Whole30 Menu Plan and Goals

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This week flew by. We were busy every day just doing things around the house, keeping up with cooking Whole30 approved food, and general house stuff. I took the kids on power walks in the double stroller several times (man, is that thing a beast to push) and made a trip to the park. It’s also the time of year were we mail tickets for our local concert series association. The envelopes are all printed, stuffed, and ready to be dropped in the mail.

Whole30 Menu Plan and Goals @ From this Kitchen Table

My 15 month old has had two of his eye teeth break through, finally. Hopefully the others will come soon. He’s been waking up several times each night crying. I’m sure that has a little something to do with the crazy exhaustion I feel. I took a nap Sunday afternoon and woke up feeling even more tired. I’m hoping this next week holds at least one night of solid sleep. 🙂

Whole30 Menu Plan and Goals @ From this Kitchen Table

Fajitas Whole30 Style

Suppers:

Lunches:

  • Paleo Breakfast Bowls (cooked in a 9×13 pan)
  • Leftover Chili Verde
  • Salads (Shaun and myself)
  • Leftovers, baked sweet potatoes (for the kids)

Breakfast:

If you are looking for more recipes ideas for a Whole30, check out my Pinterest where I have a board I pin all the recipes I want to try! Tomorrow, I’ll be posting my Week 2 recap. (You can find my thoughts from week 1 here.)

Goals:

What are your goals this week? What’s on your menu?

Linking up to Menu Plan Monday

Frozen Yogurt Pops

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Frozen Yogurt Pops - Blueberry or orange from the 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook! They are so good!

Homemade Popsicles are a favorite in our house! They make the perfect sized afternoon snack (even breakfast at times) for my 3 year old. I typically don’t use a recipe, but instead just dump things in the blender and let it whirl away.

A couple weeks ago I talked about one of my new favorite cookbooks, 100 Days of Read Food (you can buy the book on Amazon – affiliate link). The post got long enough I didn’t have a chance to share one of the recipes I tried from it.

Frozen Yogurt Pops - Blueberry or orange from the 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook! They are so good!

My daughter chose what we would make first. She selected these Frozen Yogurt Pops. No Surprise considering she loves the color purple. She helped measure the ingredients, dump them in the blender, and hold the button down. Definitely an easy recipe for the young chef.

This is a snapshot of what a page looks like in the book (there is also a picture that goes with the recipe, such as the one on the top of this post):

Frozen Yogurt Pops - Blueberry or orange from the 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook! They are so good!

Of course we chose the purple option and used all blueberries since that’s what we had and decreased the maple syrup slightly. The half batch filled our 6 little blue Ikea popsicle molds.

The verdict? My daughter voted them a winner! She thoroughly enjoyed them.

Print
Frozen Yogurt Pops - Orange Cream and Mixed Berry
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
Orange Cream
  • 2 cups plain yogurt
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Mixed Berry
  • 2 cups plain yogurt
  • 1 cup frozen mixed berries
  • ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
For the Orange Cream:
  1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl. Pour into popsicle molds and insert sticks. Freeze completely - 4-5 hours or overnight.
For the Mixed Berry:
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and insert sticks. Freeze completely - 4-5 hours or overnight.

What’s your favorite popsicle combination?

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Being Kind Counts

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Being kind matters and the little acts that we do throughout our day really do make a difference. There is a campaign going on right now called Being Kind Counts, encouraging us all to be kind and spread the message.

Being Kind Counts! You can be kind and make a difference - even on a budget of $0.

It can be easy to become overwhelmed thinking that acts of kindness need to be big and glorious or cost money to mean anything. Sure, those things do make a difference and are a great way to show kindness but they aren’t the only way. Sometimes the small and heartfelt things can mean just as much to someone. Being kind doesn’t have to cost money! It can be done on a budget of any size.

There might be times when your act of kindness isn’t even noticed. That’s okay too. We don’t serve and give to be noticed and acknowledged.

