Oat-less Oats (aka-when you are SICK TO DEATH of eggs on the Whole 30)

Don't gross out, I PROMISE these are so good!

I am on Day 29 of my Whole 30 plan and am pretty excited to wrap this up but while it is still fresh in my mind I'd love to introduce you to oat-less oats.  What, you say?  Why can't you have oats on the Whole 30, they are a proven healthy grain?  Glad you asked.  The Whole 30 is a total nutrition reset and one of the rules is to get off of ALL grains, ALL means ALL.  Studies show that grains cause inflammation so by cutting them all out for 30 days allows you to really listen to your body.  Then in the re-introduction stage, you can slowly add a grain at a time back in to examine how your body reacts.  If you experience any discomfort or bloating, after lets say the example "gluten", then you will know that gluten is not a good choice for you going forward.  

The first two weeks of Whole 30 are pretty easy, especially if you're an egg eater!  We are encouraged to have 2-3 eggs per day, including the yolk which I've thrown countless away in my egg-whites stage of life.  Sorry little yolk!  Who knew how completely healthy you were?  I digress.

I love, love, love eggs but by week three I was growing tired of them and thats when a childhood friend posted a link to this recipe.  I Googled Egg Banana Scramble and pages of recipes came up so I'm not giving any one person credit for this recipe; listed below will be my version even though I'm not a recipe creator but I'm a darn good embellisher!

Now don't gag, mixing mashed banana with scrambled eggs sounded hideous to me at first too and my family gags each time I make this, but it really does feel like real oatmeal and without an ounce of grain.  Ready for the ingredients and recipe?  Here you go:

Ingredients:

1/2 TBSP of coconut oil (or ghee, clarified butter)

1 ripe banana (the riper the better)

2 eggs

Almond Milk (without Carrageenan if on Whole 30) 

1/2 TBSP Chia Seeds

1/4 cup of fresh berries of choice

1 TBSP of chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, you get it)

Instructions:

Melt your cooking fat in a pan over medium heat.  Add your banana and mash with a fork, hence the reason I listed "ripe", easier to mash. The banana will soften as you mash and cook.  

Next whisk 2 eggs in a bowl and pour into the pan with the mashed banana.  I like to lower heat at this point.  Cook as you would scramble eggs but, and this part is an important step, before the eggs set (not runny but not fully cooked) add in a splash of almond milk and add your chia seeds.  Cook until desired consistency.

Pour immediately into a bowl and add toppings of your choice plus a dash or two more of almond milk.  Mix it all up and dig in! 

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Let me know if you try it.  My mom loved it and so did several people in my Whole 30 group.  It's SO good and I plan on making this even after my Whole 30 as I'm easing into a Paleo lifestyle. 

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Thanks for reading; I hope it was A Good Fit!

Michelle's Whole 30 Homemade Marinara {EASY}

Staple ingredients that I usually have at all time so I don't have to plan ahead.

This is my first time doing the Whole 30 and let me tell you, what a learning curve!  I've always considered myself a label-reader but this nutrition reset really heightens one's awareness.  Take marinara sauce for example, who knew that food companies added heaps of sugar to each jar?  I typically look for marinara sauce with the lowest sugar grams but on Whole 30 you cannot have ANY trace of sugar in the ingredient list.  Tomatoes have naturally occurring sugar so marinara will naturally have some but who knew how many companies ADDED sugar, and a LOT, to their sauces? What an eye opener!  Is it any wonder why Diabetes is on the rise?  

If you're a regular Aldi shopper like me, they have a great, compliant marinara in their Organics line. The label says Organic Marinara.  There is zero sugar in the ingredients and it's a pretty good sauce.  I've been buying it for years but our local Aldi is under construction and has been out of it so I just decided to start making my own.  We eat marinara at least once a week.  This recipe is easy but I'll be honest, not as convenient as twisting a lid off a ready made jar.  However, there is nothing as tasty as homemade.  Making your own marinara will require a blender or food processor, both of which I have though I prefer my processor for this sauce. 

