Get Ready, Get Set...

My mom was visiting this past weekend, which is always a great time. Our families have their own lists of favorite Chicago eateries, and we also make it a point to try new places each visit as well. Jason had to work Saturday night, so us girls were able have a night out for Sushi, which we love, but Jason could live without. I had to work during the day Sunday, so she and Jason met me for our favorite Pulled Pork Nachos at Derby for lunch, then headed off to Lagunitas Brewery for some "wedding research". After work we made a couple shopping stops and then hit up Honey Butter Fried Chicken (which pretty much sums up how awesome it is simply by reading the name), and turned in early. We went to brunch at Bakin' and Eggs on Monday morning then did a bit more shopping and running around before heading down town. Mom's train was scheduled to leave the city at 4pm, so we planned for a late lunch at a pizza place I had spotted a few months ago in the Fulton Market District. Parlor Pizza Bar has officially earned the top spot in my pizza book -- wood-fired thin crust pizza, hand-crafted toppings and cocktails, awesome vibe... yea, I'll be back.

So in other words, we did a lot of eating. It wasn't necessarily our intention to enjoy all our favorites prior to diving into the Whole30, but that's kind of how it worked out. After all that indulging, we dropped Mom off at the train station and headed to do our grocery shopping. We did what we consider "the full rounds" and hit Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Aldi, Stanley's Produce and Costco. Before anyone says "there's no way I'm going to five different stores", that's ok, I only do this about once a month, sometimes less. Could I get everything I needed at Whole Foods, yes, but it would cost me probably twice as much. And given that for us, all these stores are within 3 miles of our house, it makes sense to take the extra time and save a few bucks.

Our groceries included things like:
 - Bacon           - Pork Shoulder          - Chicken Sausages           - Coconut Milk            - Tomato Juice
 - Zucchini       - Almond Butter         - Broccoli                        - Cauliflower               - Avocadoes
 - Bananas        - Sweet Potatoes         - Onions                          - Eggs                         - Spinach
 - Oranges        - Orange Juice            - Snap Peas                      - Baby Carrots             - Wild Salmon
 - Kale              - Ground Beef            - Guacamole                    - Bell Peppers              - Deli Turkey
 - Apples          - Butter (to clarify)     - Butternut Squash           - Romaine                    - Tomatoes

I probably am forgetting a few things, but also note that some items we already had on hand like garlic, spices, chicken breasts, mahi mahi, shrimp, some nuts and seeds, as well as a few canned goods that are compliant.

Once we got home we heated up leftovers from the weekend for dinner and got to work washing, chopping, and portioning lots of the produce so that we could speed up the process for making meals throughout the week. I also took any foods, seasonings, snacks, etc. that we had on hand that do not comply with Whole30 and stashed those in our pantry, which allowed for the cabinets to be completely compliant. Out of sight, out of mind... or at least that's what I'm going for. Here's a glimpse of what our setup currently looks like:

 

 

I also plan to post our March meal plan soon so you can see what we will be enjoying in the next few weeks!