Whole30 Balsamic Beef Bolognese Pasta Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

Although we aren't eating strict Whole30 right now, we tend to still do meals that are Whole30 complaint.  We will enjoy a glass of wine or desert, but we really loved how healthy our lifestyle was when we were eating Whole30.  I had a friend ask me if I would do it again so I will actually be doing another stint of Whole30!  It will be nice having the motivation of a friend doing it with me.  Joe will most likely join in for the most part so it will be fun to see how long we keep up with it this time around.  I made the below recipe a while back and never got around to blogging about it.  Since I was cooking for just 2 of us, we had a lot of pasta sauce left over so we put it in a container and froze it for a later date!  It will make for a super easy and quick meal when we are in a bind while doing Whole30!  This was one of my favorite recipes we have done so I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Balsamic Beef Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 c chopped yellow onion
• Sea salt + cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
• 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup + 1/4 cup sulfite-free balsamic vinegar (easy to find at any grocery store)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1-15 ounce can of plain 100% tomato sauce
• 1 pound (about 3 medium) vine tomatoes, diced
• Fresh basil
• 4 zucchinis

Method:
In a large sauce pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. When it warms up, add the garlic, onions, and a bit of salt and pepper, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the oregano, red pepper flake, and chopped mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and browning, another 5 or 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for a couple of minutes, until the mixture is well combined. Pour in the first 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, and use it to help you scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Let is simmer for another few minutes to cook out the vinegar tang.

Add the ground beef and use a spatula to crumble it well and to combine it with the other ingredients. Add a bit more salt and pepper and continue to cook until the beef is no longer pink. Then add the sauce, the tomatoes, and the second 1/4 cup of balsamic. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower it to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes longer. Salt and pepper again as needed, and top with fresh basil.

For zucchini noodles use a spiralizer to create zucchini noodles.  Saute the noodles with a dash of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste for 4 minutes or until desired softness.  Enjoy!

Original recipe and image found here

Week 3 of Whole30

We have come to an end of week 3 of whole30, aka 21 days!  At this point I have decided this is where the whole30 comes to an end, for now...Like I said before, we eat very healthy in general so it wasn't a HUGE change in our diet.  It helped me be a lot more aware of the wide spread use of sugars, sulfates, etc. in foods that don't seem to be "processed".  I really did enjoy the whole process, especially holding myself accountable.  I will be taking a break for a couple weeks simply because we have a couple exciting things coming up.  Joe's birthday is this week so we definitely want to enjoy that, I am heading home for a couple days so who wants to give up some amazing home cooked meals, and we are doing a weekend getaway in Chattanooga.  Some things in life just have to be enjoyed and celebrated!  That being said, we have been breaking the rules and weighing ourselves, and we both lost a very significant amount of weight considering we lead a fit and healthy lifestyle.  You are definitely less bloated when eating whole30, and I could see a noticeable difference in my core.  The plan is to do two more weeks leading up to Fiji so that we are looking and feeling our best going into our vacation! 

I wanted to make sure to post our last week of meals.  The high point was our seared tuna steaks!  We found some at the international market and they were absolutely amazing!  Other than that, we did a lot of chicken and lamb like we did previously. Chicken can be done so many ways you really cannot get tired of it! So, here we go...7 more days of meals and workouts!

Day 15

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 cup mixed berries, juice, water)

Lunch – Salad with romaine lettuce, 1 egg, ½ avocado, balsamic vinegar

Dinner – Carolina trout with mushrooms, deviled egg

Workout - ~ 2 hour tennis match (3 sets)

Day 16

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 8 strawberries, juice, water)

Lunch – Salad with romaine lettuce, 2 eggs, balsamic vinegar with an apple

Dinner – Stir-fry – 1 lbs chicken diced and browned mixed with 1 diced zucchini, 1 diced yellow squash, ½ cup diced onion, 2 cup broccoli, 3 cloves diced garlic all sautéed and seasoned with pepper and ground mustard

