Before you start the Whole 30, or do your own version of clean eating, make sure you get ready by buying lots of good meats and veggies and get ready to cook. It will save you time during the week, but also, you will be much more likely to stick to the plan if you have things to eat at your finger tips. By the way, this is not about restricting how much you eat. It’s about eating things you like, and just excluding the no-nos. So eat until your heart’s content, and eat well!
So after many of my initial posts of sharing what my kids eat, I’ve had people ask me what I eat (for breakfast and lunch) so I thought I would share. I want to eat things I really enjoy and honestly I just can’t eat raw veggies all day long, nor do I want to. So, Sunday night as I cook my kids lunch for the week, I am also preparing my own meals (lunches and snacks).
Breakfast: I will always have my salad. I use Trader Joe’s no horomone chicken cooked out of it’s casing. Then, in a large bowl I’ll add organic spinach (I get the large rectangle packs at Costco or Whole Foods) and flax oil, apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice), and roasted flax seeds (Trader Joe’s). I know, it sounds weird to have a salad, and you’re probably thinking, “I could never have a salad for breakfast”. I use to think the exact same thing, but I’ve come to look forward to it and really, it digests super fast so if you’re going to exercise in the morning, there’s no having to wait 2 hours or deal with any cramping. But on top of that, I just love starting the day with something as nutrient dense as spinach. Sometimes if I’m really hungry, I’ll also have a bowl of soup or whatever is already made in the fridge.
I am not one to use store-bought salad dressings, as I always like to make but own, but I do love Garlic Gold. It also is great on your roasted brussel sprouts. It’s all natural and they only organic olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices. They also have a lemon and red wine vinaigrette. I get it from Vitacost.com or from them directly.
Most mornings, I’ll also make the roasted okra first thing in the am since it takes 45 min to cook, but only about 4 minutes to prep. It’s a great addition to breakfast or nice to have a snack already made for later. I buy it pre-cut, put the frozen okra in a big bowl and microwave it for 3 minutes. Then, spread it over parchment paper so it lays flat, spray it with coconut oil, add celtic salt, and let cook on 450 for approximately 45 minutes (turning every once in a while) until brown.
Lunch example: This is one I’ll have often but I love my bowl of butternut squash soup with either turkey burgers, some steamed broccoli, mushrooms, crushed Brazil nuts or slivered raw almond, or sausage. I really like the heartiness of adding some extra protein, veggies or nuts. To make the turkey burgers, I use lean turkey meat, about 3 tbsp chia flour (I used Mila today, thanks Eleanor!), 1/4 cup egg whites, plenty of celtic sea salt (about 1 tsp or a little more), some pepper, 1 tsp garlic and 1 tsp onion powder. Then, add about 1 tbsp of coconut oil to a pan, let it heat and add turkey. I use to make patties but now i’ll just pour the whole meat concoction in the pan and flatten it with my hand. Cook until 1 side is brown, then the other side, now turn on low and let cook until no longer pink in the middle.
Another lunch, today for example, I had some chili and then roasted the Trader Joe’s Organic pre-cut broccoli. I added about 3 tbsp olive oil (and celtic sea salt) and it was yummy and crispy, and I ate it all!
I’ll always keep around a bag of broccoli, some pre-cut sweet potatoes or brussel sprouts. And I still love the Brussel sprout lunch salad.
Some of my snacks: I’ll have a turkey burger, some wild precooked salmon (Trader Joe’s) or some no nitrate turkey rolled with roasted seaweed (Trader Joe’s) and avocado , some carrots, a handful of raw (the salted ones can increase you appetite) nuts, soup, chili or whatever we have made around the house.
If I am having a bad sweet tooth, for the Whole 30, I’ll stick to an apple (green have less sugar) or some berries. And by the way, the Whole 30 doesn’t exclude fruit. That is just something I am doing for now.
Last thought on what you need to have around the house…the eggs, don’t forget the eggs. If you have nothing else, you always have this great protein ready to go. You can scramble some (yes, yolks too) with kerrygold butter, salt and pepper and have a great, quick meal. I also love frittatas and you can make them so many different ways. You can use any veggies you love like sweet potatoes, scallions, red or green peppers, tomatoes, red onion, some cheese (if you’re not doing the Whole 30), bacon, sausage. etc.
