins. Chop 1/2 an apple (granny smith or golden delicious are good) and divide among tins. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 min.

Lunch:

Grilled Chicken over Balsamic Zucchini and Onions with Broccoli Slaw

Picnic Food: Turkey Rolls, Carrot Sticks, Cantaloupe, Spinach salad, and paleo chocolate pudding for the kids.

Dinner:

Spinach Salad with Shredded Chicken, Broccoli Slaw and Blueberries

Califlower Crust pizza with tomato sauce and mixed veggies

Grilled Split Chicken Breast, baked sweet potato, zucchini chips, and mushrooms and onions.

I'm so happy to share our Whole 30 journey! *Another friend and her husband are starting their Whole 30 today! This makes me happy too. :)

Paleo Pizza

The other night I decided to make a paleo pizza. I hit up Pinterest (where else?) in search of one that was compliant with Whole 30. The Lucky Penny had a recipe for a cauliflower crust and then I used Trader Joes Tomato Sauce. We topped it with mushrooms, onions, and zucchini that I cooked in a bit of olive oil, s&p, and garlic. You could really top it with anything...I'm thinking of adding chicken next time.

It was delicious! I didn't miss the cheese. I didn't miss the sickeningly full feeling I usually have after eating pizza. I enjoyed everything about it!

What I'm Learning from Whole 30

These are my Top 3 Tips that I've learned in my first two weeks of  Whole 30.

Tip #1: Never (never ever!) leave the house without a snack. You will probably get hungry. And the food that is most readily available when you're out and about is junk. It's much easier to leave the house with a healthy snack than to have to seek out a grocery store or be restricted to eating cashews (just about the only thing you can find in a convenience store). Here are a few things I take:
* A piece of fruit of container of berries: apple, banana, blueberries, strawberries
* Nuts
* Baby Carrot Sticks
* Lara Bars
* Plantain Chips ( I get Nature's Harvest brand from Walmart)

Tip #2: Cinnamon is your friend (and so is every other spice). Season your food. Some people think that eating a paleo diet is bland and boring. And I'm sure it can be, but if you season your food you will never think that.
I like cinnamon...in my coffee, sprinkled on apples, on a baked sweet potato, and on roasted carrots. Cinnamon is my friend.

Tip #3: Just go and buy. Go to the grocery store and buy.
Buy meat.
Buy vegetables.
Buy fruits.
Buy nuts and eggs.

I had a friend ask me if I planned out all of my meals and I said, "No." Maybe some people do, but that would be overwhelming for me and seem like a lot of work. And with any dietary or lifestyle change, the less difficult it is, the more willing you will be to try it (and stick with it).

So, I just go to the grocery and buy from the categories above. Then I mix and match meats and veggies for dinner.  It's easy. A lot easier than making a lasagna or casserole.

Making this change has been wonderful, and I'm happy that I've inspired a few of my friends to change the way they eat and one is even starting her own Whole 30 challenge!

More Of What I'm Eating

Nick and I are two weeks into the Whole30 Challenge! I will admit that there have been some challenging times...like I want to take an icecream sundae to the face kind of challenging, but I eat some fruit and I feel better.

Here's a bit more of what we've been eating.
Whole 30 grocery haul for this week:

About 3lb of Chicken, Grass fed burger patties, Tuna, Cashews, 3 dozen Eggs, Spinach, Broccoli Slaw, Cauliflower, Carrots, Zucchini, Butternut Squash, Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, Mushrooms,  Cantaloupe, Bananas, Apples, Peaches, and Blueberries.

Other things we've eaten but didn't purchase for the upcoming week include Applegate Bacon and Hotdogs, Dates, Plantain Chips, Squash, Cucumbers, Grapefruit, Grapes, Plums, Nectarines, Coconut,  Peppers, Asparagus, and more. I don't buy it when people say they get bored on this diet. There's plenty of variety!

Breakfast:

Eggs with bacon and grapefruit

Eggs, grapes and sweet potato hashbrowns. Coffee with Coconut milk!

Lunch:

Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Mango Salsa and Cucumbers in Blueberry Lemon Verbena infused vinegar

Chicken Salad: Shredded Chicken, Apple, Grapes, Cashews, Paleo Mayo, Tarragon, and S&P

Hotdog, Plum and Cucumbers with Balsamic Dressing

Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Squash and Peppers

Dinner:

Sweet Potato Burger Sliders, Broccoli and Cucumbers

BBQ Chicken, Roasted Carrots and Squash

Here's to two more weeks!

The Whole 30 Challenge

I'm doing the Whole 30 Challenge...I guess I should say "we" are doing the challenge. Leave it to Nick to seek out the most difficult (for me) dietary change possible.

I will admit, I have a strong affinity for sweet tea, chocolate chip cookies, cake, icecream, and I'll never pass a Krispy Kreme if the HOT sign is on. Sugar. Sweets. I LOVE them! But not for the next 30 days.

For the next 30 days, it's Meat, Vegetables, Fruits, and Fats. No Dairy, Grains, Legumes, Alcohol,  Sugar, or Sugar Substitutes. I am eager to see and feel the results. A healthy body and mind will be worth the sacrifice of sweets.

I am on Day 5 and here are a few of the things I've been eating this week:

Breakfast

Eggs with Tomatoes and Spinach and Berry Mix

Eggs with Green Peppers and Onion and Grapefruit sections

Zucchini and Onion Egg Muffins

Lunch

Everything but the kitchen sink salad

Chicken with Pineapple Mango Salsa and Blueberry Spinach Salad

Avocado Egg Salad with Cucumbers, Carrots and Cantaloupe

Dinner

Chicken with Tessemae's Paleo BBQ Sauce, Sweet Potato Hash and Asparagus

Sirloin, Sweet Potato with Cinnamon, and Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic

Tessemae's BBQ Chicken, Balsamic Zucchini and Onions and Cantaloupe

Did I mention that I can't have conventional coffee creamer? Thank heavens for Coconut Milk!


  

Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats

I've seen "Overnight Oats" all over Pinterest and Instagram for a while now, so I decided to give them a try. The verdict...delicious!! I can't wait to try different variations.

Here's what you need to make them yourself:

1/2 cup Rolled Oats (no 1-minute or quick oats)
3/4 cup Almond Milk (I like the vanilla to add a bit of flavor)
  *My oats had a bit of liquid left, so if you want them thicker I'd reduce the milk to 1/2 to 2/3 cup.
1/2 tablespoon Chocolate PB2
1/2 sliced banana

Mix the oats and milk in a container (I used a glass jar) and place them in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, add in the PB2 powder.  I liked mine cold, but here's where you'd pop them in the microwave if you want them warm. Add sliced banana and enjoy!