Monday, Monday...

No time these days. Had a very busy weekend. Oh, and remember that time we got a freak mini-blizzard on the last day of March?! SMH. And tonight I plan to pick out these G.D. invitations if it kills me! That being said, I'm a day late with my list-making and wanted to share my finds from last week, and plans for this week. Recipes to follow on those my good bloggy friends. 

Last week's recap and recipe links {gotsta give credit where credit is due!}

• Turkey Stuffed Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes - Um.. SO good. Like, unexpectedly delightful. I'm really becoming a fan of the stuffed sweet potato. I have another one on the list for this week! Thanks PaleOMG! 
• Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Onions over Spaghetti Squash - Loved this dish. There was a slight twist in the recipe which I didn't know how I'd feel about, but it gives it a definitive fresh flavor in comparison to the usually peppers and onions. Lexi makes a great call on this one! See if you can pick out the spice(s) that send this over the top!

This week's plan... 

• Pizza Spaghetti Pie {by PaleOMG}
• Thai Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes {yup... PaleOMG}
• Jerk Chicken in the crock-pot with "rice" {finally using my jerk seasoning I brought back from Jamaica 'mon}
• Bacon Jalapeño Egg Salad lettuce wraps {modified from PaleOMG, because she makes tasty breakfast sandwiches out of them, I'm going to do lettuce wraps because the paleo biscuits make me nervous.

And that's a wrap! Will post recipes and updates this week {hopefully}; my weekly weigh-in on Wednesday and let's cross our fingers that the wine + pizza fiasco that happened Friday night doesn't throw me too far back. 

Wednesday Weigh-in

Well, because hump day is my weekly weigh-in day, I thought I would share my progress. Maybe that will be a little added motivation? Idk. 

I've been Paleo for three weeks now, and I'm down 9.6 pounds in that timeframe. Obviously I'm extremely pleased with the number of course {especially taking into account the few flubs I've had- ie St. Patricks Day weekend} but I also can't get over how I feel. It's quite incredible, actually. Eliminating processed foods, grains, and dairy has created a whole new Coleen. I have more energy, I'm rarely bloated, and I feel FANTASTIC! 

That is all

Happy hump day!!

xoxo

Sunday Funday

Most weeks, Sunday Funday is made up of household chores, and planning out meals for the week. That's actually my favorite part. I have this nifty shopping list that also has a space down the left side that allows me to write out what I intend to make for dinner each night. I love searching through Pinterest, especially now, because there are so many great Paleo ideas out there! I'm loving the new culinary adventures each night. 

This week, I'm excited about a few things that I found. My favorite blogs to check out for recipes are paleOMG and Lexi's Clean Kitchen. Both girls are so entertaining, and their recipes fit my lifestyle and interests. This week, all the recipes minus dessert are from these two: 

• My lunch for the week will be Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
• Monday: Turkey Stuffed Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Tuesday: Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Onions over Spaghetti Squash
• Wednesday: Herb roasted Salmon with veggies
• Thursday: Shrimp Fra Diavlo with zucchini noodles

This week, I decided to also include a little sweet treat. I'm excited to try them out once they are done- although I need to remember that even though they are "Paleo" that doesn't mean I can eat the entire batch! 

Recipe of the day

No Bake Paleo Cookies

Ikea, diamonds, and a chopped salad

Today was quite the successful wedding day. 

We started our Saturday off by heading to that big warehouse of wonderful, encompassed by a large blue and yellow building. Also known as Ikea to the unfamiliar. As soon as I set foot inside, my heart started racing. I tried to hide it, but of course tt knew that I was getting anxious just by the way I was acting. It wasn't even nervous anxiety, just overwhelmed, I guess. I can't help it, it's just me. He picked me. {I reminded him.}

We walked through the 2nd floor, even though there was really no reason to. I just love doing that. Had I had more time and/or money, I would have bought everything- they have some great rooms staged right now, with new couches and patterns and all sorts of pretties. #notallowed #imonabudget

After a quick walk through, we scurried down the stairs, grabbed a cart, and got to it. {and yes of course the cart was next to impossible to push- isn't that a prerequisite for any cart at Ikea??} We had tasked ourselves with locating the following items for the wedding:

1. Picture frames to act as our place cards and favors {4x6 so that when you print your photos from our "unboxed" photo booth, it creates a memory!}
2. Baskets for our ever-so-nontraditional guestbook, to hold flip flops, and for the bathroom 911 items
3. Vases for the greenhouse tables for cocktail hour

AND I am happy to report that we found all of the above. Not without a few snags along the way, when my dearest accountant mis-counted {twice} and after talking and re-talking about a few choices we ended up putting half the cart back and replacing it with another color. Sigh. But in the end, we left with 70 picture frames, 3 baskets, 1 woven bin, 4 lanterns and grey candles, and 9 tin flower pots. Score.

