Tuna Cakes (Whole 30)

 From: The Defined Dish

Ingredients:

• 2 5-oz cans tuna
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise (Primal Kitchen is a great one that is Whole 30 compliant!)
• 1/4 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp avocado or olive oil

For the aioli dipping sauce:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• salt, to taste

In a bowl, add tuna, egg, 1 Tbsp mayo, bell pepper, garlic, almond flour, salt and pepper. With a fork, mix to combine.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture. Transfer that to your hands and form a patty. Continue until all patties are formed.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, but not smoking, using a spatula, carefully lay the tuna cakes into the oil and let fry until golden brown, about three minutes.

Using a sturdy spatula, carefully flip and continue to cook on the other side until golden brown, about three more minutes.

Transfer patties onto a plate and sprinkle with salt. Let rest for two minutes before serving.

Combine aioli ingredients, stir to combine.

Serve with aioli and enjoy!

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I love tuna, and honestly I could eat it every day, but I also like fried foods, so this is right up my alley! They didn't take long to cook and they had that great crispy outside that I love. I will note that I had to cook them closer to 6 minutes on each side to get them as brown as I wanted them.

Pot Roast (Whole 30)

 I tweaked this recipe based on what I normally do for a pot roast, and what would make it Whole 30. Not a lot of changes!

Ingredients:

3 lb chuck roast {or: rump, round, brisket}

3 cups beef stock

1 lb baby potatoes {whole}

4 cups carrots {peeled and cut into large pieces}

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 cup onion {chopped or sliced}

4 cloves garlic {minced}

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tsp thyme {dried}

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I mean, a pot roast is really Whole 30 compliant anyway. I do normally add some Worcestershire sauce, but this didn't need anything extra. Perfect and simple! I love this for the nights that I work late and don't want to eat dinner at 9pm!

Grilled Chicken with Homemade Spice Rub (Whole 30)

 From: Joyful Healthy Eats

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

In a small bowl, mix everything but the chicken (and the kitchen sink?). Rub the mixture over both sides of the chicken. Place chicken on preheated grill and grill on each side until it's no longer pink in the middle.

Verdict:

This chicken was DEEEEVINE! The smoky flavor was on point. I didn't have coriander on hand so I substituted garam masala since it has coriander in it. Seriously, this was so flavorful and I was so mad I didn't make more at one time to save for later!

Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Whole 30)

 From: Paleo Running Momma

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil plus additional if needed
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 small onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot (I used almond flour)
• 1 cup chicken bone broth
• 1/2 cup coconut milk full fat, blended before adding if needed
• 1/2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
• 2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

Season the chicken with sea salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. In a large skillet add the coconut oil and cook the chicken thighs on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.

Add additional oil if necessary and cook the onions over medium heat until soft, then stir in the garlic and cook another 45 seconds.

Whisk in the tapioca or arrowroot, then add the broth and coconut milk. Stir to combine, then stir in the mustard, yeast, Italian seasoning, sea salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until it starts to thicken.

Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and allow mixture to simmer until spinach is wilted and tomatoes are softened. Add chicken back to the skillet and simmer another 2 minutes. Serve over cauli rice, zucchini noodles, or with roasted potatoes. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I don't normally cook with chicken thighs and I remember why... they're so fatty! Yes, they were cheap, but I had to trim a ton of fat off. I'd rather just buy breast cutlets next time for this recipe. The sauce, though, I was LOVING! I was a little surprised because I don't like coconut anything, so I was afraid the coconut oil and milk would be too much in this recipe. I couldn't pick out that flavor at all though. I really liked the tanginess of the sundried tomatoes. I think they added a lot to the recipe. All in all, very good, and I will probably make again, although I will half the recipe next time because I could see me doing this for a nice lunch for myself the next time I cook it.

Whole 30 Chicken Salad

 From: Mary's Whole Life

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 15-20 grapes, sliced in half
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or diced apple
• 1/4 cup pistachios or pecans, raw or dry roasted
• 1/4 cup chopped celery, (optional)
• 1/4 cup mayo , Use Primal Kitchen for Whole30
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, more or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Cook chicken: Bring a large pot of water to a boil with chicken breasts inside. Once boiling, cover and remove from heat. Let the breasts sit in the covered pot for 15 minutes. Chop/shred and add to a bowl. Omit this step if using rotisserie chicken! (If doing Whole 30, make sure any rotisserie chicken is compliant!)

Add remaining ingredients into a large bowl with the cooked chicken. Mix well until combined. Refrigerate until ready to eat! Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Verdict:

Such a big thumbs up! This was absolutely delish. I used grapes, apples (beware of dried cranberries like they suggest, because the ones I almost used from my pantry were NOT compliant), celery, and almonds. I used the Primal Kitchen mayo which is my saving grace for many meals. It honestly didn't taste different to me than regular chicken salad! Perfect for a quick lunch.

Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork

 From: The Clean Eating Couple

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Barbecue sauce of your choice (I made my own)

Clean off "silver skin" from pork tenderloin to make sure it's lean.

In a bowl, whisk together olive oil and spices. Marinate pork in olive oil and spices overnight if possible, in a ziploc bag. Otherwise, place tenderloins in crockpot and cover with oil/spice marinade. Make sure all areas of the pork have some marinade on them.

Pour chicken stock on top of the marinated tenderloins.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours in the crockpot, or on high for 4-6 hours.

Use tongs or a fork to pull the tenderloins apart when they are done cooking. All the juices to soak into the pulled pork. 

Toss with barbecue sauce if you choose!

Verdict:

This was a big thumbs up for everyone in my house! We had about three small slices of tenderloin left over. To be honest, it was a little sweet for my taste buds, but considering it was a hit with everyone else in the house, I'll probably make it again.

Whole 30 Barbecue Sauce

 From: 40 Aprons

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil

1 cup yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup dates, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp mustard powder

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 6oz can tomato paste

1/2 cup coconut aminos

1 cup water or chicken stock

4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

In a medium saucepan, heat the ghee or coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3-5 minutes or until translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Transfer mixture to blender carefully (it will be very hot!). Blend on high speed until smooth. Season with salt.

Verdict:

I didn't care for this sauce. It was missing something for me... probably all the sugar from what I'm used to!! I'll have to keep messing with sauces to find a good barbecue recipe. Any that you love that are Whole 30 compliant?