gizmos and gadgets

While starting a Whole30 is daunting, I have to remember that I’ve been cooking more or less this way (definitely less lately – thank you holidays) for the last 8 months. I’m pulling together my favorite gadgets that I pan to utilize to ensure that I don’t burn the kitchen down and wind up with some delicious meals for the next month.

1. Citrus Reamer – (I actually had to look up what this thing is called) This is so handy especially for making dressings and marinades. Plus I get about 2x more juice out of my lemons and limes so it’s economical to boot! Double whammy!

2. Slow Cooker – We recently started getting monthly meat deliveries from a local farm which means we get a surprise mix bag of cuts. Slow cooking is perfect for those tough cuts. Plus, who doesn’t love coming home to a meal that’s ready to go?

3. Mandoline Slicer – I’m kind of cheating in adding this being that I just got it for Christmas. If I can somehow manage to not cut my fingers off (thing has about a dozen warning labels), I plan on making sweet potato fries like they’re going out of style. My addiction.

4. Cast Iron Pan – I’ve slowly grown quite attached to this pan. We started scrubbing ours with salt which has given it a really nice season that adds flavor when browning meat.

5. Spices – Speaking of flavor…while I truly think that veggies shine with minimal ingredients (olive oil, salt and pepper are **magical**), sometimes it’s nice to mix it up with spices. Here’s my packed and highly unorganized spice cabinet that I plan to rummage through on the daily.

6. Cookbooks – My inspiration in the kitchen doesn’t last long until I turn to hard boiled eggs and nuts for every meal. To help me I’ll turn to a couple of my favorite cookbooks.

7. Blogs! – I love blogs. Can’t get enough. Here are some that I’ll be checking in on. Some are following a Whole 30 and some aren’t. Some are new to me and some aren’t.

Holly Would If She Could

PaleOMG

Nom Nom Paleo

Whole9 Blog

The Clothes Make the Girl

Comfy Belly

Awkward Girl Gets Fit

8. Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping Notepads – I love lists and I love checking boxes. I know that planning is going to be essential for a successful Whole30 and these are awesome for getting my mind organized.

And that’s it. These are all super simple but all things that I will need to make it though. I’m actually a little excited to get going on this. Woooo!

the goal bank

I keep asking myself if I’m maybe just a little bit nutty for doing this 12×30 thing. Am I really just setting myself up for failure? Have I gone too far with the whole goal setting thing?? NAH. But I do want to remind my future self to take it easy and not get crazy stressed out over these goals. D’ya hear that future self? CALM the heck DOWN. The overall goal is improving my well-being mentally and physically.

Below is my “goal bank” (or goal list/bucket list/i love lists!!!) where I’ll store all my genius goal ideas and select one each month to practice for 30 solid days.

**GOALS I’M GOING TO CONQUER**

1. Complete a Whole30 – JANUARY (doin it!)

30 days of meditation (with the help of my handy headspace app)

30 days of yoga

30 days of creating something (doodling, messing around on Illustrator, gettin crafty up in here – just something creative)

30 days of sweat (and I WILL count walking)

30 days of flossing (my dentist will be so proud!)

30 days (or should I say nights?) of 8 hours of sleep

30 days of writing (either here or in a journal)

**GOALS I’M CONSIDERING CONQUERING**

30 days of calling someone just to say “HI!”

30 days of organization (organize something small or large once a day)

30 days of making the bed (not sure how this will tie back to my well-being but I sort of like the idea)

30 days of gratitude (keep a journal of all the awesomeness around me)

30 days of cleaning (possibly my least favorite idea)

30 days of no TV

30 days of no caffeine (I cringe)

30 days of saving those dolla dolla bills y’all

 

BOOM. There it is. More than enough goals to fill an entire year. Some are easier than others which is good – especially being that I’m planning this little event called our wedding later this year. OH yeah, that….commence minor panic attack.

twelve BIG goals

OK, here goes.

2013 is just around the corner and instead of making a long list of vague goals for the new year, I’ve been inspired by well in L.A. to make 12 BIG goals and mindfully practice each of them for 30 days. This way I can truly focus on the things that are important – one month at a time.   I’ve already set my goal for January and am brainstorming on what my other 11  goals will be. I have some ideas in mind but, I don’t want to get locked into a rigid schedule. I plan to keep it flexible and choose my goals to fit what my body and mind need each month. Overall, the focus will be on improving my well being – be it walking, yoga, meditation or simply flossing for 30 days.

I’m kicking January off with a tough one…. a Whole30. This means no gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, alcohol, legumes or white potatoes (among other things). I’ve been following this plan in varying degrees for almost a year but have yet to get strict about it. I’m hoping that taking this on will further prove the benefits of this lifestyle. Most importantly I am in it for the increased energy – I need more especially during the winter.

 

Luckily I’m not alone. One of my best friends will be suffering right alongside me and my gym is doing a nutritional challenge complete with a hydrostatic body fat measurement (yikes) before and after. I feel like this is meant to be. Inspiration to keep going from all angles. Let’s do this!