Whole30 Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans

Yesterday was my first day of the Whole30. I was already planning on making meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole for dinner, so it only took a little modifying to make it Whole30 compliant. This dinner was delicious. And the best part was I made a lot of it, so we'll be having it tonight too. 

My Sweetener Free Meatloaf fits with the program as is. I'm not getting bent out of shape about only eating grass-fed organic meats. I'm being realistic and using the meats we already have. This time I doubled the recipe so we could have enough for another dinner. I doubled all of the spices, ketchup, etc and used 2 lb ground pork, 1.25 lb ground bison, and 1.25 lb ground turkey. I mixed everything together in a big bowl and split them into two loaves. It turned out delicious! Way better than when I've tried to use just pork and turkey in the past. This picture also highlights the importance of lining the pan with foil. Just toss the foil when you're done and cleanup is super easy. Much less frustrating that scrubbing the pan.

My Gluten and Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole is pretty close to Whole30 compliant. I could have easily modified that recipe to change how I fried the onions and left out the sherry. But that didn't seem to be in the spirit of the challenge. Whole30 has a phrase, Sex With Your Pants On. It refers to when you change something to fit in the program that imitates some unhealthy habit you have, and you just end up feeling unsatisfied and still crave the original. So I decided to do sauteed green beans and mushrooms. They tasted great and were a lot healthier and easier than making green bean casserole. 

Sauteed Green Beans

2 cans green beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet.
2. Add the mushrooms, garlic and seasonings. Cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid.
3. Add the green beans and cook until the mushrooms are browned.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 lb frozen cauliflower
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp coconut cream from a can of coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

1. Combine the sweet potatoes, cauliflower and water to cover in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Boil until the veggies are soft. Drain and return to the pot.
3. Mash the veggies with the remaining ingredients.