No Makeup Monday

Beauty is only skin deep... or is it?

How you treat your skin can do a lot for your self-esteem. As I've previously noted, my skin improvements were one of my biggest takeaways from Whole30.

I love a good skincare regimen, and most days I don't feel like I need any makeup at all. My under-eye area tends to need concealer, if anything. Once I started eating better and caring for my skin, I felt more beautiful and my natural glow returned. But it does take discipline! It's hard to say "I will take off my makeup at night" "I will eat leafy greens" "I will avoid the bad foods like gluten and all the tasty sugars because my skin needs it" - All in moderation, of course.

I know that skin is important, and I want to put it out there that it is OKAY to allow yourself the time and allocate some of your essentials budget to taking care of skin. You will feel better, look younger, and you can EVEN PREVENT CANCER through good skincare. In all seriousness, moisturize, wear sunblock, and remember your skin is not just your face. Take care of the skin over your whole body.



That's my message for today! Short and sweet!

XOXO

L





Affiliate links to my favorite skincare!!

Love, love, love the GlamGlow & it smells like an orange creamsicle.
    

If I plan to be outdoors long and will want to look great, too, I reach for the 50SPF CC cream from IT Cosmetics. Good stuff & doesn't bug my skin (I do make sure to take it off at night, though, sometimes I will feel a little greasy by the end of the day).
 
Like I said, can't just protect the face, need to shield the whole body from sun damage!
 
Save 15.0% on select products from Olay with promo code 15OFFOLAY, through 11/15 while supplies last. 
I love the Olay daily moisturizer with SPF. Really Important, y'all!

Try Promo Code

40WORTHYRET on this line of retinol cream -

 

Your weekly GROCERY run!

Buying groceries is a chore, undoubtedly, and often leads to a lot of frustration, temptation, and spending too much money! Whole30 was tough on me in this regard because I REALLY had to change my grocery purchasing outlook. I miss the "grab and go" aspect of a lot of the foods I enjoyed pre-30. HOWEVER,  the decisions I make about groceries now are INFINITELY better.

How I Grocery Shop:

1. Check your fridge and cabinets and see what you have. You may find that you can get by another week or a few days without a trip to the store. If a trip to the store is inevitable, sit down and have a healthy snack while you plan your shopping trip. Everyone says it and it's true: Don't Shop Hungry.

2. Decide what you can make out of the food items you just looked through. If you're like me and make a lot of rice but can't use it up, plan to make a stir fry or some jambalaya!

3. Know what you can take out of your freezer for the week. I used to stock up on frozen goods and forget about them. Now I make sure to put them into the fridge to defrost before I buy my groceries so I know they're there! *exception: not frozen veggies, but check what you have before you shop.

4. Make your weekly meal chart or list and include the recipe suggestions based on your leftovers or things you already have, then fill in the rest of your list.

5. Check any coupon apps or weekly mail ads you get to see if anything on your list is on sale at a particular store (I do tend to stock up on certain things when they go on a good sale, like canned soup or wine).

6. Shop for your weekly things and remember to read the ingredient labels closely! Make sure not to impulse shop too much (I don't say never because sometimes it's totally worth it).

Free Colorful Weekly Meal Planning Chart for Download: PDF or DOC

Fall is on its way!

Nights are getting chillier, sunsets are starting sooner. Fall is in the air! Even here in California where it's usually warm until mid-October, I'm feeling a bit of that autumn chill. The Pumpkin Spice Cravings are REAL y'all!

With wedding planning and garden reaping and back to school music teaching, life is starting to feel hectic again! I am being very good this year about keeping some sanity in my schedule and making sure things don't get too overwhelming. I know that eventually more projects will come along and take up more of my time but for now, I'm keeping sane. I'm preparing home-made dinners. I'm sitting down for a breakfast or lunch everyday (that's significant for me)!

This fall, I'm looking forward to some fresh apple cider, some pumpkin pie, and maybe even a roasted chicken or turkey with homemade stuffing (my favorite fall dish), and some good old fashioned chili. What I need to watch carefully this season is whether I am keeping up with the good choices I've been making after Whole30 and carrying on with a healthier lifestyle.

