One to Nothin'

Salmon & Asparagus Frittata

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One of the first Paleo recipes I tried after starting the Whole30 was this Salmon & Asparagus Frittata, which I found here. It was pretty delish. Here’s what you need:

  • 12 eggs
  • 6-8 oz salmon
  • asparagus
  • scallions
  • mushrooms
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t onion powder
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 T olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the eggs, shrooms, onions and powders all together and grease up and season the salmon and asparagus on an aluminum foil wrapped pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork, and then, if you’re a wild child like myself, tear the salmon apart with your hands and cut up the asparagus to mix in with the egg concoction.

Pour it all into a glass baking dish and bake until the middle is no longer jiggly — mine took about 40 minutes, but the recipe only called for 18-20 minutes. I then proceeded to eat it by itself, with avocado on top of it, with hot sauce and even stunk up my office with fishy salmon smell at one point; totally worth it.

This detox definitely has me thinking outside the box. Cheers to 8 days without carbs!

Update: Day 7

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I’m sick, you guys.

According to the Whole30 material, “You may be experiencing some physical symptoms; the result of your body starting to heal from the damage done by your old less-healthy food choices. Acne and rashes, worsening allergies, and digestive distress are common during this first week. Sometimes, things get worse before they get better, but know this is a common, even healthy stage as your body starts to heal. Be patient—by the second week, these should be largely resolved.”

Today marks Day 7 and besides feeling like I can’t breathe through my nose, a sore throat and a general weak feeling, I suppose things are going well. I’m definitely not craving bread nearly as much as I was the first couple of days. I’m starting to see a difference in the way my clothes fit and less bloating in the stomach region. Also, I’ve totally been having weird dreams. I dreamt I ate a cheeseburger — I got in at McDonald’s with no cheese, brought it home and added my own lactose-free cheese and ate it up. I realized about 3/4 of the way through that I wasn’t supposed to eat any of that and started freaking out.
I even woke up feeling guilty. Wow. Never thought I’d have a dream based solely on a McDonald’s cheeseburger. I don’t even think fries were involved.

So in order to make the best of my time being sick, I’m watching Netflix in bed. Obvi. I just watched “The Sweetest Thing,” which I hadn’t seen in years and I’ve been cracking up. Christina Applegate and Cameron Diaz need to be my best friends, please and thank you. Also, it takes place in San Francisco, so… it’s a sign. I hope you enjoy this scene as much as I did:


I’m sure many other movies will follow while I’m home sick for the rest of the day, chugging coconut water and munching on carrots. There may even be some repetition of this song..

What can I say? Kid’s got swag.. I’m going back to bed now. Peace.

InstaFriday/Friday’s Letters

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Dear Whole30, You have been doing all sorts of weird stuff to my bod in the past three days, including giving me killer sinus headaches. How about you quit that shiz. I’m ready for the skinny-clear-skin-extra-energy-no-sugar-cravings part to start. You have also forced me to cook every day and experiment with things I never would have otherwise. I’m pretty sure this was the first time I’ve ever put hot sauce on anything.. or ordered sushi without rice for that matter.. Dear Readers, Thank you so much for your encouragement and kind words in regards to the above mentioned detox. You guys seriously rock my world. I get so excited when I hear my e-mail ding on my phone and really disappointed when it’s just an ad from PacSun or something. Also, fear not. I will definitely be posting my favorite recipes above in due time.

