whole 30 week 3

Another week down!  And I can't believe I only have a week left.  Doing the Whole 30 has been a challenge, but the benefits in the short amount of time have been pretty remarkable.  My anxiety that has crippled me since having Pier is completely gone, my energy levels are consistent, and my skin is clear for the first time since I was 10!  That's HUGE.

Here's what my meals have been like on week 3:

Breakfasts looked a lot like this for the week...eggs, bacon, avocado and or sweet potato, and a bit of fruit.  I know some people get sick of eggs for breakfast everyday but I LOVE them.  And if you make them a different way every couple days you'll look forward to your eggs each morning!

Lunches were again leftovers or my ever faithful tuna salad over greens.

week 3 dinner menu:

Steak fajitas - these are easy, quick, and full of flavor...You also have enough for a few days of leftovers.

Greek stuffed bell peppers with Greek salad - These were filling and refreshing.  It was a nice depart from my usual stuffed bell peppers.

Slow Cooker Chicken Caccitore over cauliflower rice

Pork Tenderloin with baked sweet potato and Greek salad - this is my favorite pork tenderloin recipe. Ina can do no wrong.

Foil packet Salmon with roasted broccoli - I love this salmon recipe, and it's frequently on my dinner menus.  It's a unique spin on salmon, plus easy clean up!!!

Rosemary Chicken wrapped in Prosciutto and Greek salad - This is my go-to recipe when I don't know what I want to cook for the week.  They are sooo delicious and simple enough to whip together when I don't have a lot of time.

And CHIPOTLE!!! We had a super busy weekend last week and I didn't have time to run the store and to cook dinner, so Chipotle it is ;)
 

snacks:

I'm totally getting lazier as this thing goes on, so my snacking has stayed fairly the same.  My favorite this week has been this olive-cucumber salad.  Baby cucumbers, kalamata olives, and a splash of this dressing.

I'll let you know how my last week goes! 

whole 30 tip of the week

Don't let yourself get hungry!!! For real.  When I am hungry, I want all my favorite things (pizza, chocolate chip cookies, donuts, etc). As long as I stay on top of my hunger, I can get over my cravings fairly quickly and chose a healthy option over an unhealthy one. 

Missed past weeks? Find them here:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 4

whole 30 week 2

Well, I made it halfway!  Two weeks down, I've noticed my complexion is clearer, I have more energy, and my workouts have been more efficient.  I still crave sugar A LOT so I'm going to try to be mindful of my natural sugar intake during snack time (i.e. fruit, lara bars, etc.) this upcoming week. 

For this week, lunch was always leftovers from the night before.  My breakfasts were either paleo granola or variations of this: eggs, aidell's chicken and apple sausage, fruit, avocado and/or sweet potato. 

This is what was on the dinner menu this week:

Week 2 dinner Menu:

The recipes with a * in the name denote a recipe that is a fan favorite in the Fossier house and makes the rounds on our regular weekly menus. "LO" means leftovers.

Lemon-Ginger Pork Meatballs* with garlic roasted broccoli and Trader Joe's organic cauliflower rice.  These meatballs are a staple in our house and every time I make them I have to resist the urge to eat the entire pan.  They are really moist and flavorful, and the herbs give it a nice lightness to your meal.  For the cauliflower rice, I just sprinkled some olive oil, salt and pepper, ginger, parsley, and garlic and heated it over a stove until it was warm.

One Pan Greek Chicken (no feta) with Cucumbers.  YUM.

Crockpot Cranberry Pork* (I typically sub cranberries for blueberries in the spring and summer) with sweet potato and Lemon Slaw* (Whole 30 cookbook).  The slaw is actually one of my favorite side items to throw together because it's so easy to make, it keeps well in the fridge for leftovers, and it tastes good with pretty much anything.  It's light, flavorful, and has a great crunchy texture.

Pear & Pesto Bacon Wrapped Chicken breasts with LO slaw and cauliflower rice. This was definitely one of the fancier meals, but it looked so good I couldn't resist making it!  And it turned out as yummy as I thought it would.

