Whole30 Day 10 - Atlanta/Roswell/Buckhead GE Here I Come!

Packed a lunch bag filled with homemade goodies to keep me satiated on the road.

I believe that if I am well prepared then I'll stay strong when cravings/stress/anxiety comes on.

So far I really like this E-Bag lunch bag. It's big enough to hold a ton of food as well as mugs and bottles. Plus it can attach to my roll-on bag.

The TSA were so confused with my new collapsable storage container. They thought it was filled with soup, but when they found out that it was chicken salad they said it was OK. They did want to take my ginger coconut milk basil pesto sauce, but I talked him into letting me keep it.

I had lunch on the plane, and NO I didn't eat the entire bowl of chicken salad. I probably had about 1/4 of it.

Went directly to my Whole Foods category review meeting and presented 15 new products I just developed.

Went to the nearby Whole Foods Avalon to check product placement, buy coconut milk (for tomorrow morning's latte), carrots and macadamia nuts.

I then checked into the hotel and was pleasantly surprised with my 'Executive Suit' at the Marriott;-)

Worked out at CrossFit 404 in Bulkhead.

 It was a great experience: good coaching, decent warm-up, clean facility, and really nice people.

I was so hungry after class I decided not to shower & change. Instead I immediately YELPED 'sushi restaurants'. After a few minutes of research I decided to go to one that was about 1.5 miles away, Tomo.

Finally time to wind down and go to bed:-)

Today's Stats
Water Consumption:

120 ounces
YEAH, I'm finally drinking enough water!

Sleep:

5 1/2 hours (slept well)
Didn't go to sleep earlier enough 
because I was prepping food & packing

Daily Meals:

5:30am - Coconut Milk Latte with Macca

6:45am - 2 Hard Boiled Eggs

10am - Chicken Salad & Snap Peas

2pm - 3 Pieces Beef Jerky

5:30pm - Handful Macadamia Nuts & Carrot Sticks

9:30pm - Dinner: Sashimi & Hamachi Collar

Whole30 - Day 9 - Prep Day for Big Trip

I'm not going to lie, traveling on the Whole30 takes a lot of preparation and I think I went a little overboard, but 5 flights, 8 cities in 10 days...I'd rather take the time to set myself up for success than not and fail. 

Plus, I'm going to document it for you so of you are ever in this situation, you'll have some kind of guide to follow:-)

What I prepared for my trip...

Starting from upper left container: Homemade kale chips, roasted veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli), homemade toasted sunflower seeds, homemade ginger coconut milk basil pesto sauce, snap peas and dijon mustard (no sugar) and homemade poached chicken & egg salad with olives dressed in my homemade ginger coconut milk basil pesto sauce. 

I also bringing my homemade beef jerky (not in the picture).

Today's Stats
Water Consumption:

89 ounces, I need more water:-(

Sleep:

7 hours (woke up only once):)

Daily Meals:

5:30am - Coconut Milk Latte with Macca

8:45am - Breakfast egg salad

12pm - 3 Pieces Beef Jerky

2pm - Guac & Veggie Salad

8:30pm - Dinner: Sashimi (Salmon, Tune & Octopus) with Avocado & Tomatoes and some bites of my chicken & egg salad

Had dinner late because of Oly Club:-)

Whole30 Confessionals - Day 8 - Frustrated and wanting a drink...

When we're frustrated and ready to give in, 
take a deep breathe and remember...

All we have to do is remember is frustration is just energy, 
and if we just channel it differently then it could turn into a smile. 

Today's Stats
Water Consumption:

85 ounces 
I need to drink more water:-(
I will drink 50 ounces of water before 8am tomorrow...
So, if you see me at the gym tomorrow ask me if I have been drinking my water...???

Sleep:

7 hours (woke up only once):)

Daily Meals:

5:45am - Coconut Milk Latte with Macca

9:45am - 2 Hard Boiled Eggs, Avocado & Olives

10am - 3 Pieces Beef Jerky

12:15pm - Halibut, Hard Boil Eggs, Avocado, Peas, 
Cucumbers, Olives and Mixed Greens

7:30pm - Pork Tenderloin, Arugula, Cucumber, 
Tomatoes, Peas, Shredded Broccoli & Carrots. 

Did anything make you frustrated today?
Did anything make you smile?
Inquiring minds want to know...

Whole30 Confessionals - Day 7 - Day of Exploration

A week on the Whole30 and finally feeling better, having more energy so I decided to explore:-)

After teaching Amped at the CAC, I went to Cats Gymnastics and did movements I haven't done since I was 5 years old, like back flips. Check Jen out!!!

After running some errands around 29th Street Mall, I decided to check out Orange Theory. After a little Q&A I decided to take the 12:30 class (FYI: first intro class is FREE). They gave me a rate monitor and told me to jump on a rower. I don't think I ever wore a heat rate monitor so needless to say I needed to remember this moment.

Do I feel really self-consious about posting this video?

Hell Yes.

Why?

Because my crazy 'Little Chatty Doll' in the back of my head is telling me I look fat and to 'suck in my stomach and re-take the video' again. 

Did I?

No, because I need to train myself to shut her up so I can embrace my body for what it is and all the wonderful things it does for me. 

Anyhow, using heart rate monitor was very cool, although I don't think it was too accurate. Below are the results. It states I made it into the red zone 29 times and tracked my MAX heart to 240 BPM. Either way, it made time go by faster and was interesting to watch throughout workout.

Alright, I held you in suspense long enough... 

My 'Secret Perfect Seasoning'

Today's Stats
Water Consumption:

108 ounces, finally drinking more water. 
My goal tomorrow is 120.
The Key is to start drinking water earlier.

