Whole Life Challenge updates and recipes

Well I have officially completed 7 days of the Whole Life Challenge (today is #8).  I've tried a lot of different yummy recipes and only just yesterday did I earn and keep all of my points.  Let me explain.....for each serving of "non-compliant" food you eat you lose a nutrition point and you only start out with 5 to begin with, so there was one day I licked the knife after making the kids PB and apple sandwiches for lunch and it was a non-compliant PB (contained sugar and honey). A couple days I had a drink of Izabella's non-compliant Almond Milk (has artificial ingredients/preservatives), I can't remember what else.  Nothing that I would consider a "bad choice", but definitely some non-compliant slips.  I did REALLY well yesterday though.  It helps to have a well stocked kitchen!  I did a grocery shopping trip and spent a LOT!  My facebook status that day was "You know it's going to be expensive when the cashier has to ring up some of your groceries to make room for what's still in your cart".  YIKES!  BUT, it will make me successful in the long run, so it's all good.  There were two items I couldn't find at Cub Foods.  One being coconut flour (for baked goods) and compliant coconut milk.  Luckily I have an amazing little grocery store in the same building as my office that sold the coconut flour I was seeking and a stop at Trader Joe's got me the coconut milk I needed.  So now I'm all set for a compliant birthday cake for my little guy's party.

So here are some of the things I've tried that I really love:

Last night's dinner was Pizza Stuffed Sweet Potatoes....super yummy....bake a sweet potato in the oven until soft, cut it open and squish a little, fill with pizza toppings (I seasoned some ground turkey, added some sauteed onions and mushrooms, homemade italian red sauce, and some nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor), but you could do whatever you like.  Pop it bake in the oven for a few minutes to make sure everything is heated through and melty.

I also tried Salsa Chicken in the crockpot one day:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts coated in taco seasoning (I made my own without all the junk of the prepackaged ones at the store), place in a crockpot and top with a jar of salsa.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  This recipe can be done in the oven as well at 350 for 25-30 minutes. When we came home that evening we shredded the chicken and put it in romaine lettuce leaves with some smashed avocado and it was VERY good!  Next time I'm going to try the baking method with fish and some mango pineapple salsa.  I've heard it's pretty amazing.

Some meals have been a simple combination of snacky type foods.  One day for lunch I had a snack baggie of peanuts, sunflower seeds, and unsweetened coconut.  I paired that with celery sticks and an apple.  VIOLA!  Perfectly balanced meal and still felt like I was snacking.

Another day I was in a rush to throw a breakfast in my lunch bag to take to work.  I put peanuts, slivered almonds, coconut, and sunflower seeds in a snack bag and tossed a banana in my bag intending to eat them together but separately.  Then....the magic happened.  I got to work, sat down at my desk and unpacked my breakfast.  It was like the Heavens opened up and the angels sang "aaaaahhhhhhhhhh" I dipped my banana IN the nut mixture before biting it.....HOLY HANNAH I'VE JUST DISCOVERED MY NEW FAVORITE BREAKFAST!!!!! AMAZING!

This morning's breakfast was actually the remaining half of my pizza stuffed sweet potato....most of the sauce and onions and mushrooms were gone but there was plenty "sausage" and potato left, so I scrambled some eggs and tossed them in there with what was left of the straggling toppings and it was delicious!  VERY filling too!  One reason I LOVE sweet potatoes!

Yesterday I finally got back to the gym too!  I was there long enough to get my 10 minutes of stretching in and also my base line 11 minutes workout, but man that was enough for me.  Especially after slacking for several weeks!  No slacking anymore, I'm back at it.  Today we'll be heading to my mom's to visit and we're gonna bring yoga DVDs with and we'll be swimming there as well.  Tomorrow I work at my more physically demanding job and will get my stretching in prior to working because the car wash attendant spot in the store actually make me work up a sweat and is definitely a little bit of an arm workout - THAT will be my workout tomorrow, then Monday it's back to the gym bright and early in the morning!  Thursday when I'm in the office I plan to do stretching after work with the kids and will do my best to get at least a yoga routine in after the kids go to bed.  If not, it may be a 10 minute gorilla workout from the app on my phone.

This weeks plans for meals include a creamy chicken casserole, zucchini tomato stew, steak and buffalo roasted cauliflower, crockpot balsamic chicken, mexi mini muffins, taco salad, and chili.  I'm also going to attempt to taste test my son's banana birthday cake with coconut milk OR avocado frosting.

It's gonna be a delicious week!

PS - I gained a few lbs after Christmas, but I've lost 8 since starting the Whole Life Challenge just one week ago, so I'm definitely headed back in the right direction!  How about you?  Are you over the holiday slump yet?  Back in to the swing of things?  How are the 2014 goals coming along?