Whole 30 Burgers with tomatoes, red onion, and avocado, served with sweet potato "buns".  I also used the LO pesto from the night before as a condiment!

Week 2 Snacks:

Olives - I've been loving olives lately!  Actually, this is nothing new...I've loved olives my whole life.  When I was little, I would ask for olives as a snack, which I'm sure was weird to most people but NOT TO ME!!!!

Bone broth - I've been battling on and off sinus trouble the past week, and I really enjoy a mug of bone broth in the morning.  It makes me feel so good!

Rx Bars- I know these are like whole 30 "candy" but I was curious to see what they tasted like so I ordered some.  I'm a fan!  I actually like them better than LARA bars.  These bars are a LOT chewier than a lara bar, so be forewarned that it sticks to your teeth. So far, my favorite flavor is the chocolate espresso.  I love the added protein of egg whites and the big chunks of chocolate you get in each bite. 

whole 30-ing on the road

As promised, here is a re-cap of what I ate when traveling to St. Louis.  For snacks in the car, I snacked on Rx bars, apples, coconut chips, avocado, baby food, and applesauce.  I also packed a little Tony's seasoning and this salad dressing in case I was in a pinch when eating out.   The whole 30 website has a useful travel guide for easy to access snack ideas that you can find here.

When we arrived in St. Louis, I did some research on where to find good Paleo-eats and made sure to ask my servers questions when I needed to know exactly what was used in making my meal.  We ate dinner our first night at a grass fed burger place down the street from our hotel.  I got a sirloin burger without the bun, served over lettuce with tomato and onion.  I kinda felt like this girl (minus the crossfit) but whatever.

We ate breakfast at this adorable coffee shop next to SLU.  I got hibiscus tea, an egg over brussels sprouts and mushrooms, and paleo sausage.

The last place we ate was THIS PLACE.  It made all my whole 30 dreams come true.  They even had a separate menu just for whole 30 approved food!  I got the chicken bowl with veggies over zucchini noodles and bone broth. It's not the prettiest picture but I just felt it was something that needed to be documented.

Whole 30 Tip of the Week: 

Herbs are expensive if you buy them at the supermarket (in a dream world I would be growing them myself, but since I have a brown thumb instead of green, I tend to err on the side of convenience in this situation).  If you decide to make a dish like the Asian Pork meatballs listed above, then I have a few solutions for your herb excess.

• Basil -- The best thing you can do with your left over basil is either make a pesto or use it right away.  Basil is good in pretty much anything.  I like to pair it with tomatoes and egg whites the next morning and it instantly gives my regular ol' eggs a face lift!
• Mint -- alcohol is a no-no on Whole 30, but mint is super refreshing in drinks.  Use it in your afternoon tea, or put it in your La Croix and pretend it's a cocktail ;).  Another favorite of mine is chopping a few leaves over a bowl of fresh raspberries...delicious!
• Thyme // Rosemary -- Freeze it!! These herbs freeze well and it's been a life saver to have these on hand when I run out of one of these ingredients for a dish. 

Missed past weeks? Find them here:
Week 1
Week 3
Week 4

st. louis!

Who says you can't be spontaneous when you have a baby?! Not the Fossiers! We just came back from a random weekend trip to St. Louis and had a blast touring a new city.  Brad had the whole weekend off (which is a rare thing in this house) so we decided to take advantage and make some memories together.  

(Pier did most of the driving.)

When we left Indy it was SNOWING (yeah, don't wanna talk about it) so I was happy to venture south-ish for a bit.  The city actually reminds me of the south, which is probably why I liked it so much. First things first...the arch!!! 

It sure is difficult to get this baby to smile in a photo when other people are around!  He is so enamored with people watching that you must have is undivided attention if you want anything in return.  But I'm glad I caught this one (even though the arch is barely in it...I guess I got distracted by a cute baby or something).

I have to brag on Pier for a second -- he did SO well! We didn't plan this trip at all, and for the most part, he rocked it.  Kids are far more resilient than we give them credit for.  Although, for some strange reason, he didn't nap on the (four hour) drive down....so he was a bitttt delirious.  He either loved everything or hated everything and ya didn't know which Pier was coming. It was hilarious to watch-- Brad and I couldn't stop laughing!

