I mentioned in my last post that I've been following an eating plan called Trim Healthy Mama, which I'm not the poster child for at all, but it has really helped me lose some overall weight and tummy bloat! I started it last summer and its really the only "diet" that I've stuck with for this long! I don't follow it 100% of the time but try to stay on plan Monday - Friday which means all of our dinners are structured around their eating plan.

Sometimes I need a little variety in our dinners so go searching on pinterest for something that's compliant with THM and recently I found a good one!

We love sweet potatoes here. Mark still loads his up with butter and brown sugar (the way I used to eat them too!) but since THM I've been eating with a small bit of olive and salt and shredded chicken. I still love it, but when I saw this recipe I was definitely willing to try a new way to eat a Sweet Potato.

After we got home from the Apple Orchard I was quick to start browsing Pinterest for some yummy new apple baked goods.  We brought home so many apples! I took some to coworkers and my family, still had some yummy fresh ones to munch on for snacks and made lots of baked yummy goodness. I made an apple pie, apple turnovers, and a new favorite - Apple Snicker Doodle Bars! They were so good I made them twice! I found it from a pin from Back for Seconds, a cooking blog that I had never been on before, but I'll probably be checking back there for some more delicious recipes since this one turned out so well!

My pictures don't do it justice, but if you're looking for a delicious fall snack you need to try this.

Here on the east coast of Virginia we're getting ready for Hurricane Hermine to make its way up. We're usually not too intimidated by impending hurricanes since most of the time we're protected by the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Usually it hits there first and and is less intense by the time it gets to us here in Hampton Roads. We haven't been hit hard in a good 5 years though, the last big one we had was Hurricane Irene, so who knows?! We can already feel the storm coming though. It's a good 10 degrees cooler today than it has been the last couple of days and pretty breezy so I figured I should at least be somewhat prepared and ran to the grocery store for some essentials. I grabbed some water, batteries, milk and a few non perishables for Reaghan. Of course, thinking about staying up late tonight watching the storm roll in made me think of needing snacks. Right?! So I grabbed some ingredients for some chocolate chip cookies!!

I realized as I was baking the cookies that I've never shared my favorite Chocolate Chip Recipe on here before. I found it about 2 years ago and I promise you, they've turned out perfect every. single. time. (Okay, except for one this one time that I accidentally grabbed cook&serve pudding and not instant pudding and they came out super runny!) I say this because it's totally not me making them turn out so good. This recipe is just that fool-proof.

Eating oatmeal - a breakfast favorite.

I'm going to come right out and say it. I cheated this week. Actually, I cheated a lot. I had a chic fil a grilled chicken sandwich on Friday and then today we were invited to lunch with my family and dinner with Mark's family so I had spaghetti for lunch and a hot dog for dinner. And cookie dough. And also a brownie. Ha. Soooo.... What now?

Well first, I'm going to give reasons excuses for my cheats.

We've had a very depressing, stressful week. Reaghan had a fever and an ear infection that is still on going which means I'm getting next to no sleep and she is not the happiest tiny person to be around during the day. Mark and I also caught her cold so that has been adding to the general crankiness in the house right now. We spent $$$ at the vet on our dog who has a "suspicious" lump on her leg so she was put on medicine that is making her have to pee every 15 minutes and have accidents if left alone too long and has to go back to the vet in 2 weeks for a re-check. And worst of all my sister received the worstt news possible for her right now - that her baby had stopped growing and they couldn't find a heartbeat.

Why am I sharing? Honestly... it makes me feel better about cheating. I'm not really proud of my decision but when I think back on my week... well, I'm not holding myself to too high of a standard. I was stressed and sad and exhausted and didn't want to think about new recipes or cooking.

Soooo... What now?

I learned that I absolutely use food as a comforter; a way to check out of reality for a second or too and make me feel better for the few minutes that I consume delicious food. One of the things Whole30 is supposed to do is break you of these unhealthy relationships we have with food, so by giving in to the cravings for comfort food, I sort of defeated the purpose of the whole process.

I guess I have 2 options - just end the Whole30 now and be happy with the 20 days that I did complete, or jump back in and finish my LAST week strong. I'm going to go with the latter. I honestly just want to quit, but I don't want to let lousy decisions send me on a downward spiral.

Okay - with that out of the way - I did make it 5/7 days this week without cheating so here were some of my favorite meals of the week:

Week 2 came and went and I'm still pressing on. There were a few days this week where I was extremely aware of all of the things I'm choosing not to eat right now... Like on Friday night when my grandma was in town and we all went shopping and out to dinner. *sigh* I ended up having a salad at Panera with just some lemon juice squeezed on it. Surprisingly, it didn't taste bad with just the lemon juice so I'm tucking that little trick in the back of my mind. But I may have been drooling a bit watching everyone else eat their baguettes and scrumptious soups and sandwiches! I will always love bread. The end.

