Wholey Salmon w/Mango Avocados, Batman! {Whole30 FINAL WEEK} {Recipe Files}

Morning and happy Tuesday, ladies. I hope your Monday went well and the week is treating you right. I am pretty freaking stoked today is Tuesday because today is MY LAST DAY OF THE WHOLE30 CHALLENGE!!!! I am so proud of myself, y'all. I'd go on, but I'll have a full post on my experience next week where I plan to talk about my whole experience. If you have any questions for me now though, feel free to email me at pinkpersistenceatgmail[dot]com.

I researched a bunch of recipes online week two because I was bored with everything I knew how to make. You've read some recipes from Nom Nom Paleo here before and today I'm sharing another one of Michelle's recipes. When Le Husband was out of town last week I tried this recipe for dinner and it was mouth wateringly delicious. :)

Mango + Avocado Salsa over Pan Seared Salmon

courtesy of Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo

What you'll need:

1 mango || 1 avocado || 1 lemon or lime || 1 red onion [I only used half] || cilantro [only had dried] || 1 TB EVOO || salmon filet || ghee [not pictured] || S&P || I only made a single serving of salmon, but Michelle's recipe is for four.

Salsa: Dice the mango, avocado and red onion. Combine in bowl with the EVVO, salt & pepper and cilantro. Don't stir too hard, you want everything to remain in chunks like salsa not smooth like guac.

Salmon: Pat your fish dry while you heat a cast iron to medium-high with a tablespoon of ghee. Season your fish with salt and pepper on both sides, then when the pan is hot place fish skin down first. Use a spatula to press down on the fish so the skin cooks evenly. Cook for six to eight minutes or until your meat thermometer registers between 120 - 130 degrees. You can then just serve, but I liked Michelle's idea of flipping the fish for an extra minute for that last lil bit of pretty color.

Serve: Place the fish on your plate and top with a few heaping spoonfuls of your salsa. Enjoy with your favorite sides [ I had stuffed mushrooms and roasted veggies but they aren't pictured]. The salsa holds up well since it has the acid in it and I'll use it in place of dressing for my salads during the week.

I can't wait to bring this salsa to all the summer BBQs that pop up this summer. Its' quick, healthy and super yummy, so a win, win, win. Let me know if you try this recipe or if you have any questions.

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Whole30 FINAL WEEK Thoughts
I'm choosing to document my journey daily so I have something to look back on at the end of the program. I didn't just do this program for Lent nor did I just do it as a diet. I really wanted to try and test my willpower and see what happens when I actually stick to something for 30 days. Feel free to skip if it's too much text, I totally understand.

Day 22 Monday: Ugh, the day after a weekend trip is always tough. Since we didn't eat very rounded yesterday I'm feeling kind of sluggish today. Carrots were pretty much my only veggie on Sunday so the fresh produce was lacking indeed. Since we didn't meal prep on Sunday I kind of scrounged together a few snacks for today and then went to Whole Foods for a salad. It was weird not hitting up the sushi area too, like I used to do. I admit, I miss me some sushi :(! BUT, happy news I found the coconut milk that was suggest in my Whole30 Facebook group and I'm super stoked to try it tomorrow. Our dinner tonight was good, stove top fish [seasoned with evoo, garlic, s&p and lemon] withe roasted veggies. I also roasted some cut up sweet potatoes and they turned out well. I ate half for dinner and will eat half tomorrow with some pearl onions.

Day 23 Tuesday: Didn't sleep hard through the night last night which was a bummer. Slept okay and woke fine, but wish I had slept the whole night. Finally found coconut creamer yesterday and used it this morning for the first time. HOOORAY no more plain black coffee. It's not very sweet, just similar to the plain creamer I used in my coffee before I started Whole30. Energy has been up and down today which is weird. I think I didn't eat enough last night, even though I ate well [fish and veggies]. I might need to up the carbs on workout days to keep my energy up and running. I've been kind of lazy packing lunch and I can tell I'm not getting enough to eat. I had a headache for the first time since on this program and that's no bueno. But, thinks picked up in the afternoon and I was able to go for a quick run which felt awesome. I also have plenty of energy right now for all the cooking I have planned, yay!

