Aloha Sliders

*Disclaimer - this is not my recipe.  I copied it verbatim from The Frugal Paleo Cookbook.  If you have not purchased this cookbook, well...you are crazy and you should go to Amazon and do so right now.  That is all.

I am trying really hard to continue my good eating habits I (re)established during my last Whole 30.  Meal planning is key for this, because if I don't have a plan I just grab something and it is usually not good for me.  I did not plan as well as I normally do this weekend because it's been full of birthday craziness, so I'll try and scrounge up the energy hopefully tomorrow.  If not...it will be a lot of eggs.  And chicken.  Because, #chickeniseasy.

I made these sliders tonight for us (not the kids - they wanted pizza and I'm here to please), and I'm glad I ate mine first because Sean ate the rest at an alarming rate.  The prep time was totally doable during the week, and cooking was even easier since Sean fired up the grill for me.  Fact about me - I don't grill.  I'm afraid of it, it's not a controllable thing, it's not gonna happen probably in this lifetime.  Another thing to note about this recipe - if you want leftovers, go ahead and double this recipe.  I'm already pissed that Sean ate my lunch for tomorrow.

Aloha Sliders with Pineapple Relish

For the relish:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 small red onion finely diced (or, buy the already diced onion if you hate prepping)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced (wear gloves and don't touch your face.  I may know this by experience)

zest from a lime (I just used lime juice.  I don't get the zesting..seemed hard)

1/4 tsp sea salt (or salt.  I mean...whatever)

1 1/2 cups of pineapple (so I used a can of chunks.  I refuse to cut up a pineapple.  Ain't nobody got time fo' that.)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I just ripped it up.  Sean didn't complain)

Grab your large pan, turn your stove top to medium heat and melt the coconut oil.  Then add the diced onion, jalapeno, lime zest and salt.  Sautee until the onions are almost translucent.  Next, add the diced pineapple (if you are awesome like me and use a can, make sure to drain the juice first).  Take your time, and keep the temp around medium, or you will burn it.  It takes about 30 mins, so make sure you check frequently and stir often.  When it's nice and saucy, remove from heat, add cilantro, cover and wait for the sliders to be ready.

For the sliders:

Ground Pork - 1lb

1 garlic clove - minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp kosher salt 

While the sauce is cooking, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mush together.  Form your slider patties, beg your husband to make sure the grill is ready and hand him the plate and tell him it's his turn.  Oh wait...that was me.  I mean, if you can handle this part just take them to the grill, cook on one side for 5-6 mins, and flip.  Cook that other side for 4-6 minutes and they should be perfect.  Bring them inside, top with the amazing relish and start eating.  I would go ahead and make your leftover lunch tupperware first so your husband doesn't know there is extra available.   We didn't have a side with this, and didn't really need it.  The flavors were super fresh and the relish had just a hint of spice, but nothing this spice hating girl couldn't handle.  

I hope y'all enjoy this recipe as much as I did this evening!  

So, now what?

So, you've finished your Whole 30.  Now what?

Well...there are a few options, and all of them I've explored.  Let's discuss.

1.  Go wheels off back to where you started.  Trust me.  This is sooooo easy to do, and I would never judge anyone that this happens to.  Whole 30 is the most strict food plan (refuse to say diet) I've ever followed.  It's tough to read labels, prep menus, cook all the food, never have a drink, be a poster W30'er.  I have NEVER completed a perfect (by the books, that is) Whole 30, and it's a personal goal of mine to.  However, just like with anything worth doing, if it were easy it would just be "the way".  I went back to my old ways quicker than lightning after my 2nd W30, and I paid the price.  I screwed up my digestive system big time.

2.  Continue the Whole 30 plan for an extended stretch.  I did this after my first go around, and I almost guarantee I was able to recover from surgery (two, actually) at a much faster rate because of all the good foods I was eating.  It was hard, but so worth the sacrifice to let my body heal.  I got to the lowest weight I've been since college during this time, and was lifting and training at an all time high.  However, I got burnt out and let old habits creep in.  Before I knew it, I was back to my old ways.  It truly happened without me even realizing it.

3.  Find a happy medium. This is the current place I'm living in right now.  Since I am once AGAIN out of the workout game (thanks, bulging disc), I have to be careful about what foods I'm consuming because I have the superpower of being able gain weight at an extremely rapid rate and I can't do much to counteract it at the moment.  I also just feel better when I don't consume the dairy/sugary things.  I had a tall flat white from Starbucks today as a "treat", and my body all but rejected it immediately.  I just need to listen to these cues and realize that I can't just shove whatever I want in and expect it to be ok.  It's a hard lesson to learn, and one I feel will be a life battle.  Some days I just don't care, but then I pay the price.  I mean, I'll get it some day, right?

How I stay motivated during and afterwards:

I buy myself presents.  I know, it's ridiculous.  I'm not above a toddler sticker chart, either.  I'm very visual, so if I can see cumulative awesomeness, it helps push me to continue building good habits.  I always buy myself a "mid" present (this year it was a cookbook and a spiralizer) and an end present (new necklace), with manicures and such thrown in between to keep it fun.  This time I gave myself an extra challenge of hitting a certain amount of workouts during, and the weeks just flew by.  I would say this was my most successful one yet!  I lost 7 lbs and lots of inches (I need to tally those up).

When I've been most successful with Whole 30, I've also surrounded myself with people that are participating and/or understand my goals.  I've joined Facebook groups, and have group texts with people who can understand my "I just want a glass of wine" text really means "I just need to complain for just a minute, but that's it" haha!  I love talking about it because it can truly be fun and you learn so much!  I mean, I'm eating brussels sprouts now after this W30 - that's CRAZY!  I hated those nasty little things before, and now I can't get enough.  I post pictures of my food, and let my social media platforms keep me accountable.  Before you know it, the 30 days will be up!

