Before I start listing recipes, I feel the need for a few disclaimers. First, I’m no expert on the Whole 30 or on a paleo diet. In fact, I don’t know what the real difference is between paleo and Whole 30, only that one is stricter than the other and only lasts 30 days.
Second, from what I can tell, these recipes are “allowed” on the Whole 30 plan as long as you use the modifications stated with the recipes. But again, I’m not an expert at all. I’ve read through the book, It Starts with Food and that’s where my info comes from. However, it’s a lot of info to digest, so I may be mistaken about a few things. Feel free to educate me kindly if I’ve gotten something wrong.
And finally, my plan is to do my best during my Whole 30 (starting Jan. 2). If somehow, soy sneaks in, or dairy disguises itself and I miss that ingredient on a product, or I forget myself and grab something I shouldn’t have, I am not going to worry about it. I have no intentions of cheating. But I do have the intention of being kind to myself and realizing that making big changes like this in the midst of busy family life is a challenge. It’s okay for it not to be perfect.
Be sure to read labels when you’re shopping. Soy sneaks into everything! I even found it in a tea I wanted to buy.
And a note on the meats: The Whole30 book suggests you buy grain fed, free range, high quality meats. I’ll probably be using a mix of meats that I buy in the grocery and some better quality. I’m not feeling like I need to do perfect on this point.
Pineapple Chili
No adaptation needed.
African Pulled Beef
No pita or yogurt sauce with this one, but you can easily have those available for your family. Serve it with baked sweet potatoes.
Beef Stew
Substitute parsnips instead of white potatoes. I think tapioca is okay for Whole 30. For me, it’s close enough. I don’t plan on downing a bunch of tapioca as a thickener, but it works so well in this stew that I’ll probably still use it. It’s such a small amount (1/4 cup maybe) for the whole batch of stew. (update: The instant tapioca has soy lecithin in it. I’m still going to eat this dish though. I’m not planning to have beef stew more than once or twice the whole month. You may feel differently about having that soy though.)
Chicken Veggie Soup
This is a recipe I created in preparation for Whole 30. I’ll add more meat next time I make it though.
Chicken with Summer Vegetables in the Slow Cooker
Leave out the wine in this wine and you’re good to go.
Beef Shwarma in the Slow Cooker, Chicken Shwarma, Chicken Gyros
Again, no pita or yogurt sauce. Serve it with cucumbers, baked sweet potatoes and other veggies.
Chicken Salad
You can either make your own mayo or search for one without soy in it. I think there are some good ones available if you’re willing to do the label reading.
Garlic Chicken with More Garlic in the Slow Cooker
This is such a flavorful recipe. Serve it with squash or sweet potatoes or other veggies.
Gazpacho
You’ll have to leave out the sugar in this. Try a bit of apple juice instead. And serve it with roasted chicken.
Chicken Curry in the Slow Cooker
I love this recipe! Just skip serving it over rice. It’s really good with baked sweet potatoes.
Garlic Lime Tilapia
Use clarified butter and you’re good to go for this one!
Honey Dijon Pork Chops and Apples in the Slow Cooker
Leave out the honey. Use a little unsweetened apple sauce or apple juice instead, or just skip the honey/substitute altogether.
Asian Salmon (on the grill or in the oven)
You’ll have to substitute good quality beef broth for the soy sauce in this.
Dijon Tarragon Tilapia
Use clarified butter.
Tony’s Tilapia
Use clarified butter and read the labels on the seasoning to double check.
Tilapia with Veggies Baked in Foil
Read the labels on the lemon pepper or your seasoning of choice.
Whole Chicken in the Crockpot
Use this for the meat and the broth.
Italian Chicken and Tomatoes in the Slow Cooker
Leave out the cheese.
Zesty Crockpot Chicken
Serve it with something other than couscous. Try lots of veggies and a salad.
Italian Seasoned Salt Pork Roast and Italian Seasoned Salt Chicken
Skip the wine. If you use the slow cooker, you won’t need it anyway. If you use the oven for the pork, try a bit of water or apple juice.
Lemon Chicken Baked on a Bed of Sauerkraut in the Slow Cooker
This one if just fine to fix! No adjustments needed.
Mediterranean Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Another recipe that’s good as written.
Pork Chops Topped with Onion, Green Pepper and Pineapple
No adjustments needed.
Salsa Verde Steak in the Slow Cooker
Have all the fixings for your family, but have yours on a plate or in a lettuce wrap. Serve with lots of guacamole (keep the chips at the other end of the table!).
Skillet Chicken, Peppers and Tomatoes
No alterations needed.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Leave out the wine. Serve it with pasta for the family and spaghetti squash for you.
Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker
Another good one to make meat and broth.
Virus Killing Soup
Watch the labels on the broth or use your own. Leave out the wine.
Whole 30 Menu for First 15 Days
I’ve put together a dinner menu with main dishes and sides for the first 15 days of Whole 30. You can find it here.
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What a great-looking collection of delicious food. I hope you have a wonderful year in 2014!
Thank you so much for posting this! I started reading the book a few weeks ago (after hearing about it from your website) but with all the Christmas stuff going on, I didn’t get too far and now it’s due back at the library! I am going to start trying to eat less “bad carbs” since we tend to eat a lot of rice and pasta for dinner. I’m really looking forward to trying these!
Thank you for this post! I started the whole 30 on Jan1. 1st. So far so good. theses recipes look awesome cant wait to try them. good luck on you whole 30!
Good luck to you too!
Thanks for putting this together! Feeding kids is one of the hard parts of doing a Whole30 sometimes. One “kind” correction right before your recipes start, the preference is for 100% “grass” fed not grain fed beef. It can be difficult to find, but there are mail order companies and if you can find local farmers it can be much cheaper to get than mail order. Also, another great substitute for soy sauce is coconut aminos, which once again aren’t terribly cheap, but most health food stores and Amazon carry them. Thanks again!
Sara, thanks for the info!
You might want to try arrowroot instead of tapioca for a thickener, like in the beef stew.