whole30 food diary

Whole30 #3: Days 7-9 Recaps & The End

August 21, 2015

I am documenting my THIRD Whole30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come from my first Whole30 (Feb 2015), my second (April 2015), to now! Plus, I don’t want to fall into any food ruts. Hopefully this will keep me inspired through the whole process. I’m looking forward to the transformation in how I approach food, cook with it, and enjoy it. Check out all my Whole30 related posts HERE from why I did each previous Whole30, why I am doing this one, and all my food diaries.

{Day 7}

Sunday, July 26th, 2015

Ugh, what a day. It was a rough food day. Days like this make me realize how hard it is to stick to Whole30, and how important it is to stick to Whole30.

Breakfast

Banana and almond butter

This was eaten on the run, actually, in the car, but close enough.

We slept in so we didn’t have time to make breakfast before having to get in the car and go up to NH to visit Catherine and Ed. It was great to get extra sleep but made the morning tough in the end. We stopped off at McDonald’s on the way to get (black) iced coffees and to get an Egg Mcmuffin for Autumn. I wanted that damn Egg Mcmuffin!! ha!

Lunch

NADA!!

It was such a messed up day. It happens. Not great but it happens.

Dinner

Grilled Aidell’s Chicken and Apple Sausages with baby bella mushrooms, shishito peppers, and sauteed kale

OMG food!!!!!!

We were so freaking hungry from skipping lunch. It was so, so good. Fresh, flavorful, delicious. I used a lemon olive oil from Trader Joe’s on the baby bellas. Loved it!!! And I ordered a box of Maldon Sea Salt from Amazon and I am so glad I did as it’s great on the shishito peppers.

Late Night Snack

Homemade Potato Salad- made with tiny red potatos, homemade mayo, radishes, green onions

So I had planned on making this earlier in the day but didn’t get around to it until later on at night. Of course, I had to sample some… 🙂

Activity-

7,711*

My Fitbit was dead in the morning so it effected my step count, but I still don’t think that I would have made my 10K step goal since we spent part of the day in the car and inside.

Hydration-

It was a decent day from iced coffee, water, seltzer, etc

{Day 8}

Monday, July 27th, 2015

I spent most of the day battling thoughts about stopping this Whole30. I wasn’t feeling committed to it, like I had in the best, even when the going got tough. Instead I just felt restricted and alone (since Price cheated on Day 6). I was excited that my mom was doing it too in FL, as well as a co-worker, but I didn’t feel great about it this time. My heart wasn’t into it.

Breakfast

2 over-easy eggs, sweet potato hash, pico de galo

Nice and simple.

Lunch

Salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, radishes, avocado, and chicken with a homemade ranch dressing, then a Key Lime Pie Lara Bar (45 mins)

My avocado wasn’t ripe yet. Such a bummer. But the chicken was ah-mazing. It was was seasoned really well and really juicy. Glad I took the time to cook it that morning.

The Larabar was so good. Glad I found this flavor at Whole Foods on Sunday.

Dinner

Steak with fajita veggies and cauliflower rice, served with pico, cilantro, and limes

YES!!!! This was such a good dinner. I really loved the flavors and different textures from the steak, ‘rice’, veggies, and salsa. I could eat this all the time. I feel like I should have blogged about it!

Activity

4,811*

I plugged my Fitbit in at lunch and then forgot it there, so it didn’t get the rest of my steps counter, but I know that I hit my 10K step goal. Def!

Hydration

I should have had more water. I had coffee, water, and seltzer, but I still felt that my in-take amount was low for the day.

{Day 9}

Tuesday, July 28th, 2015

DONE…

Yeah, so I fail at my 3rd Whole30. I broke the rules at lunch.

Breakfast

2 over-easy eggs with ‘fried’ plantains with Frank’s Red Hot

It’s easy to call them fried plantains, but in reality I cooked it with barely any oil. I love them for breakfast. So, so good.

Lunch

Southwest Chicken Salad and some oven baked fries from B.Good with a Berry Chia Agua Fresca from 4 Petal

I basically knew I was going to stop Whole30 on Wednesday as I was going to the Boston Public Market blogger tour, where there would be lots of samples!, so I just decided to stop a bit earlier.

