I planned ahead with almost everything I would eat. Here are some of the dinners I made:
Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Thighs and Roasted Asparagus
The recipe called for bacon but I didn't have compliant bacon without sugar yet (don't worry, I got some now and I can't wait to make it on Saturday morning!). It was the first time I'd made chicken thighs and they are definitely different than chicken breasts. They more juicy but more difficult to trim all of the fat.
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Man, was this labor intensive! Ricing the cauliflower and chopping the shallots, green onions, and mushrooms took me forever. Luckily I had just found the Strangers podcast and was listening to the Love Hurts series to keep me entertained. I also couldn't find Coconut Aminos for this recipe, which I think would have made it taste a lot more like real fried rice. I also heard Trader Joes will soon have frozen Organic Riced Cauliflower. And yes, I trekked over there to look for it. My location didn't have it yet. But that would make this SO much easier!
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Balsamic Chicken on Spaghetti Squash
I can't remember where I found the recipe for this one! But it was super easy. Just chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, cooked in coconut oil. Then the sauce was added to the same pan, just crushed tomatoes, chopped onion, and balsamic vinegar. I just roasted the spaghetti squash in the oven.
Day 1: I'm ashamed to admit I woke up hungover from my sister's house warming party the night before. I thought, "Oh great! I have to try to struggle through this anyway" I dragged myself to the kitchen when I got hungry and chopped up some sweet potato hash and fried eggs. Pretty soon I was feeling fine. I'm not sure this was necessarily because of the food, maybe it was just a mild hangover. I spent the day running around looking for more ingredients for things I was planning to make. Although I'd already been to two grocery stores, I had to run to Whole Foods, which I was trying to avoid because of the cost. But it was the only place to find sausage, bacon, and coconut milk that was compliant with the program. We went to a barbecue at my parents' house that night and I brought my own meat to cook but they had good fruit and veggies for me to enjoy. I also tried Kombucha for this first time!
Day 2: I read that Whole 30 might help me get out of bed more easily in the morning, which I struggle with hugely. Despite wishful thinking, this did not take effect on Day 2. At work I noticed, my breakfast kept me full longer than usual and I didn't need a snack mid morning. My lunch filled me up but I didn't have that horrible bloated feeling I sometimes get. The big thing for me is that I didn't get that usual fuzzy, tired, crashing feeling around 3pm. I also had to stay late at work and totally resisted the crappy snacks and pop they provided for the late meeting.
Day 3: Still didn't pop out of bed but I'd stayed up kind of late because of how late I'd stayed at work the night before. My coworkers were asking how I was feeling and I am still surprised that I feel good. The book said that I might go through sort of a "Sugar Hangover" and it hasn't happened. I'm sure it will just take a little longer to start craving things I've given up. 10% done! (Gotta celebrate the small milestones)
Day 4: Still difficult to get out of bed. I had some weird stomach issues after breakfast, which was weird because I ate exactly the same thing I had the past 3 days. But it passed and I felt great the rest of the day. I went out with my teaching team after school and was the super annoying guest asking what every item was cooked in but the server was really nice and I was able to have some wood fired chicken and green beans cooked in olive oil. One of my co-workers made a comment about me not drinking and asked if I was pregnant. I thought it was really rude and it ticked me off. What if I was pregnant but not ready to talk about it? But I talked about Whole 30 with all of them and they were really supportive, which was nice.
Day 5: Had a horrible time getting out of bed this morning so I'm just going to stop updating that and hope that eventually I'll get this elusive morning energy. Then I had the same stomach pains and indigestion right after breakfast so I'm going to switch up what I'm eating and see if that helps. I've had a couple of small cravings for foods but I'm surprised how easily I've dismissed them. It's nothing compared to when I was on a diet that allowed for some snacks/treats/carbs. I guess a little makes you want a lot.
Day 6: Last night I kept dreaming about accidentally eating and drinking things I wasn't supposed to! It was funny because I'd finish like half of it and then realize and be so mad! I guess I want to commit to this. It was our last day of work and everyone went out to a brewery. I thought I would be bummed to not have a beer with everyone but it turned out I didn't really care. I even went to a brewery with Cody and sat with him while he tried a couple beers.
Day 7: I woke up completely refreshed today and it was nice to make breakfast instead of taking tupperware to work. We had a family event and I had to turn down a champagne toast. So I guess I can just stop counting how many drinks I need to turn down now. Despite thinking it might be much harder to eat this way on the weekend than at work, it wasn't bad as long as I planned what I was going to eat.
Day 8: I ate the first thing I really didn't like. I made cauliflower mash and it tasted like crap because I couldn't add any dairy. We also walked to the grocery store to get an ingredient for dinner and I really wanted to try another flavor of Kombucha but the only kind they had had added sweetener. I was annoyed that it's so difficult to find foods or drinks that I can have. But I felt pretty good all day!
Steak and Brussels Sprouts
Super simple. I roasted the brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and pan fried the steaks on the stove.
