Quick Start Guide to Whole30

YOU'RE MOTIVATED


You just read the Whole30 Book  and you're jazzed! You're motivated! You're going to change your life for good. You're going to start on Monday, but...do you know where to start? Start here! Below I share my favorite tips and tricks for the Whole30 initiate. Don't be scared or intimated by any aspect of Whole30. You can do this!

BIG TIPS

  1. Do not do your Whole30 alone. Ask if anyone else wants to join you and check-in daily to see how things are going. If no one else wants to do it with you, then share your plan with people who love and support you and update them daily on your progress. Trust me, there will be times when you are tempted to stray and being accountable to others really helps in those vulnerable moments.
  2. Keep it simple. Wherever possible, keep meals simple and on repeat. Remember, you do not have to do Whole30 for the rest of your life. If for 30 days you eat the same breakfast every day, great! If you want to eat the same dinner every night because it's easier, go for it! If you need variety to stay on track for the 30 days, then wonderful! Get creative! But whatever your brand of simple is, stick to it! 
  3. Sign up for an emeals subscription and choose the paleo plan.  The cost is only $4.99/month for a 12-month subscription (ask me and I can get you a 2-week free trial). eMeals will send you a weekly meal plan (recipe and shopping list) so it takes all the thinking out of coming up with ideas for dinner. Their recipes are absolutely delicious. They also have a rad app that connects to Instacart, so you can take your shopping list and drop it right into your Instacart order. Note that the Paleo plan may have some recipes that include honey or maple syrup, and you'll have to omit those ingredients for the Whole30. 
  4. Sign up for an Instacart account. This will save you a ton of hours and resistance to buying the "right" things at the store. If you want $10 off your first order, use my code here. 

COFFEE AND TEA - HAVE NO FEAR, ALTERNATIVES ARE HERE


The HARDEST part of Whole30 for me was trying to figure out how I was going to survive without cream in my coffee or tea. Some of you may relate, some of you may be enviable black coffee or tea drinkers. If you are like me, here are my tips for you:
  1. Coconut Coffee is awesome! All you do is brew some coffee, put it in a Magic Bullet or other high powered blender with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and blend. It'll come out rich and creamy and will have a slight coconut flavor. You'll really have to trust me on this...your taste buds will change entirely and you'll actually start to crave the coconut flavor after a few days. You can also blend coconut oil into your tea for a creamy tea latte. Note that you will need a high powered blender to get the full emulsion. 
  2. If you don't want to deal with a blender, then you can use Nutpods (available in most grocery stores) or unsweetened almond or coconut milk. My husband likes the French Vanilla Flavored Nutpods, but TBH, I'm not a fan of the flavor. If you like Nutpods, you can put a little in a container if/when you go out for coffee at a coffeehouse or restaurant. 

BREAKFAST  - KEEP IT SIMPLE & ON REPEAT



  1. It's easiest to stick to bacon and eggs. Most Americans eat this meal or one similar every day. Just remember to buy whole30 approved bacon like those shown in the image above. Seriously, if you want to take the thinking out, sometimes it's easiest just to eat the same breakfast every day.  
  2. But if you love muffins, try these amazing banana nut muffins.  Every time I make them, friends and family go ga-ga over them. They are a perfect treat and will do the trick for a quick morning start.
  3. Smoothies are great for the road. try this recipe (omit the sweetener) or this Pineapple Blueberry Smoothie. 
There are a TON of Whole30 Breakfast ideas out there and if you like to get creative with your breakfasts, then, by all means, go cook 'em! My recommendation is to choose 1-3 breakfasts to rotate throughout the 30 days to keep it simple. 

