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January 2017 Whole30 Reflections

Burger and side salad

It’s been a little over a week since ending the Whole30 challenge.  There’s a part of me that can’t even believe that because it feels like it’s been a lot longer.  Reintroduction is going well (sort of? I’m learning a lot so that’s what I’m focusing on.) and I’ll do a whole post on my findings.  Most of them are total surprises to me.  Some that bum me out and some that I could care less about.

This journey was so much different than last year when I did the challenge.  I learned so much more about my body and foods.  Last year I got really frustrated over not being able to have things like sausages or bacon because of the wee amount of sugar in them. I also got stabby over missing bourbon.

This year I did not.  Sure there were times where I wanted bourbon but taking time to stop and examine the situation, I realized that I didn’t really want it, it was more of a situation thing that was triggering.  That was eye opening.  I had a lot of those.  I have food triggers and I didn’t even realize it until now.

I also was a lot more relaxed during this challenge.  I still had smoothies even though Whole30 says you should not.  Their reasoning is that they don’t want you drinking a meal and I can understand that.  I was not drinking a meal, my smoothies were part of my lunch so I felt OK with that.

I also felt OK with snacking as long as the snacks were compliant.  And by snacking, I mean fruit, nuts, RX bars, and things along those lines.  I also didn’t obsess over every single detail.  Was I eating enough? Was the protein, carb, fat ratio proper? Was my meal big enough? And so on.

Having this more relaxed attitude made the challenge run so much smoother.

At the start of the challenge I ate all. the. time.

Seriously I could not get enough to eat.  My body was going through major detox (I know people hate that word. I also do not care.) working out all the junk and alcohol it had for the past two months and taking in all the awesome food.

Probably for the first two weeks of the challenge, all I wanted to do was eat.  Because there’s no counting calories or macros, I was able to do this.  I was able to feed my body delicious food and not worry about calories or the scale.  I could just focus on meals and that was so freeing.

I also slept a ton.  I was averaging between 9-10 hours of sleep a night and that was the best thing.  I LOVE SLEEP.  And sleeping that long felt so good!  Plus my sleeps were deep and felt so restorative.

There was a noticeable change immediately during this challenge.  I felt better, my clothes fit better, and I was sleeping better.  I didn’t ever get Tiger Blood during the challenge but I wasn’t lacking for energy either.  Unless I didn’t eat enough one day and then I felt that during my workout the following morning.

Now that the challenge is done and I’m working through reintroduction, ugh, I do not feel as amazing.  That’s on me though and honestly I’m probably going to continue to eat this way because that’s when I felt the best.

Did I lose weight? Sure. Not as much as I would have liked but yes the scale went down.  Weight loss wasn’t my main goal though, finding inflammatory foods and foods that don’t agree with me was the main goal.  I’m on the right track.

I still have a few more things to reintroduce but a more Paleo way of eating is the direction that I’m leaning. I never thought I would say that and 7 years ago my previous self would have told you that you were crazy.  Never say never because we don’t know what the future holds for us.

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Reintroduction: Corn

Today is the first day for my post Whole30 journey.  I’m going slowly through the reintroduction phase so I can fully assess what is causing inflammation and if I need to eliminate it entirely or just cut back to only having that item on occasion.

I hit the gym up at 7am this morning!  YESSS bring back the early morning workouts!  Once home I had some eggs and roasted potatoes for breakfast.  This was actually a Whole30 compliant breakfast.

Eggs and potatoes

I’m introducing corn today and almost, almost, had some tortilla chips to snack on while breakfast was heating up but I passed.  The thing with reintroduction is to have a lot of whatever the item is that you’re introducing.  By a lot, I mean, with each meal that day.  And I can understand that but I’m going to try to stick with eating the food item how I normally would.  Normally I don’t snack on tortilla chips first thing so I passed.

I also passed on ketchup today with my potatoes.  I wanted some and figured that the sugar wouldn’t be that significant but when I checked the stats, it came out to 4g of sugar for 1TBSP of ketchup.

That’s freaking ridiculous.  So I skipped it and that’s how breakfast stayed compliant.

Lunch was super easy to put together.

Smoked salmon and broccolini

I heated up some Honey Smoked Salmon and some broccolini.  There was also a smoothie and some pork rinds on the side.  Mmmm pork rinds.

The smoothie was a basic one:

  • 2C Water
  • 3 Large Handfuls of greens
  • 1.5 Frozen Bananas
  • 1/2C Frozen Blueberries

This makes enough for two smoothies.