Megan requested that we go to B.Good so she could get a Southwestern Chicken Salad before moving so we got salads to go to enjoy sitting in PO Sq. I had successfully eaten at B.Good while doing Whole30 previously, but I decided that I really wanted the same salad as Megan so I ordered it… and enjoyed it!!!

Lunch with my friend was just perfect! I’ll miss you tons and tons Megan! Have fun and lots of success in New York! xox

Dinner

Leftover Spaghetti Squash with Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce

This was complaint to the Whole30 program. Just because I stopped doing the program at lunch doesn’t mean I am going to completely trash up my diet. 🙂

I ate half of what was pictured, which was more than plenty. Then I rushed off to a planning board meeting.

Activity/Steps

11,569*

Since I forgot my FitBit in the charger at work, it didn’t count my steps prior to getting to work, so it was a great day!

Hydration

A great day! Coffee, water, agua fresca, more water. yes!!!!

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Why I stopped my 3rd Whole30 of 2015…

I am all for committing to something and sticking to it, but I honestly was feeling suffocated by the restrictions. I just kept thinking about how I wanted to eat fresh summer-time corn on the cob. It just made me feel so sad that I’d deprive myself of that. I wasn’t craving a cookie. I was craving corn on the cob.

So I bailed on Day 9. Part of me wishes I just stuck with it. But I feel okay with myself that I stopped. I’m a grown ass adult so I can make my own decisions and feel good about them!! ha!

Yes, I know that I feel great while doing the Whole30 program but it’s not meant to be a long term dietary program. I figured out that I had done 68 days of Whole30 in 178 days. Not too shabby! It is a great accomplishment to complete one Whole30 program, so it was extra awesome to do 2 in a short period of time. We were going a little crazy with our eating after the wedding, but ultimately, we really weren’t!

Yes, I had my cookies and other naughty foods, but I wasn’t drinking very much, I wasn’t drinking soda, I was steering clear of rice, sugars, and avoided a lot of dairy. Our previous Whole30’s helped us out our cabinets, fridge, and freezer of non-compliant foods. And it helped us get stocked full of good for you things like flavored oils, vinegars, mustards, nuts, and a more diverse selection of fruits and veggies (hello chayote squash!)

I know that I will forever spread the word about Whole30 and how it greatly impacted my life and how I feel about the foods I chose to put into my body. I know that I will even do it again, and again for a healthy refresh! #lovewhole30

Whole30 #3: Days 4-6 Recaps

August 3, 2015

{Day 4}

Thursday, July 23rd 2015

The day started of really well but ended poorly. My back and ribs started to really hurt, so much so that it was hard to breathe. And my stomach that was iffy on Wednesday night was really bad on Thursday and I ended up with a fever. I just wanted to lay down and eat fritos, but I just stayed on program. Ugh, it stinks when you feel so badly.

Breakfast

Coconut Water

I had this while on the bus into work. So refreshing, perfect for hot summer days.

Banana and a peach

The coconut water sorta filled me up for a bit so I hate this fruit at work. Not ideal to not have protein but it was just one of those days when we had to get out of the house and I didn’t have time to cook anything. Boo

Lunch

Pork Cutlet with sauteed baby zucchini and broccolini

I ate this during our fashion show meeting. It was good but I was blah about it. I feel like I’m hating zucchini now.

Dinner

A peach and some iced tea (which I spilled on the sofa…)

I was feeling really, really lousy.

I did something to my back and chest, or whatever, and was hurting all over. I couldn’t pin-point what I did so I jsut turned to trusty Google and entered in my symptoms, which resulted in Kidney Stones. yay! Ultimately, I think I just happened to hurt my back/chest/ribs and had a stomach bug (which I later learned was going around the office), which gave me my lovely 101.7 fever.

So I had no appetite and just laid on the sofa starting from 6.30. I just ate the peach just to have something in my stomach so the Tylenol I took wouldn’t make my feel sicker on an empty stomach.

Activity

8,324 Steps

Didn’t hit my 10K step goal but considering how I barely moved after 6.30 I’m not too disappointed. Well, I am but whatever.

