I Think I Want to Try Whole 30...Now What?

I've had quite a few people tell me they are curious about Whole 30, but not sure where to start or what it would really look like so I wanted to share what I did to get started and wrap my brain around giving up so many of my {poor} diet staples for 30 days!

Research

So you may know the basics of Whole 30, but you might want to know a little more about the why.  I recommend purchasing the official Whole 30 Book (Amazon and Target both have).  It discusses everything from the science behind the program to prep to recipes and even how to properly cook foods that you may not have experience with!

You can also purchase the Whole 30 Cookbook, but I honestly did not use this one as much. I used the Whole 30 Book mentioned above plus Pinterest and the Whole 30 Recipes Instagram account for most of my meal ideas! 

If you want to dig a little deeper, I recommend checking out It Starts with Food.  I haven't read this yet, but plan to before/during my next round!

There are also some AMAZING Bloggers out there who have graciously shared all of their tips and tricks.  I'm linking some of my favorites below!

Life in the Green House
Meg O. On the Go


Support Groups

Join some support groups on Facebook or seek out some accountability partners in your life to do this with you.  I joined several groups on Facebook, but my friend Jennifer and I were official accountability partners so even on the days I wanted to quit, I didn't because I did not want to leave her hanging or let her down...it's the people pleaser in me!

You can join my little group "Treat Yo Self with Whole 30" that is starting March 1 and I also recommend the following:

Keep Calm & Whole30 On
Whole 30 First Timers Support Group 

It's also helpful to start following the official Whole 30 pages on Instagram like @whole30 and @whole30recipes
 

Clean Out

This one can be hard if you also have to think about other family members that you share a pantry with, but it's a good exercise to do anyway to clean out expired items and really look at labels on things you use often to check and see if it's W30 compliant.  I went through my refrigerator and pantry and cleaned out everything that I knew no one else would eat. 

If you live alone I would recommend being brutal and getting rid of the stuff that is not compliant and will be calling your name as you get into days 10 and 11 - the hardest days! 


What to Buy and Where to Find It

Most items that you will be eating can be found at any supermarket.  I'm in Texas and love HEB!  I was able to purchase 90% of the items I ate here, but there are a few things I had to search for.  And remember when shopping during Whole 30 to stick to the exterior of the store {meat, produce, eggs}...skip the interior of the store!

Also, plan on those first few grocery store trips of W30 to take almost twice as long!  You will be stopping and reading every single label! 


Whole Foods
Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos
Bone Broth
Tessamae's Dressings
Applegate Chicken & Apple Sausage
Applegate turkey deli meat
I love to be lazy and buy the pre-cut Sweet Potato cubes, bell pepper &  Zoodles


Trader Joes
Chomps Snacks Sticks
RX bars
Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Avocado Oil
Ghee (I've learned that I do not care for ghee, but you can purchase here if you want to try)
Frozen Organic Riced Cauliflower
Frozen Vegtable Blends (I love the fajita peppers)
Sunflower Seed Butter

Amazon
Barney Almond Butter
Primal Palate Meat & Potato Seasoning
Nutpods Dairy Free Creamer 
Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette
  

Hope this helps!  Comment below if you have any questions or tips to offer me and my next round!  

What I Ate :: Whole 30, Days 1-7

I guess it only took giving up sugar, dairy, grains, beans and alcohol to get this girl back to blogging!

I've missed this space, but hopefully you haven't missed me as I still continue to overshare my life on Facebook, Instagram and occasionally SnapChat {theperfectcatch}.

In case you did miss it, I started Whole 30 exactly one week ago today on January 13!  Most people started Whole 30 on January 1, but I needed some extra time to get my act together and what I have learned so far about W30 is that you must prep in order to be successful.  Prior to starting my W30 journey I did a 3-day juice cleanse and lost 5 pounds! 

I will talk more about why I finally joined this program and my thoughts so far another day, but the biggest question I get asked is what I actually eat so I've decided to track every meal and share it with you to hopefully show you that it might not be as hard as you think it is and that even a busy, working mom who has a major sugar, bread addiction and no skill in the kitchen can do it and not die!

You can also find my Whole 30 Pinterest Board here...it's a work in progress but constantly growing!

