Foodie Friday!

Happy Friday friends! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week and is gearing up for the weekend with some fun plans! I'm here today with a roundup of my favorite recent recipes and one's that are on my must make list. What's been your favorite go to recipe lately?

[one]

Steamed Salmon with Garlic, Herbs and Lemon

By far my favorite current recipe. So easy! So good! Very much a weeknight meal! Wins all around. I've served it along side rice pilaf and homemade parmesan cauliflower rice.

[two]

Greek-Style Potatoes

If you love the lemon potatoes you get from your local Greek restaurant - look no further! These are amazing! The first time I made them I was concerned about the amount of liquid in the dish, but just follow the recipe. It does take 1.5 hour to get the perfect potato, but don't let that deter you!

[three]

Spicy Chicken with Chickpeas

This is a different flavor profile for our home, but it was really, really good! Delicious leftovers. I would say spicy is an overstatement. The first time I made this I let it marinate twice as long as the second time and I think that might have made all the difference.

[four]

Creamy Cucumber Salad

If you're like me you probably grew up on some sort of a cucumber and onion salad. We ate so much of it growing up and over the years it slowly lost its punch. So, I've been on the lookout for new versions and this might be it. This is definitely on my must make list!

[five]

Black Bean Burgers

If you've been here awhile you know Mr. B is a meat grilling lover, but let. me. tell. you. I made these black bean burgers and they were so good and Mr. B approved! I've been trying to incorporate 1-2 vegetarian dishes into our weekly meal plan and this seriously did not disappoint. So good and satisfying!

[six]

Cranberry Orange Protein Balls

I'm always looking for quick and easy things we can grab in the morning and this might fit the bill. This has been on my must make list for a while. Might have to try them this weekend!

What's been on your must make list? Cheers to happy cooking!

Whole 30 Round 2 - Week 3

We've made it to week 3 and that hasn't been without a lot of day dreaming about cold beers and rosé that's for sure! I think we've made it through the hard part. One of the things I love about Whole 30 is that it 100% makes us more responsible and disciplined about using all of the food we buy at the grocery store. I don't know if I even want to tell you how much food we would throw out on a regular basis. So without further ado let's jump into an iPhone dump from last week and a look at the week ahead.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry over Cauliflower Rice

Super yummy salad!
Grilled Chicken marinated in Tessemae's Zesty Ranch

Chipotle Beef & Avocado Bowls - delish!

Applegate hotdogs, coleslaw and sweet potato fries
I made up the coleslaw and it was awesome!
Leftover bagged coleslaw, compliant mayo, rice wine vinegar, dash mustard

So, let's see what's on the menu this week...

Breakfast and lunches are pretty much the same as the last few weeks. Frittatas for Mr. B and some version of eggs and bacon for me plus these buffalo turkey meatballs with roasted broccoli for lunches.

We started the week off  last night with Zuppa Toscana soup which I love and it was kid approved, so win win! For dinner tonight we had Shrimp and "Grits" or mashed cauliflower in our world and it was delish! I usually make this Southern Living recipe and just modified it to make compliant.

The rest of the week we'll be having pork chops with these green beans, peanut-free chicken satay with baked sweet potatoes, hot dogs with parsnip fries and probably burgers with grilled sweet peppers and this amazing sweet potato salad. Seriously, this may be my favorite thing right now.

A few related food things.. First, I thought this was a good article for those considering Whole30 and considering how it will affect your grocery budget. Second, this was a great documentary about eating whole foods and how it will and can affect your health. It is focused on Paleo which is very similar to Whole 30 minus a few things (sugar!), but still a great look at the benefits of eating whole, real foods.

Lastly, unrelated but how sweet is this little nugget?? Where did my baby go and when did he get so big??

Cheers to feeling good on the INSIDE this week!

Whole 30 Round 2 - Week 2

We've made it through week 1 - YAY! The image above is a reminder of the general outcomes you should be feeling while on the Whole 30 and it was pretty accurate for us. Mid week we both had headaches that felt like hangovers! I'm ready for the tiger blood to set in - so much energy!! Let's do a phone dump for Whole 30 inspiration and a look ahead of this week...

