Whole30 - Week 2: Meal Plans

Haha this made me laugh... Fake out, we're not done yet!!!

WHOO HOO!!!! We made it to week TWO!!!! YAY!!!!! Ok, I am feeling so much better already. I'm kind of amazed about it. I'm so excited to see how the rest of the month goes and I'm really hoping that I can continue a lot of this eating lifestyle after the month is over. It's really been so much easier than I thought it would be. And seriously, if you are thinking, "There is no way I could do this..." just start out small... do one of these meals here and there each week. Then add another. Gradually clean stuff out of your pantry. Then when you decide to really commit to the full month, it won't be as hard. I feel like that's kind of what I did. I cut out dairy in the summer/fall because it was bothering Jude nursing, so that was easier to let go of this past week. A lot of these meals we were already doing here and there, so it was just a matter of doing it all day every day.

So here's the breakdown for week two plans. The breakfast and lunch will be familiar, I just copied and pasted from week one what I had and then added a few more things. Whole30 recommends treating meals as just a meal, and eating any kind of protein, fat or veggie at any time of the day, but my brain can't really wrap itself around that quite yet... I'm still an eggs for breakfast kind of girl!

Breakfast Options:

• scrambled/fried eggs - use Coconut Oil

Pantacones (smushed fried plantains) are yummy for breakfast too!
I had one leftover that was getting more brown, and it was great for breakfast!

• bacon - make sure it is sugar free (check ingredients)
• veggies/fruit
• potatoes (any kind) - cut up ahead of time, boil 10-15 minutes and store in the fridge; when you are ready to cook breakfast just grab a handful and toss them in the pan on the other side with the eggs, add some rosemary to them with ghee. I also diced mine and made a hash with them.
• smoothie - coconut water, banana, frozen fruit, spinach, avocado, water (technically Whole30 compliant, but they say to use sparingly - lots of sugar for breakfast in the morning sets your blood sugar for crashes throughout the day. I would probably use this as a snack later with just a little frozen fruit)
• coffee - ok, but they recommend to only drink it before noon - you can use coconut milk  (this is a good brand... just check ingredients and make sure it doesn't have any random ingredients... sometimes guar gum can upset your stomach. It is whole30 approved but some people have a sensitivity to it) instead of creamer with a little bit of cinnamon (seriously... this is what I was mourning the most, and it really wasn't that bad this morning!)
• How to make your own coconut milk... haven't tried this yet but Natalie and Jessica said it's great!
• Almond Milk from Against All Grain - So I haven't been the biggest fan of coconut milk in my coffee... kind of had a chalky taste to it and wasn't settling in my tummy well, so I went for the almond milk this week and I. Am. In. Love. This was so easy to make, well, once I figured out what a "Milk Nut Bag" (???) was it was easy to make... Thank you Amazon (because really, where else do you go when you have some random product you've never heard of... and I guarantee you Target doesn't have milk nut bags in stock...) but really, it tasted amazing in our coffee. I think at this point I won't be going back to my creamer.

WAT?! NO CREAMER?!
You heard me... I said it. No more creamer.

Here's how you do it... Put one cup of raw almonds in 4 cups of filtered water and let it soak overnight. Pour off the water and add 4 cups of fresh water. Pour water and almonds into your blender and add a date, then blend it up! Pour the mixture through the "milk nut bag" (I'm sorry, that's just the weirdest name ever and we couldn't stop laughing about it lol... guess I'm channeling those former 8th grade students again... I think they've ruined me for life at this point. No going back.) and squeeze out the milk into a bowl or container to store it in. Easy peasy. Done. 

  

• Bacon and Butternut Squash Quiche -  ok, saw this on pinterest and had to try it. I've never had butternut squash before (I know, shocker, yikes! Where has this been my whole life?!) and it was so tasty! Put this together Saturday night (took 25ish minutes, probably will be faster next time) and refrigerated it overnight, popped it in the over Sunday morning. I would make this again, the only thing I would do differently is maybe add a couple of eggs to the recipe. But that's just me.

 

Lunch Options:

• leftovers from dinners
• crockpot shredded chicken
• plantain nachos - seasoned with cumin, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper (check ingredients for preservatives/fillers), top with salsa, avocado
• chicken salad - something crunchy (celery, onions, apples, nuts), something sweet (raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, grapes), something acidic (dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice), seasonings, mayonnaise 
• canned tuna fish
• salad -  use leftover meats from dinner, lunchmeat or grilled chicken
• lettuce sandwich wraps - lunchmeat (applegate is a good brand), avocado, tomato wrapped in lettuce
• random plate of stuff - sometimes I like to just grab random stuff for lunch... orange slices, lunch meat, avocado, plantain chips and salsa, handful of nuts, grapes... get creative!

