Menu Plan Monday - August 11th {Whole 30 Edition}

Last week, I shared my first menu plan, and I was so glad to hear that it was helpful to so many of you!

We are currently on Day 15 of the Whole 30 Challenge. This week puts into the back half of the challenge!

A Whole 30 Update

Briefly, my experience with the Whole 30 Challenge so far has been a roller coaster. I expected this to be a relatively easy challenge, seeing as my family has been on this natural living journey for nearly five years now. We already eat a whole foods diet. Or at least, so I thought.

Doing the Whole 30 Challenge has really opened my eyes to all the ways we make compromises in our diet. Stewardship of health is an important element of living for Him, and I have been humbled by all the ways I fail to discipline my mind and body through what I eat.

The first ten days of the Whole 30 Challenge were hard for me. I went through a massive detox that I wasn’t expecting. I felt lethargic, drained of energy, and even borderline depressed at times.

From past experience with depression, I recognized that this time it was health induced, and I was able to combat the lies with truth. I knew that I was doing something drastic for the health of my body so that I could be fit for the work God has for me each day.

On Day 9, I went down with a migraine, and I was desperate for the turning point. The first ten days were very, very hard.

Then, on Day 10, I woke up with a new pep in my step. I went through the day with energy and spunk that I haven’t had in ages. It didn’t dawn on me until I was heading to bed that this was the first day since beginning the Whole 30 that I hadn’t woken up with a headache or felt fatigued at all. I didn’t get my hopes up until I went through a second and then a third and then a fourth day of complete and utter renewal of energy.

So it is with hope (and grit!) that I begin this week of the challenge. This is the messy middle where it will get tempting to cheat. I’m prayerful and determined that we will finish what we started, but I confess, I’m ready to BE DONE! I’m anxious to see what the other side of this challenge holds for my family.

By the way, our children are doing the challenge with us. My three year old has been a total champ, and other than his not getting to share in snack time with the other children in Sunday school yesterday, he’s had a great attitude about not being allowed “treats.” It’s been a great health lesson for him as we explain stewardship of health, healthy foods, detoxing, and making good choices.

He did go through a short detox phase on the second and third day, but he bounced back enthusiastically and has had incredible energy since. I’ve even noticed a decrease in tantrums overall. For this, I’m certainly grateful. 😉

My eleven month old is already eating by the challenge rules since we don’t do grains prior to one year.

The only exception is milk. My oldest is allowed raw milk when he requests it – though he usually opts for kombucha or water. My youngest gets homemade formula, which is goat milk based.

Okay now. With that, here is our menu plan for this week.

Breakfast

Breakfasts are pretty much the same around here every day right now – egg scrambles. We scramble a big pan of eggs and throw in whatever veggies we have on hand from our weekly farmer’s market run or our vegetable garden. Throw a small bit of fruit on the side and we call it a morning.

If we want something easy, then we put together a bowl of nuts, coconut flakes, and berries.

We don’t really plan our breakfasts because it’s just eggs + veggies on hand = breakfast.

Lunch

We stick to pretty simple lunches.

Here’s some normal lunches for us:

Almond butter spread on celery, raisins, avocado, and fruit
Salmon or Tuna Patties with avocado sauce (recipe will be in 2nd edition of 20 Minute Meals!) and sweet potato fries (you’ll see these on our menu a lot!)
Salads loaded with whatever veggies and herbs I have in my garden topped with tuna, salmon, chicken or boiled eggs

Dinner

Monday: Roasted Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Spices with roasted beets and sauteed green beans

Tuesday: Meatballs and Gravy (recipe will be in 2nd edition of 20 Minute Meals!) with sauteed veggies and fruit {didn’t get to this last week}

Wednesday: Grilled hamburgers on lettuce “buns” with garden salad and sweet potato fries

Thursday: Pot Roast with onions and sweet potatoes in the crock pot and side salad {experimenting a recipe on this one!}

Friday: Fish Chowder (recipe will be in 2nd edition of 20 Minute Meals!) with side salad and fruit

Saturday: Grilled Steak with baked sweet potatoes and side salad

Sunday: Coconut Chicken with sauteed vegetables and roasted beets

That’s our Whole 30 menu plan for this week!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram if you don’t already. It’s my favorite place to share what my family’s eating, especially now that I’m taking the Whole 30 Challenge.