Team Whole30

We have a team of Whole30'ers ready to lose weight, feel great and see the amazing things whole foods can do for your body! Care to join us??  Monday April 22nd (Earth Day) ... Be there :)

It has been 6 months since my last Whole30 challenge and while I would like to say I stuck to a strict Paleo diet after its completion that would be a lie.   I am back to being swollen, over my ideal weight and addicted to foods that make my moods happy not my body. 
If you are not familiar with the program you can find the rules and recommended grocery list in this post (Whole30).  It's a great starting point.  If the rules scare you maybe some concrete results (Whole30 is a wrap) will help sway your opinion and get you to join us. 
While I didn't do a very good job of posting my favorite meals or tips and tricks along the way I am ready to divulge them all now so take good notes!
First things first ... the first week is the hardest.  It's a complete mind game and you will need your support team the most this week.  Other than cravings and feeling completely restricted you can expect some headaches from sugar withdrawal.  I found that incorporating LOTS of fruits this first week to act as a natural substitute really helped.  And while the rules say not to step on the scale for the entire 30 days ... if you are seriously ready to throw in the towel after week one a trip to the scale will be just what you need to keep you motivated.  I lost 7 pounds the first week! (Yep ... cheated)
My second tip is to always have more food than what you think you will need on hand.  When you let yourself get hungry is when you are most likely to cheat.  If you feel like you are snacking all day to stay full while on this program it's okay.  Eating a lot of whole foods will not cause you to gain weight.  Keep lots of snacks handy and things you can grab on the go.
The third thing I would want you to know ahead of time is that it can be time consuming to eat right.  Most if not all meals here require you to plan ahead and eat at home.  It helps if you are in the right mind set going into things. 
Fourth ... this will be so much easier if you are a fan of coconut.
I think that's enough boring tips for now.  Let's get to the good part ... the foods!

My Whole30 Favorites
Breakfast:
Apple Muffins
Banana Nut Muffins
Eggs
Smoothie - Spinach, Kale, Frozen Fruit and Naked Green Machine

Lunch:
Shredded chicken stuffed avocado
Salami cucumber roll ups

Snacks:
Almond Butter Apples
Granola
Coconut Treat
Hard Boiled Eggs
Larabars (Read ingredients carefully not all flavors qualify)
Applesauce
Nuts and seeds

Meals:
Spicy Shred
Chicken Patties (recipe to come)
Spaghetti meat sauce and Spaghetti Squash or Green beans (Recommend Victoria Arrabbiata sauce)
Spicy Coconut Shrimp
Smoked sausage with sautéed peppers and onions
Breakfast style tacos  (Same idea only I use taco fixins minus cheese)
Pesto Shrimp and Spaghetti Squash

Sides:
Cauliflower Rice
Roasted Veggies
Sweet Potato Fries

Staples to keep in the house:
Coconut Milk (canned)
Unsweetened coconut flakes
Coconut Oil (noticing a pattern?)
Fruits of the Forrest Jam (Whole Foods Brand)
Nuts/Seeds
Flax seed meal
Almond Flour

This is obviously not a complete list but as you can see the links send you to sites with MANY more recipes to try.  I suggest picking a few that seem like variations of what you would normally eat and meal plan those when you shop for your first week.  Drastic meal changes can also lead to failure and we just can't have that :)
I am available for any questions you can email me privately or post them here so everyone can benefit from the answers/discussions.
Won't you join us so in 34 days we can all celebrate healthy success??