If you follow me on Instagram (@junenovember), you know that I've started a Whole30! For those of you not familiar with the Whole30, it's a nutritional reset, which basically means a person cuts out grains, sugar, dairy, legumes, and alcohol for 30 days. It's not a diet (I HATE that word) but a whole body and mind reset about food choices.
Now, you might be wondering why someone would give up cheese and wine and cookies ON PURPOSE. I know I would. But the truth is, we've slipped into bad eating habits around here. Normally, we eat healthy meals and enjoy treats moderately. But, bad habits have starting sneaking in. Like two desserts a day. And chips with lunch. And as a snack. And one too many drinks one too many times. These are not normal things for us, but this summer has been creeping up on us. And after our vacation-which included lots of s'mores, barbeque, and biscuits and gravy-we decided to take action and do a Whole30 together.
(The kids are not doing a Whole30, but they are cutting sugar and processed snacks drastically. Things were getting a little out of hand with the sugar consumption for them. Constantly asking for dessert, complaining about being "SO hungry!" right before bed because you refused to eat your dinner, thinking you need a snack all. day. long? Not going to work in this house.)
We just finished up our first week. I'll be doing weekly recaps here with recipes and grocery lists, so let's get started!
First off: Grocery List.
Trader Joe's is a big help. They have several premade things that are Whole30 compliant, plus pantry staples like nuts and ghee (clarified butter). And their produce and eggs are cheap.
Things on this week's Trader Joe's List:
Ghee
Organic Yukon Gold Potatoes
Frozen Turkey Burgers
Chicken Jalapeno Sausages
Frozen Shrimp
Canned Tuna
Nuts
At our regular grocery store (we normally shop at the Commissary) I was able to pick up:
Chicken breasts (with a humane certification)
Angus Steaks
Organic Prairie Deli Turkey Slices
This along with lots of produce from both stores made up our menu this week.
Breakfast
There were a lot eggs.
Breakfast is my favorite part of Whole30. I LOVE a hot, savory breakfast, and this eating plan insists that I have one! WIN.
Egg Cups: Grease a muffin tin or ramekins with ghee. Line with one piece of deli turkey, crack an egg into turkey cup. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of red chili flakes, if desired. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Eggs and Greens: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add a chopped red onion and two cloves of garlic, cooking until just brown. Add 4 cups baby spinach or greens of your choice. Top with two fried eggs.
Potatoes and Sausage: These potatoes are from a dinner, see recipe below. Brown sausage and potoates together with a tablespoon of ghee. Top with hot sauce (Cholula is complaint) if desired.
Eggs and Sausage: This was our go-to breakfast. Brown a Jalapeño Chicken sausage, add two beaten eggs, scramble together.
As pictured, I usually added fruit or tomatoes (I know, technically a fruit) as a little side.
Lunch
Lunch was almost always what ever meat was left over for the previous night on top of a salad.
(We have a ton of tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden, so we're enjoying those.)
Steak Salad: Steak on mixed greens, with tomatoes, cucumbers and kalamata olives. Dressing option 1: two tablespoons balsamic vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Dressing option 2: Smashed up avocado with lime and salt and pepper (basically guac).
Tuna Salad: 2 cans of Trader Joe's Brand Albacore tuna in water, mixed with homemade mayo (Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipe. All Hail Queen Julia), chopped green onion, celery, and dill pickle. Makes 3 servings. I ate it on a bed of romaine and cucumbers and drizzled balsamic over it.
Shrimp and Cabbage Salad: Cabbage salad is made from half a head of green cabbage sliced thin and topped with sliced carrots and radishes. Topped with shrimp and homemade mayo mixed with apple cider vinegar and zahtar seasoning.
Dinner
Dinners really determine lunches and breakfast even. Part of what I love about this so far is I'm really using up all our groceries, where as I have been throwing out a lot of stuff that doesn't get used lately (because who wants carrots when there are chips in the pantry?)
Goose and Crispy Green Beans: My husband hunts and loves that this program embraces wild game. I sliced six goose breast in two inch pieces and sautéed them in ghee with onions and garlic, and seasoned everything with just salt and pepper. Green bean were cooked like this.
Steak and Potaotes: I love these potatoes, I like to eat them for breakfast on the mornings I run. Chop Yukon gold potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Grease a rimmed cookie sheet with ghee or olive oil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet, season liberally with smoked paprika, cumin, zahtar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cook for 25 minutes at 450, broil for another 7 minutes.
Lettuce Wrap Turkey Burgers: Grill Trader Joe's premade frozen turkey burgers and serve to your liking. We had roasted asparagus with these instead of our usual fries. I cook the asparagus the same way I cook the green beans.
Shrimp and Chicken with Mixed Veg and Potatoes: The shrimp are a bag of frozen precooked shrimp from Trader Joe's. I just threw them in the pan with ghee and garlic for about 5 minutes to warm them up and they were delicious! They were fantastic cold on the cabbage salad for lunch too.
Struggle, Week 1: I really crave cheese and crackers. They are my go to snack and lunch even.
Didn't Miss It At All, Week 1: Dessert. This didn't surprise me, as I don't have much of a sweet tooth. The only time I was a little sad was on National S'mores Day, I made the kids each one for an after dinner treat. But I realized that I didn't really want one, I just wanted the idea of one.
Surprise, Week 1: I honestly thought that I would miss wine more. I like a glass or two of wine. We get together most Saturday nights with our neighbors and have a glass together so I thought that might be hard. But I wasn't fazed at all. I still had a great evening with them without it!
You can read more about the Whole30 program here.
I'll be posting on Wednesdays with updates!
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