Snack Ideas

This is a list of my most used go-to snacks. They are all easy to prep (especially if you do all of your cutting/chopping in large quantities ahead of time) so you don't have to spend a lot of time to choose and make a wholesome snack on the go or at home.

Go-to snacks + easy to prep:

Lara Bars
Chia Seed Pudding (recipe here)
Energy bites (recipe here)
Hard boiled eggs
"Fresh" trail mix: nuts, dried fruit, grapes
Apples + bananas and almond butter
Terra vegetable chips
Carrots + bell peppers and hummus
Grapefruit
Blueberry/Mango smoothie blended with almond milk
Applesauce with walnuts, shredded unsweetened coconut and berries
Dried mango (no sugar/not sweetened) with raw almonds and cashews
Plain Greek yogurt (watch for added sugars) with berries + granola
Cottage cheese + cantaloupe
Sweet potato crackers

Basically I try to stay away from as much processed packaged foods as possible because it is expensive, oftentimes not totally real food and you just feel so much better when you're putting real whole foods into your body during the day. Food is fuel and your body deserves the good stuff!

Favorite Whole30 Staples

This list includes a few of the items we used a lot during our Whole30. Some things were favorites that helped us more fully enjoy such a strict eating regime, others we just ate a ton of and found it easier + more affordable to buy in large quantities.

From Costco:
Almond Butter
Aidell's Chicken + Apple Sausage
Almond Milk- Kirkland Signature unsweetened vanilla
Eggs (5 dozen)
Sweet Potatoes (depending on whether or not they were on sale at Sprouts)
Russet potatoes
Chia Seeds
Frozen berries
Mixed greens/spinach

Smoothie Bowls

There is no one way to make a smoothie bowl, so get creative. Try different combinations of frozen fruits combined with almond milk, coconut milk, orange juice, etc and top with fresh fruits, cocao nibs (make sure it is truly pure cacao nibs without any sweetener to be whole30 compliant), unsweetened coconut, walnuts/almonds and anything else that fits your fancy. Pictured below is my go-to combination for smoothies. I happened to have raspberries on hand, but you can use kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries...you get the idea.

Ingredients:

Smoothie
Handful of frozen mixed berries
Handful of frozen banana chunks (I just buy a bunch of bananas and break them into chunks to freeze for smoothies)
Unsweetened almond milk

Toppings
Raw almonds
Banana slices
Cocao nibs
Raspberries
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Chia seeds

I usually blend up my smoothie, pour it into a bowl and let it set up in the freezer for a few minutes so it's thick enough to eat with a spoon. Then top it with whatever you have on hand. Have fun experimenting with different combinations for the smoothie and toppings. It's a refreshing treat or a fun breakfast. 

Southwestern Breakfast Bowl

I rediscovered sweet potatoes (and potatoes in general) during our Whole30 last year and was reminded of how much I love them! They are super versatile and so delicious. To mix up breakfast dishes, I tried this southwestern breakfast bowl  and have incorporated it into our regular meal lineup. It's a great breakfast, but also makes a super easy and nutritious dinner as well. As with all recipes, I usually get the general idea of what ingredients to use but will swap things around or leave things out that I don't have or prefer. Think of it as a basic outline that you can tweak to make your own.

Ingredients:

1 medium potato
1/2 a medium onion
1 red pepper
2 slices of bacon (sugar free for whole30) or 2 links Aidells apple + chicken sausage
2 tbsp olive oil

1 egg

spices (below is a list of ideas to combine)1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

optional: hot sauce

Directions:

1. Peel and chop your potato into bite size pieces. Saute in prepared pan for 15-20 on low-medium heat 
2. While your potato cooking, chop up your onion, red pepper and sausage. 
3. Add olive oil, onion, red pepper, and bacon into pan with potatoes. Fry until onions are golden and bacon is cooked (not crispy)
4. Add spices/seasoning
5. Mix everything in the pan well until potatoes begin to get golden, crispy edges.
6. Put potatoes/veggies/meat into your bowl and set aside.
7. In the same pan, crack your egg and let egg whites cook before flipping it to other side for a nice fried egg. Pierce the yolk if you like it firm, keep it intact if you like it runny. 
8. Remove from pan and place on top of your breakfast bowl.
9. Top with fresh cracked pepper (and hot sauce if you wish!)

*I usually substitute bacon with Aidell's Apple and Chicken sausages. We would buy the big pack from Costco and loved adding them into dishes for a little more substance. They are really delicious in this dish, and just about anything else too. 

Egg Bake

I made this every week during our Whole30 and have continued to make one regularly. I buy the five dozen carton of eggs from Costco which is a crazy good deal and helps you feel less guilty for using up a lot of eggs at one time. This is a great way to mix up breakfast and get in some veggies (and use up whatever you have left in your fridge at the end of the week). It's perfect for a quick breakfast on the go. Just bake it at the beginning of the week (or whenever you want...) and cut it up into portions, stick it in the fridge and reheat whenever you need a healthy, filling breakfast. Check out the original post for more photos and tips on making this egg bake. 

Ingredients:

• Five generous servings of vegetables -- diced (I like onion, pepper, spinach, zucchini and broccoli)
• Two links of Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage* -- cut into thin, round slices
• Ten large eggs
• 4 tablespoons of ghee/butter or olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

**Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Dice all vegetables into small pieces -- thoroughly thaw and strain all frozen vegetables
3. Coat the bottom of a 9×12 clear glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon ghee/butter or olive oil 
4. Prepare pan with ghee/butter or olive oil
5. Sautee vegetables for 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste
6. Add chicken apple sausage and sauté for 5 minutes
7. In a large bowl, crack and beat the 10 eggs.
8. Add sautéed vegetables to raw eggs and stir to combine.
9. Pour egg/vegetable mixture into greased baking dish.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until casserole turns golden on the edges.

*Make sure you use the big links of Aidells chicken apple sausage -- the smaller ones are not Whole30 compliant!

** I would just sauté all of the vegetables in a pan until they were tender, mix them with the eggs and pour into the 9x13 pan. Also, I diced the sausage into smaller quarters so there was a better chance of getting more in each little egg bake square ;) 

Original recipe found here. 

Zesty Chicken Bites

I love these Zesty Chicken Bites from Lexi's Clean Kitchen. I would make a big batch (double or even triple) to save time. If I'm going to make something, I like making a lot of it and having some for a meal that same day, having some for leftovers throughout the week and freezing some for a quick meal when I need it.

These are like a fancy, much tastier and wholesome version of a chicken nugget. They go with everything. I had them with sweet potato wedges, tossed in a salad, or on their own with a yummy dipping sauce. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. organic boneless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp water
• 1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour (flax meal makes a great substitution)
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• Optional: 1 tbsp fresh parmesan cheese*

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil- spray the foil (or grease with oil of choice)

In a bowl, combine almond meal and all spices

In a separate bowl crack 1 egg and add 1/4 tsp water- whisk together well

Cut chicken into bite size pieces

Drop the chicken pieces into the egg and mix until fully covered

Transfer chicken pieces to the spice mixture, coat evenly and place on baking sheet; repeat until all are coated

Bake for 12-15 minutes then flip chicken bites over and cook for another 10-12 minutes until golden and crispy

Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce (I like homemade tomato sauce)

Recipe Notes

-Depending on how many chicken pieces you use, you may need to double the spice mixture.

-Serving depends on how small or large you make the bites. Mine made about 25-30 chicken bites.

*Leave out parmesan cheese for fully dairy-free

Original recipe found here.