Well, two complete weeks of Whole30 eating are now behind us. We are half way done!!! You can find the recap from Week 1 here. This last week definitely felt easy – more of just a way of life. It’s been nice. We didn’t have company or any out of town trips, so all our meals were eaten at home.

Who exactly is doing this challenge?

My husband and myself and our 16 month old and 3 1/2 year old. The kids are eating what we eat for the most part but the 16 month old still eats oatmeal for breakfast (no dairy in it though) and on occasion a rice cake. The 3 year old has an option of oatmeal for breakfast, but I think she’s only had it twice the last two weeks.

The majority of the groceries we bought  this weekend for the next couple of weeks. We need to run to the meat market for a couple of things and I’m sure we’ll be making another small trip to the store before 30 days is up but the majority of the shopping is behind us. 

How did we feel?

This week was awesome compared to the first! Food cravings were gone. I no longer felt the intense urge to eat sugar or dive into a bowl of chocolate. In fact, I have a box of chocolates on my desk at work that was given to me before the Whole30 and I can look at them and not have to fight thinking about how much I want to EAT THEM. 🙂

Shaun said that he’s had more energy, not felt as tired, and has not been as hungry. His body has adjusted to eating less and not eating all the carbs he did before. I think I might have had more energy that I otherwise would have, but it’s hard to tell when you are so exhausted from weeks of not sleeping. But I do know, my week felt quite productive and I had enough energy and desire to exercise 4 days.

The one off thing that happened to me during week 2. The kids and I get home around 3 and have a snack. That day I never felt hungry. We visited with a friend for a bit on the way home and arrived around 4. I suddenly felt horrible. My face felt like it was breaking out in a cold sweat and my legs got week. I’d had plenty of water that day, so it wasn’t dehydration. I ate plenty of snacks that afternoon even though I never felt hungry and it went away and hasn’t happened since. It was strange.

What did we eat?

Guacamole, Spaghetti Squash with Marinara, Zucchini Sweet Potato Cakes, Chili Verde, Paleo Breakfast Bowls, Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

Breakfasts consisted of more scrambled eggs, zucchini sweet potato cakes, paleo breakfast bowl (we all loved this recipe and the leftovers tasted great too. I left the bacon out since I couldn’t find any without sugar and I made the “sausage”), and sweet potato hash browns. Except for Friday and Saturdays, the breakfasts need to be something already cooked or that can be make in 10 minutes or fewer (such as scrambled eggs). I don’t want to get up early to make a labor intensive breakfast. We also all have apples or fruit of some kind.

Lunches looked a lot like last week. During the weekdays Shaun and I have big salads and the kids leftovers or sweet potatoes. One day the kids and I ate guacamole with veggies to dip in it. On the weekend we had Paleo Breakfast Bowls (the leftovers of which became breakfast) and leftover Chili Verde.

Suppers were pretty tasty! Thai Chicken Soup that I cooked in the Crockpot, Slow Cooker Chili Verde, Fajitas Whole30 style (sautéed onions and bell peppers and chicken slices topped with lettuce, salsa, and avocado), Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti, Baked Sweet Potatoes topped with shredded chicken, diced bell pepper, and spinach, and leftovers. Sides once again were fruit and roasted veggies.

My top three would have to be the Thai soup, fajitas, and stuffed sweet potatoes. Shaun loved the Chili Verde.

Snacks consisted of nuts, dried fruit, and fresh fruit and veggies

(Don’t forget, I share my menu every Monday! You can see some of what we’ll be eating the next week here.

The Next 7 Days

During days 7-14 I started to try and train myself to not mindlessly snack, even if it’s healthy. If I’m hungry, than consciously get something to eat. I’m going to continue to try and just have snack of nuts and dried fruits in the afternoon (that I put into a bowl instead of eating out the container) and otherwise only if I’m actually hungry.

We are half way done!!! If you have any favorite Paleo/Whole30 recipes, let me know so I can add them to my Pinterest. If you’ve done a Whole30, does it get harder again towards the end?

Linking up to these fun parties!

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.

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.

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!