Lantern {in white}

Basket, multiple sizes

Flower pot, for greenhouse centerpieces

   

Then we went to Nardelli's - and I got a salad. A SALAD?!?!?!?!!?? Yes, a salad. It was delicious, and within guidelines, but it was definitely NOT a half an Italian combo with everything, and I can't even pretend it was close. Sacrilege I tell you. #paleoproblems

Next up on the agenda? The jewelry store. Yup, that's right. Wedding band time!! This was obviously the most exciting part of the day, especially because it involved me putting all sorts of diamonds all over my finger. We picked out and bought our bands and it felt so great! tt's is amazing- it is 8mm with a combination of textures, and milgrain detail to match my engagement ring. My band is a double stack of diamond bands, so it appears to be two separate rings, but it's not. It's an updated version of the sets that go on either side of the engagement ring, which I also tried on, but it took away from how beautiful my ring is alone. The best part is that it doesn't match my engagement ring- so it's 100% me, because I never match anything! Perfection.

We left the jewelry store and figured, why stop now? So we went to the mall, and long story short, Macy's provided us with toasting flutes, a cake stand, and cake knife/server. {Sorry, you'll have to wait til the wedding to see these!!}

Needless to say, it was an expensive day, but such a happy one!! We are checking things off of our list constantly at this point, as the big day draws nearer and nearer... Weeeee! Ok, now off to watch the UCONN game with tt... Go Huskies!! 

Recipe of the day

Cauliflower "Rice" {Paleo}

Post Script

Like the blog-over? ;o)

Next up, I'm going to re-vamp my recipe list page. Just you wait for that!! xoxo

Bottle of red? Bottle of White?

How about both?! 

Is that bad? I 100% went to the liquor store on my way home... and I 100% bought four bottles of wine. Uh Yi Yi. I opened a bottle of red, and I'm so very happy about it. TGIF doesn't even begin to describe how I feel right now. 

I haven't worked a week like that in a long time. I didn't have time to eat. Which was quite unfortunate, because I'm thoroughly enjoying my Paleo diet. But seriously. I'm not even kidding. I didn't work less than 11 hours any day this week, and I think through the entire week I ate maybe four actual meals? It was sad. And frustrating. And downright exhausting. I literally didn't eat lunch most days because I didn't have time to stop. I kept myself going with Earl Grey and cashews. One day, I walked as fast as my stiletto heels would let me walk over to Robek's {deeelightful smoothie treats!} which is just down the street. I couldn't get myself the extra 2 blocks to Whole Foods for a salad. I ordered a dairy free Tropikale smoothie with a shot of soy protein. I got a large. It weight 5 lbs, wasn't totally Paleo, and cost me almost $10. It was delicious and worth it and actually gave me enough energy to make it through the day. 

In my line of work, busy is good. All of this insanity = money, and hopefully lots of it. I mean, we do have a wedding to pay for and all. But I also have a blog to keep up with! And a serious diet. And I'm in two other weddings this year. And I'd like to have a little life, and maybe be able to eat/sleep? It's hard to do all these things when also playing super recruiter. And yet... I love playing super recruiter! I got more done this week than I probably have in a month. I'd like some reprieve, but I also hope next week is just like this one!

I promise I will try to spend some more time here. I have a recipe from last week {sweet potato hash} that I need to get up, and lots of new recipes to try. 

Happy Weekending, my pretties!

Recipe of the day

Paleo Pad Thai

Love/hate relationships

Hey y'all! Happy Daylight Savings Time! I have such a love/hate relationship going on with this change. First of all, I despise change. I am a creature of habit and I sure as hell don't like any blips in my schedule. DST 100% throws me for a loop- not only do I lose an hour of sleep {gross} but my internal clock is also all askew for like an entire week. I do, however, love that it means that the sun shines just a little bit longer {perhaps I will actually see the light of day before leaving the office} and that SPRING is almost sprung! See what I'm saying? Love/Hate. 