Hydration

Not so great as I felt so gross that drinking water or juice or ice tea made me feel so gross

{Day 5}

Friday, July 25th, 2015

TGIF!!!!

The day started with me still feeling super crummy but I started to feel better in the afternoon, thankfully.

Breakfast

Starting to feel better so I ate some of this breakfast. I made the potatoes how my dad does so that was comforting, in a nostalgic sort of way.

Lunch

Chicken Thigh with baked potato and green beans. Lots of Franks Red Hot

And then I felt poorly again. Boo!

I really didn’t want to eat lunch. I just wanted to eat a banana and to drink some coffee. So gross. I ate some of everything but basically forced myself to do so.

Dinner

Sauteed fish over spiced cauliflower rice with fresh mango salsa and grilled shishito peppers

I had been thinking about this dinner all week!

Thankfully I got over whatever was making me feel so horrible and felt good enough to eat this awesome dinner. Plus, it was so nice to just sit outside with Price for dinner. So relaxing.

The mango salsa… yes!!!!!

Activity

10,887 Steps

went to Market Basket with Autumn after getting her from daycare so that gave me a nice boost in steps as we walked all around the large grocery store. Unfortunately, she ate all the yummy goods I couldn’t eat, like bread, cheese, and yogurt. Ha!

Hydration

Did a lot better today than yesterday as I was feeling better.

{Day 6}

Saturday July 25th, 2015

A busy Saturday at home. We had so much to do in the morning around the house and then a house warming party in the afternoon.

Price flubbed and had a drink Evan’s. While disappointing that he stopped Whole30, I understand it. It’s our 3rd Whole30 in just 5/6 months. Our of the last 173 days, 65 of them have been doing the program. While we feel good doing it, it’s still a bit draining.

Breakfast

Some freshly squeezed OJ (Autumn had some too!) and potatoes and an over-easy egg

Autumn and I went shopping at Haymarket, like usual. Autumn had a big croissant and I shared some juice with her. Then when we got home Price and I had some potato and eggs, a basic repeat of the day prior.

Sadly, Price cut his finger on the mandoline when he cut the potatoes. Ouch!

Lunch

Homemade Chicken Salad

I made chicken salad with the chickens that I roasted the night before. (Made stock with it too!). I love chicken salad! I had it with some endive that I used as a scoop.

Dinner

Spaghetti Squash with Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce

Super quick and simple. I didn’t really feel like cooking after going to Evan’s housewarming party (no foods to eat!) so I just had Price cut the squash in half for me, I scraped out the seeds, and microwaved it ( I think 9-10 minutes for each half). Then I pour the jarred sauce on top. The squash was hot enough that I didn’t even need to warm up the sauce. Perfect.

*I like using Rao’s or Victoria’s sauces as there are several that are compliant, including Rao’s Marinara Sauce, Rao’s Roasted Garlic Sauce, and Rao’s Tomato Basil Sauce.

Activity/Steps

7,352 Steps.

Bummed we didn’t do much walking today but some weekends are like that. Busy at home but not much walking or getting around. At least it was a good day.

Hydration

I did well today. We even brought seltzer to Evan’s house to make sure we had something to drink.

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Stay tuned for more of my Whole30 food diaries!

Whole30 #3: Days 1-3 Recap

July 28, 2015

{Day 1}

Monday July 20th, 2015

A great first day of our THIRD(!) Whole30! It went smoothly. It’s nerve-wracking to dive into this again but it feels so good too. I’m excited to do it again.

Breakfast

2 slices of homemade bacon, 1 over-easy egg, 1/4 of a sliced avocado, Brussels sprouts

A little bit of this, a little bit of that. It was good and satisfying.

Lunch

Salad with romaine, arugula, grape tomatoes, chopped up bacon, homemade dressing. Lz Croix Passionfruit Seltzer. Larabar- Cashew Cookie

I forgot my hard boiled eggs at home, so I was bummed about that, but otherwise the salad was good. Plus, it was nice to take the time to sit outside to eat and read my book.

Dinner

Sauteed haddock fillet with blistered tomatoes, roasted broccoli, served with Koop’s Horseradish Mustard

I made this quickly while Price was putting Autumn down to bed (or attempting to do so, as it has been such a struggle recently!). Then I ran over to CVS and ate my food in the car so that I could quickly get Autumn her Iron Supplement. Ya gotta do, whatcha gotta do.

