Shopping was a little challenging. I was looking for foods that I hadn't purchased before. For example, I wanted to purchases canned coconut milk. When I found it, I checked the ingredients and found something called "guar gum". Ummm...what? I was looking for the ingredient list to read "coconut milk". The end. My advice to anyone who is looking to clean up their nutrition, read the labels! Just because it is the product that you are looking for doesn't mean that it's just that product. It turns out that there are brands of canned coconut milk that do not include guar gum. But you have to shop a little bit more.
I have to say that days 1-3 were the toughest. Since I like my coffee with cream and sugar, I decided not to drink coffee. Although I only drink a cup, a VERY LARGE cup, per day, removing it from my diet was enough to give me pretty awful headaches. To all of you who had to be in my presence last week, I'm so sorry!!!
By Saturday, I was feeling so much better! The headaches were gone. I wasn't feeling as hungry because I was starting to figure out the portions of food necessary to fuel me. Even though we had to be up very early to be a soccer family, I still had plenty of energy. And, believe it or not, was a little bit of a morning person. That is SO outside of my normal character!
Here are some of my creations from this past week (I apologize for the quality of the photos. They look much better on my iPhone):
Using the Whole30 recipe, I made my own mayo! I had no idea it would be so simple. The bonus, it tastes great!
Using some of that mayo, I made chicken salad. Butter Leaf Lettuce has become a staple in our house and has taken the place of bread.
This was so good that it felt like I was somehow cheating. It's simply a turkey burger, cut in half, and topped with mashed avocado and tomatoes.
For the last two years for Christmas, my parents have given us a quarter beef which has included a few packages of soup bones. Thankfully, last January, I learned how to use them. I love making soup! It simmers in my house all day making it smell oh so good!
This meal also seemed like a treat! My husband grilled burgers which I topped with a little mayo, tomato, and mashed avocado on - you guessed it - butter leaf lettuce. Applegate has become a very popular brand in our house. They have an excellent assortment of meat, including hot dogs. Yes...at 40+ I still like hot dogs! The highlight of this meal for me were the Chili Lime Sweet Potato Fries from Popular Paleo. If you love sweet potatoes, you have to try these!
Now, this is for my friend, Traci and my brother, Nick. One of the things we all three have in common is our disgust for mushrooms. I don't like there smell. I don't like their texture. I don't like their taste. However...I appreciate their nutritional value. I've learned that if I can chop them into small enough pieces, hide them in my eggs along with peppers and onions, I can eat them and still enjoy my meal.
While this has been an adjustment for our entire family, it is probably the biggest change for our children. I have to admit that I haven't been the greatest about making them experiment with new vegetables over the years. My oldest was really on board with this idea and fully supportive. Our youngest, however, was not as excited. I can tell you that her diet has been a little different than ours. We all eat the same thing at home. But, for instance, she had cake at a birthday party and both of the girls had hot cocoa after soccer in the cold rain.
I can also happily report that as of Sunday coffee has reentered my life. Thanks to advice from a friend, I've begun using just a smidge of coconut milk in my morning cup of Joe. It was an easier adjustment than I had anticipated. I am no longer missing the sweet and just enjoying a warm drink in the morning.
Now back to stocking up, that is kind of a thing of the past. We have purchased a few pantry items and meat. For the most part, however, we go through our food pretty quickly since we are eating so many fresh fruits and vegetable. Side note...if you are in the Twin Cities area and a Costco member, buy their fresh mangos right now. It's like God's candy!
Social media has made this a much easier transition. There are so many great blogs. I've found people through Instagram (@mistyhanderson). Hashtags may seem useless to most, but they are helping me to learn a lot!
#gottago #soupson #whole30 #whole9life #paleo
Okay, I'm done with the hashtags for now. But seriously, if you want more information, hashtags are the way to go!