Spring is actually my second favorite season of the year. I love love love Fall more than anything, obviously can't stand Winter. Spring inches out Summer just barely- mostly because it is a glimmer of hope on the horizon as the long and cold Winter drags on. Here in New England, Winter definitely drags on {note: snow in the forecast pretty much all week?! Spring is only a few weeks away- mean ol' Mama Nature likes to play with us up here} 

Sooo, what's cookin' in your kitchen on this pretty little Sunday!? I've actually just spent pretty much the last hour-and-a-half on Pinterest loading up on ideas for the week and I'm getting ready to head out to Stop & Shop for a shopping adventure. I also totally have a love/hate relationship with the grocery store. For real- I get serious anxiety when I have to go food shopping. Especially now that I'm all cave-woman-like, it's a much longer shopping list and in turn, longer shopping trip. I forgot how expensive and how much of a pain in the neck it is to eat clean. As I have explained to the mister, real food costs much more than fake food. I'm ok with it. {check out my growing Paleo Pinterest Page} 

my shopping list

One of the biggest things about staying on track that I've found, is that I have a serious lust for new recipes and ideas. I am not the gal that can eat the same old grilled chicken and veggies day in and day out. If I'm not experimenting in the kitchen, then I will get bored and probably order a pizza. It's horrible, but true- my lack of willpower is a big part of why I have such a yo-yo problem. The good news is, that there are SO many recipes at my fingertips. Pinterest is my favorite place on earth- I have found so many wonderful blogs to follow from that site.

That all being said, I want to start posting each Sunday, with a list of my recipes for the week. I will provide the recipe information throughout the course of the week. Note: if I don't- and you see one you want to try, just email me. 

Breakfast: Egg cups made with arugula, diced red pepper, nitrate free bacon, and a cracked egg

Lunch: Kale and mixed greens salad with tuna and a garlic mustard vinaigrette

Snacks: Banana and natural PB; blueberries and raw cashews

Dinner: I found a bunch of Paleo recipes that I'm excited to try...

• SUN- Herby Salmon with roasted veggies
• MON- Chicken stir fry
• TUE- Crock pot Beef Brisket
• WED- Sweet Potato Hash with a fried egg
• THU- Tilapia with mango salsa
• FRI- Paleo Shepard's Pie

How amazing do all of these sound?! Will def edit this post and put up the salmon recipe later on - but for now, it's off to the races! 

recipe of the day 

had a slight change of plans...

shepard's pie {paleo-style}

Jamaican me crazy 'mon

What a crazy month it has been. Just got back from the Sales Incentive trip in Jamaica, which was unbelievable. We had a group of about 40 of us and I highly recommend the resort we stayed at: the Hilton Rose Hall in Montego Bay. Resort was beautiful, food was great, drinks were great, and a good time was had by all. We had perfect weather, with the exception of a few clips of rain in the evening, but that was just enough to cool it off slightly. We spent most of our time on the beach or by the swim-up bar in the pool. We did venture off into the city one afternoon as well. We went to Mobay Beach which is supposed to be the 2nd prettiest in Jamaica {second only to Negril, but that was almost 2 hours away which was entirely too far for our little afternoon jaunt}

{ps- if you're ever in Jamaica, mon, get a Hummingbird... rum cream, banana, red strawberry syrup, and heaven all blended into one delectable beverage. Oh- and a "Dirty Mexican" shot...which tastes like ice cream! It's rum cream, syrup and milk I believe}

I'm so very relaxed now- but now that vacation is over, life is going to just get busier... T-3 months until wedding #1, T-6 months until our big day, and just under 8 months until wedding #3 - zoinks. If vacation made me realize anything, it's that I need to get back on track with this whole "healthy" thing. I want to wear a bikini on our honeymoon!!

It's back to the races starting tomorrow... I'm going PALEO ~ well to the best of my ability... eating "clean" was the only success I've seen in my weight loss journey, when I started this blog and lost 17 lbs leading up to my 30th birthday. I allowed that weight to come back over the last 1.5 years, and I've had enough!! Stay tuned!! I promise to keep you posted with recipes, workouts and all my experiences as this new health kick gets underway... Ready.. set, GO!