I feel like I fell back into a bad habit of drinking a glass of wine every night, so I have cut that out for the week. We also went back to eating rice, which I am okay with because I need a hiatus from Cauliflower Rice FOR SURE. While the weather starts to turn colder, I crave heartier foods. I need some ideas for filling, hearty meals that are either Paleo or Whole30 compliant so as to not throw myself back into my old cooking habits.

Anyone else feel the season change? Are you ready?


-L

Clean Living + Clean Eating + Wedding Planning

Does getting your house organized make you want to organize your diet as well? Or vice versa? I definitely felt like getting my diet in order made me want to get my house in order.

We celebrated Fiance's 30th birthday and I gave a fundraiser concert a week ago, so I felt like my house fell apart for a couple days... things didn't get put away, the paperwork piled up, and my diet went to hell! Now that I'm mostly recovered, I am happy to say that most of the house is back in order (waiting on some bags from Thred Up to get rid of MORE clothes I decided don't spark joy for me - this is seriously such an ongoing thing for me... maybe I didn't do it right the first time, or maybe I changed my mind, but mostly, I will blame it on the 9.5 lbs I lost and had to get things that fit differently).

Saturday I cleaned up my workspace, and it is SO liberating! I WANT to sit down and write again. I love having a space that is JUST MINE. I need to help create that space for Fiance (though he loves his old, ugly Lazy-Boy chair and I'll never be able to get rid of it 😒 but I love him so I deal with it). AND I have a space to work on wedding plans. I picked up swatches of colors from David's Bridal (and I have this zany idea to send some color ideas to my Best Gals/Bridesmaids and let them find dresses at thrift stores!) and I started looking at locations again. My mom and I have very different ideas, and compromise may not exactly work... I will blog about this in more detail in another page/article I think. I feel like there are so many beautiful, sustainable, and affordable ways to do a wedding and for it to STILL be lovely. I have to get more things organized, though, so that I don't succumb to cheap crap made in foreign countries that costs an arm and a leg.

So that is my current update! I wish I had more to talk about, but for right now I'm just enjoying the quiet of the holiday weekend, and looking forward to sharing more LOVLIE ideas with you all!


Love,
L

Yes, I went to Disneyland on Whole30

I know, I'm nuts, right? A few days free, Dad and I went to see the Happy Mousetrap. And I was just entering reintroduction on my Whole30. My Dad was definitely NOT going to be "on a diet" at Disneyland, and happily partook in two ice creams a day, plenty of churros, and no holding back. I brought several Larabars, a tupperware container with chicken sausage and mustard, and drank lots and lots of water.

Granted, this was nothing like a "Once in a Lifetime" Disneyland trip for me. I am a super-Disney Veteran and have been going with my dad for years and years. We used to be annual passholders until about a year ago, so there was nothing I was going to miss out on. If you are visiting with your family for the first time - don't stress. Enjoy the food! You can still find some pretty healthy options for just feeling good in general, but don't go there for the first time and miss your chance for your first ever Dole Whip or Churro. I've had them. (& I'm going to make my own paleo Dole Whip one of these days!)

Here's what I experienced at restaurants:

Tony Roma's (across the street from the parks on Harbor Blvd) is willing to sub the rice for an extra helping of veggies, but be prepared to eat a LOT of broccoli. A comic amount. Really. But hey, no butter or mayo on it, and they gave me a lemon. And I got some salmon, too. That was pretty nice.

The restaurants at Disneyland (sit down places) mostly offer Allergen menus, which came in VERY handy for finding the dairy/gluten free options. Some things will have added sugar, like bacon, some salad dressings, and sauces, but in general, I felt that I could find delicious, filling foods that were compliant. Or at least compliant enough for reintroduction/paleo meals.

Melissa (Whole30 founder) says that if you are slow-rolling out of the Whole30 to ease up on the no added sugars rule. I went ahead and followed that so that I wasn't so worried about having a salad or something that may have been sweetened somehow.