Dear Work Friends, Last Saturday was one of those parties I’ll be telling people about for years to come. No doubt. Y’all are crazy and so much fun. I will dog pile with you all day every day.
Dear Snake Friend, You scared the bajeezus out of me by slithering on my foot while walking out of the office the other day. I thought you were a wee little earthworm at first, I’m sure there would have been a lot more screaming had I known you were actually a snake from the get-go. I did, however, brave your jaws of fury to push you into the grass with a leaf, which is how I came to snap this photo of your surprisingly beautiful belly. Dear Mama, Thanks for having me. I dig your fro in this pic circa ’89 (that’s baby me!). You should bring it back. 😉 Dear Emma, I seriously cannot wait to start our adventure together. It’s going to be so scary and awesome and all of those things that we’re supposed to be experiencing from life right now. Dear People of Ocala, Please make the next two days of working doubles worth it by leaving me mucho dinero. Pleeeeease. Dear Self, Stay strong while working doubles the next two days. The fried rice isn’t worth it. It will seem like it. But it’s not.

Happy Friday!

Love,

Kensie

Linking up here and here!

Coffee.

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My parents have been coffee drinkers for as long as I can remember (although I’m sure the habit dates back much further than 23 years). I have awaken (woken? wow. I just stared at this word so long it has now lost all meaning) to the smell of coffee every morning spent in my parents’ house, and I went on to brew my own cups of coffee every morning in my minuscule coffeemaker in my college dorm and then, in a slightly larger coffeemaker, every morning at my three different college apartments.

As a child my parents humored my desire to be like the ‘big kids’ and drink a cup with them every once in a while, granted it was always 3/4 cream and sugar, but I’ve been doing it ever since — always with cream and sugar. My mom drinks hers with cream only and my dad drinks his with Equal only (I could write a whole post on how this is a metaphorical representation of their 29-year-strong-relationship and ideals of either party in general, but I’ll skip the philosophical assumptions for now..)
I like to get the best of both worlds.

It wasn’t until sophomore year of college that I actually accepted my severely lactose intolerance, but that didn’t stop me from eating an everything bagel toasted with cream cheese and a medium iced coffee with cream and Splenda from Dunkin Donuts several times a week all four years. After graduation was actually the first time I decided to give up dairy all together (instead of just popping Lactaid pills with every meal).

This is when I learned that Dunkin Donuts has zero dairy-free cream products (fun fact: most Coffee Made creamers sold at grocery stores are dairy-free) at least here in Florida. Is it the same way at DDs in other states? It’s very frustrating. And silly, really, considering if you tallied up the amount of money I’ve spent at that establishment I’m sure it would be enough to pay for a year’s rent and several high-class cappuccino makers. (Nowadays if I’m really craving it, I order the bagel with no cream cheese and the coffee without cream and add my own dairy-free substitutes when I get home.)

Despite that little rant, this is not a Florida Dunkin Donuts call to action (vegans and lactose intolerants need coffee and donuts too!), this is actually just a post about my Whole30 dilemma. As I’m typing and feeling the nostalgia of delicious cups of coffee past, I’ve been searching my brain to see if it is, in fact, possible for me to enjoy a cup of coffee without sweetener.

With the detox plan I’ve committed to for the next 27 days (I’m on day 3) I am forbidden from consuming sugar or any sugar substitutes, including Splenda, Equal, Truvia, Honey and Agave Nectar — all of which I had been consuming on a daily basis. My mom harvests her own honey for God’s sake!

So here I am sipping on a now-room-temperature cup of bitter liquid with almond/cashew cream and wondering if I even actually like coffee. Considering I’m almost down to the the bottom of the cup and I finished a cup just like it yesterday, it seems that it’s not repulsive enough to stop me from drinking it.. but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been searching my brain for some way around the no-sugar-substitute rule (but agave nectar is natural! Sugar in fruit is natural! Why is that allowed?!)

It’s a constant battle. I know it would take a couple steps and a rip of two packets to make this drink taste 100% better than it currently does, but I won’t do it. I think one of two things will happen from this experience: I will stop drinking coffee all together, or I will learn to love the actual taste of coffee instead of letting it be the backdrop for my love of all things creamy and sweet. Who knows, maybe I’ll even learn to enjoy unsweet tea too (although I really can’t imagine that ever happening…I think my southern is showing.)

