My Whole30: The First Ten Days

 The ten day meal round up with small accompanying day descriptions. For anyone who was curious about what the first ten days of the Whole30 were like for me. 

The program focuses on getting back to three meals a day. Most of these days I had an apple or banana in the afternoon. If I had a bad craving that I couldn't get past or wanted a good treat, I would fill a couple of dates with almond butter. 

Day One: I grocery shopped all over town the week leading up the my start date and spent 2 hours prepping food the night before. I finally learned how to make my own mayo. This was a pretty good day. I was feeling confident and the food was filling and wonderful.

Breakfast Day 1:
Spinach & tomato frittata, avocado, & fruit.

Day 1 Lunch:
Tuna salad, spinach tossed in extra virgin olive oil, grapes & blueberries.

Day 1 Dinner (Not Pictured):
I was so hungry at the end of this day that I didn't remember to stop and
take a pic. Spaghetti squash topped with ground beef, Italian seasonings, and
red sauce.

Day Two: was a work day. A little more hectic in the mornings to find time to sit down, but we managed. When I woke up on day two I had sinus drainage and a cough. I was pretty sure I was getting a cold & felt achy all day.

Day 2 Breakfast:
Leftover spaghetti squash and ground meat topped with a fried egg and tomato sauce.

Day 2 Lunch (at work):
Tuna Salad stuffed bell pepper with more greens, raw carrots
and roasted red pepper sauce for dressing/dipping.

Day 2 Dinner:
Grilled chicken breast (seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder,
fresh pepper and salt) with red pepper mayo, grilled sweet potato
rounds and Green Cabbage Slaw.

 Day Three: My throat drainage got better. I thought maybe I was just having some allergic reaction to something outside. Still felt off, but ok. Still very satisfied form all of the meals, but getting sick of being in the kitchen so much.

Day 3 Breakfast:
Sauteed spinach, sliced avocado, sliced tomato, & two fried eggs.

Day 3 Lunch (at work):
Mexican Tuna (basically tuna and avocado) in Romaine Leaves with
leftover cabbage slaw, carrot sticks & a not pictured apple.

Dinner Day 3:
Beef Brisket with gravy, roasted sweet potatoes & baby kale and
spinach tossed in extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

Day Four: This is the day that I realized my "cold & allergies" were actually physical symptoms of my body adjusting to all of the things I had taken out of my diet. Overall the day was good, and I was feeling REALLY tired by the end of it. The brisket from the night before was amazing and I think it set me up for good days. 

Breakfast Day 4:
Fried eggs with leftover brisket gravy, sauteed spinach & fruit.

Lunch Day 4 (not pictured):
Big Spinach and vegetable salad with leftover beef brisket & gravy.

Dinner Day 4:
Roasted salmon topped with fresh dill, salt & pepper. Roasted broccoli,
sweet potatoes & golden beets.

 Day Five: I started to get a little bitchy. They say it happens. It did. It started on Day 5.

Breakfast Day 5:
Fried egg over sauteed spinach, butternut squash soup, berries & Elsa shoes.

Lunch Day 5:
HUGE greek salad with romaine lettuce, red onions, kalamata olives,
tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber, & garlic. Dressed with red wine vinegar,
olive oil, and lemon juice.

Dinner Day 5:
The juiciest bone in pork chops with spiced applesauce on a bed
of arugula.

 Day Six: Also know as day two of the "Kill All The Things" phase. I was getting mad at inanimate objects. And my family. Lots of negativity on this day. It was the weekend and I really wanted some wine. There was lots of good food, but it was a tough first weekend.

Breakfast Day 6:
Scrambled eggs with leftover pork, leftover applesauce & side of greens.
And more brisket gravy.

Lunch Day 6:
At Whole Foods. Bowl of kale, hard boiled egg, and all the veggies you see
drizzled in olive oil.

Dinner Day 6:
Baked sweet potato stuffed with pulled pork carnitas and
served with avocado mayo.

 Day Seven: So tired this day. But nicer to be around. On this day I felt slimmer. My midsection was noticeably less bloated and my face felt slimmer. That basically made me have the best day ever. Superficial, but honest.

Breakfast Day 7:
Sweet potato hash, sugar free bacon, fried eggs & berries.

Lunch Day 7:
Tuna salad on a bed of spinach, bell pepper and carrot sticks, & an apple.

Dinner Day 7:
Kielbasa, spinach, onion, tomato frittata, cauliflower & sweet potato mash,
and fruit salad.

Day Eight: Back to another week, easier to not be jealous of the people drinking nice wine around me. Normal busy Monday with the kids. Had plenty of energy in the morning and I felt good.

Breakfast Day 8:
Leftover fruit salad, leftover butternut squash soup, & a fried egg
with sauteed spinach.

Lunch Day 8:
Tuna salad with apples, walnuts, celery, hard boiled egg, compliant pickles,
homemade mayo, lemon juice & compliant dijon mustard. Served on a bed
of arugula and drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar.

Dinner Day 8:
Chicken and vegetable stir fry topped with cilantro & dressed with
sesame oil & coconut aminos.

 Day Nine: No longer feeling slim. Feeling bloated and that is frustrating considering how much time I am spending in the kitchen cooking all of this damn (but delicious) food. But they say lots of people feel this way around days 8 & 9, so I'm rolling with it.

Breakfast Day 9:
Fried egg over sauteed spinach, cantaloupe, & strawberries.

Lunch (at work) Day 9:
Cold Thai salad with Zoodles & a sunflower seed butter sauce, Salmon &
sweet potato cakes (the kids LOVED these) with Dill Aoli dipping sauce.
The apple was eaten later. This was really filling.

Dinner Day 9:
Ground turkey lettuce wraps with cold thai salad.

 Day Ten: The Whole30 facts show that most people who quit the program do it on day ten or eleven. Their words are perfect for my sentiment: The newness has worn off, you've been through some unpleasant side effects, but you still haven't seen big results. That was EXACTLY where I was on this day (and today, day 11) but knowing these days were coming helped me. I haven't come this far to give it up.

Breakfast Day 10:
Leftover stir fry topped with a fried egg.

Lunch (at work) Day 10:
Leftover ground turkey lettuce wraps & a bell pepper.

Dinner Day 10:
One pot classic chili topped with avocado & served with a baby kale salad.

In real life I am finishing Day 11. I noticed a change in my energy today and over the last ten days we have tons of positive things happening with the kids. They are really good at trying new things and both of them have loved a lot of the food we have been making and eating. We don't have as many quick snacks around (chips, popcorn, etc) so when they want a snack they are asking for fruit or vegetables. It's really cool and one thing I'm super proud of about this. Of course, when we were at Whole Foods today I totally got ambushed by the cookie station. If there is ever a day when my children turn down a cookie, they are sick. I don't even need to go to the doctor. It's just a fact.

Happy to be 1/3 of the way in. Having to plan every single meal is a pain but it also has amazing advantages. I am not wasting food and my grocery store trips are much more focused and quick. It's better for my budget, even though all this food can get expensive. 

Still working on enough energy at the end of the day, so with that, I'm off to bed.