Whole30 Day 25 – Back on the Blogging Wagon and Announcing a New Venture

Recap of the Last Week

Well, friends, I’m so sorry that I didn’t blog about my Whole30 for the last week! It felt like I missed two days, and then I was surprised to see that I’d missed a whole week. Time just flies. My son got sick again and I spent more time focused on family and less on blogging. As it should be.

The last week was hard for me. Perhaps it was harder because I wasn’t blogging and keeping up with my accountability. Perhaps it was hard because my hormones are changing and I was struggling to handle the stress of everyday things on top of the Whole30 commitment. Luckily, although I did continue to eat too many Larabars than they recommend, I stayed on track. I’m going to finish the next five days strong!

Our food budget started to get tight over the last week and I think that added extra stress as I was trying to find ways to get all the food we needed to stay full and on track, but stay under our budget. And because my son was sick my days were more disorganized and planning and prepping became a lot harder. I didn’t have as many leftovers available for quick meals and the end result was grabbing a banana or apple or Larabar in a pinch.

Not eating enough at each meal probably aggravated my stress levels. It was my most emotional week of the program so far, certainly my most emotional week in a long time. I am typically a level-headed and happy person, so when I get in a slump (feeling inconsolable and inadequate) like that it’s hard for me to admit it, let alone share it. Probably another reason to avoid blogging all week. I just couldn’t think of anything good to share. And I would always prefer to share the happy stuff. My worry over my son’s health was especially hard this week.

A little Instagram Recap of my son’s health

Instagram Recap January 2018Instagram Recap January 2018Instagram Recap January 2018

Liam is feeling much better, but we’re still waiting on the results of his blood work to completely rule out everything that can keep a mom up at night worrying.

On with the Whole30

I’m feeling much better and brighter today. Yesterday we had broccoli and salmon for dinner which I truly think helped to lift my spirits and restore some balance.

Food wise, the last week was a lot of repeats of things I did the first two weeks. In one way, this was helpful because it’s always easier to make something you’ve had before. On the other hand, I’m getting tired of some of the staple foods, like sweet potatoes and avocados. I never thought I’d get tired of avocados.

On the plus side, we did pick up something new to us: LaCroix Sprinkling water. My husband has been on a mission to give up soda for a long time, but he still misses it. He would always get Orange Soda or Dr. Pepper. (I gave up soda in high school–over a decade ago, eek–so I don’t miss it much, I’m always happy with water or coffee and occasionally iced tea for special occasions.) At first, he said it tasted like watered-down orange soda and he wasn’t a fan. But as the week went on he said it was slowly growing on him. We’ll see how his tastes change over time I guess!

Countdown to the End

Only five more days! I doubt that I’ll be able to blog every day, but I am planning on keeping better track this week and then doing a final Whole30-Day 30 blog. After that, I’ll do a “what I learned” from the Whole30 experience. I will probably try to blog a bit about each reintroduction phase, too.

Today’s Quick Whole30 Meal Recap:

Breakfast: 2 Eggs Over Easy, Bacon, and an Avocado, Coffee & Almond Milk

Lunch: Spaghetti Squash with Apple Chicken Sausage, Coffee & Almond Milk

Dinner: Lemon n’ Garlic Roasted Chicken with mini-potatoes, brussel sprouts, and carrots.

Announcing A New Venture

Well, I touched on this briefly in my 2018 Resolutions post, and I think once or twice before in previous Whole30 posts. Last October I began using Young Living Essential Oils. I had high hopes that I would love the effect they’d have on our home and our family’s health. I absolutely love them, and even more so, I love the Young Living company. So I’ve decided to become a Young Living Independent Distributor!

Umm, Stephanie, what does that mean? This doesn’t mean I’m going to be a salesperson, not at all, because I would hate that. What it does mean, is that I get to teach and share with others as I learn about oils and as we use them in our lives. If you decide to start using essential oils and you purchase your oils using my ID number: 13280439 I would earn a commission on your purchase and you would join my team!

