Whole30 Archives - Page 4 of 4

Birthday Beverages: Whole30 Mocktails

A mocktail?? Yup. It’s a mocktail. A delicious birthday mocktail. But don’t flip away from this blog quite yet, friends! This is a great alternative to some of my favorite cocktails that, I promise you will… A. definitely enjoy B. possibly, one day, may be preggos and remember these options when you feel the need for a social beverageC. enjoy while counting down the {whole} 30 days until your next glass of wine!Here’s the thing: this girl needs to get back to her paleo roots. Even though I am teaming up with J for a month long birthday celebration and blogging series the Not-So-Dirty 30, my body has told me it’s time to cut back on the sweets. They do say it’s much harder to lose weight after 30 right??If you haven’t heard of the whole30 before I recommend you read up on it here. You can also see my results from the beginning of the year here. It has been a life changing program for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to restart their eating habits.As we all know, I am a huge fan of all things wine and champagne related. Partially for the social aspect. Partially for the deliciousness aspect. You’re going think I’ve gone off the deep end with this, but when I tasted the thirst quenching, amazingness that all of these mocktails bring to the table, I was floored. And *GASP* I was a-okay with skipping the wine.

{My secret: Pop it into a wine glass or mason jar and no one will even know…}

whole30 sangria mocktail with sparkling water

Whole30 “White Sangria Mocktail”

It’s got the light and crispness of a white wine. With the fruit flavors of a sangria. And the refreshing after-effect that only water gives ya!

Fill your glass with frozen fruit.

{I used strawberries, pineapples, and peaches.}

Break them up a bit if possible.

They will begin to dissolve {adding more flavor} as they melt.

Add your favorite sparkling mineral water.

Pop a couple ice cubes in there and enjoy!

whole30 sangria mocktail with mineral water

And because I cannot decide which of these beverages is my favorite - I am bringing you two Whole30 Mocktails today!

Again - this beverage is to die for. And has nothing in it that will cause your belly to bloat!

Whole30 “Gin and Tonic Mocktail”

The ingredients are basic:

Your favorite sparkling mineral water

Lime slices

Ice

Blend all of the above into a stemless wine glass and you’ve got yourself a keeper.

(Just an FYI to science experimenting geeks out there - I like to see the fizziness so I drop the ice cubes in last!)

If you’re feeling crazy and you want a Whole30 “Mojito Mocktail” - I simply add mint leaves to this drink! It’s extremely refreshing and keeps you on track with you Whole30 agenda!

So there ya have it. Not the traditional birthday beverage, but something that will keep you on track with your Whole30 and Paleo goals this summer.

A special congrats goes out to Sharon H for winning the first Not-So-Dirty 30 Giveaway! Sharon please contact J or myself to collect your prize!

If you’re looking for a more traditional cocktail to get you through your Tuesday, I highly recommend you head over to Bless Her Heart Y’all and check out this Strawberry Basil Margarita!

I’m also linking up with Living Free’s Naturally Sweet Linkup today!

What is your favorite Whole30 Beverage?

For the love of drinks that are natural and delicious…

Until next time,

Chicken Salad without Mayo! It does exist!

by Susan

Do you know what the best part of being a lifestyle blogger is? I can pretty much spend my time writing about anything under the sun.

My husband recently informed me that he does not like the concept of a “lifestyle blog.” He told me that he cannot stand it when he’s reading a paleo blog, browsing through it’s awesome recipes, and then, out of left field, they toss in some nonsense in about their kids or a craft project or their dog’s favorite color. Personally, I love it. I feel like it helps me connect with the writer. But apparently this is precisely the thing that drives my husband crazy. I assume he only reads my ADD blog because it was part of our wedding vows: in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, when blogging about paleo or fashion, as long as we both shall live.

As I struggle to figure out my current eating issues (newly discovered celiacs and lactose intolerance) I found myself at many a social shindig this past weekend. At one point, I looked down at my sparse plate realizing that out of all food available - the only two things I could eat was a naked burger (with a tomato and guac) with a side of quinoa chips and salsa (that we brought.) At this point, I am forced to be so much more cautious about what my mind is craving and what my body can handle.

With that intro - and the fact that I’m still wearing my knock-arounds (so a fashion post is out of the question) I decided today would be a wonderful day to bring you one of my go-to lunches. As a southern girl, and one who used to own her own cafe (yep, another day, another story) Chicken Salad is a summer staple. But let’s be real, chicken salad (usually made heavy-on-the-mayo) is not really the healthiest of options most of the time.

