What Foods You CAN (and I DID) Eat During the Whole30 Challenge

Shortly after I announced to the world the small handful of people who read this blog that I was about to embark on a Whole30 challenge, a good friend whose opinions I value made a rather good point: the focus of my initial post was almost entirely on the exclusions.  I outlined in detail everything I couldn’t have, but focused very little on what I could.  So since that very first post focused almost entirely on what I couldn’t have, I thought it only appropriate for this final post to focus on what I could: healthy, whole foods, and lots of them.

In addition to the accountability factor, one of the reasons that I was so dedicated to documenting every meal I ate during the Whole30 here on the Messy Kitchen and on my Instagram, was to prove to those following my journey that this was in no way about deprivation.  I don’t believe in that.  And if you were following along with me, I think it became apparent quite quickly that although the list of exclusions is a long one, the list of healthy and delicious foods I was eating during the Whole30 is much longer.  In fact, I found myself getting a little bit angry when people called what I was doing a “fast” or a “cleanse.”  That is just silly and ridiculous.  And if you still don’t believe me… have a look for yourself.

What you can have during a Whole30 challenge:

Protein: All meat is permitted, just so long as there aren’t any sugars or chemical added.  Beef, pork, chicken, fish, turkey, lamb, bison, fish and eggs are all excellent options during the Whole30.  Sausage and bacon are even permitted, just so long as you check your labels.  You should eat a minimum of 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein at every meal.

Vegetables: The rest of your plate should be filled with vegetables at all three meals.  Spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spaghetti squash, asparagus, peppers, greens… the list is very long, and also includes starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin and various types of squash.  It is recommended that you have at least one starchy vegetable a day.

Fruits: It is recommended that you add a serving of fruit only occasionally, careful not to allow them to push vegetables or protein off your plate.  Any and all fruits are permitted, with berries, grapefruit and kiwi recommended as some of the best choices.  Plantains are also an excellent option for the Whole30 to add starch to your diet, and they are absolutely delicious baked as chips while green or pan-fried or mashed when ripe.

Fats: It is recommended that you add at minimum one thumb sized portion of fat to each meal, in addition to your cooking fats.  Good cooking fats include coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil and ghee.  Other good fats to add include coconut milk, avocado, cashews, nut butters and olives.

Other things you may not realize you can have during a Whole30: Coffee, raw cocoa powder, salt, spices and seeds.  Dates and figs as well as all natural fruit juices can be used to sweet sauces.

Okay, now for the fun part.  Let’s take a look at what we consumed during those thirty days:

*This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, but only those meals eaten at home.  Courtney and I usually ate dinner together, but breakfast and lunch I generally made for just myself.

This was by far the most meat I’ve eaten in my entire life.  I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.  Whereas we usually eat meat a maximum of once or twice a day, with at least two or three days where our diet is entirely vegetarian or even vegan, during the Whole30 we ate it 2-3 times a day every single day.  While the guidelines recommend organic, grass-fed meats and sustainably caught fish, for the sake of our budget I really didn’t follow those guidelines.  However, if I’m to maintain this level of meat consumption, it’s something I will need to start paying much more attention to.

Sweet potatoes are an absolute staple of the Whole30.  Cooking plantains at home was new to me, and how easy and delicious they are came as a pleasant surprise!  Call me crazy, but Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite foods.  I easily go through a two pound bag each week, usually by Wednesday. Thank goodness for Costco where we can buy all this in bulk!

The first time we bought a pack of 7.5 dozen eggs it felt a bit excessive, but I quickly learned that the Whole30 means going through a lot of eggs.  Avocados are an absolute necessity, as well as coconut milk for my coffee.  Although I could only have the greens from the super food salad and had to leave the nuts seeds and dressing for Courtney’s enjoyment, it quickly became a staple that I often even enjoyed with breakfast.  If I could point to one food that I probably should have consumed less of, it would be almond butter, but it made an excellent base for my new favorite salad dressing!

And finally, a recap of the meals we enjoyed!

Breakfasts:

From top left: Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Hash, Sweet and Savory Blueberry Tortilla, Buffalo Chicken Egg White Muffins, Paleo Pulled Pork with fried eggs and avocado, Smoked Salmon Breakfast Scramble Over Sweet Potato Hash, Homemade Chicken Sausage and eggs, eggs scrambled with spaghetti squash and chicken sausage, Orange Coconut Omelette, Bacon Wrapped Egg Cups, Curried Pork and Broccoli Frittata, acorn squash stuffed with egg whites, almond butter, chicken sausage and orange slices.

Lunches:

From top left: Salmon Cakes Over Asian Style Cobb Salad, Avocado-Stuffed Meatballs, Chocolate Crock Pot Chili, Coconut Meatballs with Polynesian Sauce, Thai Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs, Smoked Salmon Salad with Avocado, Oranges, Blackberries and Walnuts.

Dinners:

From top left: Lemon Garlic Butter Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp and Asparagus, Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai with Shrimp, Plantain Nachos with Guacamole and Chocolate Chili, Jambalaya with Shrimp, Chicken and Sausage, Paleo Pulled Pork with Caramelized Coconut Mashed Plantains, Ginger Garlic Salmon Carrot & Zucchini Bowl with Mushrooms, Pastelon (Plantain Lasagna), Three Layer Paleo Shepherd’s Pie, Cauliflower and Celeric Soup with Smoked Salmon Filet, Chicken and Avocado Soup, Spaghetti Squash in a Creamy Avocado Pesto Sauce with Smoked Salmon and Asparagus, Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken.

Johanna