Whole30 Hints, Tips, and Tricks

Organize those spices!

Some thoughts on surviving the Whole30:

Batch cooking - at the very least, cook some meat ahead of time and freeze dinner sized portions to cut prep time and to solve that "emergency" of what to make for dinner. BBQ chicken, sautéd chicken, taco meat, burger patties, meatloaf or meatloaf patties, etc.

Have some spice mixes ready. Premix taco seasoning, dry ranch seasoning and others. It helps to have those handy for quick cooking.

Precook some potatoes for breakfast.

Make breakfast turkey sausage patties for breakfast (add mushrooms and kale or spinach to the mix)

Precut some veggies like bell peppers and onions to combine with potatoes to make a breakfast hash.

Make an egg and spinach frittata or even frittata muffins for quick on the go breakfasts.

Buy bone broth from Costco. Make soup!

Buy lots of avocados!

Buy plantain chips from Trader Joe's

Plantain cakes will change your life! Make some ahead of time and store them in a baggie in the fridge. They really come in handy for a quick lunch or snack with almond butter and "jelly".

Other items to make ahead:

Mayo
Jelly (fruit compote)
Ketchup
Coconut creamer (blend coconut milk with vanilla bean)

Chicken Curry with Cauliflower Rice

CHICKEN CURRY (mostly from the Whole30 book)

Curry Sauce-
1 tablespoon of cooking fat (I use ghee)
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger (or ginger paste, like from Trader Joe's)
2 teaspoons sweet yellow curry powder (I like Penzey's brand)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can coconut milk (I like Trader Joe's)
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt and pepper

Chicken breast - cubed (I used two packages of the chicken tenderloins from Costco)
1/2 yellow onion, diced medium
Carrot slices - thin (optional)

-Heat the cooking fat in a skillet and then add onion, cooking until translucent. Add the ginger and cook for a minute, then stir in the garlic. Stir in the curry powder for about 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the coconut milk (shake can well first), turning the pan to low and stirring occasionally, allowing the sauce to simmer and thicken (about 10 minutes).

-Sauté the chicken in ghee (Buffalo ghee from Trader Joe's is yummy). Add some garlic, salt and pepper. When chicken about half cooked add the diced onion  and carrot slices and continue cooking about 10 minutes. Add the curry sauce to the chicken and allow it to simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add the zest and juice from the half of lime and stir in. Sprinkle with cilantro too if you like it.

CAULIFLOWER RICE

2 tablespoons of cooking fat (Buffalo ghee or regular ghee)
4 cups cauliflower rice (make with food processor or buy from a store like Trader Joe's)
1 cup chopped broccoli
Salt and pepper

-Sauté the cauliflower rice and chopped broccoli in the heated cooking fat, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cook until slightly browned and it is the texture you want.

*hint - serve the cauliflower rice on TOP of the curry to avoid getting it too soggy.

Hash Ups

I've always wanted to make hash browns from scratch without making a gooey sticky mess. Ruth suggested that moisture was the enemy. Here is the result and below is the instructions.

 

 Instructions

1. Grate potatoes with food processor.

2. Wrap potatoes on a paper towel and squeeze out water. Squeeze until water is dripping.

3. Microwave potatoes for 4 minutes.

4. Heat up ghee or olive oil (or both) in a skillet (hot.)

5. Stir potatoes in skillet. Press potatoes into pan and leave alone for a few minutes. 

6. Add salt and pepper.

7. Flip potatoes and press again.

8. After a few minutes repeat step 7.

9. Place potatoes in a well oiled pan. Spread out as thin as possible.

10. Broil potatoes until they look like the picture above.

Plantain Cakes!

Almond Butter and Jelly on Plantain Cakes

Chicken Tacos on Plantain Cake Shells

PLANTAIN CAKES

3 Plantains (important - green ones, not yellow and not soft)

2 eggs

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup water

1 Tablespoon Tapioca Flour/Starch

Pinch of salt

-Peel plantains, cut into smaller pieces and put them in a blender. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth. Heat a skillet or griddle (I use cast iron) and add a little canola oil or coconut oil, spreading out on the pan. Pour or scoop about 1/4 cup of the plantain batter onto the hot pan and cook like a pancake. I flip mine more than once, allowing the plantain cakes to get brown and almost a little crispy. These make great vessels for sandwiches, tacos or even toast with ghee and jelly!