We ate at this great burger place a block from our hotel and it was YUM!  Don't worry, I still Whole 30'd during my vacation, but MAN I wanted one of those shakes so bad! Eating out wasn't as difficult as I anticipated, and I'll give y'all a little roundup of what I ate when traveling on my next whole 30 post.  I'm proud of myself though...I watched Brad savor a large chocolate espresso milkshake RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and I didn't even bat an eye.  I just kept telling myself that lettuce tastes better than a milkshake...

He said it was the best milkshake he ever had though, so we may have to make another trip back to St. Louis in the post-whole 30 future.

Our second day in St. Louis, we toured the Missouri Botanical Gardens. This was my favorite place we visited! The expansive grounds were breathtaking -- you could get lost for days in the different gardens and exhibits.  Unfortunately, our timing wasn't the greatest and we totally got rained on a few minutes after taking these photos.  Not just rained on but THUNDER STORM'D ON.  It was a sight running in a thunder storm with a baby and a mountain of stuff back to the car.  Let's just say I'm not the most graceful stroller runner.  Anyway, we have to go back because I need to spend all day among every type of flower you can imagine!

We also did all sorts of fun things -- a visit to St. Louis University, mass at the basilica, and a tram tour on the arch!  You get in these tiny carts that take you up to the center of the structure.  It was a windy day and we could feel the arch sway a bit when we were up there. Talk about a crazy feeling.  But Pier loved looking out the window overlooking downtown! 

We had so much fun, St. Louis!  Already planning my next trip back...mainly because I really want a chocolate espresso milkshake.

whole 30 week 1

what the heck is a whole 30?

My culinary philosophy is summed in the words of author and food advocate Michael Pollan, "Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants".  I'm not into "fad diets".  I think, for most people, they act as a short fix.  The goal of any diet should be long term health, not counting calories! Brad and I already eat a full fat, real food diet with hardly anything processed in our home so I didn't think doing a whole 30 would be necessary for us. And when you exclude my baking addiction, we already eat paleo-ish, so really how different could it be?

Well...it's definitely different.  The program promises to change your life and redesign the way you think about the what and why behind food.  According to the website, the Whole 30 is a nutritional program that acts "as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system."  You go without sugar, dairy, grains, and legumes for 30 days in order to heal your gut and heal your emotional relationship to food.  After the 30 days are over, you slowly reintroduce the "banned" foods into your diet to see how your body responds to them. 

Sounds extreme right?  I thought so too.  But the more I researched, the more I became aware of how much I needed to do this.  I realized that this isn't a "fad diet" but something that coincided with my own food philosophy. This was something that could truly enhance my life. 

so...Why are you doing this?

At this point, you're probably thinking I'm crazy.  How can you go without cheese, wine, muffins, and chocolate chip cookies for a month???  Well, it is only 30 days of my life.  In the scheme of things, that's really not that long.  I have done harder things than tell myself "no" to my favorite treats.

The real reason why I'm doing whole 30 (this may sound strange to some of you), but I felt like God was calling me to do this as an offering for Him.  You see, I am addicted to sugar.  Plain and simple.  I eat healthy, I exercise, but I also really really love chocolate.  When I'm sad, lonely, or stressed I bake homemade yummies....and then I eat the things I bake. All of them.  I don't eat just one cookie, I eat half a dozen. I try to fix the thing that was bothering me by eating food (preferably in the form of homemade, warm, and gooey chocolate chip cookies).

Yesterday I had a long, stressful day.  And MANNNN I wanted a chocolate chip cookie so bad I could cry.  I wanted to give up and not do this whole 30 thing anymore.  But then that quiet whisper stirred in my heart and I was reminded of the "why" behind this challenge. 

