My First Whole30

It's been almost six years since I have posted last.  SIX YEARS!  Is anyone still out there?  A LOT has changed during all that time including saying goodbye to my vegetarian lifestyle, marriage, becoming a nurse, becoming a mom for the second time, getting ready to earn my second degree....  And really the end of another school chapter is what has prompted me to start blogging again (I'll have so much free time I won't know what to do).  That and the fact that I am starting the Whole30 tomorrow!  What's that you say?  You have never heard about the Whole30!?!?!  Well several, (really a metric ton) of pounds gained in six years with many attempts at weight loss had me looking for a better lifestyle.  The vegetarian thing worked for me last time, but I wanted to try something a little different and maybe even healthier.  That's how I came across the Whole30. 

The Whole30 program is basically based on a paleo diet.  There are certain food groups you cannot eat at all, not whatsoever, never, never, ever, during the 30 day stretch.  These foods include sugar of any kind, alcohol, even with cooking, grains, legumes, dairy, MSG, sulfites, and any "paleo-approved" food that looks/tastes like a baked good.  In the book "It Starts With Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (get it here), the authors explain in great detail why these foods are bad for you psychologically and physiologically.  It's an easy and interesting read.  Some of their theories, like leaky gut syndrome, aren't recognized in the greater medical field, but they're advice seemed reasonable and not totally crazy.

 
So me being me, I have done a ton of research on how to accomplish the Whole30 successfully.  The Whole30 website has a lot of great info.  I have also joined a Whole30 facebook support group, found many Whole30 Instagram accounts, blogs, and Pinterest have been a plethora of information. What's the one thing everyone has said in order to succeed?  PREP!  So that's what I have been doing for the past two days.  Prepping and getting ready for tomorrow and the week ahead!

I started by making a menu and to-do list.  (I'm all about the lists!  Ask my hubby.) 

Then I made a grocery list and did some more research.  See, it can be difficult and expensive to find "compliant" food as almost everything has added sugar in it (it's kind of crazy).  I ended up going to four different grocery stores (Aldis, Krogers, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods).  THANKFULLY it won't be like this every week as there were just some basics I had to get.

Next came the cooking!  I had a number of things to accomplish in the kitchen to get ready for the days at work ahead.  I spent a total of two hours in the kitchen (which I don't think is bad considering all the breakfasts and lunches are made for the next four days along with the next two nights of dinner). 

There's a thing about prep days though....  So much chopping!  (And this was just a fraction of my chopping for the day....)

Breakfast for the next four days is consisting of a yam, rutabaga, and bacon hash (from Rubies & Radishes) and hard boiled eggs.  The original recipe called for celery root, which, after going to four groceries stores, I could not find in the city of Cincinnati.  Therefore I substituted the rutabaga.  And it totally worked! 

I'm super excited to be eating this all week for breakfast.  It has smoked paprika.  This spice has become one of my favorite lately!  I'll take a scoop of this every morning, microwave it, and grab a hardboiled egg for the car ride into work.  Totally do-able!

I also prepped lunch which includes slowcooking chicken, making a bbq sauce, and baking sweet potatoes.  I also chopped some toppings for the stuffed potatoes (onions and cilantro).  I'll post about this recipe later this week.

Along with the stuffed potatoes I'll be having a side salad at lunch.  So I prepped those for work too along with making a homemade mustard vinaigrette.

What's the best part of this entire experience so far?  My husband, Matt, yesterday told me he wants to support me in this journey and participate as well!  Now because he is who he is, he'll probably drink a little here and there and eat some junk food at work.  This is also why I added goat cheese to his salad.  We had some left and it needs to be used before it goes bad.  I am just super excited he is (mostly) along for the ride.

Finally I made some Brussels sprouts with pancetta and coconut oil for dinner tomorrow and Wednesday.  Matt will grill the chicken and apple sausages and dinner will be served!

Know that there will be more posts coming from me for sure!  I will continue to document my meals and food prep including sharing recipes or linking to the recipe source. 

Has anyone tried the Whole30?  What worked?  What did you like?  What was difficult.  Let me know in the comments.  I look forward to sharing my journey with you!