A Whole Lot of Shock and Discovery : A Whole 30 Diary

I had a huge breakthrough discovery for week 4 that you MUST know about before I continue!

It's slightly killing me not to have a coffee drink in my hand, complete with 2% milk or half and half, BUT, I have found a solution for the time being! When visiting Starbucks or Caribou, tea is truly the only thing (next to water) that will usually be Whole30 compliant. It's kind of sad. Even though Starbucks offers "coconut milk", it is chock full of a ton of crap and you just can't have it. Heck, if the ever delicious vegan Mudpie Bakery has to use sugar when making their coconut milk, it's just all a lost cause in my book. But, if you must step foot into a coffee shop during your Whole30 and if you don't want to drink black coffee, the best thing you can do is to do your research beforehand. Look up the menu on your phone prior to going, scope out what you are allowed to have, ask questions, and make a wise decision. That is the best way you won't fail or surrender under pressure. 

That being said, I'm a sucker for a fun coffee on the way home from church sometimes! For the past few Sundays, we have had ZERO donut fun or coffee fun, but my husband was in the mood for a campfire mocha from Caribou. Honestly, if you are familiar with Caribou and their chocolate obsession, it's like a glorified hot chocolate with a ton of mini marshmallows floating on top.

So....yay for Craig.
My order lacked chocolate, but I was pleasantly surprised with what was handed!

HOT CINNAMON SPICE TEA!

Don't ask me for the brand, just go to Caribou. It somewhat reminds me of a cinnamon red hot candy! The ingredients consist of a blend of black teas, three (three!!) types of cinnamon, orange peel, and sweet cloves! I'm telling you, it tastes like it has sugar in it! I've never had tea like it and I would get it again!

That afternoon, as I sipped on my tea and the last of my Z-pak was kicking my sinus infection to the curb, I was determined to have another successful week of meal planning! I still had several items from my Costco run the week before and I wanted to incorporate a few of the same recipes into the current week.

I may have incorporated a lot of the same snacks too : Hard-boiled eggs, avocados, pineapple, kiwi, apples, and bananas. As you can see, I also slacked on the vegetables (again), but hey, no vegetables is better than mindlessly munching on candy and chips in the break room at work. Because before my Whole30, I would do that all.the.time. Just saying.

To prepare for quick dinners, I made the last rotisserie chicken from my 2-pak of Costco fryers! Although this time around, I wanted to try my hand at homemade chicken stock--also known as bone broth. I'm that weirdo that would normally take a chicken bouillon cube, drop it in a mug of water, heat it in the microwave, and think I was sipping the best broth in the world. More recently, I've heard of many people making their own broth and the many health benefits to drinking it. Seriously, there is too much information on it and I encourage you to research it for yourself! After cooking the chicken, I shredded everything and left the bones, juices, fatty pieces, and carcass in the crock-pot. At this point, you could also throw in vegetables such as celery, carrots, and onions, but I chose not to use them. I instead sprinkled a little bit of kosher salt, black pepper, and onion powder over the bones, covered them completely with water (cover them until they're covered, don't drown them), and set them on low for 12 hours! You can simmer the broth longer if you'd like, but 12 hours worked fine for me! Guys. This was SO good! I even tried to make a second batch, but unfortunately, the bones weren't having it and it turned out a little too watery for my liking.

I must admit that after that little fun experiment, my dinners for 3-4 busy nights out of the week consisted of a variety of my healthy snacks, my amAzing bone broth, and/or shredded chicken with Frank's Red Hot sauce.

The second half of the week settled down and Craig and I were finally home together to eat dinner. So what did I do? You know I made fish tacos--AGAIN. You can head on over to my last post for the yummy recipe details! SO GOOD!

The weekend arrived and I was so thankful to have a Saturday off work! Craig had a busy week so while he caught up on some much needed rest, I jumped out of bed and started making breakfast.
Remember those pancakes I made in week two? You know, when I whined and pouted about dinner being ruined and ended up making those pancakes in anger? Well, I followed the same recipe, but I added two bananas, 1/4 cup of tapioca flour, and several shakes of cinnamon! I decided they needed a little something extra so I took a bag of frozen blueberries and warmed them up over the stove. I poured them into my Ninja, blended them until smooth, and we used the puree as a topping! It was tart, but it balanced well with the sweetness of the pancakes. Our plates were completed with fried eggs and sauteed spinach and breakfast was served! Aren't you proud? A vegetable before dinner...

To finish out the week, I used the last of my spaghetti squash and brought back the yummy Buffalo Casserole for the weekend meals! Unfortunately, I ran out of eggs by that point so I decided to make it without mayonnaise. I was a little unsure about the texture turning out right, but it turned out just fine and tasted just as good as before!

 Oh my word, I feel like all I talk about is food anymore!
This post has been the recap of week four, but as I type this, I am officially DONE--I truly can't believe I finished!! I did WHAT?! Thank you, LORD!

 I will be recapping my final few days of my journey, sharing some of my new-found realizations as well as some websites and blogs that helped me, and what I hope my mindset will look like after the Whole30! I'm also excited to post about my first day of "freedom" and how I'm feeling as I introduce certain things back into my diet. Stay tuned and hang with me for a couple of more posts! I promise this has NOT turned into a Whole30 blog. Haha! Can you imagine? I'm already overwhelmed thinking about it.

