Whole 30 - The First 15

It's been almost a year since I've posted on this blog, but life is crazy people. I'm a mother of two now so I basically only have time for 80 million loads of laundry and an equal amount of dirty diapers each day. Plus, I'm attempting to potty train my almost two year old right now, which means I do all the dirty diapers PLUS clean pee off the floor all the day long. So that (and everything else) leaves me to decide: do I sleep?... since I only get approximately two hour increments of sleep totaling 4-6 hours each night (thank you tiny baby that insists on eating ALL THE TIME) OR do I write a blog post about food?

Sleep, people. It's the only way I'll survive all the laundry and diapers and stuff.

So that's why I take year long breaks between blog posts.

But really though, I love my life. 

Anyway, as many of my friends and family know (due to the daily food pictures I post online), in an attempt to get healthy (and lose that extra baby weight), I have been doing the Whole30 Program. If you've never heard of Whole30, make sure you check out this link. They do an incredible job of explaining the program without making you feel like you need to have a lot of money or a lot of time.

Well, you will need to prepare meals...and that takes time. But it's not like you need to spend 100 hours in the gym and $100 a day on gross, miniature sized pre-made meals. This program is about eating real food for complete overall health. 

Since I've been posting so many pictures during my Whole30, I've had many people asking questions and have even inspired a handful to start their own. So I decided to make an update on this blog. I'm going to attempt to share what I ate each day and included pictures, recipes, and/or links. 

Let me start by telling you where I'm at now. 

I'm 15 days in and OH EM GEEEEEE I can't believe how I feel. I could SOOO go for a giant chocolate cookie, but truth be told...I've been making really tasty food and we are so not suffering. I don't own a scale, so sadly I don't have my starting weight and I can't give a current weight (like I want to anyway...hahaha). But on this program you're really not supposed to focus on that part during the 30 days. 

Honestly though, I had to roll the waist band on my pre pregnancy skinny jeans the other day just to keep them up...and I still suffered from saggy butt. (the pants...not my own.) Plus, while I'm not incredibly keen on mentioning love handles or cellulite or fat pockets (I've had two children...but we can pretend I've never had any of those things)...I'm happy to say they're almost completely gone. I still have areas that I'd like to improve, but upon completing this program and incorporating more exercise I'm actually quite optimistic about all that fun stuff. (Speaking of exercise, I run three times a week for about 35 minutes. It's important to have SOME kind of physical activity if you're looking to lose weight.)

Also, my eyelashes are growing (weird?) and my skin is so clear. I've had some break out areas that NOTHING was working to clear up. Four days into my Whole30 program and my skin was completely clear. I was amazed. My two year old baby kid is benefiting from our diet change as well and his skin (which was being all sensitive and persnickety) also cleared up almost instantly. 

Energy. Who'da thought a mother of two under two would need energy. 

Ya. I have some now. I'm tired when it's time to be tired, but for the most part I haven't felt groggy or sluggish at all. I get up around 6:30 a.m. every day (Umm..not by choice. Thank you little babies.) and I haven't felt like I'm running on E. 

So there ya go. I've done 15 days of Whole30 and if I had to stop now I'd call it a complete success. It's amazing what eating real food will do for your body. I think it's obvious that much of what we eat today is so modified we actually end up eating things our bodies were never intended to digest. I used to feel sluggish and bloated after almost every meal, and in 15 days I haven't felt that once. 

It's super great. 

Sooo here is a break down of my first 15 days...

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with spinach, chicken sausage, and onions.
Sweet potato hashbrowns.
Sliced Strawberries.

Everything was cooked in olive oil and seasoned with sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and garlic powder.

Lunch:
Spinach, romaine, and mixed greens salad with grilled chicken, raspberries, blueberries, cucumber, onions, and olive oil/vinegar dressing.

