Last month, Graeme and I did the Whole 30 challenge. For a big part
of it, we lived off delicious roasted chicken dinners with a healthy side of
vegetables or salad, which wasn’t all too different from what we used to have
for our dinners during the week. Breakfasts were a bit more difficult. We got a
new appreciation for both kale and sweet potatoes, and probably doubled if not tripled
our egg intake. The first week we both experienced crankiness and headaches,
and it felt odd having a Netflix movie night without chocolate. But it wasn’t
nearly as bad as we were expecting. And breakfast and Netflix trials aside, we’ve
definitely benefitted from the challenge and feel both healthier and happier. Personally,
I noticed a huge improvement in my overall mood, and the quality of my sleep. I’ve
been known to lie awake and toss and turn at night, but suddenly found myself
actually sleeping at night and waking up
feeling alert and refreshed at 6.30 am, a feeling that was pretty new to me.
More importantly though, doing the challenge has changed our habits, and we've been eating way healthier even after we finished (with the exception of a holiday in Scotland were we ate ALL the food and were left gagging for chicken and kale). One of the salads we've been having a lot, and potentially one of my favorites, is this lemony zucchini salad. It's based on a recipe from the Polpo cookbook, but over time I’ve changed the cooking method and the ingredients a bit so that it feels more like a meal. And if you’re doing a whole 30 challenge, you can easily adapt it—it’ll still be delicious. Yummers all around!
More importantly though, doing the challenge has changed our habits, and we've been eating way healthier even after we finished (with the exception of a holiday in Scotland were we ate ALL the food and were left gagging for chicken and kale). One of the salads we've been having a lot, and potentially one of my favorites, is this lemony zucchini salad. It's based on a recipe from the Polpo cookbook, but over time I’ve changed the cooking method and the ingredients a bit so that it feels more like a meal. And if you’re doing a whole 30 challenge, you can easily adapt it—it’ll still be delicious. Yummers all around!
Lemon courgette salad recipe:
1 courgette
juice form 1 lemon
100 g rocket
15 g pine nuts
cured meat (prosciutto or similar)
grated parmesan
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt
pepper
