Whole30 Weekly Menus

With one Whole30 behind us, we are looking forward to the new cycle beginning January 19th. The reason for starting mid-January is because my birthday is the 17th and I want to make some coconut ice cream. Why start Whole30 earlier if you know you will break it, right? So, with the ice cream out of the way, we will start fresh on January 19th. In preparation, I typed out my weekly menus from our cycle in October in the hopes it might help some people out. All the recipes can be found on our Community Whole30 Pinterest board. Jessica and I work hard to keep it Whole30 appropriate. So without further ado....

Whole 30 Weekly Menus

Week 1

Breakfast – scrambled eggs w/ onion and kale, bacon, fruit

Stovetop Pork Carnitas w/ sliced pineapple and sautéed veg

Taco Kale Salad with avocado and salsa

Spaghetti Squash with beef and tomato sauce with sautéed veg

Pork Pumpkin Chili w/ avocado *crockpot

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders w/ sautéed veg

Week 2

Breakfast – scrambled eggs w/ onion and kale, bacon, sweet potato hash browns

Broccoli Frittata

Sweet Potato Sliders w/ bacon, avocado, and caramelized onions w/ sautéed veg

Coconut Shrimp w/ mango pineapple sauce and sautéed veg

Sausage w/ sautéed veg

Cracklin’ Chicken w/ sautéed veg

Chipotle Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Week 3

Breakfast – Kale and sausage quiche / scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit

Chicken Satay w/ Sunshine Sauce and sautéed veg

Spaghetti Squash w/ meatballs and sauce

Chicken Broccoli Divan (curry)

Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup *crock pot

Asian Beef Stir Fry

Stovetop Pork Carnitas w/ pineapple and sautéed veg

Week 4

Breakfast – Breakfast casserole / scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit

Chicken Divan (from last week, never got made)

Barbacoa Beef w/ guacamole and sautéed veg or zucchini fries *Crockpot

Meyer Lemon Prosciutto Chicken w/ sautéed veg

Autumn Chicken Salad

Week 5

Breakfast – scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit

Chipotle Meatballs, Caramelized Onions, Strawberry Compote w/ arugula and sweet potatoes

Apple Sausage Acorn Squash

Fall Harvest Chicken Soup

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders w/ Sunshine Sauce and sautéed veg

Pulled Pork Sliders w/ sweet potato buns and sautéed veg

Paleo Pizza – because you’re done and it’s delicious!

Extras

Beef pot pie

Pomegranate Ginger Pork Chops

Balsamic Roast Beef *Crockpot

Thai Butternut Squash Curry

Roast Chicken *Crockpot

Paleo Chicken Fingers

Chicken Pot Pie w/ Sweet Potato Crust

Dairy Free “Cheesy” Potato Soup

Whole30 - Review

So, we've been off the Whole30 program officially for a few weeks now.

Here are some definite highlights of our experience:

-We feel awesome.
-We are sleeping better, falling asleep more quickly and waking up happier.
-I have had significantly less 'tummy issues,' as I like to call it.
-We've lost weight. Nothing major, but we weren't trying to lose weight. It just happens.
-We have forged some really good friends and strengthened friendships through this process.
-We tried new things! I cooked things I never thought I would and Ethan tried foods he never thought he would like. And we liked everything!
-We've tried new combinations of foods and vegetables that we love.
-Sugar and soy are in EVERYTHING! It was shocking when we started reading labels more closely. I'm so sad that we ate so much junk before, when we thought we ate healthy.
-I don't miss dairy. At all. And if you know me, you know this is a big deal.
-Ethan and I have spent a lot more time in the kitchen, however, we've had a lot more time to chat while we cook and clean the kitchen.
-I got a lot better at meal planning.
-We broke our habit with eating out and eating sugar.

A few downsides:
-I had to cook all. the. time. Seriously, I felt like I was in the kitchen the whole 30 days. However, Ethan was in there with me, so it wasn't too bad. Although I view this as a bit of a downside, I felt quite proud of all the work put in and all the meals I made. **This is from the standpoint of working a full time job outside the home. It was quite a long day to get up early to cook, then cook for an hour or so after I got home from work. At first I felt like all I ever did was cook, chop veggies, make meal plans, etc. It was totally worth it, though.
-It was slightly more expensive. We were buying organic as much as possible and lot of really high quality meat. Although we were spending about $20-30 more per week, we cannot remember not eating every single thing we bought. So, at least it wasn't getting wasted.

I read the book that accompanies the program (It Starts With Food). If you decide to do Whole30, I highly recommend reading the book. The writers and creators of the program give you all the science behind the program and it was fascinating. I felt encouraged and challenged.

Overall, it was an amazing experience! We don't feel like we were missed out on anything. If you do it, have the attitude of this is a challenge that YOU CAN DO, not a 30 day deprivation of all the things you love. If you are considering, I HIGHLY recommend it. Also, I would love to chat with you and encourage you in your Whole30 journey!

Day 30 - Whole30

Day 30 - November 11, 2014

Breakfast - scrambled eggs with onion, spinach, and breakfast sausage, blueberries, coffee
Snack - cashews
Lunch - leftover sausage and veggies
Snack -
Dinner - Chipotle Meatballs with caramelized onions and strawberry compote  (i didn't make meatballs, but just cooked the meatball ingredients all together in a pan. we prefer it that way) Make this ASAP! :)

I feel a little weird that we're off Whole30. I've made a list of things I want to share about our experience, but I'm still working on that post. I can tell you, it's incredible and if you are on the fence about doing it, just jump on over!

Day 29 - Whole30

Day 29 - November 10, 2014

Breakfast - scrambled eggs with onion, spinach, and breakfast sausage crumbled in, blueberries, coffee
Snack - cashews and a piping hot cup of mint tea
Lunch - leftover stove-top carnitas
Snack -
Dinner - I forgot to defrost meat for dinner, so we had some sausage browned in a skillet with baked sweet potato chunks and sauteed onion, zucchini, brussel sprouts and garlic. It turned out to be delicious!

I can't believe we are almost done! I am still working on a post about the perks and downsides of Whole30. I think I'll put it up on day 31. :)

Day 28 - Whole30

Day 28 - November 9, 2014

Breakfast - the usual
Snack - cashews
Lunch - leftover Autumn Grilled Chicken Salad
Snack - nothing
Dinner - Stovetop Pork Carnitas (Ethan's favorite and our first repeated meal)

Day 27 - Whole30

Day 27 - November 8, 2014

Breakfast - the usual :)
Snack - cashews
Lunch - Autumn Grilled Chicken Salad
Snack - cashews
Dinner - Chicken Cobb Salad from Panera, with no cheese, Balsamic vinaigrette on the side, and no roll

For snacks, we are barely eating anything. Usually it's because our tummies give a little rumble so we eat a small handful to satisfy it. But we aren't usually starving between meals anymore.

And that Autumn Grilled Chicken Salad. Oh. My. It was the best thing we've eaten so far!

Day 26 - Whole30

Day 26 - November 7, 2014

Breakfast - 3 scrambled eggs with onion and spinach, sweet potato hash browns and coffee. Ethan had leftover breakfast casserole from yesterday.
Snack - cashews
Lunch - Meyer Lemon Prosciutto Chicken
Snack -
Dinner - left overs