Pumpkin Spice Banana Breakfast if full of healthy and flavorful fall ingredients but I feel like the title of this is a little deceiving. Yes, this makes a wonderful breakfast, but it was originally created out of a need to give my son a healthy “dessert” after dinner one night, and after one bite it became an instant hit.

I’m not a pie person, but I’m thinking this would be a great alternative when everyone is chowing down on pie at the holidays and you want to stick with your goals. I actually ate it prior to my last long training run, and it was the perfect balance of sugar, fat, and fuel for me.

I love anything pumpkin (except pumpkin pie – I know I’m weird), and it appears that I have passed on that love to my oldest son. He loves this and is always asking for it. I added Maple Syrup to this, but you could easily substitute local honey or agave if you were looking for something even a bit healthier.

You could also substitute raisins for dried cranberries or cherries for a brighter flavor.

So you decide if this Pumpkin Spice Banana breakfast will be a breakfast, snack, or dessert – because no matter when you eat it, I promise you will love it!

Try this delicious healthy pumpkin spice banana breakfast #recipe
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When I put together this recipe – I pretty much eyeball it, but here is a rough idea of what I do.

Pumpkin Spice Banana Breakfast

 

Emily K.:

Emily Knight

Serves: 1

Prep time: 2 mins

Total time: 2 mins

Print

 

Ingredients

• 1 Banana
• ½ cup of raisins
• 1-2 T of shredded coconut
• 1-2 T of chopped walnuts (or any nut)
• 1 drizzle of Maple Syrup
• Generous sprinkle of Pumpkin Spice

Instructions

1. Cut banana
2. Add raisins, coconut, and nuts, and maple syrup
3. Mix up
4. Top with Pumpkin Spice
5. Enjoy!

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Did you try my Pumpkin Spice Banana Breakfast recipe? Let me know what you think!

If there was ever a super easy week on the 21 Day Sugar Detox it would be week 3. I was feeling great, in the groove, and already thinking about doing another detox!

If you don’t know what the 21 Day Sugar Detox is or you would like more information check out Diane Sanfilippo’s book out. It’s called The 21 Day Sugar Detox. The goal is to spend 21 days as close to sugar free as possible. There is also a great Facebook Page that has lots of tips, tricks, and AMAZING support!

Additionally, you may want to catch up with my Week 1 and Week 2  21 Day Sugar Detox recaps. Bonus: They all have 21 meal ideas as well!

Day 15:
I’m in a breakfast rut!

• Breakfast: Monkey Salad.
• Lunch: Leftover Kahlua pork and cabbage with 2 scrambled eggs.
• Dinner: Shredded chicken, pea pods, mushrooms, kale, celery, cabbage, carrots, onions, and a stir fry sauce

Day 16:
My hubs has been out of town for a while and I’m basically just eating what’s quick and easy at this point. Most days I’m not getting dinner until the kids are sleeping. #momlyfe However, I’m not fighting awful cravings anymore. It’s awesome to not feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin if I don’t snack at night.

• Breakfast: Coconut milk, banana, 1/2 avocado, cinnamon smoothie.
• Lunch: Garlic/Artichoke sausage, onions, & peppers with @flavorgod garlic lovers and 1/2 avocado, tomato salad.
• Dinner: leftover chicken and veggies. I accidentally left my sauce from the night before out all night and I’m out of coconut aminos! Added cauliflower rice.

Day 17:
Feeling GREAT! I’m not starving between meals, on busy days I’m not breaking down and stuffing my face if I go too long between meals.

• Breakfast: 3 hard boiled eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, olive oil/vinegar dressing.
• Lunch: I had to use up the salad before it turned… Lettuce, cucumber, celery, mushrooms, olives, chicken, ACV/mustard dressing.
• Dinner: Turkey burger, bacon, onion, mushrooms, butter lettuce, mustard.

Day 18:
Wasn’t hungry at breakfast… Drank water with lemon and ACV.

• Brunch: 2 hard boiled eggs, mushrooms, bacon.
• Dinner: Was supposed to be meat sauce with zoodles, but my zucchini was rotten.  So… Meat sauce with mushrooms and onions over broccoli. It got the job done.

Day 19:
I can’t believe I’ve only got 2 days left!!