Dinner was TACOS!  And you guys, I’m kind of over tacos.

Tacos and slaw

I KNOW.  I’m now questioning the meaning of life and wondering who I am.  I snacked on a few tortilla chips with salsa while I was cooking dinner.  I only had about 5ish total before I passed them over.  I was looking forward to that moment for days.  It was my plan to introduce corn first and tacos with chips and salsa was the meal. I had been dreaming about this moment and could not wait for dinner today.  I was so excited!

And it was eh.

I seriously could not even believe that was possible.  I thought I would love them and want to inhale them.  But I didn’t.  I stopped once I realized they weren’t really doing it for me and I snacked on a few Siete grain-free tortilla chips instead.

The tacos were bison tacos and I had those in regular corn tortilla shells.  Topped with a dairy-free “Not ‘Cho” sauce that I’m working on (it is so good!).  Again, the tacos were just OK.  I honestly would have rather had a pile of the taco meat with some of the sauce and chopped romaine instead of the shell.

Who am I?  This is so weird!  I totally did not expect this outcome and it’s kind of blowing my mind right now.  I need to tuck this experience away and ponder on it for a bit.

The other thing I introduced today was sugar sources in a few things.  The salmon had honey but it was a very minor amount.  The mayo for the slaw had honey as well, again, very minor amount.  I felt comfortable adding this in with the corn today because the amount was so small and it would be more similar to how I’d eat on a daily basis.  And since I didn’t end up eating all that much corn, I’m not really concerned about the wee amount of sugar.

Now I’m wondering how other reintros are going to go and what other discoveries are going to pop up.

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January Whole30 Days 29 -30

Today is the last day of the Whole30 challenge!  WHOO!  I’m so proud of this challenge because I did it 100%! No slips and no cheats.  BOOM!

I also made it through the whole month without any alcohol, not even a sip at work to test new beers.  I feel awesome about that!  I will be doing a full wrapup and recap post soon.  This time around was much different and I’m pretty stoked to talk about it.  But let’s check in with the last few days of eats!

MONDAY:

Chia seed pudding with TJ’s grainless granola and a sprinkle of dried coconut on top for breakfast after working out.  That I totally forgot to take a picture of! Sorry about that. Derp.

I was so hungry for lunch (Thanks, PMS) and could not wait to get some food in my bellah.

Burger, crab cakes, snap peas

I had a burger, crab cakes, and some snow peas.  The burger and crab cakes had homemade tartar sauce top.  Super easy, it was made with:

  • Mayo
  • Whole Grain Mustard
  • Pickles
  • Dried Dill

Dinner was leftovers heated up when I got home from work.

Chicken, broccolini, parsnip mash

Roast chicken, broccolini, and some parsnip mash.  There was also leftover gravy as well.  Then I went straight to bed.  My work days aren’t terribly exciting because I’m tired when I get home and am so ready for jammies and bed.

TUESDAY:

Banana before working out.  Once home, I was starving and needed a bigger breakfast.

Sausage, kale, butternut squash bowl

Sausage with kale, peppers, onions, and I also added in some roasted butternut squash.  The sausage and kale mix I made on Saturday and so that was ready to go and I also roasted the squash that day as well.  This came together in minutes because all I had to do was heat everything up.  Check out that steam action!

I wasn’t super hungry at lunch and decided to just throw together some random items.

Tuna salad, random snack plate

Tuna salad hiding out in the back.  Cucumbers, peppers, and tostones along with random leftover protein; crab cake, chicken breast, and a slice of pork tenderloin.  Those goodies along with some kombucha made up lunch.

Dinner was another easy meal featuring some beef stew that I pulled out of the freezer.  I made this in the Instant Pot last month and knowing that I was heading into the Whole30, I was sure to make it compliant.

Beef stew

Today is the first day during this challenge where I’m actually pretty tired and worn out.  I also just started my cycle (I have no fucks to give if you feel that’s TMI. Sorry.) and I think that’s more the culprit than the challenge.

The theme for today was to keep things simple. I could have ended the challenge with a big bang but my goal was to stay on track and go with the flow.  I did that pretty well today!

I’m going to have some tea and maybe some pistachios, then it’s an early bedtime for me.  I’m trying to hit the gym earlier in the mornings so we’ll see how that goes!

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Marinated Top Sirloin Steaks

Top Sirloin

Butcher Box recently contacted me asking if I’d like to check out one of their boxes and I jumped at the chance! I’ve seen a lot of other folks get boxes and cook amazing things that I could not wait to give them a try.

