A wholesome, delicious, Whole30 meal plan! Perfect for your next Whole30 adventure! Healthy supportive recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Curated by a nutritionist.
Happy New Year! Welcome to “Meal Plan Wednesday”, a monthly series where I feature a complete meal plan focused on one particular dietary topic.
I am not a proponent of any one specific dietary dogma, rather as a nutritionist, I lead my clients through therapeutical protocols to support their unique healing journey.
Disclaimer: I have a very inclusive philosophy around food and truly believe that in a healthy diet all foods can fit. However, I also believe that specific therapeutic food protocols can be our best clinical tool to encourage greater health and healing. This does not substitute for medical advice and I do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment on this blog.
Ok, let's get to the meal plan!
HOW TO USE THIS WHOLE30 MEAL PLAN:
Scroll down to find all of the recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, snacks. This is a 7-day meal plan, including one week of delicious, wholesome, health-supportive foods.
You can also download a comprehensive version of this meal plan which includes:
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- Detailed meal schedule
- Full nutritional analysis
- Complete Grocery list
- All recipes in a convenient, printable, pdf
- The pdf download costs $8, OR you can simply scroll through this post for all of the recipes
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WHOLE30 BASICS
WHAT IS WHOLE30?
Whole30 is a diet plan that focuses on real whole food and eliminates all processed foods. According to its founder, Melissa Hartwig, it is an opportunity to reset your relationship with food.
WHAT CAN I EAT ON WHOLE30?
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Eggs
- Animal protein
- Fish, and seafood
WHAT IS ELIMINATED ON WHOLE30?
A much longer list:
- Dairy (ghee is the exception)
- All Grains
- All sugar, all forms of sugar including natural sweeteners (this means no honey or maple syrup)
- Alcohol
- Legumes (beans, chickpeas, and peanut butter)
A Personal Statement about Whole30, feel free to skip this if you aren't interested in my opinion 😉
Yes, I just spent the better part of a week creating a Whole30 Meal plan and writing this post for you, however, there are many aspects of Whole30 that I do not agree with.
The good – I am in full support of simplifying food and nutrition for a “therapeutic” length of time. Taking the time to read labels, meal prep, plan, and COOK, is fantastic! Flooding your body with wholesome nutrition from real food, yes, this is a good thing.
The issues :
- Elimination Diet? – Whole30 is essentially an elimination diet. Elimination diets are used clinically for a multitude of reasons including; immune disorders, gut disorders, high food sensitivities, and cardio-metabolic disorders. Note the word “clinically”. It is my opinion that a full elimination diet is best employed under the supervision of a trained professional. The actual elimination of potential trigger foods is step 1 of a long process. If you are not working with a trained professional through the re-introduction phase you are missing the point of a clinical elimination diet.
- Too Restrictive – The majority of the population does not require a full elimination of all grains and legumes. PERIOD. It is absolutely possible to embrace real food, reduce processed foods, and still eat beans.
- Silly Rules – Things like “If you mess up you have to start at day 1” or “You cannot make any look-a-like food (i.e. coconut flour pancakes) because these are the foods that got you into trouble in the first place” (I'm paraphrasing). These rules are pointless and inconsistent. For instance, on the Whole30 website, there is a recipe for BBQ ribs using “Whole30 compliant BBQ sauce” which has zero sugar. The recipe calls for chopped dates on top of the ribs. Ummm… that's because the sauce has no sweetener to balance the tang and acidity of bbq sauce and therefore dates are required. Do you know what would work better in that recipe? A little maple syrup in the bbq sauce. Why Whole30 arbitrarily decides that dates (in large quantities by the way) are fine but a splash of maple syrup or honey isn't? Well… it just doesn't make sense.
CONCLUSION AND MY TIPS FOR A HEALTHY WHOLE30:
#1 Tip – If you have a history of disordered eating, this is not a good fit.
#2 Tip – Write down your intentions for the program. If you are embarking on a 30-day dietary shift you need to know deeply why it's important to you. Do you want to discover new foods? Cook more? Increase plant-based foods? See how you feel when you eliminate processed foods? Great, use your own intentions as your guidepost and work from that place every day.
#3 Tip – PLAN, PREP, COOK
You will be cooking ALL THE TIME. This is just a reality. If you try to rely on “Whole 30” approved convenience foods you are missing the point of a whole food protocol. Challenge yourself to cook, try new recipes, get really good at meal planning. If the only thing you get out of the program is more confidence in the kitchen, well then YOU JUST WON WHOLE30!
Ok, let's get to the good stuff!
7-DAY WHOLE30 MEAL PLAN RECIPES:
If you'd like a complete pdf download of this meal plan including, a detailed schedule, full nutritional analysis, grocery list, and pdf of all the delicious recipes. You can download it by clicking the button below.
WHOLE30 BREAKFAST RECIPES
The most often bemoaned sentiment of those on the Whole30 plan is, “I cannot eat another egg for breakfast!”.
