Starting January 22nd

[Overeducatedopinion]

1 hour ago, Alivesay said:

So....I have 4 kids under the age of 8 in my house right now, two are mine and two are little foster babies, so often days don't go as planned....and all the prep and planning i think I will get done, gets taken up with helping them....which I love!  Except that I did not get much prep done yesterday.  I do always keep salad and a meat and a soup in the fridge along with a homemade ranch dressing and a vinegar based dressing.  I will also add to that cut up veggies that I can use in stir fry or for dipping today.

Here are some websites and recipes I have used and really liked in the past:

I am a sauce person, so no BBQ or no mayo is a no-go for me.  This BBQ is easy to make and I actually just use it all the time now.
http://www.happywifestyle.com/blog/whole30-bbq-sauce

There are a lot of good recipes on this site, but this one is probably my favorite because it is a bit different than what I normally make. 

http://meljoulwan.com/2011/05/08/paleo-pad-thai/

JaysBakingMeCrazy is my go to site.  I have made a lot of things on here, namely her BBQ chicken casserole and potato salad and my family has loved it.  But I will likely pull a bunch of recipes off here today.

https://www.jaysbakingmecrazy.com/

Breakfast:  This is one of my favorites!  It is super hearty, so be careful not to make too much.  It sounds weird, but I really like it.

http://bravoforpaleo.com/2015/12/30/whole30-breakfast-bowl/

I am super ready for this!  Day one is always a piece of cake for me thought, so ask me tomorrow about 3.  Get it girls!  We have one body, one life to live to the fullest....think of all the good we are putting into our bodies versus what we can't have.

 

Thsnks for all these! I also would add https://nomnompaleo.com/

[DanielleJ123]

Hey everyone! I started today too and am super excited.  I prepped yesterday by making egg cups, sausage patties, hashbrowns, compliant turkey bacon, chopping onions and peppers, browning some ground turkey to freeze and throwing away all the tempting open noncompliant junk from my fridge.  I also took my pre Whole 30 measurements but did not do pictures.  Do most of you do pictures?  My husband is doing this with me but did not read the book so is totally relying on me to guide him through.  That's a lot of pressure since I know he's going to be mad with some of my answers   I've done 10 day cleanses before but this is my first Whole 30, let's rock it together!  

[ChristyJ]

9 hours ago, Alivesay said:

So....I have 4 kids under the age of 8 in my house right now, two are mine and two are little foster babies, so often days don't go as planned....and all the prep and planning i think I will get done, gets taken up with helping them....which I love!  Except that I did not get much prep done yesterday.  I do always keep salad and a meat and a soup in the fridge along with a homemade ranch dressing and a vinegar based dressing.  I will also add to that cut up veggies that I can use in stir fry or for dipping today.

Here are some websites and recipes I have used and really liked in the past:

I am a sauce person, so no BBQ or no mayo is a no-go for me.  This BBQ is easy to make and I actually just use it all the time now.
http://www.happywifestyle.com/blog/whole30-bbq-sauce

There are a lot of good recipes on this site, but this one is probably my favorite because it is a bit different than what I normally make. 

http://meljoulwan.com/2011/05/08/paleo-pad-thai/

JaysBakingMeCrazy is my go to site.  I have made a lot of things on here, namely her BBQ chicken casserole and potato salad and my family has loved it.  But I will likely pull a bunch of recipes off here today.

https://www.jaysbakingmecrazy.com/

Breakfast:  This is one of my favorites!  It is super hearty, so be careful not to make too much.  It sounds weird, but I really like it.

http://bravoforpaleo.com/2015/12/30/whole30-breakfast-bowl/

I am super ready for this!  Day one is always a piece of cake for me thought, so ask me tomorrow about 3.  Get it girls!  We have one body, one life to live to the fullest....think of all the good we are putting into our bodies versus what we can't have.

 

Great sites and resources!!  I love Jay's buffalo chicken casserole!

