Gearing up

My empty looking closet pantry

My fridge, freezer, and pantry are all pretty empty right now. We have started eating, tossing, and giving away things that will either expire before we get around to eating them, things that we really should never have bought in the first place, or things that are pretty unhealthy that we don't plan to have in the house anymore. It feels really good to get these things out of the house. I feel like I am taking a bold step in the right direction. My husband isn't too happy as he feels like we are throwing money away and I am pretty sure he thinks this is just a fad that we will get over. But I really want to curb my sugar addiction and I want to have a healthy relationship with food. My kids love me because they got free range on the candy bin and we had hot dogs, french fries, and mac and cheese for dinner. My husband thinks that "this diet will work because we will be sick of all this junk food." Hey! If it works!

My once full now empty lazy Susan

It may seem odd that I feel healthier eating all this junk food but this is the first time that we are getting it all gone and out of the house. It feels like a serious commitment. It IS a serious commitment and I am ready to take it on. Now the questions is what will I fill my fridge, freezer, and pantry with now? That's an easy question to answer even if not to execute: Proteins, Vegetables, Fruits, and Fats. Yep. That about covers it. Here is what I plan on filling all that new empty space with.

Pantry

• Wild caught Tuna
• Organic Tomatoes
• Organic Mushrooms
• Beets
• Sweet potato
• Red potatoes
• Onions
• Apple Sauce
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Ghee
• Avocado
• Almond butter (occasional use)
• Almonds (these too)
• Olives (a toddler favorite)
• Coconut Milk
• Coconut meat/flakes
• Macadamia Nuts
• Sunflower Seeds (These are limited but since we already have some...)



At least my spice cabinet is well stocked and well organized

• Walnuts (Same for these)

Fridge/Freezer

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Melon
• Cherries
• Apples
• Bananas
• Kiwi
• Wild-caught seafood
• Grass fed organic beef
• Eggs (from my backyard!)
• Skinless Chicken (whole, breasts, legs, thighs)
• Ground Turkey
• Lean Pork Chops
• Bacon (Organic or with no additives like sugar, MSG, sulfites)
• Sausage (same here too)
• Deli ham (and here)
• Deli turkey (and here too)
• Spinach
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Kale
• Bell Peppers
• Bok Choy
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Cucumber
• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Onions (I have my husband dice up a large bag & put each onion in a ziplock for later use)

The hardest part of this change, besides kicking my own addictions, will be to make sure my children are getting adequate calories and nutrients. We have typically used dairy as a calcium, protein, and fat source so this will be a change. One of my daughters doesn't like coconut or avocado so I will have to make sure I cook foods with fat and also give her some macadamia nuts for added fat. The same will be true for my toddler. He will be eating off the plan throughout the day when he goes to the sitter while I work part-time but at home we are going to stay committed.

I see some creative cooking in my future! Perhaps lots of blended soups. Fingers crossed that I don't have a full blown rebellion on my hand in a week or two. We are going to come up with a reward for completing the Whole30 so that we are all motivated. My kids think we should go camping but the weather may not be right for it yet. Share with me your thoughts on a good non-food reward. I'd love your opinions. Keep following along with me as we gear up for our first Whole30 starting on Monday!