Does anyone else wear these?  If you have sensitive eyes to onions, these are a must!

https://www.amazon.com/HAIXUN-Professional-Goggles-Endurance-Glasses/dp/B01F4QCFT8

I'm not even kidding you right now, I NEVER cut an onion without suiting up in my goggles!  My mom gave these to me back in 1999 when I complained about tearing all of my eye makeup off.  Only a makeup maven mom would understand my dire circumstances, I mean, I spend a lot of time on my mascara.  But I digress.....

Chop up a small yellow onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic.  I buy elephant garlic so I only need one clove.  Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté your onion for 2 minutes.  Add salt prior so that your onions get nice and sweaty!  Stir constantly, no one likes burnt onion in their marinara.  Next add the garlic and sauté with the onion for one minute only.  Then transfer to blender or processor.  

add salt to onion before sautéing for a good sweat

Open your big ol' can of tomatoes (check ingredients for zero sugar) and dump right into processor.  Then add your can of tomato paste.

I like a lot of seasoning. 

Into that add a big splash of balsamic vinegar, 1&1/2 TBSP of olive oil, and 1 TBSP of Italian Seasoning (more or less depending on your taste preference)

After that I pulse to a chunky consistency, I don't like liquidy sauce, but it's your sauce so you choose the texture.  

If you want plain marinara then transfer to a pot and heat it up stirring constantly but if you are going all carnivore then hang tight....

MEAT!!!!!

I will either do an organic grass fed beef from Aldi OR if I'm feeling crazy I'll add ground pork Italian sausage or ground lamb.  You could do any ground meat really.  Venison anyone?

Look at that steamy steam!

Once the meat is browned I'll add my marinara and heat it all up!

Larpin' good!  Does anyone say larpin any longer?  Is that an old mid-west word?

Because I'm on Whole 30 and because I rarely, if ever, eat real gluten pasta, I usually opt to make spaghetti squash or ZOODLES!!!! Who likes Zoodles?  My family doesn't so thats more for me!

Aren't they pretty????

I researched a lot of Spiralizers but went with this little handheld one so it would take up less space and it was only $14.99!  

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Handheld-Spiralizer/dp/B013KAW5IQ

Fits in the palm of my hand, and I have small hands.

Doesn't take long at all to spiral up these babies!

I bring water to a boil, add a steamer basket and steam my Zoodles with the lid on for only 2 minutes.  I like them al dente, not mushy.  Today I was lazy so with last nights' leftovers I microwaved them for 45 seconds and they came out perfectly and no pot to wash.  Hmmmm, might be my preferred method.

Voila! Eat em up, yum yum!

And there you have it, an easy, tasty, compliant Whole 30 meal that I was actually eating long before I ever did Whole 30.  

I hope you like my Michelle's Whole 30 Marinara Sauce.  I love it and it's customizable.  You can add and subtract.  When Whole 30 is over it's wonderful with Parmesan Reggiano grated on top.  You can also add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce as sugar is used to balance the acidity of tomatoes.  But only a teaspoon, let's not get silly.

If you try it, let me know.  Please share this recipe with others and subscribe to my blog at the top of my page if you haven't already.  You can also follow me over on my Facebook page, Michelle Spieler Fit by 50.

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Thank you for your time and I hope this was A Good Fit.

Day 15 of My Whole 30- Is This For YOU? (Day 1 and Day 15 progress photos)

Have you heard of Whole 30?  Maybe it's all you hear about and you're sick of it, then this is not the article for you.  Like many others, my eating got a little off track during the holiday season.  I love to challenge myself and knew the Whole 30 would be a great way to kick-off 2017. Because I believe strongly in support and accountability, I asked others to join me and now have a private Facebook group of 33 members.  Knowing throughout December I would embark on this journey I devoured the book Whole 30 (link below), preparing my mind for a challenging month of January.  I believe mindset is everything in achieving success, in diet, in exercise, in career, etc.  

https://www.amazon.com/Whole30-30-Day-Guide-Health-Freedom/dp/0544609719

To begin, the Whole 30 is not a diet, but a total nutrition reset.  Here are the basic rules: 

Some of you might be thinking : NO FUN, but rather than focusing on what we CAN'T have, we're encouraged to focus on what we can have.  I already eat everything on the YES list so the toughest thing for me was giving up peanut butter (the one food I could eat if stranded on a desert island for life) some cheeses, cream occasionally in my coffee and oatmeal.  I guess that's a lot but it's ONLY 30 days!  