Favorite restaurants/dishes:

Steak Frites with Chimichurri Sauce

Carnation Cafe: All American breakfast. Eggs, Bacon, and Potatoes. I asked to sub bacon for fruit, but they subbed my potatoes for fruit instead... I did eat one strip then gave the rest to my dad, he didn't complain. I know the bacon was cured in sugar, but again... I wasn't going to stress over a tiny bit -- especially when we ended up walking 9 miles the first day and 11 miles the second!!

Storyteller Cafe: Allergy menu Steak Frites and Potatoes and Carrots with Chimichurri sauce ($32) Delicious. In fact, my dad ordered the same thing off the regular menu. I'm not sure if maybe they cooked his veggies with butter or not, but basically, the two dishes looked identical to me. Delicious option, and nice quiet restaurant to have some mid-day calm after being in the parks in the hot sun.

Flo's V8 Cafe: Allergen menu of simple dishes, this is definitely the most affordable option if you're looking for a filling meal on more of a budget. ($9) Scrambled eggs with bacon & diced potatoes (my bacon from the allergy menu was different from my dad's and I don't know why... soy?). Since I'm reintroducing things, I put a little ketchup on the scrambled eggs (they were pretty bland with no butter or milk, etc) and OMG the ketchup just tastes like... so sweet! SHOCK! So I threw on some tobasco sauce instead! 💥

Ceviche Trio at Tortilla Jo's

Tortilla Jo's: Ceviche!!! ($18) You can get a trio of ceviches and try different flavors! Yes! Yes! Yes! Was tasty, fresh... perfect for the nearly 100 degree day we had! They also have a "burrito bar" like chipotle, so if you want a taco salad, that would also be a good option. But man, oh man, I miss regular old beans.

Loose Leaf Rooibos at Carthay Circle

A little disappointment at Carthay Circle Bar ~~ Usually this is one of my favorite restaurants in the park but the regular dining room was totally booked up so we tried to eat something in the bar. The bar doesn't have an allergen menu. I considered trying the poke bowl, but thought I should keep avoiding soy until I got home. I ordered something that sounded fairly compliant: a baked sole with roasted peppers, onions and tomatoes. But, it didn't specify that it was more like a cioppino sauce, and must have been made with butter or wine or thickened with flour? Because, even though I only ate a little bit it gave me insane heartburn for an hour or two. I DID get a lovely pot of loose leaf tea while I was there, though! And thankfully I had a Larabar left in my purse still, so I wasn't starving. So, conclusion -- Nice pot of loose-leaf tea ($8): Yes! Appetizer menu: No... If you're okay with soy, or you want to have poke with no sauce, that could be an option, but might be kind of bland.


Snack Mistake: I bought a package of dried fruit and nuts from one of the Disney shops. I was like... well, a little added sugar on dried fruit is better than gorging myself with crap, right? I was so surprised that this sugary "health" snack gave me a terrible headache and made me feel absolutely AWFUL (it went away after a little bit, but WHOA)! So... bring your own snacks. I couldn't find any nuts or trail mixes in the park that worked. I needed to bring more Larabars than I thought, I guess! I also wish I would have brought some of those individual servings of Justin's Almond Butter. I didn't want to spend the money on them and brought a whole jar of a cheaper almond butter, but that was ridiculously impractical, so I never even brought it into the park... Next time!!!

Thoughts. Rants. Sustainable living requires PATIENCE.

Let's be honest: sometimes it is just EASIER to order exactly what you need from Amazon and or pay a lot for something through some supposedly "sustainable brand"... then, of course, fossil fuel is used to deliver said item, you don't always know the manufacturer's policies - and the item can come from anywhere. We are learning this with fashion, organic food, and basic necessities.

I am a big fan of technology when it is used to help us be more efficient. Everybody has lots of crap to get done, and if an iPhone or a tablet can make that job easier, I say GO FOR IT. But the last few weeks have also taught me that it doesn't always make sense to just get whatever I want as fast as I can. Part of living a more sustainable lifestyle is having the patience to wait things out. It also helps being a bit of a frugal person. While the clothes from Walmart fit my budget and I can pop in and grab a clean white tee, I can certainly hit up a secondhand store just as easily, get the same white tee that someone else discarded, maybe give it a good wash, sew up a tiny hole, and I've given a garment a new life, and maybe when I'm done, I can give it to the same donation shop and it can have a THIRD chance!

