Day 3: Baked Mahi-Mahi with Couscous

I am just happy to say that I did not have leftovers for lunch today! I feel like that's all I've been eating lately (not complaining... really).  So my girlfriend and I went over to Five Guys for lunch... yes, we went to a burger joint!  But no worries... Five Guys is compliant with Whole30 because they do not season their beef.  They use 80/20 ground beef and just grill it without any oil.  They have grill their mushrooms and onions (most of their toppings) oil-free as well.  After we found out about that, we decided to eat out and "spoil" ourselves.  I also dropped by Whole Foods and picked up a bag of plantain chips to go with our bun-less burgers.  The staff looked at me funny, but I didn't care! It was seriously the best combo ever!  Okay fine... I would have liked the cajun fries with my burger, but the plantain chips as substitute worked :) 

For dinner, I decided to be "creative" and make Mahi-Mahi (my favorite fish) with a side a "couscous".  Yes, I know... it's really cauliflower rice, but  my sister had tried it before and thought it was couscous.  Probably because I processed it too finely and it does not look like rice.  Regardless, I seasoned and baked the fish (recipe below) and it was pretty darn good!

Ingredients:

• A filet of your favorite fish
• 1 tbsp of Adam's Reserves House Rub Spice
• 3 or 4 slices of lemon (round)
• 1 tsp of paprika 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degree F.
2. Season fish on both sides with spices, paprika, salt and pepper. 
3. Then drizzle the olive oil over the fish.
4. Place the lemon slices on top and baked uncover for 10-12 minutes.  The fish is ready when you place a fork down the middle and it cuts easily.  Enjoy!

Day 2: leftovers...

Picture this: you're driving home after a run and you're hungry.  All you're thinking about is the leftover NY Strip and the side of baked sweet potato in your fridge.  You get home, open the container and noticed a completely different steak and sides.  SOMEONE ATE YOUR FOOD! Ahhh! That was exactly what happened to me tonight :( 

Luckily, I still have leftovers from my sloppy joe so I quickly heated that baby up and scarfed it down.  However, I was still craving for some sweet potato so I sliced up a whole sweet potato, threw it in the oven and had that as my "dessert" since I couldn't wait for it to be an actual "side-dish".  Seriously people! You cannot eat other folk's leftovers! It's not nice, especially when one is on a restricted meal plan!  I mean... my brother isn't even in town and that's when I expect my food to go missing! Ah-hem... 

Anyway, getting back to updating about my food.  I had a pretty awesome breakfast: asparagus, with over-easy eggs, chicken sausage and coffee.  Lunch, I had sloppy joe again. Now for a snack... yes, snack... I had a Carrot Cake flavored Lara Bar... YUMMY!  I know they're Whole30 compliant, but it is only for "emergency" only (meaning you're stuck somewhere or in traffic and starving!).  I kinda figured it was an "emergency" for me since it was about 4PM and I planned on going for a run outdoors at about 6PM (which I did, but only for 3 miles and not 6 like I had planned). 

As far as Day 2... it wasn't bad.  I did notice I wasn't "feeling my run" since I gave up after mile 3.  I am not sure if it's because of the food (I was warned that I will feel sluggish and not as energize for the first few days) or if it's because I haven't been consistently running the past few weeks.  Guess I will figure it out (or not) as I continue to embark on this Whole30 journey.

Whole30 - Day 1: Of Course I Made It! (plus Turkey Sloppy Joe Recipe)

Day one is always the "yay, I feel great! Mission accomplished for now!" but we'll see how it goes when the weekend approaches.  I did prep myself by reading the Whole30 forums all weekend and I think I have it down (somewhat). 

For breakfast, I had 2 soft-boiled eggs with half an avocado and some tomato slices.  It was actually pretty filling because I wasn't hungry at my usual time (between 10:30AM-11AM).  I also had coffee with whipped coconut milk (from the can!).  I was actually amazed by how it good that milk was.  I've found a recipe for creamer that is Whole30 compliant, but I am not brave enough to try it (yet).  It's basically a can of coconut milk, an egg, and a tsp. of coconut oil all mixed together.  I'll be honest, it's the raw egg that bothers me.  I am very... oh, let's say "O.C.D." about salmonella.  I dislike prepping chicken and when I do, I clean and sanitize every. surface. area. of. my. kitchen.  That being said... raw eggs... yes, not sure when I'll try it, but will update when I do!

For lunch, I had turkey sloppy joe except without the bread.  The sloppy joe was made right from my kitchen and the recipe is super yummy!  In fact, I used to make this before I went on paleo and loved it with the 100 calories sandwich thins (with an actual burger bun is super delish too). Oh, and with mustard!

However, you may also eat it on it's own or with lettuce (kinda like a lettuce wrap but with juices coming out).  I actually enjoyed this meal so much that I had it again for dinner!  Now, you're wondering how this is compliant... well, no worries... I'm sharing this recipe with you :)

Turkey Sloppy Joe
Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground turkey or beef 
• 2 tsp of coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 tbsp of tomato paste 
• 1 cup carrots, grated
• 1 can (15 oz) of tomato sauce
• 4 pitted dates, diced
• 5 tsp of ground yellow mustard
• 4 tsp of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c and 2 tbsp of water
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or 1 jalapeno, diced) but this is optional if you like spicy food
• Lettuce or burger buns (depending on what you like) 

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.
2. Add onions and bell peppers - cook until onions are translucent (about 4-5 minutes).
3. Stir in tomato paste, carrots, and 2 tbsp of water - cook until carrots are tender (about 2 minutes). Remember to stir occasionally!
4. Add ground meat and cook until it is no longer pink.  Stir and break up the meat as it cooks.
5. Stir in tomato sauce, dates, vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 cup of water.  Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low, add the red crushed peppers or jalapeno, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. 
7. Serve with bread (if you have no restrictions) or with lettuce!