Butcher Box is a company that provides quality meats to your doorstep each month.  They offer grassfed beef, organic/pastured chicken, and heritage pork.  They also offer multiple boxes to pick from, each box contains 8-10lbs of meat and is $129 a month with the option of adding on additional cuts if you’d like.  You are in charge of the boxes. You can pick the frequency of when they are delivered (Each month, every 2 months, every 3 months) and you can switch between boxes if you’d like. You’re not committed to a certain box once you pick it.

Seriously, this is a freaking amazing deal.  You get quality meats delivered to your door.  This is especially great if you live in an area where finding top quality meat is challenging. By signing up to get delivery, it also eliminates one less thing you have to focus on because it’s taken care of. You can check meat right off your list and move on.

Included in the box is an invoice that lists all the meats and how much of each, along with cards that feature a recipe on one side and information about that particular cut on the other side.  Very handy if you are just getting your feet wet with cooking protein.  But even for seasoned chefs, checking out recipes for inspiration is always beneficial.

For this shipment, I picked a beef and chicken box and I received:

  • 2pkg Chicken Drumsticks
  • 1pkg Chicken Tenders
  • 1pkg Beef Sirloin Tips
  • 2pkg Ground Beef
  • 2pkg Top Sirloin (Each package contained two steaks)

This box reintroduced me to drumsticks and tenders!  Something that I never really purchase on my own but I loved them.  I also had never cooked with sirloin tips or top sirloin before so this was a new experience.

The drumsticks I marinaded and then baked.  The chicken tenders I breaded with almond meal.  The ground beef was used in tacos and soup.  The sirloin tips I used in a beef and broccoli Asian inspired dish and the top sirloins I marinaded and then cooked in skillet.

And I’ve got a recipe for those bad boys!.

Andrea’s Marinaded Top Sirloin Steaks

  • 2 Top Sirloin Steaks
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed or finely chopped
  • 1TBS Olive Oil
  • 1/4C Coconut Aminos (or Soy Sauce if you prefer)
  • 1TBSP Flavor God Everything Seasoning (**see note at bottom)
  • 3 TBSP Ghee or lard for cooking (Can also use olive oil or coconut oil)

Place steaks in a medium bowl or large storage bag.  Mix garlic, olive oil, coconut aminos, and seasonings in a small bowl and pour over steaks.  Massage steaks so that they are fully coated in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or over night.

Remove steaks 30 minutes before cooking and allow them to come to room temperature.

In a large skillet, heat the fat over medium high heat for about 3 minutes then place steaks in skillet.  Cook steaks till preferred doneness. I went to medium, so I cooked them about 6 minutes on each side.

Remove steaks from skillet and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve and enjoy!

**If you don’t have Flavor God seasoning then use:

  • 1TSP Garlic Powder
  • 1TSP Onion Powder
  • 1/2TSP Smoked Paprika
  • 1/4TSP Salt

These are great as is, sliced for sandwiches/wraps, or make a pan sauce out of the drippings and drizzle that on top.  Or place on top of a salad and top with a creamy horseradish dressing.  Ahhh, now I’m getting hungry for lunch!

Top Sirloin Steaks

We loved our experience with Butcher Box so much that we signed up for a subscription.  I already can’t wait to get our next box!

If you’re looking for quality meats, then definitely give Butcher Box a try!

 

Disclaimer: Butcher Box sent me a box to sample. I was not compensated in any other way nor was I required to do this post. All opinions and recipes are my own.

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January Whole30 Day 24

Hi all!  Thankfully the weather cleared enough that I was able to get to the gym this morning.  Though my car was super iced over and it took me a while to get that all scraped off.  The passenger door was frozen shut and was not budging.

After the gym and a long steamy shower, it was time for some eats.  Easy peasy breakfast this morning of eggs, sweet potato, and a few leftover sausage pieces.

Eggs, Sweet Potato, Sausage

I had to run some errands today during lunch. I got my eyebrows defuzzed and looking purty again, then I hit the grocery stores for a few things.  Mama needed some more TJ’s grainless granola!  That stuff is so expensive but it’s very tasty.

When I got back home, lunch was quick and easy. I heated up some leftover soup from yesterday and had that with a few pork rinds.  No picture because it looks exactly the same as yesterday.

Dinner tonight was creamy shrimp curry with sweet potatoes and kale.  So freaking good and very easy to make.

