[ day twenty-three - thirty ]

mission complete.

sticking to paleo for 30 days was so much easier than i expected. kevin and i decided to continue our journey, with occasional cheat meals. not days. we've found some great recipes and have an awesome routine when it comes to planning and preparing meals. here's a few pictures from the past week. of course i've taken pictures of every meal for the past 30 days, but a lot of it is repetitive, no reason to bore you. 

asparagus stuffed chicken + cauliflower bacon mash

mussels + homemade red sauce

spaghetti squash + italian sausage

capt'n cats shrimp + cocktail sauce

this past friday my friend kristen had a scentsy party. i decided to make another chocolate cake, assuming there wouldn't be much for me to snack on. everyone seemed to love it and i had a great time. it was tough saying no to buffalo chicken dip and girl scout cookies... 

paleo chocolate cake

and then saturday we celebrated my nephews fourth birthday. my dad was kind enough to set aside food for kevin and i. since i had cake friday i decided to make some paleo granola bars... I think the pan was a little bigger than what the recipe called for so pretty much it just turned into crumbled granola, but my nana and step mom loved it! i think it would taste fabulous with a little almond or coconut milk! 

granola bars/crumble 

I would like to thank my friends, family, and crossfit renaissance for the support and encouragement, you guys have truly been great! and my wonderful fiance, kevin, who has also taken part in the 30 day challenge ( I'm very proud of you ). I wouldn't have been able to do it without you! 

30 days down, let the journey continue....

[ day seventeen - twenty-two ]

ideal scenario... kevin becomes a nfl coach, i quit my job and become a full-time blogger. haha. a girl can dream. updating a blog everyday takes a lot of freakin' time i don't have. i'm just going to post a few things from the past few days with some recipes. enjoy. 

friday's breakfast | sweet potato + sausage hash and eggs

the sweet potato + sausage hash was awesome. i'm not sure how kevin made them, but if i had to guess i would say he probably threw sweet potatoes, sausage, and onions in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. 

saturday morning i made breakfast. looked something like this...

bacon pancakes

3 eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons local honey 

1½ cups almond flour

¼ teaspoon sea salt 

¼ teaspoon baking soda

coconut oil for cooking (i used bacon grease)

whisk eggs into water, vanilla extract and honey mixture. then add almond flour, salt, baking soda.  

the pancake batter has a very thick consistency, which made it difficult to pour over the bacon. which is why they don't really look like pancakes. trial and error i suppose. they still tasted yummy.

saturday afternoonish, kevin made some chicken wings for the hockey game. ( these would have been better if i was drinking a nice cold yuengling...) 

 

chicken wings (whole foods)

ghee

sea salt 

ground pepper 

bake in the oven at 375ºF until they look done... mix them in a bowl with hot sauce and put back in the oven for a few minutes. 

we did a lot of running around this past weekend, so we weren't home very much. i keep a stash of mixed nuts and larabars to grab and go. sunday for dinner i think i made bacon omelets and then afterwards i decided to do a little baking. 

one minute chocolate cake

dry ingredients

3 tablespoons almond flour

2 teaspoons coconut flour, sifted

1 tablespoon flax meal (freshly ground)

½ teaspoon baking powder

1½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

pinch of sea salt

wet ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or raw honey)

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

place dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

melt the coconut oil in a 2-cup glass measuring cup or large mug, pour most of the coconut oil into the dry ingredients, leaving a small amount in the cup to grease the bottom and sides. 

add the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl. mix well. 

pour into greased measuring cup or mug. microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds to 1 minute 45 seconds. 

cool + enjoy.

paleo indulgences

and last nights dinner...

asparagus stuffed chicken + bacon cauliflower mash

I don't think kevin was a huge fan of the cauliflower mash, but i loved it and the leftovers were even better!! 

[ day sixteen ] wednesday

eating paleo for us has no longer become a challenge, but more of a routine. if only i could get in a routine of updating my blog. 

i've started to get some asks for recipes, so i'm going to try to spend more time adding them. a lot of meals kevin just makes them up, but i will also try to include those things too, if he remembers. this morning for breakfast i kept it simple.

raspberry almond muffin + cantaloupe

for lunch i had left over chicken and brussels sprouts, they were even more delicious the second time around. then the same as most wednesday nights, crossfit.

workout |  

warm up: 400m 10 wall balls 10 push-ups 3x and "our next lift"  

WOD: 

3 Sets Max reps HSPU or HSPU Skill work (10 minute time cap) 

then

10 minutes AMRAP:

