Heyo! For those of you unaware of my most recent undertaking: I AM DOING A WHOLE100. Here are the deets- I'm eating only whole foods for 100 days. (If you're wondering what that entails, click on the program link below). As i'm writing this, I am exactly 11 hours and 45 minutes into day 1 and I'm already craving sugar, so... go me!
Okay, but seriously... It's really not that bad. After doing my first Whole30 I was so empowered and liberated and have never felt better in my life. NO JOKE! Those of you who talk to me regularly will know that I
I was introduced to Whole30 over a year ago (maybe even two!) by my sister-in-law. I will admit that at first I was skeptical. Because of past experiences and failures I am not at all a fan of "fad-dieting" (Hey there, carb-free and low-fat marketing schemes!) and I believe that the only way to have the body and mind you want is through good, old-fashioned, HARD WORK! (Not that this program is at all a fad diet, nor is there a lack of hard work. I was just naive and unwilling to commit). Jake eventually decided to try it out, with me only half committing--and of course failing--because this program doesn't work unless you commit 100%. You can't cut 95% of added sugars out and expect the symptoms to leave your system, just as you can't rid of 95% of the dog fur in your home and expect your allergies to go away. (I learned that from one of the program's co-creators, so you can thank her for the awesome analogy).
After seeing the amazing results that Jake had because of his Whole30 and watching how his relationship with food changed, I decided that I would finally commit. So after baby #2, being 30 lbs over my pre-baby weight and feeling incredibly lethargic (granted, I was nursing every two hours, but I can guarantee this lethargy was due to more than just lack of sleep), I decided it was time. I knew that if I did it though, I wanted to do it right, so I bought the Whole30 cookbook and did lots of research on the program. Through some of my social media explorations I found that some people out there were doing things like a Whole45 or a Whole60 or GASP a Whole100! I jokingly suggested to Jake that we should attempt a Whole100 after the holidays.
Back in August, January seemed a LOT farther away...
I learned a lot of things on my go-around last time... like how I really don't want to cook a meal three times a day... which I was doing... for 30 days... with two babies. And I pretty much almost pulled my hair out on multiple occasions. (Good thing I didn't though, because thanks to post-baby hormone-loss, my body recently shed 95% of the hair on my head all on its own. *cry face*). Anyway, this time around I decided I would try to be more smart about meal planning and food prep, so I'm making a meal plan 30 days at a time and will share with you what I've got. Here's the only problem... some of my recipes are from cookbooks that I own. And in all honesty, I feel rotten about typing up the recipes that were meant to be sold in the book to make those people money. (Before you think I'm a saint, just know that I'm selfishly noting that Karma may one day have my back... If I ever write a book, I want the royalties, ya know?!) So anyway, I'll post as many recipes as I can, but if there's one that you really want that I haven't posted, lemme know! (Or just go buy the Whole30 book, because if you're actually going to use this meal plan, you'll use the book!!)
For ease of using the meal plan, I will link the recipe (if possible) and where I found the ingredients (but only if they're out of the ordinary--otherwise know that I just buy my ingredients at Smith's!) And if I remember to take pictures of my meals, I will periodically update the post with those! Oh, also keep in mind that on weekdays my meals for breakfasts and lunches are meant for just one person while dinners are meant for two.
Whole100 Meal Plan
Days 1-7
My fridge with almost everything Whole30 approved to make it easy to grab-and-go and avoid eating off plan!
Breakfast: Southwest Scrambled eggs (Scrambled eggs with salsa) with 1/2 avocado or guacamole packet (I buy single-serve guacamole packs at Costco-- they are great for on-the-go and can be frozen if you think you won't use them quickly enough)
Dinner: Mustard Balsamic Chicken with green salad (prep salad for the week) (I use the leftover juices from my chicken as a dressing)
(I throw all my veggies in the giant salad tub and then store it for easy salads all week long!)
and baked potato wedges (triple chicken recipe and freeze two batches)
Day 2
Breakfast: Sausage and sweet potato frittata
Lunch: Melissa's Chicken Hash (W30 cookbook)
Dinner: Kielbasa (cook extra sausage to have on hand for breakfasts and lunches)
Breakfast: Leftover frittata with grapes
Lunch: Harvest grilled chicken salad (W30 cookbook)
Dinner: Curry sauce (W30 cookbook) over white fish (I'm using Tilapia) and frozen veggies (anytime "frozen veggies" are on the menu you can assume that they are from a bag of frozen assorted vegetables and will be cooked before being eaten)
(let's talk about how appetizing curry sauce looks in a dimly-lit photo...)
Day 4
Breakfast: Over-easy eggs over a bed of wilted spinach with chicken/apple sausage
Dinner: Salsa verde chicken (double and freeze half) with zucchini and sweet potato latkes (double for breakfast tomorrow) (I realize zucchinis are not in season, but these were so delicious to me last time that I wanted to make them again!)
Day 5
Breakfast: Leftover sweet potato latkes with sausage link and over-easy egg
Lunch: Baked chicken or sausage with salad and vinegarette
Dinner: Pork chops with garlic and thyme sauce with balsamic sweet potatoes (W30 cookbook)
Day 6
Breakfast: Kitchen sink frittata (I generally always make this on Sunday--it's a great way to use up any extra veggie scraps from throughout the week--basically you just throw anything and everything into a frittata and find seasonings that match the flavor profile)
Lunch: Leftover frittata with almonds
Dinner: Chicken basted with ranch sauce (w30 cookbook) and roasted veggies with side salad
Day 7
Breakfast: Southwest scrambled eggs and avocado
Lunch: White fish basted with leftover ranch sauce and veggies
Dinner: Crock pot pork carnitas (W30 cookbook) (triple roast and freeze two batches) with brussels sprouts slaw (if you think you don't like brussels sprouts, try this recipe! You might be surprised! Also, I buy my brussels sprouts at Costco--they've always been fresher there than when I've bought them at Smith's!)
Side note: As part of the program, "snacking" (just for the sake of snacking) is discouraged. I, however, am going to the gym and am nursing, so I eat whenever I feel hungry (assuming I've had enough to drink)! That being said, this is not an all-inclusive list of the things I eat during the week... throw in a few Larabars and a variety of fruit and it would be a bit more accurate.