I only lost 1/2 a pound this week too! I weighed in at the end of the second week at 148. That was a bit discouraging. But they say on their website that the second week you might feel some bloating and other intestinal discomforts due to your gut healing... so if your jeans are feeling tighter not to be discouraged! Here's hoping Week 3 I start seeing a bit more magic.

I worked out 5 of 7 days this week too! Yay me! I did P90x workouts 3 days and then went on 2 runs, including a 7 miler at the end of the week. I ate a Lara Bar before my run and I felt much better this week than last. I'll test it out again this weekend for another long run.

Here are some of my favorite meals from the week:




So that was week 2! I'm already 2 days into a week 3 and doing okay. Pretty excited that after this week I can start a count down to the finish line!!

I made it through my first week of this Whole30 thing! It wasn't too bad, but then, I've done a week of clean eating before so I was never too worried about the first week, its the 3 weeks thereafter that concerns me. Haha But I'm feeling good and committed to finishing this so I'm just taking it one week at a time and not thinking about how many more days I have left. (*cough*23*cough*)

My family even came over to watch the Redskins lose the playoff game and Mark made everyone homemade pizza and I even whipped up some brownies for them and didn't have a bite of any of it! I just ate a sweet potato. Talk about self control.



At the close of the first week I weighed 148.5 - 4 pounds down! I can already tell a difference in the way my jeans are fitting and my stomach feels a bit flatter. Technically I'm not supposed to be weighing myself because this Whole30 thing isn't about weight loss as much as it is changing your eating habits, but lets me honest...Weight loss is good motivation! So I'm keeping track! I've also been being super consistent with a workout routine. I did 3 p90x workouts and ended the week with a 6 mile run on Saturday. Which is also the official kick off of my 2016 Shamrock 1/2 Marathon training.

The first couple of days I got a bad headache in the evenings, not sure if I just wasn't drinking enough water or if it was a side affect of not having any caffeine, but those have faded away now! I've had pretty good energy over all, my only other issue has been feeling a little blah during my run. I've got to find some good whole foods to fuel my body for long runs because I'm totally used to having a few slices of pizza the night before a run to "Carb load."

Here were some of my favorite meals of the week:




We also had taco salad, spaghetti squash and baked chicken for dinner that I forgot to take pictures of.

I already have my menu planned for this week and did my grocery shopping this morning to replenish the produce drawers in my fridge. Hoping for another solid week!

A few nights ago Mark made a special request for a dinner - homemade macaroni and cheese made in the crockpot. It was something that we hadn't had in a while and bonus! something easy I could make for one of the nights I worked because it's made in the crockpot. I was more than willing to oblige him.

I couldn't find the recipe in the kitchen anywhere but I remembered posting about it here on the blog so I looked it up. It was funny to read the post because I talked about how Mark was not a fan of the crockpot and how the mac n cheese was the first thing he ever really liked that came out of one. He's come a long way since then - probably because I've come a long way since then in my ability to cook halfway decent meals the majority of the time. (I'm definitely still a work in progress!)

So with that being said I thought it'd be fun to round up my most commonly used slow cooker recipes that are winners here in our house and their original source. Because I'm pretty sure you're dying to know what I cook in my crockpot.





1.) Mac N Cheese - the original version that I posted here. I have upped the ante a little bit and now I add about 1tsp of ground mustard and 1 tsp of garlic powder to kick up the flavor just a tad.

2.) Homemade Chili - we just leave out the beans because, well, beans are eww and lots of times I'll leave out the sugar as well. There just isn't a need for it. I like this recipe because it doesn't use any pre-packaged chili mix so no processed mess. In all honestly, we usually eat "dirty" foods ha, most of the rest of these recipes have processed stuff in them. But it feels good when something can be easy and "clean."

3.) Chicken N Dumplin's - okay, so 1st - the best way to make chicken n dumplins is they way my grandma does it with all homemade ingredients and broth that simmers and thickens with homemade mashed potatoes. But sometimes I don't have time for that so this quick version actually turns out great in the crockpot! 2nd - I know I just talked about how it feels good when I don't eat processed foods and this recipe has a few no-no's in it if you're looking to eat clean. But again - its the quick weeknight, moms gotta work until 7 version.

4.) Shredded BBQ Chicken - Have you seen where you can use a hand mixer to shred chicken?! It's a game changer when it comes to recipes like this. Google it. Pinterest it. I usually just buy some Hawaiian sweet rolls to make some of these sandwiches and serve with a side of sweet potato fries.

5.) Cheesy Potato Soup - this is one is super easy, rich and delicious. Love it! Perfect for winter nights.

6.) BBQ Pork Baby Back Ribs - I only made this once because purchasing baby back ribs isn't a luxury we usually allow into our grocery budget, but Oh My Soul - these turned out way better than expected. If your grocery store has ribs on sale (which was the case this particular time) and you don't have the hours upon hours that you're supposed to have to slow cook these babies on a grill - then try this recipe. You won't be disappointed.

