Whole30 Challenge: Day 2
Thurs, March 2nd
DISCLAIMER:
If you haven't already read my disclaimer, please click the link HERE from Day 1 of our challenge. As with any lifestyle or dietary change, if you have any questions or concerns, be sure to discuss them with your physician. Also check out the Whole30 website for specifics and additional info.
BREAKFAST:
Lucky for my hubby, I woke up at 5AM and couldn't go back to sleep, so this meant, breakfast in bed is a reality! :) After catching up on the iPhone daily news, I snuck downstairs and started preparing....
Old habits die hard, and once again I found myself opening up the pantry...I changed gears and headed back to the fridge to mull over what to make for breakfast.
Healthy bison egg scramble it is! To be honest, I was actually going to make an omelette, but my favorite little distraction MIYA, my fur baby, came running down the stairs frantically letting me know she needed to go outside... So in my haste, the omelette became a scramble! I will say, it was equally delicious though. Detailed steps below:
Sauté onions and garlic in small amount of avocado oil.
Place ground bison meat with onions/garlic and cook over medium.
Dice up and just slightly cook an orange bell pepper, spinach, and roma tomatoes.
Start scrambling eggs in another pan and start cooking over medium heat.
Add in meat and veggies. Salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve with salt and pepper'd avocado and fresh fruit.
Bonus: I have extra bison meat for future food prep already cooked and ready to go!
To make up for last night, I even let my hubby stay in bed for an extra hour while I cleaned up the kitchen and started cleaning and slicing the fruit to have on hand. :) He gave breakfast and that idea a 2-thumbs up.
NOTE: That isn't ketchup you are seeing in the above picture... We wouldn't dare ruin this challenge on the 2nd day now! That is Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce (without any added sugar). I'm sure it will be a life saver in the days to come. Thanks Ginny & JHarg for the recommendation!
P.S. If this commercial doesn't make you want to try it, I don't know what will... (you're welcome.)
LUNCH: Since I made extra herb-rubbed chicken last night, I decided to keep it simple and make a lettuce wrap for lunch, accompanied with a fresh fruit mix of fresh pineapple, strawberries, and coconut flakes. It's pretty self-explanatory, but to keep in the spirit of details...here you go:
TASTE TEST: The wrap turned out delicious and will definitely be a repeat down the road.
Whole30 Chicken Lettuce Wrap
INGREDIENTS:
cooked chicken
onions, diced
tomatoes, diced
bell peppers, sliced or diced
cucumber slices
1/2 avocado
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
CILANTRO: You can also add a little cilantro for a fresh straight-of-your-garden (or fridge) taste.
MAYO: With no sugar added - check the labels, this one is hard to find!
HOT SAUCE: I drizzled the famous Frank's Red Hot Sauce on the last wrap, and I will say, this was the perfect amount of kick that it needed.
HARDBOILED EGGS: You could also add hardboiled eggs for an extra protein punch.
BEAN SPROUTS: If I would have thought ahead, I probably would have added bean sprouts, but that was one of the few produce items I currently did not have growing inside my fridge.
STEPS:
Cut up the chicken, onions, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and avocados.
Add a touch of mayo (One of the few I could find with no sugar added came from Whole Foods. You can make your own mayo as well, but for convenience sake, I opted for the pre-made variety.)
Place everything in the large romaine lettuce leaf. Extra points for decorative flair.
SNACK:
I have been feeling fuller than normal during the mid-mornings and afternoons, but just to be safe today to make sure I was being a prepared polly and doing my part to eliminate any looming sweet cravings, I settled for 1/2 banana with almond butter (without added sugar of course!) :) I'm sure you're supposed to limit the snacking somewhat, but I'd rather play it safe right now, being that it's only day 2...
DINNER:
To switch it up for dinner (and make use of the protein department we overloaded on before things go to waste over the weekend), I made the bulk supply of salmon. You would think I was having a dinner party, but nope, just my hubby and me!
I marinated the salmon with a little olive oil and LOTS of lemon juice. I then seasoned the salmon with the seasoning I found at Whole Foods along with some dill. I cooked it in the oven until it was not too cold, not too hot, but just right. I garnished with a few small trees and some tongs for upping the ante on my food styling game. :)
TASTE TEST: I will say it was cooked perfectly and just as delicious as it looks. :)
Whole30 Citrus-Herb Salmon
INGREDIENTS:
salmon filets
olive oil
2 lemons (1 for juice and 1 for garnish)
dill seasoning
Seafood Spice Blend (or favorite Whole30-approved spices)
salt and pepper to taste
STEPS:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil (to minimize cleanup later).
Pat salmon dry with a paper towel, and place salmon skin-side down on foil.
Squeeze lemon juice over salmon to marinate. Brush salmon lightly with olive oil.
Season with Seafood Spice Blend (or your favorite Whole30 spice blend) along with dill.
Bake salmon in the oven for 12-17 minutes until internal temperature of the thickest part of salmon is 145°F. (Timing depends on size and thickness of salmon, so check temperature after 12 minutes, and keep baking until thickest part reaches 145°F.)
Garnish with lemon slices.
LATE NIGHT SNACK:
For some reason I had an over-bearing sugar craving around 11:30PM. For whatever reason, my mouth started watering for orange juice.... Remembering that juice wasn't off limits (just to be used sparingly), I remembered the jackpot of Simply Orange I kept in the fridge. Just to be on the safe side, I read the label, and to my despair, I noticed the gut-wrenching words of "*CALCIUM LACTATE" (*Not found in regular orange juice)! Ahhhh the world is out to get me!! (Yes I can be a little dramatic at times). Being that it was almost midnight, and to be honest, I was sick of googling things, I opted to play it safe and deny my craving. The thought of eating an actual orange crossed my mind, but it just wasn't going to hit the spot.
Brain stumped and discouraged, I sat on the counter and pondered for a minute, weighing out the pros and cons of the situation... Could I get away with just a TINY sip of juice without my conscience beating me up and keeping me from another full night of rest? Conscience wins, it always does. Conscience: 1, Shelby with OJ: 0.
Have no fear, my amazing husband came to the rescue. Grouchy Pants McGee (yes babe, if you're reading this, you were a "tad" grouchy last night), stomped over to the fridge, grabbed an orange out of the fridge (without me asking, I promise!) and started his attempts at squeezing some juice from our little helpless orange. "Brilliant idea!" I thought. #Imarriedagenius
I frantically looked for the juicer in an attempt to help, but apparently it was hiding from us. So my dear husband squeezed the little guy with his hands until he had enough for 1 1/2 (small) gulps...about the equivalent of 3 tablespoons. But boy did it taste delicious!! Thanks again babe! Once again, you're a life saver! (And sorry if I exaggerated just a "tad" in the last paragraph!) :)
Click Below to Read MORE:
