Today I am embarking on a 30 day adventure that I still can’t quite believe I’m going on. It’s called The Whole 30, and it includes eating all kinds of wonderful lean protein, big piles of fresh veggies, small piles of fresh fruits, and good for you fats like avocado and olive oil and cashews. It does not include sugar or pasta or rice or any other type of gluten or grain. It does not include cheese or ice cream or anything else dairy. It does not include legumes (which bothers me not one little bit because I have yet to meet a legume that I like. Except peanuts. I heart peanuts.). It does not include WINE. So why would a bacon and cheese and wine-loving girl like me go down this road?
I have a whole raft of friends (including some of my beloved food blogger buddies!) who have done the Whole 30 now, and they all say things like: I sleep better. I have more energy. My migraines are gone. I’ve lost weight. But most of all, they just FEEL better. And as someone who gets too many migraines and not enough sleep, I thought this sounds super-hard, but in the interest of fewer migraines and more sleep, I can do ANYTHING for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, you get to start letting the wine and cheese and bacon back in…but in moderate quantities, and in a way that makes you still feel good. It’s like…a reset button for your eating habits that lets you start with a clean slate.
So I thought sure, I’ll have to ditch all my beloved recipes, but I’m up for this, and I can do that for 30 days. But guess what?
I started roaming around the Framed Cooks archives and figured out that there were some scrumptious, Whole 30-compliant eats on here that I could start with. Steak with chimichurri sauce. Summertime tuna salad. Mustard roast chicken. EGGS IN CLOUDS (so long as you leave out the parmesan cheese, which I can do! I can!)
Then I started roaming around other sites, and found other delicious suppers. Then recipe ideas started swirling around in my brain a mile a minute. I have a whole cornucopia of fresh summer veggies and fruits at my disposal! I have my pick of fish and chicken and beef and pork and eggs! Avocados and nuts and olive oil are not only allowed, they are mandatory!
And so today is Day One for me. I’m going to dive back into those old recipes I have, and I’m going to take some new ones out for a spin. I’m going to spend quality time on sites like The Lean Green Bean and The Lazy Paleo and Plaid and Paleo. I’m going to challenge myself to have a dinner party every Saturday night of the 30 days, just to ratchet up the stakes! And I’m going to kiss those migraines goodbye.
As for what will happen with the blog, I will of course share the recipes that come out well, and in the meantime I have some others waiting to be shared that are, um, non-compliant, so you probably won’t see any difference. I will start tagging anything that you can make and eat on the Whole 30 (including the old ones) in case you are doing it too. And as always, I will be grateful for every comment, tweet and encouraging email you want to send my way. You guys keep me going. You always have.
So…Whole 30, Day One. I’m kicking things off with roasted salmon with cucumber mango salsa for supper tonight. I’ll keep you posted!
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!
Good for you Kate! Is the Southern husband doing this with you? I will be anxious to see how it goes. I know you will do just great!
Hugs❤️
Please share what recipes you are finding and snacks!
Oh yes, he goes where I go! It’s good to have a buddy right in the house. And you know I will! xo
I’m so excited for you!! Can’t wait to follow you along through it. :)
Thanks chica! I see a rainbow of vegetables in my very near future!
OH, you’re doing the Whole 30? I totally wish I had that kind of discipline. I could never do a diet, which is why exercising takes up 1/2 of my day ;) I hope all goes well for you during these 30 days, and I greatly admire your commitment to this! :D
Thanks Kennedy! I think in addition to feeling more energetic and all the other good things, it’s going to encourage me to write some recipes that will stretch me a little – silver lining! :)
I’m so fascinated by this…I’ve recently cut out dairy and soda but I’m thinking this might be just what I need to give myself a good kick in the pants. I’ve checked out the Whole30 website you’ve linked to….is there nothing you have to buy?? Did you subscribe to the newsletter?
The one thing I’ve bought (besides lots of veggies!) is a spiralizer, which makes squash and cucumbers into noodles. It was really inexpensive and the noodles are SO good – there’s a link to my spiralizer in the post. And I did subscribe to the newsletter and two days in am finding it super helpful – lots of encouragement and great links to recipes and other things. Also, it’s great to do it with a friend – my husband is doing it and so is one of my friends at work. Give it a try – we can do anything for 30 days, right? :)
This is great, Kate–so inspirational! I can’t wait to keep following along; I tried being vegan this week and lasted 6 out of the 7 days (making up the last day today), so I totally admire your resolve for a 30-day challenge. If all goes well for you, I might consider trying my hand at it too!
Ala, you are inspirational – I’ve been following your vegan journey, and have bookmarked that scrumptious soup you have up! :) Cheers to both of us!
Despite having my Whole30 menu planned out so much that I’ve accounted for every flake of coconut, I am drooling over the salmon picture you posted and have to replace something in order to try it! Will you be posting the recipe soon?
I can put it in the queue for next week, just for you! And if you need it earlier, email me via the contact form and I’ll give you a sneak preview. :)
Thank you for the shout-out, Kate! Loving the new site design, too. Very sharp.
I’m excited to see your Whole 30 creations, I have no doubt they will all be ridiculously good. Meanwhile, I’m in the Hamptons eating many non-Whole 30 compliant meals, but man, they are SO DELICIOUS. Back to paleo on Monday :)
Thanks Emily! I’m so excited about the new look. Enjoy those weekend beach treats!
You are so brave for doing Whole30! I start Monday! Everything looks so delicious! And the new site looks AMAZING!!!! Congrats!
Good luck to you – I know you can do it!!