Practicing Primal's Down & Dirty Whole30 Info and Easy Peasy Whole30 Meals

It's that time again.... Whole30! Yay!! I'm so excited to start 2014 off right.  Here's some quick tips and recipes to help you get started.  And, hop over to the Practicing Primal (and Paleo) Facebook Page to get daily support. Good luck!  ~Christina


THE DOWN & DIRTY WHOLE30 INFO!

YES Foods:

• Meats / Fish
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Healthy Fats

NO Foods:

• Grains
• Legumes
• White Potatoes
• Dairy (except for ghee / clarified butter)
• Processed Foods
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Sugars (of all kinds including artificial and natural (ie. honey))
• MSG, Sulphites, Carrageenan

WHOLE30 MEAL TEMPLATE ("The Plate")

• Meat/Fish + Vegetables + Healthy Fat = Whole30 Compliant
• Meat should be the size of 1-2 of your palms.  Fill the rest of the plate with veg. Add a healthy fat.
• Use this template for EVERY meal
• Print, Laminate, and Post (in your kitchen) “The Meal-Planning Template” from the Whole9 site for guidelines & quick reference! http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf

OTHER

• No Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices (this is SWYPO - sex with your pants on)
• You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program.

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EASY-PEASY WHOLE30 MEALS!


NO PREP / COLD (I usually have this as my breakfast and sometimes even lunch)

• Pick 1 from each category:
• Protein: Lunch Meat, Parma Ham, Hard Boiled Egg, Cold Cooked Chicken or Turkey, Prawns or Seafood Mix, Smoked Salmon or Tinned Fish (sometimes I’ll bake up some bacon if I want something hot!) **note that a lot of lunch meat, prawns, smoked fish and sometimes tinned fish often have sulphites and/or sugar so don’t get those! Nitrates/Nitrites are ok.

• Healthy Fat: Avocado, Nuts (*no peanuts!), Nut Butter (*no peanut butter!), Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Olives

• Raw Vegetable: Bell Pepper, Carrots, Tomato (basil EVOO over it is yummy!), Celery (dipped in almond butter is scrummy!), etc…

SALADS

• Prawn Salad: Prawns and Chopped Tomatoes and Avocado with Salt (mix together). Eat plain or over greens.

• Egg Salad: Chopped Hard Boiled Egg and Tomatoes and Avocado with Salt (mix together) Eat plain or over greens.

• Chicken Salad: Chopped Chicken and Onion and Celery and Mashed Avocado with Salt (mix together) Eat plain or over greens.

• Tuna Salad: Tuna and Chopped Onion and Celery and Mashed Avocado with Salt (mix together) Eat plain or over greens.

• Taco Salad:

1. Brown mince and add in taco seasoning:
2. Taco Seasoning: 1 T chili powder, 1 T ground cumin, 1 T garlic powder, 1 T onion powder, 1/4–½ T crushed red pepper (if the mince isn’t spicy enough for you, experiment with the amounts of each  seasoning)
3. Use lettuce as a base for the salad
4. Top with taco meat and chopped veg: avocado, tomato, onion, etc.
5. If you want a dressing, use Basalmic Vinegar and EVOO

• Cobb Salad:

1. Pre-cook chicken and bacon and hard-boil egg and use when cold
2. Use lettuce as a base for the salad
3. Top with cubed chicken, crumbled bacon, sliced hard-boiled egg and chopped tomato, avocado, tomato, onion, olives (any colour) and cucumber
4. Use Basalmic Vinegar and EVOO as salad dressing

• Sushi:

1. Nori Seaweed with mashed Avocado and Smoked Salmon.  Put in thinly sliced carrots, cucumbers and/or bell peppers.  Substitute tuna for the salmon if you prefer. Roll according to the instructions on the seaweed packet

SOUPS & STEWS

*All of these need bone broth as the base…

To make: Take bones of chicken or beef and place in Crockpot. Fill pot full of water.  Add a few tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar and any spices and/or veg you might like, although you don’t have to add any.  Put Crockpot on Low for 24-48 hours.  Drain out bones and throw them away and use the broth.  **I like to get a whole chicken and cook in the Crockpot and then use the meat in a meal or keep for cold chicken to be used in breakfast or salads. Then you’ve got easy chicken bones to use!

*I cook all my soups in a Crockpot
*All of these have protein and vegetable in them so you only need to add a healthy fat to your meal
*Use leftovers in the next few days or freeze for later use

• Beef/Pork/Lamb/Chicken/Turkey Soup/Stew

1. Use bone broth as a base
2. Cut meat into chunks and add to broth (you can brown the meat on the stovetop first if you want to, but it’s not needed and the juices from the meat cooking give extra flavour to the broth
3. Cut up any vegetables that sound good (I like carrots, onions, garlic and celery) and add to broth
4. Add any spices that sound good
5. Want a chunkier stew? Add in cut sweet potatoes about a hour before serving

• Butternut Squash Soup from Make It Paleo by Bill Staley & Hayley Mason

     Ingredients:
        1 onion, chopped
        2 T coconut oil
        1 tsp cinnamon
        ½ tsp salt
        1 medium butternut squash, peeled & chopped
        1 quart chicken bone broth

