Day 28 + Week 4 Recap {Whole30}

Zoodles. When these first came on the scene, I thought they were ridiculous. Spiralized zucchini, give me a break. Just eat the freakin’ pasta, weirdos. Why do we need to make simple things so complicated. If you don’t want the carbs, just don’t eat pasta.

But then my mom bought me a spiralizer last year for Mother’s Day. I am kinda obsessed with kitchen gadgets and since this was the latest fad, she thought I’d appreciate it.

It sat in a bottom cabinet tucked way back for a solid 6 months. But then I felt bad for not using it so I pulled it out and gave it a spin.

First, the assembly of the thing was not the easiest and I had to study the manual pretty thoroughly before we got a result that somewhat resembled pasta. But once I got the hang of it, I spiralized 4 zucchinis in a jiffy and served it with marinara sauce. The kids loved it and I enjoyed it just about as much as I enjoy regular pasta.

I’ll have to be honest, I don’t love pasta much to begin with. It’s more a vehicle through which to eat yummy sauce. So zoodles acted in the same way and were equally as good as regular noodles. AND you’re eating lots of veggies without it really tasting like veggies. #doublewin

If you’re interested in trying out zoodles, this is the machine we have but I’ve also seen these or these that look less complicated. This blog is really great for all things spiralized. The most helpful thing I’ve read from her is how to store spiralized veggies and how long they last. You can even freeze some kinds. And because some noodles last up to 5 days in fridge, you can just make a bunch at the beginning of the week and not have to mess with the stupid machine for the rest of the week. Yay.

I’ll also say that I think spiralized veggies taste closer to real pasta and are a 100 times better than riced cauliflower. I still eat the caulirice but it is nothing at all like rice. Not even close.

Breakfast:

• Egg Muffins – still going strong
• Peach
• Spinach and Baby Kale Mix
• 1/2 an Avocado

Lunch:

• Leftover Stuffed Pepper Stuffing – Thank God this is the last of it.
• Sweet Potato with Pecans – I know usually sweet potatoes are baked in a casserole with marshmallows and pecans on top. Baked marshmallows always weirded me out, but I think you will find it surprising how good sweet potatoes are with just pecans.
• Spinach and Baby Kale Mix
• 2 Peaches

Dinner:

• Zoodles with Jarred Marinara Sauce + 1 lb of Ground Beef – easy peasy
• 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter

How We Felt:

Tired but I’m pretty sure it’s from staying up late to paint.

Week 4 Meal Roundup:

Day 22:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Pizza Quiche, Handful of the Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Mix, 1/2 and Avocado, 1/2 an Apple
• Lunch: Leftover Tuna Salad, Bacon, Celery Sticks with Ranch Dressing, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Dinner: Hamburger Patty, Potato and Green Bean Salad, All-Day Breakfast Salad, Grapes, Strawberries, and Pineapple

Day 23:

• Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash Browns , Trader Joe’s Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage, 2 Fried Eggs, Fruit
• Lunch: Spinach with Cherry Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette, Hard-boiled Egg, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter
• Dinner: Applegate Hot Dog, 1/2 a Hamburger Patty, Grapes, 1/2 an Avocado, Spinach, Hard-Boiled Egg, Leftover Potato and Green Bean Salad

Day 24:

• Breakfast: 2 Fried Eggs, Spinach, 1/2 an Avocado, Handful of Pecans, 1/2 and Apple with Almond Butter
• Lunch: Turkey Roll-Ups, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, Applegate Hot Dog with Mustard, 1/2 an Avocado
• Dinner: Turkey and Riced Cauliflower Stuffed Peppers , Bacon and Veggies

Day 25:

• Breakfast: 2 Fried Eggs, 1/2 an Apple, Spinach, Avocado, 2 Slices of Deli Turkey
• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Peppers Stuffing, Spinach, 1/2 an Avocado, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter, Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde
• Dinner: Crockpot Mexican Chicken , Broccoli Slaw , Spinach, 1/2 an Avocado, Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde

Day 26:

• Breakfast: Egg Muffins , 1/2 an Avocado, Handful of Pecans, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter
• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Pepper Stuffing, Leftover Bacon Veggies, 1/2 an Apple
• Dinner: Round Steak with Leftover Chimichurri Sauce, Leftover Broccoli Slaw, Sweet and Salty Broccoli Salad

Day 27:

• Breakfast: 2 Egg Muffins, Cherries, Spinach and Kale Mix, 1/2 an Avocado, Handful of Pecans
• Lunch: Leftovers. I had crockpot Mexican Chicken and Bacon Veggies with a sweet potato and pecans. Kraft had Broccoli Salad with Stuffed Pepper Stuffing and Bacon Veggies with a sweet potato.
• Dinner: Thai Coconut Curry Meatballs, Zoodles

Day 28:

• Breakfast: Egg Muffins , Peach, Spinach and Baby Kale Mix, 1/2 an Avocado
• Lunch: Leftover Stuffed Pepper Stuffing, Sweet Potato with Pecans, Spinach and Baby Kale Mix, 2 Peaches
• Dinner: Zoodles with Jarred Marinara Sauce + 1 lb of Ground Beef, 1/2 an Apple with Almond Butter