I’m a whole 10 days in and as challenging as it has been I’m surprised to be nearly 2/3 of the way through the entire 30 days. Now that I’ve established a routine, it’s a lot easier to get through each day without always trying to determine what my next meal plan would have to be. Meal planning is definitely the key to not being stressed out throughout the day.
Over the weekend I cooked up instant pot Barbacoa and that helped make it through the busy days when I didn’t have the time or patience to fix lunch. Served on top of cauliflower rice or a sweet potato with a bit of avocado it was the perfect time saver.
As I’ve talked with others who completed Whole30 I’ve started to collect up a big list of everyone’s favorite recipes. It helps to know that not only am I not totally alone in this experience, but it was worth it enough that those who finished it saved the recipes and wanted to pass them along. Only a week in and I was already starting to get tired of the couple of recipes I was comfortable with, so I really appreciate everyone who has shared their favorites with me so far. When I planned out next week’s meals, I used a bunch of the dishes I received over the last week and I’m looking forward to trying out some new dishes.
On Monday night I fixed up stuffed bell peppers filled with tomato and ground beef. I had enough left over that later on during the week I could use the same filling as a pasta sauce on top of spiralized butternut squash.
Despite my best attempts at planning, I still ended up back at the grocery store three times this week. The first trip was to pickup celery for turning leftover shredded chicken from week 1 into chicken salad on top of avocados. The second trip was back to Sprouts for spiralized butternut squash. While I was there I grabbed a few more lara bars, roasted almonds to snack on and steak for the next set of recipes I wanted to try out.
Shopping trips 3 & 4 – Approximately $35
Part of why I wanted to try Whole30 was to combat constantly feeling tired. Since I’ve never been a great sleeper I typically run on 5-6 hours of sleep on any given day. That life choice doesn’t exactly make for a super alert day to day but I’m rarely tired before midnight and even on days I can sleep in 8 am is my typical wake up time. I was pretty shocked to discover that at about 5 days into Whole30 my ongoing battle with feeling tired was actually getting worse instead of better. By the end of the work day it was all I could take to get home and go back to sleep for an hour long nap.
I checked in with a few friends to see what their experience related to being tired and everyone assured me that by day 10 they were out of the funk. I would just need to hang on a few more days to see for myself.
When you are super tired, trying out new recipes is a bit of a pain. Instead of trying to come up with something new, I fixed up a good classic meal of steak with bacon brussels sprouts. The steak was seasoned with just salt and pepper before searing in a pan and tossing into the oven to finish cooking
On my last trip to the grocery store I stubbornly refused to buy a $10 bottle of coco aminos because I didn’t think I would use it. Of course that was before I decided to make stir fry out of the remaining steak. This time I went to Whole Foods to see what other options I had for salad dressing and to pick up a couple of ingredients I didn’t think I would find elsewhere for the new recipes. I’ve had New Primal jerky before and really enjoyed it so when I saw they had a Whole30 approved marinade and cooking sauce I figured it was worth a shot.
A few more seasonings and ingredients in hand and I was out the door from Whole Foods just over $30.
On Friday I had my first adventure dining in public. I did not know for certain where we would be going so researching the menu online was a no-go. To make sure I was prepared for any scenario I packed a dressing canister with an approved dressing so that if all else failed I would be able to order a dry salad and top it myself. We ended up at Lulu’s BBQ in Louisville and after consulting with the server determined that my best bet would be ordering a bowl of chili and a side of fruit. Their chili is bean free and I was shocked how big the bowl was. Even without having any other options for dinner I still needed a to go box.
On Saturday I started the day off at the farmers market picking up a ton of fresh veggies that I’ll use throughout the upcoming week. Total farmers market cost: $25
My first new recipe attempt was one I unfortunately can’t link to because a co-worker lent me their copy to photograph. I love Indian food so when Coconut Curry Meatballs is an option I had to try it right away. [This is not the exact recipe but it’s close if you want to give it a try]
The official recipe called for ground chicken but I used ground turkey instead and it came out fabulously. I served mine on top of cauliflower rice and there is enough left over for a couple of lunches next week.
Despite my best efforts this week’s grocery bill still came in over $100. I’ve continued to buy a lot of staples, so I think week three will finally be when I start to see that number come down a bit.
Now at the ten day mark I can say for certain that the exhausted feeling is short lived. I feel much more awake and getting up in the morning has not felt like a struggle. Also while on Whole30 you aren’t allowed to step on a scale but I’ve noticed my clothing slightly fitting different and the need for using a slightly smaller belt loop on my jeans.
The hardest part of the last couple of weeks has been adjusting to the amount of cooking and cleaning that comes with Whole30. Everyday I make at least two meals at home, dirtying dishes, pans and cutting boards in the process. This next week I’m going to attempt to do more breakfast prep ahead of time so I can just grab food as I’m headed out the door instead of needing to spend additional time cooking. Everyone also says the 14 day point is when they feel the most changes so I’m looking forward to seeing what the upcoming week will bring.
Looking for Whole30 inspiration? Check out my Whole30 board on pinterest.
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