Paleo- Whole 30 Day Day 17 & 18

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Day 17

Today was a busy day. My oldest, finished 1st grade today. So she and I had a morning together, having a party at her school, then off to do some shopping. Now that School is officially over, I'm not sure what to do all day with my 3 kids. I really need to make a Summer Schedule. One thing for sure, I'll be using my membership at the YMCA a lot more! The kids and I will need to have some daily 'away' time from each other. 

Breakfast was a mixture of things found in my fridge- eggs, chicken sausage, spinach, tomato and avocado. 

I tend to eat leftovers, or anything that is going to spoil soon. I LOVE leftover, and think it's a MUST for any healthy lifestyle. My kids, my work (Scentsy & Velata), my workouts, my hubby, my house, and Church- all these things take a lot of time, so I have to have easily accessible foods. I promise, anyone can eat healthy, it's just about preparation and dedication! Anyways, off the soapbox!

My Daughter is so beautiful, don't ya agree!?!? She looks just like her Daddy! I married a handsome man!

With all the shopping she and I were doing, I was getting really hungry. So I ended up having a huge salad at our local grocery store. I was grateful they had healthy options! 

Dinner was another HUGE salad at home, with Grilled Chicken, avocado, peppers, tomatoes and my favorite dressing- homemade mayo mixed with red wine vinegar. 

Have I told you how much I LOVE Instagram? I'm starting to meet some really amazing people that are doing the same things that I am trying to do. Most of these people are Pro's compared to me; I look up to them so much! One girl, HungryFitness posted this Instagram photo, and I had to share- it's the basics of what the WHOLE30 plan is all about. She is starting her Whole30 tomorrow! 

My exercise today was Crossfit and Hot Yoga. Crossfit was hard, I did some dead lifts, mostly working on proper form today, and then did jump rope and box jumps for 8 minutes (4 reps), with a 20 second rest in between each rep. I had a massive headache once I started doing the box jumps. I am not sure if I need more water, or a better Pre-Workout meal. Any ideas? I would love not to have that headache again- OUCH!

Day 18

Our first official day of Summer Break! The kids and I will eventually get this schedule down, today was better, but still it was a lot of fighting with each other and TV time...bad Mommy! Tomorrow we will work on being more productive! 

Breakfast was Ginger Eggs- which I've ate a million times now, and still love them! 

Lunch was a Salad with leftover grilled chicken and a couple pieces of chicken sausage. I know a lot of my pictures are starting to get boring...I eat so much of the same thing. So I am going to challenge myself to get lots of new things made for next week- I promise!

We had swim lessons tonight, so we were going to be getting back home pretty late, I knew my body would be hurting for fuel, so before we left I had a snack of an apple and a couple tablespoons of almond butter. This is one of my favorite snacks! I feel evil eating it, but then I know it's all real food that my body needs.

Dinner was Chicken Curry! I've made this also before, and my family and I love it. My family eats theirs with Jasmine Rice, but I have mine just plain. It is totally delish! 

I have a stomach ache tonight, so I need to get some good rest and hope it's gone in the morning. 

Ending my day with my cup of tea and blogging!

Good Night!

Paleo Whole 30 Day 16

I started my day with a good 5 mile run. I felt better this morning on my run than I have in a couple week. Granted, it was still hard. I have realized that running just twice a week really isn't enough to keep me in top running shape. I'm going to try to squeeze 3 runs in this week to see if it helps.

My Pre Workout snack was raw cashews and some sliced deli meat. It seemed to do the trick!

Breakfast was my Ginger Eggs- as great as ever and kept me full until lunch time!
After breakfast the boys and I went to the YMCA for Pilates. It was a great class. I really loved burning my abs in the abs series! Oh, and I had a new shirt today from Old Navy. New workout clothes always makes working out more fun!

Lunch was leftover salmon and a huge garden salad. My dressing for my salad was a tablespoon of homemade Mayo and a tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar. It was so delish! I could eat this meal for every meal!

Between lunch and dinner we had a very busy day as a family. We had dance class for my daughter and then all 3 kids had their first day of swim lessons. I knew I'd be starving and needing a snack while we were out and about. So I had an apple and more raw cashews.

Dinner was leftover BBQ pork ribs and roasted veggies. Once again, this was a great meal! After my meal, I felt like I wanted to eat more, or that I needed a treat.
My past habits would get me in big trouble on a night like tonight. I would have ate extra, and then probably everything containing sugar in my pantry.
But tonight I won! I didn't eat anything else! I am slowly starting to fell more in control. I am making decisions that are going to make me happy tomorrow, not just make me happen in the moment.