2/1.5 pood swings- 15 reps
10 reps Snatch (5R/5L)  total rounds >> 6 + set of swings.

zucchini pizza boats

zucchini pizza boats

makes 4 servings 

sauce
¼ cup olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup (40g) chopped parsley
1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
2 4-ounce cans tomato paste
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon basil
pinch rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

OR 

kevin's sauce (he doesn't measure anything)
1 can of organic tomato paste
½ cup water
½ organic chicken broth
little bit of red wine
onion
garlic
himalayan salt
ground pepper
crushed red peppers

zucchini
4 large zucchini, washed, ends trimmed, cut in half lengthwise
toppings of choice (uncured pepperoni, salami, italian sausage, ground beef, caramelized onions, black olives, sun dried tomatoes, etc.) 

preheat the oven to 400ºF
heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes
add garlic and parsley. stir.
add the remaining sauce ingredients, stirring well to combine. turn the head down to low and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.
meanwhile, clean and prep the zucchini. with a spoon, hollow out the middle of each half, removing only enough flesh to make a shallow well. place the zucchini on a parchment-lined baking sheet, hollowed-out side up.
spoon some sauce into each zucchini. top with your favorite items.
bake about 20 minutes, or until toppings are cooked, sauce is bubbling, and zucchini are soft.

for our topping we used, spicy italian sausage and raw cheese. enjoy! 

found here: paleo indulgences

we finished the night off with watching american horror story. next week is the season finale, this makes me very sad. and of course, checked tomorrows WOD. who wants in on this workout...

"murph"

1 mile run, 100 pull-up, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, 1 mile run. for time. i sure hope i have more than an hour...

we shall see.

[ day fifteen ] tuesday

half way there.

time flies when your having fun or maybe the older we get? who knows. 

i find breakfast options to be limiting especially when you don't have a whole lot of time. tuesday was a onion and pepper omelet kind of morning and i had a bowl of fruit when i got to work. lunch was leftover deer stew and i snacked on carrots late afternoon. by the time i got home from work i was starting to get hungry again, so i grabbed a larabar before i went to crossfit. 

workout |  

warm up: jump rope for 5 mins. (seriously! i haven't jumped rope since i was in grade school. i stared with the beaded ropes for beginners then joyce came over and handed me the speed rope. i only hit myself twice, still have marks to prove it. haha. i'm soo looking forward to practicing double unders ) 

WOD: "our workout is our warm up"

AMRAP in 20 mins (as many rounds as possible) 

Athletic warmup. 

50yd high knees

50yd butt kicks

50yd karaoke  

25yd broad jumps

25yd bobbing squats

25yd bear crawl

25yd run

ouch. as i was leaving my calves started to cramp. i put my car in reverse and stalled. luckily i was the only one in the parking lot. when i got home, dinner was already on the table... i seriously love this guy.

walnut + almond flour breaded chicken, brussels sprouts and bacon

brussels sprouts + bacon

prep time: 30 minutes | cook time: 40-45 minutes | serves 5

6 bacon strips, sliced

1 pound of brussels sprouts, stems cut and quartered

2 galic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried thyme

sea salt and black pepper to taste

preheat oven to 375ºF

cook the diced bacon in large skillet until crispy

in a medium  mixing bowl, toss the quartered brussels sprouts with the bacon, the bacon grease, the minced garlic, thyme, and black pepper. spread evenly in a glass baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the brussels sprouts are browned and tender. stir once halfway through the cooking time.

everyday paleo 

this has to be one of my favorite meals so far! seriously, you will fall in love with brussels sprouts after this. another first for kev. after dinner i decided to make some of these...

paleo raspberry almond muffins

raspberry almond muffins

2½ cup almond flour
3 eggs; 1 ripe banana
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup fresh or frozen organic raspberries
¼ cup water
¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 heaping tablespoons cinnamon

food processor: banana, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, water, apple sauce and coconut oil. add almond flour and cinnamon. stir in raspberries. Muffin liners; fill to about ¾ full. 10-12 muffins. bake for 17-19 minutes or until a tooth pick pulls out clean. (recipe found on pintrest)

i was out of bananas. i also don't own a food processor, so kevin and i took turns mixing. and i added a ½ teaspoon of almond extract. if i were to make these again, i would make sure i had a banana and add a little raw honey or organic maple syrup. it turned out fine without the food processor, but if you'd rather a more smooth muffin, i'd recommend it. 


