January Whole 30!
Happy Monday friends! Whether you’re working or you’re enjoying the day off, I hope it’s a great day! It’s the last day of 2018 and goodness it has been a year! Between new friendships, a new job, and new adventures, I’m leaving 2018 with a happy heart and looking forward to 2019. Another thing I’m looking forward to is cranking out Whole 30 as the year begins!
Check out Coppelia’s post about Whole 30 on her blog!
What is Whole 30? Well, it’s not so much of a “diet” in terms that you do it forever. Whole 30 eliminates certain types of food for 30 days so your body is able to reset. It is also a way to see if you have any food sensitivities. With so many food choices available, sometimes we don’t realize that our body doesn’t quite like certain types of food. I have cut dairy before and my body didn’t really change. However, I’m curious to see how cutting out grains and legumes will affect me.
So why Whole 30? Well, my friend Coppelia has tried it before and I figured I would join her this time around! The beginning of the year is a good time for a reset. Even more so with all the eating that takes place over the holidays. Currently, I’m not training for a race so I don’t have to worry about fuel for long runs. There’s no excuse not to do it!
I’m super Type A and love planning meals for the week and prepping. For a type of experiment like Whole 30, I think this will be a major help. If this is the first time you’re doing Whole 30 or you’re a Whole 30 Veteran, I figured I’d share a few hacks to make meals a bit easier for you! These four tips should make Whole 30 a breeze!
Pre-Cut Veggies
The key to a successful meal prep is to know your strengths. If you absolutely love chopping up veggies and can get it done quickly, then go for it! For the rest of us, pre-cut veggies is the best option. Many grocery stores have different options. I’ve found zucchini in many different forms including fresh and frozen. There’s also roasting veggie bags in the frozen section that can make prepping a breeze! Sure these can be a bit more than prepping the veggies yourself but I think it’s a good investment. You can throw a protein and some veggies in the crockpot for a quick start to a meal!
Stock Up Snacks
I’m sure you have some go-to snacks already. However during Whole 30, they have to be compliant. Why not stock up with compliant snacks ahead of time? There are plenty of snack bars and jerky that is 100% allowed. You can also make your own trail mix to carry with you. Or you can do swaps. Chips and guac is my favorite but since I’m doing Whole 30 I’ll swap out the chips for bell peppers. Small things like that can keep you from feeling overwhelmed with a lot of new foods.
Plan Meals Around Proteins
This is a Whole 30 hack and a budgeting hack as well. Find out what protein is on sale that week at your local super market. If you have a good deal on ground chuck or on chicken wings, plan your meals around that. Depending on how many people you have in your family, you can probably buy one or two different proteins and make countless of meals with them. That manner you can prep your protein ahead of time and then bring the rest of the dish together. That way you can still make dinner every night if you’d like but it doesn’t take as long!
Crockpot/Instant Pot
If you have either of these handy cooking devices, get the most out of them! I like to create a crockpot meal that I will divvy up and enjoy for lunch during the week. If having the same meal multiple times a week isn’t for you, you can still use the Crockpot or Instant Pot to help cook your veggies and sides. Finding faster and easier ways to cook is truly key sticking to meal prep and making it through the 30 days!
Well, there you have it! I truly hope you enjoy these tips and you follow along with Coppelia and I on our Whole 30 journey! I will be popping in with updates throughout the month and a big wrap up once I finish! Head over to my Twitter and Instagram and follow along as well. I’ll be sharing my meals and snacks in my stories to stay accountable. It’s still not too late to join in! Need a little more reassurance, check out this video of my friend Coppelia and I chatting about Whole 30.
Have you done Whole 30 before? Are you in for the January Whole 30 challenge?