Late Night Snack

Kalot’s Fruit and Almond butter

While snacking on Whole30 is frowned upon, I was up late working in my office so I needed a little brain food. OMG. This almond butter is incredible. Loved it.

Activity/Steps

11,127 Steps

I had to go back to work so I didn’t get to do a big walk, but happy I met my 10K Step Goal.

Hydration

I started off the day with a massive cold brew coffee that I brought from home. I added some cinnamon to it to jazz it up.

Then I had 2 cans of La Criox Seltzer and a bunch of water.

{Day 2}

Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

Day 1 went well, as did Day 2. It feels good to be doing the program again and knowing how well it makes me feel.

Breakfast

Scrambled Eggs, Sweet Potato Hash with zucchini, Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde

I made the scrambled eggs with 6 eggs, water, and a herb blend I got in Seattle. Price and I shared that, along with the sweet potato hash. So good & filling. I didn’t have any cravings in the morning since I was so full (protein!)

Related… EAT ALL THE SALSAS!!! HAHAHA!!!

Lunch

Salad made with Romaine and Argula with grape tomatoes, broccoli slaw (Trader Joe’s), leftover brussel sprouts, sauteed chicken. Homemade Dressing

Someone took my dressing at work. NOT OKAY! At least I had another older compliant one in the fridge too. But so annoyed!!! The salad was really good, even if I had to use a dressing I wasn’t looking forward to. Boo!

Dinner

Cauliflower Rice with 2 Aidell’s Chicken and Apple Sausages and sauteed asparagus, Spicy Brown Mustard

Nothing fancy but it was satisfying.

Activity/Steps

11,514 Steps

I wanted to beat the number of steps I had on Day #1 so I paced around our room before going to bed. I’m nuts.

Hydration

Typical massive Cold Pressed coffee… I think like 30 ounces. Lots of water too. It was a good day.

{Day 3}

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015

The day started off great, but ended up being pretty crummy. I stayed up late to write a blog post and while up I started to feel sick, which just made me stay up later and later. My stomach was so upset 🙁 I don’t think it’s related to Whole30 or anything but I was definitely sick.

Breakfast

Cauliflower rice with asparagus and 2 over easy eggs, Franks Red Hot

Morning Snack

Container of fruit- blueberries, mango, kiwi, pineapple

When I got to work I then munched on this container of fruit. I really needed this. I was feeling blah. I needed the fruit, although I probably shouldn’t have had it. I wasn’t craving sugar or sweet. I was craving something fresh. Maybe I’m already sick of eggs? CRAP!

Lunch

Green Chili Curry Chicken Stir Fry with Broccoli and Blistered Tomatoes with Cauliflower Rice

I made this quick stir fry in the morning for our lunch. I used Thai Kitchen’s Green Curry Paste to make it. I thinned it out with some water and it made a nice mellow sauce. Plus the tomatoes that burst added some extra amazing flavor to it.

Dinner

Pork Chops with brussel sprouts and a baked potato, 1 pickle (not pictured)

This felt like a ‘normal’ meal.

I used ghee for the baked potato, but I always keep forgetting that the Trader Joe’s Ghee is made with unsalted butter so I was wondering why it was kinds blah. Of course, I then added hot sauce. I guess that’s better than salt!

Dessert

shared a small bowl of watermelon with Price

It was refreshing and enjoyable to end the day, especially after a 3.25 mile walk. I ate it less for it being sugary, than for it being cool and watery.

Activity/Steps

16,321 Steps!

Went on a 3.25+ mile walk with Kellie. We walked down to Mary O Malley Park. It was such a nice night that we couldn’t resist a long walk.

Hydration

Failed miserably today!

I realized on my way home (3.30pm) that I was feeling crumby because I didn’t have enough water by then. I tried to play catch up with a diluted unsweetened ice tea, but was not successful. Plus, I did the big walk, which put me in even more of a deficit. UGH.

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Stay tuned for more of my Whole30 food diaries!