   

[ day fourteen ] monday

finally catching up....probably not. 

i woke up believing that i ate a cupcake. worst dream ever. not cool. 

this morning i told kevin to go back to bed, i would fend for myself. so this is how it went...

walnuts, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries

this may have cured my sweet tooth, temporarily. i want to attempt to make paleo raspberry almond muffins later in the week. i will take photos and post the recipe. i decided not to pack lunch, so i was faced with the challenge of buying lunch in the caf. it was a little bit of a challenge to walk past the sandwich, pizza, and grill station, but i made my way to the salad bar... tada!

tuna + eggs + spinach. side of fruit 

deer stew. venison, carrots, celery, zucchini, squash, onions, garlic.

i was able to grab a quick bite before i had to head to jersey to do a cut and color. this was different than the typical meat and potatoes my dad would make, but absolutely delicious. crock pot meals... perfect for cold, rainy days! i didn't get home until after 11:30. i was exhausted.

[ day twelve ] saturday

saturday morning i made breakfast. yes, i repeat, i cooked breakfast! i love to pretend i don't know how to cook because honestly, i hate it! 

sausage + mushroom omelet

this was kevins, mine ended up falling apart. i also let kevin eat the entire thing before i told him i added mushrooms. (he's never had them before and swears he's hate them) he loved it! I was only able to eat half of my omelet so i saved the other half for lunch. we headed out in the afternoon to do a little shopping. kevin was craving a burger so we made these...what's a burger without a fried egg and bacon.

stuffed bacon + avocado burgers (recipe found here)

we will be making these again, minus the avocado. kevin was not a fan. :(

[ day thirteen ] sunday

shameless sunday! ( season premier!)

sunday mornings kevin and i go separate ways. at 10am I crossfit, he plays football... 

quick breakfast before crossfit

black coffee + larabar

workout |  

warm up: 400m run  

WOD: 6 efforts for total time. 

3 downs/3up 40yd prowler push 145/90# 

40yd sprint 

wasn't until the last effort i thought i was going to barf. either way, it was fun. post workout:

scrambled eggs + sausage + frank's red hot (and another black coffee)

spent the afternoon in jersey. helped kevin's mom grocery shop at trader joes then took a trip to barnes & nobles for some cookbooks. spent the evening visited with kevin's sister and niece, who were visiting from west virginia. for dinner i had a spinach salad with chicken and carrots. olive oil + balsamic. side of sweet potato fries. yum.

made it home after 9. so we watched shameless on demand. something to look forward to again on sunday nights.  

[ day eleven ] friday

food shoot. 

for the life of me i can't remember what i ate. but i can remember what i could not eat! final product from our food shoot.   

sweet potato pineapple cassarole

rubarb + mixed berry crumble

(photography: johanna, stylist: carol, food stylist: scott)

for lunch i had some tuna on romaine. then headed back to the office to do some paperwork. nothing to exciting...

dinner on the other hand, was perfect! I came home from work to this...

flowers + hot wings...he's definitely a keeper!

we decided to head out for a late movie, and since the both of us absolutely love popcorn, we had to improvise. 

kale chips

if any one cares to know, we went to see breaking dawn 2. team edward all the way. 

[ day ten ] thursday

i'm never going to get caught up!! thursday was a pretty busy day. i had work, a dentist appointment, crossfit, and a hair cut to do...

breakfast | eggs + peppers. uncured turkey bacon. 

i tried to eat a little more for breakfast since i knew i had to go to the dentist on my lunch break. halfway through, i was full.

i actually don't mind going to the dentist. sometimes i find it to be therapeutic. kind of like getting tattooed. (i know, i'm strange) but when i went in for my appointment, i was told i was going to be prepped for my crown. (i thought i was just going in to get a filling) i've never had one done before, so i started to become nervous. surprisingly, it wasn't bad. i think i would prefer getting a crown over a filling anyday. although, i don't understand why they drill, fill and cap teeth that have never bothered me. leave my teeth alone. 

by 3 o'clock i was finally able to talk without drooling so i figured i would eat some lunch. 

grilled chicken + asparagus. 

workout |  

it was too long ago to remember what the warmup was...
WOD: 4 rounds for time: 
50 yd walking lunges 

25 t2b
25 box jumps (i am deathly afraid of smashing my shins/face) so i opted for the tires. 

17:05 or 17:25 (will have to check my book)

I wasn't feeling great afterward, but i headed out to cut hair anyway...