I really feel amazing! This Paleo stuff is pretty awesome! I am a believer! I am excited that I've now done this for 16 days. I'm half way through the 30 day challenge. I imagine how much better I will feel in 5 more days, and then 10 more days, and then 14 more days! What will I feel like on day 30!?!? I am excited to find out!

I'm anxious about tomorrow. I have another Crossfit workout. I always get very nervous, anxious, excited, and all that before a Crossfit workout. I'm still not sure if my body was made to do Crossfit. If this is something I should pursue. For now, I'm taking it one workout at a time!

Paleo- Whole 30 Day 15

Happy Memorial Day!

Today was a pretty fun and successful day. Except that I didn't get to workout..big bummer there. The YMCA was closed today due to the holiday, and I didn't know this until after it was too late for me to do my own workout at home. So I'm bummed about that. 

Breakfast today was Ginger Eggs- yummy! I'll probably be eating this for the rest of the week because I have lots of green beans that need to be eaten before they go bad. 

My hubby had the day off, so we got a babysitter and did an afternoon date. We went to the movies (basically the only thing to do in our small town). We saw Men In Black III. I love Will Smith, so it was worth all the weird alien stuff to see Will Smith. My favorite part of the move was the last 15 minutes! 

We went to eat after the movie- this is where my day became very weird....so I let my hubby pick his favorite place to eat Buffalo Wild Wings. I figured I'd get a salad and be okay. So I pieced the Asian salad, with all dressings on the side. The salad basically consisted of lettuce, cabbage, mandarin oranges, and grilled chicken. I ate the cabbage, chicken and oranges, though most likely they were not 100% Whole30 approved. I was STARVING during lunch, and my salad did not fill my belly at all! I was actually feeling very weak, and felt like I needed more food, especially protein ASAP. So I did what any hungry caveman would do, went straight to IN-N-OUT and got a Double Double without cheese, Animal Style of course. :) This helped! Once again, not sure if this was Whole30 approved, but it was an emergency! After I ate my two meals for lunch, my belly felt pretty bloated and yucky....so now I was no better off than when I was starving and weak....I started feeling better about an hour or so after.

For dinner we had friends over for swimming and a BBQ.

I had a HUGE salad, so yummy, and grilled chicken. Dessert was fresh cantaloupe! 

My belly is full and I'm excited to call it a day, and to get a good workout in tomorrow!

Paleo- Whole 30 Day 12, 13 & 14

Okay, so I really wanted to blog everyday, but the weekend are so busy, and my computer was not working 100% the last few days. So I'm playing catch-up today with my Paleo Whole 30 progress.

Friday Day 12

I made something new for breakfast today! It was a single serving meal, so no leftovers unfortunately. But It was really good, and I know I'll make it again soon.

Ginger Eggs- from Cooking for Health and Performance, Vol. 2

Those are green beans in my eggs! I love veggies for breakfast! 

Lunch was leftovers of my Chicken Zucchini dish I made earlier this week.

Dinner was a BBQ with the family. It was great to light up the BBQ and eat outside with my husband and kids. I had a Hamburger with caramelized onions and mushrooms on it. Along with a huge garden salad. It tasted amazing! 

You can almost taste and smell those caramelized onions- YUM!

The kids and hubby enjoyed Velata fondue for dessert. I had fun watching them eat it! I actually was totally fine with not eating any dessert. I know temptations are always going to be around me. But I have resisted so much already in the past 12 days, that this was really nothing. Plus, I am so full from my healthy Paleo meals, that dessert or even second helpings are not a temptation.

Velata Fun Fondue!

Saturday Day 13

Today started off with me drinking another homemade, (whatever's in my fridge) Green Smoothie. 

Green Smoothies are a great way to start my day!

Today was my food co-op, Bountiful Baskets, and this week I ordered 2 sets of veggies/fruit. I am eating so many fruits and veggies, that I thought getting 2 baskets might actually be good for us. I do Bountiful Baskets every 2 weeks. 

My "workout homework" for this weekend was to go on a 1 mile walk or run while carrying my 5 year old son. I wasn't sure how this was going to workout...was this going to be a challenge? I have to say, it wasn't that hard, but I walked 99% of the time. It for sure would have been harder had I been running. The most challenging part of the assignment was that my 5 year old son was complaining the whole time that his legs or arms were hurting....seriously!?!?

