Whole30 Day 10 & Roasted Chicken Thighs, Beets & Brussel Sprouts
After successfully completing the first 10 days of this January Whole30, I'd like to share how my mind and body have been influenced by this experience so far.
LUNCH
PRE/POST WORKOUT
1 beet
2 hard boiled egg whites
DINNER
Lemon parsley roasted chicken thighs
Roasted beets and brussel sprouts with walnuts
This meal was super easy and really delicious! I bought the chicken thighs from Trader Joe's (Organic, boneless and skinless thighs).
Roasted Chicken Thighs
Adapted from Simmer and Bake
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Juice from 1 lemon
3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1.5 teaspoons red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your taste for spiciness!)
~ 10 heirloom or cherry tomatoes
~10 olives, sliced
Directions
1) Mix the lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
2) Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag, pour in the marinade, and mix around so that each thigh has been coated.
3) Marinate at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
4) Preheat your oven to 375°F.
5) Rub a small amount of olive oil into a pyrex or glass baking dish and add the chicken. Pour the remaining marinade from the bag on top of the chicken and drizzle some olive oil on each thigh.
6) Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
7) In the last 10 minutes, add your tomatoes and sliced olives to allow them to slightly roast as well.
Roasted Beets and Brussel Sprouts
Adapted from PALEOdISH
Ingredients
~1/2 bag of brussel sprouts
2 beets, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1-2 teaspoons dried thyme
Dash of dried rosemary
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or other nut of choice)
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2) Mix together all ingredients, except for the nuts, into a medium sized pyrex or glass baking dish.
3) Place in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until beets are softened and brussel sprouts begin to brown.
4) To serve, add your chopped nuts on top of the vegetables.
First of all, I have learned to appreciate the simplicity of foods. Instead of craving processed or sugary foods, I now just want some good, fresh vegetables or a plain piece of chicken. Yes, spices and herbs are good and I definitely use them in my cooking, but I have learned that I enjoy the simple flavors of foods more than I had in the past. My body has also become accustomed to not snacking in between meals. Before, I used to snack on and off most of the day (my planning periods at school would almost always include some type of snack). Now, by eating a decent-sized portion of animal meat at each meal, I am left feeling satisfied until the next meal.
I also haven't felt stuffed or bloated after eating a meal, despite eating a lot of food at meals! It is a much more satisfying feeling of being full from things such as protein and vegetables than starchy carbohydrates or grains. I also don't feel the need to have coffee in the morning anymore! This is a huge deal for me. I used to always have a full travel mug or a medium-sized coffee before work in the mornings, but the past few days I just haven't felt like I needed it. Does this mean that I am going to give up coffee completely? No! But it is very gratifying knowing that I can have it because I enjoy the taste of coffee, not because I feel like I need it to wake up.
I know that in a couple of my past posts I had mentioned that unsweetened coconut flakes are a great snack. This is still true, but I chose to give these up because I realized I had started to snack on them too much because I liked the taste, not because I needed to snack due to hunger. I'll still use them for cooking, but for now they are off my list of items to snack on (at least until I can learn to only eat a few!). One more thing that I have gained from this experience so far: I have learned to truly appreciate leftovers. Leftovers make it so much easier to stick with this plan because you already have food laid out for a few days that are totally compliant. It's easy to pack lunches, and having pre-made breakfasts in the morning make things much quicker if you're in a rush!
BREAKFAST
Chicken
Cinnamon sweet potatoes
Green pepper slices
Cara Cara orange
Hard-boiled egg
(Yes, I was hungry this morning!)
LUNCH
Leftover curry cauliflower rice & paleo chicken curry
1 avocado
Handful of almonds
A few olives
PRE/POST WORKOUT
1 beet
2 hard boiled egg whites
DINNER
Lemon parsley roasted chicken thighs
Roasted beets and brussel sprouts with walnuts
Roasted Chicken Thighs
Adapted from Simmer and Bake
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Juice from 1 lemon
3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1.5 teaspoons red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your taste for spiciness!)
~ 10 heirloom or cherry tomatoes
~10 olives, sliced
Directions
1) Mix the lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
2) Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag, pour in the marinade, and mix around so that each thigh has been coated.
3) Marinate at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
4) Preheat your oven to 375°F.
5) Rub a small amount of olive oil into a pyrex or glass baking dish and add the chicken. Pour the remaining marinade from the bag on top of the chicken and drizzle some olive oil on each thigh.
6) Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
7) In the last 10 minutes, add your tomatoes and sliced olives to allow them to slightly roast as well.
Roasted Beets and Brussel Sprouts
Adapted from PALEOdISH
Ingredients
~1/2 bag of brussel sprouts
2 beets, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1-2 teaspoons dried thyme
Dash of dried rosemary
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or other nut of choice)
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2) Mix together all ingredients, except for the nuts, into a medium sized pyrex or glass baking dish.
3) Place in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until beets are softened and brussel sprouts begin to brown.
4) To serve, add your chopped nuts on top of the vegetables.
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