Whole 30 First Half...

So we have reached the halfway mark of Whole30.  I don't think I see too many changes in how I feel, but hey I guess that's not a terrible thing!  Like I said before, we ate pretty healthy leading up to this so it wasn't a huge lifestyle change.  I have become a lot more aware of exactly what goes into packaged foods, weather it is mustard or bacon.  It is shocking how many products add sugar to them.  The other thing that came up a lot was 100% all natural not really being all natural!  It has been fun educating myself on what really is "non processed". For more information on Whole30, follow the link here.  In the previous blog (here)  I documented why we decided to do the challenge.

There aren't too many things that I miss.  The first couple days you obviously think about what you cannot eat.  Once you get past that step, it simply becomes a habit to grab a carrot when you want a snack, enjoy a cup of tea at night instead of desert, and simply stay away from the fridge.  Two weeks into it, I would obviously still love an ice cream Sunday, but that only comes when I see someone else eating one!  So, I haven't decided how long I will do it, since I haven't seen many changes in the way I look, feel, etc, but it sure has been fun!  For now, here is the first two weeks of meal plans that we did, along with a quick explanation of what I did to workout!  Enjoy!

Day 1, Sunday March 1:

Brunch– 1 poached eggs and a pear

Snack – hard boiled egg with balsamic vinegar

Dinner - Salmon with avocado salsa (RECIPE)  and steamed broccoli and spinach  (we used dill instead of cilantro and lemon juice instead of lime since that is what was at the house!)

Meal prep for the week:

• Egg muffins for Joe to eat for breakfast: (RECIPE)
• Chicken Salad for Joe to enjoy two days during the week for lunch (RECIPE)
• Grilled chicken strips seasoned with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, cooked on cast iron skillet for grilled chicken salad during the week

Workout – n/a

Day 2

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2) – 2 bananas, 6 strawberries, 1 cup 100% Orange juice, 1 cup water, ½ cup fruit from frozen tropical fruit bag (pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, honeydew melon)

Snack – 1 cup unsalted mixed nuts (no peanuts)

Lunch – Salad with a head of romaine lettuce, 1 egg, ½ avocado, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste

Snack – Hard Boiled Egg

Dinner – Lamb loin chop seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary and asparagus drizzled with olive oil and kosher salt

Workout – spin class, abs, 2 mile walk, tennis

Day 3

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2) – 2 bananas, 1 mango, 1 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries), 1 cup 100% orange juice, 1 cup water

Lunch – Greek Salad – Salad with egg, artichoke, onion, grilled chicken, peppers, and mushrooms

Snack – ½ cup mixed nuts

Dinner – Bison Meatballs (1 lb. ground beef, ¼ red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp. ground mustard seed makes 6-8 meatballs) with 1 pack mushrooms sautéed with 2 scrambled eggs and pepper

Snack – ½ grapefruit and tea

Workout - n/a

Day 4

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2), 2 bananas, 1 cup tropical fruit mix, ½ cup mixed berries, water and orange juice

Snack – 1 cup mixed nuts

Lunch – Salad of romaine lettuce with egg, ½ avocado, oil and balsamic

Dinner – Fajitas – 1 red onion, 3 green peppers, 1 red pepper, 2 large chicken breasts, salt, pepper, garlic powder all sautéed

Workout – 25 minute run, tennis practice

Day 5

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2), 2 bananas, 8 strawberries, water and juice

Snack – 1 cup mixed nuts

Lunch – Pear and a salad of romaine lettuce with egg, ½ avocado, oil, balsamic

Dinner – Lamb seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary with spaghetti squash seasoned with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, olive oil

Snack – Dates

Workout – 1 hour yoga

Day 6

Breakfast – Smoothie (for 2), 2 bananas, 8 strawberries, water and juice

Lunch – 10 piece sashimi with small side salad with carrots and cucumbers and lemon

Snack – Pear

Dinner – Lettuce wraps (1 lbs ground turkey, 1/3 onion, 3 garlic cloves, olive oil) with romaine lettuce shell and baked asparagus with salt and olive oil

Workout – 6 mile walk

Day 7

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 cup mixed berried, juice and water)

Lunch – Pear, 3 egg salad with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Snack – pistachios and tea

Dinner – Salmon (like done on Day 1) with sautéed broccoli and mushroom

Workout – 2 hours tennis, 3 mile walk

Day 8

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 cup tropical fruit, juice, water)

Lunch – Can of Sardines in water, apple, pistachios, 2 hardboiled eggs with balsamic vinegar

Dinner – Pulled pork smoked on GreenEgg seasoned with mustard and whole30 approved seasoning + homemade BBQ sauce with sautéed broccoli, mushrooms, and onion, and smoked salmon

Meal Prep

•  Egg muffins prepared like Week 1  under Day 1
• Grilled Chicken seasoned with salt pepper, and cayenne pepper

Workout – 2 hours tennis, 5 mile walk

Day 9

Breakfast –Smoothie for 2  (2 bananas, 1 can pineapple in 100% pineapple juice, 3 strawberries, water)

Snack – dates and hard boiled egg

Lunch – Salad with egg and ½ avocado with balsamic vinegar

Snack – Pistachio

Dinner – Salmon with lemon and pepper with sautéed broccoli and mushroom

Workout – n/a

Day 10

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 8 strawberries, juice and water)

Lunch – Tomatoes and Pineapple Soup

Snack – Egg

Dinner – Chicken stir-fry with 1 lb. chicken, 1 zucchini, 1 squash, 2 cup broccoli, 2 cup cauliflower

Workout – 2x2 mile run (one on my own one with Joe)

Day 11

Breakfast – Ardens Garden fruit smoothie

Snack – unsalted raw almonds

Lunch – Salad with fajita veggies, grilled chicken, tomatoes, and guacamole

Dinner – grilled chicken with cauliflower mash, zucchini noodles with lemon

Workout – 4 mile walk/sprint workout

Day 12

Breakfast – Pomegranate and Acai berry smoothie

Snack – Raw almonds

Lunch – Panera Chicken Cobb with Avocado – no dressing, feta, or bacon

Dinner – Salad with cranberries, almonds, and grilled chicken

Workout – 4 mile run

Day 13

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 8 strawberries, juice, water)

Lunch – Salad with 1 hard boiled egg, ½ avocado, balsamic vinegar and an apple

Snack – Pistachios

Dinner – Lamb seasoned with salt, pepper, and rosemary with green beans sautéed with sun dried tomatoes and garlic

Workout – 1 hour yoga, 3 mile walk

Day 14

Breakfast – Smoothie for 2 (2 bananas, 1 ½ cup tropical fruit, juice, water)

Lunch – 2 hard boiled eggs, pistachios, orange

Dinner – Ground turkey meatballs with sun-dried tomatoes and onion and seasoned with ground mustard, salt, and pepper, with sautéed broccoli and cauliflower

Snack – Grapefruit

Workout – n/a