Right now I'm stoked on all the lovely avocados everywhere --- and even better that many are from California! I'm also super into eggplant, squash, and tomatoes for the time being, and it works because they're in season. But asparagus... mmm, it's so easy to grill! Tastes fresh and delicious (squeeze some lemon on it & cracked pepper) but STOP! Where is this asparagus from? It's definitely not asparagus season in California, because the Asparagus Festival is usually in what, February? March? So.... how much fossil fuel was used to get my tasty asparagus? And broccoli? Cauliflower? I'm clueless. (Ok, yes, I have technology: Google tells me broccoli is in season all summer. Good.)

Grocery stores are so competitive with pricing that there's no way to tell! And California has higher wages than most of the countries sourcing our fruits and vegetables so that even when they aren't in season, you can't even tell that they were sourced in a different hemisphere! So my plan: either buy frozen or be patient! (Frozen veggies truly are the best for busy nights, anyway).

But I do what I can when I can. It's not about perfection, it's about making the effort. Of COURSE I'm going to have to buy certain things like ink cartridges, miscellaneous office supplies I really can't find anywhere else, etc; But I can always remind myself: The eggplant doesn't need an additional plastic produce bag, we're washing it at home. And really, America... why on EARTH do you always support foreign farmers instead of your next door neighbor. Farmers and their families struggle to make it, yet the same families are shopping at Walmart and other grocery chains buying produce from China, Chile and Argentina while their neighbor leases out his soybean ranch because farmers in the US can't earn enough income to support their families. HELLO! CAN YOU SEE WHERE PART OF THE PROBLEM IS? You can always blame Monsanto for it, but I think we need a revolution in supporting our own economies. I hate to admit it, but, as someone has been saying: America First...  If you hate the guy who has been using that saying, then go ahead and support the foreign economy and use up the earth's fossil fuels on out of season vegetables... Or you can give him the middle finger (since I'm sure he owns stock in all the major corporations anyway) and Think Globally, Act Locally (Yes, I stole that phrase, too). Don't support the large corporations, and look for what's available in your own community. Local vegetables are available at some grocery stores (Nob Hill, Bel Air and Raley's have a program where they buy from growers within 50 miles). Vote with your wallet.

Now how about that back to school shopping??? I always want a couple little things to spruce up my style before tackling a new academic year! I'm very happy with my latest Goodwill finds! I'd been perusing eBay, looking for the right shoes, blah blah (p.s. you can sort items by distance and many sellers have local pick up for free)! BUT I decided I needed to get out of the house. I found a few things at Goodwill, cleaned them up at home with the right cleaning materials, and will enjoy them very much as the seasons begin to change (here's where patience comes in handy)!

So, can I carry most of this on through the new school year? Will I turn down the chance to buy that super discounted dress from questionable manufacturing at some store or will I continue to dig through the crap at thrift stores and consignment shops and give a garment a second life? I'm sure I won't be perfect, but I like making the effort (and I really quite like saving the money, too).

My charge: go forth and DO NOT MULTIPLY (as a favorite voice teacher would say) --- do not multiply your fossil fuel use, do not multiply your credit card debt, do not multiply the impact your eating and wardrobe has on our planet. Enjoy a local lifestyle. Support small businesses in your community who buy from small scale fashion designers. Give secondhand shops a chance to impress you (or get that fast fashion thing a month after it came out. Someone's already sick of it, I guarantee). Check out books from the Library! Or read ebooks! Encourage your area's local farms by purchasing THEIR food when in season, rather than sourcing from a foreign country with wages that aren't livable and more danger with equipment, pesticides, and herbicides (same for fashion re: toxic dyes, unsafe factories, and mistreated textile workers). Donate your old stuff to a secondhand shop rather than discarding it (ok, maybe discard your old underwear... cuz that'd be gross -- though I've seen it in some thrift shops). I think that it's really about being AWARE of the companies influencing the global marketplace and choosing to support a more local marketplace.

