Getting ready!

T minus 1 day! The big day (day 1) of the Whole30 diet starts Monday, and I've been busy getting ready.

Before I get into the details, people have asked me-- what is Paleo and what is Whole30? The Paleo diet is based on the belief that we, as humans, were not designed to consume dairy and grains the way we do today. We were doing just fine as hunters and gathers until agriculture came into play. Since then, a diet that includes carbs and dairy is causing you harm. Paleo encourages you to cut out carbs and dairy altogether, limit fruits, and eat a lot of meat and vegetables. More info is available here and here.

Whole30 is a 30 day program based on Paleo. Tons of info is available here. It is designed for you to see what it is like to eat a strict Paleo diet for 30 days, outlining what food does and does not qualify as Paleo, recipes, and meal planning. I figured if I want to try Paleo, might as well go all in (minus animal products) for a solid 30 days.

Now that you know a bit more, this is what I've been up to to prepare myself:

1.) Trip to the farmer's market

I love the farmer's market where we live! It is huge and offers so many different types of produce. We bought a ton of veggies:

This photo doesn't include the Japanese eggplants, eggs, bok choy, mustard greens, and plums!

2.) Cook!

With all this produce, I had to cook some something! Eating scrambled eggs every morning has been getting boring, so when I saw Nom Nom Paleo's mini frittata muffins, I had to make them. I modified it a bit by omitting the prosciutto and mushrooms (mushrooms b/c I didn't have any) and subbed in spinach and basil. They turned out pretty good!

I also made some roasted red pepper strips, which are so addicting! It is so easy to make (and easy to snack on), so I have a feeling I'll be making a lot more pretty soon.

3.) More shopping

I can only buy so much at the farmer's market, so I went to Whole Foods to pick up some quality fish. As I'm increasing the amount of fish I eat, I really, really don't want to increase my intake of mercury. Using the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, I bought wild Alaskan salmon (canned and frozen) and albacore tuna that was caught using troll and/or a pole and line method.

Lastly, I went to Albertson's to pick up items that the farmer's market didn't have and for items I didn't want to pay big bucks for at Whole Foods. That included canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, yams, and shallots.

Whew! That was a lot. I treated myself to a quick trip to Border's (50% off!). Tomorrow I'll be going all out at brunch with some friends before it is time to get serious on Monday with Whole30!