What I Ate :: Whole 30, Days 1-7

I guess it only took giving up sugar, dairy, grains, beans and alcohol to get this girl back to blogging!

I've missed this space, but hopefully you haven't missed me as I still continue to overshare my life on Facebook, Instagram and occasionally SnapChat {theperfectcatch}.

In case you did miss it, I started Whole 30 exactly one week ago today on January 13!  Most people started Whole 30 on January 1, but I needed some extra time to get my act together and what I have learned so far about W30 is that you must prep in order to be successful.  Prior to starting my W30 journey I did a 3-day juice cleanse and lost 5 pounds! 

I will talk more about why I finally joined this program and my thoughts so far another day, but the biggest question I get asked is what I actually eat so I've decided to track every meal and share it with you to hopefully show you that it might not be as hard as you think it is and that even a busy, working mom who has a major sugar, bread addiction and no skill in the kitchen can do it and not die!

You can also find my Whole 30 Pinterest Board here...it's a work in progress but constantly growing!

DAY ONE :: Friday, 1/13

B -2 hard boiled eggs, avocado with pico & lime

L - Ground Turkey with red peppers with Cold Thai Salad & Sunshine Dressing (recipes in W30 Guide Book)

This cold Thai salad is awesome!  Has cucumber, zucchini noodles, carrots, cilantro and cashews

Snack - Cherry Pie Larabar (I was super hungry)

D - Chipotle copycat beef barbocoa from the slow cooker stuffed in bell peppers with lettuce on top

DAY TWO :: Saturday, 1/14

B - 2 hard-boiled eggs, one banana with a few strawberries and W30 compliant Almond Butter

L - Repeat lunch from Day 1 (recipe made enough for two days)

Snack - Cherry Pie Larabar

D - Used the leftover Barbocoa beef to make "Burrito Bowls" with Meat, lettuce & avocado

 
Late night - Herbal tea


DAY THREE :: Sunday, 1/15

B - Repeat breakfast from Day 2

L - Ground Turkey with Power Slaw and roasted sweet potatoes

D - Chicken & Apple Sausage with veggies (this recipe will need to be modified to be W30 compliant so no rice, quinoa or cheese like she mentions).  I made plenty to eat on for lunch that week!

Loved this Applegate Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods - W30 compliant!

 Late night - Herbal tea


DAY FOUR :: Monday, 1/16

B -Repeat breakfast from Day 2 (I get stuck on things)

L - (Leftover) Chicken Sausage with veggies

D -Grilled chicken breast and skewer veggies with a few grilled pear slices

Late night - Herbal tea & banana with coconut flakes (I was bad...but still compliant)


DAY FIVE :: Tuesday, 1/17

B - Repeat breakfast

L - (Leftover) Chicken Sausage with veggies

Snack: Chomps Jerky (W30 approved)

D -Taco meat with homemade W30 compliant taco seasoning and Mexican Cauliflower Rice (made extra for lunch next day

If you are dying to actually make a taco use these Jicama tortillas!

Late night:  Herbal tea & banana with almond butter


DAY SIX :: Wednesday, 1/18

B - Banana with almond butter

L - Taco salad with sliced avocado and Cauliflower Rice

I just used a squeeze of lime for salad dressing and it was delish!

 
Snack: Chomps Jerky (W30 approved)

D - "Drip Beef" from slow cooker with roasted red potatoes and leftover grilled skewer veggies
Late night: Herbal tea *I pushed through and kicked the late night food habit

DAY SEVEN :: Thursday, 1/19

B - Egg and Avocado Salad

L - Spinach Salad from La Madeline (No chicken, dressing, mushrooms or bacon) with leftover Beef from the night before.  Used Tessamae's Balsamic Dressing since it's W30 compliant! 

*No snack!  Trying to kick this habit too...part of the program is to stick to 3 solid meals rather than snacks which should only be used when necessary.  