Let me introduce you to my easy-peasy paleo, whole30 approved, mayo-free chicken salad!

Ingredients:

Chicken

Guacamole

Lemon Juice

(extras can include:

salsa, celery, apple, grapes, or whatever your heart desires)

I use canned chicken. Because I’m lazy. And this stuff from Sam’s Club is quite good. One can will make a couple servings. ($10 for the five cans - it’s a pretty good deal considering their size, and cheaper than anything I have been able to found at a grocery store.)

Drain any liquid that was in the can into the sink.

Empty the chicken into a bowl.

Break up the larger pieces with a fork.

You’ve now completed the most challenging part of this recipe.

I start by adding two-ish scoops of guacamole to the chicken.

(Add more if you’d like your consistency to be even more creamy.) To keep costs down, I recommend this four pack of Wholly Guacamole, again from Sam’s Club. I think it works out to be $2/pack - which is a lot cheaper than most grocery stores. (Yes, you could make your own guacamole - but like I said, I’m lazy.)

Mix the chicken and the guac until it has a chicken salad consistency.

Personally, I love extra flavor. I love spicy guacamole. The husband on the other hand - not so much. And lucky for him, the only Wholly Guacamole that they sell at Sam’s is pretty plain jane in my opinion.

So I add a spoonful of salsa to just give the salad a bit more flavor.

Lastly, I spritz the chicken salad with lemon juice (to help keep the guac from turning to a gross brown color.)

My mom adds celery and apples to this chicken salad when she makes it. Do whatever you want. Be creative and embrace the fact that you can have chicken salad without mayonnaise!

Mix it all together.

Serve it on a bed of lettuce or as a wrap with some romaine leaves for a quick and easy lunch on the run!

What do you use to as a mayo substitute? Guacamole has really (out of no where) become a staple in my life. I used to hate it but now I practically eat it daily. I love discovering clean foods, that make me feel good, that I used to hate, but now I love! Next on my list is to try guacamole deviled eggs… I will have to let ya know how that turns out! 🙂

Today I am linking up with Rachel at Southern Fairytale for Mouthwatering Monday.

The Unblogful Process

by Susan

So to catch you up… here’s how my life typically goes.

I write a few blog posts.

Life gets crazy.

Every day I think “I should blog about this.”

Life goes from crazy to cray (just not enough time to even add that the ‘z’)

I have brilliant blog ideas when I am driving. Or when showering.

(Neither are ideal blog-moments)

I begin to feel sad when I realize my camera is dusty and my creative juices are about as useful as olive oil that’s been in the fridge.

I take the juices out of the fridge and put them in a glass of warm water for a few minutes.

And then we are here. At this very moment.

Where I will sit and write. And feel good. I will even plan out posts for the rest of the week. And next week. But then we go back to the “Life gets crazy” phase and start this long, unblogful process all over again.

With the new marketing job, along side of spring (i.e. wedding season getting in gear) I spend a bulk of my hours on the computer every day. When it comes time to write in the evenings… quite frankly my computer is the last place I want to be. But blogging without a computer is just a diary. And that’s just no fun. Unless it is a Lisa Frank Diary. With a plastic lock.

I left you hanging back in February. If you remember, at the start of the year, I decided that my new year’s resolutions included getting healthy. I am proud to say that as of right now, I’m still working on it! I spent January, February, and March as a strict clean eater. I did two Whole30s and felt wonderful.

April, in my humble opinion, has been a bit of a set back. I have been trying to add foods back into my life only to realize I have Celaic Disease (or an maybe just an extremely severe gluten intolerance on top of my newly found dairy intolerance.) Either way, I’m not thrilled.

But we will figure it out. I will keep up with my clean eating and begin to read menus much more carefully. It’s a bit easier now that my husband and my mom (the two crazy people who keep up with my issues 24/7) are realizing that I’m not “making it up” and that certain dinners do require an immediate d-hall dash. (Any JMU-ers reading would understand that.)

Luckily, we are saving money to build a house. Hooray! Which means we aren’t eating out nearly as often as we did in the past. Which also means I can control what I’m eating while saving money and eating clean homemade food! I guess that’s what they call a win-win!

