Well guys, my last day of Whole30 was Tuesday, January 31. The last 9 days were oscillating between easy and hard, mainly because of a lack of planning and a trip to Big Bear with friends. The trip with friends wasn’t too hard because my friends are super understanding and lovely and made sure I had enough to eat the whole time. I even made a few things (like the frittata below) I couldn’t eat, but didn’t feel the temptation to have anything that was out-of-bounds. BUT the ride home took forever and I realized how hard it can be to stay Whole30 on a road trip that’s supposed to take 2 hours but takes 8 – yikes!

Here’s what I finished out the Whole30 with:

Breakfast

Another week of Chia Seed Pudding & fruit. I also made a couple of green smoothies because why not, right? The weekend was perfect for fried eggs with salsa and avocado, of course. A couple of the last mornings I had a cashew Larabar (not the best for breakfast, but it was all I had!)

Lunch

I had leftovers for most of the rest of Whole30, except a few days I got salads from the salad bar near my work. Lots of chicken, veggies, and avocado and seeds.

Dinner

We found some really great recipes to try I wish we had early. For example, these Almond-Crusted Chicken Tenders were just as good as any breaded chicken I’ve had – really! Also, this Taco Salad was EVERYTHING (especially that dressing, it is heavenly). We also had a few stir fries with great sauce (love Tandoori and Korma that was Whole30 approved!) and even had breakfast for dinner.

On the days I was REALLY craving comfort food I had those sweet potato fries with garlic dip again, and it really did the trick. Also, Ana made her Kale Salad but Whole30 compliant, and it was delicious – I topped it with chicken and didn’t feel bad at all when everyone else was eating tacos on our ski trip.

Eating Out

On Friday night when we were going out of town with friends, we went to Outback (we do this every year for this trip) and I have to say, it was one of the easier meals I had! I had steak, a sweet potato, and steamed broccoli, and it was delicious and filling. That was the only time I ate out this week which made it easier of course to stay the course.

Post-Whole30

The so-called “Tiger Blood” never came for me. I didn’t necessarily feel more energized, but I did feel good. I also lost 9 pounds. Now, I know this isn’t supposed to be about weight loss, but as someone who always had to starve herself to lose even 1 pound, it’s nice to know of a method that works. Plus, my clothes feel better and I don’t constantly find myself tugging at shirts, and pants. My belt buckles one loop tighter. All great signs of health.

I also had some stomach issues with this diet, probably due to my IBS. Maybe too much raw food. Maybe not the right balance – it is all still about balance and learning. Not having some bland foods (a la bread/rice) to help calm my system was probably healthier in some ways but not others for me. Know yourself. Be careful. Do what feels good.

Adding Things Back In

On February 1, I had some non-gluten grains: oats with breakfast, quinoa with my lunch salad, a few corn chips with dinner (ok a lot of corn chips guys.) The next day, I went back to Whole30, and I felt absolutely fine. Nothing major. So you guys, yesterday I felt enough was enough and I had Indian food with some naan and rice. And paneer. And I still feel absolutely fine today.

Today I had some hard cheese in a salad from Mendocino Farms. Still feeling good. Still drinking a lot of water, not snacking too much, and avoiding wasted calories (naan the exception.) But it was nice to go to a restaurant and not worry about what I was eating.

After my “I Do What I Want” bounce, I think I am going to try to eat Whole30 on the regular. A couple of days to reset my body. For two of the three meals of the day to keep everything in check. Reach for a piece of fruit or a veggies instead of chips. Olives instead of crackers. Garlic dip instead of cheese dip.

I haven’t introduced legumes or alcohol yet, or any dairy that’s not hard cheese – like milk or yogurt. I think I will bring things back slowly, but as long as I am feeling good and sleeping well, I am a happy camper.

I haven’t had the desire to eat anything too sweet (chocolate, candy, etc.) so I am going to try to avoid those kinds of foods for the longest. If it doesn’t serve me nutritionally, bye bye it goes. In this way, I’ll keep myself in a healthy spot longer.

I’m glad I did the Whole30 to know that I could. I am glad I learned more about all the hidden preservatives and sugar and crap that I was eating – especially because I considered myself pretty aware. I think it’s a good test for anyone who wants to really know what’s going into their bodies and figure out what’s right for you.

So what do you guys think? Will you try a Whole30? Have you done one and loved it? How’s your diet now?

