Whole30 Double Batch Meatloaf, Onion Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Prosciutto Brussels Sprouts

The last two weeks I made double batches of meatloaf. It's just as easy to make a double batch as a single. The leftover meatloaf is great diced up with veggies and eggs for breakfast. Or even by itself as an after workout snack. 

Whole30 Double Batch Meatloaf

2 lb ground pork
1.25 lb ground turkey
1.25 lb ground bison
1 cup dry minced onions
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup Sweetener Free Ketchup
2 Tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp ground sage

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with tin foil.
2. Combine onion and coconut milk in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Pour all ingredients (except for 1/4 cup of the ketchup) into a very large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands.
4. Split the meat mixture between the two pans and form into loaves. Spread the 1/4 cup remaining ketchup over the top of the loaves.
5. Bake for 50 minutes. Optional, broil for the last two minutes to form a crust.
6. Remove from oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Roasted Prosciutto Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 oz prosciutto, cut into chunks
zest from 1/2 of a lemon
oil
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Layer Brussels Sprouts, prosciutto and lemon zest in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss together.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once

Onion Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp dried minced onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Toss all ingredients together in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring once.

Whole30 Greek Taco Salad

Earlier this week I bought a pound of ground lamb at the grocery store with no real plan for it. I was just excited that it would be a nice change and we already know Tommy can eat lamb. I was looking up ground lamb recipes and stumbled upon Jeff Mauro's Greek Taco Recipe. We have enough of these ingredients to be able to make something very similar. And it didn't take very many adjustments at all to make it Whole30 compliant. I also added chopped avocado to the salad. 

I only had 1 lb of lamb, so that's what I used. And I had giant regular yellow onions and not red onions. For the red wine I used red wine vinegar. For the cucumber and tomato relish I used 1/4 of an onion since my onions were huge. I made my own tatziki sauce that fit the program. The sauce was the best the second day and then got weird after a couple days. 

The first time I had the salad it was delicious. But the leftovers weren't as satisfying. I think the sauce is best prepare in advance and then the salad is best the first time. 

Whole30 Tatziki Sauce

1 cucumber
Pinch of salt
1 cup cream from a can of coconut milk
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp dried basil

1. Peel the cucumber and grate it on the big hole side of a box grater. Place the cucumber in a collander fitted over a bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze the cucumber to remove more liquid. Combine the cucumber and the remaining ingredients in a bowl. 
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Stir before serving.

My New Favorite Meal - Buffalo Chicken Alfredo with Sweet Potato Noodles

I've made Brittany Angell's Buffalo Chicken Alfredo with Sweet Potato Noodles twice in the last two weeks. It's soooo good. It's rich, creamy, a little spicy and so satisfying. I barely had to modify it to make it Whole30 compliant. Both times I doubled the sauce and added more veggies to the sweet potatoes to make it a one dish meal. It is really delicious reheated as leftovers too. 

The first time I used three smaller sweet potatoes and one head of cauliflower that I cut into florets and roasted. The second time I used one giant sweet potato and added leftover chopped broccoli to the cooked noodles.

I followed Brittany's recipe for the sauce and noodles. Check out her recipe here. I doubled her recipe for the sauce, except I used one whole can of full fat coconut milk for the cream, only used two tablespoons tapioca starch, one tablespoon of refined coconut oil for the butter and omitted the chili powder. 

This week's version was even better than the one I made last week. Last time I roasted boneless skinless chicken thighs in the oven. But they didn't crisp up the way I had hoped. This time I grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, smoke paprika and olive oil. The chicken was so flavorful with a nice crispy outside and super moist inside. My absolute favorite way to cook chicken.

Whole30 Carnitas Taco Salad

Over the weekend we made Carnitas Taco Salad. Oh man this was one of my Whole30 meals so far. It's delicious, filling and really really good as leftovers. I made the same pork as before (Carnitas Tacos) except I reduced the cayenne pepper. Last time Tommy had a spicy bite and burst into tears. So this time it was more mild but still had a little spice. I made an Whole30 compliant Avocado Lime Dressing. My usual favorite Creamy Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette contains sugar. And we still had Wholly Guacamole instead of whole avocados. I didn't really miss the cheese or tortilla with this taco salad. 

Whole30 Carnitas Taco Salads

Layer the following:

Lettuce

Sauteed Peppers and Onions

Carnitas

Tomato and Onion Relish

Guacamole

Avocado Lime Dressing

Sauteed Peppers and Onions

3 bell peppers (a mix of red, yellow or orange)

1 large onion

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 Tbsp garlic pepper (or a mix of dry minced garlic and red pepper flakes)

1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium/medium low heat.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and saute until the peppers and onion caramelizes. 

Carnitas

3.5 lb Boneless Country Style Ribs
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

1. Optional: Line Crock Pot with liner.
2. Combine all ingredients and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
3. Shred pork, discarding any big chunks of fat.
4. Using a gravy separator, separate out the fat and add the juices back to the pork.

Tomato and Onion Relish

1/4 of a medium onion, finely diced

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 tsp salt

Squeeze of lime juice

Combine in a small bowl.

