Whole30 Week 1

I've survived Week 1 on the Whole30. There was a lot of cooking the first few days but then I got into the swing of things and leftovers piled up, freeing me from having to constantly cook.

I'm surprised that I feel generally good so far and am enjoying what I'm eating. The only drastic changes have been eating out or socializing with friends while they drink--the awkwardness is coming from me watching them consume the items I can't have. My friends think I'm being super creepy asking to smell and watch them eat things. (I don't feel like I need to eat those foods but maybe this is a form of craving them?).

These resources have helped me a ton when getting started:

• The Whole30 Fast and Easy Cookbook
• Ultimate Trader Joe's Whole30 Shopping List
• 10 Must-Have Whole30 Pantry Staples
• The Whole30 Starter Guide
• 10 Surprising Grocery Store Finds that are Whole30 Approved 
• The Kitchn's Whole30 articles/recipes
• Eating Out on the Whole30

Observations:

1. No cravings and feel full longer. 
2. Sleep has actually regressed to a couple months ago when I would sleep for 5 hours and then sleep on and off for the next 2 (I have had sleeping issues for most of my life). 
3. Feel less bloated and less tired even though I haven't been sleeping great. 
4. Don't really feel the need to snack that much. Most people who gave me advice said to have snacks on hand since I would feel really hungry. I do occasionally snack on cashews and am treating myself with La Croix (which I normally don't have on hand). 
5. It's cheaper to make your own condiments: mayo, pasta sauce, salad dressings, marinades and ketchup. 
6. My go-to Whole30 approved pantry staples have been: ghee (clarified butter), Red Boat Fish Sauce and Coconut Aminos (Trader Joe's sells all of these for a good price). 
7. My sinus congestion and pressure is TBD. Some days are good, some days are back to bad. We'll see..

My Favorite Recipes (so far):

• Pickled Onions-which go great pretty much everything!
• 5 Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie-this is actually a recipe that is in my regular rotation anyway!
• Steak with Chimichurri
• Sausage with Peppers and Onions
• Tortilla de Patatas (not labeled as a Whole30 recipe but after reading the ingredients and checking with the Whole30 forum, this is Whole30 compliant and also super delicious!).