Welcome to the Whole30 Challenge!

Hello everyone! 

For those of you who are on the email distribution list, this information has previously been sent to you. :)

Welcome to the Whole30 challenge!  I created this email distribution list/blog because we are all interested in Whole30... and can support each other. The timing of this challenge coincidentally falls around the time of New Years Resolutions.  If you know me, I do not make resolutions for the simple fact that I forget them by February.  With that said, if this is YOUR resolution, I'm glad you're here. :)

About the Challenge

Here is their 60 second description of whole 30:

Whole9′s Nutrition in 60 Seconds

We eat real food – meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, healthy oils, nuts and seeds. We choose foods that were raised, fed and grown naturally, and foods that are nutrient-dense, with lots of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.

This is not a “diet” – we eat as much as we need to maintain strength, energy, activity levels and a healthy body weight. We aim for well-balanced nutrition, so we eat animals and a significant amount of plants.

Eating like this has helped us to look, feel, live and perform our best, and reduces our risk for a variety of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions.

Read more about our nutrition philosophy and program in our New York Times bestselling book, It Starts With Food.

If you want to read more details on what the challenge entails, please visit: http://whole9life.com/start/  It will give you the complete guide and recommendations for the next 30 days.  

"Rules" for the challenge

The only "rules" I have per say are the following:

• Please keep any "Reply All" emails & comments positive.  We're in this together.  If you identify a challenge we can help create a solution.  I can't help but rap, "If there's a problem, yo I'll solve it, check out the hook while my DJ revolves it...ICE ICE BABY"  (Rob, I know you're rolling your eyes at this and secretly wanting to laugh.  haha!)
• Practice Positive Self-Talk, it's not really a "rule" but hey, while we're trying to change 20+ years of behavior over 30 days, there is bound to be some type of negative thinking when we're faced with our vice: ______.  I'll let you fill in the blank. :)  Positive self-talk is very helpful when we slip up and need to get back on track.  No point in dwelling... say something positive, develop a plan, and get back on track. :)  We will talk about this in more detail in a future email/blog post.

Support & Resources

Please reach out to me for any questions you may have.  Between their website and the book I can probably hunt down the answers.  While this is my first whole30 rodeo, I promise to help as much as I possibly can. I read the entire book It Starts With Food, yes all of it, within the last week.  Some of the content is jumbled together but I can decode pretty easily. :)  Lastly, I will not be micromanaging your food, food log, or following you around the grocery store to make sure you are following this to the "t."  This challenge is meant to be fun and encouraging!  If you find something that helps you please share it with us!  

Resources

Website: http://whole9life.com/resources/ Additionally, check out the budget grocery list (if you're like me and ballin' on a budget!); Recipes: http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/

Phone App: myKitchen (recipes for iphone Warning: Not all recipes are whole30 approved)

Books: It Starts With Food, Paleo Solution

Podcasts: Paleo Solution (Rob Wolf)

  

While I am committing to Whole30 for all meals from Jan 2-Feb 2, I encourage each of you to find what will work best for you and to what degree you feel comfortable with making change.  Take what I write as encouragement and make it relevant to your goals.   

One last thought, if there is someone you know that would like to be added to this list, please feel free to email me their information.  Unless I'm hacked by some ninjas, I don't intend to send anything outside of the Whole30 emails. :)

Cheers to making food be our medicine!!  

Amanda

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Tomato Sauce

Serves: 4–6

 as on http://beta.primal-palate.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 1 Zucchini, chopped
• 2 cup White Mushrooms
• 1 Spaghetti Squash, baked
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil, Organic
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 Vidalia Onion, chopped
• 32 fl oz Tomato Sauce, plus 1/2 can of water

Process

1. In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
2. Add onion and zucchini to the frying pan and sauté in coconut oil until both onion and zucchini are tender. Remove from heat.
3. Brown ground turkey in a large soup pot on medium heat.
4. Once the turkey is fully cooked, add the sautéed onion and zucchini, and season with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
5. Pour two cans of tomato sauce, and half a can of water over the ground turkey and veggies.
6. Add in sliced mushrooms.
7. Bring sauce to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover.
8. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender.

Vanilla and Ginger Carrots

Vanilla and Ginger Carrots
Ingredients:

• 1 bag of frozen carrots
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp ginger

Preparation:

1. Follow the directions on the bag of frozen carrots.
2. Add in 1 tsp vanilla and ginger.

Variation: substitute ginger with garlic. 

