Whole 30 | Week I Recap & Shopping List

Hey hey! We are 25% of the way into our Whole 30 (see my prep post here & results post here). In short - it’s going great! Adam and I feel good and are enjoying our meals. Last week I was a meticulous record keeper and documented what I ate so that I could share a meal plan and grocery list! So… here we go!

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Day One

• Brunch (got a late start!) | Three eggs cooked in ghee, sauteed spinach and peppers, blueberries
  
• Snack | Green apple with sunbutter and almond flakes
  
• Dinner | Turkey Meatballs in homemade tomato sauce with zucchini noodles
  

Day Two

• Breakfast | Chia Bowl (chia seeds + almond milk, topped with strawberries, blueberries, almonds, pecans and unsweetened coconut flakes
  
• Lunch | Turkey Meatball leftovers (3) with hot sauce, 3 eggs, sauteed spinach, ½ avocado
  
• Dinner | Cowboy Skillet (shredded green plantains, onions, chorizo) with egg on top and tomatoes, pickled jalepenos and avocado
  

Day Three

• Breakfast | Scrambled Eggs, Chorizo, Sautéed spinach, ½ avocato
  
• Lunch | Turkey Meatballs (4), Roasted sweet potato
  
• Dinner | Grilled Chicken Breast and Grilled Peppers and Zucchini
  

Day Four

• Breakfast | Deli Smoked Turkey Breast, Scrambled Eggs, ½ Avocado
  
• Lunch | Left over Cowboy Skillet, Two Eggs, Grapes
  
• Dinner | Cuban Burgers (Pork patties, pickles, mustard, deli turkey on Plaintain “bun”), Sweet potato wedges with spicy mayo (hot sauce mixed with mayo), Sauteed Spinach
  

Day Five

• Breakfast | Chia Bowl (same as above)
  
• Lunch | Three Eggs, Sauteed Spinach
  
• Snack | Banana with Sunbutter and Almonds
  
• Dinner | Steak with Potato Wedges
  

Day Six

• Breakfast | Scramble with kale, peppers, onion and left over steak, homefries (from left over potatoes)
  
• Lunch | Turkey Burgers with Avocado, Spicy Mayo and Roasted Carrots
  
• Dinner | Smoked Pork Loin, Corn on the Cob, Spinach Salad (with tomatoes, avocado, almonds and spicy mayo)
  

Day Seven

• Breakfast | Hard boiled eggs, bacon and melon
  
• Lunch | Pulled Pork BBQ (paleo version), pickles, onions and Potato Wedges
  
• Dinner (at a friend’s house) | Zucchini Salad (onions, tomatoes, olive oil, ACV, salt), chicken kabob
  

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Phew! Let me back up a little and fess up a bit. We have not been super strict on a couple things like mayo, bacon or deli meat. Sure - we could be die hards, but we feel like this is a pretty big challenge as is and are cutting ourselves a bit of slack for trace amounts of noncompliant ingredients.  

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Speaking of ingredients, how about a shopping list! Drumroll please…

Grocery List

Meats:

• Chicken Breasts (8 total)
  
• Chorizo (1 pound)
  
• Ground Turkey (2 pounds light, 2 pounds dark)
  
• Smoked Deli Turkey Breast (½ pound)*
  
• Ground Pork (1 pound)
  
• Hoosier Strip Steaks (1 pound)
  
• Pulled Pork (1 pound)
  
• Bacon (1 pound)*
  

Fruits and Berries

• Green Apples (4)
  
• Banana (one bunch)
  
• Grapes (one package)
  
• Blueberries (two pints)
  
• Strawberries (two pints)
  
• Avocados (5)
  
• Melon (1)
  

Veggies:

• Sweet Potatoes (4)
  
• White Potatoes (4)
  
• Baby Spinach (1 pound)
  
• Green Plantains (3)
  
• Sweet Peppers (one package)
  
• Onions (1 pound)
  
• Carrots (1 pound)
  
• Kale (one bunch)
  
• Corn on the Cob (2 ears)
  
• Small Tomatoes (quart)
  
• Zucchini (homegrown)
  
• Basil (homegrown)
  

Pantry Items

• Light Olive Oil
  
• Sunbutter
  
• Sliced Almonds
  
• Pecans
  
• Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
  
• Apple Cider Vinegar
  
• Coconut Oil
  
• Pickled Jalepenos
  
• Diced Tomatoes (2 cans)
  