So this is what happens when I go three days without carbs I suppose. I end up writing a novel about a cup of coffee. If you made it through this entire post, kudos to you and I strongly suggest you comment and let me know so I can give you a huge virtual hug and have a reason to smile the rest of the day.

What I Wore

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It’s about that time where I take awkward photos in front of my mirror so you can all see the mess that is my bedroom (and my outfits too). Enjoy.
 Skirt: Gift from Mexico // Shoes: Payless // Shirt: Old Navy // Other Shirt: AE // Jeans: AE
 Dress: Ross // Cardigan: Target // Shoes: Target // Belt: Target // Earrings: Lucky
Blouse: Kohl’s // Undershirt: Target // Shoes: Gift // Jeans: AE
Shirt: Kohl’s // Jeans: Hand-me-downs // Necklace: PacSun
Shirt: Inland Ocean // Pants: Kohl’s // Shoes: Ross // Necklace: Vintage
I’ve got a rice-less, soy-less, dairy-less sushi date to get to, folks. Gotta run! 
Hope you enjoy my unfiltered outfit photos! 😉

Linking up with:  The Pleated Poppy, Rae Gun Ramblings, Transatlantic Blonde and Rolled Up Pretty

Whole30

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Today I started the Whole30 cleanse.
I first heard about this madness when I read this post, and if I’m being honest here, Kathleen’s blog is pretty much the reason I started blogging in the first place. Basically, she’s awesome. The point is, I’ve been feeling ridiculously unhealthy lately due to excessive fried rice consumption at work along with many, many other factors that have led me to be consistently bloated and always wavering between a gnawing hunger pain to overly stuffed to cramping and just overall digestive ickiness. I may or may not be singlehandedly keeping the Pepto-Bismol business afloat right now. Not to mention weight gain (dun dun dunnnn).
I knew I wanted to do a detox of some sort, I just didn’t know which one. Then I read about the Whole30 and learned that it was 30 days of no sugar — including dairy, bread, starchy vegetables, fake sugars (like splenda or agave nectar) and, yes, alcohol. Sounds impossible, right? 
I’m doin’ it.
I’m on Day 1, so maybe that’s why I still seem cheery about it. Then again, there is a plate of very crispy homemade french fries sitting in front of me right now.. (did I mention I’m the only one in my family putting themselves through this torture?) Talk about testing willpower.
(I added sliced avocado with lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt on top!)
Anyway, along the way I expect to discover some excellent new recipes and retrain the way my brain and stomach processes food. I started experimenting a few days before officially starting and that’s where I found this recipe for Baked Portobello and Tuna.
It was amazing, and I usually don’t even like tuna. No lie. (I might have almost set the oven on fire, however, but that’s beside the point.) 
I will be documenting my journey on this here blog for all of you to watch and laugh while chompin’ down on some donuts. I foresee some emotional roller coasters in the near future..
Happy Tuesday!

PS: For daily snapshots of my meals, etc. following me on InstaGram @MacKensieG or click that button over on the right

Music Monday: Shakira

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Shakira is my number 1 girl crush.

How do I love she?
Let me count the ways:

1. Gorgeous.

2. Has a rockin’ bod.

3. Sounds like a mixture between Kermit the frog and Jesus.

4. Dances in the weirdest, sexiest way.

5. Has a wonderful accent.

6. Her hips don’t lie.

7. Sings about how her breasts are small and humble 
(she wouldn’t want you to confuse them with mountains!)

8. Rocks the shit out of some dreadlocks.


9. Has too many great songs to post them all.

I’m starting a challenging 30-day journey tomorrow, and let’s just say Shakira is my motivation.
Well, her and this badass chick.

More details to come tomorrow.
In the meantime, feel free to lust after Shakira’s bod like I have been.