My 40lb weight and I. 

We made this a family workout, by having us all walk 2 miles to McDonalds (I know, horrible place to go, especially as often as we did this week), to have breakfast, then walked 2 miles back home. While the kids enjoyed pancakes and sausage, I had 1/2 an apple, deer jerky and some cashews. It was really nice spending the time with the family, without TV, cell phones and all the other distractions at home. I love being active with my hubby and kids. It's very important to me that my kids find fitness fun, and something we do daily. 

For lunch I had a leftover burger and a huge salad. I love adding lots of color to my food. The more colors, the better, and the more tasty it is!

I add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to my salads as the dressing. 

Dinner was at Chuck E Cheese with the family. We went out to eat to celebrate my 2 1/2 year old's new independence of going bathroom on the POTTY! Super Happy Dance for us!!!

At Chuck E Cheese I had their salad bar with grilled chicken. It was actually really good, and I was grateful they have this option. 

Sunday Day 14

I am so happy with how this Whole30 Paleo lifestyle is going! Remember last week how I was feeling weak during my workouts, and felt pretty low on energy? Well this week I've been feeling much better. I have allowed myself to snack, and listen more to my body, on what it needs. I love having raw nuts and a fruit or veggie for a quick pick-me-up snack. I've also been loving homemade deer jerky. These things really help satisfy me and keep my energy levels strong.

Today for breakfast I had leftovers of my Chicken Zuchini meal. That meal is now finished off, which I am grateful for, I was getting tired of it.

We had chuch today, and so I knew I'd need a snack. I took a handful of almonds and a handful of baby carrots to snack on.

Lunch was an amazing Salmon dish from Balanced Bites. It was delish! I added a large garden salad to my plate- so pretty and so delish!

I even ate the lemon! It tasted like candy! Very sweet from the broiling! 

Dinner was BBQ Pork Ribs from Civilized Caveman Cooking,  and Roasted Veggies. I made this for my hubby and I. The kids had hotdogs and corn on the cob and roasted potatoes. I love when I can share my new Paleo food with my hubby. He so far as loved everything I've made! I don't think I could ever get him to go 100% Paleo with me, but even if he just has a Paleo meal here or there, its a good start!

Veggies were roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Perfect!

Today was a great day, and I'm super excited that my 3rd week on Paleo starts tomorrow!
I'm feeling like a Rock Star!

Paleo Whole 30 day 11

Today was another successful day!

First though with my exercise- I ran 5 miles this morning. My legs felt really heavy from yesterday's Crossfit. So it wasn't my fastest run. Then I did Pilates at the YMCA. Pilates today was a lot of leg work and WOW was I feeling it!

For my food I had deer jerky and cashews for my Pre-Workout. Then for my Post-Workout I had a green smoothie that I made up. Basically three everything in my fridge into my Vitamix with some coconut milk. It was yummy!

Spinach, Kale, Celery, Coconut Milk, Banana, Strawberries.

Breakfast was leftover (and the last of) my Kale and Mushroom Quiche.

Lunch was a Tuna salad.

1 can of tuna, with a T. of homemade mayo, celery, and green onions. Bed of greens, tomato, carrots, and avacado.

My Middle child graduated from preschool tonight so we treated the family to McDonalds. I ate the fruit and walnut salad, but only the fruit. The walnuts are coated in sugar and the yogurt is not part of the Whole30 plan. So I also ate 2 packs of the kids apples from their Happy Meals. Once we got home from McDonalds, I ate one of my leftover meals. 

One thing I tried today that was new, was Vita Coco. Vita Coco's an all-natural, Super hydrating, fat free, cholesterol free, nutrient packed, potassium stacked, mega electrolyte drink. I bought this at GNC when I was there getting some Amino Acids for my sore muscles. A few weeks ago I probably would say this tasted pretty bad...it's very different! But now, since I haven't been eating anything processed or sugar basically of any kind, I think it's not so bad! Plus it's great for a pre-workout drink!

Today was a good day!  

Paleo Whole 30- Day 9 & 10

Day 9 & 10

WOW! The last two days have been so busy! 

Yesterday I had a huge Girls Night Party at my house. I was launching my new Velata Fun Fondue business, as well as helping out a friend with her Thirty-One business. So I had to get my house all set up for the party, and get all the yummy dippings ready for the fondue fiasco! I had so much sugar in my house, I could almost taste it...awe, those were the days! LOL

Our cute Velata Fondue warmers in Clementine! 

