The Whole30....The Home Stretch

So I'm on day 25 of the Whole30.  At this point I thought it would be smooth sailing, but I think because I'm so close to the end, I'm dreaming about what I'll be celebrating with next week!

I did have a  moment yesterday when I realized that the 30th is actually Monday, and not Sunday like I had somehow established in my mind.  It's like when I ran races and thought I was almost at the finish line, and then turned a corner and realized there was further to go.  :)

Someone asked me the other day if I was glad I did it.  For the most part, yes.  I believe I gained some valuable insights into what I'm putting into my body and how I choose to reward myself with treats.  But, a few times I was disappointed that I was missing out on fun times with friends and family when I couldn't enjoy a spring break frozen yogurt with the kids

or try the yummy southern food in this small Georgia town we were passing through on our recent family trip.

Right now our refrigerator looks nice and healthy.  I like opening the door and seeing fresh veggies cut up, and meats prepared and ready to warm up, and sides that are free of any processed ingredients.

I ate fairly healthy before this month, so I'm not sure if I saw the extreme results many people have experienced during their 30 days.  But, I definitely noticed that my clothes are fitting again closer to how they were before my knee surgery.  Ever since the holidays I had gotten into a habit of eating sweets or grazing on snack foods, so I felt like I just wanted to give my body a re-set.  I had also wanted to see if it would help my knee recovery, and I'm not sure that can be measured.  I feel like I'm seeing slow improvement, but that could be a time factor as well.

One big positive is that I have enjoyed meal times more than in the past.  For example, many days I would eat a smoothie or salad with a protein for lunch.  Many times, I was still hungry after lunch. Now I have a full plate of yummy food, that is much more filling, for all of my meals!

I have also discovered some new favorite food/recipes.

I have become obsessed with these oven fried sweet potato chips.  

They are so simple to make only using a few ingredients.

                                                                1.  sweet potatoes

                                                                2.  coconut oil

                                                                3.  salt & pepper

                                                                4.  rosemary

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice sweet potatoes.  (I was doing this by hand, but when I saw how often I was making them, I bought an inexpensive slicer from Target and haven't looked back since.) :)  Put potatoes in a mixing bowl and pour melted coconut oil over them.  Mix them up and add salt, pepper and rosemary.  Spread out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Try to have them in one layer, not touching other potatoes to get the crispest chip.  Bake 15 minutes, flip potatoes, bake about 15 minutes longer.  Watch for them to get overdone, although I liked mine to have a little burned edge.  They are definitely best fresh out of the oven, but you can make a large batch ahead of time and warm them up on demand.

Another favorite recipe is brussel sprouts and bacon.  You can pour balsamic vinegar over it when they are cooked, but I like mine plain.  (brussel sprouts on the left side of the plate)  

*If you want this recipe, let me know. :)

I also just discovered spaghetti squash.  Do I think it tastes at all like spaghetti?  No, but I like the texture and I used it under one of my favorite proteins (buffalo chicken) for lunch.  It was yummy!

(side:sliced apples with almond butter)

There were a few challenging times.  Going out to eat is not the easiest so I haven't gone to many restaurants this past month.  Andy and I did have a date night last week.

We went to one of our favorite places, Masa, and I was able to get a tuna salad, with plain steamed brocoli.

We went to the movies after, and I was so sad not to be able to eat candy or popcorn.  I mean, what's the point of going to the movies if you can't eat junk while watching?!!  I made it though, and still enjoyed the movie.  ;)

This past weekend we went out of town, and so instead of hoping to find Whole30 approved foods, I decided the easiest thing would be to plan ahead and bring my meals.  So I made a list of what I wanted to eat

I tried to make simple meals so it would be easy to bring along.

I packed it in a cooler and brought a little lunch box so that when we went into restaurants, I could just grab my meal and carry it in.  It worked out great!  And, it kept me on the straight and narrow so I didn't get tempted to break my 30 day commitment.

There's been a learning curve of making sure I eat enough to stay full until my next meal, and not overdoing it and feeling overstuffed.  I'm finally getting into the swing of things and making many of these dishes are becoming second hand.  It does take quite a bit of cooking and preparation, but if you plan ahead you can prepare meals for several days, so that you are just grabbing things out of the fridge to put your meals together.  

There is supposed to be a reintroduction stage of the foods that have been cut out of your diet over the past month.  I really haven't thought past the 30 days.  I don't know what my first "post Whole30" meal will be yet.  It might just be a big plate of eggs, sausage, and brussel sprouts.   

(Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day!) :)

I do feel like I'm much more aware of reading labels and finding out what is in the food I'm eating.  One week after church we went out to eat, and I asked the waitress at the restaurant how the chicken was prepared that goes on a salad.  It's actually marinated in several items that contain sweeteners and other ingredients that aren't Whole30 approved.  I was glad I asked, but it made me think I want to be aware of this in the future.

But..... I do plan to enjoy life with those around me who love special treats.  I can't wait to celebrate Easter next week with my favorite Easter candy, Robin Eggs and to eat some of Drew's birthday cake! :)

*If you are interested in doing the Whole30, there is a ton of information on line, but I am more than happy to share with you what worked for me, so please ask!

Now, go enjoy a piece of chocolate (or cheese, or pizza, or ice cream, or popcorn, or _________fill in the blank) for me!!!!!