Whole30: My Favorite Recipes
- Rebecca Reynolds
- Jan 29, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 14, 2019
I began my Whole30 reset on January 2, 2019. In just one month I lost seven pounds, but for me it was about so much more than just shedding the weight. A month of cutting out added sugars, dairy and grains taught me how to think about food in a whole new way and if you are looking for a great way to reset, I 100% recommend looking into this regimen. Lucky for you I have listed a few of my favorite Whole30 approved recipes and they are great options for everyone (Whole30 or not).
Breakfast
Breakfast Bake from 40 Aprons
Meal prepping is your best friend during this process! It might be the last thing you want to do on a Sunday afternoon, but it is a life saver during Whole30. Having your meals ready to go leaves less room for those midday snack traps at the office or junk food splurges when there is nothing in your fridge! Write down a menu ( breakfast, lunch, dinner and all of your snacks) and make sure they are prepped and ready for you so you can stay on track. This was personally my favorite breakfast recipe. It requires a little chopping, but it is SO easy and makes enough for the whole week!
If you feel like trading in the more savory egg bake for something a little sweeter, I recommend this sweet potato breakfast with blueberries from Paleo Gluten Free Eats
Lunch
This was my “go-to” lunch all month. I would make a big pot (modified to a crock pot recipe) on Sundays and divvy it up for my weekly lunches. You can add it to a salad, wrap it in lettuce or add a few veggies. I would eat this with either an avocado or a bell pepper. Even if you aren’t on Whole30, this would make a great taco!
Dinner
Sweet potatoes were a staple to my whole30 meal planning. They added the perfect bit of sweetness, kept me feeling full and quite honestly just made me happy! Anything that helps get excited about and look forward to your dinner during a restrictive diet is everything. Truth be told we probably ate this at least once a week.
More sweet potato? Uh, YES!
On a chilly January evening this soup hits the spot! I was surprised to see how much my Husband enjoyed this recipe and he even requested it again the following week – so that is a win in and of itself. Downside is that, for me, it wasn’t a meal I would want as a leftover and wouldn’t recommend meal prepping this for a meal later in the week. You can find more healthy recipes from Beauty and the Bench Press here.
For the most part we were able to modify our regular “pre-Whole30” staples by replacing tortillas and bread with lettuce! For an easy and healthy alternative, even for those non whole30 folks out there, just take out the grains and turn your dish into a salad or a lettuce wrap. 40 Aprons has so many great options!
Snacks
I ate A LOT of fruit this month – my fridge looked like an orchard – but when I needed to change things up this was my easy go-to snack! 3 ingredients chopped in a food processor and formed into a fresh Whole30 version of a granola bar. The coconut flakes leftover from this recipe made for a great snack when I felt munchy. For more recipes check out The Bewitchin Kitchen.
When on a diet I found that splurging on meals you are excited about is totally worth it so we went all out with homemade cocktail sauce. Anything to keep spirits high right? I thought this sauce was even better than anything from the store. The Defined Dish is one of my all time favorite places to find healthy meals and I even follow them on Social Media to get updates on great recipes.
Other Tidbits of Info:
I was fortunate to have a coworker who had completed Whole30 in the past. She sent me recipes, kept me accountable and anytime I wasn’t sure about something I could always check in with her. Having a few friends to reset with is really helpful!
My only cheat: I added a tiny drop of creamer into my almond milk + coffee each morning. I couldn’t handle to taste of my coffee without a splash of flavor, but it’s okay because no one is perfect and no one wants to deal with a decaffeinated Becca all day – so it was a win-win! (or a win-win-win for any Office fans out there!)
I LOVE sweets. I have a huge sweet tooth, so my daily fix of sweets came in the form of a smoothie (fruit with almond milk) in the evenings! It became something I was really looking forward to throughout my day.
I have continued my diet into February on weekdays only. I have added sugar back into my diet one day a week (usually the weekends) and I am not as strict about the little things. For example, we went out for Tex-Mex with family over the weekend and I had a few chips with salsa, but made sure my salad was dairy free. Its all about balance!
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