A peak inside my whole30 journey. Soon after the arrival of our littlest Harper in March I felt the urge to get our families eating habits back on track. Not only because I wanted to loose a bit of the baby weight but because I wanted to create healthy eating habits for myself and my kids. I had heard about all the toxins in meat so I initially thought eating more vegan might be the solution. There are some amazing cookbooks and recipes out there. I was loving the food, I just didn’t quiet feel fully satisfied.

Seeing that I had cut meat out of my diet almost completely, my aunt Janis and cousin Paula, both whole30 veterans. Urged me to reconsider and kept praising this “whole30” thing, they said it was the best they have ever felt. But I was skeptical, and had questions. What do you mean you don’t monitor calories? Wait you put salt on your food? I remember doing AdvoCare and you most certainly were not allowed salt! And steaks? Is this like that Atkins thing? So I didn’t what most would do and googled it. I stumbled upon the whole30 book, “it starts with food” and the “whole30 cookbook.” They arrived just in time to get thrown in my vacation bag for our annual lake Chelan family trip. And by some miracle I was actually able to read them. Once I started I couldn’t stop and by the end of the trip my round1 whole30 had began. August 1st, 2015 to be exact.

Reading the book and understanding “why” was a game changer for me. It was like everything finally clicked and made sense. You can eat as much as you need to be satisfied as long as you ate the minimum approved protien, and veggies. 3 big meals and no snacking! Once you slay your sugar dragon your body will start to use fat for energy instead of sugar. Keeping in mind what you eat either makes you more healthy or less healthy. It’s a step up from paleo, you know that caveman diet.

For 30 days I followed the whole30 program and cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups. See more at: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/#sthash.29sIJjEO.dpuf

The Whole30 Program Rules

Yes: Eat real food.

Eat meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds.

No: Avoid for 30 days

Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.

Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)

Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.

Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).

Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. (See below for details.)

Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.

Do not try to re-create baked goods, junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients.

– See more at: http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/#sthash.29sIJjEO.dpuf

This took a bit of prep work especially in the beginning. Figuring out what meals to cook, what we liked, basically what worked and what didn’t work. Lucky for you I’m still going strong so I have a pretty banging system down! I do have occasions where I slip, and then the food makes me feel like crap, and I quickly hop back on the Paleoish bandwagon.

Those 30 days changed mine and my families lives. We never felt better, been happier and had more energy. Mark my words I will never go back.

Want to try for yourself? I highly recommend ordering the book and cookbook to start. I have a stack of whole30 and paleo cookbooks so if you need a recommendation just let me know.

At first I went all gung Ho spent far too Long much money at whole foods and far too much time in the kitchen creating fancy meals.

A few must haves I order online, omghee, flavor God seasoning, Thao tea, Otto’s cassava flour and rx bars.

I also like to have frozen veggies, ground beef, bacon, aidells sausages, chicken breasts or thighs, cod, salmon, avocado oil, coconut oil, coconut milk, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salsa, olives, garlic cloves, sweet potatoes, olive oil and vinegar on hand.

Now I go grocery shopping once a week or s o. My list typically looks like this: deli meat, onions, cucumbers, Brussel sprouts, carrots, spinach, avocados, bananas, kombucha. (And anything special for my Sunday, soup/stew/meat sauce, I cook to eat for lunch or dinner during the week)

For weekday breakfast I sautée onions and aidells sausage sliced into rounds. I’ll have a cucumber with it and a banana if I’m still hungry.

Weekend breakfast I like to mix it up and have bacon and scrambled eggs with salsa.

If I’m home for lunch I’ll have a salad or Sunday’s soup.

If I’m out and about with the kids I’ll have an rx bar or carrots, almonds/avocado/olives and hard boiled eggs/deli meat.

For dinner I’ll either have my Sunday concoction or chicken/fish with roasted veggies and the occasional sweet potato fries.

And on Saturday I try to make something fun and different from one of my cookbooks.

Throughout it all the Instagram community has been one of my biggest resources for support, accountability, and most of all ideas. Just take a peak at my favorite hashtags, #whole30, #whole30recipes, #paleo, #paleorecipes!

I’m so happy I was introduced to whole30 it has changed my life forever. I lost weight! I didn’t step on the scale and I ate as much as I wanted and I still slimed down. 3 pant sizes to be exact. I have more energy and the highs and lows are at bay. And I chose to continue eating a variation of paleo and whole30 because it continues to give me energy, make me feel amazing and most of all because I’m creating healthy habits for my kiddos.

And this is how my green journey began. From eating organic to using all organic products. Whole30 opened my eyes to all the toxins in my food and the Instagram community let me see it runs much deeper than just food. Once I discovered what goes into your body is just as important as what you put onto your body. I was on a mission to swap out all the toxic products in my home with clean alternatives! I’m loving this new found passion of creating a green home and lifestyle.