While I am not following the Whole30 diet, I have plenty of friends who do, which has made me intimately familiar with it (plus I read the Whole30 diet book). With a new month around the corner, I thought it’d be fun to share some of my favorite recipes, which happen to be approved Whole30 recipes! If you’re stuck on what new recipes to try, you’ll appreciate this planned out day of Whole30 recipes for you.
So, What is the Whole30 Diet?
From what I understood from the Whole30 book, and from my friends who’ve done it multiple times, it is not a diet focused on weight-loss. It is an elimination diet which helps folks better understand how certain foods impact them and determine any possible food sensitivities.
For 30 whole days (see what I did there), you are expected to cut out any added sugars, real of artificial, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, carrageenan (a food ingredient derived from red seaweed), MSG, or sulfites. Additionally, the Whole30 diet does not want you to attempt to recreate any baked treats or junk food, even if you use approved Whole30 foods. According to the Whole30 website, this is because “Recreating or buying sweets, treats, and foods-with-no-brakes (even if the ingredients are technically compliant) is missing the point of the Whole30, and won’t lead to habit change. These are the same foods that got you into health-and-craving trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, even if it’s made with coconut flour.”
After 30 days of following the above rules (which are explained much more clearly in the Whole30 diet book), you slowly reintroduce certain foods and food groups to determine how they affect you, and whether or not you felt better, or worse, when they weren’t a part of your normal diet.
If you’ve decided to take the plunge and undergo this self-experimentation (which I am all for versus using it as a tool to lose weight), here is a roundup of my favorite recipes that are either Whole30 approved, or can easily be made Whole30, approved with a few tweaks.
Whole30 Breakfast
- This cauliflower hash is one of my favorite recipes of all time! If you’re a volume eater (i.e. you want to eat a lot of food with minimal calories), this is the dish for you. You can enjoy this dish for breakfast or even have breakfast for dinner.
- Baked zucchini fritters are an easy recipe that can be made ahead of time and literally popped into your toaster! Zucchini is another volume food that will leaving you feel full yet satisfied. Plus, they take on the flavor of whatever you’re cooking them with really well.
Whole30 Lunch
- This summer shrimp salad with creamy strawberry mint dressing is dreamy, tasty, and helps you get in your fruits, greens and a packs in good dose of protein too. Just be sure to omit the maple syrup from the dressing to keep it Whole30 approved.
- Yep, this genuinely is the best cauliflower rice on Earth and so, so filling. It’s 100% worth it to make the riced cauliflower yourself – I find that frozen cauliflower rice is really watery plus it’s cheaper to make your own.
- To keep this cauliflower rice dish Whole30 approved, use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce, use this fish sauce, and be sure to use a compliant chicken broth such as this one from Pacific Foods.
- Think salads are boring? I bet you won’t think that way after trying my lox salad with creamy lemon dressing! I can’t get over this filling, delicious salad. Just be sure to use a Dijon mustard with no added sugar.
Whole30 Dinner
- Craving pasta? My avocado pesto with zucchini noodles is sure to satisfy your pasta cravings! The avocado makes the pesto so creamy and filling!
- If you buy your own pesto, make sure it doesn’t have any added sugar.
- I bet you’ve never had parsnip mash before 🙂 My salmon with parsnip mash and sauteed leeks recipe is a fun way to pretend you’re eating mashed potatoes while getting in a ton of greens.
- The only thing to note is that you need to use a compliant chicken broth such as this one from Pacific Foods.
Whole 30 Drinks and Snacks
- This easy watermelon mint juice is literally the easiest, yet one of the most delicious, juices you’ll ever taste. The mint adds a kick to it and the lemon does a fantastic job of elevating all of the flavors.
- My detox green smoothie is probably one of the healthiest, tastiest smoothies you could make.
- Now, there are two important tweaks to remember:
- Coconut water is compliant but make sure there is NO added sugar.
- Protein powder is almost always off-limits on Whole30. You can read this article to see which ones are Whole30 compliant (I’ve tried Vital Proteins and would recommend them personally).
- Thought bread was off-limits for the next 30-days? Think again! My easy almond flour bread is INCREDIBLE – I am not even joking. It is so easy to make and is completely Whole30 compliant.
- Don’t forget to use a compliant almond milk.
Good Luck With Your Whole30 Journey!
I am all for supporting others in their journey to living a healthier, happier life. I hope my recipes help you in your Whole30 journey and prevent food boredom. They are all so delicious and I can guarantee that you won’t feel deprived or like you’re missing out on anything.
If you’ve found this roundup helpful, and have tried any of the above recipes, I would love if you could please share this post with your friends and family. Additionally, I’d love you to let me know what you thought!
Honestly yours,
Alice
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