Healthy Meals, Happy Life

Editor’s note: This series is not intended to take the place of medical advice. Please seek advice from your doctor before starting any diet or exercise regimen.

Back in January, my husband and I committed to trying a little “food experiment.”

Today I am going to share our experience with you to kick off my series on Healthy Meals, Happy Life.

I hate to call it a diet because, well, it wasn’t. Neither one of us needed to lose weight, it wasn’t about that. Plus, “diet” just seems to have such negative connotations and I didn’t want to be using that word all month long every time my kids asked why we were eating differently.

So, food experiment. That worked.

Tired of feeling sick and tired, we had started to look for something to give us a boost. I had a lot of friends who sell various products for energy, weight loss, and the like, but none of them sounded quite right to me. Stuff concocted in a laboratory is how our whole food system got so messed up in the first place, so I didn’t see how a canned shake was going to be the solution to my particular problem.

My husband tasked me with ultimately deciding what we would try, and he was game for anything that might improve our health, decrease our stress, and increase our energy.

I found Whole30. And it made sense.

The first thing that caught my eye, you don’t have to buy anything. Well, except food.

But, you have to buy food anyways, and you can buy it wherever you want. They aren’t trying to sell you their brand of food, or a quick fix pill, or their magic powder drink mix. The rules are free and accessible, and there are so many recipes and meal plans you can find for free just using a simple Google search. This made me very happy.

The second thing that caught my eye was they do not allow you to weigh yourself during the entire 30 days. Because the process isn’t about the number on the scale, it is about recognizing what your body needs and how different foods make you feel. I’ve spent a lot of my life receiving compliments for being thin, and I have always replied that I am thin because of genetics not because of any actual effort on my part. Thin does not equal healthy.

Healthy equals healthy. I liked that idea.

The last and final piece which really sealed the deal for me was this statement in their rules:

“It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth—the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.”

To me that sounded like a gauntlet being thrown, and no one loves a good challenge quite like a military spouse loves a good challenge, in my opinion.

Well, we committed to it, made a month’s worth of meal plans, and did it. The Whole30, start to finish, with not a single cheat.

It was difficult at first. Then it was interesting. Then it was awesome.

The results were astounding.

I slept better.

I felt better.

I didn’t feel like I was going to collapse in to an unintended nap every afternoon at 3 p.m.

I smiled more.

I snapped at the kids less.

I fit in my clothes better than ever.

I changed the way I ate for 30 days, and it changed the way I thought about food. I reasoned that I had basically eaten whatever I wanted for 32 years, I could certainly give up all my favorites for a set period of time. I had no idea that when it was all over with, I wouldn’t really want those things anymore.

(Well, except chocolate. I still want chocolate.)

Not only did I not really want them, when I tried certain things since our Whole30 ended, I found I don’t feel well. I get headaches. I feel tired. I get grumpy and bloated and only want to wear sweatpants. I am more aware of what foods make me feel good, and what foods make me feel gross. Before this little experiment I had no idea what the full impact was of food choices on my over-all wellbeing. While having a double chocolate chip muffin won’t kill me, it is a lot less tempting now that I can make the connection between what I eat and how I feel.

Sure I had some additional great results, like a 6-pound weight loss and 4 inches off my tummy, but by far the greatest result was understanding that I am always and can always be in control of what I eat, when I eat, and how I eat in order to live a stronger, healthier, happier life.

During this series I will share more about my healthy eating experiences along with a few of my favorite new recipes. For this week I will share one that was definitely an all-time favorite for both of us, easy to make and tasty beyond belief.

Blackened Chicken with Avocado Sauce

(We always doubled the chicken part of the recipe to make four chicken breasts, but there is no need to double the sauce. It makes a ton!)

• 2 Free-range Organic Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil {can use olive oil}
• 1 zucchini, per person

1. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken until even thickness.
2. Combine all the dry seasonings in a large ziploc bag. Mix them together, then toss the chicken breast around in the seasoning until fully coated. Allow to sit on the counter for 30 minutes before cooking.
3. Add the teaspoon of coconut oil to a large pan or skillet. Heat the coconut oil for a minute over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook for seven minutes on each side with the lid on. (This is where I begin making the avocado sauce, listed below.)
4. After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and let them rest for seven minutes before slicing them.
5. Serve the sliced chicken breast on top of the Zoodles, and top with a few tablespoons of the avocado cream sauce. Garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

• 2 avocados, pitted
• 1-2 jalapenos {adjusted for spice}
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic
• salt and pepper, to taste
• juice of 1 lime

1. In a food processor, or blender mix all ingredients until smooth. Serve on top of Zoodles or any type of veggie pasta. This would also be really good on a taco salad! Yum!

Enjoy!