D - Turkey Power Slaw

Late night - Herbal tea

Luckily I love black coffee so I drink that in the morning, plain ice water or lemon water throughout the day and I have been drinking lots of herbal tea at night instead of my normal "eat all the things" late-night snacking habit!  

My tip of the week is to just stock up on items each week that can be quick go-to meals in case you get busy or don't have time to prep.  Have a plan, even if it's just a loose one.  I did not choose what meals I would make each night, but I did have a list of things I could make so that when it came time to fix dinner after a long day, I didn't have to search for recipes or not have something I needed!   Going to the grocery store on Sunday really helped and then I did some prep a few nights this week after the kiddos were asleep.  Not terrible! 

My goal for the next seven days is NO FOOD after 8pm.  Just herbal tea!  And to try not to snack during the day.  Of course eat when I'm hungry, but avoid the temptation for snacking. 

Week One Complete!  Anyone else doing Whole 30?  Would love to hear your favorite meals and tips for survival.  I'm still a week away from the "feel good" zone. 

Hope you have a happy & healthy weekend! 

Menu Monday :: What We're Eating This Week

Sorry this post is a little late!  Our nanny had a loss in her family and had to unexpectedly take the week off last minute so we've been scrambling to figure out work and appointments this week.  With that said, life goes on and we've still gotta eat dinner!

And as I was pulling my recipes for the week, I realized that all but one came from some of my favorite bloggers.  You can clearly see how I get my meal ideas!  

Sunday :: Bow Tie Fiesta Casserole {Blue Eyed Bride}

This is a repeater from just a few weeks ago, but we had company over on Sunday and I knew we'd be hanging out by the pool all day so I wanted something so easy that I could prep ahead of time and throw in the oven at the end of the day!  I served with fruit and salad.  

Also, be sure and check out the recipe for Sweet Corn & Zucchini Fritters with Avocado Crema {Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers}.  Such a yummy lunch/snack when hanging out by the pool all afternoon. 

Monday :: Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps {Mama & Mou}

This is one of my favorite weeknight recipes.  Easy to throw together, crowd-pleaser (even Jack) and it makes excellent leftovers for the week.   Since I was excited to watch the season finale of The Bachelorette Monday night, I dubbed these the "Wrap It Up" Lettuce Wraps. 

Tuesday :: Sweet & Tangy Meatballs, Asian Salad

I'm almost embarrassed at how easy these are AND how gross the ingredients actually sound together, but it's surprisingly good.  ...and easy!  Being a working mom/SAHM this week, easy is needed!  I serve these over brown rice with sugar snap peas and an Asian salad.  Jack will eat these with the rice and orange slices.  

Wednesday ::  Crunchy BBQ Brisket Tacos {Mix & Match Mama}

Another yummy and easy dinner since it's done in the crockpot.  These are delicious and give you something a little different than traditional tacos or BBQ. 


Thursday :: Turkey Taco Casserole {Honey We're Healthy}

This meal reminds me of the lettuce wraps above in terms of making them.  Super easy and throwing a mix of ingredients in a skillet.  We eat these like a little "burrito bowl" with some cheese, sliced avocado and jalapenos (except for Jack, ha). 


Have a great week!  I'm linking up with Colleen of Meet the Sullivans for Menu Monday today.  Be sure and check out the other great meal ideas. 

Menu Monday :: What We're Eating This Week

Happy Monday!  I'm beat from the weekend sadly.  Between my neighborhood closet sale which was a big success to just getting ready for the week, I'm sitting here asking myself when my weekend will arrive?  I never got that pedicure I wanted to do yesterday so I may try and do it after work just so I have a little ME time.  I guess that's the life of a mom.  

This week is NOT a great example of what we're eating.  Not a lot of great recipes to link to and I almost didn't post, however I wanted to show that not every week is made up of delicious, healthy, home-cooked meals....at least not in our house.  You may think this is terrible, but if that's the case, we can't be friends.  Some weeks you are just in survival mode!

