September Whole30 Meal Plan // Week 4

Week four!

How are you feeling? I'm going to be totally honest here and tell you that I ended my Whole30 early*. I didn't cheat, slip up, or break the rules, either. I made a conscious, adult decision to eat some chicken and potatoes that had been cooked in peanut oil and some vegetable soup that contained corn. The decisions I made aren't that terrible, but they will definitely require me to restart my Whole30. 

Nonetheless, we are still following the meal plans since we eat 99% paleo anyway!

You can find the meal plan here and the shopping list here.

Happy Whole30.

xoxo

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*In an effort to prevent any hateful comments, I made this decision because I was totally overwhelmed, my husband was out of town, my poor child was teething and tired, and I had absolutely zero meal prep done. I also had no time to do any meal prep, so I ate what I had access to. Sometimes something just has to give, know what I mean?

September Whole30 Meal Plan // Week 3

Y'all, it's been a long week. Somehow last week carried over into this week, and come Friday I was done. And I mean DONE. My husband was out of town for a week and got home late last Saturday, so needless to say, I was stressed. Then I worked all week, had little to no time for meal prep, stressed over my teething babe, planned 898714 side projects and blog posts, and slept very little. But! There is light at the end of the tunnel. It's Saturday evening. I got all my errands taken care of yesterday and today. I am sitting on our new-to-us and comfortable-as-heaven couch and breathing in the spicy smell of Thieves oil diffusing into our living room and the relaxing scent of Stress Away on my wrists and neck. The Georgia game is on and my man is beside me. #ThankGodfor finally having some down time (and ignoring the 898713 other things on my todo list). 

But that's not what you came here for. You came here for meal plans, and you can find the meal plan for week three here and the shopping list here. Also, important note: the butternut squash soup from last week is AMAZING when topped with a little coconut milk/cream. Just sayin.

Happy Whole30ing

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos 

September Whole30 Meal Plan // Week 2

Week one: done!

 In my opinion, week one is the hardest. I'm not sure about you but I battled a headache the majority of the week and had some pretty good dark chocolate cravings at night. Just goes to show how powerful sugar can be! I ended up eating most of my meals off the plan that I posted because I had absolutely no time for meal prep this week. More on what to do when that happens coming in a post soon!

You can find next week's meal plan here and the shopping list here.

Also, find week one's meal plan information here.

Happy Whole30 Week 2!

xoxo

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September Whole30 Meal Plan // Week 1

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Husband and I are starting another Whole30 on Monday, and I am honestly pretty excited. I am spending the long weekend looking at some new recipes, making meal plans and shopping lists (for you!), and drinking heavenly coffee with grass-fed heavy cream. Ha! 

A few changes from last time...

--> No more smoothies in the plan or during my Whole30. After reading this article and doing some research that sent me into a pretty substantial rabbit hole, I've broken up with my blender and removed smoothies from my diet. The bottom line from my research is this: no matter what you put in your smoothie or how green it may be, it's a direct sugar surge to your body. And sending a mainline of sugar to my liver first thing in the morning is most definitely not how I want to start my day. I still have the occasional post-workout smoothie (clean protein powder, almond milk, cocoa powder, avocado, ice cubes) and very  very seldom will use a smoothie as a meal replacement. (If you're interested, you can find some of my research on the subject here.)

--> I've long since changed my thinking regarding 'breakfast, lunch and dinner' and am completely on board with eating soup, chicken salad, or leftovers first thing in the morning and calling it breakfast. However, I think for people transitioning from a SAD or for those new to paleo, it is helpful to think of food in the terms of 'first, second and third meal' of the day.

--> We are tinkering with the ideas of cyclic low-carb diet and carb back-loading in hopes of improving athletic performance (especially me -- my cardiovascular endurance is pretty shot after having a babe). That being said, if that isn't your goal you can add in some fruits with your meals -- an apple with breakfast, refrigerated canned coconut milk + half a banana + a sprinkle of cinnamon. Just be sure you aren't using fruit as a substitute for dessert or to satisfy a craving for sweets.

 So... here is the meal plan for week one and the shopping list. I don't stick to this completely, meaning that I might eat leftover stew for breakfast and eggs for dinner, but this is the gist of what we are eating this week. If you want to prep on the weekends like we do, put the stew in the slow cooker, bake chicken in the oven for salads, make the coconut soup, and brown the ground meat for spaghetti. While that is cooking, chop up all your veggies for snacks and salads. We store veggie sticks in mason jars in the fridge and prepare our lunch salads in individual containers with the exception of the protein and dressing.

Happy Whole 30!

xoxo

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Monday Meal Planning: Whole 30 Week 5 Meal Plan

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The final week of our January Whole30 is here! It's safe to say that I have definitely learned a thing or two about the way I look at meals and the way certain foods* affect me. I am looking forward to another week of good, clean food for both me and the little guy still residing in my belly. It feels so good to be giving him the nutrition he needs -- a practice I look forward to continuing once he's eating real food himself. 

I have to admit that these last few weeks of pregnancy are finding me pretty tuckered out and with a bit less pep in my step. That being said, I've relied on frozen meals from November and December and am repeating recipes that are easy {but delicious} or that are super husband-friendly. The meal plan and recipes can be found here. 