Uhh, Stephanie, what’s a team? When you sign up with my ID number you are joining my team. You’ll be invited to a private Facebook group where you can ask questions and get support and even make new friends, and I’ll be here to answer any questions you may have and guide you on your journey.

Uhh, do I have to be an independent distributor? No, you don’t have to be an independent distributor, but it’s an option for you if you ever decide you want to give it a try (at any time.) This is also an easy way to get your oils covered so they’re essentially free to you, plus you get to help others learn new ways to get toxic chemicals out of their homes and support your family’s overall health.

I’m very excited about sharing this opportunity with you! If you’re interested in learning more about oils please visit my brand-new site, Your Essential Oils HQ!

At the End of the Day

Can I just say how grateful I am for each and every one of you that have continued to read these blogs and support me on my journey to better health? It means so much to me.

I hope that as January comes to a close your New Year’s Resolutions are going strong and that 2018 is treating you well!

Don’t forget, if you’re looking to start a Whole30 (or any health-food program) soon, be sure to use my code for 20% OFF your first 3 orders at Thrive Market! If you’re not sure what to order, check out my Top 10 Whole30 Picks!

Night night, friends!


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Whole30 Day 18

Breakfast

Getting a little tired of leftovers, but we have so much leftover that I have to use it so it doesn’t go to waste. I had butternut squash and chicken thighs for the third day in a row. I’m starting to miss having eggs for breakfast, haha.

Lunch/Snacks

I spent all day buried in my computer and housework, and I never really wanted to stop to eat an actual lunch. I also didn’t want to cook anything. So against my goal of snacking less I just sort of grazed throughout the day. I’ve never been one to like olives on my pizza or in my salad, but they were one of the recommended snacks for the Whole30 so I picked some up from the olive bar at Wegmans the other day. I thought I might try to give my taste buds a break from the regular and eat something new. But I have to say, I still don’t really like olives. I’ll keep trying them to see if my tastes change. I also ate quite a few carrots, along with an EPIC bar, and a banana with almond butter.

Dinner

Tonight was a night when the old me would’ve preferred to get a pizza. I cleaned all day and just wanted to collapse come dinner time, not get up and cook and make another mess. I had planned to make a sheet pan pork and veggies, but in the end, we decided to keep it simple and just have over easy eggs with avocado and leftover potatoes and brussel sprouts. The kids had almond butter and jelly sandwiches, too. Spoiler alert: tomorrow we’ll have the pork.

At the End of the Day

It felt pretty good to come up with an easy dinner and be able to relax a little bit more this evening. Hopefully, I’ll remember this night the next time I’m craving a pizza and I should just make an easy dinner instead.

The days are starting to run together and I’m losing track of which day I’m on! Which I guess is a good thing. Better than counting down the days til it’s over.

Bonus Ending

Also, I spent all day writing a BONUS blog for you! I’m pretty excited to share it with you, too. I wrote my My Top 10 Whole30 Picks, AND you can see how to get them from Thrive Market with a discount!

Thanks for reading friends! Do you have any questions about the Whole30, my experience or the program? Comment below and I’ll try my best to answer them!


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Top 10 Whole30 Picks + 20% Off Your First 3 Months at Thrive Market!

Thrive Market #forthewin

I’m super excited to announce that I am now a Thrive Market Affiliate! What does that mean? It means that I’ll be able to offer you discount codes and promotions through my site. How awesome is that?!

If you click on a link to Thrive Market through the Sense and Stephanie website and start a free trial, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. That commission makes it possible for me to help support my family and I’m grateful for every single person that clicks through and gives it a try. But it’s not just about earnings here.

This partnership makes me so happy because I love and use Thrive Market myself, and wouldn’t recommend them if I didn’t! Especially, if you’re looking to start a Whole30, Thrive Market is a great place to shop for all your pantry needs. Sign up today with my link and you’ll get 20% off your first THREE orders! Eeek!


Thrive Market sells your favorite organic and non-gmo brands for up to 50% off retail.

