New to Whole30?

In the past few weeks I have had several people ask me to give them some advice for starting Whole30. It's a lot of information and since so many people are seeking advice I thought I would share it all here.

Tips on Surviving Whole30

1. PLAN 

Every week I come up with my meal plan. I write out what I will eat for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner everyday that week. I then post that on the fridge so I remember what my plan is. I pretty much stick to my planned meals with a few minor tweaks to breakfast if I am running late and can't make scrambled eggs etc. If you plan your meals you will be more successful.

It also is good to plan what you will eat when you are on a trip or at an event where you can't cook for yourself. I take a small cooler with me a lot and travel with items that don't need to be heated, like chicken salad, hard boiled eggs, carrots and guacamole cups, celery and almond butter, nuts, fruit, etc.

2. PREP

Every Sunday I cook everything in advance that I can. I cook all of my lunches and pack them in tupperware and put them in my fridge. I also pre cook and veggies like spinach and asparagus that I may want to add to my eggs for breakfast.


3. STAPLES 

Sometimes our busy lives can make cooking a meal, or even heating up a meal a little tricky. These are some of my staples. You can find a lot of these at Kroger in Marshall, but some are only at Drug Emporium in Longview.

• Epic Bars, Nicks Sticks: These are meat bars/jerky that are great for breakfast or lunch with raw veggies, a hardboiled egg, and fresh fruit. It requires no heating up and can easily just be thrown in a bag. 

• That's It bars, RX Bars, Larabars, Clif Bars, Pressed by Kind bars, Thunderbird bars: These are good for breakfast or lunch as well but they are sweet bars- almost like candy honestly. I wouldn't eat these TOO often because you're trying to slay a sugar dragon on Whole30 and these are kind of tempting so don't use them as dessert or for snacks when you want something sweet. It's a MEAL option.  

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• Small bags of pre cut celery, carrots, grapes, strawberries etc. Whatever your favorite veggies and fruit are make them more easy to grab and go with by having them already portioned and bagged up. 

• Unsweetened black coffee/cold brew in the fridge ready to go. I buy the starbucks bottles of unsweetened black coffee so that I can grab it and drink iced coffee on my way to work. I also have big bottles of cold brew that I will pour into my travel mug with a little almond milk if I don't have time to brew coffee. 

• Aidells chicken apple sausage. This stuff is really good and it's one of the few compliant pre cooked sausages you can find in Marshall. (You can find it at the Longview one too) I eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can slice it up and serve with eggs, slice it up and mix with peppers, onions, and spinach and put it in a sweet potato, slice it up and cook it with okra, tomatoes, and shrimp with some lousiana hot sauce etc. The possibilities are literally endless with all the meals you can make. AND because it is pre cooked you can also just microwave it for a minute and eat it with mustard and be done. It's a great thing to have on hand. 

• Homemade mayo: 1 egg and 1 cup of light tasting olive oil and an immersion blender are all you need for yummy easy fast mayo. I mix may into chicken salad, tuna salad, carrot salad, etc.

• Plantain chips. These are great with salsa or little cups of wholly guacamole for a quick easy pack and go lunch. They also are great as a coating for chicken tenders. You crush them up in a food processor and coat and bake chicken.  

4. EASY MEALS 

The crock pot is a wonderful thing for busy people on the go and there are a lot of things you can make that are whole30 and pretty easy. I put all the ingredients in before I leave for work and set it on low all day.

Roast: Pork or beef roast, carrots, potatoes, onion, and compliant veggie stock. (the only broth/stock in Marshall I have found that is compliant)

Curry: One can of coconut milk and one jar of curry paste with any meat and veggie you want will make a delicious easy curry. My favorite combos is chicken with peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms, eggplant.

Buffalo chicken: Chicken thighs or breast with franks red hot sauce. THAT IS IT! Then you shred it up and add more franks. You can serve this warm in a baked potato or squash or chilled with some mayo and celery.


Pork and Sauerkraut: Pork loin and a jar of compliant sauerkraut - you can add any seasonings you want. Caraway seeds, celery seed, mustard, salt, pepper are usually my go to for this meal. Serve it with potatoes and you're done.

These are not crock pot meals but they are fast and easy.

Eggroll Bowl: 1 pound of ground meat and 1 bag of coleslaw mix are all you need. I flavor mine with coconut aminos, fish sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. It is fast and cheap and one of our go to meals. It's even better with a fried egg on top!

Sloppy Joe: 1 pound ground beef, chopped onion and bell pepper,  with compliant ketchup and coconut aminos will taste JUST like sloppy joe. This is good in a sweet potato or over zucchini.

Marinara with meat and veggies. Trust me you don't need the pasta. 

Roasting any combo of meat and veggies. My favorites right now are sweet potatoes and apples with cinnamon or ran el hanout spice blend, and chicken with peppers and onions. 

The concept of eating Whole30 seems daunting but it is completely accessible once you get your brain wrapped around what you can and can't eat, you plan in advance, and you make a plan to prep your week. I hope you give Whole30 a try if you haven't yet.