{ Originally started in May of 2015 and was recently found undocumented. The images aren’t great, but it’s a fantastic springboard for anyone looking for Whole30 ideas. }
While I was planning my Whole 30 I liked looking at what people actually ate during their challenge and wanted to see if I could realistically follow the plan as well. I'm no 5-star chef. I am a mom who cooks real food for her family every day. I'm pretty simple and don't have the time or energy to be fancy all the time. Here is a complete list with many pictures while I followed the Whole30 Plan. No sugar. No grains or gluten. No dairy. No legumes. No alcohol. No soy. No guilt.
Mind you I am no food photographer and these were all taken from my phone but I still wanted to be able to share. No judging.
Day 1 April 6th (the day after Easter)
B: Small diced sweet potato sautéed in ghee, 3 scrambled eggs, small homemade sausage patty
L: Romain Lettuce Leave smothered in guacamole (Peakfection brand), 1/2 tin tuna and S&P
S: handful of nuts, coffee with coconut milk, sweet and spicy tea, and a little banana
D: Mocha Roast (adapted from this recipe), oven roasted carrots and potatoes, 1/2 an apple
Today was a busy day. Took Warner in to the doctor because he was acting really sick on Easter... he has pneumonia! It was an emotionally draining day and not how I wanted to start out this whole process but I'm going to roll with it and see how things go. Not too hungry between meals. I feel full but that chocolate Easter candy sounds good and it is all over the house. I will not eat it. Accidentally licked BBQ sauce off my finger and almost started to cry. This may be a rough month. Little sleep, up during the night with kids.
B: Blueberry Tortilla, 2 cups coffee with coconut milk
S: 2 strawberries and lemon mint water
L: Leftover beef, small avocado, sautéed cabbage, carrots and green onion in coconut oil
S: 1/2 bottle of kombucha, coffee with coconut milk
D: Sweet Potato and Beef Chili (adapted from this recipe) Fried shredded zucchini, 1/2 avocado and Sweet and Spicy tea.
Cranky morning and tired or busy with the kids. Not feeling super hungry between meals (probably all that avocado!) but still feeling pretty good. Minor heartburn - maybe the tomatoes?
B: 3 scrambled eggs with green onions, and leftover potatoes and asparagus in ghee, black coffee, lemon water, 1/2 apple, coffee with coconut milk
L: Taco salad with romain, leftover sweet potato chili and spicy guacamole
S: Handful of cashews and dehydrated pear slices (I will later learn these can be addictive)
D: Chicken, sweet pepper and pineapple kabobs with coconut amino (a alternative to soy or teriyaki sauce), small spinach salad with Tessamae's lemon garlic dressing and leftover cabbage and carrot sauté, sweet and spicy tea.
So far my skin is not looking incredible. I want instant results darn it! Woke up today not feeling like I wanted to kill someone so that is great. Ate a few pear chips before bed when I was cleaning up and my heart was beating pretty fast, maybe too much natural sugar? I'm realizing some snacking is just due to it being there and not wanting to waste food. I also realized I love that lemon garlic dressing. Oh baby.
B: Black coffee, lemon water, fried eggs with spinach with sausage patties cooked in ghee, strawberries
L: Pineapple chunks, leftover chili taco salad with green onion and a small avocado diced
S: Coffee with coconut, 1/2 banana, small bag of pistachios
D: Salmon with lemon (zest and juice) salt, lemon pepper, and olive oil. 400degrees for 20 min. Sweet Potato (microwaved for about 6 minutes) topped with ghee and cinnamon
S: Homemade cinnamon applesauce warmed up and topped with a little coconut milk, tea
So much coughing. Maybe I have pneumonia. I felt hungry at 2:30 and then snacked a ton today.
B:Sausage patty broken up sautéed with kale in ghee, 2 fried eggs, black coffee x2
L: Lunch meat, carrot, avocado lettuce wrap, mint tea, pineapple
S: Mixed nuts, apple slices
D: Burger patty on a grilled portobello "bun" topped with guacamole, slice of watermelon, tea, pineapple
I didn't think I was that hungry but, woah, somebody stop me! I want a sweet/salty snack. Coughing, still don't feel that well. Had friends visit and was still able to stay on track.
OMG this tea is so great. I can't explain it. I dream of it. When I feel like I need a snack I have a cup (or two, it's really strong) and usually I don't actually need to eat immediately.