Whole30 #2- Days 13-15 Recap

April 21, 2015

I am documenting my second Whole 30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come from my first Whole30 (Feb 2015) to this one (April 2015). Plus, I don’t want to fall into any food ruts. Hopefully this will keep me inspired through the whole process. I’m looking forward to the transformation in how I approach food, cook with it, and enjoy it. Check out all my Whole30 related posts HERE from why I did my first Whole30, why I am doing this one, and food diaries.

{Day 13}

Monday, April 13th, 2015

I forgot my phone at home today!! It was terrifying. I realized it when I got on the bus and there was nothing I could do about it.

Breakfast

Lara Bar- Cherry

I really, really like Lara Bars. I am so thankful there is a good, affordable option for a snack or as a replacement to a meal that I was too rushed to make.

Lunch

Salad- mixed greens, veggies, homemade vinaigrette

I enjoyed my salad just as much as this woman was enjoying her’s.

Dinner

Ground Pork Stir Fry mixed with Broccoli Slaw in a Coconut Curry Sauce

This was a ‘I don’t give a crap about cooking right now’ dinner. I threw together some broccoli slaw with pork (that I was originally going to use for breakfast sausage)

{Day 14}

Tuesday, April 14th, 2015

Price had a sleep study at night so it was weird to sleep alone, as well as have dinner alone. I def missed him. I probably would have mindlessly had dessert or wine without him, but Whole30 reigned me in. yay!!

Breakfast

2 over easy eggs, diced sweet potato with salsa and Frank’s Red Hot

I made sweet potatoes in advance and it was awesome. It made breakfast (and lunch) so much easier. I am doing to make a big batch of roasted sweet potatoes again soon.

Lunch

Leftover pork stirfry (from the night before) with 1/2 a sweet potato and 1/2 a slice of tomato, pistachios

It was a little bit of everything! It was fine, but not very satisfying.

Dinner

Salad with mixed greens and veggies, topped off with pulled pork tenderloin

Price was not at home for dinner so I only had to worry about throwing something together for me. It’s not to say that I really worry about making a grand meal for us but I care so much less when it’s just me. So I whipped up a salad and tossed some slow cooker pork tenderloin on there and ta-da dinner!

{Day 15}

Wednesday, April 15th 2015

HALF WAY DONE!!!!!!

Breakfast

Since I was solo for the morning routine, I didn’t have much time for breakfast (or lunch prep) so I just threw together some left over sweet potato, 1 link of chicken sausage, and roasted broccolini. Then I got 2 over easy eggs from the cafe in my building.

It was a really good breakfast, and huge. It was so filling that I wasn’t too hungry for lunch for a long time.

Lunch

Cashew Cookie Lara Bar and Pulled Pork (not pictured)

How many Cashew Cookie Bars can I eat while doing Whole30? Not enough!!! It’s really my favorite one. I think I could eat one for B.L.D for all 30 days. (I should try that next time… jk…)

I took a photo of my pulled pork tenderloin, but it was super blurry and looked gross, but it wasn’t. It was super yummy. Plus, I might have put some leftover homemade ranch dressing on it. OMG. I loved it.

Dinner

Mushroomy, meaty sauce on cauliflower rice, string beans

The leftover sauce from a few days prior was perfect on cauliflower rice. It basically resembled chili it was such a thick, hearty sauce. It was really good. I made us so green beans too just to add a veggie, not like cauliflower isn’t one…

Great Moment

I made this cake for my coworker’s birthday and I didn’t even have any. No accidental licks of my fingers. Nothing. And damn, it smelled awesome.

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2: Days 10-12 Recap

April 16, 2015

{Day 10}

Friday, April 10th 2015

I went to the gym in the morning. It felt good to go. I signed up for the abs class but got a more in depth training session with the trainer as I was the only one who showed up. Yay me! It felt good getting a lesson on arms and abs. And then I was sore.

Breakfast

2 over-easy eggs with homemade bacon and guac (store-bought), then a clementine & some berries at work

Friday’s are tough as it’s Pod Breakfast Day at work and it’s typically a sea of bagels, muffins, and donuts. Thankfully, I made breakfast at home and found some fruit to snack on once I got at work.

