Healthy Lifestyle Continues

Wow! It’s been a while since I last updated. We have been so busy with summer activities and wedding planning, that I haven’t had time to post much—but I’m glad to be back!

Since my last update, we have cooled things off a bit with the Whole30. I completed a Whole60 and finally decided on adding some things back into my diet. The Whole30 was great and I lost 30 pounds doing it, but then I hit a bit of a weight-loss plateau and am just now pushing through that. I have had to really up my workouts, even adding morning routines which I just started today. I feel optimistic that with the increased intensity of the workouts, plus the (mostly) clean diet, that I will continue to drop the pounds needed to reach my ultimate goal weight. If I ever need to get back on track, I can always count on the Whole30 plan to get me there. Not to mention, I have found some of our favorite recipes from completing more than 120 (non-consecutive) days of the program.

We are now following the Paleo/Clean-Eating lifestyle (with an occasional cheat meal or adult beverage here and there). I have found outside of the Whole30 that this is what works best for me. I do add in a little dairy now, usually consisting of about 2 cups of yogurt (with live cultures) per week to aid in my digestive issues and it seems to help. I really enjoy the Chobani Greek 100, as they don’t add a bunch of crap to it. Also something new that I have started is calorie counting. I downloaded the Lose It app on the I-phone and it works great—I highly recommend it. I no longer have to keep a physical food journal because I log everything into the app, which is definitely a time saver. I finally realized that although Ghee and Avocados ARE healthy, eating too much of those types of items can cease weight-loss. Once I am down to my goal weight, I probably won’t worry so much about counting calories, but for now, it’s working nicely:)

Below I have included some pictures of how we are maintaining our healthy lifestyle. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I hope to update more regularly as we head into the fall.

Until next time,

-J 

Buffalo chicken salads are pretty much amazing (and I have them figured out to be around 300 calories). I use good-quality chicken breast lunch meat, a drizzle of Frank’s Buffalo sauce, a drizzle of Garlic and Olive oil dressing and just a tiny sprinkle of mozzarella (which I only used because I had extra in the house from a recipe). Served here with a side of snap pea crisps, which are relatively clean and low in calories. 

So, I recently invested in a Dole Yonanas machine...and boy is it worth the $39.99! This nifty little machine allows you to add bananas (plus whatever else frozen fruit) to the chute and it comes out the consistency of real ice cream! You can get creative and add cocoa powder, cinnamon, almond butter, etc. Here I tried out bananas and mango--delish!

Berry chicken salads have become a favorite of mine. Feta is a low-fat, low-calorie cheese that I like to incorporate once and a while. A little goes a long way.

These broccoli pancakes are also a new favorite for breakfast (not everyday), but it's nice to switch things up from eggs or green smoothies. The name brand is Dr. Praeger's (which I find WAY too funny) and you can find them at your local health foods store or possibly at Giant Eagle. They are gluten free and non-GMO, as well as only 70 calories each. I just throw them on the skillet for about 4 minutes each side and voila! Served here with a 100-calorie peach Greek yogurt. Yum! 

As with the Whole30, prep for Paleo is just as important. I like to cook up chicken breasts for lunches on Sunday evenings, as well as slicing up lots of fresh fruits and veggies. It’s worth the 45-minutes prep, trust me. 

Creating delicious paleo friendly meals also helps when you have the best fiancé in the world, who just happens to be a great cook. Nick created these coconut flour chicken bites from scratch. Not exactly sure how he made them, but they sure were delicious! Served with some yummy broccoli florets! 

Fish and “chips” is one of our favorite paleo friendly recipes, though, potatoes should not be eaten often. They are a super starchy vegetable, not great for weight loss. If you want “healthier” fries, I do suggest investing in a fry-cutter. Saves a ton of time in the kitchen. We just slice up the potatoes and then bake them in the oven until crisp for about 30 minutes. Drizzle them with a little olive oil and seasonings and you will be good to go. Wild-caught cod is also great baked in the oven. 

We have spent most of our summer cooking healthy meals on the Pellet Grill or over the fire pit. Grass fed hamburgers with homemade guacamole…you can’t go wrong! Corn isn’t really paleo friendly, but it’s summertime for crying out loud!... and sweet corn is just too delicious to pass up every now and then. 

Here is an example of how I like to turn a boring Mcdonald’s side salad into a mouth-watering lunch option! I was in a hurry this day, so I just grabbed a side salad and unsweet tea to eat at home quickly. I added a handful of blueberries and a tablespoon of feta and it really was THAT much better:) 

As another breakfast option, I like to do gluten free steel cut oats. Top with a splash of almond milk, cinnamon and your favorite fruit and you will be full until lunch time! 

Like I said…we really have spent our summer cooking outdoors. Nick has done a lot of experimenting with our new pellet grill (if you don’t have one, I suggest looking into them. Well worth the investment). This was pulled pork which he slow-smoked on the grill for 8 hours. I’m pretty sure this is what heaven tastes like…

Summer means lots of fresh squash and zucchini! I got several yummy squash free at work straight from a co-workers garden and decided to try squash pizza bites. I sliced up the squash and sprayed it with a little coconut oil, salt and pepper and then grilled about 4 minutes each side. Then, I finished off in the oven to melt the toppings. I used organic tomato sauce, turkey pepperonis and a little 2% mozzarella cheese. I didn’t even miss the real thing! 

Lastly, I just wanted to share an example of one of the healthy seafood meals that we made over vacation. Normally on vacation, we would eat out at restaurants every night, but this time we decided to save some money AND some calories by cooking seafood at home! We bought this fresh yellowfin tuna from the seafood market and it was just heavenly. Paired with a sweet potato and green beans. Yum!