(NOTE – to see Round 1 posts – click here: week 1, week 2, week 3, and results…) And also, if you are interested in the Whole 30 – please check out Whole30.com and the book It Starts With Food (invaluable resource).
I did it!!! I completed 19.3 magical miles in Disney! (I did the Enchanted 10k on Saturday and the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday to complete The Glass Slipper Challenge) – I will do a whole Disney post later (or you can check out my Instagram feed) but for now I’ll share the bling! It was worth getting up at 3am two days in a row on vacation!
I didn’t eat terribly. And also, I spent over 72 miles on my feet in less than 7 days between running and walking around the parks and the resort. This was at the airport when we were leaving…
Despite all the walking, I did indulge in some yummy NON Whole 30 food. I paid for it a little but for the most part I still ate pretty well – the sugar and grains seemed to give me the most problem.
As such, I’ve decided to do round 2 of Whole 30 for the month of March. My husband and kids are on board and requested their favorite Whole 30 recipes. I made a meal plan and went shopping yesterday.
My meal plan is mostly centered around our family evening meal – but I shopped for the whole week including breakfast, lunch and snacks:
For breakfast, I do eat a lot of eggs. I’ve had a lot of discussion with folks that want to do the Whole 30 but they can’t eat that many eggs. Eggs are NOT required. I eat eggs because 1) I like them 2) they’re quick 3) they fit the protein needs easily and I can adjust portion as needed 4) they’re relatively inexpensive, even for pastured cage free eggs. At my store, it’s $4 for a dozen cage-free, hormone free, pastured eggs but that’s 33 cents each. So, not such a bad deal to have 3 eggs for $1. Yes? But eggs are not necessary.
For lunches, I usually have leftovers. Most of my recipes are enough for all of us to eat plenty at dinner and have enough for a good portion leftover for my lunch and sometimes for Will’s too. I use these round containers, rectangles and bento-style boxes from Amazon to prep & pack food. They are all BPA free, microwaveable, dishwasher safe, not 100% leakproof, but pretty tight sealed, and if I need to toss one it wasn’t terribly expensive.
SNACKS: The Whole 30 premise suggests avoiding unnecessary snacking and trying to get enough protein and sustenance in your meals so that you are not hungry. However, as a practical matter, we all get hungry sometimes and need a snack. I eat fruit (berries, apple with almond butter, banana), raw veggies, almonds/cashews, Lara Bars, and homemade lara balls for snacks. I also eat avocados right out of the skin with a spoon and whatever else I can find.
Here are the specific links to the recipes:
Sunday – Whole chicken w/carrots and red potatoes and a salad: Crock Pot Whole Chicken (I use this occassionally just to cook a chicken to use in other recipes) but I LOVE to roast a chicken in my cast iron skillet
Monday – Cole has his first real 6th grade band concert on Monday at 6. Since we’ll be getting home a little late, I’m pre-prepping Buffalo Chicken Casserole today (Sunday) to pop in the oven when we get home.
Tuesday – Carson has dance on Tuesdays from 5:45-6:45 and Cole has Scouts at 7 (and we pick up our buddy Reese, too…) so my Tuesdays start with my awesome sitter bringing the kiddos to me at 5:15 and us all loading in the car and driving to dance to drop Carson off. Then Cole and I have about 30-40 minutes to eat together. It’s one of my favorite parts of the week because I get to spend serious quality time with my 11 year old boy, which is rare. SO, we’ll probably eat at Schroeder’s and I’ll have this salad (spinach with tomatoes and chicken and artichokes and avocado with vinegar & oil.)
Wednesday – Grass fed beef burgers and my #1 favorite Whole 30 food – Sweet Potato Fries! I don’t have a specific recipe for these – I preheat oven to 415 and then peel and cut potatoes pretty thin (1/4″ thick), spray them with a mist of olive oil (or toss them in it if you don’t have a mister) – you can also toss them in just a little tapioca meal/flour – it has the consistency of corn starch and makes them less floppy… And then I bake on my dark baking sheet or pizza stone for 10-12 mintues, flip them and pop them back in for a few more minutes until they’re done. I like them *almost * burnt on the edges. It’s important to spread them out to get them crispy so if you’re making a lot you may need to do 2 pans or 2 batches. I like to dip them in Dump Ranch, and I sometimes drizzle this on my burgers that I eat between giant lettuce leaves instead of a bun.
Thursday – This is another busy night for us – Cole has soccer practice at 5:30 and Carson has dance from 5:30-7:30 so we’re usually not home until almost 8. So, I’ll be prepping a new recipe for us – Broccoli Chicken Casserole – to make it an easy one stop meal.
Friday – My kids LOVE this Chocolate Chili. I didn’t know if I would like chili without beans, but I do! I do put cheese and sour cream on the kids’ and Will’s chili and they can have crackers if they want – but I just slice up some avocado on mine and have a salad.
Saturday – I’ve posted these Salt & Vinegar wings before. But, they’re a big hit with the family. Add some carrots and celery with Dump Ranch and some sweet potato fries and you’re covered!
So, that’s all I got for today! If you have questions, I’m happy to answer – I’m NOT an expert at all and I’m NOT a nutritionist. I only know that this program worked for me and I feel better eating this way. Check back for updates!
Will & J.J. 