I received the Zenbelly Cookbook for Christmas from Kyle and have already been using it a ton the past few months cooking up lots of delicious and healthy, paleo meals. So far everything has been super easy to cook with awesome flavor. I've tried a little bit of everything so far from chicken and steak to soup and muffins. So far and nothing has disappointed. I can't wait to keep working my way through the book, especially some of the summery recipes as the weather warms up. |
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21 day sugar detox = DONE!
It was a pretty good week, I ended up making some repeat recipes because I knew I liked them and wasn't feeling super creative in the kitchen or testing many new recipes. So I had more chicken buffalo egg muffins (added broccoli for some veggies) and I made the shepherd's pie again and had that all week. I also explored a little baking and made some carrot banana muffins. They turned out pretty good but didn't keep well after a couple days so I'll have to work on that next time. I think they would be better with a little bit of sweetener but not much and I liked using coconut flour. I found that and unsweetened coconut flakes at a "normal" grocery store and that made my day since it can be hard to find and I love coconut! Near the end of the week I had major cravings for wine (surprise surprise...) it's funny that I wanted that more than chocolate but that might be because I was prepared for no "sugar" but never thought about it including other things like just a glass of wine. I also really really wanted pizza! But I ended up satisfying that by making a cauliflower pizza on day 21 to finish out the challenge. I did this instead of post challenge so I wouldn't order a super carby/unhealthy pizza and binge on it afterwards. Now its time to figure out where to go from here eating wise but first here are a few pics from the final week of the challenge. WEEK TWO DONE! Recipes // Broccoli & herb egg muffins Stuffed peppers Shepherd's pie Smoky chicken tortilla-less soup Snacks // Carrots and tomatoes with guacamole Almonds Cheese Celery sticks with almond butter and cinnamon Drinks // Smoothies for meals Coffee (black) Tea Water Cravings // Still would love some wine! Anything Else // I continued with the crazy amount of cooking, feels like I'm spending a lot of time in the kitchen but is worth it when I have food for the week ready and lots of options so I don't get bored. I have however incorporated easier meals like salads, wraps, and smoothies and they all make me happy! I also branched out and had a few meals out to eat so that was interesting picking out food that I thought would fit into the program. I think I did pretty good with, salads, gumbo (minus the rice), and an omelet. Next Week Thoughts // I'm going into the final week really excited but also thinking about what I will do when the "challenge" is over. I'll mull it over and elaborate next week on my thoughts. WEEK ONE DONE! Recipes // Tomato-basil quiche Buffalo chicken egg muffins Parsnip and bacon stuffed chicken thighs Balsamic-braised beef with sweet potato Snacks // Grain-free banola Kale chips Carrots and tomatoes with guacamole Almonds Cheese Drinks // Coffee (black) Tea Water (lots and lots like normal for me though) Cravings // Not too many of these, near the end of the week I really really really wanted to have a glass of wine but I abstained because I want to do as well as possible in this challenge. Anything Else // All of the meal planning became a little overwhelming especially the thought of it for the next week to have to start it all over again. Also cooking has taken up a lot of extra time with how my work schedule is I have to cook everything Monday or Tuesday so I don't starve the rest of the week. By the weekend I was a little tired of everything also out of most meals and kind of sick of eggs. Next Week Thoughts // I want to do some things simpler, like adding back my morning smoothie (I miss them!) and there are a few recipes which I tried one at the end of the week, I just need to buy some green tipped bananas to make them. I also will probably do some easier salads and just throw everything in it together or make some simple "sandwiches" with lettuce, other veggies, and lunch meat. I'm looking forward to week 2 and loving how I'm feeling being off sugar and processed stuff, but also will enjoy some sweets and treats once I'm done! I can't believe the holidays have already come and gone! Wow time really does fly but I had lots of fun spending time with family and friends over the last month and a half. The holidays were a little different for me this year but still so good, I also overindulged A LOT but totally worth it! I'm getting back to the health kick now but more on that later... This year (well last year now since I'm a little late on this post) I spent Thanksgiving in Virginia since I had to work a little that week, but I did get to spend with Kyle's family and made my Grandma Metzger's famous noodles to make it feel more like home! It was really good and I had all the yummy foods that go along with that day, but the company was even better than the food, I am lucky that I was able to have someone else's family here in VA to spend the holiday with! I was also able to do some baking with Kyle in preparation for Christmas. We made buckeyes, chocolate covered cherries, and gingerbread men, along with some eggnog cocktails! Sooooo good and was my first taste of eggnog and I have to say I'm hooked for sure. For Christmas I celebrated with Kyle the week before and then headed back to NR for the week of and spent a lot of time with the family and catching up with friends. It was so much fun watching the twins dig into presents this year, they loved opening gifts and helped out everyone, especially opening Eric's presents hehe! And I know Henry is not far behind, next year will be even more fun with all 3 of them older! I hope everyone else had an amazing holiday season and enjoy the photos! Yikes! Where does the time go?! I'm not sure how it's already DECEMBER! I have so much to do in the next few weeks to get ready for Christmas. I need to do some shopping for gifts, make lots of yummy treats while still staying healthy, and also spend lots of time with family and friends! I have atleast started the decorating and have up my little tree and some trinkets in my apartment. I love this time of the year except for maybe the extreme cold and blizzards that come with winter... Well since I've been so bad at blogging the last few months, here's some photos of what I've been up to, enjoy! |
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