So because of my busy schedule I've been eating a lot of leftovers. Once again, I'm so grateful to have these leftovers in my fridge, it's a lifesaver in any healthy eating plan. YOU must have your fridge and pantry stuffed with healthy options; otherwise you will always go for the unhealthy, sugar coated, and saturated fat filled options! Trust me- I know!

I honestly can't remember exactly what I ate yesterday, but luckily I did take some pictures! So here is what I captured on my Instagram! 

I know...it looks so familiar- I've ate it at least a dozen times so far I think!

Day 10- Today's breakfast was leftover quiche, then snack was raw cashews and an apple. Lunch was leftovers (duh) of Turkey Burger and Sweet Potato with a Spinach Salad. I was pretty hungry again today...and very irritable... and tired....the symptoms are not looking good! 

Lunch..yum!

I was headed to the gym to do another Crossfit workout and Hot Yoga. So for my PreWorkout meal I ate a few sticks of deer jerky and a handful of almonds. 

My Crossfit workout totally sucked while I was doing it. I wasn't feeling very strong today. I worked every part of my body. I sweated a bucket or two, and afterwards I felt amazing! It's great that you feel like that after it's all said and done. It's that feeling that I have to remind myself about so that I keep doing it. Hot Yoga tonight was very calm and relaxing- a much needed break!

My Crossfit Workout Today.

For dinner I made up my own little Chicken Sausage Paleo Hash! 

Super simple and easy:

To your large skillet, add 2 large tablespoons of Coconut Oil.

To this add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or Jamaican Five Spice.

Let these simmer for a couple minutes. Then add Chicken Sausage (or any lean & clean meat you have)

Cook meat till almost done. Then add your choice of veggies/fruit. 

I added Onion, Zuchini and one large grated apple. I've never tried any other fruit, so not sure if anything but apples would work in this.,..

Cover pan and let these all simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until liquids are gone.

There ya go! How easy is that! It made a huge portion, so I'm sure I'll be eating this again for the rest of the week!

Dinner- Chicken Sausage Hash & Brocoli 

I do have some really amazing Paleo recipes that I want to try. I'm trying not to be so boring, but like I said before, I've been so busy this week...and sadly it's not slowing down till Saturday. 

Now it is bedtime and I'm off to slumber! Good Night! 

Paleo Whole 30- Day 8

Day 8

Yesterday (Monday) was a day I like to call "Hungry Andrea". It's one of those days that nothing seems to fill my belly for longer than an hour. It's a frustrating situation. 

I made something new for breakfast- Kale & Mushroom Quiche.

This was my first time making and eating a Quiche. 

It was so easy to do, and it tasted amazing! I will be making more Quiches in my future!

I was hungry about 2 hours later, so I had my favorite snack, a handful of almonds and an apple.

For lunch I had something a little larger, since I was still feeling so hungry. I made a large spinach salad, with mushrooms, red onions, and blackberries. Dressing was balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. I also had leftovers of my Broccoli Breakfast Hash. 

This satisfied me for a couple more hours. Then I was hungry AGAIN, I was heading to the gym for a Crossfit workout and Hot Yoga. So this was going to be my Pre-WOD. I had leftovers Turkey Burger and a sweet potato with nothing but cinnamon. 

I am SAVED by having leftover healthy Paleo in my fridge! I might be eating a lot today, but at least I know it's all real food  and it's Paleo approved! I totally recommend leftovers! 

My workout went great! I had a friend join me and my trainer today. I once again don't know what it was called that we did, but we each had a 20lb hand weight. We would do 12 reps on one arm, pushing the weight into the air, like a should press. Then we'd drop the weight and run across the parking lot to another weight and do the other arm. We did this six times, so 3 times on each arm. It was pretty tough, especially the last rep and that it was probably 108 degrees outside! 

After this, my trainer and I did some work on the bar (once again, not sure what this was called), but he wanted to see where my strength is, so each time I'd push up the weight 3 times, then he'd add more weight for the next 3 reps. We did this 5 times. On the 5th time, I couldn't push up the bar the whole way, so obviously that is where I maxed out at.

Hot Yoga was as great as usual. I sweat my butt of in this class and I get to practice headstands! Its a tough class, but afterwards, you feel amazing!

Gotta love when we practice headstands! So fun!

Dinner tonight was the last of my favorite Green Chicken Curry. I'm sure going to miss this meal....guess I better make another big batch of it soon! 