• Mayo*
  
• Hot Sauce
  
• Almond Milk*
  
• Chia Seeds
  
• Date Balls covered in almonds
• Le Croix (2 cases)

Other: 

• Ghee
  
• Eggs (3 dozen)
  

We did one big shopping trip at the start of the week, then again four days later, plus a stop at the farmer’s market on Saturday. In addition to the list above was kids’ stuff, but they aren’t doing the Whole 30 so I’ve omitted it. Our spending was up this week, but we won’t need to buy more expensive items (like ghee, coconut oil, olive oil) every week. Now our fridge is so beautifully organized and clean, which makes it easy to grab what we need and see all of our options! We’ve eaten a lot of leftovers and really been good about not wasting food! 

Meal wise we’re loving this! Kitchen time wise - ehh - I’m really glad I have a partner in cooking and cleaning up. Otherwise I don’t think I could handle the extra work of cooking three meals a day with two kids underfoot. It does help to prep ahead of time and leftovers are a Godsend. 

Onwards to Week Two! 

The Donut Experiment

Greetings from Florida!! We seemed to escape the winter wonderland just in time for some sunshine down south. One of my favorite things about this trip are the donuts! I generally prefer yeast donuts over the cake variety - unless they’re hot and fresh. This morning Adam and I had a special date with just Felix - we thought he could benefit from some two on one attention - but just as we headed for the door he said “oh no! Please bring baby Beatrix!!” He’s really surprised us with how loving he is of his younger sister! 

But back to those donuts!! We get ours from The Donut Experience and I can’t recommend them enough! The actual experience is a little chaotic (especially around 10am when there’s a big rush), but if you come prepared to wait a bit, it’s totally worth it.

Here’s how it works: When you come in you pick up an order sheet and check off what combo of icing and toppings you want on each donut. We went with the house Key Lime (graham cracker and lime drizzle), glaze and rainbow sprinkles, plain chocolate, plain strawberry, caramel and nuts and strawberry with sea salt. You can watch the staff prep each order, and there is a 15-20 minute wait, but NOTHING beats a fresh hot donut in my world! Unless it’s my son enjoying his donut just as much as his mama. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree there! 

Have you ever done the create-your-own-flavor donut type thing? What combo do I definitely have to try? Drop me a note on facebook or instagram! 

If you’re in this neck of the wood, The Donut Experiment is at 210c Pine Ave, Anna Maria, FL 34216 and open 7am-1pm. 

Jessica Bakes | Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

I have been on a roll with baking cupcakes lately! A few weeks ago I did four dozen using spirits from my husband’s distillery for a party they held (see photos with details here and here) and then I did red velvet cupcakes for the Super Bowl. 

Today I’m sharing a recipe I’ve been tweaking for the past couple of weeks - Mint Chocolate Cupcakes! I think the key is in the kind of mint you use and how much… read on for details!

Chocolate Mint Cakes 

Yields 16

• 3 T butter, softened
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 C, 2T sugar
  
• 1 C flour
  
• ½ C unsweetened cocoa
  
• 1 ½ t baking powder
  
• 1/8 t baking soda
  
• ¾ C milk
  
• ½ t vanilla extract
  
• 1 drop peppermint extract
  
• 1 drop spearmint oil
  

Preheat your over to 350 and line your cupcake tin with parchment liners.

Cream together soft butter and sugar in a mixer until combined.  Add one egg at a time and mix thoroughly.

In another bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients.

Add vanilla, spearmint and peppermint to milk.

Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to batter, making sure to fully combine. 

Give it a good whip on high. Fill liners about half way to ¾ full using an ice cream scoop (this was a tool that really upped my game!)

Bake 17 minutes and check with a toothpick to ensure center is baked through (a clean toothpick means they are ready to come out!)

While they are cooling, prep your icing!

Mint Cream Cheese Icing with Oreos

This is my favorite icing base and I use it for every kind of flavor I do! Be VERY careful adding the mint extract and oil… the smallest amount goes a very long way and gives a wonderful nuance to the flavor. Too much and it tastes like toothpaste!

