First Post!

Hello! I created this blog a few months back but have never made a post... but I've decided to take on the Whole 30 challenge with a friend starting Sept 8 and wanted to have somewhere to archive all of the recipes I use! So here I am, finally writing a post on this blog.  For some more information on Whole 30, click here --> http://www.whole30.com Being vegetarian makes this challenge a little more difficult, so I've decided to make some exceptions (3 1/2 to be exact)

1. Quinoa - it's a little bit harder to fill up on meatless protein, so I decided to make an exception for this gluten free pseudo grain that's full of protein. 
2. Black beans - speaking of protein, I NEED MY BLACK BEANS! My main sources of protein are eggs, tofu, and black beans.  I'm allowed to have eggs on Whole 30 and even though I can't have tofu (made of soy), I can have tempeh which is pretty similar.  However, there is no alternative for my black beans, so I've decided to keep them part of my diet.
3. MERE'S WEDDING!!! One of my best friends is getting married during the time I'll be on Whole 30.  I've had so much fun hearing all about her plans for the wedding (including the FOOD) and I just can't miss out on that goodness (and, let's be honest... I'm gonna drink at her wedding...) So, while I will do my best to still eat healthy, I am not going to stick to the Whole 30 diet at her wedding... #sorrynotsorry 
1/2. Smoothies - On 'The Official "Can I Have..." Guide to the Whole30' (http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/), it says, "we'd rather you didn't." Mostly because of the high sugar content from the fruit and the fact that drinking your breakfast doesn't send the message to your brain that you are full as fast as chewing your food. But I love my smoothies and they're an easy thing to make to-go for an early morning of Anatomy. So they stay.

So, there is my (very wordy) description of my new diet.  I have a few days left to eat like normal, then I'll start a juice cleanse 3 days before I start Whole 30 (the idea is that once I've had nothing to eat for 3 days, I'll enjoy ANYTHING... even if it's just kale, almonds, and black coffee)

Anyone reading this who's done Whole 30 before may think that, with all of these exceptions, it's not actually Whole 30 (since it's pretty strict).  But I really don't care.  I'm doing this to get healthy and to do that, I need to be able to stick to it.  I'm not going to stick to it if I can't eat things that fill me up, so I'm doing it my way... the 'Haley Whole 30.'

Now that I've started on this blog, hopefully I'll keep up with it! I'll write another post later this week explaining a little more about me... other than just what I eat!

~Make someone smile today! :)