Week 4:

Hey!!  We made it through week 4!!!!  Are you still with me?  This week I spent half the week on the road and the other half back at home.  I met some unique challenges that I'll chat about a little.  Otherwise I am super excited to head into another month still going strong!!

Recipes

Day 1: Restaurant-ITALIAN
Yep, I found a delicious meal at an Italian restaurant!!!  YAY!!!  And let me tell you, it was delicious!!!  I started with a Caprese Salad-I am a sucker for fresh mozzarella & balsamic vinegar!!  Then I had this delicious Flat Iron Steak salad (photo)!!  Y'all, it was incredible!!!  And I remembered to snap a photo!!! 

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Day 2:  Dutch Oven Pot Roast & Veggies
This was for our last meal on the road and it is one of my favorites to make!!  Every time I make it, it is a little different but thats what is so great about it!  You can use anything you have in the refrigerator without making a grocery store stop.  I make mine in a dutch oven when we are camping but you could do this just as easily in the crock pot or instapot.  Just sautéed the first part in a cast iron pan prior to adding it to the crock pot or instapot.  

This is what I did this time:  

• Sautee bacon
• When almost done add 1 onion (chopped) and about 8 whole garlic cloves (smashed)
• Pour into crock pot or instapot
• Using same pan, sear meat (I got about 1lb of grass fed stew meat cut from Whole Foods)
• Add to Crock Pot or InstaPot
• Add beef broth (this will vary for each cooking method and what your desired outcome is-I used about 4 cups but I was slow cooking in  a dutch oven & wanted a little liquid at the end)
• Add veggies-I used left over broccoli, cauliflower & carrots-the more the merrier!
• Then I added some seasoning-you can really get creative here!!  This time I used my 21 Season Salute from Trader Joes!  And don't be shy (unless it contains salt...then be a little shy...).

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Day 3:​ LEFTOVERS!!
You know what I love about cooking big meal?  Leftovers!!!!  I just warmed up the remaining Roast & Veggies and we had another delicious meal!  AND...I was exhausted from our trip home so I would have totally sucked at cooking anything!!  
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Day 4: Black Pepper Shrimp
Oh holy buttery goodness!!!  I felt like changing things up bit tonight & cooking up some shrimp for dinner!  And it was a HUGE hit!!!  oh...and SUPER EASY!!!  Some advice:

• Read the NOTES on this recipe!  She's right on all of them
• Definitely leave the shell on!  I tried both ways and it really is a better flavor with the shells on-you do have to peel them to eat so its a little time consuming, but hey, more time with the family at the dinner table!

The recipe is meant to be an appetizer but it works perfectly as a dinner with just a side of sautéed broccolini!!!  
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Day 5:  Filet Mignon & Roasted Zucchini
It is absolutely unbelievable how easy this meal is considering how delicious it ends up!  (It also helps that my husband grills the filet's so I basically do...nothing! lol)  

Filets:  

• Let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes
• Season generously with salt & pepper on both sides
• Grill to your temperature preference
• Top with slab of seasoned butter (soften butter, add fresh/crushed garlic, mold into tube, refrigerate) Just after removing from grill

Zucchini:

• Slice into oblong rounds
• Spray with avocado oil (**see what I use to the right)
• Season with salt & pepper, garlic powder & basil
• Top with Shaved Parmesan
• Bake at 350°F for 15 min or until cheese melts and turns golden

​There you have it!!
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Day 6: Girls Night Out!!!-Cobb Salad
I went out to dinner with a couple of my mom friends.  I thought I'd be really good and get a cobb salad with shredded chicken, bacon, avocado, eggs & a balsamic dressing with blue cheese.  You guys, it was horrible!!!  It was a big bowl of iceberg lettuce, almost nothing to speak of as far as toppings & the dressing was basically mayonnaise with a dash of balsamic vinegar.  SO GROSS!!!  But...someone else got the most amazing dinner that I will definitely grab next time!  It was Bison Meatloaf wrapped with bacon & over a bed of mashed cauliflower!!!  It was so good!!!!! so....next time...

Day 7:  InstaPot Old Fashioned Pot Roast

​This Pot Roast recipe was super easy!  But I did make some changes.  I seasoned the roast really well with salt & pepper (mostly pepper) before searing it.  Then I removed it from the InstaPot and sautéed some smashed garlic cloves (about 8 cloves) just until fragrant.  Then I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes (instead of tomato paste), salt/pepper & some basil.  I added the roast back into the pot then poured the beef broth over the top.  

For cooking time, I would recommend 90min +15 min NR instead of the 75min +15 min NR they suggest.  My roast shredded on the outside but the center was still pretty tough.  There was plenty of the shredded part to feed us a nice helping for dinner.  But to remedy the tough part for leftovers tomorrow, I will let it sit in the gravy overnight then cook for a bit longer than normal until it softens up. 
GRAVY:
​I also made a quick gravy once the roast was finished cooking.  I removed the roast to a serving plate then ladled the remaining liquid through a sieve to catch the chunks of tomato & garlic.  I poured the liquid into a pan then added a mixture of arrowroot and about 1/2 c water.  Warm until thickens and pour over shredded pot roast.
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Check out my Pinterest Boards for more recipes to try this week:
Keto Recipes
Keto InstaPot Recipes

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This weeks challenges

I was really proud of myself this week.  I stayed on track with meals & maintained my workout routine on the road, even when it was hard...and freakin freezing cold!!  I was really excited to get home and not feel like I needed to "catch up" with my prior progress!  Then I weighed myself.  NOT WHAT I WANTED TO SEE!!  I Gained.  UGH!!!  If I was going to gain anyway I wanted to say my progress on the road wasn't worth it.  That I should've just eaten what I wanted and taken the week off from working out.  But then I took a chill pill & thought about what might've affected this weight gain & realized that there were a few factors that were totally temporary & I would be back to results quickly!  

1. My Period-yep, I always gain a bit of weight here.  All of us ladies do.  Its totally natural and TEMPORARY!!!!  ...i was already feeling better
2. Salt-For 2 days in a row before this weigh in, I had eaten that delicious Pot Roast/Stew.  It was delicious but the combination of the bacon & the broth left me with a bit more sodium than usual.  I am sure that added a little water retention.  And is also TEMPORARY!!!! Ahhhhh....feeling even better!!
3. Stress-This is an inevitable part of traveling.  Not necessarily bad stress, just stress.  And a side effect of stress is....Inflammation!  But again, TEMPORARY!!!!  YAY!!!!

So, I am still so proud that I stayed on track, IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT & all the temporary, seeming "set-backs" will change so fast!!!  
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Workouts

Now that I aback home I can get back to incorporating more movements-like pull ups, rowing, GHD's, etc... And get back to my weekly Yoga class (I will actually start going to a yoga studio on the road moving forward!).  

I also did more push ups & heavy slam balls so my chest is a bit sore this week!  But my yoga class was really small and the instructor was able to give more one-on-one attention to issues.  We did a lot to open up the tight areas so I feel fantastic today!!!
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