LUNCH - EAT THOSE DINNER LEFTOVERS IF YOU CAN


  1. The easiest thing to do is to eat leftovers from the night before. Making a little extra food every night for dinner will save you loads of time and will also save you from having to make the dreaded decisions around "what to eat for lunch" the next day. When my husband and I are doing a Whole30, I always double my dinner recipes. After I plate up our meals for dinner, I grab two food containers and put the remainder in those for our lunch the next day. It's a gift we give ourselves!
  2. Salads are also very easy and good dressing is the key. Cook up a batch of protein (chicken, salmon, beef whatever!) on Sunday and you can add that to salads for up to 4 days. Add in whatever veggies you like (or keep it simple and just add tomatoes!). The salad dressings are everything, though, right? So here are a few of my favorite recipes: Ranch (TRY THIS!!! It tastes EXACTLY like the real thing). These are also really good.  Balsamic Glaze is a must. If you don't feel like making your own, Tessemae's brand is good (Habenero Ranch is my fav!) and Primal Kitchen is quite popular (though personally I still think homemade is WAY better)
  3. If you have it in the budget, consider a food delivery service like Annie's edibles (L.A. area only, but here is a nationwide list). They make and deliver custom made meals and you can choose which ingredients you want. We used this service for our first round of Whole30 and it was a life-saver! 
  4. Emeals is also a good choice here. You can add on a lunch plan for paleo recipes.

DINNER - EMEALS ALL THE WAY

  1. As mentioned above, Emeals will save you so much time and effort in your meal planning. It's really a gift to kind of surrender to a plan and not have to think about what you will eat for the week and how you will shop for it. When we were on Whole30, I tried to follow the plans to a T to keep our lives simple. Double the recipes if you want leftovers for lunch
  2. A meal service like Model Meals, PlateJoy, or GreenChef can take the thinking and the work out of dinners. A great option if you have it in your budget. The only problem is you won't have leftovers. Plus, I think homemade meals taste better :) 
  3. If you decide to eat out or do takeout, here is a great guide on what to order. Quite simply, when you eat out, choose a meat protein (unbreaded, no sweet sauce) and some veggies (raw or cooked in oil). It won't look as sexy as your friend's plate I assure you, but who cares? You are on Whole30 and that IS sexy! 
  4. A simple Whole30 dinner recipe search will bring up so many creative recipes and of course, this blog has a bunch for you too (search tag "Whole30". Try some! 

SNACKS - NUTS AND FRUIT ARE EASIEST AND VERY PORTABLE

  1. My go-to snack is nuts and or fruit because they're easy and portable.
  2. Lara Bars and RX Bars are awesome! We had one of these every day on our first Whole30 journey and we loved 'em! They provide that sweet, chewy texture. Admittedly, after a few Whole30s all the bars started to kind of taste the same, but still, they are a great option on the go. 
  3. Epic Bars and Chomps are also yummy if you like Jerky and want a more savory snack. Check the label, though, some are not Whole30 compliant.

PANTRY MUST-HAVES

  1. Coconut Aminos.  A great dipping sauce for Tuna or Salmon. Also tastes great as a marinade.
  2. Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and Paprika.  Sprinkle these and some salt and pepper on any meat or veggie you cook and you are all set on flavor. If you use no other spices, you'll still be set!
  3. Avocado Oil. For making homemade mayo (which you should always have on hand. It's so simple and so much better than store bought!)
  4. Coconut Oil. For coffee and also for cooking
  5. Ghee. It's butter's angelic cousin and you'll find an excuse to use it on everything
  6. Potatoes and Sweet potatoes: You'll want these because we all need "comfort" foods. This is one diet that allows them, so go for 'em! 
  7. Alternative Flours: Almond Flour, Coconut Flour, Tapioca Flour are all flours you'll find in various Whole30 recipes. They're great to have on hand when those recipes call for it. 

MY FAVORITE PALEO/WHOLE30 RECIPE BLOGS

  1. Instgram @Whole30recipes
  2. Paleo Grubs. Most recipes are Paleo, so you'll have to check to make sure that the recipe's include Whole30 approved ingredients, but you'll find some great main and side dish options here (just don't get trapped with all of her delish dessert recipes too!)
  3. Paleo Running Mama. See above.
  4. Nom Nom Paleo. Same. 
  5. Other Whole30 Blogs to check out

IF YOU NEED A WHOLE30 CHAMPION, PLEASE REACH OUT

Contact: goodtobeorganized@gmail.com

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