Tag: Whole30

Whole30 Slow Cooked Balsamic Short Ribs

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This is another of those recipes cobbled together from random inspiration on the Internets. I had short ribs, I’m in the middle of a balsamic vinegar obsession, I have fallen in love with my new slow cooker – and bam. This.

Paleo, gluten-free & Whole30-compliant

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Whole30 Slow Cooked Balsamic Short Ribs

1 lb. boneless short ribs
1 15-ounce can plain tomato sauce (check your labels!)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 dates, minced
8 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. aleppo pepper
2 tsp. black pepper
Beef stock (optional)

Set the beef in your slow cooker. Mix together the rest of the ingredients (minus the beef stock) and pour over the meat. Add a few splashes of beef stock until the liquid barely covers the meat. Latch your lid down if your slow cooker has latches and let cook 4-6 hours on High. When done, the meat should shred like butter.

If you then reduce the cooking liquid on the stove, the resulting gravy will be great.

I served with a simple parsnip mash (parsnips cooked in the rest of the beef stock for 8-10 minutes and whirred in the blender with a few splashes stock to even out).

Serves 2 for dinner

Whole30 2 – Day 27

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Day 27 on Whole30 was full of food at the mall – don’t ask.

Breakfast

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2 ounces plain almonds in the car and half a large coffee with coconut milk.

 

Lunch 

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Outback – 6 ounce center cut sirloin with steamed broccoli.

Dinner

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Stir Crazy (a Mongolian BBQ joint) – I had the chicken/steak/shrimp combo with a butt-ton if veggies and simple ginger garlic sauce.

Post Dinner Snack

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Cashews & sugar-free dried cherries.

 

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Whole30 2 – Day 26

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Day 26 on Whole30 was good. I see the end of this little experiment, and I’m kinda going to miss it.

Breakfast

My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.

 

Lunch 

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Frozen spinach & sliced garlic sautéed in a little olive oil with the last of the leftover Lindon broil.

Dinner

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Takeout chicken pizziaola with sautéed broccoli.

 

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Spicy Whole30 Mini Turkey Meatloaves

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Mmmmm…. meatloaf muffins. I love meatloaf muffins. This recipe came about from looking to see what was out there in the realm of turkey meatloaf tastes, taking some of that to heart, and managing to cobble something together in the kitchen.

Warning: as this recipe is written, it is kinda spicy. Not ‘omfg I’m going to die’ spicy, but it has a kick. You’ve been warned.

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Spicy Whole30 Mini Turkey Meatloaves

1 pound ground turkey – dark meat is best if you can get it
1/2 cup diced celery (about 1 – 1.5 ribs)
1/2 cup diced carrot (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper (about 1/4 of a pepper)
1/4 cup diced shallot (1 medium)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
2 Tbsp. Red Boat fish sauce
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. chipotle powder
4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1-2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 350. Prep your muffin tins by brushing with a little melted coconut oil so things don’t stick.

If you haven’t already, prep your veggies. Add to a bowl with the turkey, egg and spices. Combine however you like – I prefer with my hands – and load your muffin tins (winter themed ftw) to about 3/4 of the way full.

I got 9 muffins out of my tins – your mileage may vary, depending upon how large your muffin cups are.

Bake 20 minutes, or until cooked through (knife inserted in the middle comes out clean and the tops start to pull away from the sides of the tin). Let cool 10 minutes before popping out of the pan.

Serves 3, providing you have 9 meatloaves.

Whole30 2 – Day 25

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Day 25 on Whole30 was smoothie-light, but good all the same.

Breakfast

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Bacon & eggs

 

Lunch 

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I wasn’t hungry today until late – snacked on raw haricot vert and some almonds.

Dinner

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Aged grass fed beef burger patty with balsamic drizzle and a side of baked sweet potato fries.

After Dinner Snack

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Cashews & sugar-free cherries again.

 

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Whole30 2 – Day 24

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Day 24 on Whole30 was full of meat. The pantry is running low on vegetables.

Breakfast

My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.

 

Lunch 

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Leftover spicy turkey meatloaves + leftover Italian sausage & pulled pork.