DAY ONE :: Friday, 1/13

B -2 hard boiled eggs, avocado with pico & lime

L - Ground Turkey with red peppers with Cold Thai Salad & Sunshine Dressing (recipes in W30 Guide Book)

This cold Thai salad is awesome!  Has cucumber, zucchini noodles, carrots, cilantro and cashews

Snack - Cherry Pie Larabar (I was super hungry)

D - Chipotle copycat beef barbocoa from the slow cooker stuffed in bell peppers with lettuce on top

DAY TWO :: Saturday, 1/14

B - 2 hard-boiled eggs, one banana with a few strawberries and W30 compliant Almond Butter

L - Repeat lunch from Day 1 (recipe made enough for two days)

Snack - Cherry Pie Larabar

D - Used the leftover Barbocoa beef to make "Burrito Bowls" with Meat, lettuce & avocado

 
Late night - Herbal tea


DAY THREE :: Sunday, 1/15

B - Repeat breakfast from Day 2

L - Ground Turkey with Power Slaw and roasted sweet potatoes

D - Chicken & Apple Sausage with veggies (this recipe will need to be modified to be W30 compliant so no rice, quinoa or cheese like she mentions).  I made plenty to eat on for lunch that week!

Loved this Applegate Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods - W30 compliant!

 Late night - Herbal tea


DAY FOUR :: Monday, 1/16

B -Repeat breakfast from Day 2 (I get stuck on things)

L - (Leftover) Chicken Sausage with veggies

D -Grilled chicken breast and skewer veggies with a few grilled pear slices

Late night - Herbal tea & banana with coconut flakes (I was bad...but still compliant)


DAY FIVE :: Tuesday, 1/17

B - Repeat breakfast

L - (Leftover) Chicken Sausage with veggies

Snack: Chomps Jerky (W30 approved)

D -Taco meat with homemade W30 compliant taco seasoning and Mexican Cauliflower Rice (made extra for lunch next day

If you are dying to actually make a taco use these Jicama tortillas!

Late night:  Herbal tea & banana with almond butter


DAY SIX :: Wednesday, 1/18

B - Banana with almond butter

L - Taco salad with sliced avocado and Cauliflower Rice

I just used a squeeze of lime for salad dressing and it was delish!

 
Snack: Chomps Jerky (W30 approved)

D - "Drip Beef" from slow cooker with roasted red potatoes and leftover grilled skewer veggies
Late night: Herbal tea *I pushed through and kicked the late night food habit

DAY SEVEN :: Thursday, 1/19

B - Egg and Avocado Salad

L - Spinach Salad from La Madeline (No chicken, dressing, mushrooms or bacon) with leftover Beef from the night before.  Used Tessamae's Balsamic Dressing since it's W30 compliant! 

*No snack!  Trying to kick this habit too...part of the program is to stick to 3 solid meals rather than snacks which should only be used when necessary.  

D - Turkey Power Slaw

Late night - Herbal tea

Luckily I love black coffee so I drink that in the morning, plain ice water or lemon water throughout the day and I have been drinking lots of herbal tea at night instead of my normal "eat all the things" late-night snacking habit!  

My tip of the week is to just stock up on items each week that can be quick go-to meals in case you get busy or don't have time to prep.  Have a plan, even if it's just a loose one.  I did not choose what meals I would make each night, but I did have a list of things I could make so that when it came time to fix dinner after a long day, I didn't have to search for recipes or not have something I needed!   Going to the grocery store on Sunday really helped and then I did some prep a few nights this week after the kiddos were asleep.  Not terrible! 

My goal for the next seven days is NO FOOD after 8pm.  Just herbal tea!  And to try not to snack during the day.  Of course eat when I'm hungry, but avoid the temptation for snacking. 

Week One Complete!  Anyone else doing Whole 30?  Would love to hear your favorite meals and tips for survival.  I'm still a week away from the "feel good" zone. 

Hope you have a happy & healthy weekend! 

All About My Baby's Helmet

I know I've been quiet on the blog front lately, but my latest post is something that I'm really proud to share and excited for you to read.  I hope you'll jump over to Houston Moms Blog today and check it out.  It was a hard decision for Jason and I to make to decide to move forward with a helmet for Colin, but once we decided to do it, I knew that I wanted to fully embrace the experience and share it with others - the good, the bad, the ugly.  We were lucky enough to have several close friends who had gone through the same experience before us to lead the way, but I can imagine how scary of a path it may be if you don't know anyone.

Hope you are having a great week! 

Rodan + ROSES :: Giveaway for a $100 Nordstrom Giftcard & More

It's no secret that I LOVE anything Bachelor.  Just call me a lifetime member of Bachelor Nation!  I even attended a meet and greet with Bachelorette contestants back in college {can we say ultimate fangirl}. 

When I started working with Rodan + Fields I knew that I had to incorporate these two loves into a fun promotion.  Every week that there is a Bachelor, Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise {my fave} on ABC, I offer something fun!

This week is double the fun since there are two episodes.  Tonight is MEN TELL ALL!!!

All Preferred Customer orders placed today will receive this Bachelor tank AND if you are a new Preferred Customer, I will pay back your $20 enrollment fee!   

AND...for a fun little huge bonus since I'm in Nordstrom Anniversary Sale heaven currently, all orders placed this week will go into a drawing for a $100 Nordstrom Giftcard - what?!?  Read my latest Houston Moms Blog post for my top picks!