Here’s how it works:
1. Register for FREE
Register for free to browse the Thrive Market catalog and see how members save 20-50% off retail prices on all-natural and organic products.
2. Start your trial

With your first purchase on Thrive Market, you’ll start a free 30-day membership trial. Healthy products delivered right to your door! (Plus, all orders of $49 or more receive FREE shipping!) See how much you save. Cancel anytime. (And don’t forget, if you sign up through the links in the post you’ll also get 20% off your first three orders.

3. Join the community

After your 30-day free trial, you can join Thrive Market for just $59.95 and save on the world’s best healthy products for a full year. When you join, you are also sponsoring a free membership for a low-income family. <– How is awesome is that?

Whole30 Approved Products

My Top 10 Whole30 Picks

I used Thrive Market to order a ton of Whole30 goodies before starting my January Whole30. They even have a Whole30 category on their website to make it easier for you to find compliant products. Here are links to My Top 10 Whole30 Products that I personally order and love.

1. The New Primal Classic Marinade & Cooking Sauce – I used this as a marinade for my pork recipe on Day 2! It was delicious and I plan on making it again tomorrow!

2. Thrive Market Clarified Butter Ghee – This one was completely new to me, I’d never had clarified butter before starting the Whole30, but I love it. I had tried a flavored version a few years ago and disliked it, so I’m going to stick with this original one for now. If you are interested in using ghee for the very first time then this is a great one to begin with.

3. Thrive Market Pink Salmon, Canned – I used this salmon to make salmon cakes and they were delicious! See how I did them on Day 3.

4. Primal Kitchen Chipotle Mayo – If you clicked on the link above for the salmon recipe, you would’ve seen that I used this in the salmon cakes, too! This was also great just to add a bit of flavor to leftovers that would’ve been dry after reheating them. (If you don’t want the Chipotle flavor you could get their Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonaisse.)

5. Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing with Avocado Oil – I might be best friends with Primal Kitchen by the time this Whole30 is over. They make several awesome dressings and all of them are great. We keep the Ranch, Greek, Green Goddess, and Caesar in stock at all times. They’re great for salads, of course, but also for dipping veggies or drizzling over chicken dishes.

6. Coconut Milk – I used this coconut milk for my sweet potatoes in my shepherd’s pie on Day 6 and in my butternut squash mash on Day 15. Easy to use, thick and creamy, (just shake well before you open the can.) Coconut milk is also great for coffee or fruit smoothies.

7. Two for one, because they’re both tomato based. First off,  Organic Diced Tomatoes. Two jars of diced tomatoes plus two jars of the Tomato Paste, along with 2 pounds of ground beef and 2-3 cupfuls of chopped bell peppers and onions, with some minced garlic and salt n’ pepper, make for the simplest and heartiest legume and dairy-free Crockpot Chili. I had it on Day 15 btw.

8. Peppermint Tea – OMG I love this tea. If you like to curl up with a book and a cuppa tea in the evening, this one is perfect. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, this one is perfect. It’s light but full of yummy peppermint flavor. I’m considering giving up coffee on my next Whole30 and I think I’ll replace my morning coffee habit with this tea. And check out the label above… calm, cool and collected, uplifting… my kind of tea.

9. Raw Cashews – In my opinion, cashews are the kings of the nut family. They aren’t as sweet as pecans or walnuts, but they’re far easier to chew than almonds. If you’re having a hard time crunching on almonds, switch to cashews. You can even learn to make your own cashew butter and cashew milk! Ahhh! I think I’m going to try to do that soon, but I have to reorder them because Barkley and I blew through them in the first 10 days.

10. And last, but certainly not least, our precious Larabars. If you’ve read any of my Whole30 blogs then you’ll know how much we love Larabars. My kids love them, I love them, and my hubby swears they’re the only reason he’s been able to survive a Whole30 so far. I linked to the Apple Pie version because A. It tastes great and B. It’s Whole30 compliant. Beware here, not ALL Larabars are Whole30 compliant. But they are ALL easy to read and understand. Pecan Pie is my favorite flavor, which sadly Thrive Market doesn’t have right now, but it only has three ingredients: pecans, almonds, and dates. In general, when you’re reading labels, the fewer the ingredients and the easier they are to pronounce the healthier the item will be. Larabar does a great job of making bars that are yummy and simple.