If you're curious as to what the Whole30 is or you would simply like more information before starting your own journey, head over to www.Whole30.com!
 

A Whole Lot of Recipes (That Were Actually Good) : A Whole 30 Diary

I was definitely not about to head into week three without a solid meal planning strategy! I learned my lesson in week two, whining got me nowhere, and I was coming for those fish tacos!

Uh, I'm also not about to continue detailing each and every meal for you. I think you got the gist after week one and do you really need to know every single thing I eat? I kind of bore myself when I type all of it out. If you're interested in doing a Whole30 for yourself, I'll help you along with a few dinner recipes below that worked perfectly for me during week three, but all you really need to know is that I am craving chocolate as I type this.

So by now, you all know I love Trader Joe's, but Costco is one of my other favorite places to grocery shop! I generally stock up on produce, fruit, pre-made rotisserie chickens, avocado oil, and milk. Remember that Craig is not doing the Whole30, so my list didn't stray too far from those staple items, but all of my Whole30 meal planning for week three had me adding a 2-pack of spaghetti squash, a 2-pack of organic fryers (they finally had some in stock!), organic eggs, and organic chicken stock.

We discovered that our stove was working properly after all so I made hard-boiled eggs as soon as I got home from Costco! I love fried eggs, but hard-boiled eggs are such an easy snack to have on hand! I love to eat them warm, just after they've finished boiling and have had a chance to sit for a few minutes! My week of snacks (and to be honest, breakfast too) consisted of those yummy eggs, plain guacamole (with Tabasco, of course), plantains, pineapple, and kiwi. Sorry vegetables, you took a backseat again, but I wasn't mad when you showed up at every dinner!

Onto the magic!
The dinner recipes below saved me in week three and I was so happy with how they all turned out!
(Let's be real--I was happy because they were actually good!)

Coconut Chicken Tenders with Pineapple and Mango Puree and
Green Beans

I bought a 2lb package of chicken tenders, dipped each one in egg whites, and then coated them in Bob's Red Mill unsweetened and unsulfured coconut flakes sprinkled with salt and pepper. The flakes are bigger than shredded coconut and just plain amazing (here they are)! I used coconut oil to grease the cooking racks (placed within cookie sheets to keep the chicken elevated) and baked the chicken tenders at 400 degrees for 25 minutes!

The puree is super simple! I threw a handful of pineapple chunks and an entire sliced mango into my Ninja, blended until smooth, and poured the mixture into a skillet to warm it up. Easy, sweet, and healthy dipping sauce! It would also work well paired with coconut shrimp!

The green beans were canned, so nothing fancy, I promise, but we did open a few cans instead of just one. I dressed them up with a little bit of salt and ghee (clarified butter) and placed heaping piles of green on our plates.

Beef Stew

My beef stew is usually pretty simple. I normally throw a the items together in a crock pot and leave it on low for several hours! It all consists of a package of stew meat, a huge amount of cut and diced vegetables (carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes), a smidge of tomato paste, and a couple cartons of beef and vegetable broth. Again, I don't care about grass fed beef, but I did not realize how hard it was to find compliant beef broth! Wow. It's kind of ridiculous. I couldn't find a readily available beef broth which caused a Google search to see if beef stew would even be good with chicken broth! See, these are the moments during the Whole30 where I get extremely frustrated (especially when I have a box of beef broth in my cabinet that I can't use). Surprisingly, I found that there are a few people that use chicken broth when making beef stew! Weird. That's when I discovered that Costco carries organic chicken broth that was Whole30 compliant and it was immediately added to my grocery list! The only other ingredient I needed to worry about was the tomato paste. Clearly Organic carries a compliant paste and I found mine in the health food section at Price Chopper!

And you know, after all that dumb research, my beef stew was pretty good with the chicken stock!

Crock-Pot Rotisserie Chicken

Yay! Thanks to those fryers, I could finally make my own rotisserie chicken! I knew I would use the meat for snacks and a dinner recipe later on in the week. First, I layered my crock-pot with balls of foil to keep the chicken elevated instead of sitting in its juices. I then removed the innards of the chicken and rinsed it well. After patting the skin dry, I lathered the chicken with avocado oil and sprinkled generous amounts of salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, rosemary, and sage over top! I love my spices if you couldn't tell! I placed a few bay leaves over top the chicken and cooked on low for 8 hours!

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I randomly came across this recipe and was immediately excited to try it. The ingredients weren't too weird, plus, I am a fan of ANYTHING that calls for buffalo sauce! My Pinterest searches would agree. Honestly, I was really surprised with how good this casserole tasted!

Looking at the picture below, it kinda looks like it has cheese on top, right? You're not alone, it fooled me too.

