14 days of My Whole30 Challenge

What does a Whole30 Challenge look like?

Melissa's Chicken Hash and banana

Sweet Potato, broccoli, and fish

Grilled chicken thighs, cut green beans, and Moroccan Cauliflower rice

I have shared in the last few posts that I started a Whole30 Challenge.  You can read more about Whole30 here:  https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

I am currently on Day 15 and it's going great!

I have really enjoyed creating healthy and well balanced plates and I have taken a snap shot of everything I have eaten for the past 14 days (with a few exceptions... there was a day where I had a peach between lunch and dinner and a few other times where I ate a few pecan or walnut halves).  So I am putting all 14 days of photos here.  Each photo is actually a collage of the three meals I've ate in one day.

What's missing from my plates? Dairy, grains, legumes (no peanut butter!), added sugar, additives/preservatives (MSG, carrageenan, sulfites)… and also no alcohol.  And I've made it for 14 days and it hasn't been too terribly hard.

Egg scramble topped with avocado and tomato with berries and banana on the side

Avocado and tuna mash with Moroccan Cauliflower rice on the side

Steak and bell pepper kabobs, butternut squash, and sautéed kale with toasted almonds

Mexican cauliflower rice over diced onion and iceberg lettuce topped with over easy eggs

Slow Cooker Yellow Chicken Curry with oranges on the side

Egg, turkey blueberry sausage, sautéed spinach and sweet potato

Egg scramble with broccoli, mushrooms, and tomato with a failed attempt at cauliflower hashbrowns

Lunch to go was Banger Sausage, Moroccan Cauliflower rice, and watermelon

Sweet potato topped with grilled chicken, avocado, and tomato with orange slices on the side

Egg, spicy Italian sausage, sautéed spinach, avocado, and watermelon

Curry Tuna salad with homemade mayonnaise, green beans, and sliced peach

Melissa's Chicken Hash with green beans on the side

Zoodles topped with egg and sweet potato on the side

Turkey Blueberry Sausage, sweet potato, and Moroccan Cauliflower on the side

Mexican Cauliflower rice, grilled fajita chicken, iceberg lettuce and avocado

Turkey Blueberry Sausage, butternut squash, and cut green beans

Egg, Spicy Turkey sausage, sweet potato, strawberries, and avocado

Mexican Cauliflower rice, avocado, diced grilled chicken, and onion over iceberg lettuce

Eggs, Banger Sausage, and steamed butternut squash

Grilled Salmon, steamed broccoli, and Moroccan Cauliflower rice

Sweet potato and zoodles sautéed with chopped Banger Sausage

Over easy eggs, Moroccan Cauliflower rice, and berries on the side

Tuna salad with homemade mayonnaise and lots of veggies with watermelon on the side

More Moroccan Cauliflower Rice, steamed broccoli, and grilled fajita chicken

Egg scramble topped with tomato
Grilled Chicken Thighs, Moroccan Cauliflower rice, and red bell pepper strips
A horrible dinner of zoodles, chopped Italian Sausage, way too much parsley and what was I thinking when I added all that fresh lemon juice.  Yuck!

Breakfast scramble with Banger Sausage, broccoli, and chopped tomato
Chopped kale salad with grilled salmon and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette (not a good combo)

Avocado Tuna mash with lots of veggies and fruit on the side

Sweet potato, sautéed spinach, egg, Banger Sausage, tomato and avocado

Curry Tuna Salad made with homemade mayonnaise with red bell pepper strips

Spicy Italian Turkey Sausage, sweet potato, steamed broccoli, avocado, and raw veggies on the side

Eggs, Moroccan cauliflower rice, and sliced banana

Melissa's Chicken Hash with extra walnuts and parsley

Grilled chicken thighs, broccoli, avocado, sweet potato

Sweet potato stuffed with banana, toasted pecans, cinnamon with Banger Sausage on the side

Zoodles topped with poached eggs with watermelon on the side

Avocado tuna mash with extra veggies, Moroccan Cauliflower rice, and kale salad

These photos are NOT in order (Day 1 to 14).  You can see I have definitely found some favorite recipes.  Moroccan Cauliflower Rice!  I feel as the days have gone by, making my meals has gotten easier and easier. I've never eaten so many vegetables in all my life so I felt I was going to the grocery store too often for more vegetables.  I did not want to buy too much and have things go to waste.  Some folks might look at all the cooking involved and think, "No way do I have time for this!"  But the reality is that my meals come together really quickly and the key is food prep ahead.  I would say each day I pretty much do three things at once.  Here are some examples:

• make hard boiled eggs, cut up celery and carrots and store in the refrigerator, make grilled chiken
• steam broccoli, steam butternut squash, make a slow cooker dish
• make cauliflower rice, make some kind of sausage, make a salad dressing
• make sweet potatoes in the slow cooker, chop up fruit, make a tuna salad
• chop up zoodles, toast nuts, try another new recipe

So this is what the first half of my Whole30 Challenge has looked like.  I hope you are finding some recipe inspiration along the way.  I am looking forward to trying some new recipes very soon!