Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Today is my official whole30 halfway point! I'll start by recapping what I ate today. 

Here is my new favourite summer breakfast, what I've been calling "paleo muesli". When I posted it previously, I referred to a link for the recipe my ratios are based on, but today I'll post the exact recipe I use to make two servings. 

Paleo Breakfast Muesli

two servings

4 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp hemp hearts

1 cup almond milk

splash (about 1/4 cup) coconut milk (the canned kind)

assorted fruit (this time I used orange, apple, nectarine, strawberry, and frozen raspberries)

mixed raw nuts (or any type of nuts)

shredded unsweetened coconut

Put the first four ingredients into a bowl and whisk. Pour evenly into two mason jars or resealable containers. Wait ten minutes or so for the mixture to begin to thicken, then top with the remaining ingredients. Place in the fridge overnight or until ready to eat. 

For lunch I packed a salad made from kale and spinach, topped with steak (leftover from last night), heirloom cherry tomatoes, Belgian endive, and some more of my purple bell pepper. Along with it, I had fruit salad with coconut milk and shredded coconut, and some mixed nuts. 

Finally, tonight's dinner was made from the exact same ingredients as yesterday's, but I threw everything into one skillet instead of cooking each component separately. Sometimes the best dinners are made when you just throw anything and everything into a skillet with some spices and let it cook. Tonight I had onion, peppers, mushroom, steak, and kale cooked in clarified butter. On the side I had a half sweet potato (cooked in the microwave) mashed with salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a splash of coconut milk. Forget sweet potato fries, I think this is my absolute favourite way of eating sweet potatoes.

Finally, my thoughts on two weeks of the whole30? Despite the frustrations I voiced earlier, I'm mostly enjoying the experience. I don't miss dairy as much as I thought I would...in fact I don't miss anything as much as I though I would (even my 90% chocolate!). I've also really enjoyed how creative it's forcing me to be in the kitchen. Before paleo/whole30, I had a few go-to dinners that I would rotate between and though they weren't particularly bad for me, they weren't doing me any favours (and they were getting a bit boring). Now I find myself excitedly looking at and trying new recipes and using ingredients I've never used before. The other biggest thing I've gained from doing this is that I have re-shaped my relationship to food. I rarely crave foods and if I do indulge in something less healthy, I'm able to savour it and move on, without feeling the need to eat until I'm sick. I'm enjoying food so much more, and I'm learning how what I eat affects not just my weight, but many other aspects of my day to day...and that's exciting.