PBJs - Make the plantain cakes as instructed. Feel free to pop them in a toaster oven or heat and crisp them up a little on the griddle. I use almond butter and a no sugar fruit compote. (4 cups frozen mixed berries from Costco -  heat and simmer in a sauce pan for about 20-30 minutes. Add about a tablespoon of tapioca flour and stir in, simmering for about another 10 minutes. Store in a jar in the fridge. It has the exact same consistency of jelly without the sugar!) 

TACO SHELLS - Make the plantain cakes as instructed, except thin them out a little on the pan by using a spatula. Not too thin or large; about 5 inches in diameter and even. Cook the plantain cake only enough to be able to flip it and then only about 30 seconds more on the second side. Using a taco form or even the side of a 9 x13 pan, fold the plantain cake gently over the side being careful not to break it. Place the taco form or pan on a cookie sheet then in the oven at 375 degrees and let them bake until the shape is set and the taco shell is as crispy as you like (at least 10-15 minutes). Fill as desired.

I'll post more ideas as I think of them!

Spaghetti Zoodles and Meatballs

MARINARA

2 large cans of unsalted crushed or diced tomatoes

1/2 small can of tomato paste

1 large shallot

4 cloves of garlic

Olive oil

Salt, pepper, basil, oregano and other herbs you like or Italian herb blend

-Dice and saute the shallot and garlic in olive oil. Add the tomato paste and stir it around, cooking it a little. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and add additional seasoning if needed.

MEATBALLS

2 lbs of ground turkey

1 pkg of mushrooms - chopped into small bits

2 shallots

3 eggs

1/4 cup almond flour (or coconut flour) - little more if needed for binding

Fresh or dried parsley finely chopped

Salt and pepper (get creative with other spices-chili powder, 

-Dice and saute the shallots and mushrooms in olive oil. Let cool then add to the ground turkey mixture will all the other ingredients. Mix well. Use small scoop and form into balls then brown in batches in a pan with olive oil until browned on all sides. Transfer to a cooke sheet(s)and finish off in the oven for about 20 more minutes at 350. (You can flash freeze these on a cookie sheet and store them in meal-sized portions in freezer bags)

ZOODLES

1-2 zucchini per person

Salt, pepper

Olive oil and/or ghee (I use both)

-You need a spriralizer to make these tasty "noodles". There are many options - buy a separate device, an attachment for your Kitchen Aid (that's what I have), or some food processors have this ability. Make spirals of zucchini and saute in a hot pan (I like cast iron) with the oil/ghee, salt and pepper. Don't over crowd the pan. You don't want mush. Drain the Zoodles in a strainer to remove extra liquid or you will have spaghetti soup! Top the Zoodles with your delicious marinara and meatballs. 

BBQ Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, and Cauliflower "Risotto"



INGREDIENTS /INSTRUCTIONS: (Whole30 compliant)
​BBQ CHICKEN
*Chicken tenderloins (strips) 2-4 lbs
*1/2 C Whole30 Mayo
*1 Tbl Turkish seasonings (salt, garlic, cumin, black pepper, oregano, paprika, cayenne, coriander), or whatever you like -mix Mayo and seasonings together then pour over chicken and combine. Let it marinate at least 30 minutes. BBQ several minutes per side, turning til done with awesome grill marks.
SWEET POTATOES
*Sweet potatoes, sliced
-toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and chili powder. Put these on the BBQ first, get good grill marks on them and cook a bit, then move to top rack if you can while chicken is cooking.
CAULIFLOWER RISOTTO
*4 cups Cauliflower rice
*4 cups Kale
*Lemon juice
-sauté cauliflower and kale in clarified butter, salt, pepper, fresh garlic or granulated garlic and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Cook until soft and slightly browned. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over it before serving. ​