Snack Options:

• veggies with guacamole
• mixed nuts (no peanuts)
• fresh fruits/veggies
• chia seed pudding with coconut milk
• larabars
• fruit with almond butter (check ingredients)
• epic bars
• seasnax
• sardines
• unsweetened coconut chips with cacao nibs
• dinner leftovers
• smoothie (see above)
• applesauce (sugar free, organic)
• boiled egg

Dinner Plans: Whole30 Pinterest Board

• Sunday Lunch - Again, I am doing a slow cooker on Saturday evening to cook all night and be ready for us when we get home from church! And this one makes plenty so there will definitely be leftovers!
•  Pork Carnitas -  Rinse and dry pork, place in crockpot. Mix 1 tbsp dried oregano, 2 tsp ground cumin and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a little bowl and then rub onto pork. Top with sliced onion, sliced jalapeño, minced garlic and squeeze 2 oranges of juice over the pork. (I actually only had mandarin oranges so I used 4 little ones instead of 2 big ones.) Cook on low 8-10 hours. Once it has finished cooking, remove pork from the crock pot and shred it, then heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and place the pork in the pan. Spread it out and press it down so one side gets a little crunchy. I also got some of the juices from the slow cooker and poured it on top of the meat. So yummy.
• Serve on pantacones (cut a plantain in half, heat in coconut oil, then remove from pan and smush with a jar or glass bowl, return to coconut oil and fry with sea salt - there's probably a better way to make them, this is just what I did.), with avocado, tomato, salsa... whatever toppings you want!

Y'all, I never thought I would say this, but who needs Gringos. This was SO good.

• Monday 
• Prosiutto-wrapped Mini Frittatas Muffins from NomNom Paleo - check out the website for instructions and pictures! - 4 tablespoons fat (coconut oil, ghee, etc.), ½ medium onion, finely diced, 3 cloves of garlic, minced, ½ pound of cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced, ½ pound frozen spinach - thawed and squeezed dry, 8 large eggs, ¼ cup coconut milk (the fatty stuff at the top of the can works best), 2 tablespoons of coconut flour, 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved, 5 ounces of Prosciutto di Parma, Kosher salt, Freshly ground pepper, A regular 12 cup muffin tin
• preheat oven to 375, cut up veggies, sautee onions in coconut oil, add mushrooms and garlic and cook until moisture is gone, add salt and pepper, remove from heat and let cool on a plate. Beat the eggs with coconut milk, coconut flour, salt and pepper. Combine with the mushrooms and spinach. Brush muffin tin with coconut oil and line with prosciutto, then pour in the frittata batter and top with sliced cherry tomatoes. Cook about 20 min, rotating the pan half way through. 

 

• Tuesday
• We had a ton of leftover pork so we finished that off tonight!

• Wednesday
• Chicken Salad - Cooked some chicken breasts in the crockpot overnight Tuesday, shredded it Wednesday morning and made this for lunch today.
• Added mayonnaise, grapes, walnuts, dijon mustard, a little apple cider vinegar, apple slices, salt, pepper... served on fresh spinach. yumsters. Had this for lunch with a friend and dinner today, and brought it to lunch out Thursday at the mall with my little man haha... 

• Thursday
• Buffalo Chicken Wrappers from Practical Paleo -  Slice 1 lb. chicken thighs into strips and place in mixing bowl, add 2 tsp. chipotle powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. onion powder, sea salt and black pepper. Heat up 2 tbsp of coconut oil in a skillet and cook chicken all the way through. Place buffalo chicken in lettuce leaf, top with cherry tomatoes and avocado slices. These babies are spicy so make sure you get that avocado and tomato on top to even it out!

This has been my little helper this week... teething, plus mental leap, plus being super mobile equals "mommy hold me!"

• Friday
• Crock-pot Beef Stew - 1 onion, 3 celery sticks, 4 carrots, 4 small potatoes, 3 lbs beef stew meat, 3 garlic cloves, 1.5 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp parsley, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tomatoes quartered, 29 oz. can pealed crushed tomatoes, 4 cups chicken broth, cilantro 
• Place chopped onion, celery, carrots and quartered potatoes in the crock-pot. Add beef stew meat and cover with spices, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Cook on high for four hours or low for 8 hours. Garnish with Cilantro.

This made a TON and was perfect to share with some of our besties who are now parents!!!

Sorry, I just liked this picture of us and had to add it in the post. There isn't any relation to Whole30 except I was probably standing in the kitchen contemplating what we were about to eat or cook haha...

• Saturday - I don't know about you, but it's nice to repeat an easy meal on the weekend! 


• Burgers - We had friends over this weekend so just decided to grill burgers because that is easy to please everyone with! Topped them with a fried egg again and some guac and also fried some plantain chips! YUM! The green plantains worked out much better this time around.

Jackson x 2