Complete 7 Day Whole30 Meal Plan

1.3K

If you’re here, I’m assuming you already know the rules of the Whole30 road. If you don’t, you need to learn more about what Whole30 is first, so head to my guide on “How to Complete a Mini Whole30”.

This is a 7-day meal plan to make the Whole30 easy and approachable. It requires ZERO meal prep, but many of the meals provide leftovers which are repurposed into another meal later in the week. I hope that it will inspire you to try some new flavors and make your Whole30 experience fresh and fun.

Let’s kick off by checking out the week’s menu!

So… why am I giving away this incredible meal plan for free?

I’ll be honest, I was planning to do one of those “give me your email address and in exchange, I’ll send you the goods!” things, but then my toddler was home sick from school for 8 days in a row and I couldn’t figure it out in time. Mom life! I’m working on the e-book version of this meal prep plan now, but wanted to get it up here before my @Whole30Recipes takeover begins on Monday, March 8th! So, if you want to support my efforts as a thanks for this FREAKING AWESOME meal plan, please honor system sign up for my non-cookbook newsletter below — either the paid or unpaid version! But ya know, paid would be great, and I know you’ll love it.

https://whattocook.substack.com/embed

How’s the plan work?

  • This is not a meal prep plan. It’s a meal plan. We’re not batch cooking, although…
  • Most of the dinner recipes, and some lunch recipes that you prepare will give you enough leftovers to repurpose into a second meal, usually for lunch the next day. I will provide specific instructions on how to do that below each recipe.
  • Speaking of repurposing, I carefully crafted this meal plan to use as few spices/oil/vinegars as possible. So if you find yourself using red wine vinegar in an Asian dish, that’s just because I didn’t want to make you buy multiple vinegars. If you think you have a better option in your pantry, use it!
  • There are also lots of “mini recipes” — AKA simple recipes that are written in paragraph style directly in the meal plan versus linking out to a full recipe. You do not need to cook a full-blown meal recipe for every meal. You will not find time-consuming recipes with special flours powders and yada yada here. We’re going efficient and delicious.
  • This plan feeds two people. Adjust accordingly if only feeding one person, or if feeding more!

DAY ONE

Breakfast: Slow-Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Bacon

  • Warm 2 teaspoons ghee in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Crack in two eggs PER PERSON and stir with a spatula until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring periodically until the eggs are cooked through, but still very wet looking. Tear up several big handfuls of spinach and add it in for the final 2 minutes of cooking.
  • Cook bacon: line a plate with 2 paper towels. Place 1 or 2 pieces of bacon on top – depends on your appetite! Two more paper towels over the bacon. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Keep cooking in 30 second intervals until crispy to your liking.

Lunch: Chicken Sausage and Peppers

  • Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 large thinly sliced red onion (reserving about 1/4 cup for your burger salad tomorrow), 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper and 1 thinly sliced yellow pepper. Sautee for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Scooch peppers and onions the side and add a bit more oil to the empty part of the skillet. Add 2 to 4 (depending how many you want) 1/4-inch sliced chicken sausages and saute until browned. Stir in 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a big pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Divide between two plates and chow down!

Dinner: Salsa Chicken Burrito Bowls

  • Make the salsa chicken. Eat half of the chicken tonight in your taco bowls, save half for tomorrow’s lunch.
  • To make a taco bowl: warm 1 tablespoon ghee in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute 2 sliced scallions and 3 minced garlic cloves for several minutes, until tender. Add 1 bag cauliflower rice and crank the heat up to high. This is how to avoid wet/mushy cauliflower rice — high heat! Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 big handfuls of spinach and the juice of 1 lime at the very end and stir until wilted.
  • Divide cauliflower rice between two bowls. Top with warm salsa chicken, sliced cherry tomatoes, some nut cheese, diced avocado, cilantro, green hot sauce, and whatever else looks good! Other toppings that you might have around the house: leftover veggies from another meal, pickled jalapeños, chopped nuts, pickled red onions. The sky’s the limit: load it up!

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Saucy Sausage Egg Skillet

  • Cook 1/2 pound ground sausage in a 12 inch skillet over high heat, breaking it up into as small of crumbles as possible. When there’s only a little bit of pink left, add 1 sliced bell pepper and 1 chopped zucchini and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. If anything starts to burn, turn down the heat! Turn the heat down to medium and add 2 big handfuls of spinach and continue cooking until wilted. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black peper. Reduce heat to medium and stir in 2 cups tomato sauce until warmed through, a couple minutes. Now make 4 divots in the sauce and crack 4 eggs into the divots. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until eggs are cooked to your liking. I like my yolks runny!

Lunch: Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

  • Cut 2 sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Place in a large heatproof bowl with 2 tbsp water. Cover with a a heatproof plate. Cook for 15 minutes or until completely fork tender. Like, no resistance whatsoever. No hard parts. Alternatively, you can roast them, but man this is easier. Add 1 tsp ghee to each potato half and season with salt and pepper. Smash/fluff it up, inside of the potato skin. Warm up all of the leftover salsa chicken and divide it between each sweet potato half. Top with avocado, pickled jalapeño, hot sauce, nut cheese, etc. Whatever you’d put on a taco!

Dinner: Burger Salad with Special Sauce

  • Double the beef and save half for lunch tomorrow.