Yellow Curry Shrimp

I sautéed up some onions and peppers and garlic in a bit of olive oil.  Added in some chopped kale (prepacked from TJ’s, I just picked out the stems) and cubed sweet potatoes.  I boiled the sweet potato cubes first so that they were already cooked through.  Then I added in some chicken stock and brought it up to a simmer.  Simmered for about 10 minutes for the kale to wilt down then I added in a can of coconut milk, and stirred.  Then the shrimp and simmered for a bit more to let the shrimp cook through. Served up and done!

If you wanted to bump this up even more, you could serve this over cauliflower rice.

It hit the spot and was very comforting on this chilly Colorado day.  Now it’s time for some hockey and a mug of herbal tea!

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January Whole 30: Day 22 – 23

Hey all! We are cruising right along kicking butt during our Whole30.  We have one full week left of the program!  We are at the point where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Scott handles this phase a lot better than I do. I’m at the point where I’m ready to have some things back in my life (Dear Bacon, I miss you.) and ready to be a bit more relaxed. Scott just goes with the flow and is cool as a cucumber.

So let’s recap Monday and Tuesday!

MONDAY:

Up and hit the gym first thing.  Bam! I did have a banana once I got to the gym (I brought it with me) before starting the workout.  Back home I had some chia seed pudding topped with fresh blueberries and some grainless granola that I purchased at TJ’s.  The chia seed pudding was made with 2C Almond Milk + 1/4C Chia Seeds.

I blended them together and let it sit for a few hours.  Then I mixed it together again so the seeds mixed a little more throughly and let it sit until the next day.  It’s a pretty gelatinous mixture but goes well with faux-nola and berries.  I forgot to take a picture, sorry about that!

Salad and turkey slices

Lunch before heading to work was a quick salad with:

  • Mixed Greens
  • Cucumber
  • Beets
  • Pumpkin Seeds

Topped with Balsamic + Compliant Dijon + Olive Oil

On the side was some turkey breast + mayo rolls.  I found that my local Whole Foods deli counter has smoked turkey breast that doesn’t have any weird thickeners or sugar added.  Score!

After work, dinner was super easy.  I already had some slaw made so that was paired with some pulled pork.

Pulled pork and slaw

A big pork shoulder went in the slow cooker with some peppers, onions, and salsa and cooked all day.  Nothing fancy about this dinner but it was perfect and hit the spot at the end of the day.

After work I went straight to bed.  Yeah, that’s about as exciting as my work days get.

TUESDAY:

We got some surprise snow and ice Monday evening so I wasn’t able to hit the gym this morning thanks to icy roads.  Instead I made a huge pot of coffee and settled in to get some work and maintenance stuff done.

Once Scott got up, I made us a big breakfast.

Eggs, potatoes, sausage

 

Scrambled eggs, a few roasted potatoes, and some chicken Italian sausage.  The sausage is from Braut Haus, it’s organic, and it’s Whole30 compliant! Score!  It’s pretty tasty too. I found it at my local Whole Foods.

It’s cold and snowy icy gross day, so I decided to experiment and make soup in my Instant Pot.  First I sauteed some chopped onion for a few minutes then I added in garlic, celery, carrot, and chopped chicken thighs (that I already cooked on Saturday).  Added in a can of diced tomatoes and some stock then set the “soup” function for 15 minutes.  Boom! Soup is done!

Chicken Soup

Dinner tonight was easy with leftovers from Monday.  Pulled pork with slaw. No picture because it looks the same as yesterday.

Now it’s time to get comfy, have a warm drink, and watch some hockey.  I have some herbal “coffee” that I purchased from Delicious Obsessions before she stopped selling it.  It’s awesome and makes for a wonderful thick and creamy evening treat.  I’m going to cry a bit when I don’t have any left.

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January Whole30 Day 17

Hey all!  It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve chatted.  Sorry about that! We’ve had some house drama to deal with (UGH) and that’s been eating up a lot of time.  Yesterday was a big shopping day at Costco for me and when I got home it was time to start dinner.  Once that was done I was wiped out and needed to crash on the couch.

We’ve been displaced from our bedroom and are currently sleeping in the guest room.  Which is fine but it’s not my bedroom nor my bed.  So my sleep the past few days hasn’t been the amazing sleep that I was getting and it’s catching up to me.  My gym performance tanked.  Good times, good times.

This morning because of poor sleep, I missed the gym. I would have gone to a later class but I had a hair appointment.  Which sounds really superficial but sometimes sleep (at least for me) needs to be a priority.