Sleep:

7 hours (woke up only once):)

Daily Meals:

7:30am - Coconut Milk Latte with Macca

9:45am - 2 Hard Boiled Eggs

12pm - 3 Pieces Beef Jerky

3pm - 4 Pieces Beef Jerky 

7pm - Dinner: Sauted Calamari with garlic, jalapeño, sweet mini bell peppers, olives, shredded broccoli & carrots and fresh basil on top of a bed of baby kale topped with 'My Soon to be Famous Tomato Sauce' (still leftover from Day 4)

Have you tried Orange Theory yet?
If so, what did you think? 
I'd love to hear your feedback.

Whole30 Confessionals - Day 6 & Making Homemade Jerky

I started prepping for my trip today which helped to ease my anxiety about traveling so much on the Whole30.

I bought food storage containers from Bed Bath.

 I bought a couple of stylish thermal lunch cases on Amazon 
to hold all my food as I travel.

e-Bag Crew Cooler 

Built NY Spicy Lunch Tote

 And, I made 'My Famous Homemade Beef Jerky'....
Wanna know my secrets, check this video out:-)



Today's Stats:

Water Consumption:

64 ounces, worse than yesterday, I suck:-( 
My goal is still 100 ounces tomorrow.

Sleep:

8 hours 
(woke up a few times, but went back to bed easy):)

Daily Meals:

7:30am - Coconut Milk Latte

11am - 3 pieces beef jerky

1pm - Fried Duck Egg on top of a bed of veggies

4pm - 3 pieces Beef Jerky, Carrots and Herb Brine Dipping Sauce

7pm - Dinner: Perfectly Seasoned Pork Tenderloin, Spaghetti Squash Cake, Collard Greens & Spicy Greens with Mushrooms.

Do you get anxious when you travel? 

What do you do to help calm your nerves?

Whole30 Confessional Day 5 - Feeling so good I ate a duck egg!

I had a Egg-Off this morning...

Duck or Chicken...

Who would you vote for?

If you've been eating eggs without the yolks, you should check out this article...

Speaking of chickens, I felt this urge to make a whole chicken today. With not much time to brine the bird, I decided to pull out my injection brining tool to show you how to brine slowly cooked proteins in a hurry. 

Brine Ingredients

- 1 (Chicken) Egg

- 1 TBS Thai Green Curry Paste

- 2/3 cups Coconut Vinegar

- 2 TBS Dijon Mustard (no Sugar)

- Salt 

- Seasoning

- 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions:

1. Place egg, curry, vinegar and mustard in a processor and combine.

2. Add olive oil and season to taste. It should be soupy. If it's too thick, add some water or stock.

3. Use 1/2 of mixture for brine. Use the other half to make a sauce by adding lemon juice, parley, garlic and ginger to the processor.

For my Chipotle Truffled Infused Whole Chicken Recipe

Saute Veggie Bed for Chicken

Ingredients

- 1 Yellow Onion

- 4 Cloves Garlic

- 2 Sweet Potatoes

- 4 Carrots

- 1 Jalapeno

- 2 TBS Fresh Ginger

- 2 TBS Turmeric

- 1 Bell Pepper

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 450.

2. After injection brine, saute veggies on medium starting with onions, garlic and jalapeño.

3. Add ginger, turmeric and bell pepper.

4. Heat more coconut oil and add sweet potato and carrots.

5. Cook for 10-15 minutes and add the bird.

6. Bake for 45 minutes (lid off) at 450.
7. Decrease to 275 degrees, cover with lid and bake for another 2-3 hours.

I didn't even need a knife to cut this chicken.

Today's Stats:

Water Consumption:

74 ounces, finally drinking more water. 
My goal is 100 ounces tomorrow.

Sleep:

7 hours (only woke up twice):)

Daily Meals:

5:30am - Coconut Milk Latte

9am - Duck & Chicken Eggs on top of a bed of veggies

1:30pm - Snack: Fresh veggies with my newly transformed herb brine sauce.

7pm - Dinner: 'My soon to be famous Injection Brined Bird', roasted veggies and collard greens with mushrooms.

Whole30 Confessionals - Day 4, A Roller Coaster Ride...

Woke up tired, overwhelmed and totally anxious...

Jumped around for an hour with my gymnastics coach at Cats and felt so much better:-)

I finally sat down and planned out my ridiculous travel schedule... 

7 cities in 10 days, right in the middle of on the Whole30...

HOLY SHIT, AM I GOING TO MAKE IT??? 

Anxiety flooded my veins and after I booked all my flights I felt the need to cook because it was as if it was the only thing I could control.

My anxiety dissipated as I made you (my two viewers) this video on how to make 'My Soon to be Famous Curry Lamb Meatballs' and Spaghetti Squash'. 

TIP #1: Use any kind of ground protein with this recipe, just make sure you sear the meatballs on all sides. Finish them in the oven when you are ready to eat, 275 degrees for 5-10 minutes, depending on how big your balls you made your ball.

Today's Stats:

Water Consumption:

64 ounces, still feeling bloated & didn't want to drink water:-(

Sleep:

In bed for 7 hours and slept for about 4, not getting better...

Daily Meals:

7:30am - Coconut Milk Latte

10am - 3 Beef Jerky Pieces & Handful of Nuts

1:30pm - Late Lunch: Shredded Cabbage & Veggie Salad with Homemade Cajun Turkey Breast & Avocado

7pm - Dinner: Lamb Curry Meatballs, Spaghetti Squash with 'My Soon to be Famous Homemade Tomato Sauce' on Top of Kale

For more Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs Recipes...

Just in case your wondering, I made it through another day of the Whole30!!!