B: Small sweet potato with ghee and cinnamon, two fried eggs, 1 1/2 sausage patties reheated and about 3 cups kale sautéed in ghee, sweet and spicy tea, black coffee
L: Finished up the sweet potato chili, salad with romain, shredded carrot, guacamole, hard boiled egg and lemon garlic dressing
D: Key Lime Pie Lara Bar and lots of water (see explanation below), crappy tea from the $1 store.
Went to a birthday party for one of Lincoln's friend and did great avoiding the pizza, cupcakes, and even the beer. Felt incredibly awful and left early. Went to the ER. I had BRONCHITIS, bleh. No wonder I was miserable. Hopefully the combination of all 4 meds (!) the doctor prescribed I will be feeling better in no time.
B: Coffee, Bacon (yes you can have bacon but it is stupid hard to find some that is free of non-compliant ingredients, I finally found some from Super1), sautéed kale in bacon fat and a fried egg, sweet and spicy tea
L: Egg salad - 2 hard boiled eggs with guacamole (or an avocado) on romain, kombucha,
S: Homemade applesauce with coconut milk, mixed nuts
D: Whole chicken in the crock pot with carrots, celery and tons of broth
S: Strawberry slices, banana slices, coconut milk and coconut flakes
I'm feeling funky and I think it's the meds. Since I can't eat yogurt to help with the antibiotics, I can have kombucha which has probiotics in it. I think it's expensive but kind of a treat right now. I also threw the chicken back into the crock pot over night to make more bone broth for the freezer. And I learned that this new bacon is not a treat. Cut up with a little salt, maybe it will be better and worth the $6 package price.
B: Sweet potato with cinnamon and ghee, fried egg, coffee
L: Lara bar and strawberry Kombucha
S: Sausage and kale leftovers, coffee
D: Thai Turkey Meatballs and Coconut Curry - delish
Feeling a TON better :) not 100% but yay!
I didn't take any pictures this day, we had appointments all morning and then did preschool. I think the medicine is reacting to my stomach, only 2 days left of antibiotics and hopefully I will be feeling better. Got weighed at the dr (which you aren't supposed to do until the end of the Whole30) and I was down a pound fully clothed in the middle of the day.
Day 9 Tuesday 4/14/15
B: 2 fried eggs in coconut oil, strawberries, a handful of chopped asparagus and 2 handfulls of spinach sautéed and topped with lemon garlic dressing, black coffee
S: Handful of nuts and a few dried apple and pear chips
L: Kale salad with Tessemae's lemon garlic dressing, 2 strips bacon, diced sweet potato cooked in bacon fat and leftover chicken
S: Mint green tea and kombucha
D: Steak with baked potato wedges ( salt, pepper, olive oil in 400degrees for 25 min. or so), kale salad with avocado and lemon garlic dressing
This was the only official day I tried to workout during the whole month. I just am not disciplined to fit it in right now but hey once is better than never. I feel like I have a lot more energy today even considering I was up for hours last night. Sometimes I will see a food commercial and start to drool, but I don't feel deprived. I don't feel like I am on any kind of diet. It really isn't hard to follow if you have the ingredients in the house. I could potentially eat like this long term but I do miss things like yogurt, cottage cheese, regular cheese etc. I also don't like feeling afraid of accidentally cheating. I used prechopped lemongrass last night and I didn't think about looking at the ingredient list until I glanced at them and it had milk in it. What?!? I thought it would be more economical than buying the stalks because they looked old fast the store but didn't imagine that would be in there. Bummer.
B: The beginning of the end. So was born my favorite "Breakfast Bowl" I even texted pictures of it to my friends and family. I am that annoying person. Torn kale topped with lemon garlic dressing, 2 (salted) strips bacon fried, small sweet potato fried in the bacon fat with cinnamon, topped with a fried egg, black coffee x2
L: Leftover turkey meatball curry and a blueberry ginger kombucha
S: coffee
D: Beef enchilada bake, sautéed kale, avocado, sweet and spicy tea
S: Coconut flakes and pear chips
The enchilada bake was terrible. I was totally craving Mexican and this was not it. Not sure if it was because the ground beef I used was super old or I didn't make it right but it was off. I didn't finish my serving. Snack was essential tonight. I was outside gardening for what felt like hours. Last day of meds today so I am hopeful.
B: My favorite breakfast bowl (see day 10). It is seriously the best thing ever. I will continue to make this for quite some time.
S: Half a honey crisp apple
L: Tom Kha Gai
S: Sweet and Spicy tea, cashews, pear chips
D: Chicken Taco Salad with guacamole
S: Coconut flakes... just a dry handful while we watched tv
Felt blah after lunch. Not sure if it was getting over the meds. or the milk tainted lemongrass or what. I wanted to love this so much.