• Breakfast: Recycled my picture from the other day. Coconut milk, almond butter, 1/2 avocado, banana, cinnamon.
• Lunch: We went to a water park with the family. They didn’t have chicken for my salad… I ordered a burger instead. They said it was all ground beef… I’m not sure, but I tried my best. Salad with burger, carrots, tomatoes, celery, and mustard.
• Dinner: I may be a little obsessed with #hotdogisthebun … Garlic artichoke sausage, with onions and mustard. Served with cucumber tomato salad!

Day 20:
Only one more day!

• Breakfast: Cauliflower rice, onion, hard boiled egg, bacon.
• Lunch: Lettuce, red pepper, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, and turkey burger w/ red wine vinegar.
• Dinner: Chipotle salad with pork.

Day 21:
Can I get a woot woot?!! Note to self… Don’t schedule day 21 during a road trip.

• Breakfast: Bacon, egg, banana.
• Lunch: We were in the car all day so we stopped at a diner for lunch. Not sure if my bacon was sugar free, but I did my best. Eggs, bacon, tomatoes. (Pickles were for my son). Normally I wouldn’t double up bacon/eggs, but it seemed the only feasible choice on the menu.
• Dinner: Left the olives/nuts in the car. Oops! Turkey, carrots, tomatoes. Except the turkey smelled weird. It was also really late when we got to the hotel so I just went with the veggies.

Thoughts on Week 3:

As I said earlier, this was BY FAR the easiest week. I may have gotten stuck in a few repetitive meals, but overall I felt amazing and super focused. I wish I would have planned the last day of my detox better – I certainly wouldn’t want to do it for a road trip again unless I had to, and if I did I’d pack more food choices.

Life After the 21 Day Sugar Detox:

I have to admit – I can’t wait to be eating watermelon and cherries again, but I’m hoping to stick to this way of living for my daily meals.  I am a very emotional eater, and this really helped keep my night cravings in check. I didn’t feel like I was going to crawl out of my skin at night. That alone was amazing. I will likely do this again in August. I think it will be a great way to start the school year.
Are you interested in learning more about the 21 Day Sugar Detox? Click HERE to learn more and get started!

Recommended Reading & Products:

These are affiliate links as are some of the links above. I don’t recommend what I don’t personally use. If you do buy via these links I get a very small percentage back.

If you don’t know what the 21 Day Sugar Detox is or you would like more information check out Diane Sanfilippo‘s book out. It’s called The 21 Day Sugar Detox. The goal is to spend 21 days as close to sugar free as possible. There is also a great Facebook Page that has lots of tips, tricks, and AMAZING support!

If you haven’t read my 21 Day Sugar Detox Week 1 Recap you might want to start HERE!  I followed the level 3 guidelines for the program.

Week 2 Recap!

Day 8:
Feeling great.

• Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes.
• Lunch: Leftover steak/peppers and carrots with cashew butter.
• Dinner: Inspired by @flametofork‘s idea of Hot Dog Is The Bun! Chicago style chicken sausage, grilled onions, pickles, tomatoes, celery salt, yellow mustard. I LOVED this meal!!

Day 9:
Still feeling good. Busy day!

• Breakfast: 2 eggs, bacon, broccoli.
• Lunch: No picture sorry!! Turkey, almonds/cashews, green apple.
• Dinner: Bison tacos! I was super tired after a long day but this was pan to plate in 15 minute. Ground Bison seasoned with @flavorgod everything spice (best taco seasoning!), white and red onion, green and red peppers, mushrooms, organic salsa, avocado, and wrapped in bib lettuce!

Day 10:
DOUBLE DIGITS!

• Breakfast: Green tipped banana, cashew butter, unsweetened coconut flakes.
• Lunch: leftover dinner. (Bison tacos)
• Dinner: Chicken sausage, a small amount of sweet potato “fries”, green beans, roasted broccoli.

Day 11:
Super busy day! (Seems like a theme this week!) My first PTO meeting was so close to Ks Tae Kwon Do class that I got home, got the kids food, and left. The gap btw lunch/dinner ended up being too much for me. I’ll likely add some evening snack like monkey salad or Banola before bed.

• Breakfast: 2 eggs, sauteed veggies.
• Lunch: Romaine lettuce, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, pistachios, and leftover chicken sausage. Dressing, ACV, evoo, garlic, mustard.
• Dinner: Cabbage, Kahlua Pork w/Bacon.