After Dinner – herbal tea and an orange

Workout – spin class, 15 minutes core work, 1 hour tennis

Day 17

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (1 banana, 2 cup tropical fruit, juice, water)

Snack ­– pistachios and an apple

Lunch – Salad with romaine lettuce, 1 egg, ½ avocado, balsamic vinegar

Dinner- Seared tuna steak salad with sautéed green beans and sundried tomatoes

Workout – 5 K walk, 1.5 mile run, 2 hour tennis

Day 18

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (1 banana, 2 cup tropical fruit, juice, water)

Lunch – Salad with romaine lettuce, egg, raisins, almond crusted chicken and an apple

Dinner – Stir-fry – 1 lbs chicken diced and browned mixed with 1 diced zucchini, 1 diced yellow squash, ½ cup diced onion, 2 cup broccoli, 3 cloves diced garlic all sautéed and seasoned with pepper and ground mustard

After Dinner – orange

Workout – yoga

Day 19

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 8 strawberries, juice, water)

Lunch- Diced avocado and two eggs with balsamic vinegar with an apple

Dinner – Lamb  seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary with sautéed broccoli and onion

Workout – n/a

Day 20

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 cup mixed berries, juice, water)

Snack-unsalted fancy nuts

Lunch-2 hard boiled eggs and avocado salad with balsamic vinegar

Snack – unsalted fancy nuts

Dinner – 4 chicken tenders seasoned with lemon pepper

Workout – 2 mile run, 1 hour spin class

Day 21

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 cup tropical fruit, juice, water)

Lunch – 2 italian sausages, banana

Dinner – mixed nuts, hard boiled egg, apple

Workout – 1 ½ hours tennis

Seared Tuna Steak with Avocado Salad

As you may know, I am a HUGE fan of seafood and I am pretty sure I could eat it every day.  That being said, sometimes you gotta mix it up.  We tend to go with what we know, salmon, tilapia, etc. but this time Joe brought home some tuna steaks from the international market.  I hope that they have it there regularly because it truly was one of my favorite meals we have made.  It was so fresh and light and full of flavor!  So, here we go with the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs. very fresh albacore tuna steak
• 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for searing
• 1 tsp. salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 limes, zest grated
• 3 limes, juiced
• 2 ripe avocados, diced
• ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp. fresh dill
• Freshly ground black pepper

 Instructions

1. Drizzle the tuna steaks with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet over high heat, sear the tuna steaks for 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Cool slightly. I had 2-inch thick steaks so I seared on each side for 2 minutes. Outside of the tuna should be white and slightly golden and inside still visible pink.
2. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, lime zest, and lime juice.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.  (original recipe called for 1 tsp. wasabi powder, 2 tsp. soy sauce, and a dash of hot sauce but we left that out to keep it whole30)
3. Cut the tuna in 1-inch chunks and place in a large bowl. Add the avocados, scallions, red onion and dill. Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture and mix well.
4. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here

Whole 30 First Half...

So we have reached the halfway mark of Whole30.  I don't think I see too many changes in how I feel, but hey I guess that's not a terrible thing!  Like I said before, we ate pretty healthy leading up to this so it wasn't a huge lifestyle change.  I have become a lot more aware of exactly what goes into packaged foods, weather it is mustard or bacon.  It is shocking how many products add sugar to them.  The other thing that came up a lot was 100% all natural not really being all natural!  It has been fun educating myself on what really is "non processed". For more information on Whole30, follow the link here.  In the previous blog (here)  I documented why we decided to do the challenge.

There aren't too many things that I miss.  The first couple days you obviously think about what you cannot eat.  Once you get past that step, it simply becomes a habit to grab a carrot when you want a snack, enjoy a cup of tea at night instead of desert, and simply stay away from the fridge.  Two weeks into it, I would obviously still love an ice cream Sunday, but that only comes when I see someone else eating one!  So, I haven't decided how long I will do it, since I haven't seen many changes in the way I look, feel, etc, but it sure has been fun!  For now, here is the first two weeks of meal plans that we did, along with a quick explanation of what I did to workout!  Enjoy!

