Saturday, June 13, 2015

Whole 30 Thoughts and Recipes

It wasn't long ago that I felt as though the Whole 30 would last forever. And now, here it is, a few days after I have completed an entire month of eating clean and I'm not entirely ready to throw the towel in.






I ate a small bowl of peanut butter chocolate ice cream on Wednesday night in celebration of being done, but since then, I'm still eating a mostly Whole30 approved diet.

And it feels good.  

There are a few foods I have turned to that are definite keepers.  

Although I already loved guacamole, I never seasoned my own, instead always purchasing the little packets of seasoning.  Now, I can whip up a batch in no time flat, and it is much, much tastier than anything that comes out of those little envelopes.

Guacamole

2 avocados
1/2 jalapeno pepper finely diced
red onion, finely diced
cherry tomatoes, quartered
cumin
cilantro

I am also a big fan of sweet potato fries. Unfortunately when I looked at the ingredients on the bag of these at the store, there are a lot of extra things in there.

Instead I now thinly slice my sweet potato (after peeling, of course), lay the slices on a baking sheet, spray with olive oil spray and add a little salt, and bake at 425 until they appear crisp.

This has allowed me to make one of my very favorite meals: nachos



I've also discovered almond flour.  Almond flour pancakes with a berry compote or pomegranate juice on them has been a huge treat in the mornings.



And they, too, are easy to make:

Almond Flour Pancakes

  • 1-3/4 cups almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup almond milk
I bake them in coconut oil (another new favorite) in my electric skillet

I did lose a little weight - 7 pounds - this past month.  That's been nice because I had to take a little time off of exercising because of my broken finger.  Even now the workouts I'm doing are not nearly as hard as what I had been doing every day.

I'm not crazy enough to think I will never eat sugar again, but I like eating well and feeling good after I eat.  Even that little bowl of ice cream the other night left me feeling icky.

So I'm going to continue eating this way with a few modifications.  If I want a cheat each week, I can have it.  But I am going to attempt to limit it to once each week.  And after I exercise, I can have something to drink beside water - maybe a Propel.

Otherwise I'm happy with the Whole 30 and the changes I've made. 

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads.



16 comments:

(Diane) bookchickdi said...

Congratulations to you making such a healthy change, and you nachos look yummy. I love guacamole!

JoAnn said...

I love the idea of making nachos with sweet potatoes... and the almond flour pancakes look yummy, too!

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I feel like I could make these sweet potato chips. The combination of these and the avocado sounds wonderful.

http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2015/06/weekend-cooking-dean-fearing-and-texas.html

Kay said...

I agree that your nachos look really good. I love guacamole too and it is so simple to make. May have to try those sweet potato fries or chips. I feel like I'm slowly adjusting to eating better. A little weight has been lost, more needs to happen. Late afternoons is a tough time for me. I'm working on it. :-)

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

I'm going to have to try those sweet potato chips! A few months ago I did a similar diet...although one that isn't quite as restrictive as the Whole 30 (it's called Sugar Detox) and I felt great by the end of it...but sadly I slowly started adding the junk back in. I do find that I'm more mindful, now, and that counts for something! Thanks for sharing the guac recipe. LOVE guacamole!!

Alex said...

I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds and giving up sugar by eating these delicous looking foods. I love guacamole, sweet potatoes and pancakes. Thanks for sharing these.

Katherine P said...

The guacamole recipe looks delicious! I've found so often that seasoning my on my own or making from scratch really doesn't take much more effort and almost always tastes better! Good luck with the Whole30!

Vicki said...

I don't remember hearing of the Whole 30 before, but I've been looking for a healthier way of eating, so this sounds perfect for me. I printed out the Whole 30 shopping list and plan on going shopping next week with it as my buying guide.

jama said...

Congrats on doing so well with the Whole30 challenge. Love the idea of using sweet potatoes in nachos. And I love guacamole!

Beth F said...

I always make my own guacamole, but I've never tried to make my own sweet potato chips. They sound easy -- and the idea of using them for nachos? I think I'd love them.

Sarah (Sarah's Book Shelves) said...

Congratulations! Sounds like you deserved your treat and it's awesome that you're continuing to eat clean.

Laurie C said...

Those almond flour pancakes sound like an easy, gluten-free recipe to try. I'd probably put maple syrup on them, though, so they wouldn't end up being that good for the diet!

Carole said...

Well done on the challenge! Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

Bellezza said...

I always find that when I initially force myself to eat better, I eventually feel so much better, and then it becomes hardly a sacrifice at all! I'm quite tempted to look into your plan; lately I've been following Joel Furhman's Eat to Live plan, which I quite like for the healthful benefits to my husband and I. It's basically, "If God didn't make it, don't eat it." Except for meat which is not "allowed".

p.s. I'm an elementary teacher; I hope you have summer's to recharge as a librarian!

shelleyrae @ book'd out said...

Great job in meeting your goal! I really must try making some sweet potato chips.

Happy cooking,
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

Marg said...

Well done on the changes that you have made!

I have been eating better recently. Probably the next step is to try and eat cleaner. In due course.