Backwater’s on Sand Key is one of my favorite restaurants off of the island. Before you get alarmed that it is off the island, let me explain. Clearwater is part of a string of islands that outline the Florida coastline. San Key is to the south of Clearwater and can be accessed by taking a bridge over the inner coastal. It takes only about 5 minutes to reach Backwater’s. It is 100% worth the small drive, and they have free parking in front of Backwater’s. It is in a small strip mall so keep your eyes peeled. Read more

There is nothing better than waking up to the sound of waves rolling in. As much as I try to sleep in, my eyes pop open no later than 7:30 am every day. When you’re awake that early in beach time, you get to watch the beach groomers come up and fluff the sand for another day of fun. After being mesmerized by the calmness of the beach, a sleepy-eyed Brad stumbled out onto the balcony.

He was desperately seeking coffee after our late night which I happily obliged. We grabbed some cash, flip flops in hand and headed for the beach. We strolled south on the island until we passed Sand Pearl hotel and cut into Mandalay where our favorite coffee shop is a few storefronts down. We always grab an iced coffee to go and head back the beach. We stroll back to our condo basking in the beauty around us knowing the beach will be filled with gossiping girls, laughing children and people enjoying themselves in just a few hours. We enjoy the calm and sip on our delightful coffee.

In a blink of an eye, it is 11:30 and it is lunch time! Our first lunch is always at the same place, Bait House. Bait House is a taste of old Florida as it is a bait shop that was expanded into an outdoor restaurant in 2009. The restaurant is a dock with 11 2×4 crafted tables, plastic chairs and stapled dollar bills on the wall. Bait House puts you right on the inner coastal to watch boats go by and stop at Bait House to grab lunch and more bait. The menu changes a bit every day as it all depends on what fresh fish was caught that day.

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I am going to apologize now for the small Whole30-Week 4 Meal Planning list. My last week on Whole30 was filled with a trip to DC and celebrating three birthdays. All I can say is thank God I was not craving and had hit the Tiger Blood Stage!

I am not going to lie; I did not do this week perfectly. I am sharing my slip ups so you may learn from my mistakes and know the pitfalls of cheating. As the book says towards the end of Whole30, it gets hard. You are anxious to know what the scale says, people have noticed a change in your appearance, and frankly your are over the restrictions resulting in dishes.

My Whole30-Week 4 Meal Planning was even harder as 5 days were spent eating out. Now I knew that my Whole30-Week 4 Meal Planning would be rough when I started, but I wanted to do Whole30 with my family for Lent. When we all started, we decided this weekend could be a cheat weekend as I would be in DC and the rest of the family would be on a retreat. For all those who are disgusted by our decision, remember that we did not do this for weight loss. We did this for Lent and a way to honor God. If you are new or forgot, go ahead and check out the start of my Whole30 journey. Read more

I was craving my Chicken Club Sandwich, but the Homemade Honey Mustard, bread and Parmesan Crisp are not Whole30 approved. I did take inspiration from my weaved bacon  to form Whole30 Bacon-Wrapped Chicken.

The Whole30 Bacon-Wrapped Chicken is essentially my Chicken Club within Whole30 compliant standards. To make the dish similar to an actual chicken club, I added avocado slices and Whole30 Ranch.

Next time, I make Whole30 Bacon-Wrapped Chicken, I am going to get even more adventures and add jalapenos under the wrapped bacon to give a real kick to every bite! Have fun cooking this and feel free to get a little adventure with the base recipe.

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