Whole30 and Gluten Free Sweet Potato Guacamole Bite
Whole30 and Gluten Free
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato sliced into rounds
Avocado Oil
Primal Palate Taco Seasoning
Guacamole
Jalopeno Peppers
Directions:
5.
Whole30 and Gluten Free Tahini Tuna Salad
Whole 30 and Gluten Free
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of wild caught tuna fish packed in water
- 1/4 cup of diced apple
- 1/4 cup of diced celery
- 1/4 cup of diced red onion
- 4T of tahini paste
- 2T of Whole30 compliant mayo (or more if you want it creamier)
- Juice of one large lemon (about 2T or to taste)
- Himalayan pink salt- to tase
- Black pepper – to taste
- 1T of lemon pepper
- 1 small handful of toasted almond slices
Directions:
- Fold all of the ingredients together
- Sprinkle in the toasted almond slices
- Eat on a bed of mixed greens, stuff inside a pepper, or eat with carrot chips
Whole30 and Gluten Free Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Whole30 Compliant and Gluten Free
I literally make this while doing meal prep each week. I also keep bags of it in my freezer. It is perfect to throw into a soup, salad, taco, etc.
Ingredients:
- 3 Chicken Breasts – I get mine delivered from Butcher Box
- 2 cups of Whole30 compliant chicken broth or stock
- 1T of coarse salt
- 1T of peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- Variations- adding chili powder and cumin to broth, adding Italian Seasoning and garlic cloves
Directions:
- Put chicken broth or stock into Instant Pot
- Add salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, and seasonings
- Add chicken breasts
- Set on steam setting for 35 minutes
- Remove chicken breasts.
- Shred with fork
- Store in glass container to use during the week or put in freezer. If I freeze it, I usually ladle in a bit of stock to keep it moist when it defrosts and re-heats.
- Strain and use the extra stock for other cooking projects. I usually put it in ice cube trays and freeze them. It is now an infused stock.
Whole30 and Gluten Free Pineapple Meatball Skewers
Whole30 Compliant and Gluten Free
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cups of fresh pineapple, chopped in chunks and drained well
- 1/2 cup of canned crushed pineapple (drained) ** Make sure the pineapple does not contain added sugar or is in a syrup**
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 2T grated onion
- A couple of dashes of coconut aminos
- A couple of dashes of Whole30 Compliant hot sauce- to taste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2lb of ground chicken or ground pork
Directions:
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Take fresh pineapple chunks and set aside.
- Drizzle a few shakes of coconut aminos over the pineapple chunks, mix, and let sit.
- Add meat to a big mixing bowl.
- Add salt and pepper
- In a food processor, coarsely pulse, pineapple, garlic, and onion. Add coconut aminos and hot sauce.
- Add mixture from food processor to the meat. Blend together with clean hands (the best tools) folding ingredients together.
- Using a small melon baller, scoop out meatballs. This will make between 24-30 meatballs; depending on your scoop size.
- After you roll the meatballs put them on the tray and put them back in the refrigerator to firm up.
- Bake between 15-20 minutes
- Once they are cooked through, cut off some of the run off fat around each one. You may need to drain on paper towels depending on the fat content and grease.
- Place on a skewer, along with one piece of pineapple that has been marinating in the coconut aminos.
- These can be served warm or at room temperature.
Whole30 and Gluten Free Butternut Squash and Sausage Salad
Whole30 Compliant and Gluten Free
Ingredients:
- 1lb of ground pork
- 1T dried sage
- 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg- I use whole and grate it with a microplane
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups of kale
- 1 bag of pre-washed mixed greens
- 1lb of pre chunked butternut squash
- marinated red onions- see @nocrumbsleft for recipe.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Place the squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, face up and drizzle with olive oil on the top
- Place in oven and let roast for 35 minutes.
- While squash is roasting, take a bowl and mix together seasonings, pork, kale, and egg white.
- After 35 minutes remove the squash from the oven. Let it cool down.
- Sauté the Sausage mixture with kale in a cast iron skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Once sautéed, add squash. Mix together and let it warm through.
- Place a large spoonful of the mixture over a bed of greens.
- Top with marinated onions. This salad is best eaten warm.
Why Whole 30?
At the end of October of this year, I was struggling. I was searching for some stability. There were lots of unknowns in life. I had suffered some personal losses. I was feeling myself slip into a funk. I was feeling lethargic all of the time and truly unhealthy. I was searching….searching for something to give me hope…something to re-set my mind and body….searching for stability.
On my personal IG account, I had been following a few health, nutrition, and positive body image influencers. One of theme was Danika Brysha (@danikabrysha). In learning about her and her story, I learned about how The Whole30 transformed her life. It was not a diet it was a re-set, a cleanse of mind and body. I started following Melissa Hartwig (@melissahartwig), as well as Teri Turner (@nocrumbsleft). I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I bought and read the books. I studied the program. I made lists. I bought products. I committed myself to 30 Days.
It was challenging in the beginning however not as challenging as it is for some others because I was already gluten free with limited dairy. I stuck with it. I planned everything and spent hours meal prepping, cleaning my kitchen, reflecting, journaling. It changed my mind-set. I lost some weight. I saw the benefits.
After the holidays, I decided to commit to the January Whole30. This time I changed a few things. I knew which products to by, and which ones I didn’t need. I knew the best places to get what. I bought an Instant Pot which is now my world and made meal prep a lot easier. I had a plan on how I did meal prep, and how it got me through the week. I basically would make a few basic things each and every week and then try 1-2 new recipes from the Whole30 Fast& Easy Cookbook, which had just been replaced.
In addition I made some other changes this go around I bought the brand new Whole30 Day by Day book which, I feel I benefitted immensely. I could have really used this book the first go around. It answered lots of questions for me and I felt like I was pretty on par with each and every day.
I developed an IG account specific to my new lifestyle. I didn’t tell anyone I was doing this and the only followers I have on it are people I have met and connected with. I do not have anyone from my actual private life on there. I felt so inspired doing this. I followed so many accounts and blogs where I got new ideas, exchanged recipes, and thoughts, and just motivated each other. I had found my tribe! I have to say, the Whole30 community is filled with the absolute nicest people ever. If you have a question, they get back to you. If you leave a comment, most often…you get a reply of some sort. I felt at ease and truly supported.
I also developed a self care checklist (learned from Danika Brysha). I tweaked it to suit my needs and it was something that I did each and every day. I had started it last Whole30 and saw benefits, but this go around…I was more consistent. Improved Self Care was my main goal for this January Whole30. I was going to be better at taking time for me. I implemented a new morning mantra each and every day, did a morning and nighttime meditation, and used essential oils and a diffuser at night to help me sleep. Sleep has always been something that I have struggled with. I do find that although not consistent, my sleep quality is much better when doing a Whole30. I feel better.
So as we approach the end of this January Whole30, I will re-evaluate what worked well and didn’t. I will make changes and set new goals. I feel strongly that Whole30 is the right path for me to get as healthy as I can. Cheers to everyone who helped me along the way! I hope to inspire others and be able to help in turn.
EternalWorkInProgressGal 