The 10 above are just the ones I’ve tried and loved so far. I’ve got a wishlist going of more Whole30 approved products I want to try like these Nutpods! They’re dairy-free creamers for your coffee! Woohoo! I usually just use almond milk in my coffee which is fine, but sometimes it would be nice to have a vanilla-flavored creamer! I’ll let you know how they are after I order them!

Start your FREE trial

Ready to start your FREE Trial? Just click here and start shopping! Happy eating, friends!

Also, if you’re wondering if it’s worth it to buy organic, I want to share this quick video with you. It’s eye-opening. My family can’t afford to go all organic just yet, but we’re working our way there because I’m passionate about kicking toxic-chemicals and pesticides to the curb. Thrive Market is helping me do that, so I’m grateful for the variety of products and wholesale prices they offer.


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Whole30 Day 17

More than halfway through! I had a lot on my plate today! Schedule-wise, that is. Although probably food-wise, too! Haha.

Breakfast

Coffee and almond milk, the usual. I had a quick apple before I left the house for an early parent-teacher conference. (By the way, my son’s preschool teacher says that he’s doing great adjusting to his first year in preschool and he’s right on track academically, “if not ahead.” So #proudmomalert.) When I got home I reheated a piece of yesterday’s spicy brown mustard chicken thighs from dinner and added a side of butternut squash mash. It was a leftover mix-up!

Lunch/Snacks

I was out and about today! I went to “lunch” with a friend which was especially nice, but we didn’t actually eat. Lol. She ate in advance so that I wouldn’t have to witness her eating non-compliant food! (Which she totally didn’t need to do…) I took some snacks along with me for sustenance, including an EPIC Bison Bacon Chia Bar, a Larabar, and some baby carrots. Then, when I got home I chowed down on yesterday’s brussel sprouts and potatoes. Yay for more veggies.

Dinner

Skillet dinner! This is one of the easiest dinners ever. I slice up zucchini, potatoes, and apple chicken sausage and throw it in the skillet with some ghee. Cook for about 10 minutes and serve. My husband loves it, it provides tons of leftovers, and even my kids asked for seconds. (I’m usually begging them to eat what’s on their plate.)

At the End of the Day

When I started reading about and planning for this January Whole30 our local library did not have the book Food Freedom Forever yet. By some luck, I checked again and low and behold they just got it! So I quickly requested it and went to pick it up today. I’m hoping to devour this book this weekend in preparation for how to move forward past our January Whole30. I’m nervous about the reintroduction phase and hoping this will prepare me for it.

Also, I had an interesting revelation today. I realized that while I have been incredibly focused on completing this program 100%, with no glaring errors, (and so far, I feel I’ve done that) I haven’t felt guilty about any of my food choices for 17 days straight. I’ve been able to share everything I eat with the world, without remorse or shame, and that is incredible. It’s liberating and motivating. I’m so glad that we set out on this journey, and I’m so glad I decided to blog about it, and I’m so excited to see where this trajectory takes us this year. Can you tell how excited I am? 😉

P.S. My husband says that I’m not allowed to not buy Larabars because he swears that they’re the only reason he’s been able to survive the Whole30 so far. So I guess he’s forced my hand and I’ll just have to buy the delicious bars again. Also, he weighed in (which is technically against the rules, but to be fair he didn’t weigh-in directly before starting the January Whole30, and the last time he weighed himself was before Thanksgiving). He estimates that he’s lost approximately 24 pounds. Jaw drop. I haven’t weighed in since Thanksgiving as well, and I made it a point not to do any weigh-ins so that I literally couldn’t measure this experience by weight loss. All that said, of course, I’m hoping to lose some weight, and while I know my progress won’t be the same as my husband’s, I’m happy to see that he’s getting some results and that means that the changes we’re making are working.

