Whole30 Meals for Your Workweek in (About) One Hour!

Alright folks, between this week and the two previous, there is now enough step-by-step content to create four weeks of Whole30 compliant meals in 4 hours! (That is, if you freeze some of the food from last week's plan and use it for two weeks.) That's enough for an entire Whole30, excluding weekends!!

Here's this week's meal plan:

Breakfast: Pizza Frittata with Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Lunch: No Cook with ZUPA, Turkey, and Fruit

Dinner: Garlic Rosemary Steak Bites with Roasted Sweet Potato and Zucchini

Optional Snack: RXBAR

Grocery List:

10 eggs

1 package compliant pre-cooked sausage (I used Bilinski's)

5 oz bag baby spinach

Green onions, about 2 cups chopped

Sliced black olives, 8 oz, drained

12 oz organic pizza sauce (check for no added sugar, I used Sprout's brand)

1 medium/large spaghetti squash

3 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup hemp hearts

1/2 cup olive oil + 1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1.5-2# steak (I used mine from Bulkbox, wholedailylife for 15% off first 3 orders)

2 lemons

4 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 small sweet potatoes, about 2#

4 medium zucchini, about 2#

Oil, for roasting

Salt

5 bottles of ZUPA (wholedailylife for 15% off)

No-cook proteins: deli turkey (I use True Story or Trader Joe's Organic, jerky, etc

Fruit, 5 servings 

Optional: compliant dressing, such as Primal Kitchens, for deli turkey

Optional: herbs, spices for veggies

Optional: RXBARs

Step by Step:

1. Start by thinly slicing your steak (1/4-1/2") and putting it in a large container to marinate. Add the juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and 1 tsp of salt per pound of meat. Mix to combine, then let sit for 30 minutes up to overnight.

2. Preheat your oven to 375. Cut your spaghetti squash in half (don't bother to remove the seeds right now) and place in your Instant Pot with 1 cup of water. Steam for 8 minutes, then use quick release.

3. While squash is steaming, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1/2" cubes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment, toss with oil and salt (2-3 tbsp oil and 1/2-1 tsp salt) and toss to combine. (Lately I've also been using World Seasonings on my roasted veggies and they have been delicious!) Chop the zucchini into 1/2" pieces and place on a second baking sheet. Add oil and salt, toss to combine, and place in the oven. 

4. By this point, the squash should be done. Remove it from the IP and carefully set aside to cool. Dump out the water from the IP, then transfer the steak with all of the marinade into the pot. Close and lock the lid, then run the Meat setting (35 minutes on high pressure). Allow pressure to release naturally when finished.

5. Check the veggies in the oven and stir with a spatula to help cook more evenly.

6. Prepare a large glass Pyrex dish by spraying with olive oil. Slice the sausage and distribute along the bottom. Roughly chop the spinach, briefly sauté on the stovetop to wilt (optional), then distribute over the sausage. Add half of the olives and green onions, then dollop half of the pizza sauce throughout the dish.

7. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk to combine, then pour over the veggies in the baking dish. Top with the rest of the green onions and olives, then dollop the rest of the pizza sauce on top. Place in the oven with the veggies (which you can remove if they are done) and set a timer for 25 minutes. It might take longer, but will be done when it is firm in the middle.

8. While the frittata is cooking, prepare the pesto by placing the basil, juice of one lemon, 1/2 cup olive oil, hemp hearts, and 1 tsp salt in a food processor. Pulse until desired texture is achieved, and set aside.

9. Scoop the seeds out of the cooked spaghetti squash that you set aside earlier and discard, then scoop out the squash into a large bowl. Add the pesto and toss to combine.

10. Now you can portion everything out! Divide the squash into 5 portions along with the frittata. Divide the sweet potato and zucchini into 5 portions along with the steak. Portion out any no-cook items (fruit, dressing, etc) and call it a day!

Have a great week!
 

-Tracey

120 Minute Whole30 Meal Plan for 2: Step by Step

Wow, I got so much positive feedback on the format of last week's blog post that I'm going to start writing it out that way more often! I shared some in my stories on Friday, but this week's prep was for both me and my husband and was done in UNDER 2 HOURS. That's 20 meals (plus 10 no-cook meals) in less time than it takes to do a full load of laundry. The photo above only shows my prep for 4 days, but the plan is written out to include all of the above!

