Whole30 Challenge: Day 3
FRIDAY, March 3rd
DISCLAIMER:
If you haven't already read my disclaimer, please click the link HERE from Day 1 of our challenge. As with any lifestyle or dietary change, if you have any questions or concerns, be sure to discuss them with your physician. Also check out the Whole30 website for specifics and additional info.
PRE-BREAKFAST:
You'll be happy to know that for the first time ever, I actually did not sleep walk to the pantry this time... Instead, I found myself actually opening up the fridge first to check out the local garden growing inside. While I was thinking about the day's activities, I decided to start the day off right with an orange while I contemplated making breakfast.
BREAKFAST:
Since I already told you about my pre-breakfast snack (I'm working on the snacking, but again, it's a work in progress). Be patient. :)
For breakfast I kept it simple: 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, bison meat with sautéed onions that I made the day before (thank God for food prep), 1/2 an avocado and a small tree. Oh and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Told you it was a staple as the shout out implied in our WHOLE30 - Top 10 SURVIVAL TIPS (thanks Lins for the name suggestion!)
I also switched up the plate if you didn't notice...to keep things fresh. I wouldn't want you to die from boredom because of my plates. I'll try to keep things a little interesting, but a girl only has so many dinnerware options now. :)
Breakfast was also made for my hubby which he appreciated and gave another 2-thumbs up. He let me know this was much better than his bachelor pad food he was accustomed to. Now if I call a spade a spade, that is barely a compliment... After giving him the look of, "Really?!?" (Jim does it so much better below)...I could see the wheels start spinning...
GIF compliments of GIPHY.com
Seeing my look of defeat, he did his best to quickly back peddle and reassure me my cooking was actually quite tasty. He also let me know how much he appreciated me cooking and being creative in the kitchen. I'll be honest, I sometimes fish for compliments after a long last 2 days of cooking, but this is more of what I was looking for...I'll take it! Shelby for the 2nd win!
GIF compliments of GIPHY.com
I was planning on rewarding myself for 2 days going strong with a mani/pedi before our trip. In lieu of horrible time management being that it is well past 11:00AM (I told J I would be showered, shaved, hair-done, dressed, and half-packed by now), and I'm still in my pajamas, I'll opt to forego the mani/pedi in favor of my hubby not leaving on the trip without me... Looks like I'll live life on the wild side and have my own car-version of a mani/pedi. Don't worry, I won't be driving. I may also choose to "forget to shave" due to the short time crunch I now find myself in... It's still March after all... #shortscanwait
Now onto packing for our weekend trip to Charleston... Whole 30 style. You would think I was packing for a family of 5 along with a small child and that all of Charleston was on an all-out food strike, but nope, that is me just being over-prepared Polly and also accommodating to our overly needy, high-maientenance fur baby, MIYA. I've been told I can be a little bit over-the-top... Even though I would much rather enjoy the fine dining and wine of Charleston, I've made a commitment to stay strong so I'm going to take the needed precautions (and extra packing) to do so! Here are some pics to prove it,exhibit A:
I must say, I packed in a record amount of time, even beyond Shelby standards. A mere 34 minutes!
I think it took me longer to pack for Miya. And no, that is not a diaper bag (well technically, yes it is), but in our case, it is a make-shift Miya/camera bag. A girl has to look somewhat cute when hauling all of our superfluous necessities. :) If that's not a good oxymoron, I don't know what is. 6 hours of sleep does wonders for my brain apparently! And yes, that is not 1 but 2 treat-dispensing balls, 3 blankets, car seat, bed, toys, 3 choices of Bully sticks, variety of calming mechanisms in case she gets anxiety in the car or hotel, more toys, etc... You would think we have a child, but no, just tending to our spoiled but oh-so-worth-it fur baby. A bit over-the-top? I think not! ;)
Back to the important things and real reason you're reading this blog. Salad Dressing prep. (Thanks Ginny for the tip on making and bringing our own salad dressing.) This is her favorite salad dressing (and now mine too) that helped her to get through the WHOLE30. It's also paleo-friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free (from here on out, it will be known as the Trifecta Salad Dressing).
Whole30 Salad Dressing (Trifecta Salad Dressing)
INGREDIENTS:
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (I used fresh parsley, cilantro, and dill)
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
3/4 cup olive oil, organic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
STEPS:
1. Just throw all the ingredients into a bottle and shake.
MID-MORNING:
I probably won't be blogging over the weekend as I'd much rather be enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of Charleston, but I'll make sure to photographically document our trip along with taking lots of mental notes of how we achieved a victory on our first weekend getaway while staying true to the Whole30! (Yes, I'm forecasting a positive end-result, but they say the power of visualization is legit, so I'm going with it!)
We will probably be that annoying couple that asks what's in everything and then have a million requests to modify the food, just to make sure we are staying compliant... Apologies in advance Charleston restaurants! We will be very gracious and tip extra well! I sense a lot of salads will be in our future this weekend... Hopefully we'll stay busy enough we don't think about food constantly, but just to be prepared, I've packed lots of snacks, and more snacks on top of snacks! Do I need to remind you? For the last reminder of this blog...
Oh we also planned ahead and requested a room with a fridge/microwave (for strict dietary restrictions of course). Yes, we can be a little high-maintenance! :) I packed our extra large cooler as a back-up just to be on the safe side.
LUNCH: Since I made extra salmon from last night, we utilized this food-prep golden opportunity and heated the salmon up, served over salad. Just imagine a serving of this salmon over leafy greens with the said salad dressing. Apologies for the picture repeat (though it's a different angle and without the tongs this time to switch-it-up), but a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do. I still haven't packed and I need to get on it if we are going to make it to Charleston before the sun sets! I told my husband I would be ready by 1-ish and I'm far from ready!
Did I mention sun sets are one of my favorite things? Ok no more tangents... I'm off to being productive!
SNACK: From our plethora of snacks in the XL cooler I packed, I think I'll go with an apple slices with some almond butter (not messy at all in the car...). Don't worry, I packed the apple slicer too and sani-wipes!
DINNER:
TBD. Wish us luck!
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