P.S.S. Pecan Pie Larabars are the best. The end.

Night night, friends!


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Whole30 Day 16

Confession. I’m writing this post a day late. I know, I’m so sorry.

Yesterday morning I decided to set a few small goals which included increasing my vegetable intake and exercising.

Breakfast

Coffee and almond milk to start the day as usual.  I’m tackling my goal of more veggies by starting the day off with a load of them! I chopped up some peeled the sweet potatoes and broccoli, tossed them in extra-virgin olive oil and roasted them at 400° for 20 minutes. It was actually very filling and quite delicious, and surprisingly tasty!

Exercise

I haven’t done a true workout since before Christmas. Sad, but true. I figured I’d ease myself back into it by starting with 30 minutes of treadmill time. Which is great because for a long time last year that treadmill time was when I would read my bible app. But when I stopped exercising I stopped reading as much, too. Now that I’m finally starting to feel better and the flu season is behind us, I’m hoping to recommit to that time for exercise and scripture regularly.

Lunch

I had a bit of broccoli and sweet potato from breakfast leftover so I ate that along with some chicken that I had already prepped. Easy peasy.

Snack

An orange. A Larabar. I don’t think I’m going to buy any more Larabars. Because I love them too much.

Dinner

I made a sheet pan dinner, but there was so much food that it actually took two sheet pans to make. Lol. On one pan I roasted chicken thighs that I had rubbed with spicy brown mustard and extra virgin olive oil. On the other pan, I tossed mini red potatoes and halved brussel sprouts with extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The chicken baked for 35 minutes at 400 degrees, and then rested while the veggies finished for another 5 minutes for a total of 40 minutes. I also rotated the pans halfway through cooking and stirred the vegetables.

At the End of the Day

As simple as it was to set those two small goals they made a big difference! My workout definitely gave me extra energy and encouragement, and eating more vegetables, which has been hard to do on the Whole30, seemed easy just by setting my sights on them.

This is feeling more normal and less impossible every day.

Thanks for reading! Night night, friends!


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Whole30 Day 15

Whole Day 15

The start of Week Three! Woohoo! We’re making it through!

Breakfast

I was super lazy today and ate yesterday’s chili for breakfast AND lunch. 😂 I knew my hubby wasn’t going to eat any more of it because he doesn’t like chili to begin with, but take out the beans and cheese and it was pointless to him.

Snacks

I had a Lara Bar. For shame. But I also snacked on carrots. And a banana. And I had two extra cups of coffee today.

Dinner

For dinner, I boiled some chopped butternut squash until tender, drained the water, returned the squash to the pan and blended it with ghee and coconut milk.

Then I sautéed yesterday’s sliced bell peppers and onion in the skillet, and reheated the chicken I prepped yesterday.

I plated the butternut squash mash and topped it with the chicken and peppers and then drizzled it all with green chile sauce.

I’ve yet to find a store-made salsa that doesn’t have sugar in it. I came across a green chile sauce in the store and the ingredients were Whole30 compliant so I decided to give it a try! And strangely it went well together!

At the End of the Day

This is getting easier! Cravings are minimal and I’m finding that I have the mental discipline to overcome them, which is a great non-scale victory. I’m getting a little nervous about reintroducing foods because I’m afraid that the second we try one of the old, go-to foods we loved that we’re going to landslide backward. I’m going to try to focus the next two weeks on really understanding the reintroduction phase and preparing for life after Whole30!

Also, the big news in our house today was that our daughter Evelyn came home with a very special note from her teacher. Evelyn has autism and hypotonia which means her muscle tone is low. She’s been working so hard to build her grip strength and practice making lines, circles, and shapes in an effort to work towards making letters. Her handwriting has been my biggest concern for her this year. She’s doing great in therapy conquering physical goals like going up and down stairs and climbing objects, but I’ve honestly worried a lot about her ability to move on to first grade without the ability to write. Today her teacher sent home a bunch of alphabet tracing sheets, almost the whole alphabet, that Evelyn had traced 100% independently. This is huge progress for her and we are so proud!