Lots of water was drank today, and I felt finally full at the end of the day! 

Paleo Whole30- Day 7

Day 7

Today was Sunday.

I love Sunday's because its the day I get to go to church to worship and feel my Heavenly Father close to me. Of course, it's not always as peaceful and special as I would like-trying to get 3 kids to sit still and be quite for over an hour is not an easy job, but in the end it is worth it.

Sunday's also are usually one of my "binge" days. It's a lazy day at home, and the munchies are in full force. Last Sunday was Mother's Day, and I clearly remember the huge chocolate binge I had to celebrate my "Mother's Day"! WHOO- thinking about it now I am surprised I didn't have a sugar overload breakdown afterwards! But that was then, and this is NOW. :)

Breakfast today was leftovers, with fresh avocado. 

Snack during church was a handful of raw almonds & a handful of baby carrots. 

Lunch was my Green Curry with Chicken that I made yesterday. This was just as amazing as yesterday! I so wanted to have a second bowl, but the first bowl really filled me up.

Snack again after my "Sunday Nap" was a small apple and a handful of raw cashews, (yeah, lots of nuts today). I really feel like I'm splurging when I have an apple! 

Apples are my favorite treat! I've always loved apples! 

Dinner was leftover Breakfast Broccoli Hash and a Sweet Potato. 

Before bed I had my favorite hot Tea. 

No exercise today (I usually don't exercise on Sunday's).

I feel like today was a success. I feel like I am gaining more control each day as I work towards this healthier lifestyle. I really don't feel like it's a "hard" lifestyle. It really is simple if you have good food prepared for you, and have junk food out of your house. I personally know that I'll be really tempted by certain things (Ice-cream, licorice, tootsie rolls, desserts) so I just don't buy them. My 3 kids love treats, so I will be nice and buy them things once in awhile, but they are treats that I am not interested in. This helps so much! Just don't buy it- save the money, or buy something healthy instead. 

I'm excited to start my 2nd week! Hoping to try some more new and amazing recipes!

Paleo Whole30- Day 5 & 6

Day 5

It's the weekend...so I've been slacking on blogging and keeping track of every bit I take.
The great news, I read my Whole30 success guide again, and learning a lot more about how amazing this lifestyle is, and how easy it really is! One thing that stood out is that I'm not counting calories, and I'm not restricting my diet. If I'm hungry, I am to eat! I don't need to know what the scale says, because as long as I feel good, then the number doesn't matter!
So I can honestly say, this is going and feeling amazing!
Friday (day 5) was a great day! I had leftover breakfast, a double dose of my Turkey Chard Hash. It was great like always! I doubled my dose because I was really hungry and I was going to be out running around and felt like I would need the extra fuel!
Lunch I made the boys and I chicken burgers with onions and celery. It was a made up recipe but I thought it turned out great and kids did too! The burgers were cooked in just a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and boy did they cook up pretty! I think I had a 1/2 of an avocado with the chicken burger. Honestly I can't remember! LOL

The boys were leaving for the night to attend a Father and Sons campout. So my girlfriends and I along with our daughters planned a night out to dinner than crafts and fun at one of our homes. The girls all wanted pancakes, so we went to The Cracker Barrel for dinner. I was surprised to see that they actually had some low carb menu items. I had the eggs and meat platter, which was scrambled eggs, a piece of bacon, a piece of turkey sausage and a piece of ham. I don't know "exactly" what was in all these things but I'm going to pray and hope that they were as "clean" as they could have been!

I forgot to photo my plate of food, but here we all are after dinner!

After dinner the girls got to go shopping in the "store". My daughter picked a fun diary pen set. All the girls wanted something different and it was fun to spoil them with a prize.
I was a little bummed that I couldn't buy me some fun old fashioned candy....the "before" me would have bought a least one or two different candies to try. I LOVE SUGAR! It's so horrible, but I'm slowly seeing how I can and will overcome this addiction! ;)
That evening at my friends house the girls had ice-cream with reeses peanut butter cups, bananas and Velata chocolate....I had an apple! I was a little bummed again, but knew I had to be tough!

I was happy with my day! Fully satisfied at the end of it and excited for another day to come!

Day 6

My first week on Paleo is almost complete! 

Best part about today!?!? I wore a pair of jeans that I consider to be my "Skinny Jean". You know the pair...the one pair in your closet that only fit for a day, and not are just too small to button up! Well I actually have a lot of pair of jeans like this, and I refuse to get rid of them. I refuse to just buy bigger clothes, YUCK! So I wore these jeans today, and it felt amazing as I buttoned them up and they not only fit, but they were comfortable! Maybe this lifestyle is already working for me!

