So as part of 2014, I decided this would be the year that I move from being reactive about a lot of things to being proactive. Yes, I am a pretty active, go-getter when it comes to work and fun but when it comes to personal health and wellbeing I tend to take a more laid-back approach. Not anymore! A few things I want to take control of this year… My health (based on the food I consume and the exercise I get), my skin, my curly hair, my sleep. So of course, I’ll be blogging about some of the changes I am making to be more focused on these areas.

Last Monday I started the Whole30. I’m calling it a Healthy Eating Plan instead of a diet, because I think diet is often construed to mean you want to lose a ton of weight and be this skinny-mini. That is not my goal. Sure, dropping a few pounds wouldn’t be horrible, but what I really am hoping this eating plan will do is twofold: eliminate my migraines and increase my energy levels.

The Whole30 is basically an eating plan that calls for a large amount of vegetables and protein, with the elimination of sugar, grains, dairy, legumes and alcohol. Meals are pretty simple to figure out. You stick to the plan of eating one palm-sized portion of protein and then filling the rest of your plate with vegetable. No need to measure, count, or weigh your food. Fruit, since it is full of sugar, is kept to a minimum. I HIGHLY recommend reading the book It Starts With Food, which will explain the science and reasons behind why certain food are eliminated.

Going into it I thought I was going to miss cheese the most. I’m pretty much a dairy fanatic. I love cheeses of all sorts, and yogurt and milk and, of course, Kopps custard, etc… Surprisingly, I actually haven’t been craving it or missing it at all.

The KEY, I think, is in planning menus ahead of time. I wrote out and shopped for a week’s worth of menus the Thursday before this all started. It helped me to keep focused and to spend less time each day trying to figure out what to make for each meal. I’m using Against All Grain as a recipe guide. Not everything in this Paleo cookbook is Whole30 approved, but a lot of it is and the recipes are delicious!!

Day One: I was totally stocked to be starting this. All the food that day tasted great and I wasn’t hungry for more or missing any of the things I couldn’t have.

Day Two: I had a killer headache ALL day long. (Part of that might be from also going off caffeine at the same time.) The food still tasted great and I had fun experimenting with making a breakfast casserole.

Day Three: Still had a horrible headache and feeling overall pretty tired, just really lethargic. Dinner of stuffed acorn squash was my absolute favorite of all the suppers I ate. (recipe below!)

Day Four: Moved around in a bit of a fog. Feeling blah all over, still with a headache, and a little bit of an empty feeling in my stomach. Snacked on some approved nuts in between meals to give me an energy boost and get me through the day.

Day Five: Feeling better. Still lethargic a little but headache is nearly gone. Food still tastes good. Discovered the amazingness of jicama hash and fried eggs!

Day Six: Starting to feel a lot less lethargic. It’s beginning to be easier to wake up in the mornings when the alarm goes off. Took an intense spin class at the gym and I didn’t crave carbs afterwards to give me additional energy like I used to.

Day Seven: Found myself less tired in the middle of the day. The sensation of an unfilled hole in my stomach is gone. My mouth watered a little when someone near me was eating Saltines, guess I’m missing the carbs a little more than I expected to.

Ingredients: (the amount of each item depends on your personal preference)

Acorn squash
Ground turkey, pork or beef (I used pork this time around)
Carrots
Apples
Green peppers
Yellow onion
Garlic cloves
Walnuts
Coconut oil

Directions:

• Split acorn squash in half. Scoop out the insides. Lightly coat with coconut oil, place on baking sheet and cook at 350* until the squash is soft. (usually this takes at least an hour)
• In a large sauce pan brown the ground pork. Drain the excess liquid.
• Chop onion and garlic into small pieces. (I recommend mincing the garlic.) Brown in a pan with a little coconut oil.
• Chop apples, carrots and green peppers. Add to the pan of onion and garlic. Cook until the peppers and onions are soft.
• Crumble/crush walnuts.
• Add pork and walnuts to the veggie mix and continue to cook on low heat until everything is mixed and hot.
• Scoop mixture into the acorn squash and serve.

(You can eat the skin of the squash or you can peel it off while you are eating. Totally up to you. If the squash is cooked well enough the skin should be easy to cut and chew.)