The Whole 30 Thoughts and Regular Menu

It's true!

The Whole 30 is but a happy memory.

Perhaps the happy part is debatable :)

Aaron and I were talking about it last night and I told him that I feel like you have to be hardcore to do the whole 30 and eat paleo in general.  

I wouldn't say that anyone would use the word hardcore to describe me.  

Fun?  Maybe.  

Quirky?  Yes.  

Slightly ridiculous?  Probably.

Hardcore?  No.  No no no no no no noooooooo.

And I'm not saying that hardcore people can't be fun, quirky, and/or slightly ridiculous.  I'm just not able to multitask in that manner.

Anyway, here's a small example about why it was hard...aside from all of the insane prep work.

Take a look at this broccoli recipe that I'll be making at least twice this month (without the rice).  I couldn't have it because there was a tiny bit of sugar in one of the sauce ingredients.  I kept running in to recipes like that which was kind of frustrating and discouraging.  

I maybe felt a little better doing the whole 30.  I feel like I woke up easier in the morning, but I don't really have a hard time falling asleep at night, so I didn't notice a change there.

My friend, Kendra, was doing this the same time as me and she felt amazing!  

I'm guessing that I don't have sensitivities to dairy or gluten or whatever else I wasn't eating, so I wouldn't have the same sensation of feeling sooooo much better!

If I would have noticed a huge change in how I was feeling, I think I would have been more apt to stick with a lot of those changes after the whole 30 was over.  It would have been a lot more worth it.  Aaron and I both agree that I'm a lot, um, shall we say, more myself and less irritable when I'm not doing the whole 30!

I did have some really awesome takeaways, though!

• Water!  I hopped back on the drinking water train, and I like it!  I'm doing well with drinking close to 3 nalgenes of water a day which is what I was shooting for.

• Snacks!  I think I trained myself to not feel like I need to eat after the girls go to bed.  I also didn't have snacks during nap time, either, and I'd certainly like to keep that up.

• Vegetables!  I already ate a lot of veggies even before the whole 30.  But, I'd like to have veggies at every meal (including breakfast) and have a salad and other sort of vegetable at supper.  I feel fine replacing the breakfast veggie with berries if I'm having steel cut oats.

• Lunch!  I'd like to have soup or salad for lunch every day.  This has always been my preference, but I'd like to actually do it!  I'm not a huge sandwich bread fan.  I mean, I like it, but if I'm going to have bread, I'd way rather have crusty bread or fresh, homemade dinner rolls.

• Zoodles!  Making noodles out of zucchini was by far my favorite discovery of the whole 30.  I thought they were great!  I'm totally going to continue to replace spaghetti with zoodles for myself.

• The Good Creamer!  Another outcome I was hoping for with the whole 30 was to decrease my desire for sweets.  I drank my coffee with coconut milk during the whole 3o and it was drinkable.  Not my preference, but I could kind of enjoy it.  I'm glad to say that now when I enjoy coffee with The Good Creamer, I only use about half the amount of creamer than I did previously (1 and 1/2 tablespoons as opposed to 3 tablespoons...yeah, I measure it.  I'm the nerd with the digital watch and timer, remember ;))

The above takeaways were the type of outcomes I was hoping for, so I'm really pleased!

I should tell you that I did go off the plan a few times at the end.  I had 2 pieces of homemade pizza, a chai, the broccoli I mentioned above, and ate whatever I wanted for the Super Bowl.  I woke up with a food hangover on Monday morning!  I mean, I've never had an actual hangover, but from what I've heard, it was pretty similar.  I had a pounding headache and was really thirsty.

So, here's our buddy, the menu for the rest of February!

Monday, February 10  Honey Garlic Balsamic Chicken

Tuesday, February 11  Baked Ham Sandwiches, Potatoes, Salad, Dessert

Wednesday, February 12  Breakfast Bowls (these for me because I love them)

Thursday, February 13  Chopped Taco Salad

Friday, February 14  Heart Pizza from Papa Murphy's and Valentines Day Dessert 

Saturday, February 15  Sandwiches  Pizza for Leah's Family Birthday Party

Sunday, February 16  Sandwiches/Leftovers  Silly Cereal Supper

Lots going on the week of the 10th!  I'm making these for Mom2Mom on Tuesday, these cookies for Valentine's Day for Leah's class, this cake for Leah's birthday, and then these cupcakes for Leah's birthday for school on Monday.  Good thing I like to bake :)

Monday, February 17  Hot Dogs (Leah requested for her actual birthday)

Tuesday, February 18  Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs in Tomato Cream Sauce

Wednesday, February 19  Sesame Chicken with broccoli

Thursday, February 20  The Sandwich (Aaron's favorite :))

Friday, February 21  Pizza

Saturday, February 22  Sandwiches  Beef and Rice Casserole (in the microwave)

Sunday, February 23  Sandwiches/Leftovers  Silly Cereal Supper

Monday, February 24  Clam Chowder in the Crockpot

Tuesday, February 25  Tuscan Chicken Sandwiches

Wednesday, February 26  Baked Oatmeal (trying a new one from this cookbook)

Thursday, February 27  Sweet and Sour Chicken with broccoli

Friday, February 28  Pizza

The Whole 30 Menu and Update: Week 4!!!

