Fast (<30 minute) Whoke30 Goto recipes

[tj2650]

I need a collection of fast WITH LEFTOVERS recipes because I need to work late most of next week.

I do not have a slow cooker!

Thanks

[Vian]

Hot plates. In Well Fed, Melissa details how she cooks most of her meals each week. She keeps pre-cooked protein and veggies in the fridge and when she needs a quick dinner, just pulls out meat and veg, throws in a pan, adds fat and seasoning, heats through, eats. Just make double what you think you can eat in one meal to have leftovers. Like for me, that's usually 3-4 chicken legs, 2-3 chicken thighs, or 1/2 to 1 chicken breast (depends on size) so I'll just double that. For ground beef, I buy my meat in bulk and portion it out into 3/4 pound portions in plastic baggies and freeze it. 3/4 pounds is 2 healthy portions for me, so I know if I thaw out one bag, that will be 2 meals worth of protein. Then for veg, I go to 1-2 cups per serving. 

 

I personally don't like to pre-cook my meat and veg. I think it's not as tasty, but I'm really picky, so your mileage may vary. Instead, I pre-chop all my veggies to save time. My favorite hot plate is beef with cabbage and onions. I brown some beef with diced onions, seasoned with salt and pepper, then add a couple minced cloves of garlic. Then I toss in some cabbage cut into ribbons and sprinkle over some ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, and marjoram. It's a very eastern european seasoned dish, but really tasty. From raw ingredients, it takes about 20-30 minutes to make.

 

You can also do asian, mexican, indian, moroccan, etc. just by changing the meat, veg, and seasonings to suit different ethnicity. For asian, do chicken or sliced steak with bok choy, carrots, water chestnuts, snap or snow peas, broccoli and a sauce made with coconut aminos, fish sauce, grated fresh ginger, garlic, and some red pepper flakes. Mexican, use peppers and fajita seasoning. The possibilities are endless.

[littleg]

Weekend cooking.  My second week went much smoother than week 1 because I prepped for it.  I made recipes that got me 3-4 meals.

 

Pot of zucchini ginger soup (3 meals) (Clothesmakethegirl - REALLY good, if you like ginger)

Batch of meatballs (that went in the ginger soup) (nomnompaleo tweaked)

Beef stew (3 meals) 

Pureed spiced butternut squash (4 veggie sides) (clothesmakethegirl)

Boiled a dozen eggs

Tossed 4 drumsticks in the oven while it was going for the stew (2 protein servings)

Tossed 6 small sweet potatoes in the oven too (got me through the week for post workout and when I needed just a bit of mashed sweet potato for recipes)

Riced up 4 bags of frozen cauliflower (baked first for about 45 minutes, but you can microwave and skip that step)

 

 

Granted, this took me a few hours over the weekend but my week was easier.  Less time prepping and less time cleaning.  

 

During the week for quick meals I made sardine cakes: 2 cans sardines, little bit of diced onion (could probably use dried), 1/2 baked sweet potato, jalapeno (I used dried), lemon zest, 1 egg - form into patties and fry.  Pretty quick - 2 meals for this recipe.

 

Mango salsa (this is actually pretty quick if you use frozen mango) that got me 2 sides of fruit/veggies per "assembly"

 

Fish tacos - marinate fish (we used thawed cod chunks from TJ) in lime juice and whatever spices you like (we used chipotle and cumin I think) and then toss in a pan with lard 

 

Good luck!

[Tina R]

I cook meat and then freeze in serving size portions (either for just yourself or your family). I do this with baked chicken, roast, and pork roast. I also make my own hamburgers and then freeze them in individual bags so I can cook them as needed. I love using leftovers to make taco meat. I reheat in a pan with some compliant chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper and then serve it like a salad with all the fixings. This way if you are bored of eating the meat you cooked this week, you can save it for dinner next week. Meatloaf, chili, and spaghetti sauce. I would also cook spaghetti squash (if you like that) ahead and then you only have to reheat it with the sauce for dinner. Do you like hotdogs? Applegate farms has some Natural Uncured Beef Hotdogs. I hope this helps. 

[NatalieBA]

Not a recipe but I have some tips for time crunched meal preparing.

One thing I found super helpful was prepping (washing cutting etc) all my veggies on Sunday night.  Then cooking them is just a matter of tossing in fat and throwing in the oven or pan. 

Another tip is to cook more than one meal at once.  Get a couple pans going on the stove and some stuff in the oven - then for a few days you just have to reheat. 

One more thing I did during Whole 30 which was so essential because my husband was out of town and I have a toddler so it was hard to cook is cooking for the next day(s) after dinner.  So eat something already prepared for dinner and then when I put my son to sleep I have more time to do some cooking (and it this time prepare multiple dishes). 

[jent103]

Definitely weekend cooking. I'm about to do my cookup - I'm doing a slow cooker chicken (just as an example, not suggesting it since you don't have one! - roasting it would work too) with mashed cauliflower and kabocha squash for lunches, salmon cakes and plantain nachos for dinners, and sunrise scramble for breakfasts. All I do during the week is heat up proteins and any veg I've made beforehand, maybe cook up some zucchini noodles or something, and poach eggs at breakfast.

[SarahInParis]

I'm another weekend and big-batch cooker. I almost always make double the amount of meat or veg for dinner, then have it as lunches for a few days (I eat lunch at home everyday, my husband brings a lunch from home 2-3 days a week). The veg are good for another dinner, or in salads, or part of breakfast and lunch.

Are there specific types of foods you want some 30 min recipes for? Do you need recipes that are ready to eat 30 min after you start, or can cooking times be longer if you just throw things in a pot or oven?

