Whole 30 - Week 4

I completed the Whole 30 two days ago.

Over the past month, due to Joe and I stricting adhereing to the Whole 30, we'd made food a priority again.  A priority that took a lot of time and energy and effort.  But, just as they say, you really do get out of what you put into something.  Both of us experienced more energy throughout the month, waking up more easily in the morning without begin groggy, having even energy during the day, having enery left after tucking the kids in for bed at night.  We both leaned out a little bit.  My belly wasn't bloated at the end of every day like it usually is.  I'm not sure if my hair is shinier or my complexion clearer, but my outlook is.

Over the past month I've found a ton of new blogs and resources for Whole 30/Paleo recipes and support.  The sentiment that's stuck with me from everything I read about changing your diet was "It's not that easy.  But it's not that hard."  

To stick to the Whole 30 I needed to do a lot of advance planning to have the right foods on hand or ready for meals.  I needed to prep a ton of veggies.  Research for new recipes.  Purchase just a few new staples to have on hand, and then hit up the grocery store more frequently to keep up with the amount of fresh food Joe and I were eating.  And because of this, we ate amazing meals.  So healthful and so incredibly delicious (for the most part).  Quite frankly, we were eating the way we wanted to again. 

I knew sugar, soy, preservatives, etc were in many things in the grocery store, but now I've realized it's in nearly everything.  Rotisserie chicken, jarred sauces, stock, frozen herb cubes, pre-packaged meat, cashews, etc. Everything needs to be scrutinized or home made to keep it "clean" and preservative free.  I do believe that all of this little bad stuff that is snuck into everything adds up and affects us. 

Over the past 30 days Joe and I did a great job sticking to the Whole 30.  Neither of us had a single bite of dairy or any grains in the past month.  And yet we were completely and healthfully fueled every day.  I usually steer very clear of fads when it comes to eating - I think the only reason I considered Whole 30 is because you can eat in abundance.  Whenever you like, as long as you're eating healthfully. 

That said, we did have a couple accidental slip ups.

- Around Day 20 we realized our cashews were not plain cashews.  They had peanut oil in them, and since peanuts/peanut products of off-limits, we'd been slipping up for a couple weeks since we did eat some cashews (although mostly we were devouring macadamia nuts like the state of Hawaii's wealth depended on us).  I must say, I thought I had checked the cashew label early on, but either I didn't, or Coscto just recently changed their cashews and they now contain peanut oil.

- Our last week we decided to buy the frozen cubes of ready-to-use herbs to ease the task of keeping fresh herbs at our ready (considering it's still snowing in Minneapolis and our garden isn't exactly flourishing yet).  After using the herbs a couple times I realized I had just assumed they were 100% frozen herbs.  Nope - a whole lot of preservatives, added sugar, guar gum, etc.  Dissappointing that this stuff is literally in everything. 

We're technically "off" the Whole 30 now, but I'm pretty sure both of us will continue to follow some of the principles of the program.  I'll save that - along with an update about our 1st day off the Whole 30 - for an upcoming post. 

And now, a peek at some of our meals from our last week on the Whole 30.

Grilled Flank Steak, fajita style with peppers, onions, mushrooms, avocado and tomato
Our first mealof the season eaten outside, in 79 degree weather.  Two days later it snowed.

Moose Meatballs (w/ sweet potato & green onion in them) on Zoodles with Cauliflower Rice
This was one of my favorite meals.  The mooseballs were so good.  The homemade sauce is seriously better than Prego (I found some super sweet jarred, diced tomatoes at Costco and want them on everything now).

Coconut Shrimp on Zoodles (or Squoodles...yellow squash "noodles")

I did actually get a little gut-rot following this meal.  Joe and I polished off an entire bag (not sure if it was a 1 or 2 pound bag) of shrimp that we dipped in egg and shredded coconut and then pan-fried in coconut oil.  They were so good!

Mushroom Beef Soup

Amazing. We made this hearty stew on a cold day and it hit.the.spot.  It was Joe's favorite meal on the Whole 30.  It was made with tons of fresh mushrooms, ground beef, tomatoes and a whole can of pumpkin to thicken it. 

Venison; Kale with jalapeños; Red Cabbage with Apples 

Joe and I wish we liked kale better.  Clearly I need to find a better recipe to make.  This meal was thrown together last minute, without any recipes and the side dishes were lackluster.

Oriental Chicken Mash (chicken, broccoli, carrots, shitakes, orange, ginger + more yummy goodness)
This will be a staple.  Sooooooo good.  Such fresh asian flavors.  I would eat this daily all summer long if I could.

Almond Crusted Cod with zoodles and peppers

"Almond Joy!" I exclaimed after trying my first bite.  Literally, this cod that was dredged in almond meal and then fried in coconut oil tasted like an Almond Joy candy bar.  Crazy to me that Max picked off all the almond crust and only wanted the fish.  We didn't waste a thing, as I quickly ate his almond crust!

Baked Italian Eggs

A great twist on our usual breakfast.  Sausage (home-made...good luck finding packaged meat, bacon, sausage, etc without additives), spinach, tomatos, topped with coconut milk and tomato paste and an egg, then baked. 

 

Week Four Menu

Coconut Shrimp

Oriental Chicken Hash

Moose Meatballs

Grilled Flank Steak, fajita style with peppers, onions, avocado, tomatoes 

Almond Crusted Cod

Beef Mushroom Soup

Balsamic Crock Pot Chicken

Venison with Kale & Red Cabbage