Beef with Broccoli

Beef with Broccoli as on http://beta.primal-palate.com/

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 cup Raw Coconut Aminos (note: you can find them in the aisle with soy sauce)
• 1/4 cup Green Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp Ginger Root, minced
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil (note: use olive oil)
• 4 cup Broccoli, florets
• 5 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 lb Beef Chuck Shoulder Roast, cubed

Process

1. Heat sesame oil in a wok or skillet over high heat.
2. Add garlic and ginger to wok, and sauté for 2 minutes to infuse the sesame oil with their flavor.
3. Add steak, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides.
4. Once the steak has seared, add in the broccoli and continue to sauté over high heat.
5. Add green onion, and an extra tablespoon of oil if necessary.
6. Pour in coconut aminos, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
7. Continue to sauté for another 2–3 minutes, until all flavors have combined.
8. Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and serve. (note: leave this step out)

Notes

To complete this dish, serve over cauliflower rice or baked spaghetti squash. (note: highly recommend because we didn't do this and it was missing something!)

Almond Battered Chicken on Baby Arugula with Avocado Sauce

Almond Battered Chicken on Baby Arugula 

with Avocado Sauce

Almond Battered Chicken
Ingredients:

• 3 Chicken Breasts Sliced
• 1-2 Cups Almond Meal (varies on how much you make)
• Ginger to taste (Tim used about 2tsp-3tsp)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil (enough to coat the pan)

Preparation:

1. Heat oil slowly in pan.
2. Mix ginger, salt and pepper, into almond meal with a fork in a medium sized bowl.  There shouldn't be any lumps.
3. Put chicken in the bowl and coat evenly with almond meal.
4. Cook slowly about 5-8 minutes per side until golden brown.

Baby Arugula 
Ingredients:

• 1 cup arugula (per person)
• 2 tsps Balsamic Vinegar
• Italian Seasoning (to taste)
• Ginger (to taste)

Preparation:

1. Place arugula on plate.
2. Add in all other ingredients on top.

Avocado Sauce
Ingredients:

• 1 avocado
• 3 tbs canned fire roasted tomatoes (with sauce)
• 2 tbs light olive oil
• 1 tbs chopped basil (extra for garnishment)
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• salt to taste

Preparation:

1. In a blender mix the tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, salt.
2. Add in the avocado gradually. 
3. Mix until it's a creamy consistency.

Vanilla and Ginger Carrots
Ingredients:

• 1 bag of frozen carrots
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp ginger

Preparation:

1. Follow the directions on the bag of frozen carrots.
2. Add in 1 tsp vanilla and ginger.

Variation: substitute ginger with garlic. 

Shrimp Wraps with Sauce

Shrimp Wraps
2 servings(ish)
2-3 Boiled Shrimp/Wrap 

• Romaine Lettuce (2 large)
• Celery "Noodles" (used potato peeler on celery)
• Shredded Carrots 

Not on Wrap:

• 1 cutie toasted with Sauce (I peel it and stick them in the toaster oven for about 3/4 cycle)
• Olives

Shrimp Wrap Sauce:
I made this up so I'm not sure of the exact amounts, but I will generalize...  

• Olive Oil (3 TBS)
• Balsamic Vinaigrette (3 TBS)
• Unsweetened coconut flakes (2 TBS)
• Arrowroot (1 TSP)
• Crushed red peppers (1/2 TSP)
• Ginger (Dash)
• Onion Powder (Dash)
• Garlic Powder (Dash

Skinny Buff's Sweet Tooth Fix

Conquer the Sweet Tooth

Kick the Sweet Tooth by trying this recipe submitted by Skinny Buff!

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash cooked ( I cook by cutting in half lengthwise and placing cut side down in a glass baking dish with ½ cup of water.    Bake covered in foil for 1 hour at 350)
• 2 apples
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger to taste
• I TBSP Coconut oil
• ¼ cup of chopped pecans

While butternut squash is cooking, cook the sliced apples on the stove top  To cook the apples, melt the coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté apples for 2-3 minutes, then place ¼ cup of water in the pan, reduce the heat and cover and cook the apples until they are tender (you can go ahead and add some of the spices to the pan). 

When squash is done, scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the remaining butternut squash in a blender or food processor along with the apples, then add spices to taste. Blend until smooth. When you are done, top the dish with chopped pecans and serve!