A few quick/easy things to add:  if you have a crockpot (or instant), use it!  I often throw chicken in the crock with onions, a little chicken broth and some spices then shred it up for all sorts of things (salads, to make "rice bowls" with caul rice, tomatoes, olives, guac).  I also make pulled pork in the crock and typically use a compliant dry rub, then add a little mango juice (no sugar added).  I often put the pork over sweet potatoes.  I've also made a mango, pineapple, red onion "salsa" to top it.

[ChristyJ]

5 hours ago, DanielleJ123 said:

Hey everyone! I started today too and am super excited.  I prepped yesterday by making egg cups, sausage patties, hashbrowns, compliant turkey bacon, chopping onions and peppers, browning some ground turkey to freeze and throwing away all the tempting open noncompliant junk from my fridge.  I also took my pre Whole 30 measurements but did not do pictures.  Do most of you do pictures?  My husband is doing this with me but did not read the book so is totally relying on me to guide him through.  That's a lot of pressure since I know he's going to be mad with some of my answers   I've done 10 day cleanses before but this is my first Whole 30, let's rock it together!  

I'd encourage you to take photos tonight.    It's sometimes surprising-and exciting-to see the difference.

[Overeducatedopinion]

Hello I hope everyone had a good day. I had a chopt salad for lunch and various leftovers for dinner- broccoli, cauliflower, fried plantains, brisket, ham, and steak. Yes weird I know. We have a jar of tahini sauce in the fridge (home-made) that was great on the veggies- tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and water to thin it. I’m loving it on plain steamed broccoli lately. You can also pour it over chicken and potatoes in a baking dish and bake in oven. 

[shanajane]

Hello. Well, the first day went without a hitch. Except for the peppermint candy that was hiding in a drawer. Threw it out. Close call. In a few days I may not have the will to throw it out if I had found it then. But who knows, I may. :-) 

[ChristyJ]

Day 2 down!  How did everyone feel?  

I'm so happy to feel like I'm in control again!

[Overeducatedopinion]

I don’t know about you but I’m having a lot of sweets and carbs cravings. I had potatoes with dinner and a dried fig after which helped a bit, but it’s hard!

[SugarcubeOD]

22 minutes ago, Overeducatedopinion said:

I don’t know about you but I’m having a lot of sweets and carbs cravings. I had potatoes with dinner and a dried fig after which helped a bit, but it’s hard!

Don't give your sugar cravings sugar, even in the form of dried fruit... You gotta starve those guys out!  If you HAVE to eat, make it protein and fat but really, right after dinner, that's likely a craving and not hunger so distraction techniques would be good here... bath, shower, walk, paint your nails, clean out a drawer.... cause you just ate so you know you're not hungry...   

[DanielleJ123]

So day 4 and I'm feeling really good about things!  I've been working from home so I think that has been big in keeping me on track here at the beginning.  Everything I've made so far has been SUPER delish and even my husband agrees which is huge   I'm so pleased I'm already planning my week 2 menu as I'm so excited to try more recipes.  The biggest thing for me is making sure breakfast is prepped cuz I'm not a morning person.  I've been making double batches of dinner so lunch has been leftovers which makes it easy.  I usually cook dinner each night anyway so that part hasn't been much of change for me. 

I hope everyone else is doing great!

[shanajane]

I've had a good few days. I, too, have had a sweet tooth craving right after dinner. I ate a piece of pineapple. I have broken the habit of having something sweet after lunch, though. Baby steps, I guess. 

I am really enjoying making this healthy food and knowing how good it all is for me. I love eating this way. The food is absolutely delicious. Before, food was just sustenance. I cared not. 

I'm not doing much exercising yet. Walking as much as I can. I had surgery on my foot a few months ago so it aches quite a bit still. My husband is wonderful and has joined me on this adventure and so I conceded to start going to the gym with him next week.  I hate going to gyms. They gross me out and I totally feel uncomfortable at gyms. Something else I need to work on, right? ;-)

Have a great day! 