The other day, I used:
artichoke hearts
spinach
mushrooms
sausage
10 eggs
1 tbsp butter
Here’s what to do:
Preheat oven to 375.
Saute the mushrooms or whatever veggies you use in about 1 tbsp kerrygold butter.
Add salt and set aside. Cook sausage (out of casing or chopped) or bacon in pan and set aside.
Beat eggs in large bowl, add in veggies and meat.
Pour in very well coated (I used coconut oil) oven safe pan.
Cook on high on the stove and with a spatula, push aside the bottom of the mixture (like you would an omelette) to let the runny part cook for about 5 minutes.
Move to preheated over and cook for 10-12 minutes or until done.
Cut like a pizza and serve.
Enjoy, good luck and Happy New Year! I would love to hear how everyone is doing!!
Mary -What do your kids take for lunch and what about breakfast if they don’t like eggs??? I have 3 boys 13,9, an 4 the 4 year old being the pickiest…… He hates eggs….
🙂
Love your blog!!!! I workout with Jesse Somoza at crossfitnorthatlanta!!!!!ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Mary! Thanks so much for your post!! These two posts below hopefully helps to answer your question. I need to have it in a better place so it’s easier for people to find so thanks for the reminder.
My son loves smoothies (https://stiritup.me/?p=53) , all kinds of nuts (trader joe’s prepackaged are nice to have around), turkey sticks, gf hotdogs, or sometimes gluten free brown rice bread with almond butter and honey for lunch. We usually do the smoothie for breakfast every morning. Both kids will also eat apples with almond or peanut butter for breakfast many mornings. As for my daughter’s lunch, she eats what I mentioned in the first post above, so sloppy joe’s, spaghetti, etc for lunch in a thermos, along with some pistachios, carrots, and a couple of dark chocolate almonds. I hope this helps! Please don’t hesitate to ask anything else, and thanks so much for reading my blog! Tell Jessie hi for me!ReplyCancel
Shannon -For your turkey burgers how much meat are you using for the recipe above and why just the egg whites and not the whole egg?ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Shannon! Sorry I forgot to mention that. I think it’s a pound or a little over. I will buy some tomorrow so once I see, I’ll let you know for sure. Also, regarding the eggs, that’s totally out of simplicity. Rather than beating eggs, then adding it to the mix, I just pour some egg whites (I use Trader Joe’s Cage Free Egg Whites) because it’s quicker. Hope that helps! Oh, and fyi, the chia flour isn’t imperative, but it’s just an easy way to add in some omega-3s to the burgers without noticing any change in taste, and holding the burger together even better. I hope this helps!ReplyCancel
So it’s Dec 27th (I wrote this yesterday), two days after Christmas and three days after I made my chocolate pie and today I tried it for the first time, and I have to say, it was A-mazing if I do say so myself (notice the past tense because I ate what was left of it!). Unfortunately, my confession isn’t that I tried the pie. It’s that I ate way more than I should have and it’s because….I’m totally addicted to sweets. For the most part, I’m a Paleo purist, and really it’s been years since I’ve eaten many sweets (so I kind of forgot about my addiction) but lately with the holidays, and making paleo “treats” for the kids, I’ve been having a little here and a little there. Then, I’d get a sweet tooth and have a few dark chocolate almonds. Or, I’d make the Almond Joy Bars because it was my birthday or because I’d get these “cravings” I haven’t had in a long time and I’d think, well, I’ll just use about half the coconut palm sugar and the rest is just coconut flour, flax seed, egg and coconut milk, so what’s so bad about that, right? And really, nothing…unless, you’re addicted to sweets or baked goods and it’s going to trigger something in your brain. I would rationalize by thinking, well, I won’t feel tired or cloudy or hung over tomorrow after eating this stuff, or my body and joints won’t hurt, so it’s okay. But you know what, these cravings have been getting stronger, and stronger, and I’ll tell you what, they suck! I almost forgot how great paleo is for cravings and appetite control.