It is a bad habit of mine that I tend to go to Ben & Jerry before going to Jesus.  When I need to feel better, I want to eat my feelings in cookie dough or ice cream or donuts.  When I want to pull my hair out because my child won't nap, I want to run into the kitchen to sneak eat some chocolate chips so I can make it through the day.  The reason why I'm doing this crazy Whole 30 thing is simple: self control.  I want to be able to be in control of my food choices and heal my emotional attachment to sugar, so that I can recognize that what I'm seeking isn't chocolate chip cookies -- it's Christ!  He wants me to run to HIM for comfort instead of running to my Kitchen Aid mixer.  Because, as we know, He is the only one who can fully do that.

Now that you know the why, here's what was on the menu for the week:

Week 1 Menu:

My breakfasts usually consists of eggs with veggies, some type of meat, and fruit.  The photo pictured above is what a typical breakfast for me looks like.   If I don't do that, then I'll eat a bowl of paleo granola, fresh fruit, and whipped coconut milk (pictured below) with a few hard boiled eggs on the side.  Plus coffee of course!

My lunches, are either leftovers from dinner or tuna salad in a big bell pepper.

For dinner, I tried to pick recipes that I was familiar with, that way I didn't have to worry about cooking something brand new.  That being said, I get bored with my food easily and can't really eat the same thing week after week.  I usually cook one or two recipes I've never tried before just to keep things interesting! The recipes with a * in the name denote a recipe that is a fan favorite in the Fossier house and makes the rounds on our regular weekly menus.

Day 1 - White Chicken Chili

Day 2 - Basil Chicken Meatballs with Caramelized Lemon, Grapes, and Sweet potato (this was my first time trying this recipe and it was SO good)

Day 3 - Crockpot Chicken Curry* (sub honey for unsweetened applesauce) with Cauliflower rice

Day 4 - Ina's Pork Tenderloin* with Thai Pumpkin Soup* and throw together salad

Day 5 - Taco Salad

Day 6 - Left Overs

Day 7 - Pecan Salmon* with left over Pumpkin Soup and Garlic Roasted Broccoli*

WEEK 1 snacks:

As a nursing mama, I need to fuel up constantly in order to meet the demands of my very hungry child. Pier still nurses every couple hours so I'm hungry all day long!  I'll be making note each week of what I'm snacking on to help trigger my memory in the future if I ever decide to do one of these things again ;).  Check out my favorites for this week:

Coconut Chips
Organic Applesauce
Organic carrots with wholly guacamole
Chia Banana Crisps
Organic sweet potatoes
Organic grapes
NUT BUTTER! -- I kinda overdosed on almond butter in college (not what you'd expect huh?) so I can't really eat it anymore.  But I recently bought pecan butter and fell in L_O_V_E.  It's got that sweet buttery flavor of a pecan and is perfect served with slices of apple or your granola!

Whole 30 tip of the Week:

PLAN AHEAD!  About a month before I started Whole 30, I knew I needed to be well prepared if I was going to be successful.  I meticulously planned my meals for the whole month and stocked up on staples such as bone broth, coconut oil, coconut milk, nut butter, whole 30 approved snacks, and cans of tuna fish in preparation.  Those things add up when you're grocery shopping, so by purchasing those items in advance I saved the headache of going crazy overboard during my first week. 

 

Missed past weeks? Find them here:
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

The Need for Divine Mercy

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday my friends!  Today is one of my favorite days for many reasons, but it's EXTRA special today because it's Divine Mercy Sunday during the YEAR of Mercy.  Big big things are happening I know it....boy do we need it!  Actually St. John Paul II says, "There is nothing more that the world needs today than Divine Mercy".  Can I get an Amen!!!

For those who aren't familiar with Divine Mercy Sunday, let me explain it using the words Jesus revealed to St. Faustina:

"Tell the whole world about my inconceivable mercy, I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, especially for poor sinners.  On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open.  I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy.  The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.  On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened.  Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.  My mercy is so grate that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.  Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy.  Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity." + Diary of St. Faustina, 699

What's the big deal?  Why is Divine Mercy so important? It's so important because Divine Mercy is the heart of the Gospel.  It is when God, who is love itself, expresses His tender love to poor sinners.  He loves the unloved, He forgives the unforgivable. He sees our brokenness and yearns for us to come to Him so that he can pour out his love and mercy on us. 