[April18]

@Overeducatedopinion Sorry to hear about your grandmother. Sending encouragement your way!

[Overeducatedopinion]

Today I was definitely experiencing “kill all the things.” I just wanted my dog daughter and husband to be quiet! I can’t wait to get over the hump and start feeling better! Had Scotch egg with green beans for lunch- my husband makes it with a walnut crust rather than breading and baked it in the oven (I think normally it is fried). And for dinner spaghetti squash and a 4-meat Italian “Sunday gravy” sauce we had frozen back in early-md January. Lots of La Croix and tea but today I’ve been really wanting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, something I never eat anyway- weird!

[ChristyJ]

I had a lot of energy today (after sleeping in ) and accomplished a lot.  

What's everybody cooking/prepping for the week?

[Overeducatedopinion]

23 hours ago, ChristyJ said:

I had a lot of energy today (after sleeping in ) and accomplished a lot.  

What's everybody cooking/prepping for the week?

Hi Christy. Yesterday we had a super easy steak Caesar salad- romaine, cucumber, tomato, grilled steak and Tessa Mae compliant ceasar dressing. Might have that again this week. I’ve got all the ingredients to do this recipe from nom nom paleo https://nomnompaleo.com/post/1710952680/asian-ground-beef-mushroom-and-broccoli-slaw

And we are planning cod baked with a sun-dried-tomato and olive sort of paste on top. For more veg we have broccoli and leftover spaghetti squash.

Usually planning 3 meals is a good start and the rest is leftovers, stuff we froze earlier, or super easy like eggs. 

We’ve got leftover roast chicken. I like making lettuce cups curry chicken salad with almonds and a few raisins but since  I’m out of curry powder right now I could re heat the chicken with bell pepper, mango, and some Jamaican type seasoning and have that in lettuce cups. 

Wishing a good week to all. 

[shanajane]

Hey there! Well, we've all made it to day 8! I had oodles of energy this weekend and cleaned my whole house. In a way, I felt like I was nesting. Weird. I think consistently eating this way agrees with me.

I didn't do a ton cooking yesterday, but I did get the breakfast casserole complete so we could have breakfast. I did plan the menu for the week, but I will cook about three times this week, and have leftovers for other nights. I did not go to bed exhausted like I did last Sunday <due to cooking three meals in one day>. My foot really doesn't like me standing on it for hours upon hours. Not yet anyway. 

I plan on having a Basil Chicken and green bean dish this week, and also hamburgers with butter lettuce. There will be plenty of leftovers. I am also planning on a roast in the slow cooker. I'm really looking forward to that. 

I have to admit that I did tell my husband that I just can't go to that gym with him. Anything else but that. Aside from my aversion to gyms, it is completely out of the way for me. I work on one side of town, he works on the other - right next to the gym. I own an elliptical so I will incorporate that into my life more often. To me, exercise is a solitary thing. I don't know why, it just is. Give me my music, let me sweat, and leave me alone. lol! 

I hope everyone has a great week!

[Overeducatedopinion]

hello out there?? i’m still here ... tonight we made sushi at home- just salmon from the fish market , bell pepper, cucumber, avocado, and a little shredded carrot wrapped in nori. It’s pretty satisfying. Panera salad for lunch ... we made the beef and mushroom recipe linked above and it was really good!! We had that for two days. I ate mine in lettuce cups while my husband would put his on a bed of arugula. He is traveling most of next week which will make it hard. The pantry is full of Girl Scout cookies (my daughter is a brownie) and it’s hard to get motivated to cook for just one person. I’ll need to really plan ahead. 

[Jim4884]

24 minutes ago, Overeducatedopinion said:

Panera salad for lunch 

Hate to bring bad news but I don't think anything on Panera's menu is compliant.  I mean, it's WAY better than McDonald's, but unless you brought your own dressing and special ordered, even their salads have non-compliant ingredients, last time I checked...

