21DSD - Week Three Recap
It was my intention to do a bit of a week three recap post over the weekend since I wasn’t doing as many daily posts during week three. I decided to rest and take care of myself instead. And I refuse to feel even the tiniest bit guilty about it. Self-care can be so important.
I know I didn’t share as many photos of my meals last week. To be perfectly honest, my photos would have been very boring. I made three main dishes early in the week and simply alternated them throughout the week for lunches and dinners. It’s a great tip to deal with meal planning during the week, but to post pics of the same meal repeatedly would have bored us both to tears. I decided to spare us both the agony.
During week three, I also focused on getting to bed earlier, which left a little less time for blogging each day. Sleep is important, though, and I made the right decision. It felt good to get better sleep last week especially with work getting busier and stressful this time of year.
How did I prepare for the last week of the detox?
Well, over the weekend I made a pork roast and played with some carnitas seasonings, minus the orange most of the recipes online seemed to use. I used lime instead. I froze half of the roast after I shredded the meat and ate on the rest all week.
Then I made a beef stew in my Instant Pot. I pretty much alternated between those two for lunches. I made sure to alternate so I wouldn’t want to stick my fork in my eye by the third day of eating the same thing for every meal. That made a big difference. I also utilized the food available in the cafeteria at my work. They have a sandwich bar, where I got all my lettuce wrap fixings to go with my carnitas. They also have a salad bar, where I got a small side salad to go with the beef stew. I’m having the last of the stew for lunch tomorrow.
Then I browned some ground beef with onion and garlic and made hot plates for dinner throughout the week. It’s a technique from Melissa Joulwan’s Well Fed. Cook the meat up early in the week and reheat it with seasonings and veggies. Switch out the seasonings and you have a different meal each night. Simple, fast, and economical. It was brilliant. I will be using this technique much more often.
I also made a dozen hard boiled eggs. I used the steam setting in my Instant Pot for this. I need to fine tune the time a little, but it worked fantastic. My first attempt I set the time for six minutes and a few of them were a bit overdone. I might try four minutes next time and see how that works. They peeled beautifully, though, which truly is the best part. It was ridiculous how easy they peeled. I used the eggs to make egg salad for my late afternoon snack. I often find myself getting hungry late in the day, and need a little something to tide me over until I can get home and fix dinner.
Now that the detox is over for most of us, keep in mind that these preparation tips can go a long way toward keeping you on track even when you aren’t doing the detox. If you are transitioning to a more paleo diet after this, meal planning and cooking ahead will serve you well and make your life easier.