Yields enough to frost 16-20 cupcakes

• 6 oz cream cheese, softed
  
• 6 oz butter, softened
  
• 2 C powdered sugar
  
• 2 drops green food coloring
  
• 1 drop blue food coloring
  
• 1 drop spearmint oil*
  
• 1 drop peppermint extract*
  
• 2 Oreo Cookies, smashed
  

Cream together softened cream cheese and butter until fully combined and fluffy. 

Slowly add powdered sugar in ½ C increments.

Add food coloring and mix until pigment is combined.

*Now for the mint. Using a spoon, drip one drop of each flavor and let it roll off the spoon. Stir the icing with that spoon and remix to incorporate flavor. Taste your icing and repeat if necessary. 

When flavor is to your liking, fold in crumbled Oreo cookies, leaving enough crumbs to garnish your frosted cupcakes.

Once cupcakes have completely cooled, use a large star tip (Wilton 1M shown here) to ice and top with crumbled cookies. 

In the Kitchen | 20 Healthy Meal Ideas

In my Clean Slate post at the end of last year, I mentioned we would be doing our annual Whole 30, but I need to fess up - I’ve been modifying the basic principals - and I’m really happy with our new and improved weekly menu! I thought I’d share my main recipe sources and my favorite meals from the cook books I use most.

As you can see by scrolling through this post, I’m one of those people who takes photos of her food. Love it or leave it I guess! It keeps me creative and accountable and makes me excited to cook. Cooking healthy can be fun and delicious, so do whatever inspires you to eat well! 

What’s the Whole 30?

In short, it’s a diet plan that focuses on meats and veggies and forbids alcohol, sugar, dairy, grains and beans. Read the full rundown here.

What are we doing differently?

Because one of the main goals of a Whole 30 is to identify what foods might inflame your system, we’ve already tested what does and does not upset our lil tummies. For starters, we’ve minimized the amount of dairy we consume (grass fed butter, milk in coffee and small bits of cheese are examples of our exceptions). In the grain department, we’re not eating refined grains that you’d find in breads or desserts* for most meals but have been eating a lot of quinoa, which we love! In the sugar realm, we still use honey as a sweetener - for my morning coffee and in salad dressings. We also eat things like bacon and sausages made by our local butcher and those tend to have sugars in them. Not a big deal to us! We also love beans - whether it’s black beans or homemade hummus, so we’ve kept them as a big part of our weekly diet. Finally, we’re in the alcohol business and we’re responsible adults, so we’ve chosen to allow ourselves red wine on weekday evenings with dinner and a cocktail or two over the weekend. #noregrets 

But Aren’t you Obsessed with Baking?

*Good call. Yes, yes I am. I plan on baking sweet treats and breads on Saturdays once and a while. Adam has a request in for baguettes and I want to do something with my new springform pan! It’s my personal belief that if you deprive yourself too much, you just go buck wild and throw caution to the wind. It also gives me something to look forward to! 

Where do you get ideas?

I’ve been using two cookbooks almost exclusively and I really love them! They are Primal Cravings by Brandon and Megan Keatley and Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci. I believe in supporting other bloggers and authors, and thus won’t be reposting their original recipes. If you like what you see in these photos, please consider supporting them yourselves and buying their cookbooks! I’ve listed my source in each photo from this post.

I’ve also included photos of easier off the cuff meals I’ve dreamed up myself with memorized family recipes or simple preparations (poaching eggs, basic red pasta sauce, etc) And don’t be afraid to pick up something pre made at the grocery or butcher like veggie kabobs!

Favorite Breakfasts

Breakfast is easily my favorite meal of the day. I love eggs cooked in all sorts of ways - poached, scrambled with veggies or hard boiled (and fried, let’s be real!) And yes you’ll see bacon below and no, not everyone would qualify it as healthy, but if you buy from your local farmer or butcher and eat it minimally, it’s a great way to get a lot of flavor in a little (or big) bite. Below are some dishes we’ve really enjoyed as a traditional breakfast meal but also for dinner! See a week’s worth of my favorite paleo breakfast ideas here.

Main Dishes

When I’m looking for recipes and meal ideas I want something nutrient dense, colorful and focused on veggies, lean meats and healthy fats. The following dishes fit the bill and can be altered to fit different dietary needs.

Snacks

Only a couple ideas here, but for me, they hit the spot. On the sweet side of things an apple with almond butter satisfies my sweet tooth. If it’s savory you’re after, a hard boiled egg wrapped in prosciutto is a quick flavor filled bite.