Hello everyone! Yes, I’m still alive.
Ya know, I get asked all the time, “How do you find time to exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, take care of 6 kids and a husband AND blog about it all?”
My answer is always, “It….Is…..NOT….easy!”
But, I love it!
However, when my blog isn’t updated for a while, it’s probably because I’m busy exercising, preparing healthy meals, spending time with my family and/or occasionally sleeping.
There are not enough hours in my day….seriously.
I also must say that preparing meals/snacks for Whole 30 takes quite a bit of extra time. I’ve also kicked my exercise schedule up a notch and I love it, but it takes extra time too. 🙂
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Soooo, I have a zillion pictures/things to share with you guys!
First off, I’m still going strong with Whole 30! It’s very tough at times and takes a TON of mental strength, but I love it and know it’s so good for me.
I’ve stayed on track 99.9% of the time, but I have allowed myself a half stick of chewing gum (I’m not supposed to have sweeteners) from time to time and I’m okay with that. I also realized that the Seasoned Salt I’ve been using has sugar in it!??! Who knew?? I was also at my sister’s house the other day and she offered me some turkey jerky. After I had eaten a couple pieces, I realized it had sugar in it too!!
WTFreak? I think everything has sugar in it.
So, other than those few weird “issues,” I’ve stayed right on track!
I’ve been making lots of interesting Whole 30 concoctions….
I usually throw together various veggies, eggs and/or meat and top it with salsa, hot sauce or guacamole. Sometimes it sounds good to me, sometimes it doesn’t, but I always eat it either way!
I’ve still been making green smoothies most days and usually have it with a side of chicken or turkey.
My smoothies are pretty boring, but they’re always refreshing. It’s usually a mixture of unsweetened coconut milk, water, some type of frozen fruit (usually banana or berries,) spinach or kale, maybe a little cucumber, chia seeds, nuts and ice!
This has been my all-time favorite snack…
Homemade guacamole and sweet potato chips! Yuuuuu……uuummmmm!
I’ve pretty much had a constant stash of these in my fridge at all times. There are many times when I’m so dang sick of veggies and NOTHING sounds good to me……and that’s when I pull out my chips and guac!
I also have a stash of roasted veggies in the fridge at all times…
I also made a batch of Cauliflower “Rice” the other day and it was great!
Some day I’ll put the official “recipe” on here, but for now I’ll quickly tell you guys how I make it.
- Wash a head of cauliflower and cut it into florets.
- Put the florets in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower becomes small pieces that look like rice.
- You can cook the “rice” many ways, but my favorite way is to roast it.
- Spread the “rice” out on a foil lined pan (sprayed with oil.)
- Drizzle a little olive oil on top.
- Sprinkle with seasoned salt (or seasonings of your choice)
- Roast at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until slightly browned. Enjoy!
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I’ve only been out to eat ONCE in the past 16 days! Kev and I took our oldest son out to eat at Chili’s over the weekend…
My son ordered the biggest, yummiest looking burger and I really wanted to eat it!!! However, I ordered myself the 6 oz. sirloin with grilled avocado and tomato with a salad on the side….and took a blurry picture of it!
It was very good, but not very filling. It was one of the few items on the menu that was Whole 30 compliant. I did have to pick the pieces of Feta cheese out of the salad though. 🙁
We had a fun night and it was nice to eat food that I didn’t have to fix myself!
We also went up to my parent’s house Sunday night for a potluck dinner with my brothers and sisters. My mom asked ME to bring dessert!!???!
Seriously.
I made some Caramel Brownies and chocolate cupcakes with the best frosting on the planet!
I didn’t take any pictures (boo), but I’m happy to say that I didn’t eat ANY of the desserts I made, not even a lick of the spoon. I was so proud.
I was also worried that there wouldn’t be much food I could eat at my mom’s house, so before we left, I ate this….
A random salad made up of romaine, snap peas, hard boiled eggs and Frank’s Buffalo Hot Sauce. I also had some grapes on the side.
Interesting and random, I know.
I was glad I ate it though, because THIS was the only thing I could eat at my mom’s house…
A BIG plate of salad. I had to pick the Feta cheese out of this salad too!
This “diet” definitely takes a lot of hard work, determination and freakish willpower! I love it though and I’m happy to say I’m seein’ some results!!!
I’m not “allowed” to weigh myself on Whole 30, so I’m not sure how much weight I’ve lost, but I can actually SEE the difference!
It was quite interesting because I didn’t notice much of a difference the first 8-9 days, but then it seemed like a bunch of weight fell off of me! All of my clothes fit so much better and my beautiful muffin top has totally gone down! It’s been seriously miraculous.
I’m so happy about it and very encouraged! It’s exactly what I needed to keep me goin’.
I had Kev take a picture of me on Sunday, but I’m not sure if you can actually see any difference. Nonetheless, here ya go…
I did take a few scary “before” pictures when I first started Whole 30, but I’m saving those “gems” for the end. Oy.
