Well folks, so far I am loving Whole 30!  Woo hoo.

However, it is NOT easy!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to reach for a quick snack and then realized it’s not “Whole 30 approved!”  It really is eye-opening to me how many times I’ve wanted to mindlessly snack.

I still have plenty of things I can snack on (cut up fruit, veggies, olives, pickles, etc.), but it’s interesting how “healthy snacks” just don’t have quite the draw that unhealthy snacks have.  When I see an unhealthy snack, it seems like my body sends off all sorts of “must eat right now” signals.  I can actually feel the craving rising inside me and all of my senses become heightened.

It’s fascinating how unhealthy food “jacks” with our bodies and almost makes us become a slave to those foods.

Whenever I commit to a 100% healthy diet, I always eat less food in general.  I eat because I’m hungry, not because I’m tired, stressed, craving, etc.  Healthy food does just what it should do….fuels our bodies and helps us to be healthy (i.e. healthy weight, appetite control, blood sugar stable, etc.)

So, even though this diet is a little tough, I know it’s exactly what my body needs right now.  I’m also feeling particularly motivated for several reasons….

• I had the baby in August, so life was extremely crazy for a couple of months.  THEN the holidays hit.  Soooo, now the holidays are over and baby is older=perfect time for me to “kill it!”
• We have a brand spankin’ new gym that just opened up near our house.  I’m hoping to find some good classes so I can start a regular fitness regimen once again.
• I definitely indulged too much this Christmas!  My body is very ready for a detox.
• My New Year’s resolution is to get 7 hours of sleep every. single. night…..so I know that will help make my other health and fitness goals much easier.
• We’ve had a bunch of different flu/cold bugs going around our house.  I know that clean eating/sleep/exercise is the best way to fend off illness!
• I have a birthday next month and will be turning 39!  Gah!  I’m bound and determined to get in the best shape of my life by my 40th birthday….so I better get crackin’, right?
• I signed up for the Ogden Half Marathon (happening in May) and I’m a little bit nervous!  I’ve only run ONE half marathon in my life and that was FIVE years ago!  Running has been so hard for me lately, but I’m hoping to improve.  Eating a clean and healthy diet can help me lose weight, stay healthy and have more energy=become a better runner and not face-plant on my half!

I’ve already decided that I WILL NOT QUIT.  I’m sure I’ll have mega cravings, attend fun social events and get so sick of the food options available to me, but I don’t care!  I am not a wuss, (actually, sometimes I am.  Ha ha.) but I’m going to remain committed, determined and very, very stubborn!

I also know that if I’m going to be successful with this diet, then it is vital that I plan, prepare and always have plenty of food options available!  On Sunday night, Kev and I did a lot of food prep.

We cut up a bunch of lettuce, broccoli, peppers, onions and carrots.  We also put some chicken in a marinade.

We browned some ground turkey with onion and spices (salt, pepper and garlic powder), hard-boiled some eggs and roasted a bunch of veggies.  Yum!

I’ve been very grateful to have all of this food already prepared!

I’ve been having various egg/veggie creations for breakfast the past couple days…

This morning I added ground turkey to the mix as well.  Yum!

Both of those egg creations would taste so good with a little cheese!  Boo. 🙁

I’ve been having a lot of random salads too.  This one was just lettuce, chicken and snap peas topped with Frank’s RedHot Wings Buffalo sauce….my new fav!!

Leftover fruit…

Various Green Smoothies with deli meat on the side…

Shakes are interesting on Whole 30.  You can’t have most protein powders, you can’t add any sweeteners (even natural ones!), no extracts (vanilla, almond, etc), and they recommend you don’t go overboard on the fruit!

So I got a little creative and just mixed about 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 1 cup water, 2 big handfuls spinach, 1 frozen banana, some sliced almonds and a bunch of ice.

It actually tasted quite good and was very refreshing!  It was also a welcome change from the “meat, veggies and a little fruit” diet I’ve been consuming.

I made grilled chicken, sweet potatoes and salad for dinner last night and it was wonderful!

I topped my salad with a little Balsamic vinaigrette and the chicken with some more Frank’s RedHot sauce.  So good!

I was going to marinate my chicken in my favorite marinade, but I realized it had soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in it and I can’t have those!  Sooo, I got creative again and came up with a Southwest flavor marinade that turned out good!

Southwest Marinade for Chicken (Whole 30 Friendly!)

• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup lime juice (or juice from 2 limes)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin

Mix all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag or a large glass bowl.  Add chicken.  Marinate the chicken (in the fridge!) for at least an hour.  You can also marinate the chicken overnight.  The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavor it will have.

Cook as desired.

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Well, that’s all I have tonight.  I hope those of you who are doing this diet with me are doing well too!!

Do. Not. Quit.  You will not regret it!  Just take it one day at a time! xoxo