Here's to another week of clean eating and continuing these new habits long after the Whole30 is through!

xoxo

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*Since husband and I started our Whole30 early, we decided to allow ourselves dairy this past weekend as our super generous friends threw us a couples baby shower. I honestly thought that I tolerated dairy well, but after not having it at all for 30 days, then having it in bulk {read: delicious gluten-free pizza} it left me with a serious migraine. Let's just say that Saturday night was really rough for me. And now I am back on the no-dairy train... indefinitely.

Monday Meal Planning: Whole 30 Week 4 Meal Plan

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How was week three of the Whole30? Nothing terribly exciting to report here. Just some long work days and an overcooked beef roast. {I made the mistake of cooking it in a slow cooker overnight, which left it warming all. night. long. Needless to say, it was a bit tough. Lesson learned.} Other than that, just starting to get a bit antsy that we are less than eight weeks from our due date. When did that happen?

Oh, and I ran out of gas Wednesday morning... on my way to the gas station {and then the doctor}... and my sister had to come help me... and the gas can was broken so the nozzle wouldn't work... and we didn't have a funnel... and then a kind soul took pity on us and helped us use an empty water bottle as a funnel...

Oy. #thankGodforsisters #neveragain

Here is this week's meal plan, if you choose to follow along!

I don't know about you, but we have really been enjoying soup for breakfast these last few weeks. It's warm and comforting and also filling and oh so healthy. 

Here's to another successful week!

xoxo

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Monday Meal Planning: Whole30 Week 3 Meal Plan

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How was week two? Not gonna lie. This week left me pretty exhausted and at my wits end by Friday afternoon. I think it was a combination of pregnancy, sugar cravings and feeling absolutely heartbroken for those around me. So K and I decided to get out of the house on Friday. We didn't go anywhere fabulous, just the local Longhorns. K ordered salmon and I ordered steak. We each had a baked sweet potato with cinnamon and a garden salad (no cheese or croutons!) with balsamic vinaigrette. While we didn't eat anything that wasn't paleo, I am sure the marinade on our meat and the dressing weren't strict Whole30 (probably some honey or other sweetener). But you know what? We wanted to celebrate life, spend time with each other and not cook another meal, so we did. And sometimes you just need to get out of the house, right?

I honestly spent most of the weekend in the house. Cooking and prepping meals in the kitchen, cleaning and organizing the living room, putting bedding on the crib and hanging things in little bean's room. This week will be long, but I am looking forward to having delicious, healthy meals. 

Find the menu and recipe links here.

Here's to another successful week of the January Whole30!

xoxo

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Monday Meal Planning: Whole30 Week 2 Recipes

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How was the first week of your Whole30? 

Ours went pretty well, with the only stumbling block being me not eating quite enough. There were a couple times this week that I was absolutely starving in the afternoons. I've realized that for me, eating three meals plus two snacks is going to be key. Being seven months pregnant and having a short torso means that eating larger meals makes me pretty uncomfortable, so snacks it is. I've revamped our snack options for this coming week to include more foods that are calorie dense and contain good fats -- hard boiled eggs with avocado and paleo mayonnaise, veggie sticks with mayo or sunflower seed butter.

Here is the list of meals and recipes for week two of the January Whole30. You can also find the shopping list here. I included a list of pantry staples on this shopping list because I realized that there were a few things last week that we used but didn't need to buy at the store. I also want to point out that I buy all of our meat on sale and store it in the freezer, even it we don't "need" it. It really does save us money, and if you are making 90-100% of your meals at home, you won't have a freezer full of meat for long.

Also, on the topic of fruit. I limit myself to one apple and 1/2 to 1 other serving of fruit per day. This includes any fruits that you put in a breakfast hash or salad. While it is technically paleo and Whole30-approved, you don't want to go too crazy on the fruit since it is sugar (albeit natural). 

Happy Whole30 Week 2!

xoxo

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Monday Meal Planning: Whole30 January 2014

With the holidays behind us and 2014 just around the corner, husband and I decided a Whole30 was in order. I'm actually pretty pleased with the way we handled holiday eating this year, only indulging ourselves with sweets and not going crazy with breaking our diet. That being said, I still feel the need for a cleanse, a restart if you will. And January seems like the obvious time for just that. Giving up bread and even dairy is easy for me... but start taking away all sweets and things get hairy. I am well aware of my sugar cravings and addiction {yeah, I said it} and am ready to finally face the reality of what is happening. I don't want to crave dessert. I don't want to bake 'paleo' sweets regularly. I want to feed my body with whole, truly healthy foods {I'm looking at you, food pyramid} and reap the results. 

So, now that the soap box portion of this post is over, here's our plan for a successful Whole30:

Plan and prep like it's your job.

That being said, you absolutely have to make it work for you. For us, that means prepping meals on Sunday because we both work Monday thru Friday. And I also know that the days that I work late, we need a meal that simply requires reheating. Because when you are exhausted after a long work day, and it is 7pm and your feet hurt, that drive thru/Chinese take out/local pizza place looks oh so appealing.

 I put my organizational skills to work and  created a spreadsheet of meals and snacks for the entire thirty days. I also made shopping lists and provided links to the recipes we will be using. And all of that is available to you here. And the shopping list for week one can be found here.

Today and tomorrow are technically day(s) zero for us, but we are already on the clean eating schedule. We decided to allow ourselves black coffee in the mornings since it's just so. cold. outside, and sweet potatoes are fair game but must be consumed in moderation. Other than that, it's on. No honey, no maple syrup. No paleo pancakes or breads. I am really looking forward to feeding my body with all of the nutritious things we have in store.

Here's to a successful Whole30! I do hope you will join us! Please let me know if you do!

xoxo

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