Whole30 Prep
I don’t know about you but I woke up this morning literally relieved that I didn’t have a day of eating decadent holiday dinners and drinking wine ahead of me! I LOVE the holiday season and am a big believer in just letting myself enjoy it - but after w full month of over-indulging I always crave healthy food (and no hangover ha).
This year, I proactively decided before Thanksgiving to take on another Whole30 at the beginning of the year. Thankfully my team is joining in and I think it will be fun to do it with any of you that want to join, too! Even better, my friend and Whole30/Paleo master Mycah Hunter is doing it with us too and will help guide us along the way! Her blog is also chock-full of great recipes and tips. She kindly pulled together a whole post for us with tips for prepping for the challenge and setting yourself up for success - including a sample menu to get you through the first week. I thought I’d share this today, when we all might be feeling a little more motivated than usual to “start fresh” and get prepared to take on the new year!
Lastly, anyone that’s done this before, please leave your favorite recipes in the comments! I can take any help I can get! :)
1. Know why you’re doing Whole30
One of the best ways to follow through on Whole30 is to know why you’re doing it in the first place. Whether you want to identify food intolerances or you really want to lose 5 lbs, knowing your why gives you a filter to make the best choices and stay motivated to achieve that goal.
2. Get the Whole30 book
It’s extremely helpful, straightforward, and it will get you motivated. It also has tons of delicious and easy recipes. If you don’t want to buy thebook, the Whole30 website still has lots of great resources.Whichever you choose, I HIGHLY encourage reading up on the program before getting started.
3. Go shopping
Whole30 founder, Melissa Hartwig, suggests, “Before day one, you should have your first week of meals planned, grocery shopping done, pantry stocked, and you should have some Whole30-compliant emergency food stashed away.” From my personal experience, I also think it’s helpful to buy more vegetables and protein than you think you might need. Here’s a Whole30-approved grocery list that will help get you started.
4. Get rid of tempting foods
This may sound silly, but I think it’s crucial to get rid of any non-compliant food/snacks you have at home (especially things with sugar) before you get started. After a few days into the program, your "sugar dragon" will most likely start to rear its' ugly head and you may find yourself digging around for sweets. You’re better off getting those chocolate chips in your pantry out of sight and out of mind! Here’s a pretty accurate timeline of thoughts/feelings you might experience over the next 30 days.
5. Plan ahead
Planning out your meals for each week will save you time and money! Every Sunday, I map out our meals for the week and make my grocery list. I’m not a huge meal prep person (I work from home and have the benefit of using my kitchen during the day), however I do like to prep our breakfasts and lunches whenever I can. As for dinners, I try to stick to recipes that take no longer than 30 minutes to throw together. Bonus points if I can make the whole dish in one pan. If you need some inspiration, I’ve put together a sample menu plan for the first week below!
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Crunchy Detox Salad (omit honey in dressing)
Dinner:
Monday: Whole30 Orange Chicken
Tuesday: Taco Salad
Wednesday: Egg Roll in a Bowl
Thursday: Sheet Pan Salmon with Dijon Cream Sauce