[Overeducatedopinion]

Obviously I exclude non compliant ingredients thanks. I get the green goddess I think it’s called- it’s like a Cobb salad-  no dressing no bacon no cheese and no pickled onion. Maybe the moderators should think about offering some encouragement from time to time instead of just sneaking up with their “bad news”. I don’t see your name anywhere in this thread up to this point?

9 hours ago, Jim4884 said:

Hate to bring bad news but I don't think anything on Panera's menu is compliant.  I mean, it's WAY better than McDonald's, but unless you brought your own dressing and special ordered, even their salads have non-compliant ingredients, last time I checked...

 

[shanajane]

10 hours ago, Overeducatedopinion said:

hello out there?? i’m still here ... tonight we made sushi at home- just salmon from the fish market , bell pepper, cucumber, avocado, and a little shredded carrot wrapped in nori. It’s pretty satisfying. Panera salad for lunch ... we made the beef and mushroom recipe linked above and it was really good!! We had that for two days. I ate mine in lettuce cups while my husband would put his on a bed of arugula. He is traveling most of next week which will make it hard. The pantry is full of Girl Scout cookies (my daughter is a brownie) and it’s hard to get motivated to cook for just one person. I’ll need to really plan ahead. 

Hello! Yeah, still here, as well. I've never made sushi before. I may have to try that someday. I have become way more adventurous in the kitchen since starting this. I discovered I like cabbage. Who would've thunk??? 

I had a serious wane in energy two days ago; ended up going to bed @ 1930 - way early. I think it helped. I've been back to "normal" the last couple of days. I don't have the super energy I had last week & over the weekend, but I feel good. I incorporated exercise into my routine this past Monday. Like I mentioned, no gym for me, but I am alternating between aerobic & strength training at home, with DVDs I have had for a while... That's ok, I'm doing it now. My foot is the same soreness as always. I have an appointment with the podiatrist soon so I will talk to her then about it. My biggest fear is that I will need another operation. I do NOT want to do that ever again. The doc did say that it would take 6mo- 1 yr for complete recovery...it's been 5 months. eh, we'll see.

I made a recipe from the Fast & Easy cookbook. It was chicken, zucchini, onion, basil, oregano, garlic and some balsamic vinegar. bleh. It was so bland. I didn't use chicken thighs, but used breasts instead. I don't know if that makes the difference or not. I won't be using that recipe again. I was daring this week and made breakfast sausage on Sunday since I didn't find any compliant sausage when I went shopping. That was a cool experience. I do love learning new things. I put it in the breakfast casserole that my husband absolutely loves. He's doing really well on this. I am so proud of him. There were several pizzas at his work yesterday and he refrained. He gave up his diet coke so I replaced it with tea and lemon juice. He's ok with that. I love my green tea with lemon juice. I don't see a reason to go back to stevia at all!

Oh wow, I'm just rambling! Sorry! Have a wonderful weekend!!

 

[Overeducatedopinion]

18 minutes ago, shanajane said:

Hello! Yeah, still here, as well. I've never made sushi before. I may have to try that someday. I have become way more adventurous in the kitchen since starting this. I discovered I like cabbage. Who would've thunk??? 

I had a serious wane in energy two days ago; ended up going to bed @ 1930 - way early. I think it helped. I've been back to "normal" the last couple of days. I don't have the super energy I had last week & over the weekend, but I feel good. I incorporated exercise into my routine this past Monday. Like I mentioned, no gym for me, but I am alternating between aerobic & strength training at home, with DVDs I have had for a while... That's ok, I'm doing it now. My foot is the same soreness as always. I have an appointment with the podiatrist soon so I will talk to her then about it. My biggest fear is that I will need another operation. I do NOT want to do that ever again. The doc did say that it would take 6mo- 1 yr for complete recovery...it's been 5 months. eh, we'll see.