An example of a small way to show kindness is doing something you shouldn’t have to do.

I’m speaking from experience here. Last week I had two such situations arise. There was a shower at our church Sunday afternoon. Two staff member spouses hosted the shower. That means things should be cleaned up well, right? Well, I walked into work (church) Monday morning and dirty dishes were piled on the counter, the sinks needed rinsed out of cake debris, and the counters cleared off. I ignored it. I ignored it all the way up until Thursday when I was fewer than 2 hours away from being done with work for the week. This campaign crossed my mind and I decided to be kind and bless the hostess of the shower (even though they’d never know it) and also bless the lady who would walk into church early Sunday morning to make breakfast for everyone. #beingkindcounts

The second time was similar, only it occurred in our home. My husband takes food for lunch everyday and typically brings home the containers everyday or two. The rule kind-of is, if you stock pile dirty containers for a week or more, I’m not going to be the one to clean them. They get gross and stinky so he washes them when he lets them pile up. Well, one night Shaun came home with a Wal-Mart sack full of containers and set it beside the sink and said he’d wash them. They sat there several hours, maybe even overnight. All I know is they didn’t didn’t even move out of the sack, instead they were taking up valuable counter space. I was cleaning up the rest of the kitchen and putting away dishes and was about to go and request that Shaun wash them but I didn’t. Once again I remembered this campaign and sucked it up and decided to wash them instead. #beingkindcounts

This week as you are going about your normal life, I challenge you to look for little (and big) ways that you can bless those around you and show kindness even if it will never be noticed. After you do your deeds, pass the challenge on to two other people and keep the momentum going! You can go to Being Kind Counts and submit your good deed and read about the others.

Being Kind Counts! You can be kind and make a difference - even on a budget of $0.

What good deeds have you done recently? Any in mind that you are going to do this week?

Linking up to these fun parties!

 

 

Whole30 Recap for Week 1

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Whole30 Week 1 Recap! What we ate, how we felt, and more! WE SURVIVED!!!

It’s time for our first Whole30 recap – we have the first week under our belts. Kind-of. My husband’s parents came to town for 3 days and we ate out a couple of times. My choices weren’t bad, but weren’t Whole30 compliant either. I know you aren’t supposed to do that on a 30 day challenge, especially so soon in, but I was tired of waiting for a perfect time and decided going in that this weekend would be an exception. The rest of the time, I’m geared up for no cheating.

Whole30 Week 1 Recap! What we ate, how we felt, and more! WE SURVIVED!!!

Our first grocery store run for 2 weeks. We made a couple of small trips for things after this. A Whole30 isn’t cheap, folks!

I forgot to take measurements before we started. If I remember, I’ll do it today. Shaun and I both weighed ourselves, though, so we’ll see what happens there at the end of 30 days.

Who exactly is doing this challenge?

My husband and myself and loosely our 16 month old and 3 1/2 year old. They are eating what we eat for the most part but are still having oatmeal and a few other things like that.

How did we feel?

I’ll be honest. The first three days were horrible! I was tired, wanted sugar and wheat, and was just blah. Day number 4 was better. I still found myself constantly hungry. After we had a couple of off plan meals this weekend, I found myself feeling overly full and kind-of bloated and meh for the first time.

Whole30 Week 1 Recap! What we ate, how we felt, and more! WE SURVIVED!!!

Crispy Italian Chicken, Sweet Potato Hashbrowns, White Potato Hashbrowns, and Sausage Sage Cauliflower Soup

What did we eat?

Breakfasts consisted of eggs (only scrambled so far), homemade hashbrowns with bell pepper and onion (sweet and white potato), fruit salad with coconut and nuts, and whole fruit. One observation when it comes to breakfast, only fruit doesn’t cut it even if I add in the nuts. I know I said day  number 4 was better and that’s true except for in the morning when that’s all I had for breakfast. I felt gross and nauseous and starving in very little time. I’m sure it must have been from a breakfast that was so high in sugar and little fat or protein.

