Food • Photography • Life
Day 4 on Whole30 was good – smooth sailing, despite some hiccups in dinner planning.
Breakfast
My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.
Lunch
Leftover chili from last night. Recipe coming soon.
Dinner
Lemon and brown butter sea bass with baked sweet potato fries. Quick (ish), simple and delicious.
Day 3 on Whole30 was good, lunch picture failure aside.
Breakfast
My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.
Lunch
AAh! I’m a blogging failure. I totally forgot to take a picture of lunch. I had an arugula/leftover pulled pork/leftover pineapple mango salsa/gremolata salad and it was delicious.
Dinner
A really tasty slow cooked double beef chili with root vegetables. Yum.
Day 2 on Whole30 was smoother than Day 1. Still heavy on the pork, but at least there was some variety.
Breakfast
My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.
Lunch
Arugula salad with Cava orange, beefsteak tomato, roast pork, and gremolata.
Dinner
Hot Italian sausage marinara with mushrooms over half a sweet potato.
Day 1 on Whole30 started out smooth … and then poor planning at lunch set to throw me off balance. All was smooth sailing with a quick gear shift, but I ended up eating pretty much the same thing for dinner as I had for lunch. Not the end of the world, but not exactly how I had planned for my day to go.
Breakfast
My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.
Lunch
Started out a little rocky. I generally pick up a pre-made salad for Monday’s lunch, but Fresh Direct had exactly zero salads that were Whole30 compliant, so I decided to wing it with leftovers.
I settled on the rest of the cauliflower rice from last week + a leftover ‘Big O’ burger patty from the Nom Nom Paleo cookbook. I got my burger patty heated and was just about to put it on my plate when I remembered that the burgers contain bacon. And sugar-free bacon is a no-go on Whole30.
Luckily, I had some leftover roast pork I could toss on top instead – with some of the pineapple mango salsa we’re supposed to have for dinner + some Whole30 sriracha.
Post Lunch Snack
I was still starving after lunch, so I had 1 ounce of lightly sea salted almonds.
Dinner
More leftover slow cooked pork shoulder made into green leaf lettuce tacos. Served with pineapple mango salsa, Whole30 sriracha, and broiled green beans.
Hello, all. It looks like I have accidentally signed up to do another Whole30 Challenge. This time around, my partners in crime healthy eating will be two people I’ve come to know really well over the past year through something called Nerd Fitness. I haven’t really taken the time to talk here about Nerd Fitness, but since it’s such a big part of my life and something I talk about off-line bunches anyway, I probably should.
What Is Nerd Fitness?
Nerd Fitness is a website aimed at providing the tools you need to ‘level up’ your life. Level up your fitness, your diet, your job, the cleanliness level of your house — whatever — any of the personal growth areas you want to work on; NF aims to help through great articles, tons of free resources, and an accountability forum. The guy that runs it, Steve, puts a lot of his time and effort into making the community the best it can be – and it’s really pretty great. The articles are well-written and well researched, the fitness advice is spot-on, and I can’t say enough good things about the forum.
Take for example, the latest article posted on Nerd Fitness – “Why You Should Level Up And How To Crush 2014“. Lots of great information here on how to get unstuck in life, how to improve the things you want to improve, and how to join in the fun with the Nerd Fitness Community (The Rebellion).
The NF Community is structured into 6-week challenge cycles – for every 6-week cycle period you choose 3-5 things you want to focus on, put up a challenge thread, sign up for an accountability group, post daily updates on your progress, and engage with other community members. You’re all there for the same reason – to get fit, eat right and generally level up your life – and you’re all probably nerds, so you have that in common too. It’s a supportive and great group to get involved with, and 100% what I credit for making me stick to working out and eating right this past year. I’ve gone on 6-8 month stretches before, but something has always gotten in the way – lack of support, increase of apathy, vacation, something. Not this time.
