Well, the month of the Whole 30 challenge is officially over.  And to be honest, it ended up being more like the Whole 26. ?

Whole 30 Week 4 // Fork in the Kitchen

The perfectionist in me wishes I could sit here and tell you about how I finished the Whole 30 without fault and that I could inspire you to do the same.  But this is real life.  And honestly, sometimes life gets in the way of grand plans and big challenges and that’s ok.

This time life = a date with my little brother.  We aren’t able to match our schedules often and when we do, the Parlor Burger is our thing.  The stars aligned and last minute we were able to get together.  Honestly, I was already feeling the need to just balance life out again (if you couldn’t sense my frustration during week 3), so it was an easy yes for me.

Mediterranean Frittata // Fork in the Kitchen

What’s more important to me is how I transitioned out of the Whole 30, and how it has changed the way I look at food, health, and my body.

Because I do have a tendency to be a perfectionist, this is the process of learning to accept, let go, and becoming okay with imperfection.  It’s actually been a blessing the last 4 days to focus on the balance of life, and to not beat myself up for imperfections.   Through the process of indulging in the burger with my brother, I practiced eating slowly and truly enjoying food, instead of devouring (and inhaling) it.  I was able to listen to my body (partly because I was nervous about how it was about to respond to the salty/meaty/cheesey goodness ?).

I’ve also proved to myself that I can eat a life truly out of balance.  Since the date with my bro, I’ve been back on the Whole 30 track about 90% of the time.  It was always my goal to really figure out how my body responds to the food I eat, and I’ve been hyper aware of it as I’ve reintroduced food groups.  I continue to stay away from dairy/gluten as much as I can and have mainly reintroduced legumes and rice this week.

Asian Brussel Sprout Salad // Fork in the Kitchen

Take-aways from the Whole 30:

  • Learning to eat Whole 30 approved and moving forward eating that way 90% of the time
  • Figuring out how my body responds to certain foods
  • Eating real foods does matter
  • On the flip side, foods – even those you wouldn’t suspect – can lead to inflammation in the body
  • It’s a totally worthwhile journey, even if it is cut a little short
  • I CAN create a lifestyle out of eating real foods with TRUE balance

Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash // Fork in the Kitchen

What I ate in Week 4:

  • Crispy Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Aioli (coming soon!)
  • Asian Brussel Sprout Salad (coming soon!)
  • Mediterranean Frittata – made on Sunday for quick and delicious weekday breakfasts!
  • 3-Ingredient Energy Bites – sooo easy and the perfect W30 snack!
  • Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash (coming soon!)
  • So many spiralized noodles — have you gotten your Inspiralizer yet?!?

Crispy Potatoes w/ Garlic Aioli // Fork in the Kitchen

What now?

As I mentioned above, I’m moving forward with my new found realization that I can truly eat more balanced, even yes, as a food blogger who loves to bake and eat butter with EVERYTHING.  So now I continue to consciously think about what I’m eating, how it’s going to affect my body, and if it’s going to be worth it to indulge each time I’m tempted.

If you missed out on on the beginning of my Whole 30 journey, check out Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3!  Any reintroduction/moving forward advice for me?  I’d love to hear – #forkinthekitchen or @forkinthekitchen and fill me in!

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