I’ll end on that positive note! Night night, friends!


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Whole30 Day 14

Whole30 Day 14

I’m writing this blog midday, with the hopes that it’ll be done before we leave for our Financial Peace University class this afternoon, and then I won’t have to worry about writing late tonight. So hopefully as I write I won’t mess up the tenses too much and confuse you! lol.

Breakfast

So to recap the morning: first I had my coffee and almond milk, then my water and Lemon Vitality Essential Oil. For breakfast, I reheated yesterday’s gourmet egg cups which were not so gourmet anymore, but still full of protein and healthy fats to start the day. I forgot to share a photo of the egg cups yesterday, so I’ll share it here today!

Lunch

For lunch, I played it super-duper simple and heated some all-natural turkey hot dogs by Applegate Naturals. I sliced up some tomatoes and avocado and added grapes to complete the meal. We used spicy brown mustard on the hot dogs to give them some flavor. Today’s lunch was less about creating a delicious meal and more about eating quickly in between events. I know I need to find ways to incorporate more vegetables!

Snack

A little bit later I was still hungry so I had a Lara Bar. These are definitely my weakness. Awareness is the first step. I figure at this point having one Lara Bar for a snack isn’t entirely detrimental to my progress with the Whole30. And since I’m making progress in other areas I’m giving myself some grace here. But I’m also looking ahead to planning our next Whole30 and trying to plan for ways to improve, such as more veggies at each meal and fewer snack bars. I don’t seem to have a problem getting a lot of protein.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the introductory phase goes after the Whole30, because prior to the Whole30 I was trying to eat more plant protein than animal protein, but if I find that I can’t tolerate beans or chickpeas, etc, I don’t know I’m going to do! (And if, heaven forbid, I can’t tolerate peanut butter, I don’t know what I’m going to do.)

Dinner

I spent some time prepping a bunch of grilled chicken so that we’d have it ready to throw together for dinner tomorrow night and lunches throughout the week. In addition to the chicken, I sliced and chopped a bunch of bell peppers for two different meals. I set aside the sliced peppers for tomorrow’s dinner and threw the chopped peppers in the crockpot with ground beef, diced tomatoes, diced onion, tomato paste, and seasonings for tonight. This way, when we get home from class tonight at 6:30, dinner will be ready!

Day 14 Recap

Sure enough, the meal prepping and planning is getting easier and this is feeling more like normal life than a 30-day challenge. So I’m psyched about that. I’ve also noticed that since I’m avoiding the Starbucks at Target, I haven’t spent much money at Target since starting the Whole30 either! Sorry, Target! But also, how enlightening to see that my spending choices in other areas of my budget are affected by my food choices!

At this point, we’ve completed two full weeks on the Whole30 and the books say that’s typically when people start to tire of the program. Luckily, I’m still feeling motivated to finish it out and see how our lives are transformed at the end of it! Woot woot!

Thanks for reading, friends!


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Whole30 Day 12 AND Day 13

Whole30 Day 12 and 13

Day 12

It’s amazing how quickly I can forget what I’ve eaten when I don’t regularly stop and blog throughout the day. By dinner time on Day 12, we’d decided we were officially going to go out for dinner. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur…

If I recall correctly, my breakfast was an apple with almond butter. Lunch was leftovers. And a Pecan Pie Lara Bar was my snack.

Dinner

I knew this time would come. I knew that there would come a point of complete overwhelm while trying to keep up with my kitchen and all the meal prep. So I took the night off! We went to Core Life Eatery, where I was able to build a bone broth bowl from scratch. Here’s what I put in it:

  • Napa Cabbage
  • Peas
  • Celery
  • Beets
  • Steak
  • Beef Bone Broth

I figured that this was as close to perfect as I could get eating out at a restaurant and I took my chances. It tasted okay but I still came home hungry. My husband had a salad with:

  • Romaine
  • Spinach
  • Chicken
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Cranberries
  • Balsamic Vinaigrette

He came home hungry, too. And a small (very, very small) part of me wished we’d just stayed home and cooked. The other part of me was relieved I didn’t have to cook or clean and that at the very least, we ventured out and gave it a shot.