In 2013, I participated in all seven 6-week challenge cycles and have leveled up areas of my life I never thought I’d actually get around to. Not only have I lost over 20 pounds and built a bunch of muscle, but I sort of almost run (if you told 16 year old or even 32 year old me that would happen, I would have laughed in your face and probably flipped you off), I went through my clothes and edited them heavily to create the kind of wardrobe I actually want to wear, I consistently work out, I eat right pretty close to all the time, I’ve pushed myself creatively, and cleaned waaay more than I would normally. All because of the challenge structure, accountability and support I’ve found on the Nerd Fitness forums. What I get there has been just the thing to bolster my willpower – when I’m not feeling like working out or want to eat ‘all the carbs’, I turn to my NF friends for support/handholding/a whop upside the head as necessary.
And then I do what I need to do anyways because I’ll never accomplish my goals if I don’t work toward them. And I’ll get side-eye from my ‘Canadian friend’. Or harrangued by my ‘Texas friend’. Or just generally called out for whatever lame excuse I came up with from any number of other corners of the globe.
Right now, my overarching goal – and something I’ve been working toward for a couple months now – is to be physically ready to participate in Mudderella this May 10. Mudderella is a 5-7 mile muddy obstacle course aimed at women (though men can join in) – along the lines of a slightly less intense Tough Mudder. This is something that up until about 6 months ago I thought was nothing that I a: wanted to do, and b: could even possibly consider doing for fitness reasons. Crazy fitness people do those things; I am not that. So I kicked the fear aside and I signed up. And started training. And you know what? I think I might just be able to finish it. I won’t be the fastest out there (and that’s really not what this is all about), but I think I’ll make it across the line. Possibly even with all my limbs intact. What? Whoisthisperson?!
And if that wasn’t enough, I just signed up for another crazy mud obstacle run in July – this time, it’s zombie-themed and in NY. I’ll be doing this one with my serious runner hubby and a longtime friend – and it looks like tons of fun.
Back to Whole30. For those of you that have been reading for awhile, you might remember my last Whole30 challenge – which I totally dominated, thankyouverymuch. I learned a lot of great lessons about behaving while eating out and a lot about the sheer amount of shenanigans hidden in most foods that come from off the shelf – even things as simple as diced tomatoes. Who needs sugar in diced tomatoes?!
This time around, I will be posting my meals daily – and will be recapping where possible. I plan on doing more than 1 recipe a week as well, but we will see where that goes. Hopefully whatever I’m eating is good enough to point you guys toward at least twice a week.
It will be interesting to see the difference in food from August (the last time I did a Whole30 Challenge) to January. I’m foreseeing a lot less fruit salad with chicken and a lot more hearty stick-to-your-ribs fare.
What Is Whole30?
Whole30 is a month-long hard reset for the body. Kind of like paleo on steriods. No sugar (even honey or stevia), grains, dairy or legumes. Just whole, natural foods – like meats, veggies and fruits. Nothing in a package. No soy (mental note: find coconut aminos; Braggs isn’t going to cut it this month). Amend fish sauce buying to conform.
This program is designed to break the back of sugar and carb cravings and give your body a balanced place from which to build healthy habits. It seeks to reset your metabolism, knock out systemic inflammation (that you may not even know you have) and zero out other gut health issues. Have random stomach pain like me? This may help balance that. Irregular? IBS? Feel like crap all the time? Can’t lose weight? Well .. this crazybananas plan might work.
My favorite part of the plan, aside from the reset, is the tough love. This is not hard – not like quitting heroin or beating cancer. Don’t even think about slipping – what you put into your mouth is always a choice. You don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to eat – learn to stick up for yourself, peer pressure is for elementary school students. This will take effort but you will be better for it – especially if you’re a first-timer to cutting out grains and legumes. But … you can do this.
You know what? They’re right. In the grand scheme of things, 30 days is a small amount of time to deal with a little inconvenience. Unless there are roving bands of rapist donuts in your neighborhood; then maybe stay inside and eat what you’re supposed to anyways.