Day 12:
Guess what I’m going to say?? Yep, another busy day! I found myself dreaming of very sugary things. Like paleo ice cream from @taylormadeitpaleo …

• Breakfast: almond butter and green apple. I was going to add an egg or bacon, but I got so busy it was lunch by the time I looked up.
• Lunch: Leftover Kahlua pork, cabbage, and cherry tomatoes.
• Dinner: It was Ks fundraising night at Chipotle. Salad with carnitas, veggies, tomatoes, and guacamole. I’m a little over pork lol!

Day 13:

• Breakfast: banana, coconut flakes, almond butter, cinnamon.
• Lunch: 2 eggs, burnt bacon, peppers/onions.
• Dinner: I’m starting to think I have an new obsession – Hotdog as the bun is genius! Chicken sausage, tomatoes, pickles, guacamole, mustard.
• Date night movie snack: (split with the hubs) cashews and pistachios.

Day 14:
Today tested my willpower, but I did it!

• Breakfast: Got so busy this am, I forgot breakfast. Oops! Not smart!
• Lunch: an amazing Cobb Salad at the museum cafe. Romaine, eggs, avocado, grilled chicken, jalapeño bacon(not sure if it was sugar free, but I did my best dining out), and tomato with balsamic/olive oil. So filling.
• Dinner: At a baby shower. So much amazing food and sweet treats. I tried to do my best. The shrimp may have had butter… Bacon, veggies. I really wanted to partake in the sweets, but I didn’t focus on it and I still had a very nice time. Came home, was still hungry and so I ate chicken, tomatoes, and olives.

My Thoughts on Week 2 of the 21 Day Sugar Detox

Week 2 was great! I fought a few sugar cravings, and certainly struggled when I was surrounded by a crazy amount of sugar, but I stuck it out and was seeing benefits. The headaches and body aches from week 1 were gone. My skin started to clear up. I had a lot more energy, and I could see the bloat disappearing from my belly.

I’ve don’t the Whole30 a few times before, but this program was a lot easier, and a lot harder in different ways. However, for me personally only having completed 2 weeks, I am really loving the 21 Day Sugar Detox and I wish I had done it months earlier!

Are you interested in learning more about the 21 Day Sugar Detox? Click HERE to learn more and get started!

Recommended Reading & Products:

These are affiliate links as are some of the links above. I don’t recommend what I don’t personally use. If you do buy via these links I get a very small percentage back.

Since my recaps of the Whole30 have been so popular I thought I’d share my 21 Day Sugar Detox journey as well! As many of you know I have been trying to go completely Paleo for some time now. I’ve done a couple rounds of the Whole30 and always feel wonderful after completing them. However, I keep slipping back into old habits, and justifying non-paleo, non-gluten free meals/snacks and it’s like a landslide.

If you don’t know what the 21 Day Sugar Detox is or you would like more information check out Diane Sanfilippo‘s book out. It’s called The 21 Day Sugar Detox. The goal is to spend 21 days as close to sugar free as possible. There is also a great Facebook Page that has lots of tips, tricks, and AMAZING support!

These past few months have been hit or miss with my eating, so I decided to give the 21 Day Sugar Detox a go. My sweet tooth is intense, and things that should be sweet and satisfying weren’t anymore.  As a result I had put on weight (again), and really wanted to make a change.  I’ve heard really good things about the detox and since my diet bet was getting ready to start too, I figured why not! I bought the book on Amazon, and didn’t look back! There are 3 levels (and some modifications) on the 21 Day Sugar Detox. I went with level 3 as it was strict Paleo.

I will do a post on the difference between the 21 Day Sugar Detox and the Whole30 later, but for now I just wanted to share how my journey is going.

I’m not going to lie – I had NO idea that week 1 was going to be THIS HARD! It was a total eye opener as to how dependent my body has been on sugar. Maybe if I was eating better prior to the challenge this wouldn’t have been such a hard week, but I got through it, and I can say Day 7-8 were A LOT better!

21 Day Sugar Detox Week 1!

Day 1:

• Breakfast: Coconut milk, spinach, 1/2 avocado, green tipped banana, almond butter. (My smoothie didn’t taste very good but it was very filling – I will make some modifications next time.)
• Lunch: Bacon, chicken, olives, cucumber, tomato, avocado oil, 1/2 avocado, with flavorgod everything seasoning.
• Dinner: Chicken sausage, 2 eggs, broccoli, mushroom, onions.

