Well folks, we’ve made it past Day 20 and I’m here with an update. Like last year, I feel like the back part of a Whole30 is rougher. I’m not sure why that is, but I’m definitely missing some thing.

Feelings Update:  There were some hard days from Day 11-20. First of all, I wanted chocolate and candy and mainly sugar. I really let myself go last year due to being pregnant and then having an infant and generally rewarding myself with food (not the best idea) and I am missing having an excuse and not actually needing to lose weight, but to gain it. (Yes, I know gaining chocolate weight isn’t healthy for baby…but go tell that to a pregnant women. I dare you.)

I find if I keep myself full at meals and have a herbal tea after dinner, I can get through OK. Generally the hardest triggers are watching movies (cue the popcorn!) and friendly gatherings (cue the needless chips and salsa, chocolate cookies, etc. All unnecessary and all ultimately an excuse.) Luckily my friends once again like last year have been understanding and had options available at all times – thanks team!

Tomorrow I head to Chicago to visit my family, and I’m a bit nervous about traveling. Once I arrive, my sister is also doing Whole30, so I’m not worried about it while I’m there, but I want to make sure I’m eating well enough while traveling – but I’m going alone with Evie, so this could be double trouble. I’ve packed snacks. Many snacks.

What We’ve Been Eating:

We basically repeated what we ate last week – carnitas, chicken tenders, rosemary meatballs, random chicken stir fry. Simple items I knew that a) Jeff would like and b) I had ingredients for and c) I could put together simply. This coming week I think we’ll be branching out with my family, so stay tuned for those recipes!

One oldie but goodie I made this week was Taco Salad with this AMAZING DRESSING.

I think I’m going to just constantly be making this dressing from here on out. With more garlic than it calls for. It’s mostly avocado, coconut cream, and has a ton of cilantro too (which I don’t normally like but in this, it’s great!)

I’ve had this for a few meals, and it’s just so, so good. It gives me hope at the end of this Whole30 tunnel.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram – I’ve been documenting what I’m eating there every day! And wish me luck tomorrow on my flight to Chicago w/ the little one!

Well we’ve made it a third of the way through Whole30 and we’re still at it. I confess, yesterday might have been my hardest night, but we’ll get there.

The first ten days, I’ve been eating a lot of fried eggs & avocado with greens for breakfast. Because I’m home with Evie, this has been easy to whip up in the mornings. And I literally never get sick of fried eggs.

(If you don’t follow me on Instagram, get on it. I’ve highlighted what I’ve eaten each day so you can get ideas!)

For dinners, we’ve gone back to some of the things we made last time around, things we normally eat which happen to be compliant, and are trying some new things.

Feelings Update: I am feeling pretty good about Whole30 this time around. It’s been easier for me to give up certain things I thought would be hard, like dairy (cheese mostly). I haven’t been craving anything I can’t have, it’s more the lack of being able to eat whatever I want. The two hardest times were once when we were with friends and I wanted to be able to snack (didn’t prepare healthy snacks so was craving junk!) and last night I was DYING for some chocolate. I love chocolate, LOVE IT and wasn’t missing sugar necessarily, just a creamy piece of chocolate with my tea.

In addition, this may be controversial, but this time around I’ve not been as strict. I know that I am not allergic to dairy or grains, that beans don’t bother me, I’m doing the Whole30 to reset my eating and stop having Chicken Quesadillas for dinner every night and eating tons of cookies. So, I’ve had a few dips with canola oil and am not looking back. If something says “0g added sugars” but has “May contain less than XYZ” I am eating it. We live in a world with a particular husband and a 3 month old baby and I am doing the best I can with what I got.

Mainly, eating Whole30 makes you pay attention to labels, what you’re putting in your body, and how that makes you feel. And that’s what I’m gaining from it.

Anyways, on to what we’ve been eating.

I’ve got a Pinterest Board of Whole30 Keepers we’ve tried this time and last.

Here’s what we’ve had this first 10 days:

Rosemary Meatballs w/ Greens & Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Paleo Chicken Fingers
Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice (Modify this recipe – use cashews & no tofu!)
Turkey Chili
Mustardy Chicken (Modified to be Whole30)
Carnitas Salad with Roasted Broccoli
Chicken Vegetable Soup

Two things that people asked for are here. First off, how to modify a recipe. This is a skill you’ll learn as you experiment in the kitchen, and there’s no perfect way, but I’ll talk you through how I did it for the mustard chicken, above.