I do like the hot plates idea (in particular having a sauce or two in the fridge that can convert the foods into something tasty) - right now I am keeping a chimichurri (well, AIP adapted one) and some kind of avocado-based creamy sauce too. This week I'm going to try crock pot sautéed onions as a topping/sauce (I think I'm going to use bacon fat in place of the butter as my husband (decidedly NOT W30) doesn't like coconut oil...

[1Maryann]

I'm an after-dinner cooker.  I find it too hard to put aside several hours on the weekend, so after dinner I'll put on a pot of beef stew, and/or chocolate chili, and/or green curry chicken, etc.  One night I will fire up the stove and roast a bunch of veggies (it's SW FL and I try not to have a stove on 425 too often).  If your veggies are prepped ahead of time, fish, chicken breasts, pork chops, burgers, or steaks only take a few minutes.  The seasonings will be what set them apart.  You don't have to cook a fancy, fussy, elaborate meal to eat healthy.

[**Ann**]

I am NOT a weekend cooker.  I have too long of days during the week that the thought of cooking up meals on the weekend has zero appeal, feels like work, and takes any fun out of cooking for me.  I can only prepare fresh meals, and yes, I have a long day between job, commute, and kiddos.

 

I tend to keep it repetitive and easy for the week, where cooking the meal doesn't take too much time.  Yesterday, I made beef stew in a crock pot--that's the closest to weekend cooking I get.  That will last me as lunch and breakfast for a few days this week. I have hard boiled eggs or egg salad as my other breakfast/meal 1.  For lunch, its always a combo of tuna or egg salad with a side of big green salad and a homemade vinaigrette (which takes seconds to whip together).  For dinners, its ground meat or chicken, with seasonings, fat and a steamed veggie.  I get more fancy on the weekends.

[toriellie]

Sausage and Sauerkraut Skillet. 

 

If you can find some compliant sausages (I think Mulay's makes a compliant bratwurst, or check with the meat counter at your grocery store - if they make their own sausages, you can see if they make one without sugar, soy, etc.) this one will work for you. 

 

Since I'm not W30, I used 1/2 package of Beeler's lil smokies, but it's just as good with bratwurst or other sausages.  Oh - I think Beeler's makes an italian sausage that's compliant too. 

 

Thinly slice half an onion, put it in a frying pan to sautee in some coconut oil for a few minutes until soft and a few edges just start to brown (a cast iron skillet is perfect).  Add a pinch of salt when you put them in the pan.

 

Slice an apple into quarters, core, and then slice thinly crosswise.

 

When the onions are just starting to brown a little bit, add the sausages.  After the sausages have started to brown, add the apples too. 

 

After the apples have softened and the sausage is heated through, add the drained sauerkraut - a couple cups or so, or to taste.  Let stir in the sauerkraut and heat through.  Serve.

 

I served with spinach (sautee a few mushrooms in coconut oil, when done add a bunch of raw spinach or defrosted and squeezed frozen spinach - cook til it's just wilted and bright green or how you like it, add a big spoonful of ghee and some salt), half an avocado, a few olives, and a sliced orange. 

[toriellie]

The Korean short ribs from Nom Nom paleo are amazing, and take about ten minutes in the morning and no time at all at dinner time.  You could probably do the recipe with just a regular roast as well, or even a pork roast.  Serve with cauli rice if you like that, or a frozen veggie, avocado, and a sliced apple or carrots or cucumbers. 

 

If you can roast some sweet potatoes (or carrots) in the oven - they are really quick - you could probably get them completely cooked while you get ready in the morning - then when you get home, scrape out the potato into a bowl, mash well, and microwave for a couple minutes.  Meanwhile, throw some ground pork or ground beef or loose pork sausage into a frying pan and cook up (I like it better if I cook it a little slower so it doesn't brown - it tastes better reheated as well).  When your sweet potatoes are hot, mash some coconut oil in, and salt and pepper.  Add a quick veggie on the side and you're good to go - I like to have carrot, celery, or cucumber sticks with this to add a little texture.

[toriellie]

I also like shrimp salad or taco salad - swing by the store and pick up some baby shrimp (stick it in the freezer if you won't be using it that day) or cook up extra hamburger on burger night.  Chop some romaine or use bagged lettuce.  Add cherry tomatoes, snow peas, olives, avocado, hard-cooked egg (shrimp salad) cucumbers, celery, finely sliced radishes, cabbage - a little of whatever you like.  Make paleo ranch dressing with homemade mayo - add some some chipotle powder for the taco salad.  Nom Nom Paleo has a good quick mayo recipe with an immersion blender and a paleo ranch dressing. 

 

Well Fed 2 has a recipe for pork gyoza meatballs - they take about ten minutes to put together and bake for about 25 minutes.  They are amazing - my husband's new favorite food.  They reheat well the next day, too.  Serve with a spicy or regular coleslaw and stir-fried broccoli with fish sauce and the water chestnuts left over from the meatballs. 

[Midlyfechrysalis]

Last week, I cooked up 10 burgers and put them in 5 individual bags.

 

This week, I cooked several steaks marinated in the Tessemae (allowed) dressing and put into 5 bags.

Both weeks, I purchased on sale or cheap crudite trays (Kroger has good clearance and decent prices, probably less than if I bought all the veggies and did it myself). I divided the veggies into 5 sandwich bags with a mini container of guacamole.

 

Finally, I buy the already cut and skewered veggies, marinate, and roast until sweetened and just a bit brown on the edge. I divide that into 5 meals, too.

 

I take the above to work. At home, I cook fresh, usually some form of spinach and eggs or veggies and eggs.