7.) Italian Chicken - This recipe has the chicken diced up and served over rice or some other grain, but I've usually just cooked the chicken breast whole and served with a side of veggies or something and it tastes great that way too. I'll also make chicken with different seasonings this way too! I just have to be careful about cook time so it doesn't get too dry.

8.) Spaghetti Squash - I found this cooking tip out while doing the clean eating challenge in September. After the squash is cooked you can season it just like you would regular spaghetti, even add meatballs if you want! Or you can keep it simpler with just olive oil, garlic powder and salt. Any recipe you look up that uses spaghetti squash, cooking it in the crockpot is the way to go!

9.) Sweet Potatoes - this one is kind of like the squash - its more of a technique than a recipe but its great way to cook up potatoes! We love sweet potatoes and when we have them for dinner it is usually the main course. 1 sweet potato each is enough to fill us up : )

10.) Meatballs - we don't usually have these but I made them for Reaghan's birthday party and they were a huge hit! Super easy appetizer to take to a gathering or make for a Christmas party. (Also I was wracking my brain to think of just ONE MORE recipe that I've made in the crockpot to round this number off to 10 and meatballs were the only thing left that I could think of!)

SO there you have it! My top 10 Crockpot Successes. I've had quite the long list of failures too... like chicken broccoli and rice casserole {too mushy} and crockpot lasagna {crispy noodles}... and I've tried TWICE now to make a decent pot roast and it always turns out way to dry. Basically inedible. So I don't have plans to revisit pot roast any time soon - because it basically sucks to buy an expensive piece of meat that you hoped to use for at least 2 meals go to waste because it's way overcooked....

....Which brings me to my last thoughts on my crockpot meals. My slow cooker is basically an incinerator when its on high. I always cook things on low for a set amount of time and then allow it to go to the warm setting to slowly finish cooking. Otherwise consider the dish ruined.


What are your favorite crockpot meals?! Now that I'm working 3 nights a week, the crockpot has been in pretty constant rotation - seeing the countertop at least once a week. I could use some good ideas!

I had planned to post every day of our clean eating challenge, but sometimes plans don't go, well, as planned.

But before you think I didn't actually complete the challenge, let me assure you that I did! I finished it - with the exception of a small cheat day the day of Reaghan's party with some cake - and I lost 6 pounds! I was pretty happy with that.

Doing the clean eating challenge definitely made me more aware of what was in some of the food I had been buying. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sustain the no sugar, no dairy, no carbs thing for the long haul - but I think it did what I had hoped. It gave me a push to stop buying pre-packaged seasonings and realized I don't need to load my oatmeal up with butter and sugar! Putting fresh fruit it is almost just as tasty. ; )

Now that its over, I'm still trying to limit sugar, drinking mostly water and making more "clean" foods to avoid processed ingredients that I can't pronounce. I mean, like I said, we're not giving up everything all together or never eating fast food again, but its the little , every day choices that make a difference right? : )

I made some pretty yummy meals for dinner so thought I'd share some of them here!

Taco's with Homemade Seasoning:



Eggs:

• 1 cup plain Quinoa
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 medium cucumber, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 lbs wild-caught shrimp (it takes a couple pounds to feed our large group)
• 1 cup unsweetened shaved coconut
• whites of 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp chili powder

Mix the coconut shavings and chili powder together, dip the shrimp in the eggs and then coat with the coconut mixture. Cook the shrimp in a skillet in coconut oil and viola coconut shrimp! Alot of the coconut shavings did fall off but I just scooped them out and used as toppings.

Sweet Potato Fries:

 Tuna Salad:

• 1 can of tuna
• 1 1/2 of avocado
• 1 chopped boiled egg
• Fresh salsa that had tomatoes, cilantro, chopped onions and peppers in it
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti:



Tuna Cakes:

• – 2 cans good quality tuna
• – 2 eggs
• – 2 Tbsp almond flour
• – 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• – 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• – 1 tsp mustard
• – 1 tsp garlic powder
• – 1 tsp onion powder
• – 2 pinches cayenne powder
• – salt and pepper to taste
• – oil for cooking (I used coconut oil, which did give it a slightly coconut-y taste.) 

 Veggie Soup:


This one is another no brainer really. You just start with around 28oz of vegetable broth and then 14oz of crushed tomatoes - not drained. Bring that to a boil and then once it boils turn it down to a simmer and add in fresh or frozen veggies and allow it to simmer for a good 30-40 minutes. Season with garlic, thyme, pepper, and parsley to taste.

One thing I really missed during the challenge was something sweet at night. To help fight off temptations I looked up some yummy sweets.

Coconut Banana Ice Cream:


Paleo Apple Crumble:

• 6 medium size apples, peeled and diced
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg