We'll be following a Whole 30 eating plan as part of a challenge at the Bolling gym. Here's what we're doing to prepare and get through it! First, the Whole 30 eating protocol from the Whole 9 website:
- [No] added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in all kinds of ways.
- Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, pre-packaged snacks/meals, protein bars, milk substitutes, etc.
- Do not drink alcohol, in any form.
- Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, millet, oats, corn, rice, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. (Yes, we said corn!) This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.
- Do not eat legumes. This includes beans (black, kidney, lima, etc.), peas, lentils, and peanuts or peanut butter. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
- Do not eat dairy. This includes all cow, goat or sheep’s milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, whey, ice cream, etc.
- Do not eat white potatoes. It’s arbitrary, but they are carbohydrate-dense and nutrient poor, and also a nightshade.
- Most importantly… do not try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold. This means no “Paleo-fying” less-than-healthy recipes – no “Paleo” pancakes, “Paleo” pizza, “Paleo” fudge or “Paleo” ice cream. Don’t mimic poor food choices during your Whole30 program!
Here's how we'll eat:
* NO butter or bacon grease (it has sugar) means we use coconut oil to fry, saute, or drizzle on veggies and bake. I like to use Nutiva or Tropical Traditions. You can find good, pure extra virgin coconut oil on Amazon or they do sell a jar of expeller-pressed coconut oil in the commissary.
* A bag of chopped vegetables in a ziploc in our fridge is very helpful. I will chop 1-2 bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, etc. and use this bag for veggie stir-fry in the morning, on top of salads, or to snack on.
* If you are hungry, eat more fat. A spoonful of coconut oil, handful of almonds, some avocado. Don't go overboard if you are trying to lean out (like me :) ). Drink enough water.
* The avocados from the commissary are gross. I like the ones from Trader Joe's or Costco.
* Sausage & Bacon have sugar in them so don't eat them during this 30 days.
* Sweet potatoes show up often for our meals because Justin and the kids need them for calories. They are nutritious and great for post-workout recovery. I go easy on them as I am trying to lean out.
* I use steamfresh vegetables alot because it is easy for me. You can always buy the fresh vegetable and steam it yourself. These vegetables need some olive oil or coconut oil to fill you up.
Breakfast - Always a combination of eggs fried in coconut oil, soft or hard boiled.
- Sweet potato for Justin plain/sprinkled with cinnamon &/or with melted coconut oil
- Usually a veggie stir fry from the pre-chopped bag or spinach sauteed in coconut oil
- 5 eggs for Justin, 2 for me.
Lunch - Always a salad or a bag of steamfresh veggies with a protein source.
Spring Mix Salad
+ Protein (Grilled chicken thighs, shrimp, canned tuna or salmon or leftover meat from the night before)
+ Veggies from veggie bag, cucumber, avocado
+ Dressing (Olive oil and balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar)
* Shrimp and chicken breast are low fat, make sure to add some avocado or lots of olive oil, or
both.
Week 1 Meal Plan (dinner)
Day 1 -
Roasted Chicken, Steamfresh brussels sprouts (option to drizzle w/ olive oil), Sweet Potato or side salad
Day 2 - "Spaghetti" & Meat Sauce. Bake a spaghetti squash at 425 F for 1 hr, cut in half, remove seeds and scrape out the insides with a fork. Brown 1-2lbs of ground beef then add 1 jar of sugar-free pasta sauce. Bertolli's Arrabiata and Rao's Homemade Marinara have no added sugar in them. Rao's is expensive, but delicious.
Day 3 - Pan Fried Salmon (Try Trader Joe's Chimmichurri Salmon - it's in the freezer aisle) or Everyday Paleo's Grilled Salmon recipe
here. OR Try this
white fish recipe if you are feeling like a little more work. It is the most delicious way I've ever eaten white fish! Double the recipe though, as it doesn't make much. Steamfresh Broccoli. Serve fish over
riced cauliflower. I do this in my food processor to save time or I have used a hand grater before.
Day 4 -
Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs + Zucchini. Sweet potatoes mashed or nuked or baked. Side salad for me with olives.
Day 5 - Chicken Fajitas. 1 red bell pepper (sliced), 1 yellow bell pepper (sliced), 1/2 onion (chopped), 2 cups sliced mushrooms, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp each salt, pepper, cumin, 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut up). Saute chicken thighs in olive oil until cooked through. Add veggies to pan and season, cooking until vegetables are soft. Top with guac. Love Wholly Guacamole! Found in the same section as salads.
Day 6 - Grilled or pan fried steak (season with salt & pepper), roasted beets (sub butternut squash or asparagus if beets aren't your thing), head of cabbage sauteed in coconut oil & seasoned with salt. Serve the extras with breakfast under over-easy eggs!
Day 7 -
Chicken Chili Soup. Serve with a side salad, or tomato/avocado salad. Sweet potato on the side if Justin is still hungry.
SNACKS
* Kipper Snacks - found in the same section as tuna. These are smoked fish.
* Salmon pouches, tuna mixed with guac.
* Hard Boiled Eggs
* Lara Bars are technically processed, but the Coconut Cream Pie and Apple Pie versions have only Whole 30 approved ingredients. NOT good for getting lean.
* Apple w/ Almond Butter
* Almond butter with raisins. Great snack for Justin who has trouble getting in enough calories without downing ice cream.
* Tea at night gives me something to "treat" myself with after dinner.
Good luck!
Helpful Resources:
http://robbwolf.com/2011/01/16/pre-cooking-paleo-diet-food/
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/2982384246/whole30-day-by-day-is-it-possible-to-get
Today I didn't have enough eggs for everyone and I really wasn't feeling eggs for breakfast anyway so I had the rest of the leftover chicken chili soup. And it was good!
I had to drop Justin off at the train station around lunch time and though I wasn't hungry, I wasn't sure what traffic was going to be like so I ate one of the sardines out of the can he opened for himself and had 1/2 a grapefruit with some chamomile tea.
I ate lunch around 1. It was a leftover cilantro lime chicken thigh, which I almost ate all of before I remembered to take a picture. I was feeling really lazy today and didn't want to cook. Can you tell from all my leftovers? I also ate the other half of the grapefruit.
One of the planned dinners I had was chicken fajitas, but I didn't want those flavors tonight and I didn't have Justin to cook for. So I threw the chicken breasts I had into a bowl of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Half an hour later I put them on the grill with one of the peppers from planned fajita night and two of the zucchini I never cooked from cilantro lime chicken thigh night. I ate just about all of the large chicken breast, pepper and zucchini. The boys helped just a tiny bit. Dinner was around 6 and I wasn't hungry the rest of the night even though I didn't go to sleep until around 11.. I hope this means my body is finally switched to fat burning. Or maybe that my blood sugar levels are getting normalized. 
