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mini turkey meat loaves {paleo, clean eating}

30 days of clean eating

Thirty-three days ago my family and I made a goal to start a clean eating challenge. We didn’t have huge expectations. It was a tool to get me organized in the kitchen. I did the shopping and meal prep on Sundays and every other day for that matter. I never knew how much food my family would consume while eating in for nearly all three meals a day. The other thing I never imagined was how much I would run our dishwasher! That damn thing is constantly beeping at me telling me to empty it and before I can empty it the sink seems to already be full. INSANE! The fam seemed to be happy and after most meals the kids would be screaming at me, “thank you mommy for the yummy food!” It definitely makes you feel good inside knowing the ones you love the most are appreciative and notice the change.

The other component of the challenge was to get my booty to The Dailey Method fifteen times within the thirty days. I felt fatigued the first week, all I wanted to do was nap. The second week I was faced with the tragedy of losing a friend. The third, I felt determined and the fourth I just wanted to kick ass. It was truly a roller coaster of a month. I got in eighteen classes and I couldn’t be happier about it. I don’t even know the last time I attended that many classes. I guess when your husband opens that dreaded drawer of skinny jeans and says, “it’s time“you can either cringe or embrace it. I embraced that drawer and you know what? After nearly five years, two kids, forty-one pounds and a whole lotta soul searching later those beloved jeans don’t even fit because they’re TOO big! Holla!

:::Does a happy dance:::

Back to the food… We wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for the food! I tried to document what we ate so for everyone who has questioned, what the hell are you even eating? could see. We ate yummy (well almost everything was), natural, whole, sugar and preservative free foods. Let’s take a walk through the 30 days shall we…

Snacks – you aren’t supposed to snack but my homemade “Lara Bars” served as a pre and post workout snack if I went during odd hours like 6 am or 7 pm. They were also a special treat for the kids and hubby. I even came home one day and the hubby made a batch! Boom!

Egg Cups – These had mashed sweet potato on the bottom and an egg layer with fresh veggies.

Banana “pancakes” – the best damn pancakes EVER! 1 banana, 1 egg and 1 TB almond butter. Voila!

Artichoke Lemon Chicken “spaghetti”. An artichoke pesto sauce, sauteed chicken served over spaghetti squash.

Romaine with chicken apple sausage, sauteed peppers and avocado. Drizzled with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Scrambled eggs, purple sweet potato (delish!), bacon and berries. Green juice was also consumed on most mornings because I would rather drink my greens.

typical day. salad was shredded chicken, blackberries, avo, blueberries and toasted pecans. lara bars and dinner that evening was roasted cabbage and a yam with a cup of black coffee with coconut milk (canned).

pancakes round two. always a crowd pleaser.

my autumn inspired salad.

crispy crockpot carnitas served in lettuce cups.

cauliflower spanish “rice”

coconut chicken fingers with mango “ketchup”, brussels, mini squash and sweet potato fries.

weight loss goal achieved.
:::does happy dance again:::

typical breakfast. If you haven’t tried Applegate products RUN! Especially their chicken and apple breakfast sausage. I am not a sausage lover by any means but this stuff is amazeballs.

Panera Mediterranean chicken salad off their hidden menu.

told you it was typical…drinking my greens too.

I work three nights a week. It is rough working in a restaurant but luckily they make me whatever I want. Turkey patty, grilled onions, steamed veggies.

Post workout lunch came from Baron’s market salad bar. Not something I typically do but it hit the spot and this salad fed both of us.

Souplantation – I haven’t been there in a while and I was surprised that they added kale to their salad choices. Again, not organic but compliant. They also offer yams so I had two along with this salad.

sweet potato hash with fried eggs.

Tender Greens – Ordered the roasted veggie salad and when I asked if their was cheese the worker said no, however, you can see the cheese right there. Not going to kill me.

I tried another “natural” sausage brand and these patties were sub-par. Go with Applegate.

In & Out – I had to. I was craving a burger, little time and well, who cares. I’ve already pooped it out anyway.

Banana Nut Porridge – raw, yummy and so creamy!

NY strip marinated in coconut amino’s and black garlic. Grilled alongside zucchini and artichokes.

Mini turkey meatloaf. The best I have ever made. Look for a post next week.

Roasted acorn squash filled with scrambled eggs and blueberry/apple sausage.

farmers market omelet.

Chipotle – my go-to salad. nom nom nom.

My FAV brekkie – sweet potato hash, scrambled eggs with Applegate chicken & apple sausage, green onions, cilantro and avo.

Cauliflower “tortilla” tostadas. Sometimes I just amaze myself.