The photo above and the recipe can be found at here (via www.PaleOMG.com), but I tweaked a few things here and there. I used a glass baking dish which was slightly smaller than a 13x9 and greased it with coconut oil. I nixed the yellow onion, the ground chicken, the avocado, and the scallions. I used minced garlic from a jar instead of garlic cloves, shredded chicken (from my crockpot fryer), shredded carrots instead of diced carrots, and my trusty mayo recipe (linked below in the following recipe). I followed the directions for the most part, but I decided to cook my vegetables in the skillet a little longer until they got a slight char to them. All in all, this recipe was very easy to prepare! I don't usually love working with spaghetti squash because it tends to be watery, but whisking the eggs into the mixture before baking was a perfect solution! I also may have added a lot more Frank's Red Hot sauce to this dish than called for...

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Whole30 Rebels, I have fish tacos for you this week! The weekend hit and even if I had to go through an entire carton of eggs, that homemade mayo was happening!

I think the most important component of fish tacos is the coleslaw. My coleslaw is always haphazardly put together meaning there are no exact measurements! Growing up, I never knew how to make coleslaw because it just wasn't something we ate. When I had fish tacos for my first time ever (2014 in Vegas), I wasn't sure I'd like them, but I immediately fell in love and couldn't wait to try and re-create them back home.

For my coleslaw, I use a hefty amount of shredded cabbage (bagged is fine) and throw in the same amount of broccoli slaw. I then add a few handfuls of chopped cilantro to the mix. I dump in about a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, a generous splash of apple cider vinegar (more of both if need be), the juice of one whole lime, a few drops of Young Living Lime essential oil (I obviously love lime), and a sprinkling of salt! Mix everything together, but taste as you go in case you need to adjust it to your liking! Now, when I'm NOT doing the Whole30, the only thing I do differently is that I tend to use a half and half ratio of plain mayo from Hampton Creek and plain greek yogurt (Chobani is my favorite).

For the fish, you can use whatever you prefer! I like to use what we have on hand, which is usually tilapia or salmon. They come frozen and individually packaged so they're easy to thaw in cold water and be able to bake a half hour later! I usually bake four fillets, and once they are cooked, I either place them in a bowl and shred them or leave them in big, sliced chunks.

Like I mentioned in my last post, I had also found an alternative recipe to make my own Whole30 compliant tortillas (found here). They are surprisingly pretty simple to make! The link suggests using a tortilla press (which I'm very tempted to buy), but if you don't have one, I would suggest flattening the dough balls on a spatula (not too thin!) so you have a better handle on them when peeling them from the spatula and placing them into the skillet! Mine looked more like the size of discs and were not fold-able like a tortilla should be, but they were still very good!

I assemble my tortillas (or discs) with a generous amount of slaw, shredded fish, and avocado. And, of course, everything is always doused in Tabasco. Whole30 Rebels, I recommend adding whatever salsa you like, a ton of shredded cheese, and sour cream (or in my pre-Whole30 memories, plain greek yogurt)! And might I suggest some lime chips to go with the tacos? The good old days.

 So there you have it! My week of meal planning victory!

 It's kind of weird having to rethink certain components of your favorite recipes! It can be frustrating, and yes, it takes more time, but the end result is usually very good. I've realized that I can go without all the extras and I can definitely be more aware of what I'm putting into my body. I have the power to say no--and the power to say yes.

And that's a win in my book.

A Whole Lot of Vitamin C and Ice Cream : A Whole30 Diary

I have just gotten over a terrible head cold turned sinus infection that I've been fighting for the last couple of weeks, which in turn, made the Whole30 torturous during week two! Meal planning was on the fly, nothing sounded good, and when I was hungry, I wanted pizza, non-compliant soup, and toast.

I'm not going to break down the week for you like I did in my first Whole30 post. Being sick made me tired and I was not keeping up with a detailed food diary each day. It was Craig's birthday week so we had a couple of birthday outings, but for the most part, I ate a LOT of fruit (all in the name of Vitamin C!), plain guacamole or sweet potato mash here and there, drank a lot of Tazo hot tea, and had a few Apple Pie Lara Bars. Nothing sounded good at all and I was having too much drainage to actually feel hungry. It was definitely not a balanced Whole30 week at all, but I am still extremely proud of myself that I didn't cave!

I took a trip to Trader Joe's on Monday morning (stocking up on those plantain chips), but my main reason for heading out that way was to pick up one of Craig's birthday treats! My husband LOVES macarons and has always been picky to find and eat the best ones! We are slightly limited in finding fresh and amazing macarons here in the city, but I found Luluboo Macarons through a Google and Yelp search! Yelp offered a little bit of back history on Rachel and her business of Luluboo Macarons. She had visited France a few years ago and fell in love with the sweet and delicate treats! After returning to the states, she spent two years perfecting her own macarons before opening up her business so I knew they must be good! I ordered a box of 12 for Craig and couldn't wait to give them to him! Needless to say, he loved them and we'll definitely be repeat customers!

After running my errands, I decided to make his birthday "cake" ahead of time. He loves Dairy Queen ice cream cakes (who doesn't?!), but unfortunately, they don't make mini cakes, and I was not about to buy a huge cake if I couldn't eat any of it! That looming monster of goodness in my freezer--are you kidding me? So instead, I found a fun and easy recipe on Pinterest and proceeded to make the cutest mini ice cream cakes. You need a half gallon of ice cream (whatever flavor you like!), an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip, one package of Oreos, and a mini cheesecake pan (like this one)!

