Whole30 Week One

We started the Whole30 yesterday!

The whole family….those of us at home anyway. Of course, the boys, 15 and 3,  will be allowed some extras – like some fruit for snacks and I’ve agreed to let the 15-year-old have gluten-free pancakes on Saturdays… but those are about the only exceptions!

We are going beyond the 30 days as well.  In total, we will be doing 50 days, including the last 13 days that include adding a food item in every three days (one day each of having dairy, grains, wheat and legumes to observe any possible effects that they may have on us).

This week, I had the following menu made up ahead of time:

Monday: 

•    Breakfast – Scrambled Eggs, Ham, Sweet Potato Hash, Healthy Fat of Choice
•    Lunch – See Below
•    Dinner  – Paleo Chocolate Chili, Mashed Cauliflower, Salad w/ dressing

Tuesday:

•    Breakfast  – Frittata, Sautéed Kale, Healthy Fat of Choice
•    Lunch – See Below
•    Dinner –  Chicken & Veggie Slow Cooked Soup, Salad w/ dressing

Wednesday:

• Breakfast  –  Scrambled Eggs,  Sautéed Kale,  Healthy Fat of Choice
• Lunch  –  See Below
• Dinner – Baked Cod w/ghee and herb dressing, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, Salad w/dressing

Thursday:

• Breakfast –  Sausage Hash with Fried Eggs, Healthy Fat of Choice
• Lunch – See Below
• Dinner – Tomato Soup, Warm Spinach Salad w/ bacon and mushrooms, berries

Friday:

• Breakfast – Scrambled Eggs, Pork Sausage, Wilted Baby Spinach, Healthy Fat of Choice
• Lunch – See Below
• Dinner  –  Salmon Cakes over Bibb Lettuce & Sliced Tomatoes, Paleo Tartar Sauce, Baked Sweet Potatoes

Saturday:  

• Breakfast – Frittata, Kale and Sweet Potato Hash, Healthy Fat of Choice
• Lunch  –   See Below
• Dinner  –  Vegetable Coconut Stew, Salad w/ dressing

Sunday:

• Breakfast –  None for most of us….  We fast on Sundays before Liturgy.  I have not been able to do this well yet so I normally have some oatmeal but won’t be doing that during the Whole30.   I found a recipe for a Primal Hot Cereal that is W compliant that I and my toddler will be having on Sunday mornings.
• Lunch –  Paleo Wraps  (something portable that can be eaten in the car after church)
• Dinner  – Whole Greek Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli & Cauliflower Mix

Lunches will be based on the following choices:

• Leftovers (always using the need for a protein, vegetables and healthy fat)
• Greens with tuna or chicken salad made with Paleo mayonnaise with tomatoes and a drizzle (thumb sized portion) of olive oil.
• Salad with dressing and a serving of lunchmeat rolls (organic, no sugar)
• Paleo Wrap, small amount of fruit, handful of nuts
• Whatever other discoveries my son comes up with so long as it’s approved by me first 😉

RECIPE:

I’ll be making some dressings throughout the week which will serve as our healthy fat portion for our dinners.  Some of those use Paleo Mayonnaise as a base.  I finally got up enough nerve just last week to make it.  I used the recipe out of my Well Fed Cookbook by Melissa Joulwan.  It uses an egg, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup plus 1 cup LIGHT tasting olive oil (not evoo), 1/2 tsp dry mustard and 1/2 tsp salt and …..a lot of patience 😉

Actually, it seemed harder reading the recipe than it actually was and I was quite pleased with it.  It worked well in my Vitamix.

Here is what I did, but you can read more details and hints over at Melissa’s blog  –  TheClothesMakeTheGirl.com .

1.  Let the lemon juice and egg sit at room temperature for about a half hour.  (Melissa said to break the egg and put it and the lemon juice in the blender and sit for a half hour but I kind of misread this and what I did worked so I’m sticking to it! LOL) Then put in blender and let sit about 15 more minutes (in case there was something to the sitting together in the blender part rather than just the importance of being at room temperature)

2.  Add the mustard, salt and 1/4 cup of the olive oil into the blender.  Blend on medium (the Vitamix is more powerful than a blender so I didn’t go quite halfway… I kept it around a 4) until combined.

3.  Now is the BE PATIENT part…  Take the remaining 1 cup light olive oil and very very very slowly (the whole process should take 2-3 minutes) drizzle the oil into the blender while keeping on medium (4 on the Vitamix).   If you are using a blender, you’ll hear a pitch change as it begins to emulsify.  I didn’t hear this with the Vitamix, but my hearing isn’t so good so I really don’t know if it was me or the Vitamix.  Either way, the ingredients in the blender WILL  begin to resemble the consistency of traditional mayonnaise.  Just remember to drizzle….slowly!     Enjoy!