Last June I decided to try Whole30 on a whim. I woke up one morning after a beach getaway with a few of my close friends that left me feeling sluggish and finally got up the nerve to dive into this 30 day fast from all the food and drink worth living for. My husband, sweet man that he is, decided to do it with me so that he could complain I was starving him to his coworkers *insert eye roll*. I was excited, but as I started perusing recipes I realized how much work this was going to take. Cooking whole foods from scratch for every meal can take a lot of time and energy, and also, no wine. Throughout the 30 days I found a few recipes and tricks for the nights you just cannot bring yourself to cook a meal with an ingredients list as long as some of the lineages in the Old Testament. Find my favorites below:
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- Tessamae’s: This brand has a great assortment of dressings, marinades, and condiments that can be used to cook a quick meal. One way I used these a lot was to grab some chicken thighs, throw some salt and pepper on them, lather in Tessamae’s BBQ sauce and bake at 350 for about 35 – 40 minutes. Your taste buds will thank you. I prefer chicken thighs because I like them better and find they do not dry out as easily, but it could certainly work with chicken breasts as well.
- Chicken Sausage: Whole Foods has a few brands of Chicken sausage that you can just throw in a frying pan and heat up. You can check the ingredients to make sure they are compliant, or this list has a bunch listed out.
- As a side dish, most stores have pre-chopped sweet potatoes you can thrown in a frying pan with olive oil and oregano for a really healthy and filling side dish.
- This burger recipe is delish, but substitute prosciutto for the bacon. It cuts down on having to pre-cook the bacon. Just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and toss in the oven once mixed well. It also helps because most grocery stores do not have the approved bacon, so it saves an extra shopping trip if you do not regularly shop at Whole Foods.
- Two pork loin recipes that are found here and here. Bonus for the super lazy: there are always leftovers!
- Finally, get an Instant Pot (link in picture below). There are so many recipes that just call for adding meat and spices, and letting cook for 15 – 30 minutes. The features are priceless for a Whole30 quick and easy meal.
Hopefully this list gets makes this diet plan a little less daunting, and helps turn it into a fun 30 days. Add your tips and tricks in the comment! Happy cooking!
TOTAL W(H)INE 