Here's this week's meal plan:

Breakfast: Lamb Hash with Sweet Potatoes (me) // Smoothie (husband)

Lunch: No-Cook (me) // Date Shallot Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots (husband)

Dinner: Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Carrots and Collards (me) // Taco Salad (husband)

Ingredients:

4# whole carrots

1.5# yellow potatoes

2 medium/large sweet potatoes

1# ground lamb

2 organic yellow squash

2 organic zucchini

Green onions (about 3 cups chopped)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 16oz bag riced cauliflower

1 5oz bag organic baby spinach

1 can green olives

2-3" knob fresh ginger

1 bunch organic collard greens

2.5# chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs

2 medium shallots

8 dates

5 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1# ground chicken

3 tbsp coconut aminos

1 tbsp fish sauce

2# ground beef

Taco seasoning

Olive oil

Salt

For taco salads: lettuce, tomatoes, bell pepper, avocado, salsa, cilantro, olives, etc

For smoothies: frozen fruit, frozen spinach, collagen, fat of choice (nut butter or avocado), etc

For no-cook: AYOBA-YO, Safe Catch, or sardines for protein, ZUPA for veggies (wholedailylife for 15% off), and grapes for carb

Prep list:

-slice carrots

-chop potatoes

-peel and chop sweet potatoes

-peel/mince ginger

-chop green onions

-de-stem/chop collards

-chop zucchini/yellow squash

-chop shallots

-pit/chop dates

-dice bell pepper/veggies for salads
 

Cook list:

-roast carrots

-roast potatoes

-roast sweet potatoes

-cook lamb hash

-saute collard greens

-bake date shallot chicken

-bake ginger chicken meatballs

-cook taco beef

Step by step:

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line 4 baking sheets with parchment. (The four that I have all fit in my oven at the same time.)

2. Slice the larger carrots lengthwise down the middle, and leave smaller ones (about 1/2 inch in diameter) whole. Distribute over two baking sheets.

3. Chop the yellow potatoes into 1/2-1" pieces, then distribute over another baking sheet. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1/2-1" pieces and do the same with the final baking sheet. 

4. Drizzle all sheets with oil of choice and sprinkle with salt; toss to combine, then place in the oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes, then stir the veggie and rotate the pans so that those that were on the bottom rack are now on the top (not necessary if you have a convection oven). Repeat as needed.

5. While the veggies are roasting, set a large pot over medium heat and add the ground lamb; use a spatula to break it up as it cooks.

6. While the lamb is cooking, chop the yellow squash and the zucchini into small pieces (1/4-1/2") and chop the green onions. Add the squash into the pot when the lamb is cooked through, along with the seasonings (1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp dried oregano). Add the bag of cauliflower rice. Add about 1/2 cup water (or broth if you have it!), then cover and let cook for about 10 minutes for veggies to soften.

7. You should have tossed and rotated your roasting veggies by this point, and if they're cooked to your preference, pull them out and set them aside. If you're waiting for them to finish, go ahead and peel and mince the ginger, de-stem and chop the collard greens into 1/2" pieces, pit and chop the dates, and peel and chop the shallots. Remove the roasted veggies from the oven and either transfer the veggies to another container so that you can re-use the parchment or just re-line the pans.

8. Turn the burner off for the lamb hash, then add in 1 bag of baby spinach (I like to rough chop mine first, but this is optional), along with 2/3 of the green onions. Roughly chop the olives, then stir those in too. This dish is finished! While you're at the stove, add the collards into a large skillet along with about 1 tbsp oil. Sauté over medium heat until cooked to preference.

9. Increase oven temperature to 425. In a large glass baking dish, place the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and approximately 3 tbsp each of balsamic and apple cider vinegars. Distribute the chopped shallots and dates across the top and sprinkle with the fresh rosemary. Place in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. Check your collard greens and remove from heat if cooked.

10. In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken with 1/3 of the green onions, the coconut aminos, the fish sauce, and the minced ginger. Form approximately 16 meatballs and place on one of the baking sheets. Put these in the oven for about 12 minutes, which should be around the same amount of time that is left on the chicken dish.

11. We're almost there! All that's left is to cook the taco beef, which I do in the same skillet that I cooked the collard greens. By the time that is finished, the chicken and the meatballs should be almost done too.

Now just portion everything out and celebrate that you prepared all of your weekday meals in 2 hours!!

If you give this a try, I'd love to hear what you think! Do you prefer this meal plan for two, or a meal plan for one like last week? Let me know over on Instagram!

-Tracey

60 Minute Whole30 Meal Plan

Hello there!

