Problems with Planning/Prepping

[Kambino]

My family of 4, which includes 2 teenagers, my very hungry husband, and myself, started our Whole 30 on Sunday 7/8/18. By 5:00 pm on 7/9, everyone was losing their minds. My son, who has never, in all 16 years of his life, uttered an angry word to me told me that he "didn't ask for this, didn't want it, and didn't appreciate me enforcing it". My 13 year old daughter was in tears, and my husband was just angry. He said he'd been mad at me all day long. Keep in mind that this was no surprise to any of them. My daughter and I have been planning for weeks. The boys understood. Sunday went very well for everyone except me, because I spent the entire day in the kitchen. I came to work yesterday with my leftovers for lunch, and sent my husband off with a larger portion of the leftovers, as well. The kids couldn't figure out what to eat for breakfast, even though there is a fridge full of eggs and veggies. So, I came home from work to a house full of hostility, and wasted chicken. My son Googled Whole 30 compliant chicken tenders, and used 6 pounds of chicken breasts trying to figure out how to perfect them...he didn't like any of them. So, he threw the cooked chicken out. I could've used it for a protein salad, or something (grumble, grumble). Needless to say, we fell off of the wagon at dinnertime on day 2. The thing is, we're super busy, grab and go people. That part of our lives can't be changed. There is no time for me to make breakfast in the mornings. So, I have always relied on the freezer section for frozen waffles for the kids. My husband eats fast food for breakfast every morning, and I'm a granola bar and diet coke person. I can make due with mini muffin egg fritattas for me, every day, if needed. The rest of the family wants more. My husband needs cold lunches from a lunch box, every day. I'm not seeing much to do that with. The kids want more breakfast type foods, but can't understand that those are part of the problem. I, literally, have to do this for them. I will have to make sure there is compliant breakfast and lunch that they can all just grab and go. Dinner is different. We can sit down to eat together, then (most of the time).

In a nutshell, I need help with finding easy, cold breakfasts and lunches. I work full time, and am the driver for all things kid related. So, I can't spend hours in the kitchen every day. Also, teenagers are expensive, and so are their activities. So, our budget is super tight. Another reason we were off of the plan by day 2 is that we ran out of money to buy any more healthy food (after buying the basic Whole 30 pantry staples). Everyone I know, who has had great results with their Whole 30, has a stay at home Mom, is single, or has no kids. We all need this, but I'm afraid we can't do it. Is there hope for us?

[ShannonM816]

There is definitely hope.

First, though, rethink everyone doing it all at once if they're not on board. It is stressful enough to change your own diet, dragging unwilling participants along right now may be more stress than you need. A possible compromise could be that you will make food, but if they don't like that food, they are welcome to make their own, or buy their own. Definitely have a conversation about the cost of food and not throwing away six pounds of chicken, though. Even if your kids eat frozen waffles for breakfast and then eat what you fix for lunch and dinner, it's a step in the right direction, and you may get them totally on board in the future when they see how you eat.

Frittatas or egg muffins are great breakfast ideas. You could also dice potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables, and explain to your kids how to either roast or pan fry them. It'll be like hash browns. You could even grate the vegetables if they'd prefer that. They can then cook those, and scramble or fry some eggs for breakfast. If you wanted, you could make up some whole30 compliant sausage patties for them to cook. This is if they're willing to put some effort in. If they're not right now, decide how much effort you're willing to put in if they aren't committed to doing this.

For cold lunches, a lot of people just eat leftovers cold. It's really helpful if that's an option. There are some whole30-ish ideas here (some things aren't completely compliant) sized for smaller kids mostly so you'd need to make more than what's pictured, but it might give you some ideas:  https://nomnompaleo.com/paleolunchboxes  

You might also Google whole30 kid-friendly recipes to find options your teenagers may find more appealing.

[Kambino]

Thank you so much for the ray of light! I   have so many health problems that are autoimmune in nature, and I feel like our diet is setting the whole family up for the same fate later in life. You’re right, if they see that it makes me better, they may change their minds about it.

[slc_melissa]

Also, if everyone was hungry to the point of anger after 1.5 days, check portions and the template. It's easy to under eat at first. A lot of recommendations include making sure there's fats and maybe some starchy carbs.

And you can do it!