So that’s it! I’m sick of it! As of Jan 1st, no more paleo “treats”, no more dark chocolate almonds, no more chocolate macaroons and for a while, no fruit. I remember reading awhile ago, “when trying to get over an addition, don’t have ANY of it”, so I am going to cut out all sugar, including fruit for a bit. Gosh, now I’m sounding like an alcoholic. It’s truly not that bad, but it’s bad enough to make me want to do the Whole 30 again and bad enough to get rid of any trigger foods. I was debating between just taking out all of those things that set off my cravings, but I think, no, I need, a fresh start.
For those of you who have never heard of the Whole 30 it’s just what it sounds like. You eat only whole foods for 30 days and that includes no paleo “treats”, nothing processed (no Justin’s nut butter or almond milk!) and then of course, everything else is Paleo so no grains, dairy, sugar (of any kind), legumes, or alcohol. If you are interested, click here for complete details on the Whole 30.
Sometimes we all need a reset. And it can be hard but the 1st three to five days are typically the hardest, until the cravings just disappear. And then it’s learning about your body and what works best for it. Some people say, “but I need more carbs”. If you are training for a half ironman or marathon, then yes, you do, but otherwise, could it be just your brain thinking you do?? You may have a dip in energy as your body readjusts but wouldn’t it be wonderful to knock out some of those things that make us feel tired and lethargic, achy or inflamed? Wouldn’t it be nice to make our bodies not only digest food more efficiently, but in the process make ourselves mentally and physically stronger and healthier, and at the same time, allow our bodies burn fat, rather than the carbs you “think” you need?
I’ll be honest, the Whole 30 isn’t about loosing weight. In fact, one of the rules is not weighing yourself. It’s about gaining control and feeling the best you can. It’s about making you appreciate food, and actually tasting it. It’s about being hyper aware of what we put in our bodies, instead of just eating as quickly as possibly without really thinking about what we’re doing. And lastly, it’s about realizing what we need, versus what we want. I’m up for the challenge. Are you?
If not now…when? By the way, Happy New Year’s! 🙂
Quote from the Whole 30 site: “Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard.”
Oh, and loving this baby is way easy! This is my lovely sister in law’s almost 1 year old babe, Starling. I just love this precious little thing and I am addicted to her for sure!
Shana -I’ll do it with you landria! Don’t know if I mentioned this but I was diagnosed with celiac a few months ago, and while getting gluten out has helped me feel a lot better, I feel like dairy and especially sugar still mess me up somewhat. So this would be a great oppt. to give my gut a nice break and really heal. You better post a lot of recipes though! 🙂ReplyCancel
landriav -Ha, I love it Shana! Sounds great!! I don’t think I knew you had celiac. I’m SO glad to hear you’re feeling better now though. It is amazing how not only taking the gluten out of your diet, but sugars, and dairy, will make you feel so much better. Have you read Wheat Belly? That book is SO interesting to me when it comes to Celiac, as well as just gluten intolerance. Alright, Shanna, the recipes will be a comin’!! 🙂ReplyCancel
Marla-Deen-LOVE this post! It is a sickness for me too, and I can tell in my body, head and joints when I’m eating the tasty but “evil” stuff! I have been better this year, but think I also need a “reset”! Glad to know I’m not the only one out there!ReplyCancel
landriav -Thanks Allyson! Will look into those for sure.ReplyCancel
Kathryn -For some reason, the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas just seems to ramp up my cravings. A little treat here and there leads to really wanting it – even when it’s not around. I tossed all the sweets and processed food in the house Christmas night. I’d had enough… Looking forward to your future posts!ReplyCancel
landriav -Same here, every year. Thanks goodness for New Year’s resolutions, or in your case, Christmas night to say, “enough is enough”! Good for you on getting a head start!ReplyCancel
Whitney -This year has been especially miserable, looking forward to a rset! Glad to know that I’m not alone.ReplyCancel
landriav -I thought you’ve been so good this year! Well, there’s always 2012 🙂 And no, you’re never alone on this. I think it’s a girl thing for sure. We just seem to love or want the carbs and sugar more. Sucks, doesn’t it? Good thing we’re strong tough women who control our own destiny :)!ReplyCancel
Chris Colwell -we have the same addictions! great new camera Lan, and great subject of course.ReplyCancel
landriav -I had no idea! Nice to hear, as some others have said, that I’m not alone! Loved seeing you so much over the holidays!!ReplyCancel
Now that Christmas is over, we have a ton of leftovers, especially turkey. But I’m really happy about that because after eating paleo “treats” and other things, I’m really ready for something completely healthy, clean, low calorie, oh, and warm on a day like today. So, I made a huge pot of yummy, feel good, vegetable soup. I love having this stuff around for the week, so much so that I ate it for breakfast this morning, and my family is now sitting around eating it for lunch. And, Tate is especially loving it. Yay! And, as always, it was super easy to make. Here’s what you need:
Use any of your favorite vegetables! I used:
squash
kale
onion
okra
celery
broccoli
my favorite sausage to spice it up some (Whole Foods)
fresh garlic
tomato or vegetable soup (I only used the tomato soup today; didn’t need both like I thought I would)
homemade bone broth (organic chicken broth is fine too)
a good heaping of celtic sea salt
pepper
any spices you love. I used basil and oregano.