Choose Local.

Oh and wrapping up another round of Konmari-ing!

Oh My Gosh. It has been a closet purge around here. I have sold stuff on eBay, and I am pretty happy with the amount of stuff I own now. I have a few items I am trying to sell, so they're lingering while listed for sale, but all in all, I think my brush up summer session went nicely. I donated the four huge bags to the disabled veterans service, and have made $200 off of selling the stuff I really didn't need (and hoping those other miscellaneous things get picked up, but another pink bag arrived for the veterans, so in they will go if they don't sell)!

Trying really hard to live with less: less plastic bag use, less disposable straw use, less clutter and crap in my house AND in my diet. I feel really good right now and I am going to work really hard at keeping my personal SCHEDULE from getting too cluttered with the start of a new school year and students filtering back in from summer vacation.

With that, I will sign off and just say: if you can live without it, try to live simply without it. Make life Lovely.






Miss Lovlie

The end is nigh...

DAY 25! It really does go by fast. We did a quick run to Trader Joes for cauliflower rice, coconut aminos, and sparkling water!

For our reintroduction, we are going to try just adding a couple things back into our regular diets: we'll try adding back quinoa, some chickpeas/hummus (probably), and I definitely want a go at some organic wine, but it will depend on how each will affect us. Otherwise, we are going to keep on with many of these meal plans, or at least stay pretty paleo unless it's a special occasion. Hartwig's book has been really helpful in the process (and I'm so glad I can read ebooks for free). Fiance is feeling really good about himself, though he doesn't think he lost weight. I can definitely tell that he's a bit thinner/less bloated & I know that I am, I can already see it in pictures.

Cheers to five more days of the Whole30 and a lifestyle of healthier eating!!!

Rockin Day 22? 23? I've lost count!

I do have a calendar on the fridge, don't worry! I've lost count. I had been by myself quite a bit this last week since fiance helped a friend's dad move halfway across the country. He found that in truck stop diners in the midwest, his only option was steak and veggies for most of the trip... but he survived and stuck with it!

I survived a restaurant gig (I sing) with a gourmet Italian dinner provided (Luckily the main course was beef strips served over veggies and the salad was FRESH amazing tomatoes with onions and celery, and my fellow singer was more than happy to have my scoop of goat cheese). It was a treat - plus the Whole30 has done such wonderful things for my body that my singing felt absolutely AMAZING! The hard part was turning down all the free wine and rejecting the prosecco during the Brindisi!

This week's menu was pretty basic, lots of good grilled food from my parents over the weekend (I was tired of being alone), to a shrimp fried "rice" I put together with a home made orange + coconut amino sauce that reminded me a little of Panda Express's orange chicken, except not gross 😂... and homemade paleo style fish and chips - rockfish caught off the Fort Bragg coast (by fiance) fried in olive oil with a light almond flour breading, and sweet potato fries made at home with coconut shortening! It was indulgent and maybe a little cheat-y, but he'd just returned from his crazy long road trip and we needed to enjoy a little something to make it through the end of the week!!!

The HARDEST part of the week was going to the California State Fair with my dad. He LIVES for his grilled ear of corn every year, and LORD I miss that sweet starch dripping with butter and seasonings. BUT I had come prepared. Knowing that he was wont to binge eat at the fair, I loaded my backpack with water, Larabars, and a tupperware with cut up Aidell's chicken sausage and a dressing tupperware full of mustard. I enjoyed my protein rich snack while he had his favorite corn and then went home for grilled burgers, zucchini, and eggplant!

One thing I'd really like to work on through the last week of the program is reducing all the meat in my diet. Because I'm trying to stay away from all grains, I feel like I need to prepare meats as protein, especially since beans and tofu are out! I will plan on more fish this week, and fiance wants me to buy another whole chicken, but I'm feeling that beef is getting redundant. Maybe he's feeling that way, too (all those steaks!) -- time to grocery shop.