We capped off the challenge with a potluck party for all the TDM participants. This is what I brought. Raw strawberry “cheesecake” bars. Heck yeah!

Now, was that all we ate? No. Meals as you all know can be hectic so some meals didn’t get documented. I am already that crazy mom that photographs her food but this was a hard challenge. We also shared our daily eats on our Facebook forum so it was fun to see what everyone was eating.

Did I cheat? Yeah, I did. I ate popcorn at the movies. Gasp! It was the day after I reached my weight loss goal so I took it as a reward, sad! Annnnd! It was hella good.

Other foods we ate:
Kombucha
sauerkraut (I eat it straight outta the jar, my fav!)
tuna salad on mixed greens
dark chocolate – the most % of cocoa you can find
wine
I dined out at True Food Kitchen and had an amazing meal celebrating my bff’s birthday, not 100% compliant but amazing.
Spinach salads from work chock full of veggies
That’s it! It’s a wrap! Just kidding…we’re still eating this way. It’s been an amazing challenge and it jump started something we as a family have needed to do. I don’t miss the dairy, well, maybe the fro-yo and I certainly don’t miss gluten. If you have considered trying out paleo or a clean eating challenge I urge you to look up The 30 Clean!

Whole Foods Market Facial Care Sale

One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2013 was to get into a better facial care regimen. I was notorious for going to bed without washing my face. I never used to do that until I had kids. It seemed when I was able to finally fall asleep I did and because of that my skin took a huge toll. I have found that there are a few key elements to clearing up my skin or any skin for that matter! Water, being number one and diet second. For everything else outside of that I had to make sure that I had quality skin care items that prepped my skin for the day elements and while I was resting at night.

If you’re like me and looking for skin rejuvenation you need to get yourself to your nearest Whole Foods Market to take advantage of their skin care sale where they are offering 25% off all facial skin products! The sale is offering a wonderful variety of facial skin products for any skin type and age: cleansers, eye creams, toners, moisturizers, scrubs, masks and serums.

One of my favorite facial products is the Mychelle fruit enzyme scrub.

This gentle exfoliate is super-smooth with jojoba beads and refined bamboo stem powder provide gentle polishing action, while fruit enzymes dissolve dulling residues, leaving smooth, soft, radiant skin for all skin types.

Whole Foods Market also has great resources and helpful tips/tutorials on their website. One of my go-to at-home facials is their raw honey face mask.

Raw Honey Face Mask

4 1/2 tsp 365 Everyday Value 365 Organic Raw Honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (such at Bragg’s), lemon juice or 100% lavender essential oil

In a clean glass bowl, combine honey, vinegar, juice or oil (if using). Using clean fingers massage the honey mixture all over your face (avoiding your eyes). Allow to dry and become slightly tacky and then pat and tap to get the blood flowing to the surface of the skin. Remove with warm water.

So, what are you waiting for?! Get your little booty to your nearest Whole Foods Market for their 3-Day Facial Skin Care sale from February 7th-9th (sale applies to stores in Southern California, Arizona, Hawaii and Nevada).

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Market.

Payton’s 4th Birthday {Disneyland}

(bear with me as I play catch-up of events)

Payton’s second wish for her fourth birthday was to go to Disneyland. Since daddy was in Austin for her special day, Grandma and I took the kids to the happiest place on earth. We learned last year when taking her Disneyland one week before Christmas it meant chaos and this year was no exception, it was pure chaos! Last year it was raining the morning of and this year it was nearly 80 degrees. Luckily for us, the kids don’t really care if we ride too many rides. All they seem to care about is seeing the princesses, Brayden needs to see Goofy otherwise his two-year-old planet will spontaneously combust, cotton candy, popcorn, a ride on the carousel, maybe even a coast through Ariel’s undersea adventure and finishing off the day with purchases made at The World of Disney is all they truly need. Actually, this is our routine 75% of the time, luckily for us we have passports so it makes it easy when the crowds get the best of us.

We made the most of our December 18th trip and tried doing holiday-type things like decorating sugar cookies at Mickey’s Jamboree. This was the highlight of our trip because Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Mrs. Claus and Santa were all nestled back away from the chaos. The kids could interact as long as they wanted with the characters. We were probably thirty seconds away from being tossed out of the park for Brayden’s stalking skillz (yes with a ‘z’) on Goofy and Pluto. I am sure the human behind the fluff was so annoyed with my kid. Hell, he even parked himself down next to a teenage girl during one of the last hillbilly shows and made himself comfortable. At one point he kept inching closer to her, grabbing her hand and leaning on her arm. This kid has mad skillz (again, with the ‘z’) and he’s only two. It was fun chasing him around, they had fun and I had fun watching them act like crazy ass kids. After the kids, grandma and I consumed way too many sprinkles and icing we exited the park and met my sister’s family to celebrate my nieces 9th birthday and miss p’s 4th. Dinner was chaotic like the park, but more so because my son decided he wanted to enter into his terrible two’s that day. Lord help me and let it pass quickly because I can’t look like “that” mom out in public any longer than I have already endured. Okay, enjoy the picture overload. Payton’s fourth is finally recapped. Now onto planning the fifth birthday.

