Embarking on a Whole30 journey can seem daunting, but with the right recipes, it can be a flavorful and satisfying experience. This article provides a collection of easy and delicious Whole30 recipes to guide you through your month of clean eating. This 7-day meal plan is designed to be approachable, requiring minimal meal prep while maximizing leftovers for repurposing.
Understanding the Whole30 Diet
If you're here, you likely already know the rules of the Whole30 program. It involves eliminating entire food groups like grains, dairy, sugar, legumes, and alcohol for 30 days to reset your relationship with your body. Finding compliant recipes can be a challenge, but it's definitely worth it.
Key Principles for Whole30 Success
- Embrace Efficiency: This meal plan prioritizes efficiency and deliciousness over time-consuming recipes with special flours or powders.
- Repurpose Leftovers: Most dinner recipes, and some lunch recipes, will provide enough leftovers to repurpose into a second meal, usually for lunch the next day. Specific instructions will be provided.
- Utilize Your Pantry: The meal plan is crafted to use as few spices/oil/vinegars as possible. If you think you have a better option in your pantry, use it!
- Mini Recipes: There are also lots of “mini recipes” - AKA simple recipes that are written in paragraph style directly in the meal plan versus linking out to a full recipe. You do not need to cook a full-blown meal recipe for every meal.
Sample 7-Day Whole30 Meal Plan
This plan feeds two people. Here's a glimpse into a sample 7-day meal plan, incorporating various recipes and repurposing strategies:
Day 1: Sausage, Bell Pepper, and Zucchini Skillet Eggs
- Dinner: Cook 1/2 pound ground sausage in a 12-inch skillet over high heat, breaking it up into as small of crumbles as possible. When there’s only a little bit of pink left, add 1 sliced bell pepper and 1 chopped zucchini and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. If anything starts to burn, turn down the heat! Turn the heat down to medium and add 2 big handfuls of spinach and continue cooking until wilted. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black peper. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 2 cups tomato sauce until warmed through, a couple minutes. Now make 4 divots in the sauce and crack 4 eggs into the divots. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until eggs are cooked to your liking.
Day 2: Salsa Chicken Taco Bowls
- Dinner: Make the salsa chicken. Eat half of the chicken tonight in your taco bowls, save half for tomorrow’s lunch.To make a taco bowl: warm 1 tablespoon ghee in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute 2 sliced scallions and 3 minced garlic cloves for several minutes, until tender. Add 1 bag cauliflower rice and crank the heat up to high. This is how to avoid wet/mushy cauliflower rice - high heat! Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 big handfuls of spinach and the juice of 1 lime at the very end and stir until wilted. Divide cauliflower rice between two bowls. Top with warm salsa chicken, sliced cherry tomatoes, some nut cheese, diced avocado, cilantro, green hot sauce, and whatever else looks good! Other toppings that you might have around the house: leftover veggies from another meal, pickled jalapeños, chopped nuts, pickled red onions.
Day 3: Salsa Chicken Loaded Sweet Potatoes
- Dinner: Cut 2 sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Place in a large heatproof bowl with 2 tbsp water. Cover with a a heatproof plate. Cook for 15 minutes or until completely fork tender. Like, no resistance whatsoever. No hard parts. Alternatively, you can roast them, but man this is easier. Add 1 tsp ghee to each potato half and season with salt and pepper. Smash/fluff it up, inside of the potato skin. Warm up all of the leftover salsa chicken and divide it between each sweet potato half. Top with avocado, pickled jalapeño, hot sauce, nut cheese, etc.
Day 4: Bacon and Egg Scramble
- Dinner: Chop up 4 slices of bacon into small pieces. Cook in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Transfer the crispy bacon to paper towels, leaving 1 tablespoon bacon grease behind. Add 3 big handfuls of spinach to the skillet along with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the spinach between two plates.Crank the heat up to high. Add 1 tablespoon ghee and crack in 4 eggs. They’ll all run together, but that’s ok. The whites should hiss and start to sizzle and crisp up immediately. Cook until the whites are cooked through and crispy around the edges and the yolks are done to your liking.Place two crispy eggs on top of the spinach on each plate. Divide the crispy bacon over top.
Day 5: Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
- Dinner: Add 4 cups bite-sized broccoli florets (you might need to break the florets from the bag in half) and a tiny splash of water to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cover for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the broccoli has turned dark green. Uncover and saute for about 2 more minutes, until broccoli is tender and all water has evaporated. Add leftover beef, 3 tablespoons coconut aminos, 1 tablespoon red (or rice) wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon compliant nut butter, 2 teaspoons fish sauce (if you already own it - it isn’t on the grocery list) and a splash of water. Add sriracha or any hot sauce if you like things spicy. Cook for another minute or so until everything is saucy, making sure that the nut butter gets broken down and saucy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Day 6: Sausage and Brussels Sprouts Hash with Fried Eggs
- Dinner: If you couldn’t find shredded brussels sprouts, throw 1 pound brussels in the food processor and pulse until shredded. You can use the shredded attachment or just the normal blade.Cook 1/2 pound ground sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the pan has about 1 tablespoon of sausage grease in it. Add 1 pound shredded brussels sprouts and 1 tablespoon water and cook for 4 minutes, until tender. Season with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and a tiny splash of red wine vinegar.Reduce heat to medium and, using a wooden spoon or a spatula, make 4 holes in the hash to reveal the bottom of the skillet. Crack an egg in each whole and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet with a lid (or use a baking sheet) and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until eggs are cooked to your liking.Garnish with chopped basil and serve.
Day 7: Tuna Salad Stuffed Avocados
- Dinner: Tuna salad: 3 cans tuna + 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayo (depending on how ya like it!) + 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles + 2 finely chopped celery stalks + 2 tablespoons dill pickle brine + 1 tablespoon yellow mustard. Add about 3 tablespoons chopped dried fruit like raisins, or dried apricots if you like it! Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.Cut two avocados in half. Peel off the skins. Serve half of the tuna salad stuffed into the avocado halves.
More Whole30 Approved Recipes
Finding delicious Whole30 recipes isn’t always easy, but it’s definitely worth it. Here are some more ideas to expand your culinary horizons:
- Brunch-worthy egg dishes: Eggs Benedict
- Seafood dishes: Salmon with creamy herb sauce
- Chicken stews: Chicken noodle soup with zucchini noodles
- Tuna variations: Sesame, Waldorf and pesto tuna salad
- Family-friendly casseroles: Chicken Piccata
- Side dishes: Vibrant slaw, Roasted red pepper dip
- Snacks: Spicy almond flour bites with dip
Tips and Tricks for Whole30 Success
- Plan Ahead: The easiest way to fall off the Whole30 wagon is to head out into the world without preparing lunches and small bites for the road.
- Embrace Vegetables: There’s an abundance of vibrant vegetables you can incorporate into each and every meal.
- Find Compliant Swaps: A few easy swaps - such as almond milk in the mash and cassava flour as a thickener - makes this classic comfort meal Whole30 compliant.
- Read Labels Carefully: When using condiments like harissa, read the label carefully to ensure it doesn’t contain added sugar.
Read also: Satisfy Your Cravings with Whole Foods
Read also: Whole Foods Breakfast Options
Read also: Plant-Based Diet Guide