Guys, I sautéed plantains. Me. Seriously. I have never purchased fresh plantains before because, quite frankly, I have been intimidated by them. But part of the reason I chose to cook this recipe was the plantains. 

Thankfully, the Whole 30 Cookbook takes all the fear out of it. The book is full of tips... like when it told me that the plantains will be ready to use when the peels are almost black. I would have never known that. And let's be real, I would have tossed them thinking that they had expired. I will tell you though, they can take a while to ripen. I bought them thinking they'd be like avocados or bananas (quick to turn bad after you leave the Publix parking lot), but these guys took almost a week!

I could not find Jamaican jerk seasoning that was Whole 30 approved, so I made my own (also a tip in the book). It was easy and delicious. 

I added extra orange zest about halfway through the baking process. I liked it, but Stu and Reagan both wiped the orange off. Oh well. 

My plantains were not perfect. I think I used too much coconut oil, plus I forgot to add the vinegar. Oops. I still thought they were super tasty. Reagan thought they tasted like slimy sweet bananas. Stu (apparently) will only eat fried plantains from his favorite Cuban restaurant. He would not even try it. 

Holy smokes! We survived. 

It was not always easy, but I can 100% say it was worth it. 

Stu and I kicked off our weight-loss journey by going extreme. Whole 30 was the kick in the pants we needed. I can honestly say that if we hadn't gone through this, my mindset would not have changed enough for me to make major, life changing and permanent steps I need to. 

What are you eating? What is the food like? -- We get asked that ALL the time.

I'll admit, before we started, I was afraid of the food too. I was not sure how I could possibly stomach eating sugar-free, dairy-free for an entire month. Would the food be good? Would it be edible? Would I cry every single day dreaming of Oreos? 

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If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have suspected that we were interested in Whole30... my food board (Bits of Deliciousness) has exploded with Whole30 recipes. 

Stu is actually the one who came to me with the idea. He and I have agreed that we need to "do something".  Neither one is thrilled with the mirror, photos or our clothing. I'm not totally sure where the idea for Whole30 came to Stu. But he mentioned it to me, and I started researching it. 

Whole30 is a major overhaul and change of lifestyle. Check out their site for details. I definitely suggest ordering the book. 

Before we even began officially, I read through most of the 30-DAY Guide to TOTAL HEALTH and FOOD FREEDOM book. It's chock-full of excellent information. If you are considering, not sure, wondering what it's all about, or going to take the plunge yourself, read this first!

My next step was to prepare. Mentally. Emotionally. And literally. I needed to clean out the fridge. I needed to plan out our meals. I needed a game plan. 

I typed up a "menu" plan for our week. I have already made changes to it, but it helps me to see what we are going to eat. And more importantly, it helps me know what I need to prepare (like that brisket, which needs to thaw then sit in the crockpot all day). Also, we are not having chicken tonight... we've eaten chicken for lunch for a few days. I'm fairly sure Stu would bash his head into the table if I served chicken AGAIN. 

My weekly meal plan menu hangs on our fridge. It's a good reminder for me. And it has helps me stick to it. 

I'll be back with updates. As I am writing this, we are only a few days in. By the time this post is published, we will be one official week down. Check back (or subscribe) for updates on our progress and journey.