Whole30 Day 5-7 while on Vacation

*If you would like to read Why I started, go here. For Day 1, go here. For Days 2-4, go here. 
Day 5 Black Friday! This year I followed the REI challenge and did the #OptOutside instead of shopping. I have always chosen to not shop on this day. Instead, we decided it was best to go be active outside and spend the day off with what matters- each other. So, my pilot and I decided it was a good time to escape the city and venture out to another one: Augusta, GA. He and I flew down that morning to spend time with family and friends.

Meal 13- Breakfast. Since we had to leave super early, I had to do a grab-and-go. I got a bowl of mixed fruit, a bottle of water and a LaraBar. Surprisingly filling, this carried me over well into lunch.

Meal 14-Lunch. When we landed and finally got settled into our friends place, it was time to go to lunch. We were excited to get into exploring town but we needed to refuel before heading out. I had done my research well before leaving to search for places I could potentially eat at, and thankfully Augusta, GA has a few gems around town that have organic meats and menus I could adjust for my Whole30 meal options. Farmhaus Burgers was the spot. I had an organic ground turkey burger, lettuce wrapped, with tomatoes, grilled onions, pork belly confit (note I did ask the ingredients on the confit to ensure I could have it and it was approved) and avocados (which i smashed for my "mayo". With a bottle of water and sweet potato tots I was good to go!

Meal 15- Dinner. Sadly, I was starved after a full day of exploring and park hopping, so I was too busy eating to get a photo. We ended up visiting family and had dinner at their house. Grilling out, of course. I had two ground beef burgers, with tomatoes and grilled onions. With my meal, I had sweet potato fries and unsweet tea. It was a good meal and I rather enjoyed a duplicate from lunch. It was very filling!

Day 6 Saturday. We had filled our schedule with the rest of the spots we did not get to venture off to prior, so it was going to be a busy day. Since we were getting a head start, and wanted to grab something fast, I chose to hit up Whole Foods for breakfast - instead of a sit down spot. Besides, I knew I would find something really good. I had opted for another spot, but it is closed on Sat and Sun.

Meal 16- Breakfast. As luck would have it, I found a prosciutto I could have- without nitrates and sugar. The only two ingredients were pork and salt. Winner! Paired with a LaraBar (which I would have later as we hiked the park) and a Kombucha, I was very full after all was said and done. I have found LaraBars to be a great "meal" on their own, especially as I am more active throughout the day. As we were hiking and exploring, I needed the "pop" of energy and it was a perfect fill. I would not recommend on Whole30 using it as a full meal replacement, however, if you are hiking, this is perfect for energy if you are tired of trailmix.

Meal 17- Lunch. After my previous lunch at Farmhaus Burgers I knew I had to go back. Again, since I knew 100% I could eat there without issue, I again did the same meal as I had done before. My meal came with fries, but I gave those to my man as I did not want to eat so much fried foods. I stuck with my organic ground turkey burger, lettuce wrapped, with tomato, grilled onion and avocado. Again, i added the pork confit as it was a hearty protein addition, especially after all the walking we had already done and was about to do. The bottle of water proved to be perfect but I ended up grabbing a second bottle at a local gas station since I was so thirsty from all the hiking we had been doing.

Meal 18- Dinner. After all our walking around and whatnot, we were not anywhere near ready to go out to eat again. So, we hoped over to a local grocery store with out friends to grab some items for dinner. It was time to grill out. We had grilled chicken, pork chops and steak with roasted twice-baked sweet potatoes. I had half of a steak and was more than pleased with it and a sweet potato and a side salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, snow peas, carrots and topped with oil and vinegar. The most difficult part of this particular meal was the fact everyone was enjoying a drink except myself. I had a La Croix. 

Day 7 Sunday. It was time to go home. So, we got up way too early to shower, pack and prep for our trip home. I typically have in the past enjoyed a cup of coffee when waking up at 6:30a but opted for another La Croix before departing for the airport. Since it was chilly in the morning, I find I need that cup of warm comfort . Up until this point I had not had a drop of coffee but I figured I would have a cup at some point to see how it was all going to go. Honestly, I have never ever tried to drink a cup of black coffee, simply because I have always preferred my coffee to have creamer and sugar. But, it was time to change that.

Meal 19- Breakfast. Since we had to leave so early we didn't have time to grab breakfast but luckily I had stashed a couple mini-containers of mixed nuts prior to this trip to ensure if this happened, I would be set. With my bottle of water in hand, LaraBar on standby (another purchase before leaving home) i was okay to go.

Meal 20- Lunch. Once we had landed, and put the plane away It was pretty much time for lunch. And, we were starved - too starved to go straight home. Thankfully, since we were in our city, it was super easy to find a place to enjoy getting a "brunchy" lunch. One of my favorite Sunday brunch spots is Kitchen 64 and it does not disappoint. My steak (prime rib) and poached eggs were so filling. I opted to not eat the home fries, but did enjoy the grilled onions with my eggs. With a side of black coffee (yes, I did drink 1/2 cup) it ended up being a very good choice. I was super excited to be home and be back to our kitchen to round up our weekend with an at-home meal!

Meal 21- Dinner. When we had gone to the local butcher when I first began Whole30, we had grabbed Duck Breast. Now, mind you, this is not exactly the cheapest meat to buy but I really wanted to try a really great recipe I had found so we decided to splurge a bit. As much as I was excited about the recipe, we decided to skip the sauce (as I thought it might be too sweet for me). Instead, we patted it dry, added salt, pepper, paprika and fine herbs blend on the bottom. Top fatcap was the same, except we added some roasted garlic to that. Once it was cooked in the cast iron on medium heat for 4 mins per side, and placed in the 400 degree oven for about 3 minutes, it was ready. I added this recipe for crispy green bean "fries" and a LaCroix to drink. Absolute heaven!

WOW!! Week 1 completed!! 7 days so far....While day 1 was easiest for me, day 2-3 did show withdrawal symptoms like headaches, day 4 was the "irritated" day where I did feel very irritable a lot easier than normal. Unlike most, the last few days I have had nothing but energy so with all these changes going on, I feel i can continue quite easily with the remainder of this. 1 week down; 3 weeks to go!