As promised to my Whole30 rebels, the full recipe for the ice cream cake(s) can be found here.

After such a tempting, sugary afternoon, we had tilapia and steamed, lightly salted broccoli for dinner that night. Glamorous, right?

Tuesday was Craig's actual birthday, and after much research to find a restaurant that could cater to my restrictions, I had finally decided to make reservations at Houston's on the Plaza! We loved the candlelit atmosphere! The menu was full of items that sounded SO good (they are known for their spinach artichoke dip), but I was already determined to choose the rotisserie chicken (sans the apricot glaze) with a side of broccoli instead of couscous. It was literally half of a rotisserie chicken! I felt better knowing that I was getting a lot of protein since my week wasn't starting off so great. As I've said before, it can be extremely frustrating to eat out during the Whole30, and some choose to ask their server a multitude of questions, but I am not too picky about organic or grass fed meat. I choose the menu item that is the most compliant, substituting a few things if I must, and that's that.

  When we got home, I removed two of the mini ice cream cakes from their molds, drizzled them with Hershey's dark chocolate syrup, dressed them up with sprinkles, and a stuck a candle in one of them! They looked so good! Craig loved them and has been eating them every night after dinner. I make sure to decorate them for him each time too! Guys, we are huge Masterchef fans so we like to practice and show off our "plating skills" from time to time, haha! I made him save me one, and once I'm done with this Whole30, I'll be sure to take a picture of my very own ice cream cake and post it!

Like I said, meal planning was so haphazard for week two and that alone felt like failing. Meal preparation is such a huge part of the Whole30! I was getting frustrated at not finding organic fryers to make my own rotisserie chicken, our stove was acting wonky so I wasn't using it and couldn't make hard-boiled eggs, and aside from making fried eggs, I felt at a loss for protein. Eggs, eggs, eggs. Blah. I was so frustrated at one point that I went ahead and bought a rotisserie chicken at Price Chopper while doing some on the fly grocery shopping! I checked the ingredients and it seemed better than the Costco rotisserie chickens, but it still wasn't up to the Whole30 standard. I ate a small amount of it until I finally found organic fryers at Costco towards the very end of the week!  
 My frustrations didn't end with the lack of protein. I had planned to make fish tacos one night and it actually sounded so good and I was excited! Ever since we had them in Vegas, it's one of my favorite dinner items to make and we love them! It's usually such a quick meal to put together, but being on the Whole30, I had to find an alternative to our normal store bought tortillas and make more homemade mayo for the coleslaw. I quickly found a compliant recipe for the tortillas and started to make the mayo. I had already made it during my first week of the Whole30 and my first attempt was a success! Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky my second time around. Or my third. Or my fourth. I tried making that mayo THREE times and each time it separated on me! I got so frustrated and had to scratch the whole dinner because it was taking too long! Believe me, our store bought tortillas and my jar of normal mayonnaise were screaming at me from the fridge! I could've easily whipped out both items and been done with dinner in half the time! I considered caving, but I didn't. I won't lie. I kinda pouted. Craig was not at a loss for food, but I felt like I was! Again, due to my lack of meal planning, I didn't have much to work with, but I had to eat something! I was about to become a magician with my one ripe banana and my trusty eggs. Thank goodness I found a compliant recipe for almond flour banana pancakes (found here). They are a good idea for something to make in a pinch, but honestly, my heart wasn't in it that night---and I was still sad about those non-existent fish tacos.

To finish out such a crazy week, Craig's Christmas (New Year?) party was held downtown that Saturday night. Normally, I'm excited to see what kind of food is catered to these kinds of events, but I was right in assuming I probably wouldn't be able to eat any of it. Hello, water---and lots and lots of noise. Perfect for my head cold. At least I had a hot date!

I am currently in week four, but dang, that head cold did me in good. Not only did I have a crazy week two, but I obviously lagged behind on getting these diary posts up on time! I promise to have week three posted later this week---trust me, it was WAY better! I even got to make those amazing fish tacos, thank the LORD. Be sure to check back in a few days!

A Whole Lot of NO : A Whole30 Diary

Alright, let's get this started. I thought I'd document my Whole 30 journey simply because I've appreciated reading blogs and posts of those who have documented their own journeys and everything has been beneficial to read! I am currently holding strong in week 3, but I will list below my food prep for each week and meal plan for each day---and trust me, I'd love a donut while I type this. If you want to skip ahead, scroll down for my side notes about my first full week and more information about why I agreed to this crazy adventure called the Whole30!


FOOD PREP

Pork Shoulder 
(Bought at Costco, cooked in the crock pot, left plain and shredded for the week)

Bacon
(One pack of Coleman's uncured, nitrate-free pork [bought at Costco] cooked and stored for the week)

Mayo

(Recipe found here--pour the oil in very slowly)

Celery and Cucumbers
(Washed and cut for the week)

Sweet Potatoes
(One bag bought at Aldi, each one baked, then mashed. I added a tablespoon of ghee [clarified butter] and a whole lot of cinnamon!)