Day 2:

First day headache showed up. I was feeling very flu-ish too. Dang Carb Flu!

• Breakfast: Leftover dinner + 2 eggs.
• Lunch: 21 Day Sugar Detox Ba-Nola (Recipe in 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook – Totally worth the purchase).
• Dinner: Since lunch was small and quick… 2 turkey burgers, bacon, onions, mushrooms, avocado, tomatoes, mustard flavorgod garlic lovers seasoning.

Day 3:

Massive headache all day today. Finally drank some warm water with Young Living Peppermint oil in it, and that helped a lot!

• Breakfast: Smoothie-Coconut milk, 1/2 avocado, 1 green tipped banana, cinnamon.
• Lunch: left over Asian ground beef with 2 eggs.
• Dinner: Salad-romaine lettuce, celery, cucumber, tomato, olive, broccoli, and avocado dressing. Chicken with puréed tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. Feeling munchie…

Day 4:

Still have my headache. Woke up hungry, forgot to take a picture of breakfast. Also experiencing so weird joint pain. Unsure if it’s related. Crazy how dependent we become on sugar!!

• Breakfast: Banola.
• Lunch: Uncured bacon, leftover salad from last night, tuna, and my favorite easy to make creamy avocado dressing.
• Dinner: Egg scramble with bacon, mushrooms, onions, carrots. (Aka in didn’t get to the grocery store…) and sautéed spinach.

Day 5:

Headache seems to be gone, but fought some tummy troubles today. Started using BurBur herbal detox per the recommendation of a friend. She said that when you cut sugar you are also killing all the candida (aka yeast) in your body and it can be really hard. It’s just 10 drops in 4oz of water. Seemed to help!!

• Breakfast: Uncured bacon, green juice/smoothie (green apple, full cucumber, spinach, coconut water).
• Lunch: really didn’t want to eat because of my stomach… Leftover turkey burger with carrots (ate them pre-pic sorry!), and guacamole.
• Dinner: keeping it simple. I’m wiped! Chicken breast, leftover salad (topped with evoo and Trader Joes 21 season salute) green beans with ghee and Flavorgod garlic lovers.

Day 6:

Finally feeling GOOD – using the burbur herbal detox (see day 5) 3 times a day.

• Breakfast: monkey salad… Green tipped banana, unsweetened coconut flakes, and almond butter.
• Lunch: the best salad EVER! Totally hit the spot! Romaine, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, bacon, hard boiled eggs, and a dressing made with mustard, evoo, apple cider vinegar, and Flavorgod garlic lovers seasoning.
• Dinner: Romaine, bean sprouts, evoo, tomatoes, onions, grilled steak, topped with guacamole.

Day 7:

One Week Done! Feeling SO much better than I did in the beginning.

• Breakfast: spinach, 1/2 avocado, cinnamon, banana, and coconut milk.
• Lunch: Spent the day at comic con, so I was happy I packed this! Turkey slices, 1/2 avocado, cup of black olives, almonds/cashews, and carrots. Drank peppermint water with it.
• Dinner: Steak and peppers, with apple cider vinegar, fish sauce, and coconut aminos.

My Thoughts on the 21 Day Sugar Detox Week 1?

Like I said before, I had no idea how my body would feel detoxing. I’d done Whole30 before, but this was something new to me. I’m hoping to reset my sweet tooth so I can make better choices. I wish I had done a little bit more meal planning – there were a few times that I had to go to the store if I wanted to stay on plan.

Also more meal prep – hardboiled eggs, pre-made salad, maybe even 21 Day Sugar Detox approved smoothies prepped ahead and frozen. I bake my bacon all at once, so that wasn’t so bad.  I also wish I would have bought the cookbook at the same time I bought the “instructions/about/guide” book. There are recipes in the main book, but I struggled to find 21DSD approved recipes online like I would do with the Whole30.

As far as my family goes…My husband has been out of town for work for the majority of my detox so far. I have found that to be very helpful. No tempting foods in the house. That said – when he is home he loves all my Paleo cooking, it would be interesting to see if he liked this. My son is eating the dinners I cook with a few added items like yogurt or fruit.

Overall I’m feeling good and really proud of myself to be sticking this out. I’m also doing T25 and running at the YMCA depending on my day and the kids. Plus as a bonus I’m down 4.5 lbs!