Cook the sausage in a very large pot until brown, pour in the liquids, add the vegetables that will take a bit longer to cook i.e. the okra and broccoli. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, then add in the rest of the veggies, spices and cover. Allow to cook on low for about 3 or so hours. I’ve also made this, in the past, with some good grass fed stew meat and really love that as well.
Feel free to add some hot sauce, cheese, or any toppings your family may like, and enjoy!
I am making this yummy soup now and wondered how much of the liquids to put it?? I’m the cook that needs precise directions!!! Thanks and can’ wait to try. Thanks for all you do.ReplyCancel
landriav -Hi Lisa! I would just fill the liquid until it just reaches the top of the veggies and meat. Maybe have it go about an inch or two above it since some will likely cook down. I hope you like it!ReplyCancel
So we’re getting down to the wire and I still haven’t prepped as much as I would like, but I think this is going to be our menu, assuming time is on my side tomorrow morning. By the way, I’m posting this very quickly so please ignore any grammatical errors or anything that just doesn’t sound right. As long I got the important parts, like the recipes, correct, we’re good, right?! Oh and lastly, I do have family brining some stuff too (thank goodness!). This is just what I’m making:
This is another thing I grew up eating with my Grandma Jean. We certainly cook differently, but the flavors still bring back the memories. It’s hard to beat her recipe, but I think I’ve come as close to it as I can with my paleo version. Here’s what you will need:
a bag full of fresh okra, maybe 1/2 pound or so
1/2 cup almond meal (Trader Joe’s)
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp celtic sea salt and pepper pepper to taste
2 tbls coconut oil
Cut okra into about 1-2 inch thick bites and set aside. Put almond meal., garlic, salt and pepper in a flat bowl and mix. Stir in cut up okra. Turn large pan on medium high, add coconut oil. Once the oil is melted, add the okra. Dont add too much oil or it will be too wet since the okra is slimy on the inside, you want it to have a chance to cook out. That’s it!
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease up 6 cups of a muffin tin with coconut oil.
2. Put coconut flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor.
Add the butter and pulse until the butter is incorporated. The butter pieces should be about the size of peas.
3. In a blender (or by hand if you’re feeling energetic), whiz the egg whites until they are frothy.
Add them to the food processor and pulse just couple times until they’re blended.
4. Distribute the batter evenly into the 6 cups of your muffin tin. It should fill them about 3/4 full.
These biscuits don’t rise, so that’s okay. Bake for 15 minutes until the tops are browned.
DESSERTS
Alright, on to my favorites…the desserts! These treats are both inspired by Elana from Elana’s Pantry. Love her stuff!
Sugar Cookies
I have always had such a weakness for sugar cookies, and these “paleo treats” are no exception.
This is what you need:
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons grass-fed Kerrygold butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup maple
1/4 cup raw coconut palm sugar
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Mix wet ingredients into dry. Form 1-inch balls and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes.
Chocolate Pie
I have a family full of chocoholics so how could I not make Chocolate Pie?
Crust
1½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup melted butter or coconut oil (if dairy allergy)
2 tablespoons maple or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, combine
melted butter (or olive oil), honey and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Pat dough into a 9½-inch glass pie dish.
