Day 1 and struggling!

[HopefullyLisa]

It is the end of the first day on my first whole 30 and according to the 'typical timeline' I shouldn't be finding it hard yet. Well I am! I've spent most of the afternoon trying to bargain a way out of it, even though I'm doing this totally voluntarily. My wonderful husband is doing it with me (with no desire to do it of his own accord haha) but after serving a flop of a dinner I'm feeling quite disheartened. I made chicken patties with homemade mayo and vegetables. Well - the potatoes were dry, the patties were tasteless and the mayo was disgusting. I swear I know how to cook! This may be the longest 30 days of my life. 

[ShannonM816]

@HopefullyLisa hang in there. Look for some new recipes or at least some new ideas for seasonings, especially if you're used to using marinades and seasonings that aren't whole30 compliant. I like a lot of the recipes on www.meljoulwan.com -- she focuses on a lot of spices, and most of her recipes are whole30. 

What didn't you like about the mayo? Did you use a light-tasting oil (not evoo, that will make a bitter mayo that is pretty much inedible)? Can you save it by adding some seasonings -- maybe look for some ranch dressing recipes and try some of those herbs and spices, or add some roasted garlic or something? 

[madness]

I tried a bunch of new recipes in the beginning and didn't like a lot of them. Then I realized I could still make most of my old recipes, just leave out the grain component (rice, pasta, etc) of the meal and add more vegetables instead. Think about your typical chicken recipes and which ones are compliant. You may be surprised! And there are even minor tweaks you can make to make them complaint (leave out sugar in a brine, switch soy sauce to coconut aminos, etc).

Hang in there!!!

[Rottiegirl2017]

@HopefullyLisa you got this!  Being super excited, trying a new recipe and having it be a flop is not fun regardless if it's W30 or any other recipe.  I agree with @madness - take a look at your favorite recipes and see what is W30 compliant or that you can easily adjust to make W30 compliant.  I've done a mix of that, and trying new recipes.  I found several recipes that I wanted to try at:  http://www.thekitchn.com/15-dinner-recipes-for-whole30-239853 .  With regards to the homemade mayo, I was skeptical, but made it and it was amazing.  I specifically bought Light tasting Olive Oil as I had seen recommended and it came out great.  I've heard Avocado Oil makes for great mayo as well.

My saving grace have been finding and making a crock pot recipe for each week - this has helped me with lunches, and last minute dinners.  My first week, I made Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas and they were great.  I could have them in romaine "shells", over salad, on its own with a side - lots of options.  Last week, I made a W30 compliant Turkey Chili.  I pretty much just threw W30 compliant stuff in a crock pot based on a mulititude of recipes and went with it.  This week, I will be making Santa Fe Chicken using a modified version of the recipe from Skinnytaste.com.  I have made that recipe many times in the past and it's always a hit.  My hubby will be sad that I will not be including the black beans and corn, but I can make them on the side and he can add them in later.  

Relax, take a deep breath.......it's a new day.  YOU'VE GOT THIS.

[Jilian]

My day 1 was a complete flop too. My mayo was horrible (I used EVOO and do not recommend it!) and it made the most awful salad dressing base. I had a terrible migraine and just felt off. But day 2 and 3 have been much better. Day 1 was my trial-and-error day. I made a new batch of mayo with avocado oil and it is 100x better. Keep on trying, you'll learn what you like and don't like and get into a groove. I'm keeping it simple this first week and not venturing into any complex recipes - just meat and grilled veggies for dinners. I figure that when I'm feeling like I'm in a food rut then I'll venture into some recipes. Good luck and I hope day 2 has been better!  

[HopefullyLisa]

Thank you all so much for your replies! I used olive oil thinking it would be light enough, but it wasn't specifically 'light tasting'. I will keep trying until I find one I like!

@madness Good advice, I have definitely fallen into the trap of trying to find new, 'interesting' recipes when really I should just be doing the meals I normally cook but leaving out any non compliant ingredients. Tonight, much to my husband's delight, we are having steak!

[racheleats]

4 hours ago, HopefullyLisa said:

Thank you all so much for your replies! I used olive oil thinking it would be light enough, but it wasn't specifically 'light tasting'. I will keep trying until I find one I like!

@madness Good advice, I have definitely fallen into the trap of trying to find new, 'interesting' recipes when really I should just be doing the meals I normally cook but leaving out any non compliant ingredients. Tonight, much to my husband's delight, we are having steak!

I have found this approach to whole30 to be the easiest to translate after the 30 days are over too. When you reintroduce things, you can decide whether or not to add them back to your old favorite recipes, but you might find that you really don't even need them! Good luck - glad the mayo turned out better the second time. Light tasting is totally the key - now you can make so many delicious sauces! My favorite is mixing it with franks red hot for a salad dressing, and mixing with spicy brown mustard (check the label, most of the store brand ones I've seen are compliant) for dipping pork chops!