Day 2 of the Whole30 plus meal prep

I'm Good morning cupcakes!

This morning I woke up to it raining outside :( I wanted to go for a morning walk but it looks like I am going to have to wait until it clears up. So, instead I decided to meal prep for this week.

This is Silk coconut milk which is dairy free and sugar free!

This is my hot lemon water I drink on an empty stomach when I wake up in the mornings.

This was my breakfast this morning: 2 boiled eggs, 1/2 a banana, a handful of cherries.

This is my lunch I am going to eat today (same as yesterday). Its just lean ground turkey, peppers, onions, & mushrooms all sauteed together and topped with avocado.

Here is the start of my meal prep:

These are some carrots I am going to grill once the rain stops here. I topped the carrots with a Whole30 approved Mrs. Dash seasoning (check the labels and make sure they are within the Whole30 rules).

I boiled some eggs to eat for a quick breakfast.

I choopped up some red bell pepper, red onion, and jalapenos. Then, I cooked them in a skillet for a while until they got tender.

I cooked a spaghetti squash in the microwave for 20 minutes.

I chopped up some tomatoes to go with the spaghetti squash.

I also cooked some sweet potatoes in the microwave and chopped them up after they were cooked. I topped the sweet potatoes with the pepper, onion, & jalapeno mix. I placed some avocado slices on top.

I stirred the tomatoes into the spaghetti squash and also topped it with some avocado slices. (Can you tell I was thinking Mexican this week :D )

I am going to grill some turkey burgers later today to eat with my two different side dishes. Jessie wanted to be included in my post. Isn't she a cutie!

I am going to the store today to buy some coconut oil, almonds, and cashews that I will be including in my meal plan for this week.

Today I am going to try to  meet my step goal, drink lots of water, and do a few workout videos posted below:

Thigh Slimming Challenge
Bikini Arms
7 min core video


Later Taters!

Start of the Whole30

Good morning cupcakes!

Today I decided is going to be day 1 of my Whole30 which I explained yesterday in my post (link here: Whole30 post). I went grocery shopping yesterday and I am going to meal prep tomorrow for the week. This morning I made breakfast and packed lunch.

Breakfast: 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, 1 banana, and hot lemon water before eating

Lunch: lean ground turkey sauteed with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I topped it with some avocado slices

Dinner: grandma is cooking a pork loin, and corn (which I cannot eat on the plan :( it's tough because I LOVE sweet corn). Hopefully she will have some other veggies to go with it.

Snack: Fresh fruit, sweet potatoes and almonds

Today I am also going to get all of my 10,000 steps in. So far, since I have had my Fitbit I have reached my step goal everyday! WHOO!

I took before pictures yesterday and will take after pictures at the end of the Whole30 to show you all how much food plays an important role in your health. In graduate school I do not have as much time as I would like to workout (I still get my daily steps and workout videos in), so eating plays a crucial role. I also found out when I am stressed, it tend to eat... which is bad! So this challenge will help me see how important it is to put healthy food items and the right amounts of food into my body! Now some of you may be thinking.... but Tori you already eat healthy. Well, yes I do eat healthy but I also allow myself treats and consume way too many almonds and cashews. During the Whole30 I am not allowed to make "healthy treats" meaning making things like cookies, bars, pancakes, etc with Whole30 approved ingredients. That will be a struggle for me because I always make healthy cookies and treats for myself. I have found when I make these treats, I eat too many of them during those stressful times I mentioned earlier.

So there you have it! My reflection on my start of the Whole 30 along with my meal plan for Day 1!

Later Taters!

Today's at home workout & new challenge

Good morning cupcakes!

Today I did an at home workout and I have posted the links to the youtube videos below. You do not need any weights except for the Ab video. I used 15 lb dumbbell, but if you do not have a dumbbell you can find something heavy around your house to use!

Ab video
Total Body Burner
Thigh Slimming Video

I did each video once!