February is here! For those of you in cold places, maybe the end is in sight for you? Here in LA, we’re hoping the rain slows down and the mudslides stop so that traffic can let up again.

February is a good month for a lot of reasons – lots of birthdays, a three-day weekend, it’s short, Groundhog’s day…you get the idea. As we get our fill of the winter veggies that are on their way out, we thought what better way to celebrate February than with one of our fave pairings, Brussels sprouts and bacon? Thanks to Siån for another awesome and adorable calendar!

Psst…here are some tablet versions too.

Like I mentioned in my last Whole30 update, I have been eating Chia Seed Pudding for breakfast. It’s a good distraction from too many eggs, and it is quite filling. I’d imagine it’d be a tad better with some sugar (vanilla, etc.) but I kept it simple just in case I was tempted to break my Whole30.

My friend Caitlin (hey girl!) recommended this to me after I was telling her about my Whole30 – and boy was she on the money! This is such an easy breakfast and a departure from what I would normally think of as “breakfast” which is silly because I definitely went though an Overnight Oats phase which is very similar.

I like to top mine with a banana and some dried cherries for breakfast; I add coconut (unsweetened) as well because I like a little crunch. Feel free to add some nuts in there too – I bet this would be awesome with cashews.

I will say, this can get boring if you don’t mix up your toppings, so remember that when you’re trying it – and if you’re not doing a Whole30 you feel free to add some honey, or some maple syrup, or vanilla…whatever you feel like. Recipe below, and feel free to edit as you see fit – add in other spices as your heart desires (I am dying to try cardamom!)

Type: Breakfast, Paleo

Author: Jennie

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Inactive Time: 3-9 Hours

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cup milk/"milk" of choice
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• shredded coconut
• dried fruit
• banana, optional

Directions

1. Mix together milk (I use coconut), chia seeds, and cinnamon in a jar or container with lid.

2. Place in fridge overnight, or at least 3 hours.

3. Serve cold topped with coconut, dried fruit, and/or banana.

Hey y’all! I’m heading into 2017 slowly and deliberately, and I feel renewed by the sense of kinship I’ve seen around the country this past weekend. As I move into planning out what I want to bring to you this year, I’m hoping you might help me figure out what YOU want. Take this quick survey below and help me guide my posts + recipes to help you cook more, better, or with more joy!

I’m headed up to Big Bear this weekend to hang out with some nature and revive my soul in with the trees – I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you next week!

Damn doing this Whole30 in January, you guys. July seems like a much better month – berries everywhere, the grill’s out and ready for all the steak…maybe I’ll have to do another (starting July 5, of course.) Anyways, despite the fact that it’s January and cold(er) in LA, I did want to get you guys a salad recipe.

I love salads because they’re easy and feel fancy even when they’re not. When Jeff’s traveling, I reach for a big salad with goat cheese, chicken, a couple of veggies, some lemon-sumac dressing, and sun dried tomatoes! It was hard for me to figure out how to make a salad without cheese (first world problems) but I persevered and here’s this salad that doesn’t even feel like anything’s missing.

First off all, this salad has tuna. If you don’t like tuna, you probably should do some soul searching and try it again. BUT if you still don’t like it, use chicken, or tofu, or steak, or just leave it out and this salad will still be good (but not as good, tuna is delicious, you guys.) We also have olives here. If you don’t like those, then I don’t know what to tell you because this becomes an entirely different salad. BUT I LOVE OLIVES. Ahem.

I used pistachios here, because I love those too (basically this is a salad of foods I love but don’t eat enough of!) but you could use cashews too, if you feel like it. Then beets – I get the ones that are precooked at TJs, or just roast some up and put them on this salad warm (YUM.) I use kale as the base of this one, because I like the heartiness of it – the lemon juice breaks it down a little so it’s not TOO strong. If you’re wary of kale, throw it in with the lemon juice for 5-10 minutes before you add the rest of the ingredients.

Type: Main Course, Paleo, Salad

Author: Jennie

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 can tuna
• 1 can olives, cut in half
• 4-6 beets, chopped
• 1/3 cup pistachios, shelled
• 1 bag/bunch kale
• juice of 1 lemon
• olive oil

Directions

1. Open tuna and drain. Separate it with a fork.

2. Chop olives and beets.

3. Shell pistachios if needed.

4. In a bowl, toss kale, lemon juice, and a gulg (about 1-2 tsp) olive oil.

5. Add pistachios, beets, olives, and tuna. Toss well, serve.