Stuffed Zucchini WIAW #23

 

 

So, if you follow me on Instagram you saw that my mom gave me some HUGE zucchini from her garden.. I needed something to do with it so I decided (thanks to my mom) that I should stuff it! So, here’s my recipe for stuffed zucchini!

Ingredients

Two Zucchini- cut into fourths with the middle scooped out.
One Onion- diced
One pound meat (I used Venison Sausage)
1-4oz can green chilis
1-14.5oz can diced tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add olive oil to your pan and add the onions until translucent, then added chilis.

Add the meat and brown until thoroughly cooked.

Drain the tomatoes then add to the mixture, allow to simmer for a few minutes (5 should be good).

Drain the meat mixture if needed then scoop the mixture into the zucchini, place on a baking sheet then place in the oven for 45minutes.

Serve warm, pairs well with sweet potato. =]

My Whole30 Five Facts Friday

Whole30.. You know how sometimes being on a ‘strict’ diet is either super easy OR super hard?! Well, I’m still trying to figure out what this one is to me.. Let’s talk about what I’ve been starting to realize while on this journey.

1.  Sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes it’s hard.. Alright, so I know I already said that but hear me out.. I’ve been eating paleo for a while now, since February 1st to be exact, but there are things that come with eating paleo that are hard for my head to wrap around. I’ve read It Starts With Food, and I know how I feel after eating dairy, but there’s still a constant struggle for me to pick the right foods.. Which leads me to number two.

 

2. I weighed less, looked better, and felt more in control when I wasn’t following the paleo lifestyle. Now, the question I ask myself is WHY. That’s were there the really hard thinking has to come into play.. When I was eating the SAD (Standard American Diet) I was already eating very clean.. Yes I’d have tortilla wraps, yogurt, and white potatoes, but those are things that I like.. AND things that don’t seem to tear apart my system! So I cut out a few things, but I don’t think those things were the culprit in the times I’d feel sick/gross/groggy.

 

 

 

3.  I feel like I’m going to be letting a whole community down if I go back to eating the way I used to. I know, I know, I shouldn’t care.. I really do know that I shouldn’t.. But I feel like as a female we always try to please everyone, but this is one thing that I have to do for MYSELF and myself only. I want to feel fit/healthy/happy/toned, and if that means that I start eating a greek yogurt with breakfast, and have some mashed white potatoes with dinner so be it.

 

 

4. After the Whole30, I’m going to reintroduce my body to some foods, one-by-one, and if they don’t upset my system there’s a good chance that I’ll added them back into my diet. To be honest, I miss oatmeal like crazy… I want to be able to have post-workout protein bars, or protein shakes.. Sometimes I like having tasty-sugar-filled creamer in my coffee.. Yes, I know that not all of these are ideal in any diet, but I feel like picking HEALTHY over strict PALEO might actually make me a healthier person.. As stated in #2, I felt/looked/was better when I was eating a CLEAN SAD diet.

 

 

5. All of those things being said.. I’m NOT going to give up on my Whole30.. I’m on the 6th day and don’t want to give up just because there are things that I miss from my old diet that I didn’t see as being unhealthy. I’m going reintroduce, as stated in #4, and go from there..

 

So.. Those are my current thoughts on Whole30.. Who knows, maybe they’ll change in the next week or two and I’ll swear off all non-paleo foods all together.. I just wanted to share with you where my head is at after 6 days of Whole30 eating!
Thanks for listening guys, you’re the best!

My Whole30 Challenge

So I mentioned on Friday that this Sunday (August 11th) I was going to start Whole30.. You can read all about the do’s and don’ts here, but I wanted to outline a few things that I’m going to do specific for me and why.

 

1. No nuts… I know that I’ve mentioned a few times that nuts cause me to break out, but I’ve also realized that they lead me to overeat. Both nuts and nut butters are things that I will eat when I’m not hungry because they taste good. The point of Whole30 is to get back to the basics and to prove to yourself that food does not define you.. So for those reasons I’m staying away from nuts.

 

2. Only two servings of fruit a day.. While fruit is healthy, the amount of sugar in the fruit can be a sugar trigger just like a Snickers bar or a cookie. I’m sick of craving sugar all the time (I should do the 21-Day Sugar Detox next) and want to help rid myself of that craving!

 

3. Only two cups of coffee a day, and they MUST be finished before heading to work!.. This is another one of those things that I fight with. I’m addicted to caffeine and I know it. I think that cutting down to two cups of coffee and making them something I have to enjoy before heading to work will help me ENJOY coffee rather than make it a necessary thing. I will also enjoy this coffee black, rather than putting some paleo-fied creamer in it.

 

4. Last but definitely not least, I’m going to make sure that I’m active everyday! The training schedule I have planned has Saturday as a rest day, and that I’ll take because I’ll need it.. But I’m going to make it a 30 day promise that I’m not going to skip out on my gym plans! This will help get me back into a schedule and make it that much easier to go to the gym or get up to run!

 

 

I’m doing the Whole30 because lately I’ve been giving myself too many, “You need to enjoy life…” passes lately! I can feel it both physically and mentally, I’ve gained some weight and I just don’t feel like myself anymore. These next 30 days aren’t going to be easy, but I’m committed to doing this for myself so that I can be a happier person again!