how i survived the whole30 :: my top 3 tips

I’ll be the first to admit that, while I love the fresh fruits and vegetables in summer, it’s also a season of indulgence–specifically frozen desserts, BBQ snacks and front porch drinks. I was feeling less than ideal and decided to do an overhaul of my nutrition by completing my first Whole30.

For those of you who don’t know much about Whole30, the premise is that you should eat only whole foods in the form of lots of veggies, meat, seafood, eggs, healthy fats (think nuts and avocado) and some fruit. And by sticking to these foods, you are avoiding dairy, legumes, all grains, sweeteners of any kind and alcohol. So you are essentially making virtually ever meal from scratch for a month.  The goal is to see how each eliminated food affects you.

Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite tips for getting through a Whole30!

1.  Advance Preparation!  Make meals plans and grocery lists before you start.  Buy what you need–for at least the first week–so you are setting yourself up for success.  Prep some veggies ahead of time and find a few recipes you can make in the crock pot.
2. Eat Large Meals.  This might seem counter-intuitive, but eating a larger meal that really satisfies is one great way to skip snacking later.
3. Splurge On Ready-Made Whole30-Approved Meals.  Ordering some meals from Hungryroot allowed me to have delicious meals that I could make quickly at home or even in the microwave–perfect for work or taking a meal to-go.  And it doesn’t get any easier than this to eat your veggies!

I really believe my Hungryroot meals saved my Whole30.  I was able to quickly make a healthy lunch for myself in just a few minutes (and felt no desire to snack on my kids’ leftover quesadillas).  And I knew I was getting plenty of veggies and tons of flavor.  You can opt to add chicken to your Hungryroot meals or you can cook an egg or two alongside your veggies to add in some protein as well.   My lunches were things like Sweet Potato Noodles with Creamy Cashew Alfredo, Celery Root Noodles with Sweet Basil Gremolata and Cauliflower Couscous with Moroccan Almond Curry.  Every single Hungryroot meal was absolutely delicious–the type of thing I would never normally make simply due to the amount of prep needed.  But Hungryroot preps everything for you.  You really do just throw it in a pan or the microwave and you’re all set.

And now that my Whole30 is done and I’m ready to allow for occasional indulgences, check out the Hungryroot desserts! Seriously want to try them all!

Hungryroot has a great promotion just for SIMPLE readers!  With the promo code simplemom20, new customers get $20 off their first bundle!  Woo hoo!  This code expires 10/31 and is valid for only the first 100 readers who take advantage of this offer!  Let me know what you choose!