Not Pregnant, just Whole30-ing

GUYS.

I have to apologize. If you have spent any time around me the past 26 days, I’ve talked nonstop about food. So much so I’m concerned people think I’m pregnant. (I’m not) But guess what? That seems to happen when you do something that is hard and you are actually following through with it! Here’s the deal, it’s been hard and I’ve had a lot of complaining moments. But when it comes down to it, I’m so dang proud of myself. In the past I’ve always been able to talk myself into giving up on a goal, whatever that goal was.  This is showing me that I’m strong and capable of following through on commitments to myself. And that I deserve that commitment!

Jake and I have less than a week left on the Whole30 and it’s been quite the experience.  I thought I’d share our top 5 favorite recipes we have found along the way! These recipes were so good that I would have eaten them even if I wasn’t doing the Whole30.  Try them out and let me know what you think!

Thai Curry Chicken -- We both love Thai curry but could live without Indian curry. I was excited when I found this recipe! We took a trip up to Whole Foods in Draper because I had received a gift card for Christmas from my sister-in-law. While we were there we found a green curry paste that didn’t have sugar! We cooked this up last night and it was DELISH. Jake and I decided we’d probably add some more curry paste (we did the full 2 T and could’ve handled more) and more coconut milk to get more sauce out of the recipe. We didn’t include the kabocha squash cause I had no idea what that was and Jake isn’t a big squash fan. We served over cauliflower rice (which was surprisingly good) and it was the perfect, filling meal. Def a repeat. 

 Pizza Spaghetti Pie -- Over the weekend Jake and I took a trip up to Idaho for my cousin’s mission farewell.  We decided to make this as our meal for the whole weekend. After that we are burnt out of the recipe, but up until we ate it 7 times in a row, it was a favorite! The squash tricks your mind into thinking you are eating cheesy lasagna/pizza concontion. It was super tasty. The hardest part of this recipe was finding sugar free pizza sauce and Italian sausage—luckily we found some at Whole Foods during our field trip. You can add anything you like on your pizza, we did olives and green peppers--both were great additions. (PS. Whole Foods is freaking expensive. No wonder they put it up in swanky Draper. ;) ) 

 Buffalo Ranch Stuffed Peppers -- These are fab. I wouldn’t change a thing. I found them the first time I did this and have made them while I wasn't on the Whole30. I’m not crafty so I've never carved out the pumpkin faces, but man. So good. 

 Balsamic Glazed Steak Rolls -- I mentioned in my last post that we have been having people over for Sunday dinners.  We made this recipe for his dad and stepmom. It was so tasty! The steak was a tad bit rare for our taste so we did have to cook it longer. For the glaze, I replaced the brown sugar with unsweetened apple sauce and I had to make our own Worcestershire sauce because they all have sugar. It turned out super yummy, just a lot of work. 

 Paleo Chick-Fil-A Nuggets -- Jake loves Chick-Fil-A nuggets. I know his order and it’s always the nuggets. (remember when he picked that for his last meal?) Well one night we were stressed and bugged with the restrictions so we decided to make this! It was fabulous. We added some cooked potatoes and sugar free ketchup (another Whole Foods find). Heaven. Although the tapioca flour did do a weird thing where it was stringy while cooking and afterward—I don’t know why, but it wasn’t enough to make them gross because it was still crispy. And they tasted pretty dang close to the real thing. Minus the yummy chocolate chip cookies. (you haven’t tried their cookies? Well you should. They are divine.)

Now a non-food related thing--I crossed something off my list last week! On campus we have a new building and it includes a bowling alley. Last Tuesday Jake and I went for a spontaneous game after class. It was so lovely and the perfect break from the stress of the semester. (Yes, I know it's only a month in.) The first game I got 98! 2 away from #11 on my 101 in 1001 list! So we paid another $2 for a second game.  I broke it!  I scored 115. The best I've ever done! It was a blast and I'm so grateful for the hunk who suggested the idea.