Happy Sunday!
What are you going to do this week to be a better, healthier you?
Remember, it’s OK to take baby steps. Each healthy choice = a better, healthier, happier you …
Whole30 Success
Well, today mark’s my 17th day of the Whole30 program (can I get a woop woop!!) That means no diary, gluten, legumes, alcohol, soy or processed foods. I’ve NEVER done anything like this before in my life and … I’m so happy and I feel so good!
There were some hard days mixed into those first couple weeks … resisting chocolate brownie cake, no alcohol whatsoever, some intense/weird cravings (my brain was pulling out all the stops by reminding me of random stuff like cheese puffs ha). Here are some of the positive things I have been experiencing …
- Majorly decreased sugar cravings (I’m good with 2 pieces of fruit a day)
- No “food guilt.” This is HUGE for me. I don’t know about you, but I was stuck in a cycle of giving into cravings, feeling guilty, feeling fat, wanting to change, giving into cravings … Over and over.
- No “food baby” feeling because woah baby I ate way too much
- Getting full faster
- Staying full longer
- A completely different view on food … I don’t think about it as much and it’s not my “go to” for emotional comfort.
- I feel lighter
- Looking healthier!! … Even though I’m waiting to weigh-in until day 30, I feel like I’ve lost weight, I’m getting compliments on how healthy/glowing/thin I look … Major plus !
I’m also starting to think about how I will sustain eating like this after the 30 days. And honestly, it’s not intimidating and I’m looking forward to continuing this lifestyle. More on that later …
Spicy Stir Fry
As promised, here’s another dish I enjoyed this week 🙂 …
Ingredients
2-4 Chicken breasts
4- 5 Cups Veggies of your choice (I used red peppers, Baby Bella mushrooms, broccoli, sweet yellow onions and snow peas)
3 Cloves garlic
3 T Coconut Oil
1 batch of the “Best Stir Fry Sauce Ever” (get it from the Well Fed cookbook or create your own)
Directions (super easy)
- Make a batch of the “Best Stir Fry Sauce Ever” or create your own.
- In a large covered pan (I used my wok), steam 1T coconut oil and all of your veggies until tender.
- In a large frying pan, add garlic and remaining coconut oil. Cook the garlic until it’s brown (be careful not to let it burn).
- Add chicken and saute until it is cooked through and begins to brown.
- Add chicken and sauce to the veggies and steam for 5 minutes.
- Eat and enjoy!
Learning to Meal Plan
So, I’ve been experimenting with meal planning in order to keep foods at hand that are healthy and it’s been surprisingly fun! I’m still learning but I thought I would share what I’ve been doing and if you have ideas or things that have worked for you, please share.
My meal planning consists of:
- Reviewing my cookbooks: Right now my favorites are Practical Paleo and Well Fed (I strongly encourage you to get cookbooks and start reviewing them before making big food changes like the Whole30 because they will show you that you can actually eat like this and it will encourage you.)
- Grocery shopping (this is MANDATORY to have a successful week eating)
- Prepping breakfasts and deciding on recipes for the week (I commit to make 3 new recipes a week)
- Prepping Hot Plates (pulling meat out of the freezer/fridge and browning/seasoning it)
The Well Fed cookbook helped encourage me to make “Hot Plates,” which consist of preparing protein, veggies, spices and sauces in advance to make dinners easier and less time-consuming because that you prepare portions of in advance. This really helps me to not feel overwhelmed by looking at creating recipes every single night. Here’s my favorite Hot Plate right now:
- Ground Beef + Taco Seasoning (chili powder, cumin, onion powder, salt) + tomatoes, lettuce and black olives
Now back to meal planning … Thanks for reading!
~Kate
P.S. I’m totally going to experiment with spaghetti squash later this week … I’ll let you know how it turns out.