Since grains are removed from the plan, and anything resembling bread, and you KNOW how the Whole30 gods feel about pancakes, even super healthy pancakes made with wholesome ingredients (insert massive eye roll here, or see my personal statement above), breakfast seems to stump just about everyone.
Here are some delicious, easy, Whole30 breakfast recipe ideas:
Strawberry Coconut Collagen Smoothie – Vital Proteins plain collagen peptides are Whole30 approved Collagen provides 18g of protein per serving, is flavorless (i.e. perfect for every flavor smoothie on the planet), and has the added benefit of being a supportive food for gut health!
For this smoothie blend a banana, strawberries, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, collagen, and Whole30 approved coconut milk together.
Some other great smoothie ideas: Matcha avocado smoothie, raspberry green tea smoothie, blackberry avocado smoothie.
Squash Baked Egg – I am OBSESSED with this recipe! I love sweet root vegetables in the morning for a good source of carbohydrates, B vitamins, and fiber! Simply slice in a half a small acorn squash, scoop out the seeds, brush the inside with avocado oil (or coconut oil, or ghee) salt and pepper and roast flesh side down in a 375° oven for 25-35 minutes or until you can easily pierce it with a fork. Remove from oven, carefully flip over and crack an egg into both halves. Season egg with salt and pepper and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the egg has set.
Cauliflower Rice Breakfast Bowl – Saute cauliflower rice in olive oil for 3-4 minutes, add a splash of coconut aminos. This is your base for the breakfast bowl. Now top with bacon, sauteed mushrooms and eggs. Goodbye forever, this is now your new favorite breakfast! You can top with whatever veggies you like.
More Great Whole30 Breakfast Ideas:
You don't have to sing the “only eggs for breakfast” blues, just think outside of the breakfast box. Try having soup or leftovers for breakfast! I love making bone broth bowls, nourishing veggie soups, or even roasted veggies and protein will work!
WHOLE 30 LUNCH AND DINNER RECIPES
Cauliflower Rice Puttanesca (optional ground beef add-on)
10 minutes from start to finish, and feel free to use Whole30 approved Rao's jarred tomato sauce! This recipe is bursting with flavor, and is deeply satisfying. You can add sauteed ground beef (saute in olive oil and salt) if you'd like more protein but I like some vegetarian options on Whole30.
Creamy Kale and Mushroom Stuffed Delicata Squash
You may want to make a double batch of this because it is the perfect quick lunch or light snack! Loaded with nutrients, healthy fat, and fiber.
Super Green Detoxifying Broccoli Soup
My go-to soup all winter long. Easy, creamy, warm, and delicious! I pair this soup with a big helping of this escarole citrus avocado salad for a complete lunch.
Seared Cod with Bacon and Kale – First cook a few strips of Whole30 approved bacon in a hot skillet, once crispy remove. Add a well seasoned (salt and pepper) cod filet to the pan and cook for 4 minutes, remove and set aside. Add 1 sliced red pepper to the pan and cook until tender, add a huge handful of kale and a splash of water to wilt. Add cod back to the pan and nestle on top of the kale and red pepper, cook covered for an additional 6-8 minutes. Serve with the bacon scattered about.
One Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Squash – You will need 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 cups cubed butternut squash, 2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved, 1 tsp avocado oil, 1 tbsp each of fresh chopped rosemary and thyme and a generous sprinkle of sea salt.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the butternut squash, brussels sprouts and chicken to the pan. Drizzle everything with avocado oil, rosemary, thyme and sea salt.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway. Serve and enjoy!
Beet Salad with Berries and Avocado Basil Dressing
Beets are winners in the world of nutrition offering you a host of synergistic compounds to support liver and gallbladder health. They also happen to be delicious! When you are removing sugar from your diet it's helpful to bring in more “sweet” vegetables to help with the transition.
Teriyaki Turkey Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
Guess what? Primal Kitchen Teriyaki Sauce is Whole30 Compliant! Woohoo! It's super delish. Now you can make these mushroom and turkey lettuce wraps that are crazy delicious!
WHOLE 30 SNACK RECIPES
My suggestion is to keep your snacks pretty simple. Prep freshly chopped veggies, have organic fresh fruit on hand, adn some nuts and seeds. Some of my favorite snacks for Whole30 are:
- Sliced pears and walnuts
- Celery sticks and sunflower butter
- Avocado salad (toss avocado with crushed red pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and salt)
- Italian Olive Oil Shrimp Salad
Download the recipes, grocery list, meal schedule, and full nutrition analysis.
To make this super duper easy I put this all together in a comprehensive pdf with printable recipes, grocery list, meal schedule, and nutrition analysis. Download your copy below!
Best of luck on your Whole30 adventure!!
MORE MEAL PLANS YOU WILL LOVE
HIGH FIBER KETOGENIC DIET MEAL PLAN
HIGH PROTEIN VEGETARIAN MEAL PLAN
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDITERRANEAN DIET MEAL PLAN
