meal plan help

[CatherineH]

I just bought It Starts With Food and I'm very excited about the upcoming changes.However, I'm a bit lost on meal planning and would like some input. I saw two books, the paleo meal plan for 8 weeks and The 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking. Anyone use them or have any other recommendations?

[Tom Denham]

The meal map that begins on page 260 of It Starts With Food is more than enough info to plan a menu for 30 days. If you need more help, you could browse my 400 Whole30-compliant recipes. Neither one of these resources will cost you anything.

[JJB]

Well Fed is a very popular cook book around here too.

[GFChris]

For me, I decide what to cook based on what was easiest for me, and what I like.

I love frittatas, yet I don't want to cook breakfast every day. I found 3-4 frittata recipes that I can bake in the oven, and I have breakfast for days. I rotate through those recipes so I don't get sick of having the same thing every morning.

Love sardines, so I buy several cans at once at the store, and that is my go-to lunch protein.

Love gazpacho in the summer. Did my Whole30 in the month of June and I've probably made at least 5 batches since June 1st. One batch provides many lunch veggies.

For dinners, I like everything: fish, chicken, beef, lamb. I mix it up, including things like shrimp and mussels.

Favorite veggies are spinach, asparagus and sweet potatoes, so I rotate those in among other things.

 

Planning meals about 3-4 days out works for my sanity and grocery shopping.  Have fun!

[Colleen Roy]

Mmmmmmmmm! I forgot about gazpacho! Guess what I am making tomorrow!!!! It will be perfect since it is supposed to be 90+ degrees every day for the whole week!

I love doing a whole30 in the summer because there are SO many fresh fruits and veggies available and you can grill everything and not heat up your house! Mix and match! Grilled leftovers are the bomb!

[Bet]

I did what JJB did and made a bunch of fritters for bkfst and have them ready to just nuke in the am. I also nuked a bunch of frozen spinich and have that in the fridge as the veggie for the fritters. I used to make BN Squash soup but peeling and cutting and baking whole squash, but this week I bought the frozen BN Squash, zapped that, added in coconut mile and voila, 3 sides of BN Squash soup. For the protein portion, I bought a rotisserie chicken and split that between a few lunches.

 

Dinner I have with hubby and he isn't doing W30 (yet!!!), but he loves to grill, so I just add my own compliant side.

 

Since I am doing AI and also excluding fodmaps, most recipes are challenging, so I've just been kind of winging it with what I can eat.

[CatherineH]

Thank you so much for your input and ideas! I am making my meal plan now to start tomorrow. I think it will help me transition better into this new lifestyle. I drink milk and sweet tea daily, hardly eat any vegetables and I consume fast food when working rough shifts. I work as a nurse and my shifts range from 8 to 12 to 16 hour shifts. (And I'm working a 16 today.) I go to weight watchers because it's offered as an incentive for healthy living at our hospital. I want to incorporate the point system with the Paleo diet, which isn't difficult because most fruits and vegetables are zero points. However, I feel there is more to my condition than just calorie or point counting. Although overweight, I feel like a lot of what I'm comsuming is causing issues, especislly inflammatory responses. I have seen a rheumatologist for a reactive ANA titer, and although my reading was low and he was not concerned enough to take further action, my joints including in my hands feel inflammed and tight. I also have GERD, asthma and PCOS. I'm hopeful with following the program I should see some changes. The science and philosophy behind the program makes a lot of sense. My mother and myself also have reactions to gluten - the more processed the more gastric discomfort in comparison to whole grain. I hope to make new friends on here and I am looking forward to seeing how my body does lver the next severeal weeks.

[SpinSpin]

I think you are going to have issues doing points with the whole 30. You will be better served following whole 30 and not doing ww. Focus on whole foods, protein, veggies and healthy fats. I shoot for at least 2 cups of veg per meal, cooked with eggs for meal 1, salads for meal 2 and 3 as well as cooked. Follow the meal template and you won't go wrong. Do not try to do this 'low fat'

[CatherineH]

Nooo, I don't even consume ww products or anything like that. Definitely sticking with meal template but also inserting it into my ww profile. I have invested money into the program initially and would like to continue with it as the hospital provides reimbursements and it is tied into our health insurance. Plus, I really enjoy the meetings and it may not be a bad idea to introduce this to others.

[JJB]

Using WW is highly discouraged. Counting calories/macros and weighing yourself is not part of the W30. It will mess with your head and influence your food choices. Just consider doing the W30 by itself, which will give you the best chance to be successful.

[Bet]

I think you will find your GERD gets much better on W30, especially if you take digestive enzymes and HCL. Also, as far as gluten goes, there really isn't any difference between whole grain or white bread. They both have gluten. I was on a heavy whole grain diet before I got really sick and had to give up gluten in total.