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs, Roasted Broccoli and Tessemae's Ranch

Herb Crusted Salmon with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Apples

Banana, Raisins and Almond Butter

Leftover Herb Salmon and Egg Scramble

Gotta make it fun somehow!
Lemon La Croix mixed with Pineapple Strawberry La Croix

Saturday Dinner
Grilled Steaks, Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms and Carrot and Parsnip Mash

So, what's on the menu this week??

Breakfast | I tried a new breakfast casserole for Mr. B this week. It looks tasty! I'm still obsessed with my hard boiled eggs with hot sauce.

Lunch | The buffalo turkey meatballs from last week were really good, so we're keeping that the same again this week as well. Super yummy!

Dinners | We started the week off last night with this compliant meatloaf and baked sweet potatoes. We love this recipe! Also on the menu this week... Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry with Riced Cauliflower, Grilled Chicken Salads, Chipotle Beef & Avocado Bowls, Pork Chops and Roasted Asparagus, Compliant Hot Dogs and Sweet Potato Fries

Extras | Additional items in our fridge to keep us on track... raisins, bananas, avocados, almond butter, grapes, baby carrots

Cheers to feeling good on the INSIDE!

Why Whole 30?

It's a good question, right? Why restrict myself from that amazing homemade lasagna that I've raved about 300 times and that crisp Blue Moon on a beautiful sunny day along with my fave coffee ice cream to top off an otherwise fantastic weekend?

Let me count thy ways...
heartburn, lack of sleep, dull sunken skin, sluggish, moody, acid reflux... to name a few.

Eating whole nutritious foods shouldn't make your heart feel like it's going to beat out of your chest or swing your moods high and low without sending a notice! Whole foods shouldn't send your blood sugars into the depths of the lands waiting for you to respond by sweating full bullets and crashing down to the floor because your knees gave out just before you were going to stuff your face with a giant sub to calm you down and get back to equilibrium. None of that sounds normal right? No, unless you're eating a truly American diet. Which we are! They don't call it the afternoon lunch slump for nothing! And on top of the physical issues, I swear by Whole 30 because I don't believe there is another diet out there where a clear mind is a result. Thinking clearly alone is reason enough to rid yourself of the processed toxins.

So, we're in 2 full days and I can already tell a difference in my sleep and inflammation. I tell ya it's magic! Rid yourself of the processed sugars, sulfites and junk and you will sleep like a precious little baby. 100% guaranteed. No need for a warranty. 

What is your why? Maybe it isn't the Whole 30, but what gets you up in the morning knowing that you're feeding your body the way it's always needed?

Whole 30 Round 2 - Week 1

Yes, you read that right! Mr. B and I have started our 2nd round of Whole 30 and thank goodness. We were both in need of a reset and the timing is perfect. Today is day 1 and my personal goal is 60 days, but we'll see. Ideally, I see that as a strict Whole 30 for the first half and then a mash up of Whole 30 and Food Freedom the second half straight into the summer months. Here's to hoping it works out that way!

So, what's on the menu this week? And like last time, this is really for my benefit because typing it out makes me accountable for sticking with it. So, thank you to my 2 readers for the accountability group - haha!

Breakfast | Frittatas for Mr. B (quick and easy for on the go) and hard boiled eggs with Franks Red Hot Original and Pederson's compliant bacon for me. I owe my sister for my new obsession with eggs and hot sauce. Go ahead and awake your senses first thing in the morning - you won't regret it!

Coffee | about the only thing that stuck from our first Whole 30 is our Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk. And trust me, this was a big deal for Mr. B! He was a huuuge french vanilla creamer lover to the end, so yay for him!

Dishes | the following will be used for dinner and leftovers for lunch: 
Lemon Garlic Herb Baked Salmon with Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Buffalo Turkey Meatballs with Tessemae's Ranch and Roasted Broccoli
Chicken Tenderloins, Roasted Fennel, Apple, Sweet Potato Sheet Pan Dinner
Egg Roll in a Bowl - duh! a family fave!
Grilled Pork Chops with Tessemae's BBQ Sauce and Roasted Asparagus
Grilled Burgers with Marinated Onions and Parsnip Fries

Extras | Other items in our fridge to keep us on track: celery, raisins, almond butter, bananas, apple slices, baby carrots

So, nothing crazy on our menu this week and for good reason. I want us to be just as successful this time around as we were last time. I already felt overwhelemed with coming up with a menu so I kept it on the straight and narrow while we're getting back into the swing of things.