Breakfast was pretty amazing today! I scrambled a few eggs (yoke and everything), then fried up some onions and spinach. I added 1/2 an avocado and 1/2 of a tomato to my plate and YUMMY a quick and colorful breakfast!

We had another fun and busy day today. I had a LaraBar for a snack between breakfast and lunch. It was more of a treat I just wanted to have. I wasn't starving. 

Lunch was with my girlfriends and daughters again at our newest place to eat Chipotle. I love this place because everything is top quality. The meat has no hormones and it's super fresh and easy to customize to your liking. I got the Pork Salad, extra lettuce and Pico. With a side of guacamole. No cheese, sour cream, beans or rice for me. Just as clean and Paleo as I could make it! It was AMAZING!!!! Loved every bite! 

For dinner I made a new meal for myself and the family. It was a Green Curry. I have to say it was the best curry I have ever made and it was totally Paleo approved! The hubby and kids got Jasmine Rice with their curry, and I just ate mine with added Spinach (what else!?!?!). It was delicious! 

My hubby and I went on a triple date tonight with friends. We saw a super hilarious and cute movie, "What to Expect When You're Expecting". SO FUN! While everyone had their nachos, soda and popcorn. I sipped on water and an apple! But I was really having a treat with the apple, so I felt good about it!

Tonight after that I did a speed workout on my treadmill. I ran as fast as I could for 30 sec. then took a 30 sec. break. I did this for 10 minutes. I then cooled down for 10 minutes. It was a great little sweat to have before I ended my day. 

Now it's time to bed and hopefully get some great nights sleep to prepare my body for another great day! 

Paleo Whole30- Day 4

Day 4 

My Whole30 Paleo lifestyle is going great.

My body is still sore and so I've booked a massage for tomorrow! YEAH for some much needed pampering! 

My exercise today was Pilates at the Y. It was tough- not sure if it's because my body is so sore, or if it's something else....perhaps lack of complex carbs? My energy during exercise is very low, but during everyday things, I feel amazing. I have high energy, a clear mind, and great spirits! So it's just during exercise that I have the feelings that I can't do it. Very frustrating! 

Today I indulged in that fruit issue I was having yesterday. 

I had a mango and a couple apricots. Both were needing to be eaten, they were starting to look very sad and lonely in my fruit basket....So I did what any good person would do- I ate them!

The fruit was amazing, but I have to admit, I did feel a little guilty. I'm sure it was way to much sugar.

Breakfast was a Hash, Snack- (see above), Lunch was a tuna salad with avocado, and dinner was a Chicken Broccoli Hash. I'm seeing a pattern in my eating- lots of hash! :) I LOVE HASH! LOL 

I also ate some more fruit after dinner, some homemade dried strawberries. 

I felt pretty satisfied with my food choices today. I did eat too much fruit, but I'm hoping to not make that a habit. 

I had a church activity tonight. We learned about Freezer Meals. This is a great concept especially for busy Moms with kids and a hungry hubby. I love the idea of Freezer Meals. I think I could incorporate this idea into my families meals. That way they can have something more fancy when I'm eating my specially prepared Paleo meal. :) Sometimes I feel a little guilty when they're stuck with cold cereal, and I'm eating an amazing Paleo meal! But luckily I have easy kids and a very easy hubby!

I have been ending each day with a nice hot cup of herbal tea. I love ending my day like this. It's so relaxing and it fills my belly for bedtime! 

Tomorrow is a new day! Excited to see how it goes!  

Paleo Whole30- Day 3

How did Day 3 go? Well I think it went pretty good! 

I made something new for breakfast today, it was a Chicken Five Spice with Chard.

I was anxious to try a new recipe today, and especially excited about a new leafy green veggie called Chard! I have to admit, this was my first time buying and preparing this veggie. In case you're wondering, "Chard is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking. While the leaves are always green, chard stalks very in color. Chard has been bred to have highly nutritious leaves at the expense of the root. Chard is, in fact, considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables available and a valuable addition to a healthy diet"- Wikipedia. Try some chard out for yourself- I think you'll like it!!!

My breakfast dish was amazing, and a great way to start my day!