Day 24 Wednesday:  Whoa, I was a cooking machine last night. Le Husband was out of town so I had the kitchen to myself, woohoo. I made two new recipes {here and here} and then prepped some stuff for the week as well. Overall the food was pretty awesome, I need to tweak a few things here and there though. Today I woke up early to get some morning yoga in and while I was tired it felt great to be moving. I also was able to attend yoga during lunch, woohoo!. Lunch was leftover mango/avocado with shrimp over a salad. It was pretty delicious and filling. I was starving when I got home though, but managed to do some cooking before I ate anything I shouldn't. I made cracklin chicken for dinner with ZOODLES and smashed cauliflower. It tasty pretty awesome and I also made zucchini popper hamburgers after reading Rants from Mommyland. I should be pretty set for the rest of the week. I hope I sleep well tonight after ballet, I'm up early for yoga again tomorrow.

Day 25 Thursday:  Sleep was weird last night. It took me forever to fall asleep and then I think I woke up a few times, but am not sure. Crazy vivid dreams again. Woke up early for yoga, was tired but got up. Upped my coffee intake to two cups today to see if I can get rid of the tired headache. It kind of went away but still was a bit dull randomly throughout the day. I tried a new yoga class during lunch today and it was very relaxing and I felt noodley when I left. Then I went home to run and stretch even more and it was quite glorious. Since Le Husband was coming home on Thursday we did our French Dip recipe which was delicious but I just wasn't as hungry as normal.

Day 26 Friday:  YAY!! Last Friday on Whole30, I am stoked! One week from today I get my celebration dinner, whoop whoop! Not sure who it will be with or where I'm going but I know it will include WINE, haha! #priorities! With it being Lent we ate fish and shrimp plus veggies tonight. I was pretty hungry after eating all my food today so not sure what that's about. I prepped some food for Saturday and Sunday since I had a few moments on the run and didn't want to be caught in a bind so close to the end of the tunnel.

Day 27 Saturday: Oh weekends how I love thee. Well, when I'm at home, haha. Being home makes eating compliant so much easier. We had kickball practice this morning so after three hard boiled eggs for breakfast I packed some carrots and zucchini poppers for a snack. It kept me full until I got home. I ate my last chicken burger with mango/avocado salsa onto, yummy!. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping, picking up Le Husband's car, more napping and then a cookout with friends. They were so sweet to make sure everything was compliant and it was a great meal of steak, grilled veggies and salad. I will admit I missed the glass[es] of wine, though. Gosh, I sound like such a lush!

Day 28 Sunday: Today was a bit all over the place, but I was 100% compliant despite the running around. I didn't eat breakfast before church, but was able to get some yoga in which was great. The Brady ladies went to see Cinderella after church so I had to sneak in some compliant snacks. I took dates, carrots, a compliant Larabar and homemade strawberry mint water to sip on throughout the movie. The smell of movie popcorn didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, which was a victory in itself. After the movie we went to dinner and the only thing compliant was a side salad. I didn't mind because Le Husband and I had already planned our dinner Sunday so it was just a light snack. I had to pick off the potato stacks though which was annoying. Oh and I added some compliant prosciutto crunchies I had packed in my purse. Yes, I packed it, no I don't care that it sounds crazy.  Dinner was pork and was super yummy and afterwards I prepped lunches for Monday and Tuesday. I can't believe I only have a few days left. My celebration meal is planned for Friday with a friend and I can't wait!!!!

As you're reading this, I am on the LAST DAY of my Whole30 challenge. I am so proud of myself for sticking with this program and can't wait to see my results tomorrow. Granted, there have been plenty of NSVs [non scale victories] already, but seeing the scale and inches change is definitely something I'm looking forward to on Wednesday. Thanks so much for all your cheerleading, dear friends. Y'all have no idea how much your encouragement meant to me during this process! I <  3 You!

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