This week's meal plan is a sneak preview into a fun project that I'm working on...set to launch in late August! This spread came together in 1 hour. Yes, ONE hour!! I thought that in addition to sharing the actual recipes, this week I would share the actual order of cooking things.

Here's this week's meal plan:

Breakfast: Basic Meatballs + Roasted/Steamed Veggies

Lunch: No Cook (fruit, ZUPA, and canned salmon with avocado)

Dinner: Shredded BBQ Chicken with Sweet Potato and Arugula

 

Groceries:

1.5-2# ground beef

1.5-2# chicken (I used tenders here)

1 bottle Tessemae's BBQ sauce (or homemade)

3 medium hannah sweet potatoes

4 medium organic yellow squash

1# organic carrots

1# harociot vert

1 4-6 oz bag arugula

5 cans tuna or salmon (I use Safe Catch brand)

5 small avocados (or mayo of choice)

Oil of choice (ghee, olive oil, avocado oil)

Fruit of choice: enough for 5 days

5 bottles of ZUPA (I currently can't get enough of the Summer Squash and Kale Avocado!) // wholedailylife for 15% off and free shipping

Seasonings: salt, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried sage (1-2 tsp each)

Optional: green onions and pickled red onion for garnish

Here's how:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Wash three medium sweet potatoes, cut into large pieces (I cut each one in half or thirds) and place in the bowl of your Instant Pot. Add about 1 cup of water, close and lock the lid, then set the timer for 13 minutes.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, chop up your carrots and yellow squash and transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and place in pre-heated oven. Set timer for 20 minutes.

4. Place green beans in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water on the stovetop. Steam for 10 minutes, until tender to preference.

5. By this point, the sweet potatoes should be done. Use the quick release, then carefully remove them from the IP and set aside. Rinse the insert and replace in the pot. Add 1.5-2# chicken (I used tenders) and half of a bottle of Tessemae's BBQ sauce (or about 2/3 cup homemade). Close and lock the lid, then set to high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

6. While the chicken is cooking, combine about 1 cup mashed sweet potato with the spices for the meatballs, then use your hands to mix in 2# of ground beef. Form approximately 32 meatballs and place on a baking sheet, then roast for 12 minutes until internal temp is 165.

7. By this point, the roasting veggies should be mostly done and can be portioned into dishes, along with the steamed green beans. Mash up the rest of the sweet potatoes and distribute this as well. While the meatballs finish cooking, portion out the berries and arugula for each day, make sure you have a protein (salmon) and bottle of Zupa for each day, and that's it!

Tell me, do you prefer this format of preparing the plan as a whole, or the way I have done it in the past, with each recipe separated out?

Have a great week!

Pizza Frittata + Nut-Free Whole30 Meal Prep

The week of July 4th my husband and I took a road trip to Colorado and back. The drive was long, but the trip was so worth it! I spent a lot of time just sitting, reading, walking, hiking, playing with the dogs, and RELAXING. Relaxing is not my forte when I'm at home...I always feel like there's so much to do. While I was away I really wanted to think about what it was that makes vacation feel like vacation, and I think it is the idea of timelessness. I spent so much time just sitting and doing what I wanted without the pressure to get anything in particular done or be anywhere at a certain time, and it gave me so much freedom to decompress. I used to be bored by sitting around and doing nothing, but now I see it in the same light as meditation. There is value in allowing the mind to just have space to stretch out and wander! 

One thing that I always try to do before I leave town for a trip is prepare some healthy food to have when I get back. This way when I get home, tired from traveling, I don't have to worry about doing a lot of shopping or cooking! I actually prepared last week's meal plan the weekend before we left so that I didn't have to do anything except pick up some fresh fruit. I also try to deep clean the house, but that didn't quite happen 😂  It felt good to get back in the kitchen this week and the time away definitely helped spark some creativity! 

Here's this week's meal plan:

Breakfast: Pizza Frittata + Pesto Spaghetti Squash // This pizza frittata made some waves on Instagram when I shared it in my stories, and for good reason! Good news: this recipe is incredibly simple, and I'll share it below! For the pesto spaghetti squash, I just steamed up a large squash (cut in half) in my Instant Pot for 8 minutes, then used the quick release function. To make the pesto, I simple blended up about 4 cups of fresh basil with 1/2 tsp salt, the juice of one lemon, and 1/2 cup hemp hearts. You can find another version of this recipe here!