[Tom Denham]

Weight Watchers and the Whole30 are not compatible. They speak different languages and hold radically different values. I can't speak for WW, but if you try to participate in WW while doing a Whole30, you won't be doing a Whole30. I'm sorry.

[ABS32013]

_{name is catherine -}

 

_{Please understand that no one hear wants you to fail, and that's where this is all coming from.  Putting aside the technicalities of non-compatibility of the programs, my personal view (and that's all it is, but it is based on my experience and the experiences of others as conveyed on this Forum) is that you'd be setting yourself up to fail by trying to fit in both plans.  The adjustment to fat-burning can be tough, and I (and others) found that I needed to eat quite a bit of food in the beginning to get through that phase.  My appetite then dropped off such that I was fine with 3 meals of less than gargantuan proportions.  It took a bit of time, though.  There are many reasons W30 is a 30-day program.} 

 

_{If you want to do a W30, then I highly encourage you to do just that - a W30 - and not tinker with the program.  Otherwise, you'll never know how to interpret your results.} 

 

_{Good luck!}

 

_Alyson

[ABS32013]

Oops - that would be no one "here"!

[annabel]

If you've finished reading It Starts With Food, you'll probably understand the negativity towards Weight Watchers.

 

My MIL does WW and spends most days obsessing about food and the points in food and making sure she's done enough walking to earn a glass of wine, etc.  W30 type eating is a whole lot more sustainable than that.

[CatherineH]

I appreciate your input, everyone. I have been reading the book and can see how it can be incompatiable so I'm definitely going to have to reconsider some things. I have been working on my 7 day meal plan and would like your opinions. A lot of meals are repeats because of my schedule with work, such as multiple frittatas when I'm working day shift, 12 hour shifts and 16 hour shifts. Today is my first official day.
 

Now, I have never made a frittata - what's youre favorite recipe?

 

 

Day 1

 

Breakfast: Cooked eggs with bell peppers and onion cooked with olive oil; side of mango

Lunch: Thin cut sirloin on salad with cooked pine nuts and drizzle of olive oil

Dinner: Stir fry vegetables cooked with olive oil and thin cut sirloin, with a side of banana

 

Day 2

Breakfast: Omelet with bell peppers and tomato cooked with olive oil; side of mango

Lunch: Chicken on a salad with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice

Dinner:  Shrimp with coconut milk, bok choy, stir fry vegetables and a side of mango

 

Day 3

Breakfast: Egg frittata and a side of grapes

Lunch: Stir fry vegetables with thin cut sirloin and olive oil

Dinner:  Shrimp with coconut milk, bok choy, stir fry vegetables and a side of mango

 

Day 4

Breakfast: Omelet with bell peppers and onion cooked with olive oil; side of mango

Lunch: Shrimp with coconut milk, bok choy, stir fry vegetables and a side of mango

Dinner:  Curried chicken with sweet potato, and a side of grapes

 

Day 5

Breakfast: Egg frittata with ground turkey and vegetable and grapes

Lunch: Curried chicken with sweet potato, and a side of grapes

Dinner:  Creamy Thai Soup with shrimp  and vegetables, and side of grapes

 

Day 6

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs with tomato and bell pepper and a side of mango

Lunch: Creamy Thai Soup with shrimp  and vegetables

Dinner: Chicken with  dreamy avocado dressing and cooked vegetables with a side of watermelon

 

Day 7

Breakfast: 2 eggs over easy, sweet potato hash and a side of watermelon

Lunch: Chicken on a salad with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice

Dinner: Steak with  classic pesto dressing and cooked vegetables with a side of pineapple

[Jinkse21]

I would add a little more protein at breakfast and add a little more variety of fats like avocado, olives, coconut oil, ghee....otherwise, everything looks good!

 

I love making egg "muffins" which are really little egg frittatas cooked in muffin tins/cups.  I cook up meat and veggies and divide in the cups then cover with enough scrambled eggs to fill almost to the top then bake at 350 until the egg is cooked, about 20-525 minutes. It doesn't take long to reheat and are very portable.  The best part is you can vary the muffins and freeze them.

[annabel]

See how you get on with the salads at lunch as they're not always the most filling of choices.  I often add kale and/or sweet potato to mine to bulk them up a bit.

 

There have been several forum discussions in the last week or two about how to work meals with that sort of shift work.  Here's one of them: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/11555-shift-work/  I can't recall where the other conversations were, but there was also http://nomnompaleo.com/post/55156756199/surviving-the-night-shift recently.  (She has some great recipes as well and you'll notice the website mentioned a lot here)

 

Good Luck!

