The final post in my Whole30 meal ideas series is here!
Whole30 DINNER ideas!!
I’m not joking when I say there are so many more dinners besides this sampling…the possibilities are endless, but this is a good start if you want some inspiration for your Whole30.
These dinners were delicious and filling…I never left the dinner table feeling hungry! And as of today, I’m down 15 pounds from the day I started Whole30.
I have NOT been working out or going hungry.
I can’t even explain how awesome I feel. Going back to a grain and sugar laden diet has no appeal to me anymore. I’m just too happy with how I feel these days!
My goal for April is to start regularly exercising. Even though I’ve dropped some weight, I’m still pretty jiggly! I’d like to be fit and active before summer comes so that I feel great in all of my summer swimsuits and clothing.
Let’s get to the real reason you’re here…the food!
1. My friend Beth brought us this incredibly delicious ratatouille! (recipe post here!) It was her great aunt’s recipe and it was SO GOOD that I ended up making a batch of it another time that very same week! Paired with a garden salad it was a fantastic dinner. Didn’t even miss the bread!
2. Pork Carnitas….my most favorite Whole30 meal of all! This recipe is from Popular Paleo and it rocked my socks off. I could eat this at least once a week for life! I paired it with her Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice and it was heaven in a bowl. Make it. You’ll be so glad you did!
3. Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burgers (found in the frozen section) Lettuce Wraps with a side of crinkle cut fries…make sure the fry ingredients are compliant or cut up your own taters, toss them in coconut oil, and roast them at 400* for about 20 minutes. These lettuce wraps were just romaine lettuce, chili lime chicken burger halves, orange bell pepper, green onions and jalepeno slices. Delish!
4. Ratatouille again!
5. Italian “breaded” chicken tenders with roasted tiny potatoes (from Trader Joe’s) and roasted brussels sprouts (just toss taters and brussels with avocado oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 400* for about 20 minutes).
6. BBQ chicken tenders with roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes. The BBQ sauce recipe came from the book It Starts With Food and although it wasn’t really much like regular BBQ sauce, it was tasty! I tossed the broccoli in a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and roasted it at 400* for about 20 minutes. The potatoes were diced and boiled till tender, then mashed with a dollup of ghee and a splash of coconut milk.
7. Not-So Shepherd’s Pie! This recipe was featured on the Whole30Recipes Instagram account and Andy requested it so I made it! We skipped the mushrooms because I’m the only one around here that likes them and I added a finely chopped zuchinni because I had an extra one laying around. It was very good and everyone liked it!!
8. Pre-cooked sliced beef from Costco (found in the fridge section and totally compliant!), roasted cauliflower (tossed with avocado oil, salt and pepper and roasted for 20 minutes at 400*) sauteed spinach with minced garlic (throw a little ghee and garlic into a pan and heat over medium for about 2 minutes – add baby spinach leaves and sautee just until wilted…about 2 more minutes) and sauteed portobello mushrooms. Yum!
9. “Peanut” Sauce Noodle Bowl from PaleOMG this dish had really good flavor, but turned out really runny! I would recommend making your zoodles and “peanut” sauce separately, then combining them with the meat/veggies mixture right before serving. That will allow you to get the ratio of sauce to zoodles to meat mixture just how you like it. This was really filling!
10. Costco Smoked Pulled Pork (from fridge section – does contain sodium nitrite as a preservative, and spice extract which can be questionable, but I figure the short ingredient list on this product is far better than the average laundry list on so many foods people eat without hesitation! Plus, we only eat this occasionally) with steamed asparagus and roasted potatoes (tossed in oil/salt/pepper/garlic powder and roasted at 400* for 20 minutes).
11. Chicken Broccoli Almond Stir fry over cauliflower rice. I made this recipe up based on my Kong Bao Ji Ding recipe and it was surprisingly delicious! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, tapioca starch instead of corn starch, skipped the sugar and added some fresh ginger when I sauteed the veggies. So tasty!! (to make cauliflower rice, add chopped raw cauliflower to a food processor and pulse until it resembles rice. Then sautee with coconut oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes)
12. Meat sauce and sauteed mushrooms over zoodles! This dinner is SUPER easy!! I love Kirkland Marinara Sauce from Costco…no sugar, only good ingredients! I browned about a pound of ground turkey with half an onion finely chopped and 3 cloves of garlic minced. Then I poured the marinara sauce on top, gave it a stir, and let it simmer for a while. I made zoodles with my handy dandy spiralizer (which you can now get at Bed Bath and Beyond!) and sauteed them in a tiny bit of olive oil until they were just tender. I added some ghee to a pan over medium heat and sauteed my sliced mushrooms until they were cooked to my liking. Layer zoodles, meat sauce and mushrooms and you’re good to go!
13. Pork belly, mashed cauliflower and steamed broccoli. You can buy pork belly at Trader Joes in the refrigerated meat section. Just slice it up, fry slices in a hot pan (no fat needed….it’s pretty fatty!) and make sure it gets brown and crispy on all sides. Steam cauliflower until it’s very tender then mash it up with ghee, a splash of coconut milk, salt, and pepper. The pork belly is rich, but definitely has yummy bacon-y appeal!
14. Roasted Chicken with carrots, onions, and red skin potatoes. I throw everything in a big roaster pan, drizzle with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper, and throw it into a hot oven for just over an hour. More detailed instructions can be found in this older post of mine.
15. Meat sauce, mushrooms and fresh basil over roasted spaghetti squash! See #12 for how I prepare my meat sauce and mushrooms. Roast a couple of spaghetti squash (cut in half and lay cut side down on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then use a fork to loosen all the spaghetti-like strands) and top their yummy innards with the meat sauce, mushrooms, and thinly sliced fresh basil leaves. Don’t skip the basil…it takes this dish over the top!!
16. Costco smoked pulled pork (see #10) with a side of steamed green beans drizzled with a delicious sweet and tangy mustard sauce from @WholeSisters on Instagram and some home made sweet potato fries (thinly slice sweet potatoes into fries then toss with salt, pepper and melted coconut oil. Spread into a single layer – not crowded – onto a baking sheet and bake at 400* for about 20 minutes or until they are browned and have crispy edges.
As always, feel free to ask any questions you may have about the recipes, ingredients, or cooking methods. I hope some of you out there give Whole30 a try!!
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