Fast forward to a year later, Alice announced on her blog that she was going to go on the Whole 30. (By the way, you should all cheer her along on her Instagram.) When I read her post, I thought, if ever there was a time for me to try this paleo reset, it would be now. At least I know who I can turn to advice/support. Okay, so maybe I won’t be starting until next month. I have some family visiting for 2 1/2 weeks, and I’m planning to travel to Alaska over July 4th. It’s just going to be too hard, and I don’t want to set myself up for failure. Why the heck do I even want to do the Whole30, you ask? I want the challenge, and I’m just plain curios. Under The Whole30 diet, I won’t be able to eat any grains, dairy products, legumes, and additional sugar. I want to see what kinds of tasty bites I come up with that would be paleo-friendly. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am quite excited to see what life is like without adding sweeteners to my diet. I may become a miss cranky pants without sugar, but I still want to learn how to deal with it. Most of all, I’m just curious about how my body responds to these dietary changes. Will I feel more energized like Michelle has? Will my body hate me? I’m eager to know! Before I dive head first into this culinary adventure, I’m going to a bit more research over the next few weeks. I’ve already picked up copy The Whole30 book, and I’m beginning to test out recipes that I will want to wolf down during that 30-day period. Let’s start with this braised chicken. The dish is inspired by one of the meals I got from Sun Basket, an online cook-at-home meal delivery service. I’ve added more spices and more vegetables to the dish (of course). I have also cooked many variations on the dish, using chicken breasts and chicken thighs, and the thighs win out on more flavor. Not even debatable. Yes, there is a more fat when cooking with skin-on chicken thighs, but I feel full after eating one piece of chicken. I definitely will make this braised chicken again during my Whole30 journey, but maybe sans freekeh on the side. Just maybe. NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