“The Lord never tires of forgiving, never! It is we who tire of asking for his forgiveness.”

— Pope Francis

God is so good.   NO sin is too big for God.  I beg you to run to Him. He will receive you with open arms and a joyful heart that you did.  Fr. Michael Gaitely explains this in his book 33 Days to Merciful Love better than I ever could: "It's the Good News that God doesn't love us because we're so good but because He's so good, that he loves us not because we deserve it but because we desperately need it....God isn't attracted to our gifts, virtues, and talents, but rather, to our weakness brokenness and sin.  And that is the very definition of mercy." 

If we first accept the Lord and allow Him into the darkness of our hearts, then there is no end to what He can do through us.  Of course, we must be very sorry for our sins, but as long as we keep on trying, He can move mountains.

Embrace his mercy!

Our goal for the year of Mercy is to always ask for His mercy, be merciful to others, and completely trust in the power of divine mercy.  It's not too late to begin something special for the Year of Mercy.  Here are a few ideas our family has adopted to help fully embrace this gift of a year:

Write A Letter - I try (but often fail) at fully incorporating the spiritual and corporal works of mercy in my life.  There are so many people who are lonely and need a friend, who are hungry and need food, who are sick and need healing.  Where do you start? This website has a compiled list of ideas of how to fulfill the corporal works of mercy.  Up for something different?  One idea is to write a letter (or e-mail) to an inmate in prison telling them you are praying for them. Most of us aren't able to physically go to a prison to talk and pray with inmates, so this is a way for us to do just that. You can visit here to chose which inmate you want to send your letter to. 

The 3:00 Hour - Set an alarm on your phone to help you observe the 3 o'clock hour, the hour that Our Lord died for our sins. The best way to do this is to pray the Stations of the Cross if you have time, but you can also say a chaplet, pray the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary, or spend some time adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. If you only have a few moments to spare, quietly recall the Lord's passion and pray this prayer:

You expired, O Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls
and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.  O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.

Pray (especially when you don't want to) - Pray the chaplet of divine mercy any chance you get. It only takes 7 minutes to pray! You could pray it walking to and from class, first thing in the morning, or when you are doing a task you really don't want to do.  My favorite time to pray it is when I nurse Pier in the middle of the night.  That way, I'm uniting the sacrifice of sleepily getting up out of my warm bed to Christ's passion in a tangible way by reciting the chaplet.

Adopt a Soul - Pick someone -- it can be a relative, a friend, a soul in purgatory, or a stranger -- and pray for them often.  Any time you do something difficult, pray for that specific person you "adopted" all year long that he or she will be willing to receive the mercy Christ so desperately wants to give them.   When sacrifices are made for the sake of someone else, they don't seem that hard anymore!

Take a Drive - I invite you to forgo listening to that Billboard Hot 100 radio in your car for something that benefits your soul.  An audio book, a Lighthouse Catholic CD of the month, or listening to the rosary//divine mercy chaplet are all good ways to do this! You don't realize how much time you waste driving and that could be time well spent doing something that can pull you to closer to Jesus. 

Make a Consecration to Divine Mercy (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) -  There is a reason there are so many exclamation points after this one.  Do yourself a favor and buy this book by Fr. Michael Gaitely.  It is a gentle guide to the depths of Christ's Divine Mercy through the lens of St. Therese of Lisieux (you see why I love this book so much!).  He connects Therese's Little Way to Divine Mercy in such a profound way that I would do it a great disservice if I attempted to summarize.  Buy the book and pick a day to make your consecration! 

I hope you take advantage of this sacred day and receive all the mercy you can! I'll leave you with this prayer:

Jesus, thank you for your profound merciful love.  Help us to receive how deeply you love mankind.  Give us the grace to love you as you deserve to be love.  We praise you and bless your name always.  Amen.

Annnd because this little guy teaches me a lot about mercy, here's a picture from today of Pier being cute.  It was a beautiful glorious day!