Is anyone else doing a Whole 30 or just completed one? Let me know down below!

Cheers to feeling great on the INSIDE!

Whole 30 Final Wrap Up

If you read yesterday we finished the Whole 30! So, yay to us! Now on to what really matters - the non-scale victories. First, let me say that I pulled out the scale and it actually didn't even work so there's that. No real firm idea on results, but we're ok with that! 

Non-Scale Victories | glowing skin, flatter stomach, leaner appearance, clothes and wedding rings fitting better, less bloating, feeling confident, fewer seasonal allergies, no acid reflex, no heartburn, less joint and muscle pain, happier, more outgoing, fewer mood swings, fewer sugar and carb cravings, healthier relationship with food, practicing mindful eating, started listening to body, sleeping like a champ, awake refreshed, tons of energy, maximized food budget, less food waste. 

You're probably thinking "Anna come one! That's a really long list!" And you're right it is. Check here for the full list of potential non-scale victories.

Now onto the food! Below were are favorite recipes from the last 30 days. Even if you're not doing Whole 30 these are great weeknight dinner options.

one | Loaded Sweet Potatoes Fries
I talked about this a lot and made it several times. It's so good! The spice mix is actually the best part. Run and make this now!

two | Whole 30 Latte

All day Errrr day!! Like I couldn't get enough of this. It seriously takes like a better version of your Starbucks latte. So yummy!

three | Meatloaf

Honestly, this meatloaf may be my go to recipe now. The flavor is so much better than any I've had in the past!

four | Sweet Potato Apple Bake

Great option for a "sweet" treat!

five | Egg Roll in a Bowl

This trend has been going on for awhile and I'm very late to the party. This is delicious and definitely covers the asian/take out chinese cravings!

That pretty much sums up our Whole 30! Can't believe we did it. We're already talking about next Whole 30.... whodathunkit!

Whole 30 Week 4 Recap

That's right folks - we finished the Whole 30! No cheating or corner cutting. Followed all the rules to the best of our knowledge. I'm so proud of us for completing this journey together. I really and truly never thought we'd finished it all the way through like we have. I actually think typing this weekly recap has kept me accountable, so thank you! 

For all those who think they can't - you can! We had our own obstacles that challenged us as well. For one, Mr. B leaves for work before the sun comes up and he's never in his office during lunch time so that alone was a challenge to figure out how we were going to make that work. We decided on these mini frittatas for breakfast that he could just grab and reheat when he had a minute. He also committed to reheating leftovers for lunch which meant he didn't always eat lunch at a normal hour. Also, we had 3 out of town birthday parties over our 30 days. That's 3 cupcakes for 3 of our favorite littles that we had to pass up and it really didn't hurt that badly! I can't remember the last time I cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner at home for 30 days straight. Doing the Whole 30 = dishes plain and simple.

So, let's get into it! I've tried to link up compliant brands and recipes where applicable.

Day 22
Breakfast: Mini Frittata, coffee with almond milk
Lunch: Leftover Loaded Sweet Potatoes
Dinner: Meatballs and homemade sauce

Day 23
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, Whole 30 Latte
Lunch: Leftover kebabs and collards
Dinner: Pan seared pork chops, sauteed spinach and sweet potato fries

Day 24
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and avocado
Lunch: Chiptole salad - lettuce, carnitas, pico, guac
Dinner: Egg roll in a bowl

Egg roll in a bowl

Day 25
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and avocado
Lunch: Chopt Classic Cobb Salad (no bacon or cheese) with Tessemae's ranch dressing
Dinner: Burgers with roasted asparagus

Day 26
Breakfast: Hard boiled eggs, coffee with almond milk and cinnamon
Lunch: Leftover collards and Larabar
Dinner: Grilled steaks and Herb Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Herb Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Day 27
Breakfast: Leftover herbed sweet potato salad with egg, avocado and bacon, coffee with almond milk and cinnamon
Lunch: Burgers
Dinner: Mr. B's BBQ and sweet potato fries