Thank you for following along and sticking with me as I tough it out for the last chunk of Whole30! I'm really happy with the progress I've made so far, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with food groups next week (Except my dad and I might go to Disneyland... in which case, I will stick with Slow-Roll Whole30ish stuff plus maybe a Dole Whip and a glass of red wine at dinner or something and I WILL POST whatever I figure out there! The State Fair had next to nothing to eat for me, but I know that Disneyland is great with providing allergen menus, so I'm prepared/excited)!

Dollar Store Whole30?!?!

That's Right! Your neighborhood Dollar Tree may have some hidden treasures for the budget-conscious Whole30 participant! While we all want to live off fresh, organic fruits and veggies from Whole Foods for every meal of the day, sometimes it's just not practical, OR affordable! I went in search of things that can be enjoyed from the Dollar Tree when you're in a pinch, too busy to get to another store, or traveling (most cities in the US have these, right?). As a music teacher I go through a lot of stickers, so this is definitely a regular stop on my errands runs. 

Deli mustard: the spicy brown stuff. It had no added sugar or preservatives off-plan. 

Canned goods are usually a safe bet, but read carefully! MOST canned fruits (especially stone fruits) are packed with sugar or HFCS. But I did find pineapples with no added sugar, some sliced beets, and diced tomatoes. 

If you're lucky enough to have a freezer section at your Dollar Tree, I found frozen broccoli, stir fry assorted veggies, and frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix!

 

Other nice finds:

SO surprised to find coconut oil at the Dollar Tree! Compliant, and small sized, so if you're traveling and staying in an AirBnB or something, this could be a great option!

These were a tasty snack (I know, we aren't supposed to) but for a road trip, Disneyland, if you have kids... Yeah.. NO added sugar in these, but careful with this brand, because the dried strawberries DO have extra sugar. ALSO much cheaper at Dollar Tree than buying in bulk on Amazon!

Anyone brave enough to try this? Is it good? It was compliant, but I've never had it...

Your kids will like that Donald Duck is on the apple juice! No added sweeteners and can be used in recipes to sweeten up sauces. They also had orange juice. Again, a great size if you're traveling and staying somewhere you can cook. (I'm just picturing a little condo on the beach I'd love to rent for a week... aaaah...)

Sadly, the tuna at the Dollar Tree did contain soy 😢 so I had to take it off my list. You can check ingredients on their other canned fishes or canned chicken and you might find some protein, but, again... use caution! (UGH SOY in TUNA??? What is the world coming to?!).

Well, I hope if you're in a pinch, on the road, or feeling broke at the end of the month you'll find something here to help fuel your body! I also checked for similar items at Big Lots, and I feel like you may find some things like Sauerkraut in their international foods section, but oh, man... are there a lot of cookies to have to look at to get them! Enjoy!

~ L

Definitely NOT sponsored (yeah, I was a creepy lady sneaking photos of food at the store) and no affiliate links. 

Nearing the end of WEEK TWO on Whole30

I meant to post every day.... THAT was ambitious! I will keep posting what I'm doing and what I learn, though.

I checked out Melissa Hartwig's book The Whole30 Day by Day: Your Daily Guide to Whole30 Success (**affiliate link) FREE from my library with the Overdrive app (will link the FREE download below). She outlines the day to day experiences one might feel, as well as highlighting the most common side effects she hears about from her followers. I feel like it helps to keep the ball rolling.

 

ANYWAY, I did well with another week of Whole30! I went to a restaurant for the first time on the program and I think it was FANTASTIC. My pastor/boss (I work at a church) and parents went out and got caught up and talked a little about my wedding! I had a small cup of Manhattan clam chowder, made with a tomato base rather than cream, and they said there was no wine in the broth, so I think I was fine. It has tomatos, carrots, celery, potato and clams in a nice tomato-y broth. Then I had a crab and shrimp Louis salad (a California coast special) replacing the Louis sauce with olive oil and balsamic. I just LOVE a little balsamic on an apple in a salad. Such a crisp and fresh taste! The pastor was so inspired by my order that she ordered the same thing!