DAY THREE

Breakfast: Crispy Fried Eggs and Bacon over Spinach

  • Chop up 4 slices of bacon into small pieces. Cook in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Transfer the crispy bacon to paper towels, leaving 1 tablespoon bacon grease behind. Add 3 big handfuls of spinach to the skillet along with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the spinach between two plates.
  • Crank the heat up to high. Add 1 tablespoon ghee and crack in 4 eggs. They’ll all run together, but that’s ok. The whites should hiss and start to sizzle and crisp up immediately. Cook until the whites are cooked through and crispy around the edges and the yolks are done to your liking.
  • Place two crispy eggs on top of the spinach on each plate. Divide the crispy bacon over top. Serve with hot sauce.

Lunch: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

  • Add 4 cups bite-sized broccoli florets (you might need to break the florets from the bag in half) and a tiny splash of water to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cover for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the broccoli has turned dark green. Uncover and saute for about 2 more minutes, until broccoli is tender and all water has evaporated. Add leftover beef, 3 tablespoons coconut aminos, 1 tablespoon red (or rice) wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon compliant nut butter, 2 teaspoons fish sauce (if you already own it – it isn’t on the grocery list) and a splash of water. Add sriracha or any hot sauce if you like things spicy. Cook for another minute or so until everything is saucy, making sure that the nut butter gets broken down and saucy. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Top with chopped toasted cashews and fresh cilantro.

Dinner: Blackened Fish Taco Bowls

  • The goal with this meal is to have zero leftovers – so adjust the recipe as needed to feed your crowd and achieve that.

DAY FOUR

Breakfast: Sausage and Brussels Hash with Eggs

  • If you couldn’t find shredded brussels sprouts, throw 1 pound brussels in the food processor and pulse until shredded. You can use the shredded attachment or just the normal blade.
  • Cook 1/2 pound ground sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the pan has about 1 tablespoon of sausage grease in it. Add 1 pound shredded brussels sprouts and 1 tablespoon water and cook for 4 minutes, until tender. Season with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and a tiny splash of red wine vinegar.
  • Reduce heat to medium and, using a wooden spoon or a spatula, make 4 holes in the hash to reveal the bottom of the skillet. Crack an egg in each whole and season with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet with a lid (or use a baking sheet) and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until eggs are cooked to your liking.
  • Garnish with chopped basil and serve. Green hot sauce would be a great plan here, too!

Lunch: Tuna Salad Stuffed Avocado

  • Tuna salad: 3 cans tuna + 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayo (depending on how ya like it!) + 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles + 2 finely chopped celery stalks + 2 tablespoons dill pickle brine + 1 tablespoon yellow mustard. Add about 3 tablespoons chopped dried fruit like raisins, or dried apricots if you like it! Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  • Cut two avocados in half. Peel off the skins. Serve half of the tuna salad stuffed into the avocado halves. Save the second half for lunch on Sunday.
  • Serve over your choice of greens that are dressed with a Whole30 compliant vinaigrette or just lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Dinner: Sheet-Pan Roasted Chicken, Cauliflower, and Fennel with Green Sauce

  • Double the cauliflower and chicken for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

DAY FIVE

Breakfast: Cauliflower and Fennel with Fried Eggs

  • In a large nonstick skillet, warm up some leftover cauliflower and fennel from last night. Add a big handful of spinach and wilt that in. Transfer to two plates and wipe the skillet out. Add 1 tablespoon ghee and fry four eggs over medium heat until cooked to your liking. Serve eggs over cauliflower with hot sauce and fresh herbs (and nut cheese if you’re into it) over top.

Lunch: Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Green Sauce

  • Peel 1 large sweet potato (or two if you’re extra hungry!) and cut into 1/2-inch circles. Place in a large heatproof bowl with 2 tbsp water. Cover with a heatproof plate. Microwave for 12 minutes or until completely tender – zero resistance! Drain all liquid out of the bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes thoroughly with 1 1/2 tablespoons ghee, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  • Divide mashed sweet potatoes between two plates. Top with sliced leftover chicken from last night. Drizzle with leftover green sauce from last night and top with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and cashews for some crunch and healthy fats.

Dinner: Crispy Pork Lettuce Wraps

  • Double the pork and mushroom mixture for lunch tomorrow!

DAY SIX

Breakfast: Chicken Sausage and Spinach Frittata

  • Eat half today, half tomorrow.

Lunch: Crispy Pork and Cabbage

  • Don’t doubt the cabbage. It is so, so good.
  • Warm 1 tbsp ghee in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1 (10 to 16 ounce) bag shredded green cabbage and cook until slightly wilted. Add the leftover pork from last night, 1 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, and 2 teaspoons fish sauce (if you have it). Adjust seasonings to taste. Drizzle leftover Sriracha Almond Butter sauce over top if you’ve got any left from last night.

Dinner: Thai Turkey Curry Meatballs with Kale

  • This should make enough for dinner tomorrow too. If you think your crew is going to eat it all in one night, double it!

DAY SEVEN

Breakfast: Chicken Sausage and Kale Frittata

  • Enjoy the second half of the frittata that you cooked yesterday.

Lunch: Chopped Tuna Salad

  • Throw the leftover tuna salad from Thursday into a large bowl with 4 cups greens, 1 cup grapes, 1/3 cup chopped toasted nuts, and any other leftover roasted or crunchy raw vegetables. Add the juice of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Use a fork and a large chef’s knife to finely chop the salad, like a chopped style salad.

Dinner: Thai Turkey Curry Meatballs with Kale

  • Leftovers from last night. If you don’t have a lot left, supplement by roasting some sweet potatoes and adding that to the curry mixture.

Woohoo, you did it!

Join the Conversation

  1. I am so excited to try this but my husband absolutely refuses to eat tuna (or canned salmon). Any suggestions on a swap?

    1. caroline chambers says:

      Chicken Salad! just as good!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Like
Close
Caroline Chambers © Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.
Close