WEEK ONE
(Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner in order by bullet points)


Day 1

• Fried egg, plain guacamole (avocado, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper), and bacon

• Plantains and blackberries

• Homemade Chipotle bowl

(Romaine lettuce, avocado oil, shredded pork, Trader Joe's salsa verde, Chipotle's hot salsa, avocado slices, and original Tabasco)

Day 2

• Blackberries, plain guacamole with plantains, and a spoonful of almond butter

• Tuna with celery and homemade mayo, green grapes, and a kiwi

• Shredded pork, mashed sweet potatoes, and green beans

Day 3

• One kiwi with bacon

• Tuna with celery and homemade mayo and green grapes

• Plain guacamole and plantains

• Shredded pork, mashed sweet potatoes, and green beans

Day 4

• Fried egg and plain guacamole with bacon pieces

• Tuna with celery and homemade mayo

• Blackberries and cucumbers

• Homemade Chipotle bowl

Day 5

• Blackberries, a banana (with almond butter), scrambled eggs, and bacon

• Black coffee

• Dinner at The Mixx

(Romaine, spinach, steak, carrots, cucumber, roasted sweet potatoes, and avocado.
I used olive oil and apple cider vinegar as my dressing.)


Day 6

• Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple 

(Just so you know, I was at a VERY cute baby shower and would have much rather had a few --5-- of the mini cups of chocolate milk with straws and mini powdered donuts attached. Adorable and tempting.)

• MudPie Bakery

(Coffee with coconut milk and more than a sprinkle of cinnamon)

• Homemade Chipotle Bowls

Day 7

• Tuna with homemade mayo and Whole30 compliant Ranch Dip (recipe here) with celery sticks

• Dinner at Seasons 52 for Craig's birthday week!

(Skirt steak, seasoned crushed potatoes, and asparagus--all prepared with olive oil)

SIDE NOTES

I'm pretty proud of my meal planning, but because I couldn't get my hands on an organic fryer chicken, I decided that shredded pork would be the easiest option (given our work schedules) for the time being. I will definitely be incorporating more lean meat and more vegetables into every meal for week 2! And guys, seriously, if you love mayo as much as I do, you really need to make that homemade mayo recipe! It's a life saver! You can go to Chipotle during the Whole30, but for me, it's not the same if I can't have sour cream and cheese so I simply stay away--BUT, their hot salsa is compliant so I made sure to have two small containers on hand for the week. I have also been loving plantain chips from Trader Joe's! They are a major Whole30 staple for someone like me who can't have toast or crackers with her plain guacamole! And, if you love spicing up your food (and your guacamole like me), try using original Tabasco (it's compliant!). On everything.

 FAILS THAT WEREN'T EPIC.

The Whole30 creators would love for everyone to start over after realizing an unintentional or intentional slip up during their challenge, but they also understand that not everyone will do so. The reason they would love for you to start over is because they want the commitment factor to this mindset to hold strong and for your mind and body to be extremely intentional 100% of the time without allowances. I get it, and I completely agree to no cheat days and not trying to maintain old habits with "refurbished" food. But have it be known that if I accidentally (and without thinking) pop a piece of sugary gum into my mouth, I am not going to start over. Are you kidding? I'm stinkin' proud of myself for even starting this Whole30 in the first place! Now, if I knowingly eat a piece of chocolate cake, then yes, I will start over. I promise.

My not so epic fails are listed below:

 I discovered halfway through the week that the bacon I was using has brown sugar listed as one of the ingredients, but has no "grams" of sugar listed in the nutrition facts. I know I should've paid more attention to the list of ingredients themselves (nutrition facts mean nothing), but it has been the healthiest and most accessible bacon I've ever come across. I debated to continue using it and limit my intake, but I've put it away to use after my Whole30. Sad.

In researching bakery options for our coffee date, I came across MudPie (a vegan bakery) and loved that they made their own coconut milk in house--(um, they also make amazing gluten free cupcakes, but that's besides the point)! I know I can use coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk and spices to doctor up my coffee at home, but I'd rather not. I'll just drink it black if I have to (see Day 5). However, my husband and I LOVE to frequent coffee shops and play games. I knew this month long commitment meant that I would have to forego the pastries and coffee with milk and cream, but I planned ahead, researched my options, and ordered a cappuccino with coconut milk. Prior to going, I had researched how to make your own coconut milk and assumed that Mudpie followed recipes that I had seen on google (simply unsweetened coconut and water). I assumed so much that I forgot to ask before ordering and discovered a half-downed cappuccino later that they make their milk with sugar! Silly vegans. So long, coconut cappuccino!

My last "uh-oh" was at Seasons52. You have to be so careful when going out during the Whole30! To me, it's absolutely ridiculous and doesn't even seem worth it to spend that kind of money unless you need to be out for a special occasion. I ordered off of their dairy free menu, and like I stated above, everything was cooked with olive oil. You'll find that I'm not entirely strict with the Whole30 rules when it comes to asking about every single detail when eating out so I didn't care if the skirt steak was grassfed or not. I'm wasn't about to annoy the waiter. However, when my meal came out, the plain steak I thought I ordered was covered in some kind of sauce that was not mentioned on the menu. So I scraped off the sauce from most of the meat and ate what I could. Again, I was not going to start over. My mindset was still secure and I've been making the best choices I can!