Day 1, Sunday March 1:

Brunch– 1 poached eggs and a pear

Snack – hard boiled egg with balsamic vinegar

Dinner - Salmon with avocado salsa (RECIPE)  and steamed broccoli and spinach  (we used dill instead of cilantro and lemon juice instead of lime since that is what was at the house!)

Meal prep for the week:

• Egg muffins for Joe to eat for breakfast: (RECIPE)
• Chicken Salad for Joe to enjoy two days during the week for lunch (RECIPE)
• Grilled chicken strips seasoned with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, cooked on cast iron skillet for grilled chicken salad during the week

Workout – n/a

Day 2

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2) – 2 bananas, 6 strawberries, 1 cup 100% Orange juice, 1 cup water, ½ cup fruit from frozen tropical fruit bag (pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, honeydew melon)

Snack – 1 cup unsalted mixed nuts (no peanuts)

Lunch – Salad with a head of romaine lettuce, 1 egg, ½ avocado, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste

Snack – Hard Boiled Egg

Dinner – Lamb loin chop seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary and asparagus drizzled with olive oil and kosher salt

Workout – spin class, abs, 2 mile walk, tennis

Day 3

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2) – 2 bananas, 1 mango, 1 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries), 1 cup 100% orange juice, 1 cup water

Lunch – Greek Salad – Salad with egg, artichoke, onion, grilled chicken, peppers, and mushrooms

Snack – ½ cup mixed nuts

Dinner – Bison Meatballs (1 lb. ground beef, ¼ red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp. ground mustard seed makes 6-8 meatballs) with 1 pack mushrooms sautéed with 2 scrambled eggs and pepper

Snack – ½ grapefruit and tea

Workout - n/a

Day 4

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2), 2 bananas, 1 cup tropical fruit mix, ½ cup mixed berries, water and orange juice

Snack – 1 cup mixed nuts

Lunch – Salad of romaine lettuce with egg, ½ avocado, oil and balsamic

Dinner – Fajitas – 1 red onion, 3 green peppers, 1 red pepper, 2 large chicken breasts, salt, pepper, garlic powder all sautéed

Workout – 25 minute run, tennis practice

Day 5

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2), 2 bananas, 8 strawberries, water and juice

Snack – 1 cup mixed nuts

Lunch – Pear and a salad of romaine lettuce with egg, ½ avocado, oil, balsamic

Dinner – Lamb seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary with spaghetti squash seasoned with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, olive oil

Snack – Dates

Workout – 1 hour yoga

Day 6

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2), 2 bananas, 8 strawberries, water and juice

Lunch – 10 piece sashimi with small side salad with carrots and cucumbers and lemon

Snack – Pear

Dinner – Lettuce wraps (1 lbs ground turkey, 1/3 onion, 3 garlic cloves, olive oil) with romaine lettuce shell and baked asparagus with salt and olive oil

Workout – 6 mile walk

Day 7

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 cup mixed berried, juice and water)

Lunch – Pear, 3 egg salad with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Snack – pistachios and tea

Dinner – Salmon (like done on Day 1) with sautéed broccoli and mushroom

Workout – 2 hours tennis, 3 mile walk

Day 8

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 cup tropical fruit, juice, water)

Lunch – Can of Sardines in water, apple, pistachios, 2 hardboiled eggs with balsamic vinegar

Dinner – Pulled pork smoked on GreenEgg seasoned with mustard and whole30 approved seasoning + homemade BBQ sauce with sautéed broccoli, mushrooms, and onion, and smoked salmon

Meal Prep

•  Egg muffins prepared like Week 1  under Day 1
• Grilled Chicken seasoned with salt pepper, and cayenne pepper

Workout – 2 hours tennis, 5 mile walk

Day 9

Breakfast –Smoothie for 2  (2 bananas, 1 can pineapple in 100% pineapple juice, 3 strawberries, water)