Dressing: 1 part olive oil to 2 parts apple cider vinegar, salt and fresh cracked pepper

Dinner:
Italian chicken with sautéed mushrooms and onions
Roasted dijon green beans
Sweet yellow summer squash

Liberally season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasoning before frying it in the pan. When it's completely cooked through, sauté mushrooms and onions in the same oil. When the onions are almost completely cooked add 1 tbsp tomato paste and 1/4 cup chicken stock. Continue sautéing until chicken stock reduces and mushrooms and onions are done. Top the chicken with the sautéed mushrooms and onions. 

Sauté the yellow summer squash in coconut oil and apple juice. 

Season the green beans with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and spray (or drizzle) with olive oil. Roast in 425 oven for 10 minutes (or until done). Mix 1/2 tsp dijon mustard and 2 tsp olive oil. Toss cooked green beans in dijon mixture. (This is my new favorite way to do beans...it doesn't taste mustardy at all)

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with sautéed sweet potatoes and spinach

Lunch:
Spinach, romaine, and mixed greens salad with strawberries, blueberries, grilled chicken, and oil/vinegar dressing. Topped with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Breakfast:
Fried eggs with turkey sausage and salted avacado

Dinner:
Balsamic dijon chicken
Roasted asparagus
Steamed baby carrots

Mix 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 4 tbsp organic dijon mustard, and two minced garlic cloves in a jar (or sealed container). This will make enough sauce to use multiple times, so I store it in a jar for easy access. Sauté chicken breasts in olive oil (well seasoned). When almost done, top with sauce and let finish. This is one of my new favorite sauces ever. You'd think those 3 flavors would be really overpowering, but mixed together and cooked they are soooo good.

Toss asparagus in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast in 400 oven for 10-15 minutes or until done. Sometimes I toss in the same dijon mixture used for my green beans. It really is so tasty.

Steam seasoned carrots in a little bit of apple juice.

Lunch:
Apple pork tenderloin (we didn't use honey)
Fresh picked blueberries

Dinner:
Cajun Catfish
Steamed broccoli
Ribeye
Mashed sweet potatoes

Dinner was interesting on day 4 because we went out to eat. It felt a little obnoxious, but we made sure to ask what everything was seasoned with and cooked in. It's harder eating out, but it is possible.

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, onions, and spinach
Fresh strawberries and blueberries

Lunch:
Balsamic dijon pork tenderloin
Roasted sweet potatoes
Fresh Strawberries

Dinner:
Taco salads with homemade guacamole, salsa, and blueberry salsa

Marinade the pork tenderloin in the balsamic dijon sauce mentioned earlier. Cook on the stove until internal temp reaches 145 or until inside is no longer pink.

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with sautéed onions and spinach
Roasted sweet potatoes
Turkey sausage links
Banana

Dinner:
Venison steak with sautéed balsamic onions and mushrooms
Roasted brussel sprouts
Baked sweet potato with cinnamon and sea salt

Toss brussel sprouts in olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until tender.

Obviously I didn't take photos of my food this day. But I did snack! I've found that filling a SMALL bowl with cashews and/or almonds will quickly fill a munchie craving. Plus, it turns out I really love cashews! Who knew?!

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs topped with cilantro
Baked sweet potato with cinnamon and sea salt
Sliced strawberries

Lunch:
Balsamic dijon burger topped with fried egg
Sliced strawberries
Salted avocado slices

Dinner:
Blueberry, strawberry, peach, banana, spinach, kale, and almond milk smoothie

Snack:
Roasted zucchini fries

Fry a hamburger patty in the balsamic dijon sauce mentioned earlier. Top with a smear of dijon mustard and a fried egg (runny yoke).

We also enjoyed a tasty snack of roasted zucchini fries. Just toss the fries in olive oil and seasonings and roast at 375 for 15 minutes or until tender. 