WHY?

This Whole30 plan is a little crazy. No sugar, no dairy, no legumes (beans, etc.), no grains. Oh friends, it's exhausting to think of explaining it further so head on over and read more about it here. You will find rules, but a network of support, resources, and articles to get you started!

 I truly NEVER wanted to do a Whole30. I have a few friends that have taken the challenge from time to time, but it always sounded awful to me. To give up sugar and DAIRY (along with everything else) would never ever work for me--despite the great health and energy benefits. Most people cringe at the the thought of no sugar, and yes, I definitely miss my sugary treats--pastries at the coffee shops, a bowl of ice cream, cookies, etc.! But I'm realizing that any "real" food that I may crave isn't necessarily jam packed with sugar--but DAIRY. Milk and cream, cheese, yogurt, and sour cream. I'm telling you, this is hard!

So why am I taking the challenge?

Well, I decided those benefits might actually be worth it. I've felt sluggish over the past year, but especially over the holidays, I started to really feel it from all the holiday treats. It was then that I noticed a post from a friend on Instagram doing a holiday detox, which essentially, was 15 days of clean eating from the Whole30 plan. I thought, hey! I can try to do 15 days. I realized that I had always looked at the Whole30 in it's entirety and it always seemed incredibly overwhelming and intimidating. I would immediately shut down the idea of trying and say no. BUT. If I could scale it back and just focus on 15 days (for now), then the next 15 days later, I could make this work. Incremental thinking. ;) As you can see, I scaled it back even further and I'm celebrating one week at a time. I truly want to prove to myself that I can do this. There have been so many times that I've said "I'll eat better this week" or "I'll exercise next week" and it has never happened. I'm all talk. This will prove to my mind, body, and soul that I CAN create a healthier me.

All in all, I feel tired, but no more than usual. Being tired is to be expected at the beginning of this challenge! Cravings are also normal--I have had multiple cravings for pizza, Chipotle, and cheesecake, and yes, I would LOVE a donut. I get my sweet tooth from my dad and I don't believe it will ever go away--and I'm ok with that! However, I'm starting to realize that it can be tamed. I'm looking forward to continuing a mindset of learning to say no more often and having a better awareness of what and how much I should be putting into my body.

I'm a little behind with sharing my progress, but be sure to check back in a few days for a recap on week 2! I was (and still am) sick with a head cold and was in no way well prepared for the week! Let's just say I wanted pizza every day. :)

For the Whole30 rebels, I'll even include a recipe for an ice cream cake I made for Craig's birthday!
(I made him save me a piece...)

May I Have A Word...?

What was 2015 like for you?

Did you have "one word" that you chose to live out for the year?

I know it's a common, fun challenge for people, and as each December comes to a close, everyone's chosen words begin to float around in various social medias. I remember thinking about it in December of 2014. Throwing the challenge around in my own head, I thought, well, maybe I like the word intention. Being intentional with people and friendships in particular. That's always important, right? Especially for a sensitive soul like me! Although as time started to dwindle and the New Year came, I never wrote anything down and I never "officially" chose a word to be mine.

I think it's awesome how anyone can choose a word before the new year even begins. I completely understand that way of thinking and having that word be at the forefront of each and every day. In taking on the task of choosing a main word, I like to think that everyone actually chooses two words. Remember, intention is always linked to whatever word you may choose. On the flip side, I think it's kind of cool to look at your year in reverse. It takes the pressure off, doesn't it? There you are, at the end of the year, seeing your best moments--the moments you are most proud of--and it's then that you discover the word that encompassed your world that year! Heck, maybe you even had 3 or 4 words. Why limit ourselves?

 Reminiscing over 2015, I've decided that my main word was boldness.

I am an introvert at heart and a semi-extrovert on the exterior. Boldness isn't necessarily my thing although (with intention) I can make it my thing if that makes sense. There were plenty of areas of boldness, but the areas that stood out to me were the following:
 
 Boldness to mend past relationships. 

Boldness to be intentional with people despite how I may feel.

Boldness in my career.

I'm not going to dive into everything personal on this post. To give you a summary, I will say that my heart has been convicted to recognize that I haven't always loved others well. That being intentional with somewhat unintentional people (family and friends) is hard, but, in some way, it keeps your own heart from falling into some kind of bitterness and frustration and makes room for a little bit of hope. I will clarify that it doesn't mean you become a doormat, continue to beat a dead horse, or force your way into having a relationship--on the same note, I've also discovered that healthy, God-given boundaries are quite necessary in life. I think my biggest moments of boldness were particularly in relation to my career. Despite any praise I may receive, I still sometimes struggle with being "good enough" at what I do. I wanted more one on one knowledge to solidify my confidence! I got over my fear of looking stupid (and feeling stupid), became a bit bolder, and messaged multiple strangers in my industry throughout this past year! Most of these people were strangers from Instagram and I asked if I could shadow them. Truly, I felt like a creeper, but everyone was incredibly nice and tried to make opportunities happen. After a big push from a co-worker, I even applied for a makeup scholarship! 