I made a recipe from the Fast & Easy cookbook. It was chicken, zucchini, onion, basil, oregano, garlic and some balsamic vinegar. bleh. It was so bland. I didn't use chicken thighs, but used breasts instead. I don't know if that makes the difference or not. I won't be using that recipe again. I was daring this week and made breakfast sausage on Sunday since I didn't find any compliant sausage when I went shopping. That was a cool experience. I do love learning new things. I put it in the breakfast casserole that my husband absolutely loves. He's doing really well on this. I am so proud of him. There were several pizzas at his work yesterday and he refrained. He gave up his diet coke so I replaced it with tea and lemon juice. He's ok with that. I love my green tea with lemon juice. I don't see a reason to go back to stevia at all!

Oh wow, I'm just rambling! Sorry! Have a wonderful weekend!!

 

Good for you guys, keep it up! Have you seen the whole 30 timeline? I think your tiredness may have been right on schedule!

https://whole30.com/2013/08/revised-timeline/

I do hope you can avoid the surgery. Good luck. Make sure to get a second opinion if you can!

Making sausage is definitely daring, that’s cool. Will you put a link to the breakfast casserole recipe? I’d love to try that! Enjoy your weekend as well!!

[Jim4884]

1 hour ago, Overeducatedopinion said:

Obviously I exclude non compliant ingredients thanks. I get the green goddess I think it’s called- it’s like a Cobb salad-  no dressing no bacon no cheese and no pickled onion. Maybe the moderators should think about offering some encouragement from time to time instead of just sneaking up with their “bad news”. I don’t see your name anywhere in this thread up to this point?

 

I am not a moderator, and I was just trying to be helpful.  Obviously I failed, and I apologize.

[SugarcubeOD]

2 hours ago, Overeducatedopinion said:

Obviously I exclude non compliant ingredients thanks. I get the green goddess I think it’s called- it’s like a Cobb salad-  no dressing no bacon no cheese and no pickled onion. Maybe the moderators should think about offering some encouragement from time to time instead of just sneaking up with their “bad news”. I don’t see your name anywhere in this thread up to this point?

 

Anyone at anytime is allowed to participate in any thread they like.  Jim is an advanced member who has been around here for some time and volunteers his time like the rest of the moderators to help people get the best out of their program.  There has been a lot of discussion around Panera for years and a lot of people (not necessarily you) assume because it's a 'salad' that the things in it are compliant so I think he was just trying to be helpful.

The moderators if you read through our posts DO offer encouragement to people and we are the biggest cheerleaders for our members to successfully complete the program!

I hope you have a great day! 12 days in!  By Monday you'll be at the halfway point!

[shanajane]

Hey Everyone!   

Day 16!!!! We've made it past the half-way point! I hope everyone is feeling great and positive. 

I made a couple of side dishes from the Fast & Easy cookbook last night to give them a try. One was green beans with lemon zest/juice & toasted almonds. Quite tasty. I liked it. The other was the roasted cauliflower. It was alright. Not as flavorful as I imagined it would be so I drizzled it with some Primal Kitchen Ranch dressing. That stuff always perks up food for me. The main dish was bbq boneless pork ribs in the pressure cooker. Wow!! Those were delicious! I found an AMAZING Whole30 recipe for the bbq sauce which I've attached. My husband is so very happy about this!! BBQ sauce is one of his main staples. 

Have a great week!! 

Easy Whole30 BBQ Sauce.pdf

[ChristyJ]

Day 16 indeed!!  I'm doing well with it all, but have found that I have more skin issues than before I started this round.  I expected it earlier, but thought it would have balanced out by now/gotten better as it has in previous rounds.  

My husband is eating more of a paleo style, so that's been helpful this time.  We cooked up a turkey yesterday so we'd have good leftovers.  Sides included thinly sliced potatoes with onion/garlic and a spaghetti squash mix.