I'M ON THE HOME STRETCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I might be a little excited.

I don't ever want my little blog to present my life as anything that it's not, so in the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that making this menu was really hard.  I was almost crying trying to figure out food I could make that everyone in my family wouldn't hate.

Notice that I'm not even shooting for food that everyone would like.  I'm just shooting for not hating at this point.  

I feel good about this menu, though.

In more full disclosure, I was almost pushed over the edge when I made a salad for lunch yesterday and the lettuce was bitter.

In the last bit of full disclosure, I might go off plan on the Superbowl.  

And, you know what?

That's OK!

I'm the mom and I make the rules and I've eaten freaking paleo for 21 stinking days and that's good.  

So, IF I decide to add a little honey to the salad dressing I make, the world won't end.

Wednesday, January 29  Balsamic Garlic Pork Tenderloin potatoes or rice for my family, sweet potatoes for me with salad and veggies (we didn't end up having it on Monday)

Thursday, January 30  Chicken in Crockpot (ghee instead of butter, no sugar)

Friday, January 31  Pizza for my people Soup for me

Saturday, February 1  Chicken Soup (I'm making it up)  Crockpot Mocha Rubbed Pot Roast

Sunday, February 2  leftovers and A Very Paleo Superbowl (not sure what that'll involve yet, but there may be some of these)

Monday, February 3  Chicken Salad (using homemade mayo and chicken from Thursday)

Tuesday, February 4  Lasagna Soup (I won't add cheese or noodles to mine) 

Wednesday, February 5  Crockpot Thai Chicken (use this recipe for peanut vinaigrette, subbing unsweetened applesauce for sugar, light olive oil for canola oil, and sun butter for peanut butter, and coconut aminos for soy sauce)

Thursday, February 6  Chimichurri Steak Kabobs (even if we have them on Sunday, they'd be worth having again!)

Then I'm done!

Menus from Week 1, Week 2, Week 3

The Whole 30 Menu and Update: Week 3

I just finished week 2 of The Whole 30, and I'm happy to report that what they say is true! The first 2 weeks really are the hardest.  I definitely had headaches and irritability the first week, but those are gone now.  I think we can all agree that that's good :)

I feel like Monday was kind of a turning point for me; it was the first day that I had significantly fewer cravings!  I even went to Starbucks and got some really great tea (vanilla and roobios, I think) and didn't feel like I was missing out by not being able to get a chai latte.

One of my friends asked what the hardest part of this has been, and it was kind of hard to narrow it down.  I think not having sweetened coffee drinks has been hard, because I really like them.  There's a ton of prep work involved which has been just...a lot.  And that's coming from someone who likes being in the kitchen and already cooks from scratch.  I feel like I'm getting the hang of preparing better, though.  I do think that I often reward myself with food (and not the healthy kind) at the end of the day or during the girls' nap time, and that's something I haven't been able to do anymore.  I'm hoping to break that habit, so I'm happy that I'm being forced to do so on The Whole 30.

Anyway, I think I'm done hoping that I get sick so I have a legitimate reason to quit.  I'll count that as a victory :)

Wednesday, January 22  Ginger Lime Shrimp (recipe from my friend, Kendra, who is doing this, too!)

Thursday, January 23  Hotdogs for my people (they've been begging!) and approved sausage for me, plus I made ketchup for myself which I think is weird.  I'm making roasted veggies!

Friday, January 24  Pizza for my people Paleo Pad Thai for me

Saturday, January 25  Tacos (Taco Salad for me, made with this seasoning mix)  Pecan Crusted Salmon (I'm making it up!)

Sunday, January 26  Sandwiches  SCS (leftovers for me)

Monday, January 27  Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin potatoes or rice for my family, sweet potatoes for me with salad and veggies.

Tuesday, January 28  Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowls I'll just have the parts that are Whole 30 approved, which is a lot of it...especially the guacamole!

I'm making egg muffins for breakfast again and when I'm not having leftovers for lunch, I have this amazing Coconut Lime Chicken Soup!

Onward and Upward to Week 3!

Here are the menus for Week 1 and Week 2.

Whole 30 Menu and Update: Week 2

Whew!  Week 1 is done!

I'm doing well with the eating.  I really enjoy all of the recipes that I've made!  The zoodles were a surprisingly good sub for spaghetti.  I'll probably have the Sweet Potato Eggs again on Saturday when we have breakfast for supper, because they were so good!

