my whole6 (instead of 30) recap

Brett and I started a Whole30 five or six days before the girls and I came down with stomach flu. It was going relatively well. We were starting to feel some positive effects of cutting out gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, legumes, etc. but after getting the flu, I needed to eat some saltines, and then for a couple days later, my stomach was so tender that all I could really handle was toast and other bland food - not meat and vegetables, which are the cornerstone foods of Whole30. I felt some measure of guilt for having quit, but the experience was not all for naught as I came away with some ideas and revelations: we need to incorporate more vegetables into our meals. We need to plan our meals better so that we don't run out of the good stuff or resort to eating out which is nearly always an unhealthy option. I realized how often I put a cheddar bunny or piece of cereal or other things like that when I'm doling them out to the girls. I realized I was giving the girls too many snacks. I realized how much I turn to food when I'm emotionally and physically stressed or upset. I cook so much more when I'm doing a Whole30 or trying to get back into a Paleo-ish lifestyle. I've been cooking a lot of lean meat/healthy fat/vegetable-centric meals, and have been improving in the meal-planning department. I've discovered how much I love the taste of roasted vegetables. For some reason, eating the majority of vegetables in a raw state makes me feel incredibly nauseous. Sautéing, grilling, or roasting vegetables make them so much more palatable and easy to digest for me. Our favorite roasted vegetable is broccoli. I found an Ina Garten recipe for roasted broccoli, and tweaked it slightly to exclude the parmesan and pine nuts (parmesan being dairy). I'm not sure if the pine nuts are Whole30-approved, but I'm not really interested in buying them, and the broccoli tastes great without that ingredient, so why add on more if it's unnecessary. The recipe can be found here.

I've been finding a lot of good recipes from the cookbook pictured below. I also look for ideas on Pinterest.

So the plan is to eat as many paleo meals a day as I can, and to enjoy some non-paleo foods on Saturdays and Sundays. All I know is that I need some kind of framework to base my food choices. I can't do 100% paleo. I just can't. I know I can get my calcium from vegetables - I don't need it from dairy. I don't like milk that much anyway, and I rarely eat yogurt. I do love cheese, though. 

Okay, this topic is getting old. I am in no way saying you should do this or that you're bad if you eat whatever it is that you eat. I enjoy reading other blogs about food, so in that spirit, I am sharing my "journey" or process of deciding what my body needs, and how I can foster healthy eating and living in my girls and husband. As the primary food shopper in this home, the responsibility comes down to me, and I don't want to take that job lightly as so much of what I model in my eating habits will be passed onto my children. 

I want to get back into doing Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred and do some body weight resistance type exercises at home. If that doesn't do the trick, I think I'll need to look into joining a gym, something I'm not very excited about because whenever I miss a bunch of times, I feel guilty and hate wasting the money on something I won't use. I'm also cutting back on buying processed food and sweets. I'm trying to define what "in moderation" means for me. I actually hate that ambiguous term because what is moderate for someone is too much for another person. It's one of those slippery slope words, in my humble opinion...

There are days when I wish a genie would come out of a bottle and offer me some wishes. One of them would definitely be that I could eat whatever I want and stay skinny, fit, and healthy. Not all people with high metabolisms are healthy, so I know that my goal should be my health, but as a woman, losing a few pounds in the process is just fine by me. 

I've tossed around the idea of attempting Whole30 in the summertime when an abundance of fruits and vegetables are in season, and it's easier to just walk outside on the deck and grill dinner. We'll see. It was actually incredibly tough - even stricter than eating paleo. It's not intended for eating like that forever, but rather to act as a body/eating reset. It's not for the faint of heart. Ha. My mom will be wrapping up her Whole30 next week. She is my hero. :)