Help Me Do This The Right Way

[trouter20]

Hello, 

 

I am new to dieting completely.  I have never really tried to diet, I just usually ate what I wanted, when I wanted.

 

I tried to start this last night, I had Steak with Asparagus and Spinach Salad.  On my salad I had veggies and a dressing I made.

 

I soon realized I failed because my dressing had Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper, and Lemon Juice. Well Lemon Juice has Sulfites.  So fail. URG!

 

Today I started off with 3 eggs and some tea. I was still hungry after this but didn't cave to snacking.  I will be having steak, potato, asparagus and spinach salad today for lunch (left overs).  I am struggling as to what to make tonight.  I feel this is difficult because I live in two different places.  At home and then at my boyfriends.  

 

Please help!!  I like easy and simple recipes that are quick to whip up after work!  I have been looking on Pinterest and everywhere and so far I'm stuck!

 

Thanks! 

[ShannonM816]

Finding out your lemon juice had sulfites isn't really a fail. Most of us have a moment during our Whole30 where we realize that something we thought was safe, really wasn't. At least yours happened early, and now you know how important it is to read labels. My oops was four days in, when I had a cup of tea, and then read the label and realized there was soy lecithin in it. Who puts soy in tea?

 

As far as cooking, I find that it helps to have stuff prepped and ready to go, as described here -- it's a lot of work on the weekend or days off, but then it's less work throughout the week. If you have proteins cooked and veggies chopped, it's very easy to throw some stuff in a skillet and heat it up. The fact that you're splitting your time between two places is going to require a little more planning and work, since you're either going to have to have food that you can eat stashed in both places, or you're going to have to make sure when you leave your house, you have enough food with you to get you through until you get home again, even if that isn't until after work the next day. Think about how much time you spend in each place, and figure out what's going to work best for you. If you have a refrigerator at work where you can leave a few days' worth of food, that might be helpful too -- or keep things like canned tuna or salmon or jerky in your desk for emergency protein and find a place nearby where you can grab plain salad or vegetables, if you're ever at work and haven't brought food with you. 

 

Your food doesn't have to be fancy. Most weeks, I cook a couple of pounds of ground beef -- just season it with salt and pepper, maybe have chopped onions and garlic in it, brown it in the skillet. I can put it on top of a salad, or mix it into a soup, or stuff a baked potato or sweet potato with it, or combine it with some tomato sauce and put it on spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles, or stir fry it with cabbage and other veggies. You can cook a whole chicken in the crockpot or in the oven and use it to make chicken salad, or stir fry it with vegetables, or just cut it up in pieces and have it with vegetables. A roast (or if you don't have a crockpot, this recipe) might also be an option, or a pot of chili. (If these recipes don't sound good to you, google Whole30 and whatever you want a recipe for -- you should get several options, just be sure you read them and make sure they're truly Whole30 compliant.) The point is to make enough for multiple meals, so you're not having to cook from scratch every single time.

[GFChris]

Welcome!

 

First off, don't look at Whole30 as a diet.  Look at it as a way to change your relationship with food.

 

Do you have a copy of the recommended meal template? You were likely hungry after only 3 eggs for breakfast, because that meal was missing 1-3 cups of veggies. Lunch sounds good.

 

Planning is a HUGE part of being successful on a Whole30.  Have you gone shopping yet to have Whole30 compliant foods in the places where you live? 

 

Make friends with your crock pot, and find recipes that make multiple servings so you have leftovers. http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/ has some fabulous meatball recipes and this is my favorite meatloaf recipe: makes two loaves so you can enjoy one now and freeze one later.

 

Scour the forum (best way to search is via Google: type Whole30 followed by whatever you're looking for, and you'll get links to previous forum posts about your desired topic).  Have some compliant canned tuna, salmon, and/or chicken always on hand, along with some celery, and homemade mayo.  Whip up some seafood or chicken salad and microwave a sweet potato and you have a meal.  Sardines also work well in a pinch, as does compliant prosciutto for a protein.

[trouter20]

Thanks for the feedback!  I've been trying to track down some sauces too.  I like to dip my meat in a sauce, have a sauce on my salad (although olive oil, salt and pepper is quiet tasty) and other sauces when cooking.  Is there a way around this?  

 

I have seen some recipes to make your own ketchup, the mayo posted above, and ranch dressing also.  I have yet to come across any BBQ dressings for my chicken and beef.  Is this pushing my limits too far though? As in having pancakes with all compliant ingredients is still a pancake and shouldn't be had.

 

Thanks everyone!

[Brewer5]

Sauces are fine.  Not the same as a pancake.  You should check out the Well Fed cookbooks.  Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think all of her recipes are supposed to be Whole 30 compliant.  And definitely some tasty sauces to choose from!

[ladyshanny]

YES!  Well Fed is all compliant except for, I think, one recipe in the first one and a couple in the second one.  If you haven't yet, try making her mayo (theclothesmakethegirl.com).  You can google "sunshine sauce" which is one of the Well Fed recipes on her site and is delicious!  Also she has chimichurri sauce available on the website as well.

 

I would not eat if I did not have sauces.  There are only so many ways you can prepare meat and veggies, change the sauce, change the recipe!

[ShannonM816]

Check out The Clothes Make the Girl for lots of sauce and seasoning options -- she's also the author of the Well Fed cookbooks mentioned above. She has this Zingy Ginger Dressing that is great on salads and vegetables and I think last time I made it, I was piling it on my chicken too. Really yummy. And her Moroccan Dipping Sauce is excellent on chicken and steak. You can make pesto, just leave out the cheese. There are even Whole30 Hollandaise sauce recipes out there, google it -- I keep meaning to try them, but haven't yet. And i know there are Whole30 compliant barbecue sauces out there, but there are so many types of barbecue sauces, you'd need to look at recipes and see what looks most like what you're looking for.