Bake at 325° for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool so it will be ready for the filling once it cools a bit too.
For the Chocolate filling, I tried out a couple and think the Mini Chocolate Mousse Cups is the best recipe for this.
Oh, and the turkey. I'm leaving that one up to my husband and his Big Green Egg. Merry Christmas everyone!
Becky -thanks for the pie crust recipe and the chocolate pie also. I am so glad you post paleo. I can not eat rice and most gf are with rice flour.ReplyCancel
This broccoli casserole isn’t Paleo, but it is grain, gluten, wheat and sugar free so to me, it’s the perfect splurge, not to mention, I just love it. It’s what my grandma Alice use to make when I was little and have had it every year ever since, with a little bit of modification. Here’s what you need:
about 6 cups of broccoli
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (2% Fage or Whole Foods)
1/3 cup mayo (Olive Oil Spectrum from Whole Foods)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/8 pepper
1 cup cheese (Trader Joe’s no rBST) , 1/2 cup for the top
What to do:
1. Bring a pot of water (filled about 2 inches with water) to a boil.
2. Add broccoli and cover so it can steam for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Strain the broccoli and mix with the ingredients above.
4. Pour into glass 8×8 dish, add the rest of the cheese on top, and cook on 350 for 25 minutes.
5. Turn to broil and let cook for 5 more so the cheese can brown.
I hope y’all enjoy this as much as I do!
For the rest of the meal, I’m going to do “fried” okra, my cauliflour mash, roasted brussel sprouts, green beans (from yesterdays’s post), 1 Big Green Egg grilled turkey, 1 slow cooked turkey, a chocolate pie, and some sugar cookies. Check back tomorrow for these recipes!
Carol Vacca -What kind of cheese? Shredded? Cheddar? Including this on my Thanksgiving menu! Thank you for sharing!ReplyCancel
landriav -Oh sorry, I just saw this!! We use a sharp cheddar but you can use whatever you like. I hope it turned out!!ReplyCancel
keile green -All you state is Greek. What did you omit? Feta? Please clarify.ReplyCancel
landriav -Ah sorry Keile, great yogurt! No sure what I omitted? I rarely do dairy so for me, if i omitted anything it would have been a cheese but for this recipe, I think I included it all. Hope that helps some.ReplyCancel
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Mary - What do your kids take for lunch and what about breakfast if they don’t like eggs??? I have 3 boys 13,9, an 4 the 4 year old being the pickiest…… He hates eggs….
🙂
Love your blog!!!! I workout with Jesse Somoza at crossfitnorthatlanta!!!!!
landriav - Hey Mary! Thanks so much for your post!! These two posts below hopefully helps to answer your question. I need to have it in a better place so it’s easier for people to find so thanks for the reminder.
https://stiritup.me/?p=57
https://stiritup.me/?p=22
My son loves smoothies (https://stiritup.me/?p=53) , all kinds of nuts (trader joe’s prepackaged are nice to have around), turkey sticks, gf hotdogs, or sometimes gluten free brown rice bread with almond butter and honey for lunch. We usually do the smoothie for breakfast every morning. Both kids will also eat apples with almond or peanut butter for breakfast many mornings. As for my daughter’s lunch, she eats what I mentioned in the first post above, so sloppy joe’s, spaghetti, etc for lunch in a thermos, along with some pistachios, carrots, and a couple of dark chocolate almonds. I hope this helps! Please don’t hesitate to ask anything else, and thanks so much for reading my blog! Tell Jessie hi for me!
Shannon - For your turkey burgers how much meat are you using for the recipe above and why just the egg whites and not the whole egg?
landriav - Hey Shannon! Sorry I forgot to mention that. I think it’s a pound or a little over. I will buy some tomorrow so once I see, I’ll let you know for sure. Also, regarding the eggs, that’s totally out of simplicity. Rather than beating eggs, then adding it to the mix, I just pour some egg whites (I use Trader Joe’s Cage Free Egg Whites) because it’s quicker. Hope that helps! Oh, and fyi, the chia flour isn’t imperative, but it’s just an easy way to add in some omega-3s to the burgers without noticing any change in taste, and holding the burger together even better. I hope this helps!