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with sautéed onions, tomatoes, and spinach
Turkey sausage links
Baked sweet potato with pumpkin pie spice and sea salt

Dinner:
Balsamic dijon burger with fried egg
Zucchini fries
Peaches

Obviously I was a fan of the balsamic dijon burger. I love the egg and hamburger combo! Try it!

Lunch:
Roasted zucchini with sausage/meat marinara

Ok this was the first meal that really felt like comfort food. It was one of my faves. Just roast zucchini as you would the fries mentioned earlier. I added italian seasoning to them as well. Then brown some hamburger and some italian sausage. Add marinara and heat completely. Top the roasted zucchini with the sauce. So good!

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes. Topped with cilantro
Turkey sausage links
Salted avocado slices
Sliced strawberries

Snack:
Larabars!!

Dinner:
Stuffed peppers with kale
Roasted asparagus

Dessert:
Grilled peaches with cinnamon and coconut vanilla cream

Ok, lets talk larabars. According to Whole30 you can have most kinds of larabar. But make sure to read your labels! These bars are a real treat. Slightly sweet, but still healthy...it's totally justifiable in my opinion.

And ok, I know dessert is pretty much a no no during the Whole30 program, but in all fairness...there is nothing non-compliant about grilled peaches. And let me tell you, having stayed away from anything even resembling dessert for 11 days, this was another nice treat. Just grill with a little cinnamon until completely heated through. The vanilla coconut cream is a homemade non-dairy creamer I made for my coffee. This stuff is soooo good. It tastes like melted vanilla ice cream. A small spoonful of this on a warm cinnamon peach.. yes. Just yes.

Lunch:
Creamy roasted cauliflower and mushroom soup topped with grilled chicken

Dinner:
Stuffed zucchini

This soup was incredibly filling and super tasty. I followed the cooking instructions on this site and the ingredients list on this site. I highly suggest this soup!

For the zucchini I actually had some leftover meat sauce from the stuffed peppers and from the zucchini with marinara mentioned earlier. I used that as the stuffing and followed the cooking instructions listed on this site. This was another new favorite of mine.

Breakfast:
Blueberries, strawberries, cashews

Dinner:
Balsamic dijon chicken
Roasted asparagus with oil/dijon sauce
Leftover mushroom soup

The recipes for the items on my dinner plate are mentioned earlier in this post.

Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with sausage, onions, and roasted asparagus

Lunch:
Taco salad with fresh guacamole

Dinner:
Cilantro lime chicken with fresh guacamole
Baked sweet potato with pumpkin pie spice and sea salt
Fresh picked blueberries

Snack:
Blueberry, strawberry, banana, and coconut milk smoothie

For the taco salad, brown some hamburger with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Top with salsa (read your labels) and guacamole.

For the chicken, sauté some diced onions and jalapeño. Before they are tender add seasoned chicken breast to the pan, right on top of the onions and peppers. Top with cilantro. Cook until about half done, flip, and add more cilantro. Squeeze the juice of one lime on the chicken. When the chicken is completely cooked through, top with one last squeeze of lime juice and pile high with guacamole. Delish!

This was the first time I've made a smoothie with coconut milk. I'm not a huge fan of the way coconut milk smells when the cream and water are completely mixed together. So I mostly just added the cream part of the coconut milk. I also added a tbsp of coconut oil.

   

Dinner:
Stuffed zucchini
Mashed roasted garlic cauliflower
Sliced peaches

Snack:
Piña Colada Smoothie (minus honey)

Snack:
Kale chips

Toss kale pieces in olive oil and sea salt and roast at 400 for about 10 minutes. Watch them closely because they can burn pretty quick.

Also, you HAVE to make this smoothie. It's soooo good.

So there you have it! The first half of my Whole30 is complete and I've been happy with (almost) every minute of it. My sugar cravings still need a little work, but my body is thriving from all the healthy food we've been eating.

If you're trying to decide whether or not this program is for you, just do it. It's only 30 days. The WORST that could happen is you eat good food for 30 days.

I'll post another update when I'm finished!