So, first here is the list of original ingredients with the modifications I made:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced shallots (2 medium shallots)  1 diced onion
1/2 cup dry white wine  1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard  4 tablespoons compliant mustard
2 tablespoons heavy cream  2 tablespoons coconut milk
Coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

So here we go. First of all, you can see from above that there are a few triggers of non-compliant things – the wine, obviously, mustard (just make sure you use compliant mustard!) and the cream.

1) SHALLOTS – I used to keep these on hand, but I always end up not using them (I know, that’s so silly, they’re easy to use!) but I always have onions, so I just swapped that out because that’s what I had.

2) WINE – Vinegar makes a great substitute for alcohol – you’re looking for something acidic to add to your dish. You usually can make this substitution and get away with a delicious dish. I just happened to have/prefer apple cider vinegar.

3) MUSTARD – I only have the one kind of compliant mustard, but I’m here to report it was delicious.

4) HEAVY CREAM – The coconut milk/cream was just as good, and compliant, and makes your dish dairy free for those with allergies!

Just as delicious, I am sure, and no one was the wiser. Do you guys modify recipes? Do you have other recipe or ingredient-specific questions on substitutions, or suggestions?

Secondly, a few people asked for the Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe. It’s easy for me to make a big pot of soup on Monday and eat it all week – easier than making lunch every day with a wiggly 3 month old! The recipe is below – feel free to modify the veggies as you see fit, add spinach or kale or whatever your heart desires!

Type: Soups

Author: Jennie

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Inactive Time: 60 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 4-5 small potatoes
• 5 carrots
• 1 bunch celery
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
• 4-5 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1-2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Boil chicken breasts in water. This will take about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, chop your potatoes, carrots, and celery.

3. When your chicken is done, remove from pot, drain, and cut into bit size pieces.

4. In a dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil. When hot, add potatoes. Brown for about five minutes over medium heat.

5. Add carrots, celery, and broth. Stir and bring to a boil.

6. Add the lemon juice and spices, and taste and adjust to your liking. Let simmer at least 30-45 minutes. Serve hot!

Hey folks! Long time, no talk. I’ve been not really cooking as I have a tiny baby who needs my attention most of the time, but I’m hoping to fix that in 2018. In the meantime, recently I made some Peppermint Pop Rocks Bark and it was really easy and continues to be delicious, so I thought I’d share it with you.

So you take a pound of dark chocolate (you can get the pound bars at Trader Joe’s, so good) and melt it in a double boiler (aka take a sauce pot, add some water and boil it, then put a bowl over the pot and melt the chocolate in that. This helps you to not burn your chocolate.)

Then, spread the vegan drinking chocolate onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes, then add your Pop Rocks. I used candy-cane flavored ones, and I used 6 of those little packets for the pound. Or use candy canes if you want – whatever floats your boat. Then, freeze for about an hour, and break it up using either a knife or a meat mallet or whatever you have in your kitchen. Eat cold or room temp – I am keeping mine in the freezer!

Moving on to next year – in 2018, we’re starting the year off in my family by doing a Whole 30 for the month of January. I’ll share recipes here of what we’re making and loving (or not) so you can have some recipes to try. I lost some weight last Whole30 around, and generally felt better, although it turns out I was pregnant and didn’t know it, so I’m wondering how this one will feel comparatively.

What are you guys up to? Anyone have Whole30 recipes they love?

December! Although you wouldn’t know it from the weather here in LA, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! Our tree is up, the stockings are hung, and I’m ready to bake cookies and celebrate the season! One of my favorite holiday cookies is Gingerbread Men, and that’s what Siån brought to life in this design!

Here’s your tablet version.

November! Thanksgiving is here! I cannot wait to celebrate Evie’s first Thanksgiving. We’re working away around here getting this little human bigger, and soon enough we’ll be posting here regularly again. In the meantime, I know you guys need a Desktop Calendar for November – sorry it’s a little late!

PSST – here is your tablet version in portrait, and landscape!