Otherwise, this week was really nice out, so we barbecued a lot. I made a great homemade sauce over the weekend to flavor the meats. It's slightly sweet, nice and tangy, and enhanced flavors without the extra calories of a store-bought sauce! We grilled a tri-tip on Sunday, which became a lovely spinach salad Monday, cut up a whole chicken and grilled it for Tuesday, and had the leftover bits of meat in a yellow curry on Wednesday. I'm really happy that on top of being super healthy, our food isn't going to waste and we are making our dishes with whole, fresh ingredients and finding ways to use all of our food. It's actually a lot of fun, getting creative with what we have in the pantry. I'm excited for tonight's dinner, even though I haven't quite planned it yet! 😆

Overdrive is worth the FREE download because it's such a GREAT tool for ebook and audiobook readers, you just need a local library card. San Francisco Library allows cards for anyone in the state of CA and there's a huge selection!

The End of WEEK ONE on Whole30

Sunday evening and the grill is hot and ready for our chicken! I made a homemade, sugar-free barbecue sauce with dates, balsamic, coconut aminos, spices, and organic tomato paste (Costco has this with ONLY organic tomatoes as the ONE ingredient, it's fantastic and perfect for so many recipes). I split it into two batches and the second I added just a little bit of OJ, and it was so tangy and delicious, it will be a great marinade for something! 😋

We survived dinners with both sets of parents this weekend. Our families did tease us quite a bit for our "new diet" but have since come around and congratulated us for taking the time to change our habits and try to live healthier lives. One family made grilled chicken breast and squash and the other fam made grilled salmon and asparagus, both delicious, both fresh and summery and both compliant!

I'm lucky that my mom was intrigued by the plan, and got lunch goodies for us, including romaine lettuce for taco wraps, pico de gallo salsa, avocados, cilantro and limes... MAN! Are those taco lettuce wraps tasty. Knowing that Tapatio and Cholula hot sauces are both compliant gives me hope for the next three weeks... 🔥

Today's task was prepping for the week. Fresh babganoush and carrots for a meal, tri-tip, barbecued chicken, spinach salads, and maybe a frittata dish in our future! Oh, and lots of tasty veggies and fruit. It should be interesting because my dad really wants me to meet up with him at the California State Fair. I LOVE the fair, but temptation GALORE! It would be a great test run for a Disneyland trip, though... and that's something that needs to happen before summer is over....

Thanks for reading and let me know what recipes YOU like for your Whole30!!

Whole30 Day Three & Four

It's morning of day 5, and fiancé only wants eggs for breakfast, but as long as he cooks, that's ok!

For my Tuesday Taco vibes, I had some ground beef and fresh zucchini, so I did a taco style skillet. It was super easy, fast, and really satisfying, especially with some Whole30 compliant hot sauce! I used Tapatio, which is pretty bare-bones for hot sauce: water, red peppers, salt, spices, garlic, acetic acid, xanthan gum and sodium benzoate as a preservative. (Ingredient list from wikipedia). 

Zucchini, ground beef, onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt... serve with hot sauce. Done.

Two nights ago, I made a red chicken curry dinner, with zucchini, onions, a bell pepper from our garden, and some water chestnuts! So delicious!! I ate the leftovers for lunch the following day.

Coconut milk + red curry paste, chicken breast pieces, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, garlic powder, fresh basil, and that's it! I threw in the water chestnuts last minute and it gave the dish a little more crunch. We had it on top of cauliflower rice with a few drops of coconut aminos (which we are both totally in love with now).

Last night I made fiancé cook, since I had to work late. He made some chicken sausage (compliant) and heated up some sauerkraut (by far one of my favorite side dishes, so if it's easy and it works, I'm good).

I hope you've got some inspiring dishes for your Whole30 adventures! I'd love to know more. I feel like this is a great experiment for me to get creative with cooking, what do you think?

Keeping up with KonMari

FIVE DAY KonMari Brush-Up:

How I would LOVE to reduce the STUFF in my house. It's going on year three at this place, but I feel like I have twenty years of JUNK stashed away. I started a KonMari purge in January, but I think it's time to purge it again! The Veteran's donation truck will be here on Thursday. Let's take care of some clutter!! Follow my Insta for updates!! (@littlemisslovlie)

Saturday - Day 1: Purge Clothes - out of season stuff first. Then summer.