The Whole 30 forces you to read labels because if you eat foods that are not compliant, BACK to Day 1 you go!  It's pretty strict and the reason for a forced "reset" is to keep you disciplined and on track.  I always thought I was a good label-reader,  but now realize I was still buying products with added sugar, a trick food companies use to make food taste better and/or hook you into buying their product again.  After all, sugar is a drug and coming off of it can be really rough.  Many of the group's participants had fatigue and headaches the entire first week.  I did well my first week; I did experience fatigue on Day 7 but I was fine again by Day 8.  

An important key to success on Whole 30 is meal planning, shopping and prepping.  A failure to plan is a plan to fail.  Its more work than most people are used to.  No longer are we buying processed "convenience" foods.  And you have to be mindful of every bite you take, no longer can you just take a few bites of your kid's pasta, or Mac N Cheese.  That's a tough habit to break because so many of us do it daily without even realizing it, but all those "bites'' of food add up to wasted calories.  

Gracie's DeCecco pasta last night with Parmesan Reggiano, oh how tempting this was!

But, I get:

but ONLY if it's compliant

And LOTS of.......

I LOVE eggs and can have 2-3 each day and WITH the yolks!

For years I ate egg white omelettes which lacked flavor and I totally burned out on them.  Now I can have the whole egg and cooked in Ghee or clarified butter which really brings out the flavor.  That's the thing, because of the fats we use to cook with, Whole 30 food is so flavorful!  I don't feel deprived at all.  

So today is Day 15 and I'm feeling strong.  We are told to weigh and measure on Day 1 and Day 30 but nowhere in-between because the number on the scale can mess with our heads and throw us off track.  We are encouraged to recognize non-scale victories, like one of our participants just got back into her pre-pregnancy jeans (she had a baby in August), or some are sleeping better.  As for me, I wake up each morning without my usual aches/pains and muscle and joint stiffness and I know that is due to cutting out all gluten.  Grains, especially gluten, can really inflame our bodies which is why we avoid ALL grains for 30 days, so we can truly identify how we feel off of them and how we feel once we reintroduce them back into our lifestyle.  

To encourage or motivate others I did want to take progress photos but I haven't weighed.

Not sure why I look so miserable on Day 1, I was pretty excited about this.

I've been in pretty good shape since July and only gained a few pounds over Christmas holiday but I was puffy and uncomfortable when I began on Day 1.  Today I feel much leaner and notice the biggest difference in my tummy!  That is reason alone to continue for 2 more weeks!

There are SO many more details I could go into about Whole 30 and an entire science behind it but the book explains much better and I highly recommend "It Starts with Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (link below), and THEN get "Whole 30" also by the same authors.

https://www.amazon.com/Starts-Food-Discover-Whole30-Unexpected/dp/1628600543/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZX1SHBXS3182Q0KQQG56

Once our 30 days are complete we are encouraged to go into a Paleo diet which is much like Whole 30 but not as strict.  And we can start making our favorite foods again like pancakes or muffins but using coconut or almond flours instead of the usual wheat flours which contain gluten.  On Whole 30 those type of foods are considered "trigger" foods that could send us off the deep end so zero baked goods for 30 days, but it's only 30 days!  I can do anything for 30 days, can't you?

There are countless blogs, websites, and Pinterest pins galore of amazing Whole 30 and Paleo recipes.  Never before have we had so much information so easily accessible.  There really is no excuse to fail because too many have gone before us and paved the way with delicious recipes to keep life flavorful and fun!  But if you pin on Pinterest daily, let me just say.....

Let me know if you try it!  I highly recommend Whole 30 and haven't found it difficult.  My husband did no grains for 13 days and my 9 year old daughter lives on carbs so I have plenty of non-compliant food in my home at all times.  That is life.  You have to learn to adapt to a new lifestyle even when those around you don't.  You have to learn to balance special occasions where food is always used as celebration because that is life.  And life is about balance!  You can do it!  

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I hope this has been A Good Fit!  Thank you for your time.

Lick-The-Bowl-Clean Sunday Stew (with Whole 30 modifications)

I was married 20 years before I ever made stew!  I mean it, it just intimidated me.  I've also never cooked a turkey, roasted an entire chicken, or cooked a roast though I did make a standing bone-in prime rib for a christmas party in 2010.  It's not that I don't like to cook, I'm actually pretty good at it, it's just my first eight years of employment were in fancy restaurants so I learned to cook that kind of food and not traditional american family dishes.  