So, let’s go!
This is a nice little bright salad that is quick to whip up and uses the best that Fall has to offer. It’s fresh, goes with pretty much anything, and makes a great accompaniment to something light – like the pictured Spicy Tuna Cakes from the soon-to-make-it-to-my-hot-little-hands cookbook Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans. If this recipe (and everything on author Michelle Tam’s site, really – she’s never steered me wrong) is any indication, I’ll be cooking each and every dish from the book – and loving them.
And yes, that’s a snowman tuna cake, thankyouverymuch. Because I’m an adult, and have adulty things, like non winter-related cupcake tins.
Asian Pear & Celery Salad
4 stalks celery, cut on a bias
1/2 an Asian pear, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
Dressing
2 tsp. rice vinegar
Zest of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. grapeseed (or other neutral) oil
Big pinch Kosher salt
As you cut the things that need cutting, add to a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add dressing to salad and toss.
Serves 2 for dinner as a light side or 1 for lunch as a nice sized salad.
This would most likely also be tasty with a tangle of pecorino romano or other aged hard cheese added before serving, with a few cracks of black pepper.
Thank you so much, Molly Hays of Remedial Eating, for posting the methodology for this squash. This squash is truly a revelation – no longer will I have to endanger limbs and make my Darling Husband cringe in terror as I attack hard squash with a meat cleaver.
If you’re not familiar with Remedial Eating, check the link out. Molly’s writing is full of beautiful prose and her recipes are homey and comforting with interesting flavor combinations/takes on flavors – plus, she lives in (one of) my home town(s). So, there’s that.
I made this squash on a busy weeknight and the whole thing took 48 minutes from start to table. I will be repeating this dish’s success many times over the course of this winter – and see visions of weekly squash roasts in my Monday nights future. I’m dying to try some of the flavor combos listed at the end of Molly’s post – and am itching to add a few more of my own like:
Aged balsamic vinegar & pecorino cheese
Toasted garlic, chili or chipotle powder, egg & stout cheese (pecorino? glouchester? aged sheep gouda?)
Toasted cashews, curry, cilantro & lime
Apple, toasted pecan & lemon/lime vinaigrette
Bacon, toasted pecan & bleu cheese
Apple, sage, bacon & toasted pecan
The possibilities are endless.
This side is fantastic when served alongside a nice London broil – or a minute steak – or alone for lunch; whatever your fancy.
Lazy Baked Squash with Goat Cheese, Arugula & Lime Vinaigrette
Adapted from Lovely Squash for Lazybones from Remedial Eating
1 acorn squash
1-1.5 ounces goat cheese per squash half (omit if strict paleo, vegan or doing Whole30)
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
1 tsp. lime or lemon juice (I used my go-to bottle of salvation, Nellie’s Key Lime juice)
1 tsp. spicy mustard (I used Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard)
1 big pinch kosher salt
A few cracks fresh black pepper
Chipotle to sprinkle
1 big hand full arugula per squash half
Preheat your oven to 375. Place your squash on a cookie sheet wrapped in tin foil and slap into the oven. Let bake 30-45 minutes, or until your knife goes in with minimal effort.
Slice the squash in half and place cut side down on the prepared sheet. Slip back into the oven until you can pierce the thickest part of your squash and it gives absolutely no resistance – like a knife through hot butter. This should take 15-30 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool until handleable – or if you’re impatient like me – let cool for 2 minutes and then pick up with a dish towel, and scoop the squash guts out.
Sprinkle with goat cheese, vinaigrette and chipotle powder. Top with arugula.
Serves 2
This little side salad is as delicious as it is versatile. It’s bright, kicky, crunchy and can please a crowd. I served it along side some quick pork chops for dinner and then topped with chicken breast for lunch the next day.
