Friday Favorites – Healthy Eating Challenge
Happy Friday friends! Some weeks after a holiday seem to drag but this week has flown for me. It’s amazing how fast the days fly when work is busier than usual. Of course by Friday the last thing I’m usually wanting to think about is healthy eating and more often than not we end up out to dinner or splurging on something like a bottle of wine and an easy cheese & charcuterie board! Next thing I know one weekend turned into the next weekend and then girls night out on Wednesday and I mean summer in itself just seems like a big free for all. I don’t mean to change my living habits but I do and next thing I know it’s summer again!
I saw this during the week and thought it was so funny and so fitting for how I feel right now!
So when Sarah at Meet the Shaneyfelts mentioned a Whole 30 and wanting some accountability I knew it was the perfect time to buckle down. Sarah is so adorable and energetic and I knew she would make a great partner. A few others shared a desire for some accountability as well and we would love to have more of you join! We decided the best way to help motivate each other, share recipes, daily struggles, etc would be to create a Facebook group. If you are interested in some accountability, even if you don’t want to do Whole 30 with Sarah, please message me and request to be added!
I’m sure most of you have heard about Whole 30. It is an amazing program that really does work to help you identify foods that may be causing issues in your body as well as show which foods increase your energy level and mood. I have participated in Whole 30 twice and it truly is about learning how foods work with your body and not about losing weight. All this being said, it is a very strict program. My biggest advice is not to jump into a Whole 30 without being completely educated as to what is compliant and what is not or there is really no point. While I saw a huge change in my body (mainly inches) 30 days is a long time especially in the summer with lots of traveling. So what is my plan while Sarah is moving through Whole 30? Good question!
Clean eating means cutting the crap! Getting rid of processed foods is a huge game changer. I grabbed Cassie Joy Garcia’s cookbook, Fed & Fit 
Here are my 5 foolproof tips that always work for me!
- Get your mind right! If you are not ready to commit to making a positive change towards healthy living you will not be successful. Be ready to give yourself some grace when you need to but then get right back at it. Don’t let one bad day become a week and then a year.
- Have a plan. Do not be left without a food. It’s been said many times but failure to plan is a plan to fail. For me this means going to the store once a week and making a ton of food at once. Breakfast casseroles to last all week and huge pans of roasted veggies are some of my favorite things to have on hand. It also means if I know there is a girls night or work lunch during the week I create a plan ahead of time and stick to it.
- Write it down. I know this seems like a huge pain but there is no better way to stay accountable than to journal not only your food but also how you feel each day. Identifying your triggers for bad food while recognizing how the clean food makes you feel will really give you great information.
- Read the labels. The biggest surprise for me when I participated in a Whole 30 was realizing how much sugar is in everything! Looking to find “real” ingredients listed first in things like spaghetti sauce was a big deal.
- Keep it simple. Yes, I love making food that is delicious but I quickly found it did not have to be complicated. A little healthy oil in a pan + some seasoning (I love garlic and red pepper flakes)+protein of choice+veggies and you have an easy stir fry. So many times I literally take the protein we had for dinner and eat with my eggs in the morning. I also learned to love throwing roasted veggies from the night before into a salad with some chicken or tuna.
Do you want to make a positive change? Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me has definitely been an inspiration on her journey and I hope Sarah and I can help to inspire a few of you as we share our journey. We will be starting on Tuesday, June 6th and would love to have you join!
Linking up with all my faves!
I agree, this time of year is a free for all! All of the end of the year parties, graduations, birthdays, holidays, happy hours – ugh! I’m getting back on track myself on Monday now that school is out. I’m not interested in Whole30 but I may message you for the accountability piece. Have a fabulous weekend!
xo,
Kellyann
http://www.thisblondesshoppingbag.com
Would love you to join us Kellyann. It will definitely be casual and completely a space to support each other and share the struggle and successes each week.
I am so ready to start eating healthy next week!!! I am picking up my groceries this afternoon and meal prepping this weekend. We can totally do this!! If you start an accountability group let me know.
I created a FB group….adding you to it! Super excited you are joining us.
May was horrible for me! I am such a stress eater and I also came home and had my fair share of cold beer after work while sitting on our patio. I am really excited to start eating clean again. Summer is really hard for me, like you said, it seems like one big free for all so I am already planning for all of that. Have a great weekend Shelly!
