eating well.....again

Hello! Long time! Remember in my last post how we were waiting on summer??? Well it's HERE! The kids are finally out of school and we've been playing and planting and soaking up the sun.

A few weeks ago I gave you my book report on It Starts with Food . (check out my thoughts HERE)
I wanted to do a quick follow up on how the last few weeks have gone around here.....

I ended up following the Whole 30 program 100% for 13 days.....way longer than I had planned on, but I honestly loved coming up with new meal ideas each day. We were eating more vegetables than ever before, and because of that, I loved it.

BUT.

It was so much meat. We normally only eat meat (whether that be chicken, beef, or fish) a couple times a week TOTAL--we eat a lot of meatless meals. Without beans and whole grains, we were eating more meat than I was used to and it was just too much for me.

And....I was struggling on my runs. I am a giant bowl of oatmeal/fruit/nuts/seeds kinda girl before I run. And every single step of every mile on every run I felt so heavy, tired, and not at all myself. I was starting to dread my time on the trail and I knew something had to change. I had my giant bowl of oats one morning before I took off and I was a new person--back to myself flying through the trees.

See ya later Whole 30.
I had read so many stories of athletes who found great success while on Whole 30, but for ME and MY body, it just wasn't working.

And THIS is what you have to do.....
take what works for YOU, and get rid of what doesn't.

from the trail

Last year I wrote THIS post on "eating well", and I really think that's the best plan for my family....you know....just eating food. Real food. Whole food. A treat here and there. 
And not stressing over it.

I still loved the book--it taught me so much ,and I feel like in just the 13 days I was able to reset my "hunger clock"--I now wake up hungry in the morning (which is how it's supposed to be!) I know the importance of getting good bacteria into my gut, but this book was a great reminder, and also good at explaining WHY it is so important. I'm back on a probiotic routine, I added in some enzymes, and treat myself to a Kombucha every now and then.

We are still eating veggies non stop, I've come up with so many new meal ideas that are vegetable centered.

And we will still eat treats....(hooray!) My Lu turned 7 last week (gasp!) and we celebrated with banana splits....and she made the whipped cream.

Here is a veggie loaded salad that we had last night and I can't wait until I get to eat the leftovers this afternoon. I got the idea from Smitten Kitchen , and tweaked it with what I had. In her salad, the meat and cheese (she used provolone) are a major part of the dish, I made them more of a garnish. I added cabbage and beets (which turned the entire salad pink!) and used romaine instead of iceberg.

Italian Chopped Salad

sorry guys, you know I'm the worst with measurements......I just add things by the handfuls--so add more or less to your liking. But I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe for the dressing exactly (except I added some italian seasoning), so here is that:

Oregano Dressing 

(I added all ingredients to a jar and shook to combine)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano 

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning 

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

Freshly ground black pepper 

Juice of 1 lemon 

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

To put together salad, I combined all the ingredients EXCEPT the romaine, added the dressing and tossed until everything was coated. This way I could keep the leftovers without the lettuce getting soggy. I added chopped romaine to our plates and then added the [very pink] veggies and dressing to the top.

For Salad:

Romaine, chopped

2 cups garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 small red onion, sliced thin

1 cup of feta cheese

3-4 oz of salami, sliced into small pieces

1/2 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers

2 handfuls sliced cherry tomatoes

1-2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

1-2 cups roasted beets (dice, toss in olive oil, wrap in foil and roast at 425° until tender)

Enjoy!

from this post:
It Starts with Food

NOW Foods Super Enzymes

Garden of Life Primal Defense Probiotics
GT's Enlightened Kombucha (The Gingerade has been saving me after my long runs-I get really bad stomach aches after running miles of pounding downhill, and this settles it right down)

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blogged 3 years ago: fresh fruit popsicles