Sunday - Day 2: Purge Linens/Towels, etc.

Monday - Day 3: Purge Holiday Decorations. Seriously. I just did all the paperwork purging a few weeks ago when my teaching semester ended. According to the book, I think that's supposed to be next. And some electronics. How do I wipe my hard drive on my 2006 MacBook again?? Oy. I have the recycling packing slip for my iPhone 4S.

Tuesday - Day 4: Camping gear. The honey just went camping, and if he didn't need it then, we can toss it now!

Wednesday - Day 5: Anything else! Truck comes Thursday morning, so I will get it on the curb Wednesday night.



IT FEELS SO GOOD to get rid of things I don't need. I've even listed some nicer things on Facebook marketplace, so a little cash in hand wouldn't be bad, either! What do you do to stay organized and feel good about your home? Have you tried Konmari's method? I love her inspo! I feel like even if you can't be QUITE as perfect as Mari, you can aspire to have a neat and tidy house, not crammed with stuff!!

Purchase her books on Amazon - Spark Joy & The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying UP








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Whole30 Day TWO

I loved dinner last night! I have an old South Beach Diet Summer cookbook with some great low carb recipes! I took their recipe for tropical shrimp and rice and made a few substitutions to stay on plan and it was LOVELY. It was pretty warm out yesterday, so a light shrimp dish really hit the spot!

Here's the recipe:

• Cauliflower Rice ( Or throw a cauliflower into the food processor, same thing)
• Frozen Pineapple
• Frozen Mango
• 1 Lime
• Frozen Shrimp (or fresh)
• Basil, Parsley, or Cilantro (optional)
• Coconut aminos (optional)
• Salt & Pepper (optional)

Cauliflower Rice - prepare according to package, then when it's about halfway cooked, add in some frozen pineapple and frozen mango, and unsweetened dried coconut flakes (available at Trader Joe's and elsewhere, make sure there's no sugar added).

Shrimp - boil in a little salty water until pink, then drain and let cool to room temp.

When the shrimp is done, mix it in with the Cauliflower rice/fruit mix, and squeeze lime juice in and shred a little lime zest on top.

The recipe called for parsley, but I only had basil, so I chopped up some fresh basil leaves and added it in (almost like a light version of Thai fried rice)!

Serve with salt and pepper, OR you can sprinkle some coconut aminos on top, like I did.... OMG so good.

You can definitely play around with this recipe and find what you really like! I would say that some kind of spice, maybe red pepper flakes, would have been good, or some little green onions! Comment if you decided to make it!

Starting the Whole30!

I'm making my fiancé join me in the Whole30 diet. Today is DAY ONE... I am convinced that we can find tasty, healthy recipes and that we can quit eating junk and so much sugar! He has a major sweet tooth so I think he's going to have a harder time than me. He was so good and took his can of tuna to work today 😊. I will be doing some shopping with my downloadable PDFs from the Whole30 website. 

The Whole30 eliminates all inflammatory foods, including alcohol, sugars and artificial sweeteners,  dairy, legumes (soy, too) and grains (corn, wheat, rice, etc). This diet is meant to last ONLY 30 days and to reset your digestive system. I just felt like I needed to cleanse, so we’re going for it! 

I thought I should make all of this diet very transparent and hold myself accountable! Thank you for following and I will be posting images on Insta & maybe an IGTV segment! What would you like to see? Has anyone else done the Whole30 or thinking about starting it????

~Little Miss Lovlie

Welcome to my New Blog!

Hi Guys and Gals!

I'm so excited to be starting this new adventure with you all! My new lifestyle blog will feature talk about travel, beauty, food, and fun! I am on a new quest to find the food that makes me feel my best, the makeup and hair products that are good for the earth and for my skin and hair, and well, I just want to go out and see the world! I just got back from England and am still reeling with excitement! Follow me here, and on Instagram (@littlemisslovelie) to see my capsule wardrobe ideas and MORE!

Thanks for checking my site out!

Little Miss Lovelie 💖💋