Mondays deliciousness!

Tonights chilly weather called for some chili!!

And we had another successful recipe from Autumn Calabrese’s Fixate cookbook!  This one was even approved by my kiddos!   I used ground sirloin instead of turkey and I didn't have any goat cheese or cilantro on hand but did use some feta cheese and it was deeeeeeelicous! I also cut up one zucchini to sneak in some extra veggies for the kiddos!

The Recipe (taken directly from Fixate):

~2 tsp extra virgin organic coconut oil, melted

~1 medium onion, chopped

~1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

~1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

~2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

~1 lb cooked 93% lean ground turkey breast (or lean grass-fed ground beef)

~2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans (or pinto beans) drained, rinsed

~1 can (15 oz) organic diced tomatoes, no salt added

~1 cup red wine

~1 Tbsp ground chili powder

~1/2 tsp sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

~2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

~1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

~8 tsp crumbled goat cheese

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add onion and bell peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

3. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.

4. Add turkey, beans, tomatoes (with liquid), wine, chili powder, salt, and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

5. Evenly divide between six serving bows; top with cilantro and cheese.

(container equivalents: 1/2 green, 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 oil/fat)

Why I quit the Whole 30!

Day 14 of Whole 30 and this momma is DONE!!

I went back and forth of whether or not I should do 30 days but I have decided at this point it just isnt for me. 

I orginally started to give my body a break from sugar and alcohol and my body feels great because of that but there was not a single day on the Whole 30 where I felt more awesome than I did previously, on my own particular regime. Sure, I felt somewhat better than I did during the month of December, when I consumed far too much sugar. But I did not feel better than I would have if I had simply gone back to my own food rules.

For those of you who dont know here is the break down of this eating plan:

No grains of ANY kind.
No added sugar or artificial or natural sweeteners of ANY kind.
No legumes.No dairy.No liquefied foods (e.g., smoothies)--I stuck with my shakeology for personal reasons!No alcohol.No soy.No MSG, carageenan, sulfates or any other types of artificial additives.


So today on day 14 when I woke up, the sun was shining, my stomach was thanking me and I am feeling great! The reason I am quitting has nothing to do with feeling the desire to drink or have sugar back into my diet but because I feel like I have gotten out of this program what I wanted. 

Im sleeping fine, but I was sleeping fine before hand. I have no stomach aches but I had none before hand. 

I also realized that this plan was sucking the fun out of cooking and eating for me. For example, we go out to eat. I look at the menu. Nope cant have that because its cooked in wine, nope cant have that because it has quinoa, wait quinoa is healthy...cant have that mexican salad because it has beans..wait beans are healthy...get the point? 

And before you say yeah but  you have to finish it up before you start to feel great--there was no way I was going to continue eating that way after the 30 days, so even if some of the benefits started kicking in after 20 days, why would I care if I had those benefits for less than ten days? Was fewer than ten days of “awesome” worth 30 days of torture? UMMMM NO!

So what did I learn?

I learned that snacking is VERY important for me! I love my carrot sticks and hummus and unfortunately that is not whole 30 approved. My post workout snack and my afternoon shake are just what my body needs to feel GOOD and energized through out the day. 

I learned that my morning whole grain waffle is the perfect pre workout snack and with out it my workouts suck! 

I learned that I can totally make a delicious healthy casserole without adding all the junk. This dish was perfect for the week and the kids even loved it!

I learned some yummy recipes that I will continue to make and add into our weekly routine!

I learned that an extremely restrictive diet will push me into a super cranky mom that has no patience for anything--and nobody likes a super cranky mom!

And, I learned that the Whole 30 is not for me!!

My thoughts:

So who should do the Whole 30?

Personally I think its great for anyone who has health issues or allergies and wants to see what foods trigger it. I really dont think its a great tool for weight loss because its not something most people can do long term. But then again everyone is different and you have to find what works best for you! A pre determined meal plan like this one might be a great start for someone just getting into eating healthy but your long term solution is going to have to be one that fits your lifestyle!

If you're currently doing this plan Im still cheering for you and support you!!

For me I will go back to my regular eating plan tomorrow and I will share here what works best for me. What's your favorite eating plan?