B: 2 homemade sausage patties (defrosted) and crumbled in with ghee and a bunch of spinach + a fried egg. Accidentally made black tea in the Keurig, a little strong without milk and sugar.
S: Fruit - skipped the brunch buffet at MOPS but still had fun
L: Running errands, crazy day. Lara bar and kombucha for lunch. Still hungry. Bad choice.
S: Apple. Still hungry. Bad pattern for the day.
D: 2(!) Adiell's Chicken and Apple sausages (only one pictured, went back for seconds), 1/2 bag of shredded cabbage with carrots sautéed in coconut oil, small avocado, a few pear chips and sweet and spicy tea.
All I wrote down was "tomorrow eat better" I am learning that I do still need to eat enough.
Day 13 Saturday 4/18/15
B: Small sweet potato microwaved and topped with ghee, salt and cinnamon, 3 fried eggs in coconut oil, black coffee x2
L: Leftover chicken taco meat with guacamole, grapes, lazy girl deviled eggs (just hard boiled egg topped with a little mustard and paprika), plantain chips, cantaloup
D: 2 fried eggs, bunch of sautéed spinach, banana
S: Raspberries in coconut milk, dried pears and apples
We aren't fly by the seat of our pants kind of people but my imagined lazy day went out the window after breakfast. We ran errands in the am and had a donut date with the two younger boys. It smelled good in there but I knew I didn't need one. Then we headed up into the mountains in the Jeep with Shane and had fun walking and exploring and planning camping trip for the summer. Then last minute we decided to go to a friends house for dinner - for everyone else that is - and for Shane to play poker. I ate a quick breakfast for dinner before we left. The pizza still looked (and smelled) amazing but I wasn't dying for one. They also had tons of alcohol that looked pretty great too but I just sipped my tea like an old grandma. Lots of fruit today, maybe less tomorrow.
Day 14 Sunday 4/19/15
B: Coffee, Breakfast Bowl (see day 10) with kale and spinach, sweet and spicy tea
L: Lettuce wrapped chicken deli meat with guacamole and shredded carrot, cabbage/carrot sauté
S: Cashews, black coffee, cantaloup, cucumber
D: Lemon artichoke chicken "pasta", sweet and spicy tea
B:Coffee with coconut oil, Blueberry Tortilla (so filling!)
L: Picnic at a friends house. Brought leftover artichoke lemon chicken "pasta," nuts, dried apples, grapes, raspberries and coffee
S: Tons of water, sweet and spicy
D: Pulled beef on romain with homemade Paleo BBQ sauce and guacamole
S: camomile tea and coconut flakes
I'm kind of bummed. Part of the program is to help you feel better and to reduce your inflammation but my ankle has started bothering me. I don't remember twisting or rolling it, it is just kind of stiff and sore. Not sure if it will get better resting it or using it more. Luckily the weather is going to be amazing today so hopefully being outside will keep my mind off of it.
B: Sautéed spinach in ghee, 3 fried eggs, raspberries, black coffee
L: Left over BBQ Beef with guacamole, grapes, a few baby carrots and small sweet potato microwaved and topped with ghee and cinnamon, lemon water, coffee with coconut milk
D: Leftover Tom Kha Gai, strawberries, sweet and spicy tea, hard boiled egg
S: Applesauce with coconut chips
Sooo... Do you see those cinnamon rolls pictured above? Yeah they are sitting on my counter staring at me. I want. But I won't. My husband works with someone who has a connection to a local bakery and mercantile store and they give his co-workers day old bread, cinnamon rolls and other goodies. Win win for everyone. Unless you are on the Whole30. Then just take a deep sniff.
B: Coffee, Breakfast Bowl (Pictured below, see day 10)
S: Plantain chips and coffee with coconut oil
L: Late lunch, more snacky than usual because we were out running errands and I had produce I needed to use up. Olives, sautéed spinach, strawberries, broiled tomato, and a hard boiled egg, coffee with coconut oil
D: A little beef and Broccoli stir-fry with cauliflower. Had dinner at a friend house but wanted to eat a little before I left home. Then I had cantaloupe, salad (w/o dressing) coffee, iced tea, and non-compliant cashew chicken. I didn't eat a bunch because I knew there was sugar and soy sauce. It was so so good. But I knew I was cheating and had a bunch of guilt. I did skip the rice and the dessert.
I cheated. Sort of on accident. I guess I could have just said no, but I ate that darn chicken anyway.
This is apparently where I stopped logging all of the hard work I had documented and just added pictures. Since I am proud of myself for being so through, I’m still going to post this so I can refer back to my younger self.
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