Last night was the hardest, though!  I made the Pioneer Woman's White Chicken Enchiladas for supper for my family and small group.  They smelled soooooo good.  I served it with the good chips from the deli at the grocery store and freshly homemade salsa.  The salad I made was genuinely delicious, though, and I'm looking forward to having leftovers for lunch!

I made brownies for dessert, and I thought, "I've made these brownies a million times.  They won't be tempting at all!"

I was wrong wrong double wrong!

They looked so chewy and fudge-y and smelled so delicious!

But, alas, I stayed strong even though we had the most ridiculous time putting the girls to bed.  Leah has a cough, so she was coughing a lot.  I gave her medicine and did my Vapo Rub trick.  

Maggie became convinced...con.vinced...that Leah was going to throw up on her.  I mean, Leah is on the top bunk and Maggie is on the bottom bunk, so in her mind, the throw up would get on her.

There was crying (while on the toilet, naturally), screaming, almost sobbing provoked throwing up herself, kicking on the bed, etc.  I was back and forth a lot, giving her (and me) a break to try to calm down.  It was really uncharacteristic behavior for Maggie...I think because she was overtired and a little sick.

If I wasn't doing The Whole 30, I would have stress eaten a lot of brownies.  So, it's a good thing I'm doing it!  

On another note, I'm surprised by how hungry I'm not!  I think part of that has to do with all of the water I'm drinking!  When I was nursing babies, I drank an obscene amount of water. But, then those babies got bigger and wanted to share my water bottle all of the time which resulted in backwash, spilling, and other wet and messy experiences.  Because of all of that, I got out of the water drinking habit, but I'm glad to be getting back to it!

Wednesday, January 15 Asian Chicken Thighs (with rice for my family and cauliflower rice for me and blueberry applesauce {I used a food mill to make this, because we weren't a fan of the apple skin bits in it when I made it according to the recipe before})

Thursday, January 16 Hamburgers with Sweet Potato Hashies (tater tots for my people)

Friday, January 17 Pizza for girls and babysitter, supper at church for Aaron and me

Saturday, January 18 Gone for lunch     Breakfast for Supper

Sunday, January 19 leftovers

Monday, January 20  Chili (we can each doctor it up however we want)

Tuesday, January 21  Baked Ziti (I'll have zoodles with spaghetti sauce from the freezer)

Lunches will be a lettuce rolls, a combination of these recipes 

Have a great week!

Here's the Menu for Week 1 in case you missed it :) and week 3!

The Whole 30 Menu: Week 1

Today's the big day that I'm starting The Whole 30!

I'm really excited!

Here's a weird/cool thing, though.  I was throwing up on Sunday, and my stomach certainly wasn't back to normal on Monday.  Yesterday was okay.  Every time I throw up, which isn't often, I think to myself, "I have a fresh start in my stomach, and I'm only going to put healthy foods in there."

So, here's my big chance!  I mean, on Monday at supper time, I was slicing bell peppers (aka sweet dippin' sticks at our house), and I was so looking forward to eating their crisp, juicy goodness when I felt better.

I'm going to have Egg Muffins (without cheese and add lots of veggies) ready to be reheated for breakfasts.

I'm going to have Hearty Paleo Vegetable Soup ready for lunches.

Wednesday, January 8  Island Chicken (coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and make extra for salad on Friday) with (cauliflower) rice and green beans

Thursday, January 9  Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce (without sugar and butter and freeze leftovers) on zoodles for me with salad (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and dressing)

Friday, January 10  Pizza for my family, Chicken, Bacon, Avocado Chopped Salad for me (leave off cheese and bacon {couldn't find the right kind}, use dressing from Thursday instead)

Saturday, January 11  Grilled Cheese (Coconut Lime Chicken Soup for me coconut aminos instead of soy sauce)  Breakfast Bowls (Sweet Potato Eggs for me)

Sunday, January 12  leftovers/sandwiches  SCS

Monday, January 13  Island Spice Pork Tenderloin with Mango Avocado Salsa and (cauliflower) rice and roasted broccoli 

Tuesday, January 14  White Chicken Enchiladas (Chicken Fajita Sizzling Salad for me)

Snacks:  frozen raspberries, 1 oz cashews, hard boiled eggs

Here's the Menu for Week 2 and Week 3!

I'm one of those ladies who likes pretty foods, so all of the bright colors of veggies in salads and things really appeals to me!

You know what else really appeals to me?

This!

Little known fact: I love glasses!  I have 2 sets that I rotate for when I need a change.

Additionally, because I think they're adorable, I picked up some stemless wine glasses at the Target Dollar Spot.  I feel like everything tastes more fun in a stemless wine glass :)

I'm drinking a Cranberry-Raspberry La Croix with lime wedges and frozen raspberries.

I like being able to make something fun that's within the perimeters of The Whole 30!

Now that you see the menu and can see that the food is very doable, does anyone else want to join me?