As for me, I did Whole30 diligently our first time through (early this year) and while I did benefit from it some, I did not lose a single pound, nor did I sleep better or have more energy. I do have a medical issue (with my adrenals) that affects my ability to lose weight right now. So I've decided that I'll eat Whole30 compliant with Dan when he is home and I'll eat "clean" for the month but I'm not doing a strict Whole30 this time around. My reason for sharing our journey is not to hold us up as a perfect example of Whole30. There is no perfection here, just plenty of reality! Besides sharing some recipes, I want to be able to encourage people that it isn't as hard as it seems and you can adapt things to work for your lifestyle. For example, I do batch cooking so that I'm not spending so much time in the kitchen. Many of the entrees Dan takes to work will be on the menu 3 or 4 times during the month. The first time it is on the menu, I make enough for the month and freeze the rest in individual servings. I also do very, very simple recipes! With my own health issues, I just don't have it in me to spend tons of time chopping, mixing, sauteing, cooking, etc. If it was just me, I'd throw a huge batch of something in the crockpot and eat it until it was gone. But my BabyLove happens to like variety, so batch cooking/freezing simple recipes is our compromise.
I'm glad I did it 100% the first time and I would strongly encourage everyone to give it a shot. Even though I didn't lose weight, it was helpful to learn some foods that I don't tolerate as well. And a short time of disciplined eating is never a bad thing! It is good to periodically be reminded that we do NOT need to indulge every "craving" or desire. With that being said, however, I want to also point out that we have no intention of going paleo long term. I don't believe that eliminating major food groups is the healthiest option in the long run. I also have a tendency to become obsessive with food tracking and planning, which is not how I want to live my life!
Let's get started!
Yesterday, I boiled up a bunch of boneless chicken thighs. Today, I mixed up Buffalo Sauce (1 cup Frank's hot sauce and 6 Tbsp coconut oil) and mixed it with shredded chicken. One serving went into Dan's lunch today and three servings were individually frozen for later in the month. Since I am sending tuna salad tomorrow, I needed to make paleo mayo today. This was my first time doing it with a stick blender. I used this recipe, with avocado oil and used kombucha vinegar in place of white vinegar. The directions for using the stick blender are here. I'm not a mayo person, so I'll let Dan taste it and give input before I make changes to the next batch. But I felt it was too tangy, so probably less lemon juice/vinegar. A lot of other mayo recipes had other spices (paprika, pepper, garlic, etc.) I may add some in next time but since this batch was specifically to go in tuna salad and turkey salad, I didn't worry about it. But if we were doing sandwiches with it, it would probably be nice to add some other flavors. It was super quick and easy to make, and turned out very creamy! The other thing I'll make today is Asian meatballs (a new recipe for me.) You'll see the meatballs show up as secondary protein some days and breakfast Meal One on other days.
Day One
Meal One: egg scramble with red bell peppers and sauteed greens (chard, kale and spinach) and fresh lilikoi (passion fruit - we have access to a massive vine for free, so you'll see it on our menu quite a bit!)
Packed for work:
Buffalo Chicken
Scotch Eggs (boiled egg encased in homemade sausage, then baked at 350 degress for 20 minutes.)
Frozen mixed veggies
Fresh sugar snap peas
Fresh baby carrots and cauliflower mix
Banana
Pistachios
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