Whole 30: Week One Meal Plan and Shopping List
I'm so excited to share with you my first weekly meal plan for week one of the Whole 30 Program. I've spent the last year cooking and learning as much as possible about food, health and its connection to a healthy mind and body. If you can take back control of the preparation of your own food you can't help but be successful. It seems like a small thing but the act of cooking for yourself or for your friends and family is one of the greatest gifts you can give those around you. The food you eat will either improve your life and your health or take it away. So don't be afraid of the kitchen, grab your apron and your knife and lets get cooking!
One of the challenges I faced when I started trying to lose weight was how difficult it was to find the time to make cooking a priority. I decided if I was going to do this properly cooking and planning needed to become part of my regular routine. I quickly fell in love with the act of cooking and preparing food. I would plan shopping trips to whole foods, try new ingredients, play some music and chop away. Cooking for one doesn't have to be boring it can actually be quite calming and stress relieving. You just need to find the right attitude and realize that nourishing yourself is actually the greatest gift you an give your body and the planet. I could go on and on about this but its more important to get to the details of meal prepping and planning!
Most of the information on cooking I'm sharing with you is very simple and basic and that is because that is all I have time for and its what has worked for me. It might seem boring to eat a salad every day for lunch but I have never minded it and it keeps my mind focused on other priorities during the day rather than worrying about what I'm going to eat. Being prepared and knowing ahead of time what I am going to eat for the day has helped me find the time for other things in my life like starting this blog!
You may also notice that the meal plan and the shopping list are for one person. If you are cooking for a family just increase your groceries by the number of people you are cooking for. I've also provided a grocery shopping list that can be used at any grocery store in North America from Whole Foods to Wal-mart. You can make the choice to buy organic or not, grass fed beef or conventional meats. Whatever you can afford is what you should do. What matters when grocery shopping is that you are choosing whole foods as the main items in your grocery cart. Stay away from the aisles unless you are stocking up your pantry with oils, nuts, herbs, ect.
Once you have your groceries its time to meal prep and get cooking! If you follow the above meal plan and buy the exact groceries on the above list you should have everything you need to prep all the food you need for your week ahead.
Tips for Success
- Purchase all your groceries on Saturday. I find its easier to split the task of shopping and cooking on two different days.
- Review your schedule for the week and be sure you only purchase enough food for the days you are in town. I travel quite a bit for work so my meal prep work depends on exactly how many days I'm home that week.
- Sunday I try and cook as much food in advance of the week as possible
- Before I get into cooking I try and start my morning with a 15 minute meditation, enjoy a glass of warm water with fresh lemon, head out for a walk or run and then enjoy a healthy breakfast
- Prepare and wash veggies and fruits
Today I cooked the following:
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes Hash
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Egg Cups
- Salad Jars
- Chili
- Spaghetti Squash
I'll be posting all the recipes for what I cooked on the blog this week!
I hope you will join me this round! If you are please let me know as I'll be posting weekly grocery lists and meals plans on a weekly basis so stay tuned!
Be happy and healthy!