Follow me via Instagram to see what I’m eating daily instead of waiting for the recaps!

Have you done the 21 Day Sugar Detox?

What was your favorite meal?

Are you interested in learning more about the 21 Day Sugar Detox? Click HERE to learn more and get started!

Recommended Reading & Products:

These are affiliate links as are some of the links above. I don’t recommend what I don’t personally use. If you do buy via these links I get a very small percentage back.

Hey everyone! I know I missed a few weeks of my menu plans… and this one is going up very late on a Monday night…

I try to stay on top of my blog, but honestly life is so chaotic these days it often takes a back seat.  My priorities are my family, my fitness, my paid work, and then my blog… I’ve realized over the last few months that I really need to focus more on my boys and my health. In order to do that, something has to give. I won’t be absent, and I’m doing lots on YouTube these days too.

What I’m Loving Right Now:

Lemon and Apple Cider Vinegar in warm water to start my day every single day.

The first time I tried essential oil in my water I hated it. However, I just started using Young Living Essential Oils and I’m sold on taste alone! This tastes amazing! Using oil in place of actual lemon not only has all the benefits of detoxing your body and boosting your immune system, but also since it is cold pressed from the rinds which basically means that they aren’t acidic so you will not have to worry about hurting the enamel on your teeth from drinking lemon water.  (They do however, dissolve petro-chemicals so you should never use citrus oil in a plastic glass.)  The ACV (apple cider vinegar) is also detoxing, helps your body use fat instead of storing it (aka good for weight loss), and supports healthy blood sugars.

——> Interesting in learning more about essential oils and their uses? Check out this post and feel free to shoot me a message if you are wanting help with specific issues!

Next up after my workout in the am I’m juicing.  I LOVE this easy and basic green juice recipe!

Then I have some eggs and sausage or bacon with fruit OR if I’m crunched for time I’ve been turning to my new favorite snack and breakfast food homemade paleo granola. (Stay tuned for the recipe!!)

Finally – this is my GO-TO dinner lately.  In the past it was chicken sausage, and I’m still loving that, but for some reason I can’t get over this.  I think it may be the rosemary in the Turkey burger combined with the caramelized onions/mushrooms.

I know you can’t see it… But there is the most delicious Trader Joes rosemary turkey burger underneath some caramelized onions, mushrooms, avocado, and tomatoes.  Served with sweet potato wedges on the side.

Anyways… You probably just came for the menu plan…

Weekly Paleo Menu Plan!

Also since I’ve been asked this a few times before…

No my husband or son are not paleo. However they eat what I cook.  Occasionally I will add cheese to their plates, or cook white potatoes for my husband.  That said, we are likely going to transition my son to gluten-free/paleo for some health stuff he’s dealing with.

What’s on your menu plan this week?

As always, if something in my menu plan looks appealing to you, please let me know in the comments.

Oh man you guys!! Last week was a 1/2 success, and a 1/2 fail.  I did some things great.

1. I made getting back on track a priority.
2. I got the hubs on board with being better about our food.
3. I planned ahead.
4. Broc-Cauli Chowder with Bacon
   
   OMG that was SO good!!  I blended it in my blendtec on the soup setting and it ended up SO creamy my husband was convinced I added cream to it.  That will FOR SURE me making an appearance on our menu plans again soon! I love my Practical Paleo cookbook!

However, life as it so often does got super chaotic and we found ourselves short on time.  I didn’t meal prep very well last week so when life threw a curve ball I didn’t have much to step in to catch it with.  I never got to do the Turkey Legs or even the Beef Stir Fry from last week’s menu plan.  (It’s likely the turkey legs will be on next week’s menu plan.)  I also never got over to the local butcher shop in our neighborhood or into Whole Foods for bones to try bone broth.  Lesson’s learned?  I need to meal prep a LOT better and have some stuff in the freezer for easy Paleo dinners…

This week I am keeping it SUPER simple.  We have a few extra things going on, and I have some deadlines to meet, so I call this menu plan the “I’m Short On Time!” menu plan.

I’ve got 12 eggs ready to be hard boiled.  I’m going to roast a bunch of veggies at once to have on hand for breakfast hash, quick lunches/dinners, and I’ve got 5 pre-made smoothies ready to blend in my freezer!