Lunches Shaun and I had big salads and we let the kids finish up all the off plan leftovers (I didn’t want to have to throw them away)

Suppers we made a couple soups (I found those to be super yummy and easy to both put together and make Whole30 approved), tacos in lettuce shells, and crispy chicken legs. Side dishes were always fruit, raw vegetables, or oven roasted vegetables (including my first go at sweet potato fries).

Cheats. When my in-laws were here we had some on plan meals (that I made at home – all the breakfasts and some of the other meals) and a couple that weren’t. I tried to pick better options though – a broth based turkey and rice soup, chicken fajita salad with salsa for the dressing (and no wheat anywhere), and skipped the dessert entirely when they got a Dairy Queen snack on our trip to the fair. Shaun’s choices weren’t quite so healthy (burrito with cheese sauce, wrap, and hamburger), but he says that being on the Whole30 made him eat a little less and kept him from getting Dairy Queen as well.

Snacks consisted of almonds, fruit, vegetables, and one day even an afternoon sweet potato that the kids and I shared.

(You can find links to some of the recipes on last week’s menu plan.)

I’m looking forward to seeing how week number 2 goes being 100% on plan.

If you’ve done a Whole30, how did your first week go?

Linking up to these fun parties!

 

 

 

Whole30 Menu Plan and Goals

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I completely jinxed myself last week. The last good nights sleep my little guy had was last Monday and ever since then has been rough going. Well, one night was just a two time wake up but other than that, let’s not talk about it. Oh, and the quiet weekend I was looking forward to? My husband’s parents called last Monday to see if they could come a week early. So they came Thursday evening and left Sunday night. It was a fun weekend – did some sight seeing in Oklahoma City, went to the county fair, and hung out in town but it definitely wasn’t a weekend of nothing. Maybe I can hope for that this week. 🙂

Whole30 Menu Plan and Goals for this week @ From this Kitchen Table

In all seriousness, I really do think this week will be a quiet one. I’m looking forward to lots of sleeping, evening walks in the beautiful cooler weather, and maybe a movie night with a friend.

Tomorrow, I’m going to write a little about our first week of Whole 30 (and our cheat so early in the game) and share a couple of food pictures. An e-book that came up searching for recipes was Well Fed – it’s all paleo recipes. Well, Well Fed 2 is part of The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle.

Whole30 Menu Plan and Goals for this week @ From this Kitchen Table

 

If you are needing meal planning inspiration, be sure to check out the Real Food Recipes section of the Healthy Living Bundle. There’s also an entire section of books with recipes for special diets! Of course, there are also book on essential oils, natural skin and body care, fitness and great e-courses and bonuses that are a part. Today is the last day you can purchase the bundle, so be sure to check it out!

Suppers:

  • Whole Chicken, roasted veggies, potato wedges, and watermelon
  • Taco Salad
  • Leftover Veggie Beef Soup
  • Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (thinking stuffed with sauteed spinach and chicken)
  • Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
  • Fajita Bowls
  • Leftovers

Lunches:

  • Veggie Beef Soup
  • Grilled Chicken and Vegetables
  • Salads for Shaun and myself, leftovers or sweet potatoes for the kids

Breakfasts:

  • Scrambled eggs with spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions
  • Homemade hashbrowns with onions and bell peppers
  • Maybe try a zucchini cake or carrot sweet potato cake

Snacks:

  • Fruits, Veggies, nuts

Goals:

  • I don’t think I read once last week, so I’d love to get some reading done.
  • Whole 30 week two with no cheats
  • Exercise. Continue redoing the #mindbodymat 3 week pilates challenge go on a few family walks, and maybe try to jog a couple of days.
  • Actually blog 🙂
  • Continue in my Jonah study and Bible memory


Linking up to Menu Plan Monday