Whole30 Round 2, Week 1

My first week of my second round of Whole30 was a hot mess. I wasn’t really able to get in a good trip to the commissary, so I found myself throwing together a whole bunch of random compliant ingredients I either had at home already, bought online, or that I could run into the store and grab quickly. Having one car to share between the two of us stinks, especially on days when Kyle has to go back and forth between the office, the barracks, and other areas on base. The commissary isn’t open on Mondays; on all other days, it doesn’t open until 10am and closes by 7pm. Between the limited hours, lack of a vehicle, and Stella’s naps, I really struggle to get over there during the week. If I don’t get my shopping done on Saturday mornings my weekly meal plan tends to fall apart. Even so, I told myself I was starting another round of Whole30 on Monday August 21st and that is exactly what I did.

My breakfast all week was essentially the exact same thing with minor variations – two eggs cooked with a little ghee, a piece of fruit, and coffee with a splash of almond milk. Teething hit Stella pretty hard this past week – I didn’t have much time to make myself big, elaborate breakfasts. I hope I can mix it up this week and try some new breakfast recipes. Eggs every morning gets old FAST.

My snacks included Larabars (apple, lemon, and cherry flavors), nuts, fruit, and deviled eggs. Keep in mind you aren’t really supposed to snack on Whole30. The only reason that I do is to prevent my milk supply from dropping. If I’m hungry between meals, I have to eat something. Here’s what the Whole30 official guidelines are concerning snacking:

“Eating three meals each day with minimal snacking (except pre- and post-workout meals) helps to keep your hormones in a healthy rhythm and teaches you to focus on eating mindfully. However, it’s really okay if you find you have to eat between meals…just make sure you’re leaving about three hours between eating sessions, and not grazing all day.”

Larabars are great to have in your purse, diaper bag, gym bag, etc. for when you’re out and about and hunger strikes. I used to hate them with a fiery passion before doing Whole30. I honestly think that cutting added sugar out of my diet has altered my taste buds or something, because I swear they taste completely different now. However, I still don’t personally care for the coconut or cashew flavors. I haven’t tried the other compliant flavors just yet. If you have, let me know what you think of them! Just make sure the ingredients do not include vanilla extract, chocolate chips, or peanut butter!

Nuts are a great snack to have on hand. I love roasted and salted cashews. I try to keep some in the pantry at all times so I have something easy to grab and munch on when I’m hungry between meals (because breastfeeding).

I really try to watch my fruit consumption. It’s easy to use it as a crutch when you’re craving something sweet. If I don’t eat it with breakfast, I’ll have it as a snack at some point during the day. I’m careful not to eat more than an appropriate serving, though – a small apple, a handful of grapes, a small banana, etc. The official program guidelines recommend two servings a day (and ideally with a meal, not as a snack or dessert).

If you have access to Whole Foods, you can buy premade, approved mayo. I, however, will not be driving an hour and a half for that. Instead, I put 1 C extra light olive oil, one egg, 1 T white wine vinegar, 1/2 T yellow mustard, and a little salt in a mason jar and blend it up with my stick blender. It only takes a minute to make. You can use your homemade mayo to make deviled eggs, chicken salad, coleslaw, tuna salad, potato salad, sauces, and dressings. Do yourself a favor and get a stick blender. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it is worth the $30 (even less if you go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and use a 20% off coupon).

For lunches, I kept it pretty simple. I had a big salad almost every day (spring mix, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomato, red onions, shredded carrots, and kalamata olives tossed in oil and red wine vinegar) and some kind of protein on the side (either Aidells chicken and apple sausages, Applegate uncured beef hotdogs, or Safe Catch tuna).

I did try a couple new recipes for dinners that I really liked. I’ll list them and link them below, along with my comments on the finished products:

Almond Crusted Pork Chops with a Mushroom Garlic Sauce
Next time, I’ll be sure to grind up the almonds just a little bit more. I was afraid of accidentally turning my almonds into almond flour (which the directions warned against), so I left them just a little too big. Kyle and I both liked the flavor of this meal, though! I had planned on serving it with roasted asparagus; however, Stella was ready for bed. I only had time to finish the pork chops before I had to bring the little miss upstairs for her bath and bedtime routine.

Sweet Potato Chicken Poppers
WE LOVED THESE. I wanted something we could munch on while watching the Game of Thrones season finale (SO GOOD, btw). These are easy and mighty tasty. I mixed a little mayo with some hot sauce for dipping. You could also dip them in guacamole or ketchup (if you can find compliant/approved ketchup). We had them with fruit salad because we didn’t have time to cook a veggie side. Just keeping it real, peeps. I do think these would freeze very well if you wanted to make them ahead of time and keep them on hand for lunches or quick dinners. You could probably even form the mix into a larger, full size patty and eat it like a burger if you so desired. Be warned – when raw, this mix is extremely sticky! Make sure you take off any and all rings you may be wearing before you dive in to form the poppers!

California Tuna Burgers with Clean Thousand Island Sauce
After debating whether or not I wanted to spend the money on Safe Catch tuna, I decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did; it is the best tuna I have ever had! The junk we have tried in the past cannot even compare! I believe they have a 10% off coupon available for your first order, or you can get the coupon code listed in Kelsey’s recipe that I have linked above. Kyle and I both loved this recipe so much! The burgers are so quick and easy to throw together – such an awesome meal for a busy weeknight (or for anyone with a needy, fussy, teething baby demanding to be held)! The sauce is fantastic – tastes just like In-N-Out’s sauce, without the sugar! You could put the sauce on regular burgers, too – or make ‘animal style’ fries! The possibilities are endless.

I know I had mentioned that I was toying with the idea of putting together a weekly meal plan for you guys, complete with a shopping list. My first week was nothing special, so I thought I would just put together a blog post with the highlights. After this next week, hopefully I will have a chance to get a meal plan and shopping list together to share with you! Please comment below and let me know if there are any meals you’d like me to try out! Kyle and I are always game for something new!