I hope that these posts are helpful.  If you have any questions, please ask!!

Oh, hey...

Hi Friends!

It's been a long time since I wrote anything, and I've felt bad about that.  I hate editing myself, and I struggle with what to put out there vs. what not to.  So, this post will be pretty surface material type of things.  I have had a lot of requests for menus/menu planning/how I do Whole 30s, etc - so here ya go!

I completed my third Whole 30 this past week, and just like the previous two times it was very successful for me.  The holidays are always like a sprint for me, full of family and friends and fun.  I love it, but it's exhausting and full of questionable food and drink choices.  By the end of December, I looked like a bloated train wreck and I knew it was time to clean up my act.  My skin was out of control, I had dark circles for days and I just looked poofy.  I hadn't really worked out much, either, and I was ready to recommit myself to a solid routine.  Some advice I have about Whole 30 is that there will NEVER be a 30 day period that is perfectly perfect for you to do this, so you just need to suck it up, buttercup.

I also always start my Whole 30s with a 10 Day Cleanse from Advocare.  I don't sell it, it's not a "thing" for me - but I do love this cleanse and I always feel better afterwards.  It's easy to have success because I'm already eating clean, too.  I just think giving yourself a chance to have really great results in the first ten days is just a great way to motivate yourself for the next 20.

I started on a Monday, and so that Sunday I meal planned and cooked as much as possible.  This is what my weekends look like, and how I am able to achieve good food choices for the week:

Saturday/Sunday - I do a lot of preplanning for these two days.  I love to look for recipes during the week (I often email the links to myself), and so over the weekends I show them to Sean and have him pick a few that he likes (and possibly cook for us).  If I need a big protein run, I typically head to Costco. Besides the normal items, they also have things I love like the 505 Hatch Green Chilies, and big things of strawberries so a trip there every other week becomes a necessity.  If I am not shopping there, I am at Kroger.  I write everything down, and also list what recipes I want to cook.  I can.not.cook.on.the.fly.  I just can't.  It stresses me out, I get overwhelmed, I shut down.  I can, however, follow a recipe like a champ, so to have all of this planned out works great for me.

It's all about me...I hope you are following that.  ;)

Anyhoo, once I get my stuff home the fun begins.  I use Whole 30 as a way to try new things, but I ALWAYS have staples ready to go.  I eat a lot of eggs, avocado, chili, and soups.  I am so lucky to work close to my home, so going home for lunch is really easy and keeps temptation at a minimum.  My meal plan for the week usually looks like this:

• Egg Cups - I love to make these with lots and lots of veggies and ground beef.  If I am feeling fancy, I will wrap prosciutto around the cups.  I just scramble 8-10 eggs and set aside.  I will sautee bells, mushrooms, spinach and add that to the bottom of the cupcake tin.  If I'm adding beef, I spoon a little on top, and then pour the egg in.  I like to use Sean's taco seasoned meat for extra flavor.  We don't use packaged seasoning packets EVER.  There is typically so much gross stuff in them, and they always make me sick.  Sean is my seasoning master.  I just let him do his thing
• Turkey Blueberry Meatballs - this is a new favorite, and something I will probably eat forever.  Two meatballs is more than filling with two fried eggs (current obsession), and a great post workout breakfast or a snack.  One recipe usually makes enough for the entire week, and they freeze really well, too.  I substituted onion powder for actual onion and I think the consistency was a little better. I also used blackberries and they were awesome.  Go heavier on the sage and thyme.
• Soups and Chili's - This is usually my go-to lunch, and I don't get that mid-day carb crash that I typically would after a normal lunch.  It's easy to cook a big batch of these recipes, and I can get lots of meals from one pot.  I loved this new Buffalo Chicken Soup (I would add more chicken next time, and I didn't shred it, I cut it in chunks), and I also liked this Sweet Potato Chili  because you can make it in your crock pot!!  This is usually something I make just for me because the boys don't like casseroles/soups and Sean thinks the only good chili is the one he makes (which is sorta true - again, he can throw down in the kitchen, too).
• Crock Pot meals - Really a must for any mom.  Again, my boys hate casseroles and things that touch (lord help me) so I have to get creative.  I also don't short order cook too much, so if Sawyer wants something else he's welcome to make a sandwich.  Independance.  It's a beautiful thing.  Some meals that we enjoyed this past W30 were the Chili Lime Roast and Kippy's Pork Carnitas.  

Something that I wish I had purchased months ago is The Frugal Paleo Cookbook and Paderno Veggie Spiralizer.  I absolutely love these two things and urge everyone to purchase them immediately.

So, here is the dirty about me and Whole 30.  I'm never perfect on them.  There is a book (It Starts with Food - very informative) and it says if you intentionally choose to go off plan that you should start over.  I never do, and I don't care.  If I have two bad meals in 30 days, I figure that's good enough for me and I don't stress.  I'm not saying to break the rules intentionally, but don't beat yourself up, either.  My first W30 I had sugared coconut almost every day without even realizing it.  I chalked it up to a lesson about reading labels and moved on.  Its hard enough being a woman/mom/working person - I don't need to beat myself up over this, too.

Plan, plan and plan.  Always have an emergency Larabar ready.  Learn to socialize without a drink in hand.  Eat before events or bring your own food.  If you are lucky enough to have friends as badass as mine are, you are lucky enough to have people who accommodate your weird eating issues anyway so this shouldn't really rock their world too much.  Don't make it a big issue and it won't be.  Have fun with it and you can learn a lot of new things about food and about yourself.  

So, what should I write about next?