Tag: cleaneating

Breakfast: Egg whites (see this post for how I make eggs)

Lunch: Yellow squash noodles + beef

Dinner: Lunch leftovers

Squash is a great clean carb source and I love using it in place of pasta. It really does feel like a comfort food in the same way pasta does, but you can feel good about filling up on squash where pasta will probably just make you want to sleep. I used my biggest cast iron skillet and it made a ton so I ate a little for lunch and more for dinner.

I have this electric spiralizer that I found for five dollars! at Habitat for Humanity and it might be my favorite kitchen gadget ever. I spiralized two medium sized yellow squash while I browned about a pound of ground beef. I added salt & pepper, chopped garlic and onion, and when it was done cooking I drained any grease from the pan then added the squash and a full jar of this compliant pasta sauce from Aldi. Stir it all up, turn the heat down low, cover and cook for 25 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Breakfast: Eggs whites, potatoes, steak

Lunch: Snack

Dinner: Ruby Tuesday

My birthday! I really had to mentally prepare for this day because I’m the type who likes to celebrate hard- with treats. Cake, ice cream, WINE. But knowing ahead of time that I had to make good, clean choices made the day easier and I still felt fulfilled.

I had a huge breakfast of steak, egg whites and potatoes, a ton of protein and I definitely felt full for a long time after eating this. A good explanation why I only had a snack for lunch, and I knew I would be going out to dinner so I wanted to make sure I felt hungry before going to the restaurant. I spent the day looking up different menus so I could confidently order something Whole30 compliant, and found that Ruby Tuesday had the most options.

I ordered a small steak with a plain baked potato (I added salt, pepper, and hot sauce) and the salad bar. I had to ask for the steak to be cooked without butter as it was pictured on the menu; I always hate making special requests, but it was a small change and they didn’t seem to mind.  I loaded up on salad, went back for seconds, and even took a to-go box full of greens and veggies home! I was a little sad I had to skip the croutons because Ruby Tuesday has the best kind, but I had so many other good things on my plate I got over that pretty quickly.

I got a box of Lemon Bar Larabars as a gift, they taste JUST LIKE a normal sugar loaded lemon bar which amazes me! That was my celebratory treat and it was so incredibly satisfying. I’m not sure if this goes against Whole30 rules a little because they want you to try to stear away from celebrating with food, but I already felt like I had control over cravings and food intake so I didn’t feel like I would be tempted to fall off track. I also got two new Lodge cast iron pans, a 10-inch and a grill pan! Maybe I’m just easy to please, but I don’t need much to make me happy. I like to keep things low key these days, and my 4 year old was at Grammys house, so I took advantage of some peace and quiet and relaxed at home for the evening. I’m a big fan of staying in during Winter.

-Cast iron love-

Breakfast: Egg whites

Lunch: Snack

Dinner: Chicken, veggies, mashed potatoes

Coconut milk and clarified butter are used to make these mashed potatoes and they taste just like any other mashed potato recipe! I don’t use exact amounts of either, I just add some butter then add milk until it is the thick and creamy texture I like and then I’ll sprinkle in pepper & garlic salt for extra flavor.

One product I frequently include in my diet, but might have to be checked for Whole30 compliance, is collagen powder. I heard of it through a couple different social media accounts that I follow, each saying how great it had been for their hair, skin, and nails so I was curious to try it out. My nails have always grown long, but I don’t think my hair has ever grown further than my collar bones…until I started adding collagen powder to my water and coffee. I’ve seen recipes for collagen smoothies, shakes, and juice but have yet to try any of those recipes for myself. I’m hooked on adding a scoop into a cup of coffee with a little almond or coconut milk, it tastes like a treat since I usually drink my coffee black. I’ve only tried thisbrand that I find at Marshall’s for ten dollars and it lasts me a couple months.

Breakfast: Egg whites, chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies

Lunch: Banana, almond butter

Dinner: Steak, egg whites, broccoli+cauliflower,  sliced potatoes

I know I’ve mentioned before how much I love having leftover dinner for the next days breakfast, but I’ll say it again: I LOVE LEFTOVERS. I’m capable of being a morning person when I need to be, but if I can use a K-Cup in my Keurig and leftover food to eat as breakfast, I am much more likely to start my day off happy and motivated as opposed to if I had to actually do work to feed my body.

This was a very filling first meal so I had a small lunch, but was hungry again for a big meal at dinner time. Usually I will only buy steak if I find a good sale, but during my Whole30 was willing to spend slightly more on grocery food since I only went out to eat once the entire month; to me the spending kind of equals out. Also, frozen veggies are great if you’re pressed for time, I eat them plain or with salt&pepper and/or hot sauce.

Breakfast: Burgers

Lunch: Larabar, apple

Dinner: Steak, egg whites, carrots, potatoes

 

Breakfast: Chicken sausage (compliant)

Lunch: egg whites, banana

Dinner: Stuffed peppers – garlic, onion, ground beef, peppers