If You Can't Love Yourself, How the Hell Are You Going to love Somebody Else
With my first Whole 30 Recipe
WITH SOUL
Perhaps it’s the skeptical Pisces in me, but when life is content, I tend to create internal chaos.
There is nothing inherently wrong with my life and I can confidently tell you, my dear reader, that I wake up every day happy.
4-5 times a week, I start my day on the Peloton, getting those endorphins.
3-4 times a week I bring my emotional support animal, Marco to work. His presence brings me and anyone who visits me joy.
My personal relationships are steady- nothing to self-destruct over there. Yes, I’m keenly aware of my old habits.
And yet, in this comfort of a strong foundation, my soul wants a new challenge. Over the last few posts, I’ve written my way through this reckoning. Here, on the first day of a new month, I know what it is. At its’ core, my soul is challenging me to put myself out there more. To love myself enough to self-promote in a confident way.
To focus on the macro-version of my goal in life: to lead a fulfilled life. This weekly newsletter was the universe’s “ah ha” moment, and after a month, I’ve fallen more in love with this space and how I approach it. (And, yes- I do believe our souls are connected to the universe and it’s all a guiding tide to our full potential. Our souls are a puzzle, a theory I will share more of next week.)
At the start of this month, a weight feels lifted, and I don’t mean the thick air we’ve been surrounded with during that intense heat wave. In the past week, I’ve realized that the scars of my past have dictated my kinship to being risk-averse, lately. I have only dipped my toe into projects because I am afraid of how obsessed I can become. Will that take me away from the moments I used to miss out on? Why make a giant splash when everything is copacetic? Here’s why: because I have more to accomplish. I have the unfinished book, a complete re-haul of my photography business, this page and so much more I want to accomplish. My end goal is simple: find a way to live in this creative, freelance world full time. To do that will mean sacrifice. But, this weekend reminded me that you will miss out on moments, which will make the ones you are present for even more special.
You will make sacrifices, but those who love you will only find ways to adapt, not retract.
August is the perfect month to reset before the back-to-school chaos. To enjoy the salt air and calm that the summer months bring. This summer is so different from my past, and yet, it’s brought me so much clarity as I move toward the end of the year.
To start this new month, I’ve decided to adopt a Whole 30 diet interpretation. In looking over MyFitnessPal, I realize that while I PREDOMINATELY eat healthily, there are still too many sugars and carbs that sneak their way in. My gut needs a little reset and with my social calendar still, this seems like the perfect month to do so. I say adaption because here’s my plan:
Have a Premier Protein Black Coffee Shake in the morning
Have turkey wraps in lettuce, or chicken topped with diced avocado/tomato for lunch
Have a fruit packed for a snack, when those sugar cravings kick in
Have a protein bowl for dinner (the recipe I’ll be sharing below)
And, if I end up in a social situation, 1 vodka martini up with a twist won’t kill me. (although, the Whole 30 book will adamantly disagree)
I have never been one for extremes and this adaption works for me. And, isn’t that what this is all about- do what works for you, as long as you’re happy. Feeling less gut-heavy will help me love myself a little more.
This leads perfectly up to the end of the month when my “Love Yourself" Sessions will take place. You can learn more about this brainchild of mine here
At the beginning of each month, I love setting intentions, so here is mine for the month of August:
Do an ab workout 4 times a week
Journal every night; when I ignore this process, I get antsy.
:: this one is hard:: Redo the outline to that 80,000-word novel I have. Stop being afraid, it’s good, and with a good editor could be a best-selling, story.
finally, decide on a template for quotes for this page’s Instagram. I have never been this indecisive.
Do one thing towards my goal of being a full-time freelancer each day.
Easy enough, huh? I have faith in myself, :: she says wearily::
WITH SALT
There are A LOT of Whole 30 recipes out there; honestly, I got overwhelmed researching it all yesterday. Even in the book, each day is a different, multi-new ingredient, recipe, and let’s be honest, in this inflation, it’s kind of impractical. Especially when you’re only cooking for one. So, my goal in this first week is to find three recipes I can repeat and use my base ingredients in different ways.
This weeks repeat meal is going to be the Whole 30 Cobb Salad.
Ingredients
3 eggs
6 slices bacon sugar & nitrate free
4 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
2 cups cooked chicken diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 avocado diced or sliced
1 cup of pepper, diced
Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 garlic clove minced
Instructions
Hard boil your eggs (my suggestion: put your eggs at the bottom of your saucepan, add 2-3 cups of water, bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 20 minutes)
Cook bacon slices: You can fry them on the stovetop for about 7 minutes, bake them at 425, or do the old “put your bacon in between two paper towels and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain and roughly crumble. Set aside.
Marinade your chicken with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook in your air fryer at 375 for 7 minutes
Chop up your salad pieces
Assemble
Place lettuce on the bottom of a large salad bowl.
Top with chicken, eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and peppers
In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing and whisk together.
Drizzle over the salad and toss together gently before serving.