Day #31...What Happened to Day #30?!?!

Holy crap! We made it! I cannot believe that on January 5, 2015 my family (the family who was living on pizza, Doritos, chocolate chip blonde brownies, Diet Coke and chips/salsa) ventured out to change our lives, and we succeeded! It was not always easy, and there were some painful moments, but I have said it before and I will say it again...You either "do" Whole30...or you don't...you cannot manipulate it! Wes, the kids and I committed to "doing" it and we did! Day #30 was pretty uneventful...aside from the fact that it was a super busy evening! I get to chalk up another "W" as I did not fall prey to an "easy" drive-thru meal (dinner). I got home from activities around 8:30 and whipped up some sun-dried tomato natural chicken sausage with wilted spinach and homemade marinara. That, folks, is the new "normal." I also really realized yesterday what I have learned during the last 30 days when I took a trip to BJ's. I did not buy packaged products. No crackers, cookies, "quick" meals...nope...it was almonds, pistachios, dried fruit (no added sugar), salsa (no added sugar), coconut oil, avocado oil and produce...produce...produce...apples, oranges, spring mix, spinach, bananas, broccoli, tomatoes, avocados, blueberries. I have learned over the last 30 days that food is fuel and that natural, nutritious food can be just as satisfying as the junk that I was feeding myself and my family for the last 15 years. Don't get me wrong...there is room in our new "normal" for ice cream! There is room for birthday cake! There is room for pizza! But...there is more room for healthy salads, hearty stews, zesty shredded pork, eggs with avocado and fruit in all of it's variety. I can't wait for summer when we are experimenting with kabobs and marinades and grilled fruit! I was tickled pink today when everyone was "on board" with sticking with the program. The entire family did miss dairy during our 30 days, so I added it back in today in a few ways. First, I made the kids smoothies this morning with frozen strawberries, blueberries, cherries and kale. I added in some plain Greek yogurt (high in protein) and a splash of 100% (no sugar added) orange/mango juice. They LOVED them! I also made them each a fried egg and they were off to school! I snuck in some dairy at lunch for myself when I added a touch of feta cheese to my noon salad...and man was it tasty! I missed cheese!

Once the kids were home from school the "old" ways wanted to sneak back in. The kids asked for the Organic Kids Cliff Bars that I bought at BJ's yesterday. I bought them as a "safe" backup when we are in a bind...you know...those times when you are going to be on the road...or when you have back to back games. I meant to hide them (out of sight...out of mind). It is not as though the Cliff bars are a terrible snack choice, but we did not do all this work to come home from school and fill up on processed carbs! I sat down with the kids and explained the purpose of the Cliff bars and offered fruits, veggies, nuts and dried fruit and everyone found something to "suit their fancy" and they were content! The clock ticked this afternoon and I was not motivated to make dinner. We were going to have the Pioneer Woman's Hamburg Soup (it is so good...and Whole30 compliant!). The kids continued to ask about a post Whole30 "treat" so waffles it was for dinner. Chocolate Paleo Waffles (we may or may not have snuck in a few dark chocolate chips!) with real maple syrup, bacon and fruit salad. Dinner was awesome, fun, nutritious and a celebration! It was so cool to be eating "naughty"...but in a fake way! We ate a completely balanced dinner tonight. Our dinner table was filled with joy, ooohhhhs and aaaawwws as people bit into a tiny melted chocolate pocket and smiles!

So, Day #30...success! Day #31...success! There are many more days ahead of us, and Monday we tackle regular exercise!

Day #29...What?!?! Tomorrow is our last day?!?!

I cannot believe that tomorrow is the last "official" day of this Whole30 journey. What a trip it has been! There have been times along the way where it would have been easy to derail...but we held on and will cross the finish line with pride! I am so excited to put these 30 days behind us and open the chapter to the next 30 days! Today was pretty uneventful (food wise)...I am having major tooth pain, so I really did not want a whole lot to eat. I had my stand-by...no-crust quiche for breakfast. This version was PACKED with spinach and was quite good! For lunch I made myself an awesome salad, with leftover chicken tenders (from yesterday). I didn't get to finish the salad though, as my tooth was throbbing :(

For dinner I had leftover soup from the weekend, but I made my family some rockin' Mexican shredded venison for taco salads!