With all of this being said, I have done so many fun things recently that I need to share with you! My sister and I did a dirty girl mud run! We are getting our house clean and prettified to put up for sale! I have become ob-wait for it-sessed with house plans and designs. Oh and I finally got my paws on our wedding album and videos! I’m thinking I should do a Wedding Wednesday Post every week… since I really never shared any of our wedding with you!

Happy May y’all. Maybe I will see you tomorrow. Or maybe the vicious unblogful process will start all over and I will see you again in 2 months. Either way, go jam out to some old school nsync and have a lovely day!

My Whole30 Results and Experience

by Susan

{via pinterest}

This blog post is long over due. If you know me in real life, if you follow me on instagram, or if you happen to be one of my facebook friends, you know that I spent January doing a #Whole30. The hashtag really doesn’t have to be there. It’s called a Whole30, but I feel like it looks so much more hip with the #.

My 30 day extreme paleo challenge was tough. My husband is a good man. He put up with my whining, my I-want-to-kill-everything attitude that popped up every now and then, he ate at Chipotle more than anyone ever wants to… wait… Chipotle was never a problem. I went through sugar withdrawals, I learned several new ways to cook eggs since I had them for breakfast every day, and I gave up wine. GASP! NO WINE?! Yuppers! No wine. Not even a drop.

And it was one of the best experiences of my life.

I had tried to do a whole30 in the past. And I failed. I’m pretty sure I didn’t actually commit. Like, there was no mental commitment. I allowed myself to cheat. I allowed myself to sneak some cheese on my Chipotle burrito bowl. I gave up around day 23 because “I made it 3 weeks… that should be enough right?”

Nope. 23 days wasn’t enough. And sneaking cheese really wasn’t worth it.

I had results in 23 days. But nothing spectacular. And nothing that made me feel like I really accomplished something. In January though, when I made it the full 30 days, with not even one single cheat - I felt like I could take on the world.

My skin cleared up. My migraines disappeared. I felt amazing. I lost 9 pounds. Hallelujah, my clothes fit again! (Which meant I stopped crying every time I would get dressed. Yes, that was really happening. Again, my husband’s a saint.)

I have been really hesitant to put my before and after pictures out in the world. There’s only about 4 people who have seen them. I’m not proud of how I looked. And I’m still not super happy with how I look. But it’s a process. And if the results just happened overnight, I’m pretty positive I wouldn’t appreciate the changes as much. So here you go. Drum roll please… my before and after pictures from my first successful Whole30. {Be kind with your judgements please!}

This picture, to me, is the most obvious. And the most embarrassing.

You can see a slight difference in my face. It’s a bit less round.

No 6 pack here… but again, a bit less round. And still completely embarrassing to be posting. Please don’t judge.

So there you have it. I wish I could reach through this computer screen and really just tell you how awesome this experience was. But I can’t. So I am doing it again in March. Not so much for me… I’m still eating healthy, minus my ridiculous addiction to snacking on almond butter and raisins. (That needs to stop. Stat.)

What do you have to give up, you ask? Grains, dairy, Booze, Legumes and Soy, Added and Processed Sugars… basically everything is clean, fresh food. Nothing from a box. Unless you pack your meals in a lunch box before work. Homemade Lunch Box meals are a-okay! 😉

After a random, meaningless post on facebook late last night, about possibly doing another Whole30 in March, I had almost 15 people contact me saying that want to do it! SO!! I will be sending out recipes, tips, and I am going to try to put together meal plans and grocery lists for you full of recipes and meals that worked for me. And I suggest you join us.

Last week when I mentioned the idea to my mom, she flat out said “Well I would have to look at my calendar first.” Guys, it’s just 30 days. As I get older, time flies by. Seriously, time is speeding up! You might as well take advantage of it.

It’s delicious, clean and healthy food that you will love. That office party pizza and cookies will happen again. I promise you there will be more wine tastings. The world does not have a shortage of cupcakes. But there’s only one you. This is the only body you’ve been given. So give it a shot. I promise you will hate the process (for at least the first 2 weeks) but you will love the results.

{Unless you’re getting married in March… then I recommend you eat wedding cake. Tons and tons of wedding cake.}

A week after the Whole30 and feeling great!

I recommend you check out the information on the Whole30 Site. If you want to join in on the fun, or you have questions, shoot me an email and I will get you added to the list: [email protected]

I’m looking forward to it friends! I hope you are too!

Birthday Beverages: Whole30 Mocktails

Chicken Salad without Mayo! It does exist!

The Unblogful Process

My Whole30 Results and Experience

Connect

inst-happening!