Turns out, if you plan ahead, you can have a pretty killer lunch on The Whole 30. Last night I took the time to cook dinner, which consisted of some killer sweet potato fries, bacon, and green beans. Oh yeah, and chicken that was cooked up in that bacon fat. No one said I couldn’t use the bacon fat to cook, so I’m doing it. Or at least I’m doing so until I’m told it’s against the rules.
So I kind of cheated. And to be honest, I haven’t even started. I’ve read the rules, I know what I can and can’t eat, and I’m aware of how it’s all supposed to go. But I still cheated. Let me back up. I made a promise that this Saturday I would take the plunge and do The Whole 30. But being the overachiever and compulsive organizers that I am, I started early. Three days early by testing myself.
You see, I have this fear that during our 30 day experiment, that I’m going to prepare all of these lunches and then forget to bring mine to work. Which means that I’ll be stuck at work without any idea of what I can and can’t eat. I don’t want to feel like I have to break down and grab a quick sandwich just because I forgot my food.
So I tested myself and went to the grocery store on my break and made a promise to make a Whole 30 shopping trip. I walked back with pork chops, green peppers, and tomatoes. And I’m lucky enough that my office has a kitchen, because I can cook on my break. I just have to be quick.
So I used my dried garlic herbs threw the seasoned pork chops in a hot pan (no oil) and some diced peppers. Cooked that up, removed it from the pan, then threw in the sliced tomatoes. I ended up with this:
I’m borrowing this, but so you know what I’m talking about, you can click through the above image to The Whole 30’s website.I’ve gotten a lot of advice in the last week as to whether to go Paleo or The Whole 30. The goal is to find a healthier way to eat. And I don’t want to rule out anything. so this is a trial period, testing my body to see what works for me instead of hating myself every time I eat too much.
So I’m 99 percent sure that Andy and I are going to take on The Whole 30 for November. Yes, I might give in for Thanksgiving, don’t hate me, I’ll just take another day out of December or something. But that’s the plan. I might tackle Paleo after, but to me, they are super similar.
I’ve already attempted a few Paleo/The Whole 30 lunches, but I have to tell you, I can already tell this is going to be hard. There’s going to be a lot of prepping (on my part) for meals, especially lunches. And I probably should start making a meal plan for the first week so I’m not caught off guard the first time I forget to bring my lunch to work with me.
The rules we must obide by for The Whole 30 are:
That means no sweeteners, whether artifcial or real. That’s no maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, white sugar, brown sugar, Splenda, Equal, Sweet N Low, etc. None of it.
Which for me, will actually be pretty easy. For Andy, who has a sweet tooth the size of California, there’s going to be some hesitation I can tell.
That’s no drinking or cooking with wine, beer, liquor, or even coridals.
Easy for Andy, not so easy for me. I enjoy a nice glass of wine from time to time, and I do, in fact, like to cook with wine a lot. So, this one will be hard for me.
That’s no wheat, rye, oats, corn, RICE, pasta, barley, bulgar, sprouted grains, or even quinoa.
I think I just panicked. Almost every meal I make is centered around a grain like pasta or rice. So this one is extremely hard for me to comprehend. I know even with Paleo, I’d have to say “bye-bye” to my carbs. I even use tortillas for most of my meals and lunches, so yikes!
No beans (black, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.). No peas, chickpeas (no hummus), lentils, or peanuts, including peanut butter.
Another yikes. Not so much for Andy, but for me, I’m going to have my panic moment right now. I love beans and peas. I eat snap peas like it’s my job as a healthy snack. And black beans and me go way back, they’re even in my alternative to eating meat when I went vegetarian for a month. Black bean burgers, yum!
No cow, goat, or sheeps milk. No cream, cheese, yogurt, or sour cream. The only execption is clarified butter or ghee. Whatever that is. I’ll have to do some digging.
The only hard part of this one is the cheese. I don’t normally drink milk and I’m not a fan of sour cream. Butter isn’t even something I use, I use margarine, so I think I’m ok there. That’s ok, right? Margarine??
I don’t even think I eat these now.
Well, I mean, what’s the fun in that? I get it, I’m missing the point if I make Whole 30 Pop-Tarts, “cake,” or nibbles. But is that really going to ruin this for me?
Anyway, those are the rules. I have to fine tune it all, but it appears I’m going to be reevaluating my recipes and dishes for the next month. And I’m happy to take any suggestions, since I’m panicking just a bit.
Potatoes are not Paleo. Cheese is not Paleo. Heck, bread, definitely not Paleo. I’ve learned that on the diet I currently have, I could not survive Paleo. And I’ve never been a fan of Paleo anyway. So why this sudden realization?
Well, there’s a few reasons. Number one, my boyfriend started Crossfit last week (and started his own blog). And Paleo and Crossfit go hand in hand. I told him flat out that I will not be cooking Paleo meals for him. I like my food too much, mostly the grains and dairy. He, on the other hand, is slowly considering it.
Number two. One of my friends just dropped almost 20 pounds in a month of The Whole 30, which is a diet that is like Paleo on crack. While I admire his ability to give up beans and honey and beer, I do not think I have that much will power. However, I did read that you CAN eat green beans on The Whole 30 diet, while you can’t on Paleo. (I think this diet wins over Paleo right there!)
Anyway, when my boyfriend made the comment that we should try Paleo, I might have laughed. Why? Because of what we were having for dinner (which I like to think was fairly healthy). See the above picture.
While the roasted tomato chicken certainly fits the bill for both, those potatoes do not (as much as I’d want them to.) The olive oil on them, though, is approved. And those green beans only are approved for The Whole 30, the powdered Ranch seasoning on them, not approved by either due to dairy.
So what’s a girl to do? Do I bite the bullet and try Paleo with him? Or do I continue to just force my idea of healthy meals with low-fat meats and veggies (beans included)?
I’ll be doing research this week, so any input is good input. Comment below. Thank you!