Day 28
Breakfast: Larabar
Lunch: Egg roll in a bowl
Dinner: Meatloaf and roasted asparagus
Snack: Chili Lime Nuts

Chili Lime Nuts

Day 29
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage and latte
Lunch: Leftover egg roll in a bowl
Dinner: Leftover meatloaf and baked sweet potato

Day 30
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, avocado, coffee and almond milk with cinnamon
Lunch: Leftover egg roll in a bowl
Dinner: BBQ bowls (bbq, avocado, cilantro, red onion, cole slaw mix, chili mayo)

Final Thoughts!
-Our meal plan has not been perfect I know... lots of eggs, sweet potatoes, burgers, etc. and I'm ok with that. I felt completely overwhelmed week one with what to make. When you search Whole 30 recipes there are tons of great options, but I felt like we were only going to be successful and not completely blow our grocery budget if we just kept it simple. 

So, where do we go from here?? Check back later this week for our favorite recipes and our NSV's (non-scale victories)! Also, I have added a Whole 30 page on the blog that will be the keeper of our weekly recaps. 

Whole 30 Week 3 Recap

Happy Monday everyone! We've made it through week 3 of our Whole 30 journey and man I can't believe we've made it this far. Lots of temptations and lots of vivid dreams about food. I think I dreamed about pancakes and french toast most of last night...

So, let's get into it! I've tried to link up compliant brands and recipes where applicable.

Day 15
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and Whole 30 Latte
Snack: Pumpkin Apple Bake
Lunch: Leftover meatballs and tomato sauce
Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Day 16
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, avocado, coffee with almond milk and cinnamon
Lunch: Leftover buffalo chicken casserole
Dinner: Lemon roasted shrimp, roasted asparagus and rosemary red potatoes
Snack: Pumpkin apple bake

Day 17
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, Whole 30 latte
Lunch: Chicken sausage and sauteed spinach
Snack: Larabar
Dinner: Meatloaf - actually really good!

Meatloaf 

Day 18
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and bacon, coffee with almond milk
Lunch: Loaded sweet potatoes - my newest obsession!!
Dinner: Pan seared pork chops, green beans with cashews and stewed cinnamon apples

Day 19
Breakfast: Hard boiled eggs, avocado and bacon, coffee with almond milk and cinnamon
Lunch: Leftover loaded sweet potatoes fries plus pecans
Dinner: Burgers and leftover sweet potatoes

Day 20
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and avocado, Whole 30 latte
Snack: Smoothie
Lunch: BLTA (used lettuce as wrap)
Dinner: Grilled chicken wings

Day 21
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and chicken sausage, coffee with almond milk
Lunch: Loaded sweet potatoes - yes for the 4th time this week!
Dinner: Chicken kebabs and collard greens

Chicken kebabs

Final Thoughts!
-Lifesavers... ghee, Tessemae's ranch dressing, Primal Kitchen mayo
-We have produced sooo many dishes since doing Whole 30. Our dishwasher has been on nonstop!
-Still feeling great from the elimination of junk and the sugar that is actually in almost everything. I do think we've probably had too much fruit over the last 21 days, so we've committed to limiting that this week
-I do want to note that everything we've done so far has been to the best of our knowledge. I've checked every ingredient and asked questions if we've been out (which hasn't been much). I even took straight black coffee home from my favorite coffee shop to use our own almond milk.
-Last, one of the strictest rules of Whole 30 is to avoid the scale for the entire 30 days which is fine because ours is away in a linen closest never to be seen again... but I can definitely see a change in both myself and Mr. B. I will uncover the scale at the end and weigh ourselves because I think we both have a round about idea of where we were to begin with. 
-So, cheers to entering the last and final week of our Whole 30 challenge journey! :)

Whole 30 Week 2 Recap

As expected this week was harder than last because the newness wore off and reality set in. I think we were successful in most areas and can still improve a few things before our 30 days are over.

So, let's get into it! I've tried to link up compliant brands and recipes where applicable.

