You guys, since my Whole30 journey began a year and a half ago, I had big plans of hosting a potluck. A safe place where you didn’t have to worry or think twice about what food was being served and if it was compliant or not. A party you could go to without having to eat before you got there, where you didn’t have to take emergency food, or prepare to politely decline every hors d’oeuvre that came your way.
Well, it finally happened a couple of weeks ago. More food than I imagined, delicious as ever with all the LaCroix your heart could handle, Whole30 trivia AND door prizes. The cool thing about it was the diversity of people that attended–where some guests were Whole30 pro’s and others who had never heard of it before. It just further confirmed the beauty of the Whole30 community and how wanting to look and feel our best, eating delicious, nutrient dense food is something we can all have in common.
Here is just a glimpse of *some* the amazing food we had, and I wish I had taken more pictures of the food because, y’all, it. was. so. good.
Such delicious food. Everything from my typical roasted veggie bake with chicken apple sausage you see me eat nearly every day, pork carnitas and tenderloin, cucumbers, avocados, chicken salad… my oh my!
Game time! Whole30 Potluck Trivia
Whole30 trivia consisted of 30 (get it?) questions from easy to hard, (some say they were really hard) about all things Whole30. Guests were asked to pick a number, remove the post it note and read the question aloud and answer. If they were unable to answer it was up for stealing from another guest. The goal was whoever had the most post it notes at the end of the game were able to pick from the basket of door prizes first!
The door prizes included: Nutpods and Tessemae’s Ranch Dressing (surprise surprise), Tessemae’s Ketchup, Primal Kitchen Mayo, 2 sets of 1 Larabar and 1 Rx Bar. All goodies were compliant of course.
I had not prepared for a tie, so I had to think of some tie breaker questions off the top of my head but, alas, we had a winner. If I remember correctly, the Nutpods were first to go and the Mayo was soon to follow. Everyone walked away a winner as each guest left with a Whole30 prize in hopes of making their Whole30 a little bit easier.
To see a list of the questions, scroll to the bottom of the post!
Out of everyone who attended the Potluck only two were on a Whole30 at the time. The significant others of the guest attended too so there were some non-compliant beverages consumed by those and the ones who were not actively doing a Whole30 BUT, that’s what food freedom is all about. I had a delicious plate of food and was completely satisfied and still felt amazing after I ate it, along side my spiked pumpkin cider (please hurry, fall).
For those who were in the midst of a reset, there were plenty of compliant beverages for them, but ALL the food was compliant and that was a beautiful feeling.
If you are wanting to host a Potluck on your own, here are my suggestions to get the ball rolling, keeping in mind, this is what I did and wished I had done, but something different might work for you.
In the nature of any Whole30, the best place to start is picking a date, so…
- Talk to your circle of friends before hand and discuss a date that works best for (most). It’s going to be impossible to find a date that works for everyone.
- Create a Facebook event and send out invites at least 1 month ahead of time (you can do formal invites too if you’d like)
- Be thorough in your description of the event and expectations for the evening (time, date, place, what to bring, who to bring)
- Allow other guests to bring a Whole30 buddy or two with them
- Post a comment on the event page to have guests write what they are bringing to avoid doubles and check back periodically asking the same question, especially the day before.
- Post copy of Whole30 Rules on the event page (I didn’t do this and should have).
- Be inviting and welcoming when guests arrive. You can have index cards to write on if you want to put the name of the food on each dish
- Have name tags for your guests to wear if there are a lot of people who do not know one another
- Be organized- have drinks in a cooler, silverware handy, paper plates for easy cleanup, to-go containers ready for the guest on a current Whole30 (do as much ahead of time as possible)
- Thank everyone for coming and send them off with a door prize (not necessary but is a nice touch of you are able to accommodate) + send a thank you out on the event page the next day or two after.
It is not one size fits all and there are things I will do differently next time, and yes, there will be a next time because it was so much fun! I am incredibly passionate about this lifestyle and enjoy sharing it with any and everyone, especially these friends who came from near and far for the potluck!
If you host a potluck, please tag me (@coffeecarrotsandcurls on Instagram) or Snap your photos to court_coyle, I would LOVE to see what you came up with!
Until then, keep calm and Whole30 on friends.
Here is a list of the questions that were asked. How well would you have done?
- What year was the first Whole30 completed?
- If you want butter, what is the best Whole30 compliant option?
- What is the title of the first book in the Whole30 series?
- What was Melissa eating when her co-founder suggested they do a 30 day clean diet challenge?
- T or F Can you use alcohol to cook with on the Whole30?
- “I like cupcakes” is the first line in what Whole30 book?
- T or F Re-creating your favorite comfort food is encouraged during a Whole30?
- T or F You should throw away your scale during your Whole30?
- What happens if you break one of the rules during your Whole30?
- Whole30 is pressing the reset button on h__ h__ and r_________ with f____.
- How many new Whole30 books are coming out this year?
- What must you slay while on the Whole30?
- On what days will you want to “kill all of the things?”
- Sleeping more soundly, increased energy and fewer blemishes are all examples of what?
- What is phase 2 of the Whole30?
- Slow roll and fast track are examples of what?
- If you’re slipping into old habits, what is the best way to get back on track?
- What Whole30 approved partner offers Ketchup, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing, to name a few?
- It’s okay to use tobacco products on the Whole30?
- What is the name of the Whole30 program for pregnant women?
- “Quitting heroin is hard _________ ____ ______ _____ is not hard.”
- What is the first thing you do before starting your Whole30?
- What is an alternative to soy sauce while on the Whole30?
- What does SWYPO stand for?
- T or F Locust Bean Gum is acceptable on the program?
- Avocados, olives and nuts are examples of what?
- What is the name of the Whole30 Social Media/Digital Manager you often see on their Insta stories?
- Epic bars, Rx bars and Larabars are examples of what?
- What is the name of the fermented tea drink with probiotics?
- What common creamer is used on the Whole30?
- If you want the answers find me on social media, comment below or email me!