I had some really wonderful moments of 2015. Maybe each moment wasn't exactly "wonderful", but there was something to be learned from them. Being bold isn't as scary as I thought. I think we tend to build everything up in our minds too much. We over-analyze, we're fearful of looking stupid, fearful of the outcome, and all the while we're stripping ourselves of opportunity. Sure, things don't always work out the way I want them too. People will disappoint and opportunities don't always pan out how I think they will.

But dang it.

I am proud of myself for even TRYING.
And I'm thankful for the new found boldness to keep trying.

Friends, may 2016 bring you a word.

Halloween 2015 : Once Upon A Dream

This wouldn't be my blog without a Halloween post in December. You all should know me by now!
Let's jump in!

We really struggled this year with our costumes! Craig was having a hard time thinking of ideas and I wanted to head the villain direction, but most villains have silly and somewhat boring counterparts (robbers, animals, etc.). Truly, it was frustrating trying to think of a good combo. Because I couldn't shake the villain idea, we decided to go with a villain/hero theme. Whatever works, right?

I found myself gravitating more towards the revamped 2014 Maleficent as opposed to the green-skinned Maleficent from the 1959 Disney movie. Craig would be the heroic Prince Phillip, but we decided that he would be more recognizable coming from the 1959 classic. And that's how we became the "old school" and "new school" Sleeping Beauty characters! 

The following images served as our reference photos:

Have it be known that not only do I love Jennifer Lopez movies, but I LOVE movies featuring Angelina Jolie! Yes, she's a pretty face, but I absolutely adore her style of acting (and directing!)--even in sad movies like Changeling (it's a must see AND directed by Clint Eastwood)! That being said, I naturally fell in love with the Maleficent movie and the new take on Sleeping Beauty. I won't ruin the story line, but you'll just have to fall in love with it like I did. Be sure to listen to the hauntingly beautiful song "Once Upon A Dream" sung by Lana del Rey!


-2015-
Maleficent and Prince Phillip

 

OUTFIT DETAILS

I was initially so excited for these costumes! Craig's costume required a few simple DIY projects, and I figured that mine would be so easy to put together with eBay being my best friend! I was SO determined not to procrastinate this year that I ordered my dress, gloves, and my horns way ahead of time! I was so proud of myself! All of my excitement came crashing down when my horns came in the mail. Let's just say they reeked of latex, they would not fit my head and kept sliding off, and the horns themselves looked absolutely ridiculous and NOTHING like the eBay picture. I was screwed and I was not about to purchase anything else. Or send them back to China. So began my research to create the horns myself. If only I had been aware of what a RIDICULOUS undertaking that was going to be. I ended up watching multiple videos on YouTube and finally found a couple of tutorials that I felt I could merge together to create the perfect set of horns. You can find them here and here. The first link is what I used for the structure and detailing of the headpiece and the second link is for creating the actual horns themselves. I did tailor them to how I wanted them to look so I used a lot more black electrical tape and elongated and shaped the horns to look more like Maleficent's. Good LUCK.

 My dress didn't need much doctoring, but the winged shoulder pieces were a bit floppy so I hot glued thick pipe cleaners (found at Hobby Lobby or Michaels) underneath to be able to manipulate the height and volume. Jo-Ann Fabric also became my best friend. Sorry obsessed fabric people, I took the last of the pleather and probably bought way more material than I actually needed. Remember, I don't sew and I don't know what I'm doing! Using a small amount of the pleather and a couple of button snaps, I created my neck piece. I used the rest of the pleather to wrap around my headpiece, folding the layers as I went and folding the end pieces around the base of the horns. And yes, I used a ton of hot glue to do that. After SO much time on those horns, I am pretty proud of my efforts!

I was a little worried that I wouldn't find a crow to sit atop my "staff", but I found one At Home--the store! ;) He looked a little strange with some feathers missing and his skeleton showing, but I bought him anyway, spray painted him black, and added more black feathers. For my staff, I bought a dowel rod at Home Depot and spray painted it black as well. Using a deep turquoise craft paint, I painted a styrofoam ball and then used black electrical tape to cover half of it. I hot glued the ball to one end of the dowel rod and used a combo of hot glue and wire to attach the crow.
 
Before we dive into my makeup look, I did take a detour away from the nails that Angelina wore. I hate wearing fake nails and I had to do makeup for a wedding the next day and I simply didn't want to deal with nails. So I whipped out my trusty black polish and that was that. Dismissing the nails and the green contacts, I had so much fun with my makeup! Again, I watched multiple YouTube videos on how to achieve Angelina's look. I decided that I didn't want to spend the time applying cheek prosthetics and would spend the time contouring my face for the chiseled look. So far, you know I love Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie, but I also LOVE Kat von D (and her beauty products....and LA Ink....and her tattooing skills)! Her Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette is an amazing palette to have in your arsenal and well worth every penny! It held the best matte shades for my eye look and was absolutely perfect for contouring my face for this particular look! I applied the finishing touches to my lips using her Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in "Underage Red". Hey, it's unfortunate that Makeup Forever has removed their Aqua Rouge lip stains from stores, but KvD liquid lipsticks are the next best thing!

