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| First Whole30 Shopping Trip |
By day 3 I wanted to quit. I had a dull headache for two days straight, I was exhausted, I wasn't hungry for any of the healthy food we had spent $$$ for at Costco, and I just wanted a box of Honey Nut Cheerios!!! My husband started with his "This really isn't this hard" pep talk...then saw my deep distress and had more compassion. (Yes, I whipped out the "I've spent all day cooking and washing dishes for this challenge" guilt trip.)
When my friend asked, on our Whole30 Facebook group, "How's everyone feeling?" I was honest.
TERRIBLE!
She directed me to the Whole30 timeline.
How did they know!?!? That pretty much sums up my week one.
All I'm thinking is the results had better by worth it!
Before I scare you off from every trying this challenge.. wait! There is a silver lining.
For one, I feel super proud of the fact that I've made it a whole week. I feel empowered. I want to take care of the body God has given me. (We only get one!) This might be the only way to develop a taste for healthy food. It's amazing how some things taste sweeter than they ever used to because I'm not constantly eating junk. Like coconut water for instance. I've even learned to drink black coffee! Something I've never been able to do before! I feel like this challenge may be the only way for me to ditch the junk food cravings - go cold turkey!
Secondly, I've put that spice rack to good use. I'm starting to learn what herbs and spices enhance flavors. I'm not a great cook. (I'm an excellent baker!) This challenge is helping me learn how to make delicious food with good for you ingredients. I used to rely on premade sauce packets for flavorings.
Here are some of my favorite recipes from week 1:
White Chicken Chili
I found this recipe on Pinterest. It's easy, delicious, and best of all you can make enough to last for two meals! Trust me, you will want to eat this soup two meals in a row! I plan to make it once a week! Click on the photo to get the recipe at MyLifeWellLoved.com.
Cashew "Alfredo" Dip
Puree Cashews in a Magic Bullet with hot water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt/pepper, and a bit of Franks Buffalo Sauce. It tastes great over chicken but I found it was perfect as a dip for downing my raw veggies. (I modified a similar recipe a friend found online that also uses crushed spicy nacho Doritos...which of course I didn't use... that's were the Franks stepped in.)
Watermelon Slush
All you do it cut watermelon, freeze slightly, blend (you can add coconut water), and then garnish!
Cherry Pie Filling
Pit fresh cherries and dates (about a 10:1 ratio). Chop the dates. Add coconut oil and cinnamon in the pan with the fruit. Cook over low heat until the cherries are cooked and the dates have softened into a "caramel"-like sauce. Top with chopped pecans. You're gonna like this one!
Tips from Week 1:
Develop a support team. This is true of any goal. If you involve others to keep you accountable, you are more likely to follow through. I'm doing this challenge with my husband and two other couples. We post favorite recipes daily on Facebook. If we all lived closer, we would make meals together and share them since preparation is time consuming.Don't focus on what you can't eat. Decline that pity party invitation. I need to remind myself that some people would do anything to eat this food - to have a meal. Attitude changer!
Plan ahead! This is where it's at. For me, I try to make a lot of food at one time and then save it in the fridge for the rest of the day - or next couple of days. Otherwise you feel like you are constantly cooking.
Stay tuned for my post at the end of week 2. I hope to discover and share more delicious Whole30 meal and snack ideas.
Have you tried the Whole30 Challenge? I'd love to hear a favorite recipe or word of encouragement!
Thanks for stopping by!