Day 13

Breakfast

I started the day with my lemon vitality essential oil in water! And then a little bit later I had my coffee with almond milk. Wishing I had more peppermint vitality oil to put in my coffee these days, but I’m all out!

I got fancy this morning and decided to make something new for breakfast. I’m not quite sure how to start working other non-egg-related meals into our breakfast. So we keep eating different variations of egg recipes. I found a recipe that included my daughter’s favorite: bacon! I wrapped bacon up in a muffin tin and put sliced potatoes in the bottom topped with red bell peppers and baked it at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Then I topped each one with an egg and baked it for another 10 minutes until the whites were set. They made cute little gourmet egg cups. Afterwards, I scooped them out to let them cool and topped them with some fresh chopped cilantro.

We were out and about today so we took some simple provisions with us so we could snack while we were away from the home. My husband took our son to the Toy Musem and our daughter came with me to our church for an Essential Oils 101 class that my dear friend hosted. If you remember in my 2018 Resolutions blog post, I shared that I am learning a lot about essential oils. I’m very excited about becoming a distributor for Young Living and will be posting more on that soon.

Lunch

After all the morning fun time, we met up at the zoo. We packed a lunch of EPIC bison bars, carrots, and grapes. It was a little light but it with easy to transport and it fueled us all the way through the zoo.

Today was definitely a test because, in the past, on our way home from the zoo we would always drive right by Starbucks and stop for an afternoon treat. Driving past it today felt like it was calling out to me that I should stop and get my coconut milk cascara latte. We did not stop and the kids never noticed, but I sure did miss the treat. They say it takes three days to create a habit and 21 days to break it. Does that mean that I have to go to the zoo and drive past Starbucks on the way home 21 times to get over the habit of going to Starbucks after the zoo? I guess it’s a good thing our passes expire next month.

Dinner

I sliced up some potatoes very thinly and baked them for about 10 minutes and then turned them over and broiled them until they were crispy. Baked some bacon, let it cool, and then chopped it into bacon bits and mixed it with equal parts nutritional yeast. I grilled some chicken in my skillet and chopped that up while everything was baking. Next, I tossed some chopped broccoli in olive oil.

Then I layered everything in a casserole dish and baked it for 20 minutes at 350 and created a loaded potato casserole. Woot woot! Topped it with Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing.

After dinner, we went to see Disney on Ice! It was such a fun experience. The kids loved it and I loved it, and it was so nice to be reminded of our days at Disney World when we had annual passes in Florida. I think I miss Disney more then the kids.

At the End of the Day

Well, Whole30 is getting easier to manage, I’m still having some cravings for sweets but I’m using my three-minute rule to remind myself that if I just wait three minutes the craving will likely pass. Understanding when my body is hungry versus when my mind is bored or tired or in need of some kind of fulfillment has been probably the most beneficial part of the program for me.

Also, a friend texted me this morning and told me that my blog was inspiring her to give Whole30 another try! I just have to say to that one person, thank you so much for your encouragement. That kind of support is so helpful and it is keeping me accountable for writing these blogs and sharing my journey. I said in a post a while back that it feels a little ridiculous to share what you’re eating every day but if one person can benefit from my journey then I’m going to keep sharing!

I really hope that if there’s anyone that’s about to embark on the Whole30, and you have questions or are in need of support, please let me know how I can help and encourage you! It would be an honor!

And with that, I will bid you adieu.

Night night, friends!


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Whole30 Day 11

Whole30 Day 11

Gettin’ Movin’

I had a hard time sleeping last night because my lower body was aching. My muscles felt so tight and it even felt like my bones were aching! Weird. Researching on Google this morning didn’t give me many answers. It’s likely that something I’m eating is causing inflammation in my body. So I’m going to be reviewing my food logs (thankful for these) to see if there’s anything that could be the culprit.

