With just one day left before my Whole30, I broke in to a bag of Paleonola I bought a couple of weeks ago.  Hopefully it keeps well in the fridge because it was D-E-L-I-S-H!  I had the “Original” flavor with blueberries and almond milk:

Good morning!I should probably be getting a little nostalgic at the end of this year (the world is supposed to end sometime next December, right?) but the whirlwind that was 2011 I’m more excited than ever at the prospect of a fresh start.  I spent nine months of last year in Iraq, then came home and had to hit the ground running in pretty much every way imaginable–at work, at home, for my health, and to keep my sanity.  Nobody really thinks or wants to believe that coming home is so hard, and for some people it’s the hardest part.I’m not the most patient person in the world, which is why I had such a hard time at first when everything wasn’t perfect the second I stepped off the plane, but life is slowly returning to “normal” one day at a time.  With that being said, this New Years’ is more important to me at a personal level than ever before because I can officially put a lot of not-so-happy memories behind me and move forward into a very busy and exciting time with the ones I love the most.  (I won’t get into the details right now, but The Man and I have a lot of Big Thingson our plates this year!)I didn’t make any Resolutions last year because of where I was and the fact that I really didn’t have enough control over anything that was going on to make any substantial “changes.”  (Also, I was so bitter that I refused to either celebrate or acknowledge any holidays the entire year…don’t judge).  So this year, I have a list of goals for the coming year…some of which are probably a long time coming:

-Finish my Master’s degree
-Run another Spartan Race
-Take steps to live cleaner and more sustainably
-Take a real vacation
-Increase strength and meet my fitness goals
-Improve quality of recovery periods (PWO nutrition, stretching, etc)
-Expand my recipe collection and culinary repertoire
-Redecorate the house
-Unplug…make a point to read more, play more games, and have “family meals” and “quiet time”
-Spend more time with family

**The Man’s only resolution is to be less awesome because that’s the only thing he does to excess.

How about you?  Are you making any New Years’ Resolutions?

On that note, tomorrow is the first day of my Whole30!  Whether you’re going all out or are just trying to eat healthier in general, here is a quick roundup of Whole30-approved recipes to inspire this week’s meal plan:

Lemon Dill Salmon
Tasty Breakfast Egg Loaves
Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries
Paleo Sausage Spaghetti Squash Bake
Sundried Tomato Pesto Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Rounds
Bacon-Crusted Quiche (from yours truly!)
Fried Eggplant and Zucchini Noodle Lasagna

As if it weren’t enough with a vast majority of the Paleo blogoshpere taking part in or sponsoring some kind of New Years’ Paleo challenge or Whole30, Chowstalker is only accepting Whole30-approved recipes this month.  Get excited!  There are some extremely talented chefs out there, so a Whole30 might just be an excuse to get cooking and eat better than you every have before!

Finally home after a wonderful Christmas and great time with my family.  The drive back was a little rough because we were hung-the-f**k-overreally tired after all the festivities, but we both had to be back at work to sign in by today.It’s good to be home, though, and we’re steadily getting back into a good routine.  The Man and I both had a relatively healthy holiday, but even for those in Paleo circles it’s entirely possible to put on a few pounds and veer off track.  While I feel infinitely better than I have after Christmases past, I still had my share of chocolate, nuts/nut butter/nut flour, sweeteners, and a little more than my fair share of wine and certainly didn’t work out much at all.  Thank God for yoga pants.We had almost nothing in the fridge or pantry when we got home, so this morning The Man and I went to The Monument for breakfast–eggs, bacon, and fruit for me and eggs Benedict (minus English muffin) and fruit for him–and then to Sprouts where we stocked up on all of our staples and some extra goodies to prep for our New Years’ Whole30.

This week’s grocery total:

$146.93

Not too bad if you consider we had nothing in the fridge except for half a head of garlic, a jar of applesauce, and 2 eggs.

Tonight I’ve got a great meal planned around some lamb chops and I’m still working on something good for New Years’ Day.  I wanted to come up with something rich and delicious but still Whole30-friendly.  Originally I had a great recipe for roast goose with a sausage and chestnut stuffing from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but quickly decided against it when I realized that the geese at Sprouts were upwards of $70 each.  Soooo…I need a little more time on that one

During the Whole30, I’ll be posting all of my meals as a way to not only keep myself accountable, but also to provide some good meal ideas for anyone who’s joining me.  I’ve got some good recipes in the queue as well, and please, please, please feel free to offer up any of yours!  This is a great chance to not only make yourself feel better physically, but a way to reinforce nutritional habits that are better for you and more sustainable in the long run.

Luckily, the only things we eat regularly that are forbidden during the Whole30 are some dairy and red wine.  I’m also guilty of “Paleo-fying” a lot of dishes, so if I achieve nothing else next month I hope I’ll have a good chance to plan and execute some unique meals that aren’t built around my former unhealthy favorites.

Is anyone else doing a Whole30 to help ring in the New Year?