Eggs and roasted potatoes

Breakfast before going to get my hair dids was scrambled eggs and some roasted potatoes.

I tried out a new salon and stylist today and derp.  It wasn’t the best of experiences. My hair is fine but I’m not one to stress about haircuts anyway.  Hair grows back, I’m not that girl that cries over a haircut.  However the appointment was weird and so awkward. I’ve never experienced that before!

Anyway, once I got back home I made lunch and prepped stuff for dinner.

Chicken thighs and broccolini

Lunch was baked chicken thighs and some broccolini.  Broccolini is a veggie that I like to make big batches of so that it’s on hand and easy to heat up.  I quickly blanch it and then toss it with some olive oil and seasoning.  Usually Flavor God Lemon Garlic.  Then when I need a quick veggie side, it’s ready to go and only needs a fast reheat.

Dinner today was stuffed peppers!

Stuffed peppers

Chorizo stuffed peppers! With some spinach and a special sauce that I’m testing out. It’s so. freaking. good. And there’s no dairy either! Boom!  The chorizo was from Pederson’s Farms.  So far I have loved all the products that I’ve tried out.

Along with the stuffed peppers was leftovers from yesterday’s dinner, snap peas and parsnip mash plus some crispy plantains for extra starchy goodness.

Still going strong on the Whole30 train and digging the challenge so far.  Yeah, there are some things I miss and am looking forward to reintroducing but so far so good!

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January Whole30 and My WHY

Burger and side salad

There’s a group of us doing the #JanuaryWhole30 together and we have a little support group on Facebook.  It’s awesome and this group is amazing because everyone is supporting each other, celebrating small victories, and being super chatty.  It’s the best!

Recently we had a great discussion about doing the Whole30 and what is motivating us to do this challenge.  Basically our WHY.  Because you do need to have a WHY to get you through the challenge.  Something to focus on that keeps you going and helps keep your motivation level high.

My WHY is actually in two parts.

Kick Starting Weight-loss

Honestly, I hate even talking about this because there’s so much more to this challenge for me than weight-loss, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a small part of it.  I’ve been feeling stuck and in a rut the past year.  I had been doing CrossFit regularly for about a year and didn’t see any changes in my body.  I didn’t lose any weight and in fact, I gained weight.  Yes some of it was muscle weight but a lot of it was not.

What. The. Fuck.

You see all these awesome before and after photos of people who started Crossfit and six months later look like a beast. And I’m looking at myself going, um, I resemble Cookie Monster.  The comparison trap is real and it sucks.

I was eating well, or at least, I felt like I was eating well, so what gives? I was pissed, frustrated, and felt defeated.  I let that get to my head so that by the time the holidays rolled around I didn’t give a shit about anything.  I decided to eat crap and would snack or have treats after dinner, because who cares? I didn’t lose weight or lean out, so what’s the point anyway?  I imbibed a lot because holidays.

Basically for the last two months of the year I didn’t give a flying fuck about anything.

And right around Christmas time, I realized that this wasn’t getting me anywhere either.  I gained more weight, most of it was water and bloat, but still, that shit makes the scale go up which in turn got in my head.  I needed a change and to get back on track.  For me, a challenge that still lets me eat real delicious food without having to count anything (because I hate that shit) is totally up my alley. I was in and Whole30 was exactly what I needed.

Flexing

Learning To Fuel My Body

The biggest part of my WHY is so I can learn what best fuels my body,

  1. For my workouts.
  2. To properly fuel my body as I age.

I want to lean out and gain muscle. I want to do this to the best of my ability while maintaining a healthy body as I grow older.  After a year of doing CrossFit consistently, I didn’t lose any weight so clearly something in my regular diet needed to change.  Something was keeping me from leaning out.  Possibly it was portion sizes but my gut was telling me that it was something else.  I also found that lately I was getting super tired after workouts.  To the point where I needed to take a day off during the week because my body felt run down.

My joints were also starting to ache after workouts and that also caused me to feel run down and old. I’m not that old, so I hate feeling old after a workout.  I found that I was struggling with energy during the workouts as well.  It was also frustrating to see people crushing their workouts and getting PRs while I felt stuck in grandma mode always slow. (This was happening before the holidays and before I completely gave up for two months.)

It was time to make a serious change.  I’ve said that before and years past, but this year is MY YEAR.  I’m tired of being chubby Andrea. I hate Chubby Andrea. And I know we’re always supposed to be positive about ourselves and blah blah blah.  But Chubby Andrea isn’t the normal Andrea. Chubby Andrea is the chick who stayed to long at the party that you’re trying to politely get to leave.  Yet since moving here, people only know me as Chubby Andrea and I hate it.  I need to get back to me and what I normally look like, except stronger, faster, and with muscles.  That’s what I want.