Jicama, Pear & Grapefruit Salad
Adapted from a recipe I saw while rifling through a cookbook … which one? I was too busy day dreaming after reading the ingredient list to remember things like that
1 jicama
1 pear
1 grapefruit
2 medium carrots
1 lime (zest + juice)
Fresh mint/cilantro/basil (you’re looking for 6 Tbsp. total here)
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
1-2 tsp. sriracha (use Whole30 approved if necessary)
Flaky salt
Cracked black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 c. toasted nuts (I had macadamias on hand)
Peel and julienne the jicama. Julienne the pear. Grate the carrots. Add each to a large bowl when finished.
Supreme & chop the grapefruit into bite sized pieces, squeezing the extra juice into a small bowl. Add the grapefruit pieces to the julienne bowl.
Zest the lime, adding the zest to the julienne bowl. Squeeze the juice into the dressing bowl with the grapefruit juice.
Finely dice the herbs. I did 4 Tbsp. combined mint & cilantro with 2 Tbsp. basil chiffonade. Add to the julienne bowl.
Add the grapeseed oil & sriracha to the dressing bowl and whisk to form an emulsion. Taste and add more acid or sriracha as needed.
Sprinkle two generous pinches salt into the julienne bowl, with a few cracks of black pepper and the toasted nuts. Toss well to combine. Pour the dressing over (you might want to start with half) and toss well to combine (I used my hands). Taste and add more salt or dressing as needed.
Makes enough to serve 4 for dinner or 2-3 big lunch bowls.
Mmmmm….. comfort food. A nice heaping bowl of warm is perhaps my favorite thing about the colder months and meals featuring this side (or a side very like it) sustain me through the cold and the dark like none other.
Try it: under a moroccan tomato ragu with sausage and a fried egg, as a base for a nice thick meaty traditional-style tomato sauce, under some firey shrimp & bacon in place of grits, as a sturdy starchy side for a steak, with a bright gremolata & crunchy almonds, as the “anchor” for a topping of crisped veggies, or pretty much anywhere else you need something substantial to make up a meal.
Butternut Squash Mash (paleo, whole30)
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch pieces
Good quality stock (vegetable, chicken or turkey)
1 Tbsp. grass fed butter (or vegan butter substitute)
1 tsp. ras el hanout (optional)
Kosher salt & black pepper – to taste
Place your peeled butternut squash into a medium pot and add enough stock to cover by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drop the heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender.
Drain, reserving half a cup or so of the cooking liquid. Add the drained squash to a large bowl, along with the butter, 2 tsp. salt, a few twists pepper and ras el hanout (if using). Mash, adding splashes of stock, until the mixture is smooth and almost soupy. Re-taste and add salt & pepper as needed.
Serves 2-3 as the main anchor of a dish.
Reformed beet-hater now occasionally craves the color and majesty that is a perfectly roasted beet every once in awhile. When I have those days, I’m happy someone in the health food biz decided to offer pre-roasted beets for sale at Whole Foods.
The recipe is written with a single lunch serving in mind. Feel free to scale up to feed your desired number.
Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)
1 small roasted beet (I took the lazy way out here and bought some pre-roasted beets)
1/2 avocado
1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
3-4 ounces leftover rotisserie chicken (optional but delicious)
1/2 grapefruit
Citrus salt (or other flaky finishing salt)
Grapefruit Vinaigrette
2 Tbsp. almond oil (or other neutral oil like grapeseed)
1 tsp. grainy mustard
1/2 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar (Braggs ftw)
1 big squirt grapefruit juice
Slice your beets wafer thin, shred the chicken, slice the avocado thin, and toast the almonds in a dry pan until lightly brown. Supreme the grapefruit.
Either add all to a bowl or lay out pretty for a composed salad. Both are equally tasty.
Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients and pour over the top. Finish with some tasty salt and eat.
Serves 1 for lunch, but can easily be scaled up to feed more.
Gastography 