Sunday :: Hamburgers and Salad 

This isn't an exciting meal, but it was perfect for last night since we were hanging out by the pool.   Jack ate his with a side of Mac & Cheese and avocado and Jason and I opted for a salad since we'd eaten pretty bad the entire weekend. 

Monday :: Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs {Slow Cooker Meal}, Mashed Potatoes & Salad

This freezer meal did not get made last week due to Jason's crazy work schedule.  He was hosting a huge group of event planners, promoting the city and was out past 2am three nights in a row!  Jack and I did smaller meals since it was just the two of us like "breakfast for dinner" one night and grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Tuesday :: Hamburger Mac

Don't judge, but as a working mom sometimes we need a quick meal idea that Jack is guaranteed to eat.  Ours may or not be coming from a box labeled "Hamburger Helper."  This is a late night for Jason so I take the easy route when I'm on my own! 

Wednesday :: Cilantro Lime Chicken {Slow Cooker Meal}

This recipe is one of my favorites.  It's easy to prep, easy to serve and everyone likes it!  I serve with fresh corn tortillas.  Great leftovers on this one too! 

Thursday :: Lasagna

Again, no judgment!  This will be coming from kitchen de Stouffer's for same reason as Tuesday. 

Friday :: Pickup

By Friday I will be done or we may just eat leftovers.  We'll see how the week goes!

Underwhelmed by this post?  I'll try to do better in the coming weeks!  

Hope you have a wonderful week!

--

Linking up today with Colleen of Meet the Sullivans!

Menu Monday :: What We're Eating This Week

Happy Monday!  I love to read what others eat in their house so I thought I'd share our menu this week.  As you can see below we aren't currently in "dieting" mode as I'm pregnant and just like easy, comfort food.  We do try to watch our portions, especially when eating meals with pasta and cheese.

I love slow cooker meals since I work during the day.  It's nice to have dinner made so I can enjoy a few hours with Jack when I get home rather than trying to find a distraction for him while mommy cooks.  My husband doesn't arrive home until dinnertime (or often after Jack and I have already eaten on some days) so dinner planning and prep all falls on momma...tired, pregnant momma!  


Sunday :: Bow Tie Fiesta, Chopped SW Salad
I made a few pans of this meal on Sunday for some friends so of course had to make one for us too.  Not exactly healthy, but something that everyone will love and makes great leftovers to eat on all week.   And yes, I linked you to a pre-made, bagged salad mix, but it's my favorite so I wanted to share with you!  You can easily replicate it if you don't like bagged salads. 


Monday :: Chicken Parmesan and salad
I don't have a recipe for this meal.  There is a chef in my neighborhood who does a service out of his home every Monday called "Souper Monday".  Each Monday he offers a new soup that you can purchase by the quart.  I am a regular customer because it makes my Mondays  little more bearable!  We haven't had a bad meal from him yet.  This week he also made Chicken Parmesan and I snatched up a pan...it sold out in minutes!  So this afternoon all I have to do is make some pasta and quick salad and dinner is served!

Tuesday :: Slow Cooker Taco Soup & Cornbread
I've made this recipe several times.  I know there are better taco soup recipes out there, but I love how easy this one is to prepare!  Plus Jack likes it so win-win.  I reviewed this recipe here.  

Wednesday :: Hamburger Patties and Egg Noodles
No recipe here and probably super boring for most, but this is my Czech comfort food: meat and buttered noodles.  I just make the hamburger patties in a skillet with a chopped onion and seasoning and serve with noodles and fruit. 

  

Thursday :: Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs, Mashed Potatoes and Salad
I've made this recipe before and it was super easy and good.  I reviewed it here.

Friday :: Pickup/Out to Eat
Fridays are our traditional "mommas night off" night where we either pickup something on our way home, order Pizza or go out to eat (usually Mexican).  It's a great way to celebrate the end of the week!

Saturday :: Throw something on the grill.  Lots of options here! 


What are you eating this week?  If several of you like these posts, maybe we can organize a simple linkup...unless there is already one out there that I don't know about.  Then please share!