Here’s my Video Log. . . .forgive my awkwardness. . still getting used to the whole video camera thing!
As far as how my Whole30 is going, I’m actually quite shocked to say: “So Far, So Good!”
Day 1 was a breeze! I was expecting to be a ravenously hungry, sugar craving monster, but surprisingly I really wasn’t that hungry at all, and didn’t have ANY cravings on day 1 (see Video Log for more details).
Day 2 wasn’t half bad either. I have already fallen back in love with cooking and getting creative in the kitchen. I forgot how much fun it was to cook and “play with my food”! I did have a few pretty bad sugar cravings on Day 2 (after lunch, and after dinner), but survived them.
I’m going to attribute the ease of the first couple of days to the thorough prep work that I did this time around, and the fact that I fully committed to this bad boy up front – no if’s and’s or but’s. I’m in it to win it!
Here’s a run-down on the prep work that I did this past weekend in preparation for starting my Whole30:
I went grocery shopping, and using the Whole30 Shopping List as a guide, I stocked up on quality meats, eggs, lots of veggies, spices, and pantry items (coconut milk, oil, etc)
I bought some digestive enzymes, and have been taking 1 capsule just before each meal. My hope is that this will help me to improve absorption of the nutrients in my food, which I have been having “issues” with.
I bought some Jarro-Dophilus Allergen Free (Probiotics), and have been taking 1 capsule after lunch, and 1 capsule after dinner in order to help heal my gut and improve my digestion
I ordered the new SFH fish oil – The vitamin fortified Omega-3 oil for women, which is berry flavored, and has 3200mg EPA+DHA and Vitamins A, D3, K2, B6, B12 and folic acid in 1 tsp. My hope is that this will help to improve some of my vitamin deficiencies, and reduce the inflammation that is most likely contributing to my inability to absorb nutrients in the first place, and causing me to have sore joints.
I “created” a really simple and DELICIOUS breakfast Frittata on Day 1, and cooked up a huge batch of sweet potato hash, and portioned it out, so I had pre-made breakfasts for 4 days. (Recipes for both to follow soon)
I also made a huge batch of cauliflower oven fried “rice” (modified from Mel Joulwan’s recipe here), enough coconut curry chicken with carrots, onions, and sweet potatoes in my Instant Pot for 4 meals (modified HEAVILY from the recipe found here). I also seasoned and browned some GF Ground Beef and pre-cut some veggies (cabbage, brussel sprouts) to make for easy dinner prep this week.
I pre-cut some snacking veggies (like jicama and carrots), purchased some Guac from Central Market, and bought some seedless grapes and raw almonds for snacking as well.
Finally, I made a batch of beef and chicken broth (in my Instant Pot, using this recipe from NomNom Paleo), and froze individual portions.
I’ll wrap this post up with a quick list of my go-to websites and blogs for Paleo information, support, and recipes. . . I’ve had a few friends ask me where I get my recipes, so I figured it would be easy to just refer everyone to this blog post moving forward!
- www.whole30.com – An AMAZING resource – tons and tons of useful info, tips and tricks, recipes, and most importantly, a VERY supportive community
- www.theclothesmakethegirl.com – run by Mel Joulwan, author of my go-to Paleo Cookbooks Well Fed and Well Fed 2 – this website archives a ton of free recipes that she has graciously put online, and also has some really great info!
- http://againstallgrain.com/ – great recipe site!
- www.nomnompaleo.com – another great site for recipes – I especially love her Instant Pot stuff
- www.elanaspantry.com – not all of her recipes are Paleo (some are GF), but she has some great veggie recipes that I go back to again and again.
- www.paleomg.com – WARNING – if you’re fighting a sugar habit like I am, it’s best to stay away from this site until you’ve got it under control – Juli has a ton of very tempting Paleo Desserts on her site, which are fully off limits during a Whole30 (and I have to be careful even after my Whole30 because they can re-ignite the cravings that I’ve worked so hard to kick). BUT she also has some really great “regular” recipes as well. One of my favorite go-to recipes from her site is the 5 Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie!