HELP!!! Need support and inspiration

[ashleyj9955]

Hello! My fiancé and I started whole30 on Monday. He's doing great, but I am struggling really hard. I'm a very picky eater and my meals have been less and less enjoyable which is making me sad and I'm losing motivation (if I'm dreading my meals then it's hard to stay hype about this). I am in need of some easy recipes/motivation/help/ANYTHING!!! I love flavorful things and I'm also kind of bad at cooking/don't have too much time because I'm a college student. 

This is awful and is probably why I need whole30 but I have a really hard time liking vegetables. I've been eating eggs and an apple or strawberries for breakfast, chicken with mixed greens and guacamole for lunch, and chicken with sweet potatoes or zucchini for dinner. 

I was fine the first day but I think when I made my next batch of chicken it wasn't well seasoned AND i over cooked it so now it's a chore to eat. Also whenever I think about eating I feel kind of nauseous (I don't know if that's normal or not). 

Either way....SOS. My name is Ashley by the way, and I'm excited to be part of this community!

[ShannonM816]

Hi, Ashley, sorry to hear you're having a rough time.

You really need to work on finding vegetables you like. My guess is that your dislike has more to do with how your vegetables have been cooked in the past than the vegetables themselves. Most of the recipes on this site are Whole30 compliant. Try the Coconut Almond Green Beans, the Comfort Noodles, the Velvety Butternut Squash, or the Salty Sweet Broccoli Salad, or any of the other recipes that look intriguing to you -- all of her recipes are flavorful, and I find that her recipes are well written and easy to follow. If you want something that doesn't really need a recipe, this is a basic how-to for roasting vegetables, and it works with any vegetable. Broccoli, cauliflower, any root vegetable (carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, or beets), and any of the winter squashes (butternut, acorn, or kabocha squash) are especially good.

When I overcook my meat, or it's not seasoned well, I make some kind of sauce to pour over it, or dip it in. Mayo is good for that, or try chimichurri or pesto or sunshine sauce.

The nausea is not totally unheard of. Do try to eat, though, or you'll end up feeling worse.

[frogtox]

I really think the hardest part of this eating plan is the time required to prep food and cook it. I work full time and have a family so struggle with this a lot. It's something you have to commit to doing, however, if you're going to succeed. I find that carving out a few hours on the weekend to prep for days in advance helps a lot. I also just got the cookbook from Mel Joulwan that is loaded with recipes that take 45 min or less (which really doesn't seem that fast, does it?).  

If you have a handful of veggies that you do like, find different ways to prepare them.  And, most of them can top a baked or sweet potato. Hamburger patties with different salsas or sauteed veggies are good too. I grill 5# of chicken every weekend, chop it up and throw it into my eggs, on top of a potato or just eat it plain. 

Hopefully you'll find your stride. I'm on day 26 of my fourth Whole 30 and am reminded of how great this type of eating makes you feel... so it's worth it. Good luck.