Speaking of short on time… I’m super excited because my hubs ordered me T25 for Mother’s Day. I can make time for 25 minutes!!

Here is to an awesome week!! 7 days, 7 winning days!!

Don’t forget to download my Paleo Grocery List to make shopping a whole lot easier and more organized!  (Follow this link to get your own copy!)

What are your go to “Short On Time” meals?

It’s back!! Funny how when the meal plans stop I tend to get so off track… Although I don’t think anyone wants to blog that they fell off the bandwagon and their meal plans consisted of crap, crap, and more crap.

Like most people when I have a plan, I tend to stick to my health and fitness goals.  Plus I spend a whole lot LESS money on food when I menu plan.  So I started off this Monday with a new menu plan full of meals my family and I picked together, and a fitness schedule for the next 30 days!

Operation LOSE THE WEIGHT is back on.  Since I have been off plan I not only put on weight, but I’m feeling like CRAP (which is how I have been eating so I shouldn’t be surprised…)  I’m bloated, have had a headache for the past 30 days, and my skin is GROSS!  Looking forward to getting back to what I know works for me and hopefully flushing this crappy food and mood out of my system.

This week’s meal plan I pulled out all my Paleo cookbooks, but ended up taking all the recipes from Practical Paleo.  I have had this book for months, and still have SO many recipes I want to try.  Plus if you don’t like doing meal plans, then you should check out this book because she put together several 30 day menu plans for different focuses. (Thyroid Issues, Strict Paleo, Blood Sugar Regulation, Fat Loss and more!) I really can’t recommend this book more! It’s worth the price!!

This Week’s Menu Plan:

This week I am also going to attempt to make Bone Broth for the first time!! Hopefully I will have pictures for you next week!

What’s on your menu plan this week?

Don’t forget to download my Paleo Grocery List to make shopping a whole lot easier and more organized!  (Follow this link to get your own copy!)

I shared this menu plan on this Monday Meal Plan link up.

Week 1 (Round 3) of the whole 30 went pretty good.  I found myself enjoying and repeating many meals.  I tend to get stuck in eating the same thing over and over, so I really try to branch out and try different meals for dinner.  I also learned I wasn’t taking enough time to meal prep this week.  My breakfasts clearly show that.  Not being able to eat eggs (due to my baby’s FPIES) is frustrating doing something like the Whole30.  My first round through I ate SO MANY eggs because they are not only easy, it’s easy to do different things with them.

Any suggestions for non-egg based breakfasts?

So this week I will be doing more meal preps and hopefully not relying on larabars as a quick go to as they are technically a no-no on the whole30.  As a reminder – I am also breastfeeding my baby who at 12 months old still can’t eat real food due to allergies. As a result I am not skimping on nuts, fruit, or snacks if I am hungry.  I am packing my diet with healthy fats, and plenty of root veggies to make sure my supply stays good.  I went into this 3rd round of whole 30 struggling with my milk supply, and I’m happy to say it is finally looking like it’s rebounding! Yay!

Don’t forget you can download my free Paleo Grocery List Printable here!

Also, since I was asked for it this week, be sure to check out my favorite Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing.

What I Ate:

Day 1:

• Workout: day 1 #t25
• Breakfast: Bacon, Mandarin, and Cashews.
• Lunch: Romaine Leaves with Tuna, Olives, CherryTtomatoes, topped with Balsamic Vinegar.
• Dinner: Bolognese with Zoodles! Bolognese recipe via Practical Paleo.

Day 2:

Going strong! I LOVED my lunch today!

• Breakfast: Mandarin Orange, Bacon, Cashews. (I rarely vary breakfast…)
• Lunch: Grilled Chicken Breast, Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Olive Oil, and Trader Joes 21 Season Salute.
• Dinner: Garlic/Herb Sausage, Red Peppers, Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli, and Roasted Parsnips!

Day 3:

Super busy morning…

• Breakfast: Larabar and Banana on the run.
• Starving by Lunch: … Leftover Chicken Sausage with Red Peppers, Onions, and Sweet Potatoes.
• Dinner: In honor if my sink backing up (that was fun) … A Kitchen Sink Salad with homemade Avocado dressing. Tuna, Bacon, Celery, Carrots, Peppers, Black and Kalamata Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, Romaine.

Day 4:

Hand over the cake and no one will get hurt… Just kidding(kinda). So far so good. Except I’m hungry… I’m going to try and up my food intake a bit tomorrow.