Lunch

Watercress and Fig Salad from Cocobeet, Kale Chips from Cocobeet

I love Cocobeet!! They are $$$ but the quality of their juices and food is so damn good. I miss going for their breakfast bowls when I wanted to treat myself to a healthy, hearty breakfast. (I miss you quinoa!!) And their Chia Pudding is the best. THE BEST.

But I found a few things that are whole30 complaint. I grabbed one of their salads and boxes of kale chips. It was my first time trying kale chips & nutritional yeast- so good!

Dinner

Aidell’s Chicken and Apple Sausage with roasted broccoli, served with mustard

I was tempted to make a meat and mushroom sauce over butternut squash noodles but I was burned out. So it was a simple dinner kind of night. I cut up 2 crowns of broccoli and tossed them with some olive oil, garlic, and salt & pepper on a baking sheet. I tossed it under the broiler. After a few minutes I added the sausage links that I sliced up on a diagonal. A few minutes later it was all done. Divide up and drizzle with mustard. Done!

{Day 11}

Saturday, April 11th 2015

I spent a good chunk of the day at work catching up on things there while Price and Autumn ran lots of errands. They even planted flowers. So cute. It was a good day, not much to say…

Breakfast

Eggs with potatoes and bacon

When I was growing up my dad would make ‘potatoes and eggs’ on the weekends. I loved it. I like my do my potatoes the same way but slicing them on a mandoline and putting them in a skillet to ‘fry’ up. I only used about a tablespoon of oil on the whole batch of potatoes- not too bad! It just another way of making home fries.

‘Lunch ‘

Kale Chips & some pistachios

I finished off the kale chips while I was at work for the afternoon. I wasn’t really hungry from the big breakfast.

Dinner

Meaty mushroom sauce on butternut squash noodles

Our butternut squash was a dud! It was soft in the middle (like seeds in the long part, weird) so we had to chop it up to spiralize it. It made our noodles tiny and annoying, but dinner was good overall.

Dessert

Cocoa packed chia pudding (chia, compliant coconut milk, cocoa powder)

I wanted to try something new so I made this chia pudding quickly on Friday night. It was a big dud as the cocoa made it pretty bitter and thickened it up too much. Blah. Live and learn.

{Day 12}

Sunday, April 12th 2015

The weekends are so hard for me to stick to Whole30. I just want to make waffles to enjoy and to get food while out running errands. Or get take out. I’m starting to feel less committed to this Whole30, as compared to the first one, and Price feels the same way. We will stick it out to accomplish it but my heart isn’t into it like the first one. Hoping that feeling changes soon.

Breakfast

Eggs with potatoes and bacon

I’m getting tired of eggs.

Lunch

Cashew Cookie Lara Bar (1pm) & salad (3pm) made with mixed greens, romaine, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, and almonds with a homemade ranch dressing

I grabbed the Lara Bar while I was shopping at Trader Joe’s. I was so hungry after our busy morning together shopping so I inhaled it in the car. It tasted like it was was best food on earth. ha!!

Once we got back home and I got Autumn down for a nap I made Price and I salad that we enjoyed sitting on the back porch. I can’t wait to get our patio table up to use!

Dinner

Chicken (Organic, free range) with roasted tiny potatoes and broccolini (8.30pm)

Dinner was awesome. I loved the tiny potatos and broccolini. I’m already thinking about my next Trader Joe’s trip and when I can get more.

I’ve been having a FB msging convo with Rachel about quality of chicken. While we would love to buy organic free range chicken (and other meats) for our families we’re running into a budget problem. It’s so easy to grab store brand chicken at $2.49 a pound compared to $6.99 a pound (like what I bought a trader joe’s). So we have been talking quality in terms of taste and processing. I did notice that I really enjoyed some air chilled chicken that I recently bought. I need to remember the brand and where I got it (Market Basket?) to get it again, and check and see if it was organic or not and how much it was a pound.

Dessert

Chia pudding (complaint coconut milk, cocoa powder) with a sprinkling of unsweetened shredded coconut

I was so excited about the unsweetened shredded coconut that I picked up from Trader Joe’s. The chia pudding was still blah, but the coconut was a nice add to it to jazz it up.

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!