Plants & Planks

Hey lovely folks! I know it's been a minute...

To be honest, I'm not fantastic with keeping up with any sort of blog commitment, hahaha. But there does come a time where something is just SO AMAZING that I feel compelled to share about it.

I've tested and tried dozens of brands over the course of my time on Instagram, and I've decided to share the brands I absolutely love! Starting with TITIKA (@titikaactive)

I have 4 pieces from Titika: The Rourke Sports Bra, The Bandit Top in Black, The Ever Shorts and the PopArt Leggings. I can't express enough how soooo comfortable these pieces are!

The fabrics are so soft, absorb moisture, and fit nice great! I'm a little bit smaller than their size XS, so the shorts were slipping off of me a little bit, but everything else fit amazing.

Give Titika Active a try! They have an amazing sale section that has great deals on some of their best styles!

Day 3 check in: GOING STRONG! But actively trying to avoid pictures of toast and pasta. :D

One of the most relentless forces that will test your determination during the Whole30 will be: YOUR SOCIAL LIFE. This includes your friends, family, significant others, kids, coworkers, and etc. That means, the chances of anyone else being on your side is completely slim to none. Even if they're the ones you love the most, they will test you, question you, and, if they're anything like my family, they'll try and trick you.

For today's post I'm going to talk about what you do when you MUST ABSOLUTELY go to a restaurant.

The Whole30 generally discourages you from eating out because it's like placing yourself in the most difficult situation to have control over what you eat, but I think it's a good test for your own discipline. Plus, it's summer right now. Everyone's asking everyone out to eat, catch up on life, and reconnect. There's nothing wrong with that. If you feel like you're strong enough with your resolution to stick with the Whole30, here are some tips for problems that will come up.

1. YOU choose where to eat. At the very least, try and choose the restaurant you meet at. This will cut out so many struggles right off the bat. Yelp is a beautiful thing. Take some time to preview menus ahead of time to spot out Whole30 compliant dishes, or meals you can easily adjust to be Whole30 compliant. If this works, you might not even have to mention that you're on the Whole30!

2. Be ready to be grilled like you're an expert. Lifestyle changes can be sooooooooo strange to people. They WILL ask you a world of questions. They WILL expect you to be an expert. They WILL oppose you if they think you're wrong. So find your truth, and stick with it. If you're clueless, be honest about it. If they keep trying to shake you up, just say: "I'm just trying to live healthier." There should be no argument with that. :)

3. Don't be shy to customize. I know it's a bit of a restaurant no-no to adjust the ingredients of a meal, but to a certain extent it's totally acceptable. If a dish is like 99% Whole30 compliant, except for that bit of rice on the side, ask if you can sub the rice for just more veggies. Is there sugar in the sauce? No worries! Ask for it on the side or ask to omit it. Fortunately/unfortunately we live in a society where it seems like everyone has some sort of dietary restriction. So, restaurants are kind of used to that now. :D

Here's one of my favorite cafes that have plenty of Whole30 compliant options on their menu, both vegan, vegetarians and omnivores: Réveille Coffee

I ate their [amazing] quinoa and farro salad bowl, and switched the poached egg for an avocado. Instead of indulging in a latte, I went with a green mountain tea for that lovely slow caffeine supply. <3

Quinoa and Farro Grain Bowl: pickled vegetables, toasted almonds, golden raisins, lacinto kale, orange supremes, sherry vinaigrette, avocado.