Becky Crenshaw

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips!  Psalm 63:5

Good morning!  This message is coming to you from a girl TWELVE DAYS into her Whole 30 journey.

The last we spoke, I planned to begin January 5th, but I started a few days earlier instead.  I was ready and thought, “The sooner I begin sooner I finish.”  Selah.

So … Am I starving? Craving sugar? Fatigued?

Nope. Nope. Not any more.

I am ecstatic to report my findings of this nutritional reset.  So below you’ll find a random list of Whole 30 Fun Facts coming to you live from kitchen table of Becky Crenshaw.

Garlic Dijon Salmon, Freshly Steamed Veggies and a side of homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

 1.  Jesus must be part of this with me or else I would cave.

Seriously, call me over-spiritual, I don’t care, but week one was an exercise of remembering that He is my sustainer and my ever-present help in a time of need.  Even if my need is for a Werther’s Original, He is the same in that moment as He is in any other struggle I face.  So Jesus is doing the Whole 30 with me.  Of course, He hasn’t caved once – grin.

2.  Sugar is e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. And I ate more than I knew.

“The Whole 30” are three words which really mean, “People who read labels.”  {wink}  We check for words like, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, CANE JUICE, TREACLE, HONEY, ETC.   And let me tell you… SUGAR is in just about everything.  Oh my.  Week one was a grocery store puzzle.  Sugar was my “Where’s Waldo” and I had to scour each label, searching for its syrupy grin.  It took some time, but I finally had a Whole 30 compliant shopping basket and checked out.  Sweating at the brow, but successful all the same.  Look here to learn more about the sneaky “Where’s Waldo” disguises of sugar.

Homemade Banana Chips

 3.  I ate a lot of breath mints…

…and Tic Tacs and butterscotch and Ice Breakers. Day one I realized, “oh man, my breath wreaks of garlic and there ain’t a thing I can do about it”…. Except brush my teeth!   That’s a good thing, right!  Day 30 I will be healthier and my teeth whiter!  Score.  So once I overcame the breath mint hump,  I am better.  Honestly, I don’t miss them, at all.  I do, however, eat some homemade banana chips  occasionally for an after dinner “mint” and also carry  breath spray in my purse for emergencies. So come close.  Its ok.

4.  I feel amazing. Now.

Emotionally, I have hit lows.  Wishing I could sink my teeth into a big piece of bread or crunch into a Sun Chip, but overall I have really enjoyed all the foods I have cooked.  I bake a lot of sweet potato chips for my “crackers” and have even dehydrated okra for a little extra snap on my salad.  Very good, FYI.

My energy level is high during the day! I am not swollen or puffy, at all.  A happy gut makes for a happy woman.  You heard it here first.

5.  I sleep AWESOME.

I read that this would happen and it is true for me.  I fall asleep early and fast and stay that way all night.  Quite amazing.  And when I wake up – WOW! – watch out!  I feel awesome.  It is nice not feeling hung over from the big bowl of popcorn I had right before I went to bed.

6.  Workouts have been interesting.

I could defiantly feel the “fat for fuel” transition.  Now that I am not stockpiling on shakes and english muffins every morning, it took my body a workout or four to have the energy to perform well.  I was tired and felt like a block of lead.  But once I made the switch and now exercise on real food, my runs and workouts are a-maz-ing!  So to all my spin class participants, I apologize in advance — I am peppy.

Roasted Parsnips, Beets and Broccoli

 7.  My family is an innocent and lucky bystander.

I told you before that the boys and Brent weren’t playing my Whole 30 game, but I have researched fun lunch menus for the boys and tested them out (just to see).  Surprisingly,  they have thoroughly enjoyed the fun little combinations in their lunch boxes.  So although I am not turning the Crenshaw Family into Paleoholics, I have made a gentle switch for them. Less sugar. Less bread. More veggies and meat.

As for dinner, Brent has really enjoyed the menu.  Here are a few recipes I tried last week.  All a success. (Especially, the pot roast.  Brent is still talking about it. No joke.)

Recipes:

*  Grilled Salmon with avocado salsa

* Portabello Turkey Burger (great, but next time… less pepper) with a side of Cajun Sweet Potato fries (again, less pepper.  These puppies were hot.)

Portobello Turkey Burger w/ Cajun Fries

* Fajita chicken bake (minus the cheese on top)

* Balsamic Onion Gravy Pot Roast (this will improve  your marriage and impress all your friends. You’re welcome.)

I meal plan by simply creating my own Pinterest board called “My Monthly Menu” where I pin several recipes I will cook that calendar month.  Before grocery shopping, I pick a week’s worth of recipes and write down all ingredients needed.  Simple.

8. I eat weird things for breakfast.

Example: Yesterday was a bowl of eggs topped with greens, roasted garlic, broccoli, a beet, a few cherry tomatoes and a little Dijon mustard to dip.  See. Weird.

There are far more, less-weird options out there.  Don’t be turned off by my choices.  I have eaten yummy omelets (no cheese), sausage and even sweet potatoes with chicken.  Compliant turkey wraps are yummy, too.  Stick a little celery or avocado inside and out the door you go!

Funny fact:  Day three I lost a boiled egg in my van.  It is in a ziplock, thank goodness, but I still can not find that thing.  I just can’t wait for the morning it greets me.  That will be delightful, I am certain.

9.  I eat Bread with my meals. Wait. What?

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  John 6:35

I decided early on that if I couldn’t eat a cracker with my salad, then I would feast on the Word of God during every meal.  Jesus calls Himself the “Bread of Life.”  He IS His Word.  What better carb could I eat than this?  So I open my Bible and feast.  This has been huge for me.  If you are new to the Bible then click on my “Quick Fix” link above and read through those passages.

{I have a Whole 30 Scripture list in the works. Stay tuned.}

10.  Don’t even think about doing this without a support group.  

If nothing else, you’ll have questions and need advice or ideas.  There are a couple of Facebook groups and forums already established, but I wanted a faith-based community.  So I made one.  We have a Facebook page called “A Little Whole 30 With A Whole Lot Of Jesus.”  If you’d like to join, feel free to request!  It has been a safe place for prayer requests and encouragement.  Come visit!

Breakfast: Sautéed Spinach w/ Pecans, Eggs with veggies and a dash of fresh cilantro.

Ok that is all for now!  I know many of you are doing the Whole 30 or another program this month!  How are you doing!?  How can I pray for you!  Leave a comment below!

Also, if you  have questions, please feel free to leave those in the comments, too.  I will respond to you here, so check back!

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalm 54:4