Brayden already getting to dart because he made contact with Goofy. See the disinterest with Mrs. Clause?

We’re still all good here. Engaged young boy somewhat paying attention to his Grandma’s direction…somewhat…

what else is in there? I’ve already tasted all the sprinkles. I need MORE!

Payton, bless her patient heart. She decorated her cookie, obliged for her photo and stayed put with Grandma to watch the show.

Grandma now decorating Brayden’s $6 cookie.

Plethora of affection for Mickey & his pals.

“holy s*** mom! It’s actually Mickey Mouse!”

Okay, I’ll give him a hug. He seems alright and he sings about hot dogs.

But Goofy is just like me! We’re so cool we blow kisses to one another.

I ran away from my mom and found another girl. Slowly but surely I will work my way over.

we also finally talked mommy into purchasing two balloons, the yellow one is still floating high onto her ceiling 5 weeks later. take that $7 balloon that mommy thought wouldn’t last!

we gave mommy a run for her money today, can’t you tell how worn out she is? but I got an Anna crown so I am good…

Grandma enjoying my craziness and for me giving my mommy a run for her money. payback!!

a picture says a thousands words.

Happy FOURTH birthday, Peanut Butter Pie! I hope this post provides you with many laughs when you’re old enough to understand all of this!

the best day ever! {a tangled inspired 4th birthday}

A few weeks ago we celebrated Miss Payton’s fourth birthday Rapunzel style. She has been obsessed with Tangled since she first saw it. Day in and day out we listen to the soundtrack. She pretends to be Rapunzel at any chance she gets so naturally choosing her birthday theme was a given. We rented out Kid Ventures for a few hours and she invited all her closest friends. The party was simply amazing and she was over the moon excited with all the little details and kept exclaiming, “this is for me!?” Yes, my dear, it was all for you and I am so happy it all came together. Now, let’s talk about those details!

The invitations went out six weeks prior to the party. This seems excessive, but when you’re dealing with a party one week before Christmas you have to give your guests enough time. If you want to beat other engagements send out your invite with enough time, normal guideline would be one month out. The invites were printed at Costco on regular photo paper. The envelopes and envelope liner paper were purchased at Paper Source. The envelopes were sealed with gold polka dot washi tape.

The party was at Kid Ventures. I didn’t want to deal with clean-up or games. I wanted to enjoy the party. The only downside was it was two hours on the dot. I felt rushed when setting up and it felt more like a factory. Which I get, but…let’s just say moving forward all parties will be at our house.

When it came to the food I didn’t want to cook either. We had the main food catered by Chick-fil-a and Champagne Bakery. We had chips, juice, fruit skewers, veggies, jell-o cups and so many desserts!

I made Rapunzel “paint brushes”, homemade rice krispie treat bars with popsicle sticks inserted and dipped in a Rapunzel paint palette.

Sugar cookies that matched the theme perfectly. I still need some work on my cookie decorating but they were sure yummy!

I had to work in the frying pans some how since we didn’t have a piñata. So I took black paper plates and black knives and taped them on the back to create a frying pan plate.

Flynn Rider Jell-O boats were a must! I created a flag by taking the sun into a purple triangle and then cut them out and glued them on toothpicks. One large box of Jell-O made eight cups.

The favors: I went way overboard but that’s just me. I scored on these Pascal sippy cups. If you give yourself enough time to plan your party you can watch for sales at stores like the Disney Store. The cups were on sale online but I waited too long to order them so I called my local Disney Store and they had twenty in stock and would offer the online sale price, double score! On top of the price matching I was able to use my 20% off for having a Disney Chase card. Even better deal!

The girls were all given a Tangled inspired hair bow. I highly reccommend using Isn’t that Cute for any hair bow orders. She was amazing to work with, the quality held up to my standards and the girls loved them!

While I baked the cake I didn’t decorate it how I had wanted. I didn’t have enough time for the caste but it still came out super cute, simple and cute.

Jim and I braided a 30′ braid that served as a table runner. I wanted the braid to be thicker but once you have that amount of yarn in that length you start to become, well, tangled! It was still cute and Payton played with the braid after the party when she would dress-up.