Snack – dates and hard boiled egg

Lunch – Salad with egg and ½ avocado with balsamic vinegar

Snack – Pistachio

Dinner – Salmon with lemon and pepper with sautéed broccoli and mushroom

Workout – n/a

Day 10

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 8 strawberries, juice and water)

Lunch – Tomatoes and Pineapple Soup

Snack – Egg

Dinner – Chicken stir-fry with 1 lb. chicken, 1 zucchini, 1 squash, 2 cup broccoli, 2 cup cauliflower

Workout – 2x2 mile run (one on my own one with Joe)

Day 11

Breakfast – Ardens Garden fruit smoothie

Snack – unsalted raw almonds

Lunch – Salad with fajita veggies, grilled chicken, tomatoes, and guacamole

Dinner – grilled chicken with cauliflower mash, zucchini noodles with lemon

Workout – 4 mile walk/sprint workout

Day 12

Breakfast – Pomegranate and Acai berry smoothie

Snack – Raw almonds

Lunch – Panera Chicken Cobb with Avocado – no dressing, feta, or bacon

Dinner – Salad with cranberries, almonds, and grilled chicken

Workout – 4 mile run

Day 13

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 8 strawberries, juice, water)

Lunch – Salad with 1 hard boiled egg, ½ avocado, balsamic vinegar and an apple

Snack – Pistachios

Dinner – Lamb seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary with green beans sautéed with sun dried tomatoes and garlic

Workout – 1 hour yoga, 3 mile walk

Day 14

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 ½ cup tropical fruit, juice, water)

Lunch – 2 hard boiled eggs, pistachios, orange

Dinner – Ground turkey meatballs with sun-dried tomatoes and onion and seasoned with ground mustard, salt, and pepper, with sautéed broccoli and cauliflower

Snack – Grapefruit

Workout – n/a

 

Whole30 Egg Muffins

Leading up to the Whole30 challenge, Joe always had a smoothie in the morning on his drive to work, then a yogurt and granola parfait around 10.  We had to find something to replace the 10AM snack, so we started looking around.  Egg muffins seemed like the most simple, Whole30 approved meals that sounded amazing!  They really are quick to make, and you can prepare them on Sunday for a whole week!  We made sure to make 15 so that he could have 3 each day.  He has enjoyed them, and they are easy to customize to your taste.  You can anything to them, from peppers, tomatoes, other meats, and make them your own!  We have made them the same the past two times so here is the recipe we have used.

Egg Muffins
Ingredints
1 cup diced mushrooms
½ cup diced onion
2 cloves diced garlic
½ lbs ground pork seasoned
red pepper flakes
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
kosher salt
pepper
12 eggs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Dice mushrooms, onions, garlic (and anything else you would like in your muffins).  Saute until they are browned.  Season ground pork with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.   Saute until cooked through.  Whisk eggs until beaten well.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. 

Distribute mix into desired muffin tins, lined with silicone muffin cups for easy removal.  Fill approximately 3/4 full so they do not overflow.  Cook for 30 minutes or until center is firm.  Remove and cool.  Enjoy!

Paleo Chicken Salad

Sometimes lunches for Whole30 are hard to come by.  It is a lot harder to go out to eat and find something that is Whole30 eligible, and salads can get boring (especially for Joe) and don't necessarily fill him up.  Because of that we had to come up with some creative lunch options.  It is always nice to be able to make a couple meals on Sunday for the week, so Joe found this Chicken Salad that called for ingredients that we already had at home.  He enjoyed it for two lunches throughout the week to make it more exciting.  It is quite flavorful so I hope you enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients
1 Pkg boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 or 3)
1 avocado
1/4 of an onion, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 Tbsp dill (that was all we had at the house and it actually tasted good, the original recipe calls for cilantro)
some salt and pepper, to taste






Directions
Cook chicken breast until done, let cool, and then shred. Add all of the other ingredients and mix.

It's quick, simple, and yummy!

Original Recipe Found here