I did a lot of organizing and straightening up my house today....it gets so out of control sometimes! It really gets to the point that I either just want to throw everything away, or move....I think I'll end up just throwing a lot away for now! Today I got a good start at least! During my organization I worked up an appetite and had a handful of nuts and 3 tiny peaches, (not sure what kind of peaches these are by their sooo small, look more like apricots). I felt okay about eating this snack. 

Lunch was the same as yesterday, Tuna Salad! But today I added 1/2 an avocado. I LOVE avocado and I have a lot of them right now in the house, thanks to a great week of Bountiful Baskets. 

Tonights workout was another Crossfit workout. It was hard tonight, a whole new set of exercises to do (which is good considering I can barely walk- I'm still sore from Monday). One day I'll learn the names of these movements I'm doing...but I can't remember them for the life of me right now! :)

Oh, and before my workout I had a handful of almonds and 3 sticks of homemade deer jerky- just like Monday's Pre-Workout meal. It seems to do the trick! 

After Crossfit I did an hour of Hot Yoga. Tonight this took place outside in the 103 degree Arizona sun! It was HOT! It felt sooo great afterwards too!

I wasn't very hungry after my workout and didn't want to fill up on a PWO meal, so I waited till I was home and the kids were in bed to eat my last meal of the day- Dinner! Do you remember what I've been eating all week!?!? Yup, it was the same thing, Veggie Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce over spinach! Luckily, for you and I, tonights meal was the last of my leftovers for this meal. I am now ready for something else for dinner! I can't wait to see what I find to make for tomorrow night!

Day 3 is now coming to an end. I am loving all the food I get to eat and so far haven't been missing the complex carbs or the dairy. I am wanting to eat more fruit though, that is one thing that I miss. I eat a little fruit each day, but not as much as I am used to. Veggies, protein and healthy fats are the 3 main things I am to eat during this 30 day period.

Hope you all have a great day! I'll chat with ya tomorrow!

Paleo Whole30- Day 2

Day 2 is done, and how did I do?!?! GREAT!

So today's goals was that I wanted to really stick to my 3 meals today, and to not be hungry before my next meal, and to focus on drinking more water. Water helps me stay full, and keeps cravings down, it's very important for me to drink lots of water!

So for breakfast I had the same as yesterday (I made a full recipe of this, so that I could easily reheat it for my next meals), the Turkey, Apple Hash. It was just as amazing today, as yesterday! But today I ate more than I did yesterday, I would say I actually doubled the serving size from yesterday. It made me very full, and I stayed full all the way till lunch! 

My workout today was a 5k run before breakfast, then between breakfast and lunch I went to our local YMCA and walked for about 30 minutes with my friends on the treadmills, (a very easy walk where we basically chat and waste time till Pilates starts), and then an hour class of Pilates. My legs are very sore from my Crossfit workout yesterday, and I don't know if it was because I didn't have a Pre-Workout meal, but I was sooo tired, and sore during Pilates. I was feeling pretty lame! I felt amazing afterwards though, and this is what counts!

Lunch was something new and exciting, it was Tuna Salad with homemade Mayo! My tuna salad consisted of, Tuna (duh), apple, celery, green onion, walnuts, a tiny bit of mustard and homemade Mayo. I have never made Mayo before, so this was a new experience for me. I don't think it turned out "perfect" but it tasted fine and will do for now! On my plate I put down 3 huge butter lettuces and piled each one with a huge scoop of the Tuna Salad. This was also a 'bigger' portion than I'm used to, but once again, I'm trying to get full. This meal was perfect and I loved everything about it! 

Between lunch and dinner I was getting a headache, and I wasn't sure when I would be eating dinner, so I had a snack, deer jerky and almonds, just like my Pre-Workout snack yesterday. I probably shouldn't have had this, because I ended up eating less than an hour later, and really could have just done without it. 

Dinner was a repeat of last night, (more leftovers), and don't be surprised if I eat it again tomorrow night! It's a GOOOOD thing it tastes so good and I don't mind eating leftovers, every meal/day of the week!

I feel really good about my day. I worked out hard, ate better and tomorrow I plan on doing it all over again!

Oh, yeah, I also baked some sweet potatoes today, hoping I would have a chance to eat them today, but it didn't happen....so they're now waiting patiently in my fridge, ready to go when I need a snack or an added veggie to a meal. YUM- I love sweet potatoes! 

Starting a Paleo WHOLE30 challege today! Day 1

Today I'm starting a new challenge! You know me, I LOVE a good challenge, especially when it involves food!