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I’m also happy to say that I’ve been kickin’ some serious butt in the exercise department. I’ve been loving the new Vasa Fitness gym that opened near my house! It is so beautiful and it’s so nice to have it so close!
I’ve found a couple great classes there that I’ve loved! I’ve also been meeting some friends there at 6:30 AM, three times a week to do the Jamie Eason LiveFit Trainer workouts. It’s been great!
I still feel “fluffy” and I definitely still have weight to lose and muscles to tone up/show up, but I’m happy to see some progress!
I have so many more things I could share, but I think I will end this! So far, I would recommend Whole 30 to anyone! It’s hard, but awesome.
I hope you are all healthy and happy!
xoxo
Way to go Melanie! I know exactly what you are talking about when you say that it takes effort to do and stay on the Whole 30. You are doing great!!!
Thanks so much Victoria! I’m so proud of us for sticking to it!! You are doing so great as well and I’m so happy we’ll both be able to see it through to the end!
Thanks for the cauliflower rice recipe. I haven’t found a way to prepare cauliflower yet that my youngest son will eat, which is a shame because it’s so yummy.
You have way more resolve than I do. Keep it up!
If you try the cauliflower rice, I hope you love it! Hopefully your son will like it too!
You are looking so trim, Melanie!
Thanks for sharing the cauliflower rice idea. I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much Deb! It’s been nice to see a little bit of progress. 😉 I hope you love the cauliflower rice!
Wow you are doing great! So determined and disciplined which obviously gets the results that you want. I need to start making green smoothies because its healthier and it looks so easy to do. Keep up the great work Melanie 🙂
Thank you so much! I really love green smoothies so much because they are so easy, quick and refreshing. It’s a great way to get a lot of veggies in easily!
Wow! Wow! Your energy and enthusiasm is incredible! The pics are awesome, and you look great, Melanie! Your cauliflower rice looks great, I definitely will try it! I love cauliflower!
Oh thank you so much Cecilia! You are so sweet. I really loved that cauliflower rice. If you try it, I hope you love it!
You look so amazing!!! Interesting idea on the cauliflower rice – sounds simple – might have to try it!!!
Thanks so much Kim! I really loved the Cauliflower rice. I was so simple, tasty and an easy way to eat a healthy vegetable!
Glad you are hanging in there and feeling good about yourself. I LOVE cauli rice and often make a pizza crust with it. Just squeeze out the water, add an egg and some cheese, spread thinly on parchment and instant yum after baking about 35 minutes ! And homemade guac and roasted sweet potatoes are my current go to favorite. Love it !
Thanks so much Karen! I’ve made cauliflower pizza before, but this is the first time I made the rice. I loved it!
This is inspirational! I can’t wait to get back into shape once I have my baby this March! Great blog!
Anyhoo, I found your blog through a fellow blogger, and just wanted to stop by and say hi! It would totally make my day if you did the same.. or better yet, keep in touch! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Thanks so much for stopping by and congrats on the upcoming baby! I still have some baby weight to lose, but it’s so nice to be making some progress! I’m going to check out your blog right now….
I’m so happy for you! You are so strong and determined. I think if I had your schedule I’d just eat whatever I could. I admire your discipline and mental strength with such a hectic life. Post about the new gym coming soon?
Thanks so much for your kind words. Yes, my life is so darn crazy!! I should post about the new gym….good idea! It’s been so crazy there since it’s new and the New Year, but it’s starting to die down a bit. I’ll see if I can get some pics there this week!
I see you made this post in January of 2015, I’m on day 4 of the Whole30 and already feeling better but would love to hear how you did overall after your round of the Whole30 and if its something that you’ve continued?
Hi Amanda! I loved Whole 30 and learned so much. I made it through the entire 30 days, lost almost 10 pounds and felt great. I haven’t continued with the Whole 30 because I think it’s too strict as a lifestyle, but it was a great 30 day experience for me. I wrote a post about the entire experience and went into great detail. Here’s a link to that post, https://www.happybeinghealthy.com/my-whole-30-experience-and-results/ I wish you all the best!!
The Whole30 program is very clear on its rules about no cheats and no slips. So it is great that you are enjoying the program and healthy food, but you’re not truly completing it. Those sticks of gum and occasional “oops” sugar slips mean you head back to day 1 to truly do a Whole30.
Seriously!???! *SMH* My “occasional oops sugar slips” consisted of seasoning salt and a piece of jerky?! I felt very good about my efforts and results and consider it to be a successful Whole 30. I read that if you have a very small “issue,” you just pick things up right where you are (you don’t have to start over.) If you have a major issue, you have to start over. To each his own though.
I’m Sorry but how judgmental are you and how small is your life where you seek out a blog to comment on someone’s SUCCESSFUL Whole30 experience?
Amen sista!! 🙂