Whole Heart 30: Day 17

Do ya'll love Thursday's as much as us? We almost look forward to TGIT (thank goodness it's Thursday) as much as the weekend. A big reason for this is because in undergrad at UD, TGIT is an actual school sponsored event! Every Thursday evening after classes we would all convene in the Rathskeller on campus, enjoy some beer and listen to live music. So now since we've been engaged and now married we enjoy what we call "grownup TGIT." It must consist of the following: TGIT tank, comfort food, and some form of entertainment (movie, live music, game night, etc. 

Tonight my TGIT consisted of having my sister & her college roommates over for a gourmet meal prepared by Jake. He prepared such a treat for all of us! And then I prepared a mango cobbler/crisp over vanilla ice cream for everyone (but myself, of course). It wasn't even a temptation to eat the dessert! Instead I just had fresh mangos & was so content. 

Morning Meatballs 

Sweet potato casserole on bed of spinach

Pan seared chicken topped with arugula & a side spinach salad

 

Whole Heart 30: Day 16

Over halfway finished with the challenge & feeling great! I've heard from some other whole 30-ers that the second half really flies by, so here's to hoping! Checkout the grub I feasted on today. Also, I sadly didn't capture a photo of tonight's dinner Jake made, but it was a feast. We had company over and he prepared a big southwestern brisket (no bbq sauce for me!), jalapeno coleslaw (minus any mayo), and a sweet potato casserole with lots of cilantro. Maybe I'll get a shot of my leftovers tomorrow.

Breakfast

Morning meatballs, again. 

It doesn't get any better than starting it off with some good ole protein. 

Lunch

Coconut Larabar Balls

Ingredients 

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup dates,figs, prunes, etc.

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2 T Coconut oil

2 T water

Directions to come in a full photo collage of just how I made these tasty treats! And who says you can't have dessert mid-day? 

Whole Heart 30: Halfway Point

Greetings, long lost friends! Please forgive my most recent absence, but I've taken a slight hiatus from some of my technological overuses. It was somewhat of a Post-Easter light bulb moment that I needed to be spending more time in the here & the now, and less time focusing on sharing that here & the now on social media... But I'm back!

Today actually marked day 15 of my challenge! I can honestly say that I feel fantastic. I've never felt better. My skin is glowing (according to my husband & close friends), I've dropped 6lbs (!!!!), and am so much more aware of everything being consumed! I cannot tell you how happy I've been. It's forced me out of my comfort zone of eating into a whole new catalogue of culinary cuisine: natural. The biggest adjustment has been transitioning from lots of fruit to lots of vegetables. Mornings that began with some type of fruit I was also crashing by mid-morning, so I attempted to focus more on beginning my days with protein and a veggie. The results have been so rewarding! See below for today's cuisine & a few of my new favorites that you missed over this week long hiatus.

Some personal favorites from this past Easter below. 

Quick Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:

Ramen Seasoning Packet

Thai Basil

Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

Protein (I used an egg bc I had no meat, but improvise!)

Siracha

Hoisin

Directions:

Boil medium pot of water. While waiting for boil, put all ingredients in the bottom of a medium sized bowl. Pour hot water over, stir, and enjoy! 

Sauteed Sausage & Rainbow Chard 

Ingredients

Any sausage

Rainbow chard, kale, spinach, etc.

Garlic

Directions

Literally just sauté everything, serve & look like a Food Network chef! 

Tuscan Soup

Family recipe that I can't share... just yet! 

I'm back for good, friends. Stay tuned for my daily updates on the remainder of this challenge! 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from the Hyde's! We had a wonderful day back home in Florida with family, food, and lots of celebration. What a decadent day it was! Wishing you all a blessed Easter season, celebrating this joyous occasion of our risen Christ. 

Whole Heart 30: Day 5

Happy Easter Saturday, ya'll! What a relaxing Easter vacation it has been these past few days in sunny Florida. My family & I just ran a 5K run this morning to support the Shriners childrens hospital, followed by a long afternoon poolside painting Easter eggs. The Easter egg images are below. I was VERY proud of the outcome of our artistic egg painting - definitely best year yet!  

What a fun afternoon of painting it was!!! And I had some good eats you'll find below: 

Post 5K Breakfast/Lunch

Celery/ P&B & Almond milk Iced Coffee

I was't too hungry post run, so I decided to keep it light. And it was just perfect! 

Dinner 

Broccoli Rabe & Sausage

Following the Easter vigil mass, the fam & I stopped at local pizza place. Of course I was tempted to indulge in a hot piece of sausage pizza, but I kept up with my challenge and was delighted! My order of broccoli rabe & sausage was so flavorful & satisfying! Jake agreed that we'll definitely start incorporating it into our recipe repertoire. 