Since my Marathon is over, I don't plan on spending hours and HOURS on the pavement anytime soon. I'm still running (don't worry), just not at the lengths I was required to do for my Marathon training.

So now, since I don't 'need' all those carbs, and I still want to challenge my mind and body with something new, I am trying the Paleo diet, or Caveman diet as most have heard it called.

I have been researching this diet/lifestyle for a few weeks now, and I am anxious to see how I feel about it.

I found a great site, called Whole9 it to me is pretty much the key to getting started with this lifestyle. If you can stick with it for 30 days, you'll be able then to see if this lifestyle is or isn't really  for you. I purchased the Whole30 success guide, read it and feel like I am ready to roll! So far all my recipes are coming from the Whole9 website and Whole30 program. So check them out for all the foodie details.

So what did I do today, on my first day?

The guide says to eat 3 meals a day, starting of course with breakfast.

I did this, but I also ate 3 snacks....not 100% part of the plan, but let me explain...

Breakfast was Turkey Apple Hash, it's scramble type meal. I also added my favorite ingredient Spinach to the recipe. This meal tastes amazing! I really loved it!

Sadly, I felt hungry a few hours later, and lunch technically was still another couple hours away. So for my snack I ate a Larabar, and a very tiny peach, which was more of an apricot. Larabars (without chocolate or peanut butter) are aproved in this lifestyle. Fruit is also approved, as long as it's not your main source of carbs. So it was at least a good choice "snack" to have. However, what I will try in the future is to have a larger breakfast so that I don't get hungry a few hours later.

Lunch I had a chicken vegetable stew with 1/2 avacado on top- again, I LOVED this meal! I get to eat avacado and not be worried about the calories!?!? SCORE! Lunch kept me fuller, and I was very happy about that.

I was heading to the gym tonight to do a Crossfit workout and Hot Yoga. So according to the diet, I needed a Pre-Workout snack. Something with fat and protein. No carbs from veggies or fruit is required for a Pre-Workout meal. So this was a little tough for me to come up with...what was I to eat....I finally decided on 4 sticks of homemade deer jerky, and a handful of almonds. I hope this was a good choice!

After my workout, I get rewarded (yes, sometimes I like to be rewarded like a dog) with a Post-Workout (PWO) snack. For this I had a pumpkin smoothie, which was 1/2 cup of pumpkin, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 5 egg whites, blended well. Added spices of nutmeg and cinnamon. It was missing the 'sweet' factor that I'm used to when it comes to smoothies, but overall, it was do-able. Next time, I think I'll either blend longer, to make it into a pudding, or add ice, to make it colder!

Once home, I had to help get the 3 kiddies, dinner and ready for bed, and then it was time for my last meal of the day, Dinner!

For dinner I had Veggie Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce. Instead of regular spaghetti noodles, full of carbs (sugar), you can either use spaghetti squash or a bed of spinach. I chose the Spinach option- much easier, and I LOVE spinach!

I am now sooo full of good healthy food- my belly is totally satisfied!

I feel really good about my first day on this new lifestyle. Tomorrow I will try to do better by not snacking, unless it's a pre or post workout snack.

I will try to explain different points of this lifestyle as I go, and will try to "blog" about my days as much as I can. I know by being accountable (even via this blog) will make the next 29 days go by quicker and smoother for me!

One aspect that is really going to be tough..(as if not eating carbs from grains, and no dairy, isn't hard enough), I'm not allowed to weigh myself until day 31....I better have the hubby hid the scale!

Have you ever tried Paleo or a low carb diet? What did you like or dislike about it?

Giveaway! New Chocolate Fun Fodue- Velata!

I'm so excited to announce the launch of Scentsy's new company Velata!

Velata is fun fondue- super simple, just like the Scentsy warmers, Velata warmers plug in and use a 25 watt light bulb to keep the chocolate melted to the perfect consistancy!

There are 14 different designed fondue pots, and 4 different flavors of chocolate- Milk, Dark, White and Caramel! All taste amazing!

What I really love about our chocolate is that it's from Belgium, the best place on Earth for chocolate!

I have a new Facebook fan page for my new company, it is: http://www.facebook.com/#!/IndependentVelataDirectorAndreaSmith

Right now I'm doing personal giveaway on my page, if I reach 100 fans by Sunday, May 6th.

Please visit my facebook page for all the details!

I'm also sending out free Velata catalogs- email me at andreasmith19@gmail.com if you'd like to recieve one!

Check out all that Velata has to offer on my Velata website!