Checking In On My Whole30 Challenge

Whooaaaaa we're halfway there!

Well, here we are at Day 14 of my Whole30 Challenge!  For those that don't know what that is you can click here and read all about it or I can just tell you that basically I am eating clean for a month.  No processed foods: no added sugars of any kind, no grains, legumes, dairy, white potatoes, carrageenan, nitrates, sulfites, MSG, and last but not least no alcohol or desserts. Think Paleo - but a bit more strict.

That seems like a really long list of stuff that I cannot have so what can  I eat? Healthy fats, veggies, chicken, fish, eggs, fruit, pork and beef. (All eggs, pork, beef & chicken are from local farms too!)

Let me tell you that I feel amazing.  My Husband feels amazing.  He is not going as extreme as I am, but as I am cooking most of his breakfasts and all of our dinners he is definitely feeling the effects of cutting out crappy foods.

My thoughts so far...

• It's a lot of prep.
• Our kitchen looks like a bomb went off every time I am make something.
• It's not cheap eating clean!
• I plan out every dinner for the week on Sundays as well as do as much prep as possible for the week. I sorta use leftovers and go with what I feel like for breakfast and lunch.
• Kyle and I go out on "date night" at least once or twice a week, it's a bit tough eating out since there are so many restrictions so I do miss that, although if I decide not to go into a 60 day we are going here to celebrate.  
• I don't miss sweets (that much).  No really, I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth and it's all but gone.
• I love passing by all the crappy boxed, processed junk food and know that's not going into my body.
• More energy?  Yep that happened.
• The whole coffee thing?  I made my own coconut cream and it's amazing in my coffee.  This took me a week to sort out, but once I made the cream, I was golden. 
• Smaller waist/flatter tummy? CHECK. The first thing that goes when I loose any weight is my waist and stomach.  Sorry, maybe you got blessed with fab legs and height.  I got this so I'm bragging about it. 
• Happy Hubby-Kyle always did most of the cooking.  I'm not sure how or when this happened-it just did.  He is loving all of the amazing meals that I have been chefing up!
• I have made my own: coconut cream/ mayo/umami mayo/ranch dressing/all salad dressings and almond milk.  It tastes way better than store-bought and again no preservatives and ingredients I can't pronounce.
• Asian cauliflower rice anytime, any day. 
• It's 30 days and like they said-it really is easy.
• Lots of the people I follow on IG are moms and my cousin switched her family to a paleo lifestyle while working and competing in races.  Huge props to all you moms and dads living this lifestyle or doing this challenge while taking care of  kids and a family.  It's a ton of work and I know how worth it is, but you are all super moms and dads for finding the time and energy to cook this way.

Have I had a rough day here and there?  Ummm yeah!  It's easy, but making this big of a change takes about two weeks to get used too.  I also recently had to switch to decaf coffee so that is making  for some cranky mornings ;)

I will have the whole list of what I ate at the end of the month along with a more-in depth recap and really what pushed me to do this.  I have to give a huge shout-out and thank you to my girlfriend Lindsay.  She has done this challenge in the past and was my go-to person when I decided to do it.  You should check out her site: Fit & Awesome. Most of my recipes have been also been coming from Nom Nom Paleo.  I downloaded her app and then bought the book.  I'm obsessed!  Also, Stupid Easy Paleo as well as Planks, Love & Guacamole. Not to mention all of the awesome recipes and support I get from the IG community!

Lastly, I purposely have not flooded my Facebook page or Instagram because I don't want to force people to look at food pix throughout the day. Feel free to follow me on my Whole30 IG account that I created just for this journey.  I'm at Whole30inthecity.  Yep... I can call it whatever I want.

Here are just a few pics of the food that I have made.  Cody, my pit bull is in nearly all of my shots, he's #whole30cody.  Yep I can do that too...

We're still having Italian Sunday dinners.  I made these amazing meatballs with almond flour and cooked homemade sauce all day.  Kyle wants me to make this again!

Damn Fine Chicken with Asian Cauliflower Rice.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins

And here are some pictures of our day at the races just because...

My support system, my rock and my love.

I'm smiling, but I really want a glass of champagne ;)

This horse decided he was going to run this race by himself.  Thank God he didn't get hurt and bless his heart he ran this to win!

~Mrs. G

Whole30 Challenge Accepted.

Well I'm doing it - The Whole30 Challenge.

I'm not sure what came over me and why I all of a sudden felt the need to cut out everything I hold near and dear to my heart, but I am giving it a try and will stick out these 30 days if it kills me.

Which apparently it won't but I found this blog and she gives 30 Reason To Do A Whole30.  Check it out and you tell me if that doesn't make you want to try it, or think about trying it ;)

I'm Italian as most of you all know and Kyle and I have pasta every Sunday, it's a family tradition and one that I will always uphold.  It's going to be hard not having our pasta for the month (I LOATH spaghetti squash) and it's going to be tough cutting out the wine, whiskey, cheese and creamer in my coffee and, and, and...

I know I am going to miss all of the above, but I love a good challenge.  Day two has officially gotten under way and I must say that I am really excited about this.  I shopped yesterday and got all of the good stuff and got rid of all of the bad.  It's crazy how much crap is in processed food and the thought of making everything myself and knowing the ingredients makes me happy.  Sure it takes longer to prep and reading labels is tiresome but I really think this is going to help me make better decisions for myself and my Hubby in the future.  And it's only 30 days.  I truly believe everything in moderation, but learning about what we put in our body is so important.

Anyhow, I will keep a daily or weekly journal here if you want to come back and check on how I'm doing and how I'm feeling.  I'll share my struggles and triumphs as well as recipes I have found and tips that have helped me out. Or I may just write how freaking hungry I am but that my skin is glowing and I would love a latte with a side of red wine.

See you on the other side....

~Mrs. G