Our (Almost) Whole 30

It’s that time of year again - the Whole 30 Challenge! For those of you who are unfamiliar, in 2012, Adam and I took on a new way of eating focusing on free range, grass fed meats, eggs, veggies and fruits. We dropped the added sugar, all grains, legumes, dairy and alcohol for 30 days (see a total recap including before and after photos HERE). 

For all of 2014 I was either pregnant or just getting the hang of being a new mom. My eating habits were pretty bad. Things like donuts went from being a once and a while treat to a biweekly habit. I ate ice cream almost every day during the summer, sometimes twice. After the baby was born I kept lactation cookies in my bedside drawer. I was a total sugar monster. Then the holidays came around and I thought, what the hell, I’m already eating junk, why stop?

So why am I calling it an Almost Whole 30 this year? Primarily because I’m exclusively breast feeding my son and I need to really make sure to watch my milk supply and keep my calories up. The beauty of the Whole 30 is that you can eat A LOT of food (which I love to do!) it’s just that you’re getting all of the benefits of a nutrient rich diet for those calories instead of the empty calories you have in sugary treats and drinks. Healthy fats will be important, so I’m going to be snacking on avocado, nuts and fruits often (most Whole 30ers don’t snack between meals). The official Whole 30 guidelines also ask you not to indulge in things like smoothies, but I might have to throw in a coconut fruit version once and a while.  I also have plain oatmeal, white and wild rice and quinoa in my pantry that I won’t feel bad eating when I need to. Finally, I’m going to be less die hard about trace ingredients. If my bacon or sausage has a little sugar, that’s ok. If we use store bought olive oil mayo instead of making our own, the world isn’t going to end. I even had a sip of champagne to ring in the New Year and did not self distruct! The focus is changing our eating habits to more healthy ones and not relying on bread, pasta and sugary treats to feel full. Since I’ve successfully done the Whole 30 following each and every rule to the letter before I know what’s most important for me. If you’re doing a Whole 30 for the first time, I really encourage you to try it out by the book! 

Since we started on Monday, I’ve already been taking notes and photos so I’m going to post meal ideas for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners each week. If you have questions, please check out my original post or feel free to ask me on Facebook or Instagram! I’ll be posting photos of some of my meals with #Whole30JQ if you want to follow along!