InstaFriday/Friday’s Letters

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Dear Epic Salad, You were amazing, and I’m going to be eating a lot more of you in the near future. I’ve got some excellent plans for healthy eating soon-to-be implemented. Dear Body, I don’t know what is going on with you, but you have been turning me into one clumsy mofo. These scratches are the product of running a couple evenings ago. I tripped on nothing. Dear Birthday, Can you just be here forever? Birthdays are the absolute best. This beautiful bracelet was a birthday gift from someone sweet. Dear Mega Marshmallow S’more, Sometimes the things we do at the restaurant to entertain ourselves cracks me up. This microwave s’more being one of them, but backbends, handstands and pop-lock-and-droppin’ it are also high up on the list.

 Dear Self, Keep up the running thing. You need to to negate the following issues:

Dear Ziggy, We’ll get you back into top-running shape before you know it. Seems like just yesterday you could run eight miles no problem, but now you drag and pant like crazy after two. No wonder you’re a pudge-master now. It’s okay, we’ll skinnify ourselves together.

Dear Mom, Thanks for my birthday sign and flag of sorts for my car. I love you.

Dear Britni, Thank you for my BADASS cord-dream phone (that plugs into my iPhone and really works!!!!) I’m bringing it everywhere. Forever. Dear All My Other Friends, Thank you all so much for making my birthday amazeballs. Including several of my preschool teachers who were kind enough to take a tequila shot with me. Never thought I’d see the day. I love you all.

Love,

Kensie

Linking up here, here and here.

The Birthday Possum

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We have a lot of traditions in my family. The birthday sign on the door, spamburgers with Coke, White Russians and watching “Love Actually” on Christmas, but these are all manmade traditions. They are wonderful because we made them that way. The Birthday Possum is a whole different kind of tradition.

The magical kind.

It all started on my 21st birthday… So clearly I was wasted.

And we went outside to play beer pong.. or jump on the trampoline.. I don’t know, it’s fuzzy, but the point is I was suddenly face to face with an adorable baby possum. So what did my drunk self do? I touched it, of course! I tried to catch it and make it my best friend.. and that’s about the last memory I have from that night. (If we’re being honest, the possum memory didn’t come back to me until the next day when my friend Ryan posted on my Facebook wall about it).

Now, this is certainly not the first time I’ve ever tried to make a furry friend while drunk, in fact I once found 5 to 8 pitch black photos on my phone’s camera the morning after going out because while trying to pet a mouse I found in the middle of the road, I was also trying to take photos of it.. with no flash.

I digress.

Fast-forward 12 months and I’m lying out by my pool in the backyard reading on my birthday when I heard this weird squeaking noise. I ignored it, thinking it was a bird or something, but it continued and it was like no other bird I had ever heard before, so I decided to investigate. The next thing I know I’m fishing an adorable baby possum out of my pool with the net (terrified that it’s going to jump at my face and give me rabies. Yea, I’m not as friendly when sober apparently.) I tried flipping the net over but the poor dummie decided to play possum after implementing an iron-like grip on the netting. I imagine it just lay there playing dead for hours on the other side of the fence, but eventually it let go and I returned the net.

According to a super legit-like website, Spirit Lodge:

“You are being asked to use strategy in some present situation. Rely upon your instincts for the best way out of a tight corner. If you have to pretend to be apathetic or unafraid, do it! Oftentimes if you refuse to struggle or show that hurtful words bother you, your taunter will see no further fun in the game. Warriors have used Opossum medicine for centuries, playing dead when the enemy is least expecting it, the war cry is heard. The fright of this serves to further confuse the unsuspecting opposition. Victory is sweet when the strategy is one of mental as well as physical prowess. “


So there’s that. Maybe it just means I can excrete death scent at will, though.

The point is, I didn’t ask these possums to come party with my on my birthday, and I don’t know for sure that I’ll see one on this day of my birth.. but I do know that I’ve seen one scurry across the road in my neighborhood for the past two nights in a row (and this is not a normal occurrence for me).

It’s just one of those magical birthday traditions I guess.

Thanks for helping me ring in my 23rd, Birthday Possum.

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