I did so good in March and April Jenna and then May was awful for me too!! Hoping to get back on track.
So proud of you and Sarah, 2 of the sweetest and excited to see your journey! Oh it is so much about the mind for me and keeping it simple and clean! Bring on the farmers markets and freshness! Enjoy your weekend beautiful lady!
You impress me with your activity level lady…..I do so much better with my energy level when I’m eating clean so I’m hoping I’ll get back on track and stop the madness!
You are the second blogger I’ve read this morning talking about Whole 30 and I also have another friend doing it. I started Faster Way To Fat Loss last week. It’s a 6 week (really 7 because there is a prep week) eating/exercise program very similar. I’m using My Fitness Pal and it a big help and big pain…LOL. I saw your stuffed pepper recipe on Insta stories. They looked delish…but of course my first thought was some cheese would be so good on those.😂 Oh how I miss my cheese!!!! Here’s to getting healthy!!!
I like to say I don’t miss cheese Lisa….and I really don’t until it’s presented to me and then I have a hard time saying no thank you. But having a little here and there isn’t the end of the world. I am loving subbing the cauliflower for rice in this bell pepper recipe. They turned out so good! Let me know if you want to be part of our FB group….it’s going to be super casual but hopefully some great support and sharing some tips, recipes and meal prep ideas.
I’d love to be added to the group Shelly. It will be great to share ideas and recipes! Thanks😃
Hey Friend….friend me on FB so I can get you added! I’m listed as Shelly Kielman Janac.
Done! Thanks Shelly!!!
Add me to the group please! 🙂
Added! Excited you are joining us!
Oh my gosh, that baby meme is hilarious!! I can’t wait to follow along with you and Sarah… you are brave souls! I can’t give up wine AND sweets all at the same time. Eek! I’d lose my mind!
Lindsay back in the day I could still maintain and actually lose by just upping my activity but in my 40’s not so much. Honestly the sugar is really the big one for me to drop….and just realizing it’s in everything has been eye opening. I’ll never not splurge on sweets here and there but I definitely can’t have half a pan of brownies anymore!
LOL I was somehow super in shape during the holidays and then after spring break went crazy and ate whatever! I’m back on the bandwagon this Monday. I’m interested to see more about the Whole 30 journey for you all! Best wishes!
Oh man, I need to get on board with this!! I traveled for work all week and ate TERRIBLY and then tonight we went out to dinner.
It’s been the same here for me Laura and I just keep thinking….oh just let me get through this week and it will be better. Time to stop the madness.
I feel the SAME way!
I love Whole30 – but take it a step farther and do not just do it for a limited time let it be your eating lifestyle always and BOOM everything is rainbows! Haha. I hope your weekend is fabulous just like you!
Definitely agree. I’m not in this for a quick 30 day fix…but I definitely needed a reality check and some accountability. I can always tell a huge difference when I let one cheat turn into a year and nothing fits and my sleep habits suck and I’m grouchy. haha
I was good for nearly a month and it almost killed me, lolol. I have since slacked off a bit, but am being better than I was.
The sugar and chips and hot sauce are definitely my downfall. Hoping to get back on track and stay focused. I know there will never come a day when I deny myself every sweet or every chance to eat chips and hot sauce but the older I get the more those have to be set aside as a special treat and not the norm.
I love this! I need to do this too, and those memes? Hilarious, so me right now! I good during the weekdays, but come the weekend and it’s a free for all, so you’re right you do need to just change everything and not have a “cheat” meal, but it’s so hard, when pizza is so good! hehe.
Girl…I wanted pizza SO bad this weekend. I truly is one of those things I have tough time passing on.
I AM SO EXCITED!! And so happy to have some accountability!
I love the idea of the whole 30 but somehow have a hard time committing. I see my family eating all the pizza and then I cave…
Funny that you mention pizza….I seriously wanted it all weekend! Whole 30 isn’t very realistic for me long term but eating clean and finding foods that fuel my body best most of the time has become more and more important as I edge closer to 50…blah.
AWESOME lady!!!! I, like you, am a huge fan of Whole30. So informative about our bodies and foods. Totally would love to join the Facebook group as I’m doing my 4th Whole30.