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| Oops I ate half of it before taking the picture |
Sweet Potato Nachos
So, these are not technically Whole 30. All of the ingredients are compliant. But the program encourages you not to have anything that is imitating junk food or snacks. But they were delicious. Would they have been more delicious with tortilla chips and a bunch of cheese? Yes. But I'm just not going to think about this for now. I made the sweet potato chips by slicing two sweet potatoes very thinly and baking for about 90 minutes at 250 degrees. I baked the chicken after seasoning with garlic powder, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, and chili powder. Then I made pico de gallo with roma tomatoes, red onion, fresh cilantro, and garlic and guacamole.
The leftovers also resulted in this amazing breakfast the next day.
I also made Apple Cider Pork Chops, which I tragically forgot to take a picture of.
All of the recipes I used this first week were either from Stupid Easy Paleo or Whole Meg.
Each day I recorded some of my thoughts. They might be completely boring so feel free to skip over them unless you're interested in me tracking how many times I had to pass on a beverage I really wanted.
Day 1: I'm ashamed to admit I woke up hungover from my sister's house warming party the night before. I thought, "Oh great! I have to try to struggle through this anyway" I dragged myself to the kitchen when I got hungry and chopped up some sweet potato hash and fried eggs. Pretty soon I was feeling fine. I'm not sure this was necessarily because of the food, maybe it was just a mild hangover. I spent the day running around looking for more ingredients for things I was planning to make. Although I'd already been to two grocery stores, I had to run to Whole Foods, which I was trying to avoid because of the cost. But it was the only place to find sausage, bacon, and coconut milk that was compliant with the program. We went to a barbecue at my parents' house that night and I brought my own meat to cook but they had good fruit and veggies for me to enjoy. I also tried Kombucha for this first time!
Day 2: I read that Whole 30 might help me get out of bed more easily in the morning, which I struggle with hugely. Despite wishful thinking, this did not take effect on Day 2. At work I noticed, my breakfast kept me full longer than usual and I didn't need a snack mid morning. My lunch filled me up but I didn't have that horrible bloated feeling I sometimes get. The big thing for me is that I didn't get that usual fuzzy, tired, crashing feeling around 3pm. I also had to stay late at work and totally resisted the crappy snacks and pop they provided for the late meeting.
Day 3: Still didn't pop out of bed but I'd stayed up kind of late because of how late I'd stayed at work the night before. My coworkers were asking how I was feeling and I am still surprised that I feel good. The book said that I might go through sort of a "Sugar Hangover" and it hasn't happened. I'm sure it will just take a little longer to start craving things I've given up. 10% done! (Gotta celebrate the small milestones)
Day 4: Still difficult to get out of bed. I had some weird stomach issues after breakfast, which was weird because I ate exactly the same thing I had the past 3 days. But it passed and I felt great the rest of the day. I went out with my teaching team after school and was the super annoying guest asking what every item was cooked in but the server was really nice and I was able to have some wood fired chicken and green beans cooked in olive oil. One of my co-workers made a comment about me not drinking and asked if I was pregnant. I thought it was really rude and it ticked me off. What if I was pregnant but not ready to talk about it? But I talked about Whole 30 with all of them and they were really supportive, which was nice.
Day 5: Had a horrible time getting out of bed this morning so I'm just going to stop updating that and hope that eventually I'll get this elusive morning energy. Then I had the same stomach pains and indigestion right after breakfast so I'm going to switch up what I'm eating and see if that helps. I've had a couple of small cravings for foods but I'm surprised how easily I've dismissed them. It's nothing compared to when I was on a diet that allowed for some snacks/treats/carbs. I guess a little makes you want a lot.
Day 6: Last night I kept dreaming about accidentally eating and drinking things I wasn't supposed to! It was funny because I'd finish like half of it and then realize and be so mad! I guess I want to commit to this. It was our last day of work and everyone went out to a brewery. I thought I would be bummed to not have a beer with everyone but it turned out I didn't really care. I even went to a brewery with Cody and sat with him while he tried a couple beers.
Day 7: I woke up completely refreshed today and it was nice to make breakfast instead of taking tupperware to work. We had a family event and I had to turn down a champagne toast. So I guess I can just stop counting how many drinks I need to turn down now. Despite thinking it might be much harder to eat this way on the weekend than at work, it wasn't bad as long as I planned what I was going to eat.
Day 8: I ate the first thing I really didn't like. I made cauliflower mash and it tasted like crap because I couldn't add any dairy. We also walked to the grocery store to get an ingredient for dinner and I really wanted to try another flavor of Kombucha but the only kind they had had added sweetener. I was annoyed that it's so difficult to find foods or drinks that I can have. But I felt pretty good all day!
I am so excited that I found your blog!! I am a fellow Minnesotan and checking out breweries. I feel like I had other things to tell you that we have in common from reading but now I can't remember and have to get back to work soooo I'll just leave it with I love your blog and for sure will continue reading :)
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