Whole30 Weekly Meal Plan // Week 4

Eleven more days of Whole30, not that I’m counting. I honestly haven’t missed the dairy, sugar, bread or pasta. Delicious Whole30 dinners and egg-based breakfasts have kept me satisfied and full. Not to mention my favorite lunch of chipotle mayo and lime tuna salad heaped inside half an avocado.

That said, it hasn’t been a perfect Whole30 and I don’t think I’ll be hired as a Whole30 coach any time soon. During a weekend on Coronado Island celebrating my mom’s 75th birthday with my sister, sister-in-law and nieces, I couldn’t resist some bubbly to toast my mom. The following week, the hot and humid weather in Houston was making me particularly irritable and annoying to be around.  That night, I had a vodka-sparkling water with a friend and a good dose of laughter. And I liked it. Weak? (Insert blonde girl emoji with hand raised here).

So many of you have told me you’re doing Whole30 with me and I want to be an inspiration for you. But I’m human and not good at following the rules sometimes. To be honest, I don’t feel bad about my couple glasses of libation. I was celebrating! I was stressed! Let’s move on. But I do want to encourage you all to keep up the good work. And keep cooking these healthy and simple Whole30 dinners.

Stay tuned for a new recipe this week. I’m sharing my slow cooker and Instant Pot carnitas, which have been a favorite in our family for years. You’ll love the 3-ingredient recipe that takes all of 5 minutes to throw together. If you’re doing Whole30, leave a comment and let me know how it’s going for you.

SUNDAY

Turkey burgers are in the works. Martha Stewart’s version with garlic, dijon, gruyere and garlic is flavorful and tender. I’ll mix everything except the gruyere and make my patty, and then add in the grated cheese and mix things up for my people. Don’t tell them, but I’ll use almond meal instead of bread crumbs. Cook them on the grill or in a cast iron pan on the stove. Kale caesar is on the side. Use the dressing from my easy caesar salad and cut the stems from lacinato kale before thinly slicing and tossing with the dressing.

MONDAY

Meatless Monday can get tricky in our house during Whole30. My kids prefer meatless entrees with pasta, sushi (the rice!), miso (the soy!) and enchiladas (the tortillas!). That doesn’t leave many family friendly meatless Whole30 options. Instead, I’m opting for parchment paper fish packets. I’ll put out a bunch of toppings for the parchment paper packets: pesto, cherry tomatoes, herbs, lemon and capers. For mine I’ll add a drizzle of coconut aminos, grated ginger, julienned green onions and garlic). Steamed rice on the side for kids. A sheetpan of roasted okra from my garden (it’s been growing like nuts!) will make an appearance.

TUESDAY

Taco Tuesday! Instant Pot black beans, ground beef tacos sautéd with my homemade taco seasoning, spicy roasted cauliflower and all the taco fixings. Oh, and don’t forget the jalapeño sauce — it’s the best. Kids will have theirs in crunchy taco shells, and I’ll have mine in taco salad form with a drizzle of Primal Kitchen ranch. Or make this Whole30 ranch with cilantro and jalapeño instead of dill.

WEDNESDAY

I need easy clean up tonight — I’m hosting a cooking class fundraiser for FEED tomorrow. I can’t wait to share the details with you all and post some dinner party tips on a blog. I’m thinking a chicken thigh sheetpan supper with some Thompson grapes I bought for a photo shoot and delicata squash. I’ll sprinkle everything with some paprika, cumin, cayenne and course salt to balance out the sweetness. I’ve linked a similar recipe if you need a blueprint, or follow along in my stories Wednesday night. All you need is a big simple salad on the side.

THURSDAY

Busy night! And I’ll be teaching during the day and won’t have time to put something in the slow cooker. I’ll defrost some pumpkin, apple and butternut squash soup I have stashed in the freezer and make my kiddos a side of brown butter and pecorino pasta with sage. Or I’ll make my BLT frittata for dinner and call it a day.

FRIDAY

I won’t be cooking Friday, but if you are try one of those quick Whole30 dinners or make this Mongolian beef and add some broccoli florets to the pan.