On to Prince Phillip!

The main part of Craig's costume came together with tan pants from Forever 21 and a black dress shirt from Kohl's--he didn't own either of those items so we didn't feel bad buying both knowing that he'd wear them again! I researched an easy no-sew tutorial for his hat (found here) and it was seriously the easiest thing to make! I bought feathers from Michaels and a button from Jo-Ann's to complete it. It wasn't exactly like Prince Phillip's, but it was close enough!
 
I put off making his cape because I thought it would take forever--plus, the amount of fabric I had bought looked intimidating, but once I got started, I was done in about 20-25 minutes! Super easy. You can research YouTube tutorials, but I used this blog tutorial and adjusted the measurements to fit Craig!

 I think the worst thing to make was his tan tunic. It was quite hilarious--again, because I don't sew! I just laid out the fabric, guessed at the measurements, and created a sleeveless "poncho" with a cutout for his head to pop through! Haha! I tried it on him and then used Heat Bond strips and ironed the material to them to close the gaps on either side. He used one of his own belts to finish off the look.

 His only accessory was his sword which came from a Halloween party shop and I used chrome tape (found at automotive stores) to make the blade look more realistic.

It's so funny that we pour so much time into these costumes, but like I've said before, we love doing it! We never go to Halloween parties, and sure, a few friends may stop over, but we love dressing up for the kids. Their comments and questions are hilarious! I also think the parents get as much of a kick out of us as the kids do....and I like that. Maybe we'll be "that" house every year. Sadly, we ran out of candy after an hour, but that's a good thing, right? I purposely didn't buy bags of the full size Reeses for a reason...

Even after so much fun, I was SO glad to be done with Halloween this year! Not only did I stress out over our costumes, but I was also creating makeup looks every week for my stylist profile on Instagram! The month of October was chock full of creativity, but I think I'll jump on that wagon even earlier next year!

As always, if you happen to need any inspiration for next year or simply want to check out how crazy and weird we are, be sure to check out my previous Halloween posts here (and here)! If you love makeup and want to dive in deeper to create makeup looks for yourself, check out my Tumblr page or my stylist profile on Instagram @wren_thestylist!

Unlock your own creativity in 2016!

Hey, Sugar!

I love my clients for many reasons, but it's always a good day when they give me a family recipe that they love using for special occasions! They sit in my chair and talk it up so much that I just have to ask for it! I always preface my request by trying to be understanding in case it's a "secret", but usually, they're more than willing to share the well-loved (and eaten) recipe!

So that being the case, I am sharing a recipe given to me by my client and her husband who were given it by his mother, who honestly, just found it somewhere and is so surprised that I'm using it for every holiday dinner. Seriously though, it's that good! I've even handed it over to a few clients myself!

I never used to love sweet potatoes or even sweet potato fries. Growing up, my mom would always use canned yams for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, spooning butter and brown sugar over them in a skillet, but they still seemed weird to me. Sweet potato casserole sounded a little more appealing, until I saw walnuts throughout and burnt marshmallow clouds strewn on top.

So back to that one day that my sweet client kept gushing over her mother-in-law's sweet potato casserole. She insisted she disliked the use of walnuts and marshmallows as well and that her husband would email me the recipe because she couldn't remember it! Be warned, it is amazingly delicious! Goodbye walnuts and marshmallows! Hello brown sugar streusel goodness! Who knew?

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This can easily be made the night before and refrigerated until time to heat it. The heating process will take a little longer if it is cold from the fridge, so plan accordingly. Where the recipe calls for 4 sweet potatoes, make them either big ones or use 5-6 smaller ones.
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INGREDIENTS:

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (about 4 medium sweet potatoes)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. milk

Topping
1/3 c. melted butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour

  LET'S DO THIS:

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 1--1.5 hours.

 --Wash and then prick each sweet potato with a fork. Wrap each potato individually with foil. And because sweet potatoes can leak their natural sugars (which can sometimes escape their foil confinements), I like to place them all on a baking sheet to keep the bottom of my oven clean!

2. Scoop out the pulp and place in a mixing bowl. 

  --While the pulp is still hot, beat in the other ingredients. (I can't refrain from eating a few spoonfuls at this point!)

 3. Place in 13x9 baking dish. 

4. Mix the ingredients for the topping and sprinkle on top of the sweet potatoes. (The topping will be soft yet firm enough to actually sprinkle using your hands)

5. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. If the casserole has been previously refrigerated, bake until the top is bubbly and turning golden brown.

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I told you! It even sounds so good before even having made it! Everyone raves about it! You do not have to keep it in the holiday or special occasion recipe file, but because it is so rich and horribly bad for you, that's where it stays in this family! ;) I'm not about to call myself an expert and create for you a healthy version of this recipe, but if you're into eating clean and would like to add it to your holiday menus or would like to enjoy it more often throughout the year without guilt, feel free to doctor up this recipe and let me know how it turns out! From what I do know, I don't believe it would be incredibly hard to do so!

Either way, enjoy each and every spoonful!