So get those Preferred Customer orders in by midnight on July 31 to be included in this drawing!  If you have been thinking about trying R+F, now is an awesome time!

If you want to place an order, but have no idea where to begin, you can email me at chelsea.m.purifoy {at} gmail {dot} com, leave a comment below or take my skin solutions skin!  I can then help recommend the best products to start with based on your skincare needs and budget.

A great product to start with is the Multi-Function Eye Cream to help reduce puffiness, dark under-eye circles, fine lines and the appearance of crows-feet around your delicate eye area.  It feels great and one little jar will last you around 4 months!  It's so effective that beauty guru and Bachelor alum Michelle Money just recommended it as one of her favorite beauty products and helpful step when applying undereye concealer!!!

Happy Shoppin' & Bachelor Watchin'

C

Catching Up :: Busy, Busy

Hey everyone!  I'm doing the worst thing that any blogger can ever do and that's go radio silent!  It was not my intention, but phew I've been busy.  Same story, different day!  But I've been busy for good reasons....

Busy with my family...Jack is making awesome progress with potty-training and Colin has just started crawling everywhere!  Those two things alone are reason enough to be quiet on the blog front.

Busy with Rodan + Fields...I started this little side biz at the end of April and it's just taken off from there.  Not only am I in love with the products for myself, but I love my team of women who are so encouraging and seriously going places.  I've even added an amazing new consultant under me and I'm looking for more!  We are making great money, earning fun little incentives and having a blast doing it!

Busy with Houston Moms Blog...read my latest post about my favorite picks at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this year {thank you extra R+F income}!

Busy trying to be healthy...this month I jumped back into 21 Day Fix and I'm also getting back into a more consistent routine at Pure Barre.  I know weight loss is 90% diet, but when I'm working out, I'm more likely to eat better!

Busy celebrating...Jason snuck off for a little overnight "staycation" to celebrate our wedding anniversary {that was in May}!  We went to the Houstonian for a spa day at Trellis - my favorite spa in the entire world.  After getting into full-on relaxation mode, we had a great dinner and enjoyed a little night off of parenting.

Busy taking new pics...my R+F leader Meredith and I were lucky enough to take some fun new photos a few weeks ago at two epic mural walls in Houston with two up and coming photographers Stacy Anderson Photography {photo at top of post} and C. Wright Photography {below}!  It was super hot, but it sure was worth it.

And busy with Snapchat!  I know I'm late to the game, but I've seriously fallen in love with Snapchat this month. Instead of catching up on my favorite blogs at the end of the night, I find myself catching up on everyone's snaps!  I'm trying to get better about snapping myself.  Follow me {theperfectcatch}.  I just posted {a ton} of snaps this evening on my favorite Rodan + Fields products and my nighttime skincare routine including how to use the awesome AMP MD Roller!

Many of my items from the Nordstrom sale are starting to arrive eeekk!!! so I plan to pop back in this week and review what I've received and tried on!  Crazy how quickly things sold out this year and that's even as a cardholder myself with early access.

Talk soon!  Hope your week is off to a great start!

A Birthday Bash Alternative

I promise I'm still here and have no plans to quit blogging.  I'm just still trying to find that perfect balance and lately my evenings have consisted of working my Rodan + Fields business and doing my 21 Day Fix workouts.  I'm happy to report that both are going very well.

To prove that I still love blogging and do it occasionally - ha - here is my latest post for Houston Moms Blog about our decision to scrap a 3rd birthday party for Jack this year.

 Why Cancelling My Son's Birthday Party Was The Best Decision Ever

Hope you have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend! 

Sweet Summertime Giveaway

Just in checking and letting you know that a.) I'm still alive and b.) my Rodan + Fields team is doing an amazing "Sweet Summtertime" giveaway and today is the last day!  If you want a chance to win some of these amazing prizes, comment below so I can get you added to the Facebook event! 

Yes I sell the products, but I can say that before that, I was the customer and have been so happy with the results I'm seeing so far on my skin.  I got to play "stay at home mom" yesterday with two sick kiddos so I had no time to shower (gross) or put my usual makeup on.  I was so impressed with how healthy my skin looked just by using the mineral peptides powder and a little lip balm while we were on the run to doc appointments...oh and eye cream...lots of eye cream! 

If you want to try anything - I'd love to set you up to not only win the prizes above, but save 10%, get free shipping, your enrollment fee paid back AND a free monogrammed hat by Two Magnolia Lane! 
Now is a great time to get more info about Rodan + Fields if you've ever been curious about the products or even joining as a consultant.

And finally, to prove that I am in fact still blogging, check out my latest blog post on Houston Moms Blog from the weekend. 

Hope you are having a happy day!