1. Sauté chopped onion in coconut oil in a large pot
2. Add in cinnamon, nutmeg and salt
3. Add chopped butternut squash & broth, boil until squash is tender
4. Puree soup in a food processor high-speed blender until smooth

• Tomato Basil Soup from Make It Paleo by Bill Staley & Hayley Mason

     Ingredients:
        5 vine-ripened tomatoes
        1 T olive oil
        Salt & pepper to taste
        1 T coconut oil
        1 onion, chopped
        3 cloves garlic, minced
        3 cups  chicken bone broth
        ½ loose cup of basil leaves, sliced
        6 oz. tomato paste
        2 tsp each of salt & pepper

1. Clean & quarter tomatoes – toss with olive oil, salt & pepper (first set listed) & roast on a baking sheet at 350F for 30 minutes
2. Sauté onion and garlic in coconut oil until onion is translucent
3. Add in the roasted tomatoes and continue to sauté for 1 minute
4. Add in chicken bone broth, basil & tomato paste & stir continuously over medium heat until the tomato paste has dissolved
5. Season with salt & pepper (second set listed)
6. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low.  Cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes
7. Pour soup into a food processor or a high-speed blender (I do NOT recommend using a regular blender while it’s hot unless you want a tomato splattered kitchen!) and puree until smooth

• Asparagus Soup by Dr. Hyman

     Ingredients:
        1 T extra-virgin olive oil
        3 garlic cloves, minced
        1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
        2 ½ pounds asparagus trimmed
        ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
        6 cups bone broth
        Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Sauté garlic in EVOO & add cauliflower, asparagus, cayenne & salt/pepper
2. Add broth and bring to a bowl.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until cauliflower is fully cooked (about 5-8 minutes)
3. Puree in blender (when cool or there’ll be asparagus soup all over the kitchen)

SKILLETS

• Scrambled Egg with 1T Coconut Oil or Ghee and Vegetables cut up into it. Add cut Chicken and/or Crumbled Bacon if you want.  Add any Spices that you like – you can experiment with fresh herbs as well.  You can also leave the egg once it’s scrambled and then fold in half to make an omelette instead of continuing to scramble.  Alternatively, you can pour the batter into muffin tins or round baking pan and bake so that it becomes like a fritatta or quiche

• Bacon (I bake mine) and Sautéed Vegetables in 1T Coconut Oil or Ghee

• Sautéed Vegetables (I like Mushrooms) and Prawns in 1T Coconut Oil or Ghee

• Chopped Sweet Potato and/or Butternut Squash and any protein that sounds great.  You can add other vegetables in if you like. Add any spices that sound good.  Sauté in 1T Coconut Oil or Ghee.

BAKE
* Make things easier: Double up and use the leftovers the next day!!

• Meat & Veg Packets in Tinfoil:

1. Buy the meat and veg you want for the week.
2. When you get home, put vegetables & meat/fish, ghee/clarified butter and any spices in tinfoil and make into packets.
3. Freeze any packets that you aren't eating today or tomorrow.
4. Put the packets in the oven at Gas Mark 4-5 or 20-40 min depending on your meat.  If you don’t like the packets – bake your protein and then sauté or steam your vegetables separately
5. Drizzle vegetables with flavoured EVOO and salt before eating
6. Remember to take out packets for tomorrow out of the freezer

• Portobella Tomato Mince – make sure you eat a healthy fat with the meal

1. Brown mince
2. Add in compliant pasta sauce or make your own with passata (plain tomato sauce), tomato paste, canned chopped tomatoes and spices
3. Turn Portobellas upside down on a baking sheet and cut off stem if necessary.  Fill with mince mixture and bake until mushroom is cooked

• Almond Flax Crusted Chicken by Dr. Hyman (I think it tastes like Southern Fried!) - Eat with Sweet Potato and/or Steamed Vegetables – use EVOO or ghee on the sweet potato and vegetables

     Ingredients:
        4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
        1 T extra virgin olive oil
        1 T almond butter
        1 tsp lemon juice
        1 tsp sea salt
        pinch of cayenne
        1 tsp fresh parsley
        1 tsp paprika
        1/3 tsp onion powder
        3 T ground flax
        ½ cup almond meal (basically finely ground almonds)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Place between wax paper and pound until thin.
3. In small bowl combine EVOO, almond butter, lemon juice, and all spices and herbs.  Mix together in food processor or by hand
4. Once combined, add chicken breast and cover them.  Marinate for 10-15min or up to 24hrs
5. Combine the flax seed and almond meal in small bowl.  Remove chicken from marinade and press into flax/almond mixture until covered on both sides.
6. Bake  for 20-30 minutes.

• Roast Dinner (I like to throw the protein and veg in the Crockpot) – Pick one from each category:

1. Protein: Gammon, Pot Roast, Chicken, etc.
2. Vegetable(s)
3. Can include Baked Sweet Potato
4. Healthy Fat: Ghee or Coconut Oil