Much prettier topped with the suggested fresh parsley but I didn't have any on hand.

Now let me preface, this is Pioneer Woman's Sunday Night Stew so I can't take any credit at all other than following the recipe well, but DANG if I don't nail this every time!  My husband just loves this stew (makes him happy dance) and even Gracie likes it!  And because we're a small family, it makes two nights' worth of dinners so WIN for me!  Pioneer Womans' recipes are easy to follow and she does step by step photos  which is great if you're a visual learner like me!  Here's her link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sunday-night-stew/

This dish is literally stewing on my stovetop as I type this but this time around I'm doing the Whole 30 (a nutrition reset for those unfamiliar) so I've had to modify her recipe, especially her mashed potatoes which the stew lovingly sits upon.  As for the stew itself I only had to omit 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and use Whole 30 compliant beef stock.  Easy peasy!  I also always add one extra turnip because who knew I was a turnip freak (?) and I add WAY more garlic because I like to show my stew who is boss!  

Now the mashed potatoes are very different tonight because there is no dairy (butter, milk) allowed on the Whole 30 but you are allowed Ghee (clarified butter with no milk solids)  so I made them with ghee and chicken stock (seasoned with S&P) tonight.  They did NOT disappoint!  They were so flavorful that I honestly did not miss the milk and butter and might prefer making this way going forward.  Lots of yummy sounds were being made and Rob and I each went back for seconds.  That's right, I ate two big bowls full, don't judge.

Ain't she a beaut?!!!! (color is basil)

I also HIGHLY recommend using a cast iron dutch oven to prepare your stew.  The cast iron browns the stew meat beautifully and because I use a Staub, the spikes designed in the lid provide continuous self-basting locking in more flavor!  I'm not trying to sell you a Staub but MAN OH MAN is this a great cooking tool!  I'll have this dutch oven for life.

Spikes on lids create a rain-forest effect that cycles moisture back to foods.

One important detail to know, the reason this is titled Sunday Night Stew, I imagine, is because this dish takes about 3 hours to make.  You won't be standing over it the entirety but it takes time.  I've made it so many times now that the time flies for me and I know I'm getting two nights of dinners out of it but it's a lot of peeling and chopping, and stewing.  I always play a good podcast to pass the time.

This is an awesome meal but especially if you're on Whole 30 like me, or Paleo, this is a compliant, flavorful meal.  I plan on making this all winter long.  Let me know if you try it too!  It brings me excitement to hear from y'all.  

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My Whole 30 Journey

I embark on my very first Whole 30 journey tomorrow along with a group of over 30 people joining me.  Even I was surprised that our group got this large, but strength in numbers, right?  Accountability is key to staying the course and if you've followed me on my Facebook Fit By 50 page I probably sound like a broken record.  Accountability, accountability, accountability is KEY!!!

My why: the reason I decided on Whole 30 is I love a challenge.  I've met several people this year who did the 30 and said they would NEVER do it again!  Sign me up!  I'm always looking for a new way to challenge myself because growth comes out of discomfort.  I tried Paleo for only 10 days in December and was blown away by the result (see below).  In a mere 10 days my six pack was starting to show!  I've never had a six pack, not even back when I was a body builder.  The Whole 30 is a total nutrition reset, not a crash diet, and who doesn't need resetting after the holidays?  

Two weeks before Christmas.  I promise you my abs don't look like this today!

My goal: at the end of 30 days I will know my body so much better.  I will know what foods or ingredients truly benefit me and which ones hurt my body.  I think many of us are so busy that we've lost the ability to really listen to our bodies.  Why else are we so sleep deprived?  Overweight?  Diabetic?  IBS?  So many ailments we bring on ourselves simply because we ignore our body's signals.  I'm hoping to shed a few pounds and inches but most importantly this fatty-carb-layer over my midsection.  You can bet I'll post Before and Afters on February 1st, stay tuned.  

I will post about this journey throughout the next 30 days in hopes to inspire others to begin a nutrition reset, and I will be totally honest.  What a great way to begin 2017!!!!

Thank you for your time!