Dinner

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A stir-fry of ground turkey, carrots & celery with coconut aminos, fish sauce, apple cider vinegar and lime juice.

After Dinner Snack

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Cashews & dried sugar-free cherries.

 

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Whole30 2 – Day 23

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Day 23 on Whole30 was delicious.

Breakfast

My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.

 

Lunch 

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Leftover London broil with the last of the salsa & guacamole and a green bell pepper.

Dinner

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Homemade marinara with hot Italian sausage, leftover pulled pork, onions and spinach.

 

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Whole30 2 – Day 22

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Day 22 on Whole30 was good. I sense a balsamic vinegar theme lately, but I’m not complaining.

Breakfast

My typical weekday breakfast – one of my DH’s green smoothies. These days, we’re eating them sans banana and plus the juice of 1 lime. Yum.

 

Lunch 

I forgot to take a picture of my salad – romaine lettuce, balsamic-glazed chicken breast, colored peppers, a tomato or two, and a cucumber or two – with a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar + grapeseed oil dressing.

Post Lunch Snack

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You’ll never guess.

Dinner

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Slow cooker balsamic short ribs with a purée of parsnips cooked in beef broth.

After Dinner Snack

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I was still starving after dinner. Snacked on some different nuts – cashews – plus some dried (non-sugared) cherries.

 

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Whole30 2 – Day 21

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Day 21 on Whole30 was full of ground beef.

Breakfast

I kind of skipped breakfast.

 

Lunch 

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Burger patty topped with a fried egg + a simple salad of greens & carrot (dry) at a pub.

Dinner

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My big Super Bowl snack: taco seasoned ground beef + a few baked sweet potato fries (unfortunately, 90% of the batch burned to a cinder) + guacamole + salsa. Just what I’d been craving for days – only less in the way of sweet potato fries.

 

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Bastardized Whole30 Chicken Curry

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Why bastardized? I was *supposed* to be making my friend’s recipe for semi-traditional Thai-style green coconut curry, but nooooo – ran off half-cocked, thinking I had Thai Kitchen green curry paste (it’s W30-compliant) and couldn’t be bothered to double-check before starting dinner. Well, as it turns out, I don’t have any – and most likely haven’t had any for at least a year (unless of course I managed to use a whole jar without really remembering it – also very possible).

So what did I do? I improvised. And dinner turned out great. A little different flavor profile than I had intended – more on the tomatoey end of curry than the green end – but the sauce was thick and luscious and I’m kinda sad I don’t have any more left over for lunch. Also kind of happy that my hubbs wasn’t home the night I made it, so I didn’t have to share.

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Bastardized Whole30 Chicken Curry

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 red bell pepper
1/2 onion
2 medium carrots
2 ribs celery
1 medium zucchini
1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee
1 15-ounce can coconut milk (check your labels!)
1 4-ounce can tomato paste (check your labels!)
4 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 jalapeno
2 Tbsp. Red Boat fish sauce
1 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 big pinches salt
2 Tbsp. cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice

Chop your vegetables and chicken. Mince the garlic and ginger. De-seed and dice the jalapeno.

Heat up a large pan to medium – add the cooking fat, onions and a sprinkle of salt. Sautee 1-2 minutes.

Add all the spices, garlic and fresh ginger and sautee for a minute or two until fragrant.

Add coconut milk and tomato paste and bring to a simmer. Taste. Add another big pinch salt if needed.

Add the chicken and remaining vegetables and stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is done and the veggies are where you want them – 10 – 20 minutes.

While that is working, chop the cilantro and get your lime juice ready. When your curry is cooked through, taste for seasoning – add salt if necessary. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro before serving.

Serve alone or over cauliflower rice. If you eat the curry alone, this recipe makes 2-4 servings depending upon how much you like to eat. I had a double portion for dinner that night and two smaller portions for lunch in the following days. On lunch days, I ended up supplementing with almonds. If you serve over cauliflower rice, I imagine this recipe will easily stretch to feed 4. I happened to be too lazy to make rice that night.