Whole30 Avocado Lime Dressing

1/4 cup avocado oil

2 Tbsp guacamole

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth.

Meal Planning - Week of March 10

So far, cooking Whole30 dinners have been pretty easy to make for our whole family. I am glad that Whole30 is very similar to what Tommy eats anyway so I don't have to do many adjustments. We all have different foods for breakfast, and Tommy and I tend to have similar lunches. Last week we made a big batch of meatloaf and it was so good as leftovers. It was delicious as is and also with eggs for breakfast. So we're definitely having meatloaf again this week.

Today I finally received my Paderno Spiralizer and Coconut Aminos. Coconut Aminos are made from coconut tree sap and are a soy free alternative to soy sauce. I am so excited about my Paderno Spiralizer. It's sort of like a rotating mandoline. It allows you to cut veggies into noodles and other spiral shapes. I tried it tonight with sweet potatoes and it worked great! I'm so excited for another way to eat sweet potatoes. I'm getting sick of mashed and roasted sweet potatoes. 

Monday - Brittany Angell's Buffalo Chicken Alfredo with Spiralized Sweet Potato Noodles with cauliflower

Tuesday - Pork Lo Mein (Based off of Brittany Angell's Paleo Lo Mein with Spiralized Noodles)

Wednesday - Sweetener Free Meatloaf, Onion Sweet Potatoes and Carrots, and Brussels Sprouts

Thursday - Leftovers 

Friday - Brittany Angell's Paleo Crispy Coconut Mango Chicken, but with fish instead

Saturday - Turkey Pepper Stir Fry

Sunday - BBQ

Whole30 Day 3: Crabby with a Capital "C"

This morning I woke up incredibly crabby. I think I skipped over the second day of the Hangover phase and jumped straight into "Kill All The Things". I had a really hard time falling asleep last night. So when I woke up as Ben was getting ready for work I was super grumpy. I was able to go back to sleep for a little while, but then when I woke up for the day I was full on crabby. I was tired, and my coffee with coconut milk just wasn't as tasty as it was the last two days. 

I had plans to meet a friend at the gym and then do something afterward. I was really really close to bailing and just sitting at home grumpy. I'm so glad I went to the gym. Halfway through my workout my mood completely turned around. Instead of having a miserable day, I ate a bunch of tasty food, went to the gym, hung out with a friend and then came home and cleaned out my car. Overall it turned out to be a pretty good day. Although now I'm super tired.

For breakfast I had Onion Sweet Potatoes and Carrots, two eggs, hot sauce and guac. And coffee with cream from a can of coconut milk. Yes, it does look very similar to my other Whole30 breakfasts, but the veggie combo was different. The carrots were a nice change from just sweet potatoes.

For my after workout snack I didn't have anything portable to bring, so I got an Americano (black) at Starbucks and they did have one thing of a sweetener free dried fruit and nuts. Not the ideal choice, but it fit within the program and it was better than nothing.

Lunch was the same as yesterday. More of the Whole30 Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans.

Dinner was the delicious Whole30 Coconut Shrimp and Roast Veggies with Red Curry Sauce. The veggies took a while to peel and chop, but it made a ton so we have a LOT of leftovers. The shrimp were really pretty quick to make. 

I'm ending today full and tired. Hopefully I'll sleep better tonight.

Whole30 Coconut Shrimp and Roast Veggies with Red Curry Sauce

Earlier this week I had bought sweetened flaked coconut to make coconut shrimp. But since I then decided to do the Whole30, that coconut was no longer an option. So instead I used the fine macaroon unsweetened coconut that I already had. These shrimp turned out great! And Tommy actually ate one! I think he would have happily eaten more, but since we're still trialing shrimp, he was only allowed one today. The picture doesn't do this dinner justice. 

I roasted up a big batch of veggies. I split all the veggies between two baking pans. It made a lot, so we'll also be eating these with eggs for breakfast this weekend. 

Whole30 Coconut Shrimp

12 oz large shrimp
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened fine shredded coconut, divided
2 tsp coconut flour, divided
3 Tbsp coconut oil

1. Peel the shrimp and remove the tails. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Mix the tapioca starch, salt and paprika in a shallow bowl.
3. Pour the coconut milk into a small bowl.
4. Mix half of the coconut and coconut flour in a shallow bowl.
5. Working in small batches, coat the shrimp in tapioca starch. Then dip in the coconut milk. Shake off excess milk and coat with the coconut mixture. Set coated shrimp on a baking pan while you bread the remaining shrimp.
6. When you run out of the coconut mixture, add the remaining coconut and coconut flour. Doing this in two steps prevents the coconut from getting mushy before you're done breading all the shrimp.
7. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and cook several minutes on each side until the shrimp is cooked and the coconut is browned.

Roast Veggies

6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 lb Brussels sprouts, cut into quarters
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 Tbsp oil, divided
2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 tsp salt, divided

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Split the veggies between the two 9 x 13 baking pans. 
3. Add 3 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt to each pan. Mix together.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring twice.

Red Curry Sauce

1 can of coconut milk minus 1/2 cup
2 tsp red curry paste

1. Combine in a small saucepan. 
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a little. 
3. Pour over the Roast Veggies.