Preparation is Key!

There is nothing quite like trying to figure out what to have for lunch the next day when your only options require prep and cooking. Thank goodness for crockpots! I took some strange ingredients out of the fridge and freezer and made "squash" soup. It looked a little icky, but didn't taste too bad! Thankfully. Time for some intense meal planning.

Day... 10.

Day 10! A third of the way there. So far so good. I have to admit, I'm craving some dark chocolate Bark Thins or a nice piece of fluffy bread. We have definitely had some food adventure in the last several days. Last night we were going to have cabbage wrapped egg rolls and cauliflower fried "rice". But the cauliflower was bad! So... now what. M had the bright idea to shred and fry potatoes. As weird as it sounds, potato fried "rice" was delicious. Something I'll probably do again. Here it is in a nutshell.

Sautee garlic, carrots and peas (we didn't do peas, not whole 30) in oil (I used olive). Remove or move to edge of pan and add shredded potatoes (use a cheese grater or a Cuisinart). Stir fry at high heat until some bits are crispy. Scramble two eggs and add to pan. Stir well. Flavor with ginger, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), and sesame oil. Yum! Loosely based on the actual recipe here.

My cabbage wrapped egg rolls. 

I made a frittata for breakfast last week. Sadly, not my favorite.

I ran out of sweet potatoes! Running out of sweet potatoes and eggs is a tragedy doing a Whole 30.

One night last week I was in the mood to bake. I love to bake. I enjoy the process of creating something delicious. Well. Whole 30 says no sweets, no baked goods, nada. Maybe I cheated. But it was fun. Cooked fruit on top of chopped almonds, flax seed, and sunflower seed. It was a nice addition to my lunch the next day.

Doing the Whole 30 has been interesting and good so far. Both of us are feeling good and enjoying the fresh food, even with more time intensive prep. I definitely recommend you give it a whirl but plan and prepare!

Day 3

Day 3! I made it! Only how many more to go.... let's not count that out. : )

So last night at dinner I was still hungry and started concocting. I took the pulled pork, chopped up my asparagus, added a peach and covered the whole thing in coconut oil. Surprisingly, it was really good! Even though it sounds a little terrible.

Today I did a similar thing for lunch. Brussel sprouts, roasted chicken, pulled pork, avocado and chopped up peach. Again, very good. The peaches add a nice subtle undertone to the other flavors and give it a taste resembling more of meat and veggies on pasta than just a veggie salad.

I love my standby foods. Spaghetti, lasagna, pasta and veggies. Eating Whole30 is already training me to think outside the box and figure out what flavors would taste good together. Even flavors I wouldn't usually put together like brussel sprouts and peaches!

Now, if only I don't run out of ideas before I run out of days.

Wish me luck!

P.s. The BBQ sauce turned out great! A little strong for drenching, but very good as a flavor addition. I used the recipe here with a few tweaks and a little bit of "dashing" as opposed to "measuring."

Whole 30

Whole 30.

A what? A Whole 30 is a nutritional "reset" designed to give your body a jump start to healthy habits. Or maybe back to healthy habits. Read more here. The basics are no grains, no legumes, no dairy and NO added sugar. I don't know about you, but I didn't realize how many prepared sauces and foods have sugar in them. One store I went to had canned peas with an ingredient list of peas, sugar and water. Sugar. In my peas? At the end of thirty days food groups are gradually added back in to see if any particular food causes sickness or even general malaise. Some people use the Whole30 to identify food allergies or sensitivities. Other people use it to support healthy eating habits.

Today is day two of my Whole30 and so far so good. I've had several friends with helpful advice and recipes and lots of google searches. Tonight the quest is on for a Whole30 compliant BBQ sauce. Wish me luck!

For those of you who might wonder what to eat on a Whole30, I have posted pictures of meals from the last two days. Yummy.

Day 1: Breakfast

Sweet potatoes w/ bell pepper and parsley

Fried egg with spinach

Day 1: Dinner

Hamburgers!

Avocado, butter lettuce, carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms

homemade mayonnaise and tomatoes.

Steamed and salted brussel sprouts.

Day 2: Lunch

Broccoli Salad sans sugar, steamed brussel sprouts

roasted chicken and shredded coconut.

Aldi was having a sale....

More to come! I hope. :)