I’ve officially made it two weeks in to Whole30 and am feeling the upswing… Last week I was SO hungry and this week felt much more balanced. Today is when they say the “tiger blood” phase kicks in – when you feel like you could essentially rule the world – so I am holding out strong for that! I felt much more intense cravings the last few days (dessert! wine! cookies!), but did manage to stay steadfast while at a work lunch at Barbuto (one of the best Italian restaurants in the city). Halfway there!
Everything Tuscan Kale
My grocery shopping has led to exploration of new produce and I am also an obsession with Tuscan Kale. I don’t know what it is, but I am in love with this leafy, gorgeous emerald green plant. I sliced it up thinly for a BLT Shrimp Caesar Salad this week (pictured below) and it was my favorite meal of the week! Don’t forget to massage the kale, yes literally massage it, for salads since it’s a little tough naturally and needs a little TLC to become soft and luscious in salads. I’m also going to use it in a soup this week that I’m thrilled about!
BLT Shrimp Caesar
To make this salad I tossed thinly sliced Tuscan kale with the Defined Dish’s Whole30 Caesar Dressing. Then I topped with crispy diced prosciutto (make sure it’s sugar-free!), sautéed shrimp and diced grape tomatoes. It was salty, crunchy, and indulgent. I also recommend adding in a couple of hard-boiled eggs or avocado!
Sauces for Days
I also went crazy with sauces this week. Tomatillo salsa ROCKED my morning scrambled eggs. You can see a full how-to video on the saved Instagram Story on my profile. The green salsa added such a bright freshness to my eggs, I felt like I was going out to eat at a restaurant every morning.
I also made a chimichurri sauce (page 306 of the Whole30 cookbook) that’s a fragrant blend of cilantro and parsley, similar to a pesto but without any nuts. I slathered this over tilapia one night and baked at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. Served with roasted carrots, it was a new weeknight favorite, completely regardless of Whole30!
How’s your Whole30 journey coming along? Share with me in the comments!
Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela
Gab – are you planning to do the re-introduction of the different food groups? That’s where I went wrong when I did Whole 30 two years ago. On day 31 I was ready to eat what I wanted again, not slowly reintroduce food groups one at a time.
Yes! I’m going to do the re-intro phase and I’m so looking forward to seeing how my body responds since I feel so good right now!