Day #28...Let It Snow...Let It Snow...Let It Snow

It is snowing...again...I have decided that it is not worth getting all grouchy over it. The snow IS pretty...and it does serve a purpose (we will not experience a drought anytime soon!) The kids had a snow day today so I had to come up with meals for the family on "the fly." Breakfast was a "fend for yourself" episode. I opted for leftover no-crust veggie and ham quiche. Lunch was leftover chicken from last night that I did not cook up. I soaked it in coconut milk and coated it in raw coconut chips and then baked. I paired it with a great salad and it was delish!

For dinner I whipped up meatballs that were a crowd favorite. I used a pound each of pork, beef and venison. I sneaked in some chopped broccoli, minced onion and shredded carrots. I had some leftover spaghetti sauce in the freezer, so I pulled that out and heated it to pour atop of the meatballs and dinner was served! I had 1/2 of a butternut squash and made "fries" with it. They were quite good and I will be making them again.

I can't believe that we are on Day #28! It is pretty surreal. I wasn't confident going into this adventure...but I am coming out the other side so much more confident :) ~Jen

I Feel Better

I feel so good on Whole30. I feel better in the morning when I get up for school because I am eating healthier. I love the broccoli with black on top because they are in the baked in the oven and they are like fried. I also am treating my siblings so much better, like not getting mad when they don't understand. I am also playing with my siblings more. I think Whole30 has brought my family closer together. ~Grace (11 years old)

What's The Difference?

Being on Whole30 hasn't really been all that different to me. We are eating meals my mom would usually make with one big difference, we don't eat fast-food! I feel so much better. Now when I have gym class and I run for an entire six minutes rather than walking for 30 seconds every minute and 30 seconds. I also don't stay up in my bed as long as I would (when going to bed for the night) before Whole30. All in all I feel great! Some things that have made the biggest difference for me would be giving up dairy. I am allergic to dust (which is great seeing as it is winter time and everything is shut up!) and oak trees. I would usually wake up so stuffy I would be miserable. Throughout my Whole30 experience I wake up not stuffy and am not stuffy going through the day. I have also noticed that when I will be at other peoples homes and have a little bit of dairy I will go home feeling sick. Once I had yogurt at a friends house, and when I got home I felt like my stomach was trying to flatten into a pancake. Although I know we will have dairy again after Whole30 I will probably never eat it the same way. I will have it in moderation. Just have to go through the last three days of this experience and enjoy it, which I know I will :) ~Ella (12 years old)

When Can We Go to the Restaurant with the Slide?!?!

I really want to go to the restaurant that has a slide (Burger King) and eat french fries, but mom says we can't go there when we are on Whole30. I also want to go to Dairy Queen and have a chocolate ice cream. What I like on Whole30 is that I get to have a lot of Halo oranges. I also like to eat celery. I eat a lot of chicken on Whole30. I don't like to eat carrots or tomatoes on Whole30. My mom says that I can have applesauce on Whole30, but it has to have no sugar! I like real apples on Whole30 too! ~Claire (3 years old)

Ethan's Pearls of Wisdom

I don't really like Whole30 because I don't get to eat ice cream. What I do like about Whole30 is the chicken tenders that my mom made tonight. We have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables on Whole30. I would rather just eat fruit. My mom always wants me to eat my vegetables. The vegetables that she tries to make me eat that I don't like are avocados, tomatoes and cauliflower. The vegetables that she tries to make me eat that I like are carrots, broccoli and I will eat spinach if it is in my eggs with ham. My mom says that I will feel better if I eat good food. What does that even mean? I always feel good. I think I feel better when I can eat cookies. Whole30 is over in 3 days and I am eating cookies! ~Ethan (5 years old)