Whole30 Challenge: Day 14
Tues, March 14th
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.
PRE-BREAKFAST:
Morning thoughts: The problem with writing this blog is that I think I'm full until I start typing descriptions and including pictures. Then my mouth starts watering again... and being that it is normally around midnight by the time I finish a blog post, a 4th mealtime is usually not in the cards...
BRUNCH:
Having a later night, I decided I needed to sleep in a little to try and get over this pesky cold that's been here for way too many months. So breakfast turned into brunch. :) Since I still had not ventured out to the store, I needed to be resourceful for one more meal. I managed to locate the extra filet we had cooked the other night and decided steak and eggs was the way to go. I sliced up the filet and cooked my egg in a little coconut oil. I also sliced up the last 3 zucchinis and cooked them in a little olive oil with, you guessed it, Everyday Spice Blend. I think it's safe to say the Whole 30 Zucchini Slices were a hit the second time around as distractions were kept to a minimum this time. (Click the link to see the full recipe.)
AFTERNOON:
Thank God for hubs as I ended up taking Miya to the vet today so hubs did the grocery shopping which was MUCH needed and appreciated. Since my sugar cravings have been at an all-time high this week, avoiding the aisle upon aisle of processed and sugary foods was probably a good idea on my end.
We officially have a stocked fridge again! No more chicken sausages (for awhile at least). Since we missed "Start the Week Right Sunday" and "Meal Prep Monday", we made up for time and immediately started on "Tackle Lost Time Tuesday."
Here are a few of the things we did to get caught up for the week:
diced bell peppers
cooked spaghetti squash
cut up celery
cooked bison
cooked chicken
peeled / sliced sweet potatoes
cooked extra sweet potatoes
made extra baked potatoes
cleaned/sliced strawberries
made salad dressing
I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with ourselves with how much we accomplished in a short amount of time, and even while March Madness games were on in the background. #mindblown
GIF compliments of GIPHY.com
DINNER:
We have food again! As promised, we stepped up our game and made Whole30 Seasoned Sea Bass with Whole30 Sweet & Savory Sweet Potato Slices (recipes below). This was a winner for us!
Whole30 Seasoned Sea Bass
INGREDIENTS:
2-4 Sea Bass filets (we made extra)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
lemon slices
Seafood Spice Blend (or favorite Whole30 spice blend)
sea salt & pepper to taste
STEPS:
Marinate fish with lemon juice and season with Seafood Spice Blend (or favorite Whole30 spice blend).
Heat olive oil in pan with minced garlic over medium heat.
Place fish filets in pan (skin-side down). Cook for 3 minutes uncovered.
Add lid to pan and cook for an additional 4 minutes until fish has a minimum internal temperature of 145°F.
Serve with lemon slice and small tree.
Note:
You can also bake the sea bass, but since we were already using our oven, we chose to pan-sear them so we could multi-task.
TASTE TEST: We both finished our plates and are glad we made extra for tomorrow.
Whole30 Sweet & Savory Sweet Potato Slices
INGREDIENTS:
3-4 large sweet potatoes
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil, but I prefer coconut oil)
Every Day Spice (or favorite Whole30 seasoning blend)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
cinnamon
other seasonings like rosemary, thyme, paprika, chili powder, etc.
STEPS:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Clean and peel potatoes.
Slice potatoes in even-width slices.
Cover baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil, then place potato slices in single layer on foil.
Heat coconut oil in microwave for 10 seconds and then brush onto potato slices.
Season with your favorite spice blend or just salt and pepper.
Flip slices over and repeat (brush with coconut oil and season potatoes).
Depending on potato slice thickness, bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, then flip the potatoes over and bake for additional 20-25 minutes. Timing depends on thickness of potato slices and preferred level of doneness. We like ours so they are just slightly browned and a little chewy.
TIPS:
If you have a food processor that slices vegetables, this will be a Godsend as we used ours for the first time to slice potatoes and loved the results. Even-width slices without any work!
My favorite way to cook the sweet potatoes is with coconut oil (instead of olive oil) as it gives them the perfect amount of sweetness without tasting like coconut. Give it a try!
You can create your own variations for these. We made 3 batches: 1.) Coconut Oil and Everyday Spice Blend 2.) Coconut Oil and Sea Salt & Pepper. 3.) Coconut Oil and Cinnamon.
TASTE TEST: This was our FAVORITE side dish we've had yet. I used to make these all the time as snacks, so I'm glad we remembered an old favorite of ours.
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