I’m also going to try to keep moving more throughout the day. I definitely spend too much time sitting in my office chair. In an effort to spend less time at the computer and a little more time moving around and cleaning my house I think I will be blogging a little less over the next week or so. This may mean my posts will be shorter, or I might skip a day, I’m not sure yet. We’ll see. I’m getting strangely attached to the routine of publishing one blog post per day! Lol.

Breakfast

For the first time ever I made ground pork into little patties and grilled them in ghee, and then had that with two over easy eggs. Note to self: need more veggies.

Lunch

Leftovers from two days ago: sweet potatoes, chicken, onion, bell peppers. I was out of guacamole, so to give the leftovers some oompf I tossed them in a little bit of Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Avocado Mayonaisse.

Snack

An orange. And an RXbar.

Dinner

I really, really, really didn’t want to cook. I did some research and figured out that we could safely eat a restaurant that happened to be near our mechanic. We’d dropped my car off this morning while Evelyn was at school and we had our only extra car seat in my husband’s car for Liam.

I was so excited for my husband to come home from work so we could go pick up my car from the mechanic and go out to eat for dinner. No dishes! Relief!

On my husband’s way home from work he called me and ever so gently told me that we couldn’t go out to dinner because we left Evelyn’s car seat in the car at the mechanic. We literally couldn’t go get the car. We clearly weren’t thinking this morning. (It would’ve taken too long to go get the car seat, come home, and go back.)

So I had to cook tonight. We’re getting low on options so I didn’t have a lot to choose from. I ended up making the Salmon Patties again (see the recipe from Day 3) but this time I put them on a bed of spinach with some chopped raw zucchini, red onion, tomatoes, and spicy brown mustard.

At the End of the Day

We’ve decided that we’re definitely going out to eat tomorrow and I am so looking forward to it! Mama needs a break from doing dishes and cooking morning, noon, and night!

Night night, friends!


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Whole30 Day 10

I think I’m finally getting into a rhythm with the Whole30. I’m waking up and thinking less about how hard it is to follow the program and instead just making it part of my daily life. I had a few cravings yesterday but managed to push through. I got a good night’s rest last night for the first time in a long time. And I took my puppy Watson for a walk this morning to get some fresh air and activity points on my Fitbit, lol. My son went back to school today and I’ve spent the morning working on blogging and doing a bit of reading on Essential Oils. Here’s how I got the day started with food:

Breakfast

Coffee and Almond Milk. Check. Scrambled eggs topped with yesterday’s homemade guacamole and two slices of Pederson’s all-natural uncured bacon. Water with Lemon Vitality Essential Oil helped to perk me up this morning, too. 😉

Pre Lunch Snack

I was hungry early today so I snacked on some pre-prepped sliced zucchini and EPIC Bacon Bites.

Lunch

Give me leftovers or give me… work? Too lazy to make something fresh for lunch so I had yesterday’s sweet potatoes, peppers, onions, and chicken sans the guac since I ate it all at breakfast. But it was worth the sacrifice, the eggs needed it more than the nachos.

Dinner

I really didn’t want to cook dinner tonight. It would’ve been much easier to pack the kids up in the car and head to eat somewhere. Instead, I diced up some zucchini, potatoes, and apple chicken sausage and threw it all in my skillet. That’s it. My husband said it was great and went back for seconds. So I’ll be making this one again!

At the End of the Day

This blog is technically posting the morning of Day 11 because I just didn’t have it in me last night. So I guess you could say that at the end of day 10 I was worn out. I feel like I’m reaching a burn out phase and I have to be very careful for the next few days to push through and stay committed. Part of doing that, means I’m going to ease up on blogging, as I’d rather be more successful doing the Whole30 than blogging about it. I’ll still be writing out what I’m eating each day, but I might do a recap every few days instead of every single night.

Are you doing a Whole30? How did you get past the burn out phase?

Thanks for your help and support, friends!


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