Day 8
[Feelings] Love sharing the Whole 30 program and learning more and more about the benefits!
Breakfast: Mini frittatas with sausage, green pepper and onion, coffee with almond milk and cinnamon
Lunch: Salad with shredded chicken, bacon, cucumber, green pepper and avocado, Larabar
Snack: Apple slices and Justin's almond butter
Dinner: Pan seared chicken breast with sauteed mushrooms and onions in a coconut milk sauce with roasted broccoli and baked sweet potato - very good!

Day 9
[Feelings] So much energy!! Body feels like its finally processed out all the junk and headed in a good direction.
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, coffee with almond milk and cinnamon
Lunch: Dinner leftovers
Snack: Apple slices and Larabar
Dinner: Chicken Tortilla-less Soup with avocado
Snack: Cashews

Day 10
[Feelings] Having very vivid dreams! So crazy! Hungry all day. We.can.do.this. Right??
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage and avocado
Snack: 1/2 banana and Venti Unsweetened Iced Green Tea
Lunch: Leftover soup
Dinner: Taco salad with homemade pico and avocado
Treat: Apple crisp

Day 11
[Feelings] Sleeping really well!
Breakfast: Whole 30 Latte - wow (read about it here)!! Hard boiled eggs and apple crisp
Lunch: Chicken sausage and roasted broccoli
Dinner: Grilled burger, egg, avocado, onion with sweet potato fries

Day 12
[Feelings] Wine! Bread! Cheese!
Breakfast: Sweet potato, green pepper, homemade sausage, avocado and egg hash with a Whole 30 latte
Lunch: Leftover taco meat, avocado and pico 
Snack: Larabar
Dinner: Sheet pan dinner - chicken sausage, fennel, apple, sweet potato and brussel sprouts

Day 13
[Feelings] Another hard day - traveling and birthday cake temptations!
Breakfast: Hard boiled eggs and banana
Snack: Grapes and Larabar
Lunch: Leftover sheet pan dinner
Dinner: Grilled steak, green beans and sweet potato

Day 14
[Feelings] Trying to stay focused on the end goal, but it's getting increasingly difficult! Feeling good though that we've made it half way!
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, sauteed spinach, mushrooms and onions, coffee with almond milk
Snack: Larabar
Lunch: Grilled pork chop, baked sweet potato and roasted broccoli
Dinner: Homemade tomato sauce and meatballs over zucchini noodles

Final Thoughts!
-Preparation is key! Traveling with my lunch on Saturday definitely felt good to commit to what we've set out to accomplish. 
-Really trying to keep our meals varied, but it's hard. Lots of sweet potato and eggs...
-We didn't weigh ourselves before we started. Wish we would have taken the time to do that so we know the actual results when we finish. Although it's already a win for feeling better as a baseline.
-Sleeping and energy level has never been better!

Happy Friday Y'All!

Let's get into all things good this week!

one | design

The blog got a refresh this week! See how pretty....

two | reading

If you've been reading my blog for any time now, you know that I love me some Elin Hilderbrand! She has just come out with her newest book - Winter Solstice - and I can't wait to get my hands on it. It's the 4th book in her winter series which I wrote about here  and here. Great, easy read by the fire with your favorite candle flickering in the background!

three | latte love

We're still trucking along through our Whole 30 and doing well! I just came across this Whole 30 compliant latte and let.me.tell.you! Wow!! Like straight from a real coffeehouse. Amazingly thick, lattey goodness. Literally tastes just like a latte. Do you catch my drift? Am I being clear enough? No longer do we basic B's have to go spend $23.50 on an average latte. Make it at home! Novel idea I know.

four | ios 11

Has anyone else upgraded to the new iOS on their iPhone? I'm not convinced the iOS 11 is actually here to make our lives better. I think it's a conspiracy to make everyone have to buy a new phone. Battery life isn't great and my phone does more thinking than Einstein just to open and close apps... I no understand??? 

five | makeup

Has anyone else been sucked into watching live videos on Instagram of bloggers and influencers doing their makeup? Is it just me? Why would any normal person on a regular Tuesday need or want to do a 15 setup makeup process? Why are you showing me this contour stick and shadow palette again? Do I really need to contour to run to Target? And when did we all get obsessed with contouring and makeup palettes and lashes anyway? Did I miss something?

Happy Friday everyone! As always, I'm linking up with Five on Friday for this week's Friday Round Up!