Whole30 Meal Planning: Our Final Week

Well, we are cruising into the final week of our Whole30, and I admit… We are glad. There have been a lot of pluses to this diet, but we do feel bored, restricted, and ready to get back to some of our old foods.

One more week! And here is what we have on the menu:

Dinners:
Roast with potatoes, and carrots 
White Chicken Chili - with potatoes instead of beans
Chicken Tikka Masala and cauliflower rice
Shepherd’s Pie – the mashed potatoes will be made with almond milk and olive oil
Cabbage Rolls
Paleo Sloppy Joe’s – without honey
Turkey-Bacon Meatballs with tomato sauce

Breakfast Ideas:
Monkey salad – banana, coconut, and almonds, and I add frozen fruit – usually strawberries, raspberries, and/or blueberries
Fried eggs with fruit
Bacon with fruit
Potato or Sweet Potato Hash - Saute bacon, onion, and potatoes or sweet potatoes. Serve with fried egg, if desired.
Omelets
Hash browns with fried egg


Lunch Ideas:

Salad, salad, and more salad - fattoush, tuna nicoise, simply vegetables with homemade dressing. Seek to add some sort of protein or fat - boiled eggs, avocado, bacon, nuts, grilled chicken...
Leftovers or breakfast options

This week’s Whole30 Meal Plan

Well, today is Day 17. I have made it halfway through the diet. I plan to write more about it when I have finished.

Below are some of the things we ate last week and will be eating this week. I hope to post some of these recipes soon!

I serve most of these with a side of vegetable, fruit or cauliflower rice.

Dinner Ideas:
Mexican Chicken Soup
Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Skillet - sauteed chicken with onions, a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, and cilantro
Surf and Turf – Grilled London Broil Steak and Tilapia, sauteed mushrooms, steamed green beans, and Cantaloupe
Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes – one of our savory favorites!
Chicken Fajita Bowls – Grilled chicken with onions and peppers. Serve with salsa and fresh guacamole.
Lettuce Wrap Chicken Tacos – Cooked chicken with taco seasoning, grilled onions and peppers, and fresh guacamole on lettuce leaves
Burgers - pile with sauteed vegs., lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mustard atop shredded lettuce or inside lettuce leaves OR top with bacon, mushroom, and avocado
Asian Wraps – ground chicken, vegetables, and spices inside lettuce leaves

Breakfast Ideas:

Fried eggs with fruit

Bacon with fruit

Potato or Sweet Potato Hash - Saute bacon, onion, and potatoes or sweet potatoes. Serve with fried egg, if desired.

Omelets

Lunch Ideas:

Salad, salad, and more salad - fattoush, tuna nicoise, simply vegetables. Seek to add some sort of protein or fat - boiled eggs, avocado, bacon, nuts, grilled chicken...
Leftovers or breakfast options

Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Apple Hash

*On Left: with cooked apples. On Right: with raw apples.

As we are trying to do the Whole30, we are also trying some new dishes. It’s amazing that this regimen claims to produce various good results, one of them being to break some of the psychological reasons for eating foods, YET I find myself thinking about food all the time.

On this program, I am continually planning, shopping, cooking, snacking, and creating ideas about food!

The other night I was thinking about sweet potatoes, bacon, and apples. It sounded good. I browsed a bit online, found a recipe, and made this yummy hash for breakfast the next morning. The original recipe that inspired me uses maple syrup, but being on the Whole30, we can not use that right now.

Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Apple Hash
Original Recipe
Printable Version

1.5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, diced or shredded – see cooking instructions
Olive Oil
Sea salt

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan and start sautéing. Add onion and sweet potato and sauté. After a minute or two, add the diced apple (or you can put the apple on top afterwards raw, diced or shredded – and you can use whichever type of apple you like. I actually prefer it this way). Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon salt over the ingredients and sauté for about five minutes or so, until bacon and onion are cooked well.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover immediately with a baking tray. Allow the mixture to steam for a few minutes. The hash is done when the vegetables are soft.

You can eat this alone, but a fried egg on top sure does complete the meal.

Whole30: Day 3. My Honest Thoughts and My Meal Plan for the Week

Day #3. It’s been an interesting start to the Whole30. The first day seemed very challenging. The past two days felt like a rollercoaster, sometimes feeling victory and vision for the diet while other times feeling as if I just can’t do this.

My journey into the Whole30 really started with my daughter. Her ballet teacher did the diet with her husband, and they had tremendous results and loved it! My daughter felt inspired, and also wants her parents to be a little more, ahem, trim and healthy, so she thought we should go for it.

I also had recent exposure to the diet from my blogger friend, Lisa Marie, who just finished the diet and appreciated it as well. She is in the midst of writing some posts regarding her experience so make sure you hop over to her blog for some encouragement if you are thinking about the program.

The Basic Rules for the Program

No Grains.
No Legumes.
No Dairy.
No Sugar.
For 30 days!
*See more details on their web site.

I have to be honest… At this point, I don’t know how long we will do this. I am not quite sure we were prepared for such a radical change. My husband and I were teasing tonight that we may just do the Whole7 or something.

However, I am trying to stay positive and take each moment as it comes, choosing healthy options, trying new recipes, adding more vegetables to our repertoire, and gaining more perspective.

My Meal Plan for This Week:

• Beef Burrito Bowls (Beef with seasonings, Sauteed onions and peppers, Lettuce, Tomato), Cauliflower Rice, Watermelon.
• Burgers without a bun, piled with sautéed onions and mushrooms, sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, and a good dollop of mustard. Steamed green beans.
• Roasted Chicken, oven-roasted cabbage, mashed potatoes.
• Chicken Tacos, wrapped in lettuce instead of shells. Baked sweet potato or sautéed veggies.
• Grilled Chicken Salad.
• Indian Butter Chicken. Roasted Cauliflower.
• Beef Stew.

Breakfast Ideas:

• Sautéed Kale, Mushrooms, Onions, and Tomatoes with Baked Egg.
• Bacon and Mushroom Omelet.
• Fried Egg with Bacon and fruit.
• Breakfast Scramble, without cheese.

Lunch Ideas:

• Fattoush Salad, with or without grilled chicken.
• Baked Potato, topped with a fried egg and bacon. Veggie or Fruit on the side.
• Tuna Nicoise Salad.
• Grilled Vegetable Lettuce Wraps. I am just planning to grill some vegetables and serve them inside lettuce with a vinaigrette dressing.

Have you tried the Whole30?

What was your experience like?

Are you currently making changes to your diet?