I’m doing Whole30 because it eliminates the most common inflammatory foods. I want to see how I feel with none of those foods in my diet.  I’m already on the right track.  Yesterday at the gym I did a crap ton of squats.  Some weighted and a lot of body squats.  My knees did not hurt one bit afterwards.  They didn’t ache and they weren’t swollen.

Obviously there’s something that I was eating that was causing inflammation and now it’s time to find out what it is.  This time around I’m going to take reintroduction super slowly so I can see exactly what is giving me issues and what is not.

So that’s my big WHY for doing this challenge.

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Whole 30 Day 10

Last night kicking it on the couch, I had some herbal tea and some pistachios while finishing up the first season of Legends of Tomorrow.  SPOILERS so avoid if you aren’t watching it or don’t care.

  1. I’m pissed that they killed off Captain Cold. He was awesome and it was unnecessary to get rid of him.
  2. I’m so happy that Kendra and Carter are gone. Man I haven’t been as annoyed by a couple since the freaking Ponds from Doctor Who. They were horrible.

I’m curious to see what season two has in store and where the storyline will go.

The end.

Before I hit the gym today I had three dried plums.

Frittata and Coffee

I did not even remotely eat enough yesterday for workouts today.  Ugh.  It was a struggle!  Back home, I heated up a slice of frittata.  This one had peppers, onions, carrot, and some breakfast sausage from Pederson’s Farms.  Always frothy coffee on the side.

Roasted shrimp, asparagus, soup

Lunch was some lime and chili roasted shrimp, roasted asparagus, and some butternut squash soup on the side.  This was so filling and exactly what I needed today.

Crab cakes, potatoes, squash

Dinner tonight was crab cakes (that I previously made a few weeks ago and froze), roasted yellow squash and zucchini, and some easy boiled potatoes on the side. The potatoes were mixed with ghee, Flavor God Lemon Garlic, chopped parsley, and some green onion.

I also made a quick sauce for the crab cakes (unpictured):

  • Mayo
  • Whole Grain Mustard
  • Chopped Pickles
  • Chopped Parsley
  • Chopped Green Onion
  • Dill
  • Salt and Pepper

I was feel super tired today and I wanted dinner to be something easy, this meal came together quickly. The crab cakes took the longest to heat up. And there was minimal clean up, one pot for the potatoes and one bowl for the sauce for the crab cakes.  Easy and done!

I’m going to have some herbal tea and maybe some pistachios.  Then it’s an early bedtime for me because I am exhausted today.

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Fun Finds: Whole30 Snacks

Plantain Chips and Pork Rinds

Two snacks that I’m turning to this round of Whole30 are Plantain Chips and Pork Rinds.  Mmmmmm Pork.

The Plantain Chips I get at Trader Joe’s and the only ingredients are plantains and sunflower oil, both are Whole30 compliant. I snack on these chips as a stand alone as well as a side to a dish.  They are great with salsa and guac but are also awesome to dip in chicken or tuna salad.  That’s my favorite way to use them!

The Epic Pork Rinds I can get at Whole Foods.  It doesn’t list the oil used to fry the pork rinds which is odd but Epic is a solid company and I doubt they use something sketchy. The rest of the ingredients in the BBQ flavor are Whole30 compliant.  These pork rinds are the first ones I’ve found that I can tolerate.  Other pork rinds taste weird and overly porky to me.  The Epic ones are just right.  I can eat a few and it will help curb my hunger till I can eat a meal or bigger snack.  If you’re concerned about fats, these pork rinds only have 5gs of fat per serving.

One of the things that we have to keep in mind with “snacks’ on Whole30 is how we handle them.  They can’t be a replacement for junk and can’t be something that you’re going to mindlessly eat and then wonder how you ate an entire bag.

The snacks have to be something that you eat mindfully and know when to stop.  They can’t be food without brakes.  Part of the Whole30 journey is to start to understand our connection to food, what our triggers are, and how to handle that along with eating more mindfully and intuitively.

Neither of these two snacks are something that I will just inhale without thinking about it.  They are just handy little sides to have around for extra crunch.

If you’re looking for some Whole30 friendly snacks, take a look for these two things when you’re out on your next shopping trip.

 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored or promotional post. I’m just sharing info and products that I’ve found to be helpful and useful.