i totally forgot to celebrate a few days back that i was halfway through this challenge! hooray! i am so impressed with myself for sticking with it.
i’m already planning the foods i will be returning to my normal life with. first off, my last day at work is my first day OFF of whole 30. i will be baking a batch of coconut almond brownies to celebrate. second, i will be having pancake breakfast that following sunday. just cuz. i will likely have some really fancy cheese ready to devour. probably some brie i will bake up with some nuts, cinnamon, and maple syrup. i’ll serve it with tapioca flatbread. WHAT?! where did that all come from?
here are some serious goals and plans:
*i plan on retaining so many of these paleo foods i have fallen deeply for.
*i plan to continue with the restriction of fruits, nuts, and seeds. knowing that my body feels so great without dairy, i will strongly decrease my consumption of it. even though i love cheese. i mean so, so much i love cheese.
*i will continue to use ghee to fry my eggs in. i really love this flavor, and i’m so glad i’ve found it.
breakfast: sweet potato hashies, 2 strips bacon, 2 fried eggs. coffee with coconut cream.
lunch: turkey, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 tomato. mixed nuts and a peach.
snack: handful of pepitas.
dinner: burger with egg, avocado, bacon, mushrooms. roasted carrot fries.
results: omg it was so good. i can’t even stand it. not to brag, but brian and i make burgers that are better than any burger i have eaten in any restaurant. honestly. i know that there are a few tricks to great burgers. first is fat content. we always chose NIMAN RANCH chuck, with an 15% content. when you buy chuck, you’ll see “85/15”, which means 85% lean and 15% fat are what make up the beef. never grill lean beef, unless you are looking for more of a jerky taste…seasoning the beef is essential, in my opinion. i use the same spices most times we have burgers. i’ll share my secret below.
and the carrot fries were a sweet and fun change-up from our sweet potato fries. really, this came out of necessity, as we had carrots in the refrigerator that i had NO clue what we would do with. ta-da!
this recipe makes 2 large servings.
awesome burger
2/3 lb ground chuck, free range & organic is always best
1/2 tsp powdered garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
method: sprinkle spices over meat. break meat into small pieces with your hands to combine spice into the meat. once it is well combined, form into 2 patties. DO NOT MAKE THEM TOO FIRM. you want them slightly loose so they stay tender. press the center of the patty much flatter than the outside edges. the center of a burger will puff up quite a bit as it cooks. this is why so many times you end up with a meatball burger.
grill until desired doneness. i recommend medium rare.
carrot fries
4 large carrots cut into fry shapes
good sprinkle of garlic powder
S&P
oil
method: preheat oven to 425f.
combine all ingredients in large bowl. spread over cookie sheet.
bake for 20 minutes or so, tossing at 10 minutes.
they are done when edges and ends are brown.
Eat the cookie! 
I’ll have to try your burger recipe. I’m on day 25 of Whole30 and I can’t wait to have cheese again. However, his diet has shown me that I am allergic to sunflower seeds.
matt-
what’s your first meal off of whole 30 going to be? are you normally grain free or primal in your diet? just curious.
bummer on the sunnyseeds. they’re some of my favorites!
liz
We normally eat basically primal, and little if any grain, so not much will change. I think our first meal will be a homemade variation of the Chipotle burrito bowl (lettuce, marinated & grilled chicken, sauteed onion and red pepper, avocado and salsa) with cheese on top to introduce dairy. I’m bummed about the sunflower seeds too, because they’re delicious, but it turns out my body does not play well with them.
The carrot fries look great… thanks for your comment on my almond butter! What’s Whole 30?