Whole 30: What Are You Eating?

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? 

The food has been DELICIOUS. Simply delicious. We have had only one or two "meh" dinners. I have not been even remotely creative with lunch or breakfast...

Breakfast

There are plenty of breakfast recipes out there in the world (and the cookbook), but I gave up pretty much immediately on making anything. It only took two days of scrambled eggs for us to decide "nope". And honestly, I have NO energy in the morning*. It is SO difficult to drag my butt out of bed, the idea of making anything is outrageous. Luckily Stu feels the same way. We are both happy with hard-boiled eggs and fruit. 

I have to make sure we have a bowl full of peeled, hard-boiled eggs in the fridge at all times. I don't even know how many he takes and eats each day. I typically eat about 3-5 per day. 

I drink black coffee with coconut milk everyday. It's my lifeblood. Before we got started, my sister suggested I brew a pot of coffee, let it cool, pour it into a pitcher and keep it in the fridge. She said she found the taste of cold black coffee was more pleasant than hot black. I have grown to love it. Will I stay away from hot, sweet coffee when this is over? Probably not. There is something wonderful about curling up with a piping hot cup and a good book (or bunch of blogs - I love reading other mom blogs in the morning). But that will be few and far between... my cold coffee brew tastes good and makes me feel good. 

Lunch

Again, lunch is nothing earth-shatteringly crazy for us. Stu packs a huge cooler every morning. It's full of fruit, eggs, tuna, carrots, water. Stuff to get him through the day. His job often requires him to eat out with clients... he's come to love (not really) salads with no cheese, no croutons, no dressing. 

We ordered some ranch dressing from Tessemaes. It's fantastic. We use it on everything. I also ordered to-go packets of the dressing. So Stu usually throws one into his cooler in the morning. That way, if he's out, he can put it on his salad. 

Reagan and I have come to like tuna with homemade mayo. I will add either some fruit or carrots to my meal. Reagan typically goes for Goldfish (NOT on the Whole 30), but whatevs, she's 9. 

Dinner

Here's where we shine. The recipes in the Whole 30 cookbooks are SO good. And most are very easy to make. I have been intimidated by a few (bone-in pork chops and jalapeño turkey burgers on the stove), but the cookbook is written so well. It's like a friend is in the kitchen with me, walking me through the steps, giving pointers and tips, assuaging my fears. I dig it. 

Stu wants me to share with you some of our favorite meals. And I will, just not in this post. Each meal will get its own post. 

For now, I want to share some resources I have found incredibly helpful. If you are contemplating or taking the plunge yourself, earmark these. Trust me, they will help. 

Alrighty then. I'll see you next time. I've got to go get my brisket in the crockpot (so so so yummy). 

* I know I said I'm tired. But it does not last all day. I have found it difficult to initially begin the day. Once I do though, I am good to go. The coffee helps. I feel a bit sluggish in the early afternoon, so sometimes I drink another cup of coffee or just eat some fruit. I cannot stress enough how awesome I feel... I have noticed a HUGE difference in my disposition and mental health.