Hi folks!

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you might have seen some posts about Whole30.

So what’s Whole30?
From the Whole30 website:

Established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.

The program is a 30-day nutritional reset that imposes very strict guidelines including NO grains, legumes, dairy, added sugar, and alcohol. Pretty much many of the things that I love to eat. What, no brown rice? No ice cream or cheese? You must be thinking it’s crazy talk!

For more, check out the website and a guide that covers there official rules here.

Why am I doing a Whole30?
Here’s a list of some reasons and symptoms contributing to my Whole30 journey:
-Lately, my body has felt incredibly sluggish and my energy zapped which I don’t attribute to marathon training.
-I’ve felt a lot of nagging aches and pains, not only from my calf tendinitis injury.
-My skin has been breaking out – never before last fall have I ever had bad skin.
-I have generally felt like I’ve been eating like crap (tasty, no regrets!) since last October once I finished the Chicago Marathon. Hey, what’s a girl to do with all the sweets and good food around? Plus my work has a neverending supply of food.
-Needless to say, I’ve also gained those unwanted holiday lbs which is foreign and unwelcome to me as I’m training for Vancouver.
-I want to feel my best!!

I’ve had the book It Starts with Food for over a year and have always glanced through it yearning to try the program. Now’s the time to.

How do I feel so far?
Truthfully, I’m feeling pretty fantastic!! My energy levels are noticeably better, I’m eating and fueling my body with only nutritious foods. I haven’t slipped up even with such strict rules. I’m proving to myself that I can stick with it – it’s only for 30 days with potential for really hitting reset and helping me relieve so many ailments.

And – I’ve been cooking so many healthy homemade meals and trying new recipes.

What have I been eating?
Eating lots of different proteins from chicken, organic sausages, to LOTS of fresh veggies, fruits, and healthy fats! No grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, and sugar.

Here’s a sampling of the meals I’ve made.

Sample Recipe Links
Here’s some recipes that gave me inspiration during the week:

Nom Nom Paleo’s Crispy Smashed Chicken available on her iPad cookbook app. Here’s a link to her recipe index for lots of great ideas!

Cauliflower Fried “Rice” – holy wow!! Cauli rice will be a staple in my household from now on. I’ve grown up eating rice, so I know my rice. This is nearly just as good as the real thing. I loosely threw together my dish using this recipe from the author do the Well Fed cookbooks. Fantastic!!

This is it for now. I look forward to sharing this journey with you.

Let me know if you have any questions about my experience starting the Whole30 program!