Whole30 - Week 3 Meals

Whoa. We have officially completed 3 entire weeks of Whole30! I kind of did not think it was possible but also thought I could totally do it, if that makes any sense at all. If you're new, Week 1 meals are here and Week 2 are here.

I will confess, this weekend was the hardest. The beginning of the week started strong. We were continuing to have amazing sleep, lots of energy and few cravings. Meals were enjoyable although the constant dish cleaning was not so much.

Then Friday happened. Here's the thing, Friday's have always been the night I don't cook which means we either go out for pizza or Mexican food. So by Friday I was pretty much over the whole30 idea. We had conquered eating at home for every meal and only went out 1 time in 17 days. And since our main goal of doing whole30 was to eat out less, I'd say we achieved that goal. Plus, I really didn't want to cook, clean dishes and just really, really wanted some chips, salsa and queso. Throw in a margarita and I wouldn't object. But, we stayed strong. Made a dinner omelette and called it a night. #lame.

And then Saturday happened. It was the perfect day for prepping the garden beds for planting in the coming weeks. We were outside all day. Raking. Pulling weeds. Gathering leaves. Getting dirty. Before we knew it the sun was going down and it was time for dinner. Only, we'd been outside all day so nothing had been prepared. My husband and were half talking each other into quitting and half talking into each other to sticking with it. We were weak. But in the end we said, "hey, we've made it 20 days, what's another 10? Let's do this."

So hot dogs for dinner it was! And now we're in the home stretch and I'm really proud of us sticking with it and staying home of taking the easy way out and giving up and going out to eat. That chips and salsa will taste so much better in 10 days! hahaha

So how did we survive week 3? Quick and easy meals, a lot of eggs, fruit and salads. There were ZERO recipes this week. Meaning, we pretty much bought proteins and fruits and veggies that were on sale (hello, Sprouts, my new favorite place for produce sales!) and threw them together. Nothing fancy or glamorous but it got us through.

DAY 15

Breakfast: fresh blackberries, sliced strawberries and bananas with a 2 egg omelette with green onions (cooked in TJ's ghee)
Lunch: green leaf lettuce with leftover sardine salad with TJ's plantain chips (not my best, y'all)
Dinner: oven roasted chicken thighs with root veggies (carrots, beets and parsnips)

DAY 16

Breakfast: strawberries and blackberries, 2 fried eggs and a sausage patty
Lunch: salad with TJ's cruciferous crunch mix and green leaf lettuce topped with sliced cucumber, carrots, green onion, a hard boiled egg (made in the instant pot) and sliced chicken thigh (leftover from night before) with "dump ranch"
Dinner: "rostisserie chicken" made in the Instant Pot, smashed baby potatoes with green onion and bacon and peas

DAY 17

Breakfast: sliced bananas, kiwi and blackberries with 2 soft boiled eggs and leftover smashed potatoes
Lunch: lettuce wrapped beef slider topped with guacamole, onion, sauteed mushrooms and Louisiana Gold red sauce with TJ's plantain chips and carrots
Dinner: 1st time eating out on whole30, we went to Ruby Tuesday and had the salad bar (glorious) and the triple prime burger without the bun (glorious)

DAY 18

Breakfast: oranges and some sauteed TJ's cruciferous greens mix topped with 2 fried eggs and a slice of prosciutto
Lunch: mixed greens topped with sliced apple, green onion, shaved chicken breast, a medium boiled egg and chopped pecans with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
Dinner: grilled steak and chicken kabobs with green bell pepper, onion and mushrooms, mashed potatoes (used the instant pot) and oranges and pineapple

DAY 19

Breakfast: oranges, pineapple and blackberries with a 2 egg omelette with green onion
Lunch: mixed green salad topped with sliced cucumber, carrots, green onion, prosciutto, shaved chicken bresat and a medium boiled egg topped with "dump ranch"
Dinner: omelette filled with leftover kabob meat and veggies and topped with TJ's salsa verde with grapes, pineapple and bananas with a little chia seed sprinkled on top

DAY 20

Breakfast: strawberries, bananas and kiwi with chia seed and potato pancakes topped with TJ's unsweetened applesauce
Lunch: mixed green salad topped with sliced apple, cucumber, green onion, prosciutto, chopped pecans and a medium boiled egg topped with "dump ranch"
Dinner: all beef franks topped with TJ's sauerkraut, onions, Siegi's mustard and Louisiana Gold red sauce and homemade dried jalapeno flakes from the garden with a sliced avocado

DAY 21

Breakfast: fruit salad with kiwi, oranges, strawberry and apples with chia seeds and cinnamon, a pan cooked pork chop and scrambled eggs
Lunch: leftover grilled chicken thigh, hard boiled egg (yay Instant Pot) and my favorite broccoli salad
Dinner: grilled hamburger patty with grilled jalapenos, onions and guacamole with grilled broccoli and oven roasted potato and sweet potato fries


In keeping with weeks 1 and 2, here are some thoughts on the whole Whole30 thing:

• my husband and I are weird. That whole timeline thing is opposite for us. This past week we were supposed to have crazy energy but instead we both had random headaches and were tired even though I have been getting the best sleep I've had in 6 years. Weird.
• we also decided there is nothing wrong with cheese or sugar. They are good. They make us happy. I think our marriage needs them.
• also, let's add chips to things our marriage benefits from
• while whole30 meals are undoubtedly healthy, there are only so many ways you can cook a "compliant" egg without it tasting like, well, an egg
• these may sound like complaints and I'm sorry, I try my best to stay positive during the week but this is where I get honest and do you know how hard it is to make homemade chocolate chip banana bread and not eat ANY of it?! Let me tell you. It's hard.

But it's not all bad. There's a lot of good too. Which is why I guess a lot of people do this #whole30 thing

• for example, I've mentioned sleeping better. I used to average like 20+ restless moments during sleep and now it's more like 10 or less (thank you Fitbit for that info)
• I have more sustained energy throughout the day instead of waves of sugar induced energy so that's probably good too
• we have only eaten out 1 time in 21 days so that's HUGE
• I'm a lot better at finding produce deals and making sure we have plenty of fresh fruit and veggies on hand
• I feel better. Seriously. I feel great when I wake up. Great throughout the day and great when I go to bed.  
• my clothes are fitting a bit looser so that's not bad either
• oh, and Trader Joe's and Sprouts are still places of beauty

So we're taking the good with the bad and have 9 days left.