September Whole 30 Days 4 & 5

Well Day 4 & 5 went well! I am really liking Whole 30!!

I think planning is the key; and not hours of planning either. I think it seems like a lot more hard work than it is and people may be deterred by that. I want to share my meals for Day 4 and 5 and I even went out to lunch :-O I feel so empowered by Whole 30. I am headed out of the country and I am going to bring snacks, etc and focus on protein and veggies for my meals. I am planning to go to my Weight Watchers meetings tomorrow before I fly out of town and I'll give ya the results as soon as I can post!

Day 4

I've had the best sleep all week!! I even over slept so I grabbed a pack of Trader Joe's Go Raw Trek for breakfast on the bus

Lunch: I felt like getting out of the office so we went to a new restaurant call CIRCA it was a bit intimidating because I only checked the menu quickly but went in without a plan. I debated a burger but ended up picking this Mango Chicken Salad
OMG!!!!!
IT. WAS. SO. GOOD!!!
The salad had blackened grilled chicken breast, mango, grapes, tomatoes, cashews and it came with field greens but I'm just not a fan of them so I swapped for romaine lettuce and the flavors were so awesome. I didn't even need the salad dressing which I am sure was not Whole 30 friendly anyway.

My snack was Trader Joe's almond butter and bananas. Another upside of Whole 30 trying new things and liking them. Almond butter is great. I got the salted version and I still  added sea salt lol I am a salt person but it seems to have gone up on Whole 30
 Another snack... lol Guacamole and plantain chips  and some salted pistachios I usually buy the unsalted but again that salt craving...


Last night I felt for breakfast for dinner!
So I made a  fried egg, fried sweet plantain (which wasn't that sweet), bacon and some left over sweet potato mash.

Day 5 (Today)

 Had the veggie egg muffins (recipe below) and apple chicken sausage and sweet potato mash

The egg muffins didnt taste that great I think I microwaved them  too long so I only had half and by 10:30 I was hungry so I had yesterday's lunch which was sooo good!

So I made my famous (lol) Jerk Chicken (recipe below)  but because of the Whole 30 rules the BBQ sauce and Lawry's Jerk marinade I usually use were OUT! I actually looked up the ingredients for the Lawry's and the FIRST ingredient is High Fructose Corn Syrup!!!!!

Another great benefit of Whole 30 is I am really paying attention  to the food labels now! Why do we need all that sugar?! I guess because it makes everything taste better lol 

I also roasted some mini red and white potatoes with rosemary and roasted some fresh beets

So if you have a Produce Market in your area its like a gold mine!
I got all of this for about $10.00
Fresh peeled garlic, fresh rosemary, potatoes,  scallion, beets and asparagus

RECIPES 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 8 muffin cups or line with paper liners.
2. Beat 6 eggs together in a large bowl. Mix ham, bell pepper, onion, salt, black pepper, and  1/2 cup of water into the beaten eggs
3. Bake in the preheated oven until muffins are set in the middle, 18 to 20 minutes.

JERK CHICKEN

Jerk seasoning you have two options use Walker Wood  or use a food processor and combine the following ingredients 

Directions:

1. Season the chicken (thighs, legs, breast) with the salt, pepper and two tablespoons of the jerk seasoning. Cover and refrigerate the seasoned chicken in a container the night before (or at least 2 to 3 hours before cooking).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Place the marinated chicken into a pan and let it bake covered for 30 minutes in the oven. Add one chopped onion, green pepper, red pepper, garlic power or garlic cloves and onion powder. Add Trader Joe's 21 Season Salute.
4. Turn the chicken over and spread the last tablespoon of jerk seasoning on top of the chicken. Let it bake uncovered for 30 minutes on this side before removing the baked chicken from the oven. Turn again and cook for approximately 10 more minutes.  

Homemade Jerk sauce: via

http://www.jamaicatravelandculture.com/food_and_drink/jerk_chicken.htm


To make Whole 30 friendly remove those items  or swap them for fresh ingredients (listed below)

In a food processor or blender, combine the green onions, onion, scotch bonnet peppers, vinegar, vegetable oil, thyme, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. Mix for about 15 seconds.

2 Tbsp. thyme
2 Tbsp. ground allspice
8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
 3 Medium onions, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tsp. ground black pepper

1 to 2 Tsp of the following (to taste)
-ground cinnamon
-nutmeg
-ginger

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of one lime
1 cup orange juice-  swap for fresh orange
1 cup white vinegar