A Week of Food. Clean Food. Good. Clean. Food.

This post is for the emails, texts, and calls I get asking about food. I am NOT a professional. Not a doctor. Not pointing fingers. Just Carley. :)



 ** You should always do what works for you. I like to listen to others, then read, read, read, research, and read some more... then do what works for this house. By "this house" I mean I have to buy food that we will eat. Both of us. Coach included. On a budget.
So, this is NOT going to be perfect. I slip daily. It is impossible to be perfect.I don't want to be perfect. (I know I have a friend and husband out there that doesn't believe that.)  So, when you see something on here that may not be BY THE BOOKS... keep it to yourself. Your emails won't get answered. I think I have shown that with some Negative Nancy emails being ignored. The rule here: Be positive.

Oh, and this is MY blog. If blogs aren't your thing: Close now. No hard feelings.

Still around? Good: Here is a smile for you:


Over the past few months our nutrition was slipping. I was lazy. Practice, schedules, and games were running my schedule. I was also running weekly 15 mile+ runs and when you do that you tend to develop a "Wait, I ran for 4 hours... I can eat this huge plate of nachos!" way of thinking. So, nutrition went down.... gut grew. No good. I felt horrible. Gassy, sluggish, just not good. I would eat, then feel like I was about to burst. Worst. Feeling. Ever.

I saw on Instagram a few things about Whole30 and the science behind it. I ordered the book in October. It made a TON of great points. Then I sat the book on the shelf and enjoyed the Holidays. Including a trip to Mexico where I again ate my weight in nachos.

I have a FULL HEART for Advocare. They are hosting the All In Challenge at the start of January. I LOVE the 24 Day Challenge. I love the nutrition Advocare offers. So, with all of this going on, and the NEED to reset my gut, I re-read It All Starts With Food and the journey began. I needed the science behind what food can do for you. I am 100% passionate about ENERGY and feeling AMAZING ALL the time. Gah, I LOVE being 99mph all the time. So WHOLE30 to me didn't go against anything I was already passionate about. It confirmed: clean diet, exercise, amazing supplements = 99 mph. All. Day. Every. Day.

Here I am sitting on Day 8 and I have learned SO MUCH. Here goes:

1. When you SIT down to eat and enjoy your food, you won't snack between meals.
THIS was huge. I am famous for eating my Ezekiel bread and pbutter on my way to school. No more. You gotta get up. Get out of bed. Take the time to MAKE a good breakfast. Sit down and enjoy it. (With someone you  adore. Maybe a Weimaraner too.) More on being a morning person later.

2. The first three days of clean eating is HARD.
I wanted a brownie. So. SO. SOOO. Bad.

3. People will roll their eyes and crinkle their noses at your food.
It is unknown to them. It ain't chicken tenders and fries my friend. You are eating some REAL food. People are mean. They will hurt your feelings. Oh well. You'll survive. <---- that is a reminder to me.

4. Parties, dinners, celebrations will happen. You don't HAVE to have that cupcake/ cookie/ cake. Again: You'll survive.

5. Every 5 days doesn't need a "cheat day."
(He knows who I'm talking to....)

6. You can go out to eat. However, cooks and waitresses will hate you. True story.

7. Invest in some good food storage. Leftovers will be your BFF for lunch. If not, you'll be cooking allll the time.

8. Eat some veggies. No one cares to hear an adult say, "But I don't like vegetables!"
Are you five? 

9. Your groceries are going to be $$$. That's fine. Good cakes from good bakeries are $$$ too...... you pick.

10. It is going to take some time to meal plan and grocery shop. However, I PROMISE it can be done.
(Insert my favorite insult ever: But YOU don't have KIDS.)

That's all I have for now. Oh wait, how about some pictures of some food?    

Forget about what you usually have for breakfast. Tomatoes go with any meal. 

When your friends go to lunch on a planning day: You eat leftovers at your desk. 

Berries are great for every meal too. 

Fresh organic salsa: I put that junk on everything. 

This Greek Chicken was SOOOOO good. 

Just throw random things on a plate. It's a meal. Oh, and yes.... those are olives. I LOVE OLIVES! 

fresh picco goes on everyyyyything too! 

Stuffed peppers are ahhhhmazing. I had them for lunch too. I needed a spinach salad, but I was not feeling too hot this night. I went to bed at 8pm. 

The test of alllllllll rules: We didn't get home until 8pm. Thank goodness for a crockpot. And that Coach can't tell a difference between potatoes and cauliflower. 

Wait, cooking on a Friday night can really happen? First time in 5 years I do believe. #NotKidding

Best. Lunch. Ever. Burnt burger. (Turkey/ chicken/ beef) picco, avocado, and my lovely cherry tomatoes. 

That gallon of milk is the battle in this house. Coach won't give up a glass of milk. No matter how many rants I go on. 

Eggs with spinach and mushrooms. Organic Canadian bacon. Strawberries. 

Fave after a run snack: Banana, almond butter, and coconut flakes. The real kind. 

Ground turkey, salsa, baked sweet potatoes, and a spinach, mushroom, onion mix that I cooked in a pan with coconut oil. Oh, and my beloved cherry tomatoes. 

A spinach salad is amazing. Mushrooms, zucchini, onion, mushrooms. Cherry tomatoes. Grass-fed beef tips. (THANK YOU KROGER!)

I highly recommend reading some literature on the subject. Take small steps. Research and expose yourself to some awesome products like Ghee. :)

Until next time:

Love Love,
C^2