Whole Heart 30: Day 3 & 4

So sorry to all of you devoted followers who have noticed my brief absence from the challenge. Yesterday was a long, tired mess of a day consisting of packing, working a full day, and hopping on two planes to make it to my parents house in Florida. Suffice to say, I'm alive & well soaking up the Florida rays. So Here I'm posting both day 3 and 4 of the challenge, because today's day 4 was Good Friday and only consisted of one actual meal. 

In the past two days I have realized how incredibly difficult this challenge is when traveling. So for all of you interested whole heart's out there, be mindful that if you travel often this will be hard! Our travel began around dinner time yesterday directly after work, so there was really no time to head home and prepare even a quick dinner. I packed some mixed nuts and water as travel snacks, but no actual dinner plans. Luckily, we stumbled upon a nice relaxing restaurant that just opened in DFW with lots of healthy options. I chose a simple, fresh salad and Jake went with a Tuscan sandwich on ciabatta. Gosh, his ciabatta looked SO tasty! 

Upon arriving at my parents house I've also noticed that there aren't necessarily lots of whole heart options, but I've made do just fine thanks to my supportive family. Because it was Good Friday today I've only had light snacks throughout the day and one regular meal. Some cashews and fruit throughout the day, and the delightful salmon and asparagus dinner to end the day. I'm hoping the rest of the trip manages to be somewhat easy to find healthy options, but I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted! 

Breakfast

Leftovers from the sweet potato skillet from the day before

Lunch 

Grilled chicken, avocado, and sweet peppers.

Dinner 

Airport salad consisting of:

Mixed greens

Pine Nuts

Craisins 

Grilled chicken

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice 

*I had to ask for the olive oil and lemon to substitute the sugary dressing, and to hold the goat cheese. Both would have been the best part of the dish, so this part was tough.*

Good Friday (Day 4) Meal

Salmon & Asparagus

Salmon

Dijon Mustard

Parsley 

Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice 

Whole Asparagus 

Salt & Pepper 

Daily Bible Reflection

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." 

John 3:16-17

On this day in the church, what better passage to reflect on? Today is a day of remembrance. A day of mourning. A sad day in the life of a Christian. But a sad day that becomes so joyous in knowing that the Son of God was sent to save each and every one of us. Both you and I alike. What more can we say other than thank you? Thank you to our Lord God for sending the only Son to save us. 

Whole Heart 30: Day 2

Hey all, so sorry I didn't check-in yesterday with my day two status update on the challenge! We were in a mad packing frenzy in the Hyde household before we depart for Florida for Easter. So I've stolen some time this morning and am going to update ya'll on my second day of Whole Heart 30!

It was honestly pretty easy, like the first. I barely had any cravings all day... until 5:00pm. The minute I left work all I wanted was a glass of red wine to unwind from the long day. And it was even harder when I saw the open bottle of my favorite red wine in our fridge...just staring at me. But don't worry, I refrained! Instead of myself drinking it, I made the husband finish off the bottle so I wouldn't be tempted down the road. Meals were super tasty, and SUPER simple! I drank about 60oz of water throughout the day, and then a few glasses of soda water & lime (personal favorite). Checkout the day of good eats!

 Breakfast

Sweet potato hash topped with avocado and hot sauce

1 Large Onion

1 T olive oil

2 lbs meat (I did half ground beef, half chorizo)

2 Large Sweet Potatoes

1 T kosher salt

Green Onion

Cilantro

Freshly ground black pepper

Smoked Paprika

Chili Powder

Heat the oven to 450F. Peel onions and slice them up into half moons. Throw in pan of olive oil over medium heat, to caramelize and reach a nice dark brown color. While the onions are cooking, place your meat in another pan over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through and a nice brown color and crispy texture. Drain excess fat.

While onions and sausage are cooking, dice up your sweet potatoes. Tip (if they are too hard for you to cut, throw in the microwave for a few seconds to soften). Throw diced cubes of sweet potato in a mixing bowl with olive oil, seasoning, and chopped green onion. Once onion and sausage is finished cooking, add to the mixing bowl. 

Place mixture on a cookie sheet (or even better - cast iron skillet) and cook for 30-45 minutes, or until crispy and ready to enjoy! Your results will be HEAVENLY! I promise! 

Lunch

Leftover Spinach, grilled chicken, pepper salad with lime cilantro dressing

Dinner

Leftover Sweet Potato Casserole Hyped up 

Just added spinach, more avocado and a fried egg & it was dinner! Quick, easy & so cheap! 

Bible Passage for Reflection: 

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. 

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will provide you the way of escape, that you may be able to endure. 

1 Corinthians 10:13

What more encouragement do we need to succeed in life in being assured of His omnipresence? He will not leave us to fail in this world of constant temptation to sin. Be comforted in knowing we're not alone on this challenge, or at all in life. We are loved and cherished by a Father who loves us more than we even know. He will not forsake you. Let that resonate on your heart and find peace throughout your day.