[Sharon Simpson Thumann]

Quick and easy meal for the hubs and I...

 

2lbs ground beef, cooked with onions, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Drain well if using conventional ground beef, add in some ghee, steamed broccoli and roasted red peppers. Easy meal and makes for great lunches and breakfasts.

[ABS32013]

I second the recommendation to add sweet potato or other starchy carbs (e.g., acorn squash, beets, carrots, parsnips. etc.), particularly in the morning.  They are your friend for dealing with the switch over to being a fat-burner. 

 

Someone recently posted the following crustless quiche recipe.  I haven't tried making it yet, but it sounds like it would work (and be easy!).

 

Pre-heat oven 375
 
12 eggs in a bowl and whisk.
shred one large zucchini
 
Use a cheesecloth and ring out some of the liquid from zucchini in batches, (not too tightly just enough for some of the liquid to drain) toss into eggs

 

shred one yam / sweet potato and put into eggs.
 
salt, ground sage and rosemary, pepper to your liking, or any other spices you might like. Whisk together and pour into a greased 9X12 casserole with coconut oil or ghee. I use coconut oil
 
375 for 45 min.
Serves 6

[GFChris]

Now, I have never made a frittata - what's youre favorite recipe?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is one of my favorites. I like it because you bake it in a 13x9 inch pan, so you have breakfast for days.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Baked-Asparagus-and-Yellow-Pepper-Frittata-101499

I substitute ghee for the butter and coconut milk for the cream - yum!

 

[SpinSpin]

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sausage-egg-breakfast-bites/#axzz2ZEcbruLb

 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-breakfast-casserole/#axzz2ZEcj9adt

 

I really like both of these

[HeatherH]

I second the mention of Nom Nom Paleo. She works the night shift as a hospital pharmacist. While the link listed above is for a specific post detailing a day-in-the-life of a shift worker, I think you will find many things of use from her blog.

 

Also, I am torn with the WW issue. If you get an incentive from work to continue the program, then it really has to be your decision as to how you are going to handle it. If It was me, I would jump into Whole 30 completely, yet still track my points in WW...knowing that it is going to be out of whack from previous tracking (more fats, probably more protein). I do believe people are correct in saying you won't be able to "do" both plans and meet both standards- you need to choose one or the other. (I hope that makes sense!)

 

I'm anxious to read about what you decide to do, as my husbands company is incorporating a Wellness program into their health benefits. I don't believe Whole 30 would be looked upon favorably by some "SAD pushing" doctors.

[CatherineH]

I can see how whole and WW are not compatible since WW almost has a mindset of "if I can substitute this witonhis ie - artificial sweeteners - then I can still have fat free, sugar free pudding/jello/ice cm, etc" Obviously, the opposite of whole. Because of the incentives at my job I plan to continue to go to the meetings (so that I can get my reimbursements and the people who attend are also very kind) and entering in what I'm consuming. Today, for example, I entered everything you see in my meal plan, and for the 33 points I'm allotted I still have 9 left over. I was surprised because I feel that I will need to add something like sweet potato for my morning meal as suggested by some of you because I was still hungry after breakfast. Even with my points, yes, I still have room for more food, but I'm more focused on whether I am hungry more than my points.

WW has some really good aspects but the whole thing with substituting is the major downside. Since starting, and having tried various WW products, I felt like I was having an even more inflammatory response. To me, the plan for more clean, organic eating made sense and is why I have emptied out our pantry at home and trying to plan out carefully what my next meal plan is. I wish they (my employment) offered other programs. Other than WW, they have overeaters anonymous and a "traffic light food tracker" that's all over the cafeteria to try and motivate employees to eat healthier. They also have a period where they encourage staff to go for a walk outside to get some activity.

Maybe in time whole30 can make an entry over where I'm at? =) I was thinking of what is taught in the book and overconsumption - it may prove more useful for the whole approach versus an anonymous group.

Btw, I have been having one heck of a headache. I started cutting back yesterday and today was my first official day. It's just now leveling off but that's pretty amazing how quick my body is responding.

[malie]

Your meal plan looks great and delicious, but the recommended fruit is 1-2 servings per day, and it seems like most Whole30-ers go for even less if they're trying to ditch their sugar dragons. IMO, eating a serving of fruit at all three meals in a day is too much fruit and will only serve to "replace" dessert and leave you craving more sweets. At our house, for example, I usually do a small bowl of fruit each for my husband and me at EITHER breakfast or dinner, almost never both. And I try to choose the most delicious, nutritious fruits that have lots of good stuff for our bodies (berries and citrus are the favourites!).