Whole30 Meal Prep Tips & Tricks

 

Well friends… I didn’t think I’d be doing it this soon, but I am! I’ve started my second round of Whole 30, and I am SO EXCITED. To say I fell back into my “old ways of eating” would be an understatement, and I am ready to revamp my diet and feel better. Along with doing Whole 30 again, I’ll also be starting P25, a BeachBody program I haven’t tried yet, but am SO excited about. I can’t wait to start making these changes… The past year has been tough for me workout-wise, and I’m looking forward to feeling better, having more energy, and waking up in the morning to get my workout on. 

And, since school is back in full force, so is my meal prepping game! This week I’m sharing what I planned for my meals, what recipes I made ahead of time, and how I make meal prepping for the upcoming week as easy as possible. This is such a great way to get back into these healthy eating habits, and to start breaking up with that sugar I love oh-so-much.

Whole30 Meal Prep

How I prepare for the upcoming week, especially with Whole30 in mind:

1. Meal plan what to eat in the upcoming days, meal by meal! This helps me know exactly what I need to get when I head to the store, and I always know what’s on the menu for dinner that night. 

2. Get rid of the tempting foods that will cause me to “cheat”, like chocolate, cookies, cereal, chips… you get the drift! 

3. Prep, prep, prep! I always prep my lunches and snacks ahead of time so I can grab and go in the morning. Depending on what I am having for breakfast, I’ll either prep ahead of time, or just make fresh in the morning.

4. Make sure I have “back up” snacks on hand for those times when hunger strikes, and you have an approved food to grab, rather than the not-so-great foods I could get at work.

New to meal prep? Check out these posts to help you get started! 

Each week gets a little bit easier, and I’m lucky to have such a foundation in meal prep to lean back on when it gets overwhelming. One of the things I learned that is foundational for having a successful Whole30 is to be prepared! The last thing you want is to not be prepared, and either eat something that isn’t approved, or starve (and let’s just say that’s not something I plan on experiencing any time soon!). 

This week’s recipes

To find some inspiration for recipes this week, I turned to one of my favorite bloggers, The Whole Cook, who JUST published a post featuring 250 Whole30 Recipes. Y’all… this post is the post of my dreams! Some of my recipes were featured, along with SO many delicious sounding meals that I can’t wait to try. To be honest, that post was one of the reasons I decided to do the Whole30 again. I love it when things are made easy for me, and Christina did AMAZING. <3

Breakfast: Fruit Smoothie made with Whole30 compliant protein powder and almond butter
Morning Snack: Fruit and nuts
Lunch: Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce (similar to this recipe!)
Afternoon Snack: Bell peppers wrapped in compliant pepperoni
Dinner:
Fried Cabbage with Kielbasa by Peace, Love and Low Carb (made compliant by using ghee instead of butter & Aidell’s chicken sausage)
Best Burger Ever by Happily the Hicks (made compliant by eating without the cheese or bun!)
Taco Zoodle Bowl by Chicago Jogger
Green Chile Chicken by Stupid Easy Paleo
Creamy Chicken & Sausage Cajun Pasta by Happily the Hicks (made compliant by subbing the pasta with zoodles)

And there you have it! I’m excited to see what these next 30 days hold, and can’t wait to start feeling better from the inside out. 

Thinking about giving the Whole30 a try? Check out these books written by the Founders of the program, Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. 

Now it’s your turn to talk! Answer one of these questions in the comments below:
What are your tips and tricks for meal prepping?
Have you ever considered doing the Whole30?