Whole30 Weekly Meal Plan // Week of September 3

Whole30 Week 1

Monday is day one of Whole30 for me. I can’t wait to share my delicious Whole30 meal plans with you. I’ve been stockpiling recipes and brainstorming all summer. My family will be eating Whole30 dinners, and I promise they will have no clue! Not to say I won’t give them a hamburger bun or a scoop of rice if they want it.

For those of you who want to learn more about the basics of Whole30, definitely read up on it. It’s not a diet to lose weight, but a way to reshape your focus on whole foods, cut sugar cravings and ease inflammation. This will be my third Whole30, and September is the perfect time for a refocus after a summer of frozé-all-day. After the first few days, your cravings will ease. Most likely, you won’t miss the things you think you’ll miss. For me, I really didn’t mind giving up dairy (and my husband calls me dairy queen), and bread and pasta were easy peasy. I do like a good, crisp glass (or two) of white wine on the weekends, but instead I’ll pour myself a glass of kombucha or sparkling water with lime.

Comment below if you’re joining me for Whole30! And also, pretty please forward this meal plan to any friends who would enjoy healthy, family-friendly recipes. Let’s do this!

MONDAY

It’s Labor Day! Let’s throw some chicken wings in the oven and cook up some burgers! I’ll have mine on a bed of lettuce topped with avocado, pickled red onions and some insane Whole30 In-n-Out sauce linked to in the burger recipe. I’m working on a Whole30 recipe for pickled red onions, I may replace the brown sugar with a little date syrup. Or I may just soak them in warm rice vinegar and salt and call it a day. Watch my Instagram stories Monday to find out. The Defined Dish’s buffalo potato salad will be on the side.

TUESDAY

Field hockey game and boy scouts are on the books, and it’s our first day back to school and work after a long weekend. Let’s do something easy! Sheetpan sausage and peppers with a side of sauerkraut and whole grain mustard.  Read the labels on all your ingredients to make sure there is no added sugar. I’ll use Teton Waters Ranch kielbasa, it’s made from grass-fed beef and has no added sugar. You can also use Italian sausage or bratwurst, as long as there’s no added sugar or preservatives. Look for organic or grass-fed beef or pork sausages if possible.

WEDNESDAY

Sloppy Joe stuffed sweet potatoes are one of my favorite Whole30 comfort food meals. SkinnyTaste’s recipe for sloppy joe’s is full of veggies, but replace the Worcestershire sauce with coconut aminos. Use grass-fed ground beef and make sure your seasoned salt doesn’t contain sugar. Trader Joe’s seasoning salt is great, it’s delicious on plain baked potatoes or roasted broccoli as well! My kids may have theirs on slider buns with sweet potatoes on the side. TIP: If you have a busy night, make the sloppy joe filling in your slow cooker early in the day. I sauté the meat on the stove and then add the remaining ingredients to my slow cooker and give it a stir. Cook for 6-7 hours on the low setting for 4-5 hours on the high setting.

THURSDAY

Tom kha gai for the win! I used to make this all the time before my husband and I had kids, but honestly I haven’t made it in years. My family loves coconut milk, ginger and lime so I think this will be a big hit. Omit the teaspoon of sugar in the recipe (you won’t miss it — coconut milk is sweet enough) and use Red Boat fish sauce. I may add a scoop of cauliflower rice to my bowl for an extra serving of veggies and my kids may want a scoop of steamed rice. Buy frozen pre-cooked rice at almost any grocery store. You can microwave a small serving without any clean up! No rice if you’re doing Whole30, though.

FRIDAY

Shortcut caesar salad (skip the parmesan and croutons for Whole30) with slow roasted salmon on top (or on the side). Add some coconut lime cauliflower rice to your plate for a yummy side (it takes 15 minutes to make start to finish)! Or just make a big caesar salad and throw some veggies, steaks or salmon on the grill! Happy weekend.