Surviving and THRIVING during Christmas on Whole30

I think originally I thought this holiday was going to be just a little less Christmas like without all the sweets and treats. It wasn't! That's why Whole30 is literally the best thing EVER. I ate so much good food that not having chocolate, pie, etc. was not hard. I don't recommend trying your first round of Whole30 during a holiday, but after a few rounds I think you can have the will power and ability to enjoy your life without the sugar or stuffing! 

Here is what I ate during my first week of holiday! 

Applegate hotdogs with lettuce buns, mustard, teesemaes ketchup, and an apple with Justins almond butter

Green chili burgers topped with avocado, onion, roasted jalapeño, and cilantro with fingerling potatoes

PUMPKIN CUSTARD! 

This could be considered swypo but it's not very sweet. My husband claimed it wasn't very good. "It's not bad but it's not great. It tastes like nothing." I disagree for sure. It to me was almost like pumpkin pie filling, but I made sure to eat it ONLY as breakfast and to eat an acceptably smaller portion. 

I didn't feel like it was SWYPO for me because I didn't eat it as a dessert/snack since those aren't  allowed on Whole30 either. 

If you want to try this AWESOME recipe you can find it at Louisiana Bride. 

Roasted butternut squash with pumpkin pie spice topped with chipotle chili and some avocado 

OMG this is a new favorite. I can't believe I hadn't made it on Whole30 before, but it randomly came to me when I was trying to come up with a recipe to stretch the rest of my sausage. Shrimp and sausage with peppers and onions topped with louisiana hot sauce! Just sauté it all together in some olive oil! So easy. 

TRAVEL TO HOUSTON DAY! 

Aidells, onion, spinach, and eggs with avocado 

Ate in the car on the way- Broccoli salad with raisins and pecans, two hard boiled eggs, and  a few strawberries because somehow Emma decided to eat ALL of them. 

CHRISTMAS EVE 

 

Today we made cookies for Santa. 

While they did look delicious it wasn't torture to abstain. 

Aidells and spinach eggs topped with salsa 

Lunch was a chicken breast with roasted broccoli and a banana with almond butter.

Tonight we went to the Children's Museum for FREE! Emma loved it 

It was a really fun way to spend Christmas Eve! 

Everyone ate tamales this night, but I packed a tupperware of my butternut squash chili with me and ate that instead. So yummy 

CHRISTMAS DAY 

Lunch was the rest of my broccoli salad with some onion, avocado, hard boiled egg, chicken, and sunflower seeds. 

For dinner I made my own sides again. I roasted sweet potatoes with olive oil and rosemary, sautéed squash and onions, and sautéed brussel sprouts. SO YUMMY 

SATURDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS 

Leftover brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes with two ghee fried eggs and a grande Americano with an extra shot of espresso. 

Of course being in Houston on Whole30 meant a trip to Whole Foods was a MUST. 

Christ and I made it a date and ate lunch at the store. I had an AWESOME salad and some fruit. They had very finely shaved raw butternut squash on their salad bar and I tried it and was not disappointed. GREAT idea. 

That night Chris's dad made steak on the grill with baked potatoes and a side salad. I bought epic bacon bits and tessemaes southwestern ranch at Whole Foods and used it on my salad and potato for dinner. 

SUNDAY 

Seriously my go to favorite breakfast (obviously) 

Taco salad with my tessemaes!

 

Steamed broccoli, crispy potatoes, and sautéed cod 

MONDAY

(don't have photos of repeat meals) 

We went to Moody Gardens today. In the past we would have gone to a local cafe to eat and I would have had something super delicious and WAY not whole30. Instead after we went to Ice Land we came back home and I made a salad. 

Rotisserie chicken with raisins, pecans, and green apple over spinach

TUESDAY 

Lunch on the road home was a few pieces of cranberry sriracha beef jerky OMG buy these IMMEDIATELY 

When we got home I went to the grocery store for this next week of whole30.

I made chicken drums with franks and coleslaw for dinner 

The coleslaw was mayo, apple cider vinegar, and some tessemaes ranch 

WEDNESDAY 

I got a bag of kale, brussels, and broccoli salad and mixed it with sliced onion, spinach, and aidells and roasted it in the oven with a little olive oil. I topped it with scrambled eggs and served it with a banana and some almond butter. Breakfast of CHAMPIONS!!!

For lunch I had the rest of that apple chicken salad. 

Tonight I basted salmon with ginger juice (a whole foods find), coconut aminos, some mustard, and a bit of cayenne and sprinkled it with sesame seeds. 

I served it with roasted broccoli and carrots. 

I could literally eat roasted broccoli and carrots EVERYDAY! So good. 

SO instead of my typical gaining six pounds during Christmas, I actually lost 2 more pounds! 

I've been to the gym everyday except Christmas and I am ready for my new years 5K on Saturday morning. 

You can enjoy life without it involving eating without abandon. I enjoyed my holiday immensely! I didn't feel deprived because I had DELICIOUS food. It may not have looked like the typical Holiday food, but it was all yummy and it made me FEEL good and stay on track. 

SO I am now 93 pounds down and on day 33 of my Whole90!