The Whole30 can be overwhelming, for sure. Especially if you’re not using to eating or cooking a paleo diet, you’ll be absolutely blown away by all the foods you’re used to eating that you’re cutting out for 30 days. What about my peanut butter? What’s so wrong with a black bean? WHY NO PANCAKES, MELISSA?! All of these questions will run like a ticker through your mind, possibly bubbling over in a pancake-driven rage, holding the poor soul who happened to file into the grocery line behind you by the collar, shaking them maniacally… What, no one else? Just me? So, you probably won’t have a pancake-driven rage, but you very well might feel that overwhelm at just what you can and should make, how to structure it, how to shop. That’s why I’m sharing Whole30 meal plans, week by week, along with a shopping list to make it as easy as possible on you. Simply download the Whole30 meal plans and shopping lists and make your own list based on what you already have at home, or swap out recipes that don’t sound great to you that week. Or… take the list to the store and just go for it. So easy! I’m also including a Whole30 prep list of recipes and shopping list. What this means is I’ve put together a list of dishes and condiments that I found helpful to have made before starting my Whole30, including compliant ranch, homemade mayo, chimichurri, and a breakfast casserole for week 1. These recipes support the Whole30 meal plans for weeks 1-4. Make these recipes ahead, and you’ll ease right into day 1 with a full fridge and solid plan. Do make sure that you download my eBook, The Total Guide to the Whole30, before starting! Let’s get right to it, shall we?
Download the Whole30 Meal plans
If you want to download the Whole30 meal plans, check out my Whole30 Starter Kit, complete with Total Guide to the Whole30 and 4+ weeks of meal plans and shopping lists by clicking here.
Prep Recipes
Ready to properly prep for your Whole30? Here are the recipes you’ll need to go along with the prep plan:
Paleo breakfast casserole Chicken salad Homemade mayonnaise Ranch dressing, but make your own buttermilk using 1/2 cup of almond milk + 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice. Chimichurri
Week 1 Recipes
Keep in mind that the shopping list for week 1 includes the ingredients for the paleo breakfast casserole, chicken salad, etc., that you hopefully will make before day 1. No need to duplicate! Here are the recipes that go along with the Whole30 meal plans for week 1:
Paleo breakfast casserole (from Prep) Chicken salad Chicken zucchini poppers Garlicky kale, see recipe below Sweet potato fries with homemade ranch dressing (make your own buttermilk using 1/2 cup of almond milk + 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice) Cajun-spiced steak salad, see recipe below Chicken tikka masala, and add sliced green bell pepper when you add the coconut milk. Serve over cauliflower rice Paleo Italian meatballs with marinara sauce over zoodles Italian spinach, but leave out the parmesan Sautéed shrimp, see below recipe Cauliflower mash, subbing ghee for the butter Sweet potato toast Guacamole Lettuce-wrapped burger Curry turkey bites with apricot-ginger sauce Green beans with onions, mushrooms, peppers
Garlicky Kale
1 bunch kale, washed but not dried, and sliced into 1″-thick strips 1 tablespoon ghee 2 cloves garlic, minced salt and pepper, to taste Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat then add the garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute, or until the garlic is fragrant. Be careful – the garlic will burn easily. Add the kale and stir to combine, then cover and let steam until leaves turn a bright green. Remove lid and stir, adding a little more water if necessary to finish steaming. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cajun-Spiced Steak Salad
1.5-pound sirloin steak Compliant Cajun seasoning Salt, to taste 1 tablespoon ghee 1 large head romaine lettuce, cut into 1″-thick strips, washed, and dried very well 1 Roma tomato, cut into wedges or diced 1 cucumber, diced 1 carrot, peeled and shredded 4 soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved Homemade ranch dressing Season the sirloin steak on both sides very, very liberally with Cajun seasoning and salt, if there is no salt already in Cajun seasoning. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then add ghee and let melt and heat for about 30 seconds. Carefully add the steak to the skillet and cook 3-5 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from skillet and let rest 10 minutes, then slice. Plate salads, top with steak, and serve with homemade ranch dressing.
Sautéed Shrimp Over Cauliflower Mash
1 pound shrimp, shells off Compliant Cajun seasoning Salt, to taste 1 tablespoon ghee Season the shrimp on both sides very liberally with Cajun seasoning and salt, if there is no salt already in Cajun seasoning. Heat ghee in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, then add shrimp. Let cook without stirring about 2 minutes, or until beginning to turn opaque, then begin stirring to cook both sides. When shrimp just turn pink, remove from pan. Serve over cauliflower mash, recipe in list above.
