Andy and I have been joking that 95% of posts on social media right now are about Essential Oils or Whole30.
We suspect that if you’re doing both, you probably have rainbows shooting out your rear end! LOL
But seriously, I know that our country as a whole is more mindful about health and wellness than ever before, so it only makes sense that holistic healing methods are taking the world by storm.
I’m the kind of person who very easily becomes obsessed with stuff like this which is why I’ve been hesitant to dip my toe into these waters.
Very hesitant.
I’ve posted about food again and again and again and again, so if you’ve followed me for a while you know I’m on a quest to see what ultimately works for me and my family. Along this journey I’ve experimented with being Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo, and at times I’ve thrown in the towel and eaten garbage.
Not real garbage, but you get my drift.
My Recipe Index is even a history of the twists and turns my eating has taken over the past several years. Lol
What ends up happening is that I get so obsessed with all the “rules” that I create an idol in my heart which takes my focus off God – or – I start feeling so restricted that I throw in the towel and eat like crap just to rebel.
Neither one of these is good for my overall health and well being.
I want to have my heart and mind focused on Christ while also taking care of my physical body so that I have the health and energy to serve God and my family well.
That’s why I’m doing Whole30.
After Drew was born I went into survival mode. It was all kinds of “Don’t worry about what you eat, just get through each day!”
Then it became, “Well, you ARE breastfeeding so go ahead and soothe yourself with ice cream and junk food every night!”
All of that has left me feeling overweight and overwhelmed by my poor choices.
Andy started the plan before me since he’s working to lose “holiday weight” before his upcoming Navy physical and he’s had really great results in just the first week.
I gave myself until Monday to get started because I wanted to eat up some of the non-compliant foods we had in the house. Let me say they weren’t near as enjoyable as my mind always thinks they will be. My nightly bowls of ice cream have become so habitual that they don’t even feel like a treat anymore.
It was definitely time for a change!
While most people feel optimistic on day one, I felt total anxiety. I wanted to quit after lunch and the idea of 30 days eating like this felt like the end of the world.
After a nap and a good dinner I felt slightly more hopeful, but still doubted that I’d be able to see this through till the end.
Drew had a rough night getting to sleep and as a result, I woke up late the next morning. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but I co-lead a Bible study at church on Tuesdays, so I had to get my booty in gear!
This would generally mean I’d down a cup of sugary creamed coffee and grab a high carb snack as I rushed out the door, but thankfully I was prepared and had some veggie egg “muffins” in the fridge so I ate two of those and grabbed a black coffee at church.
After Bible study I came home and made the girls and myself lunch and felt even better.
There really is something to feeding out bodies nourishing foods rather than subsisting on things we know aren’t good for us.
Of course I still get hit with cravings and urges to eat foods that are not compliant with the Whole30 plan, but I’m not dreading the next month the way I thought I would. It’s even been kind of fun to plan and prepare meals that follow the “rules” of the program.
Here are some of the things I’ve made and enjoyed so far:
Compliant tuna salad in butter lettuce wraps (with mayo above – wild tuna no additives from Costco)
Roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts with pre-cooked compliant roast beef from Costco and this incredible chimichurri
Crockpot roast beef with onions, carrots, and potatoes
Sauteed broccoli slaw with onions and Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning topped with fried eggs
Giant salad with tons of fresh veggies and compliant smoked pulled pork from Costco, topped with a Wholly Guacamole cup and Trader Joe’s salsa verde
Italian chicken fingers with steamed asparagus and broiled potatoes
Shrimp Scampi with Zoodles
and a bunch of other random “meals” we made up with meat, eggs, and veggies.
I’ve got a Whole30 Pinterest board going to provide some inspiration and variety as we continue on this journey and there are a bunch of Instagrammers who have great Whole30 feeds (@teamwhole, @wholesisters, @whole30recipes)
Have you done Whole30? If so, what did you think??