On our way back to Texas bright and early tomorrow and back to work on Friday (Noooooooooooo!).  I couldn’t have asked for a better time with my family since the next time we’ll be all together again won’t be until April for my wedding (eek!).On another note, the New Year is almost here and I’m already working on some recipes both from and inspired by two very special gifts I got from The Man and my parents:

The Man suggested I pull a Julie and Julia except try to make everything Paleo.  I sincerely doubt I’d survive an endeavor like that but there are some wonderful recipes in the book.  Despite the characterization of bread-and-cheese-heavy French food, it actually relies much more heavily on fresh meat, seafood, eggs, and vegetables.  Oh…and lots and lots of butter.

My folks also picked up Make it Paleo.  I’ve been earmarking away and can’t wait to get started.  I haven’t had anything I didn’t like from The Primal Palate–either food or food porn.  Expect me to be cooking up a storm as soon as we get home!

In honor of New Years’ resolutions, I’m also going to be posting plenty of Whole30-friendly recipes in January.  Who’s in?

This morning my Mom laid out a pretty terrific array of food to snack on throughout the day as we get ready for Kucios dinner.  I had gone for a run earlier, so I was starving and loaded up on a single large bowl of roast turkey…my sister brought up a bunch from a free range crop down south…so, so good.

Mom laughed out lout as she remarked, “Wow, you like all that skin and dark meat, huh?  I guess that’s good…no one else eats it!”

“Yes, Mom, yes I do…it’s the best part!”

My parents are still a little suspect of this whole “Caveman Diet,” but they let me do my thing (probably because it’s easier than having to listen to me try to explain why grains/legumes/vegetable oils are the devil).  When it comes to holidays and family meals, no one seems to object to my eating off a plate piled high with nice, fatty cuts of meat…my parents are clean-your-plate kinds of folks who never give me a hard time unless they think I’m not eating.  Mom was completely scandalized when I told her I no longer ate bread but seems to have accepted it when she realized that she didn’t have to change up her menus much if I was coming home–Lithuanian cuisine is replete with fatty cuts of meat, root vegetables, sausage, butter, nuts and berries, leafy greens, and full-fat dairy.  Seriously, all I have to do at family functions is pass up the bread basket and the occasional side of macaroni salad.  Unless I actually open my yap and try to explain or get preachy (intentionally or not)–which in my humble opinion is NOT something to do at a holiday gathering–nobody will notice.

Obviously, everyone’s situation is going to be a little bit different.  If I had an Italian mother who put out a spread of pastas, for example, I’d probably be under a little more scrutiny for the choices I made at the table.  Unfortunately with all the inherent stress of the holiday season, too many people just add to it with anxiety over diet and body image.  That’s why I’d say if there was ever a time to cut yourself a break, it’s now.  Instead of beating yourself up for weeks for having a slice of pie or fresh poppy seed roll (*drool*), just chill.  You’ll probably be back home this time next week living your life, getting your Paleo and Crossfit on, and have some great memories that make you smile–or thankful that you made it out alive, depending.

Sit back, have a glass (or five) of wine, and remember that this only comes once a year.

Another half-day at work complete with more chocolate for breakfast…

With Christmas only five days away (eek!!) and the end of a very eventful year just around the corner, a little chocolate is just what we all deserve, right?

After heading home I threw together a big salad with chicken, butternut squash, spinach, and grape tomatoes with the last of a batch of tahini salad dressing.

I’m really getting super excited to see my family and friends back home, so the rest of the afternoon is dedicated to the last of my Christmas shopping and gift-wrapping.  I got a stack of invites sent out yesterday, but if I have some time left over I wouldn’t mind addressing a few more envelopes…we’ve made some great progress but it feels like my address list never ends!

For dinner tonight I’m planning a healthy dose of (low-maintenance) comfort food, plus a batch of these babies…

Expect a review a little later!  LOVE these guys…

“Daniel” is actually the name of my very first boyfriend…and tonight was just like I was 16 again because he broke my heart into a bajillion pieces.

50 Pullups
400m Run
21 Thrusters (95/65)
800m Run
21 Thrusters (95/65)
400m Run
50 Pullups

I started out with the grandiose notion that I could Rx this one the whole way.  Silly girl…

I got 25 pullups in and realized if I was going to finish today I was going to have to use at least a skinny band, so I finished out the first set with the purple band.  The run was no biggie and let me shake my arms out a bit.

When I hit the thrusters, I got up to 15 at 65lbs and my hands started bleeding.  Apparently when you do that many pullups in a row followed by throwing a big heavy bar around a bunch of times it tends to rub the skin off.  I had tears in my eyes when Coach ran over and taped my hands for me so I could finish the set.  Again, the run was a nice break.

The second set I took it down to 60lbs.  Before you laugh and point at me for being a wussie…know that those 5 lbs made enough of a difference that I was able to finish the second set, albeit painfully and with my hand still bleeding under the tape.

The final set of pullups was pure torture.  I had to go up to a blue band for the last half, which was a blow to my ego but I very well could have been DNF without it.

Result:  28:18…partially Rx-ed

I started as RX-ed, but tonight was a swing and a miss.  I came home and after a very painful shower with my hands still cracked open and soaking up all the soap, I filled my belly with leftover chili to soothe my aching…everything…and washed it down with the last slice of chocolate pie.

Chocolate twice in one day?  Don’t you judge me.