Monday, January 2, 2017

Getting Started

Let's do this Whole30/Paleo thing!

[To be clear, I'm no expert and I'm no doctor.  I've tried and failed at this whole health and weight loss journey more times than I care to admit.  However, I do know that there's power in community and I have benefited by watching and learning from others.]

Are you in learning mode?
  •  I highly recommend actually reading the Whole30 book.  It is well worth the $16.99, and you actually learn the medical/scientific thought process behind eating this way.  It's entertaining to read, and there are lots of great recipes.  You'll thank me later.
  • I say both Whole30 along with Paleo because I have done the purist version of Whole30 and learned a few things along the way where I'll make modifications/allowances
  • Here are my 2 favorite cookbooks:  #1 and #2
  • Let's not forget the beauty of Pinterest!  I do a search almost weekly for Paleo and Whole30 recipes.  [If you want to check out some of my other boards/saved recipes - jesj1225]
  • I get a lot of great ideas through Instagram as well. I'll share favorites along the way - but one of my top is @paleomg.  [I'm @ jesj120 if you want to follow along with my journey there...be forewarned, I post about food, but I also like my babies...a lot.]

First we shop....

**Note:
  • If you want to use almond milk (highly recommend it!), you must look at ingredients!  Even some of the best brands look to be organic/natural, but still contain carrageenan.  You don't want to ingest that stuff, trust me.  Or don't trust me and look it up yourself, either way - don't drink it.
  • When possible, I buy organic
  • Based on everything I've read and learned in talking to people who are experts - don't skip supplements.  I live by the always take a multivitamin, a probiotic, and an omega3 (mine also has vit D).  And buy good supplements, as in from someplace like Whole Foods or Fresh Thyme, or a co-op.  And it's important to switch up your probiotic - don't buy one brand on repeat forever.  The end.  *hopefully you know this by now, but this is all just my own personal opinions based on all I've read and from conversations with my uber-fantastic PA who is part naturo-path/part western medicine.
  • Not pictured here is the organic/virgin coconut oil I do most cooking with (I really like the Simply Balanced brand from Target, but there are many great brands out there) along with coconut aminos, which is a soy free substitute for soy sauce...and is ah-mazing.  Go buy some.  Or don't, and miss out.
  • I use sriracha and raw organic honey in some of my cooking.  I call that out because it's not technically Whole30 approved.
Meal Plan for Jan wk 1:

Weekly Staples:
  • Each morning = latte w/ coconut milk
  • Snacks = apple w/ almond butter, organic raw cashews, organic raisins, lightly salted almonds (make sure you read your labels - if there's anything other than almonds and salt, no go!)
Tuesday:
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch *for the sauce, I do a less fussy version and add about 1/2 the pineapple juice and just add it to the pan vs making sauce separate
  • Dinner - spaghetti squash and the marinara/tomato sauce recipe from the Whole30 book (I add 1lb of organic grass fed ground beef
Wednesday:
  • Breakfast - 1 fried egg (cooked in coconut oil) + 2 strips bacon
  • Lunch - same as Tuesday
  • Dinner - fish tacos (Juli Bauer's cookbook linked above) + cilantro lime cauliflower rice
Thursday:
  • Breakfast - same smoothie as Tuesday
  • Lunch - left over spag squash + sauce
  • Dinner - roasted sweet potatoes, poached eggs, bacon (breakfast for dinner!)
Friday:
  • Breakfast - 1 fried egg (cooked in coconut oil) + 2 strips bacon
  • Lunch - Salad bar at work
  • Dinner - clean out the fridge/leftovers (do this in prep for grocery shopping Sat am)

No comments:

Post a Comment