• Breakfast: Banana, Almond Butter, Coconut Flakes!
• Lunch: Leftover salad from last night served with a Chicken Breast and Avocado dressing.
• Dinner: Italian Roast Pork (hubby raved about this one!) Green Beans with ghee and some Plantain Chips.

Day 5:

• Breakfast: Green Juice: Spinach, Kale, Pineapples, Lemon, Spurlina, Apple). Yes… I know juice/smoothies are frowned upon on the whole30, but I had some greens that needed to be used and I was craving this juice. I kept it light on the fruit and heavy on the veggies.
• Lunch: Leftover Italian Pork with Marinara and Roasted Broccoli.
• Dinner: Chicken with Trader Joes Dunkah (contained almonds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds, anise, garlic, and other spices), Green beans, Sweet potatoes, and Mushrooms.

Day 6:

• Breakfast: Another one on the go… Larabar and Mandarins.
• Lunch: Grilled Chicken with Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Olive Oil, 21 Seasoning Salute (Trader Joes)
• Dinner: Grass -Fed Beef Patty, Salad, Sweet Potato.
• Date Night at the Movies: Cashews and Raisins.

Day 7:

Woot one week down! I’m a creature of habit, when I find something I like, I stick to it!

• Breakfast: Bacon, Broccoli, Mandarin, Cashews.
• Lunch: Clearly I’m obsessed! Grilled chicken, Olives, Tomatoes, Avocados, Olive Oil, 21 Season Salute.
• Snack: Fruit Leather.
• Dinner: the last of the leftover pork, green beans, mushrooms, Raos tomato sauce.

 Week 2 Meal Plan:

• Monday: Stuffed Peppers
• Tuesday: Slow Cooker Greek Chicken
• Wednesday: Ground Beef Taco Salad
• Thursday: Garlic Shrimp and Zoodles
• Friday: Leftovers
• Saturday: Chicken Sausages, roasted veggies
• Sunday: Leftovers

Are you a person who likes to eat the same things if it works for you, or do you like to change it up?

What is your favorite Paleo/Whole30 recipe? (Feel free to leave a link if you blogged it.)

You may remember the last time I did the Whole30.  It was such a wonderful way to reset my body that I have decided to give it another go.  I have not been eating Paleo all holiday season long and my body is showing it. I’ve gained a lot of weight back, I’m sluggish, and frankly I’ve spent these last few months under a cloud of depression.  I’m tired of being fat and sad.  So I’ve committed myself back to the Paleo lifestyle, but I think I need the jump start that the whole30 gives me.

Why is the Whole30 different from Paleo?

It’s paleo based, but more restrictive.  It’s focused on taking the dependance away from the sugar demons craving we face.  On the Whole30 there are:

(I couldn’t find the source for this image – if you know it please let me know so I can give proper credit.)

I will be sharing what I’m eating each week along with the next week’s meal plan on Mondays and I will be updating my weekly fitness journey on Fridays as well.  I’m starting T25 tomorrow too.

If you are new to Paleo you might want to check out this list of my favorite Paleo foods and get your copy of my free printable paleo grocery list.  It really makes shopping SO easy!

(Follow My Paleo Plate on Facebook – this is my page dedicated to my journey to healthy eating)

Here is my Whole 30 Based Meal Plan:

Monday: Bolognese with Zoodles – Based off this awesome recipe from my Practical Paleo Cookbook.  (I LOVE this cookbook!)

Tuesday: Chicken Sausage with broccoli and sweet potato fries

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast from Clothes Make The Girl.

Thursday: Salad with left over pork.

Friday: Beef Patties with roasted veggies

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Balsamic Chicken with garlic-y green beans.

(Just a note: I’m also egg free due to my baby’s allergies and I’m breastfeeding so I’m not particularly concerned about eating too many fruits, nuts, or root veggies as I want to make sure my milk supply does drop as I’m already dealing with supply issues.)

If you are interested in doing your own Whole30 I recommend picking up the book It Starts With Food. It’s only $9.99 and is a great read and really explains why you should consider a Whole30.  Also check out www.whole9life.com.

Other sites I like that are helpful to me include:

• Clothes Make The Girl
• Nom Nom Paleo
• Stupid Easy Paleo
• The Naked Plate

Follow me on Instagram to see what I’m eating daily and how I’m doing!