I also recently purchased a Fitbit! I am in love with it. I set my goal to 10,000 steps a day and I have reached my goal the first two days of using it. I think it is motivating for me and I find my evening walks (to reach my step goal) very relaxing after a crazy day of grad school stresses. I will keep you guys updated on my love for the Fitbit.

Lastly, I am starting the Whole 30 with one of my friends on Monday. I am pretty excited to challenge myself for 30 days! I know it will be tough, but I want to see how my body reacts to having no sugar, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, etc.  If you would like to follow along on the 30 day challenge here is the link to the website (I printed all of the downloads): WHOLE30

I am going to grocery shop and meal prep this weekend, so I will make a post about that process!

Do you have any questions for me? Comment below and I will try to answer them!

New recipe to kill chocolate cravings

Ingredients:
1 c special dark cocoa powder
1 c unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c coconut palm sugar
1- 2 scoops of natural protein powder (I use SunWarrior)
optional: 1/2 c gluten free flour- it turns out fine without it too! So, its really up to you

Mix all ingredients and bake 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes

I like to warm mine up and eat with almond butter or an over ripe banana

Enjoy!

My new journey...

hello cupcakes!

Today I decided to start blogging more for you all since I am beginning my new journey....

I haven't ran since my foot problems last June. I had foot surgery in August. Today was my first day back and I loved every second of it! I ran 3.13 miles at a 7:59 pace. Pretty proud of myself. I use an app called Map My Run and it tracks your route, distance, pace, etc. I will be keeping you updated on my progress. I am hoping to work back up to 5-6 miles with a 7:30-7 minute pace. I also am working on Intuitive Eating (check the book out on Amazon). So here is my food journal for today:

Upon waking: hot lemon water, 1 slice of gluten free bread spread with Coconut oil and cinnamon
Post Run;  2 eggs
Lunch: Fresh spring rolls (rice paper, red peppers, avocado, cucumbers) dipped in Walden Farms sesame ginger dressing
Snack: blueberries
Dinner: salad made with romaine lettuce, sunflower seeds, raisins, cucumbers, and deli low sodium turkey
Dessert: dairy free/gluten free dark chocolate protein cookies (I made them yesterday) warmed up in the microwave with 1 T dark chocolate almond butter and topped with one spoon full of So delicious cashew milk ice cream cappuccino flavor

This is what sounds good currently. If I get hungry I will most likely eat some more veggies with avocado or almonds. I am trying to cut down on the amount of meat I eat to save some money this summer!

Here are the workout videos I will complete in my apartment bedroom this evening:

Thigh Slimming Challenge
Arms- repeat video

Peace Out! Later Taters!

Today's apartment bedroom workout

Good afternoon cupcakes!

I had a great weekend at one of my best friend's wedding! I was one of her bridesmaids and I was so excited to spend her special day with her! The wedding was beautiful and of course the bride looked amazing :D As far as working out.... that was put on hold for a few days. I ate healthy all weekend since I knew I wouldn't have time to get my workout in. Today I was back at it. Since I was feeling lazy today I decided to stay in my apartment bedroom and complete my workout using YouTube videos. I don't have all of my weights, kettlebells, etc with me (I am getting them this weekend and bringing them back to school with me), so I found some workout videos that only use body weight and my yoga mat (which you don't have to use but I love mine because it reminds me of my boyfriend... he got it for me for Christmas this past year). Below I have posted the links to the videos.

20 minutes full body workout
7 minute ab workout
14 minute Leg workout

That's all I felt like doing today. Tomorrow I plan on going to my apartment gym to workout and haven't decided what I want to do there yet.

I also meal prepped this morning and made vegetable fresh spring rolls, salads, eggs, and cut up vegetables. I bought low sodium turkey breast from the deli that I added to my salads because I did not want to spend forever prepping food today. So this is your sign that you do not need a whole lot of time or money to food prep. I only spend 45 dollars at the grocery and only spent less than an hour food prepping.

Later Taters!