Lunch: No-Cook // I've always been a fan of the no cook meal, but during summertime, I fully embrace it. I'm keeping it simple this week with a bottle of ZUPA (15% off with wholedailylife), some berries, and either Ayobayo Droewors sticks (10% off with wholedailylife) or Safe Catch salmon mashed with avocado for protein.

Dinner: AIP Meatloaf with Sweet Potato and Collard Greens // This meatloaf recipe is in my e-book, Weeknight Paleo ($2 off with wholedailylifew30)! If you're an adventurous cook and don't want to hassle with the recipe, it's basically cauli rice, green onion, shredded carrot, zucchini, salt, herbs, and 2# ground meat (I used beef), with bacon on top. For the sweet potato, all I did was steam up two of them in my IP for 13 minutes and then mash with some salt, but I also like to add coconut milk sometimes! Last but not least, I just chopped up the collard greens and sautéed with some bacon fat in a skillet for about 7 minutes. I ended up adding a little bit of broth toward the end as well.

Pizza Frittata

Ingredients:

10 eggs, beaten

Pre-cooked sausage links of choice, sliced into 1/2" pieces (about 3 cups total)

5-6 oz baby spinach (1 bag), roughly chopped

8 oz sliced black olives (roughly 1/2 cup)

1 cup chopped green onion

8-10oz organic pizza sauce  (look for one without added sugar)

Instructions: 

1. Grease the bottom of an 11x17 glass baking dish, then distribute the sliced sausage along the bottom.

2. Lightly sauté the spinach in a pan to wilt (optional), then distribute over the top of the sausage.

3. Add half of the olives, then half of the pizza sauce in dollops throughout the dish.

4. Add the onions, then pour the beaten eggs over the top.

5. Finish off with the rest of the olives and more dollops of the pizza sauce.

6. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes until bubbly and cooked through. 

This recipe is versatile, so feel free to add in anything that you usually enjoy on a pizza! If you make it, I'd love for you to tag me on Instagram so that I can see your creations!

Have a great week!

All About the Sauce

Hi friends, it's been a couple of weeks!

Things picked up at work, which meant that blog work had to take a back seat for a weekend, but I'm back. This week I felt like mixing things up a little bit. My meal plans are usually just batch cooked proteins with roasted veggies and a no-cook plate for lunch, but this week I had a couple of sauces on my mind, so I built my meal plan around those!

Here's this week's meal plan:

Breakfast: Chicken and Veggie Bowl with Tahini Sauce // The star of the show here is really the sauce, and I built the rest of the bowl around that! The base of the bowl is simply steamed carrots, yellow squash, bok choy, and chicken. I wanted to keep the flavors simple (and easy to digest), which is why I steamed rather than roasted. Here's what you need to know for the sauce: I started with about 1/2 cup tahini (lately I've been obsessed with the Soom brand, but I used a combo of Soom + Artisana to thicken it up a bit), added 2 tbsp coconut aminos, and 1/2 tbsp Red Boat Fish Sauce. Sometimes I add a little bit of water to thin it out, or adjust the flavor with a little more coconut aminos or some lemon or lime juice. It's pretty versatile and forgiving, and I use it on everything from veggies to sweet potatoes to seafood! Don't forget a hearty handful of cilantro on top.

Lunch: No Cook with Homemade Bitchin' Sauce // You have probably seen Bitchin' Sauce on my page pretty regularly. I love it! They have lots of flavors, but most have Braggs Aminos in them, which is soy. I usually avoid soy, but experimented a bit with a little bit of this sauce here and there, and unfortunately I did notice that it didn't make me feel my best, so I stick to their soy free flavors. However, the ingredient list is simple, and I figured it would be easy enough to re-create! I opted for cashews instead of almonds for a smoother texture and added in coconut aminos and lemon. It's not perfect yet, but it's not bad! I'll be sure to share the recipe when I get it down. For protein, I'm having a DNX bar (another Whole30 compliant option on the market!) and a soft-boiled egg.

Dinner: Spinach Asparagus Soup with Venison Meatballs // This was another "on the fly" recipe: 1 bunch of asparagus, 1 bunch of green onions (about 2 cups chopped), 1/4 cup olive oil, 5 oz bag baby spinach, 1 tsp salt, and 4 cups bone broth. I chopped the asparagus and onion and sautéed with the oil until tender, then added everything else and simmered until the spinach was wilted. I blended it up with my immersion blender (I get SO MUCH USE out of this thing!!) until smooth, then added some venison meatballs (used my basic meatball recipe) after I portioned it out!

Short and sweet this week. Have a good one!

-Tracey