compliant egg free casseroles

[LisaLulu]

Been stressing about money and realizing that our family cannot afford 'hunk o meat' meals 3 times a day, but we like the way we feel eating paleo so I don't want to stop. We can't have eggs (2 of us are majorly intolerant) but there is no limit for carbohydrate/starch as we are all thin and active. Any casserole ideas that won't break the bank?

[Tom Denham]

The meal planning template calls for a palm-size portion of protein at three meals per day because eating that much protein is important to maintaining health. I am afraid that you won't like how you feel long-term if you downshift the protein and replace it with carbs/starch. And further, Whole30 Meal Planning is based upon each meal including a palm-size portion of protein. The forum is not open for discussion of non-Whole30 meal plans. Sorry.

[LisaLulu]

The casserole would obviously include a palm sized portion of meat per person, the portions tend to be much bigger when eaten stand alone. I just didn't think there would be a limit on the amount of vegetables consumed, it's not like it would be a casserole full of rice and cheese, it would be vegetables of all kinds. Is there a limit on them?

[Tina R]

No limit on veggies, eat as many as you wish. Have you checked out Nom Nom Paleo, The Clothes Make the Girl and whole30 Recipes on facebook? You might find recipes that you like. Good luck!

[little mighty]

I am egg-intolerant as well, and have also been searching for casserole/one-dish recipes to save money (and dishes!). I recently tried my hand at a Whole30-compliant lasagna-style casserole and it turned out really well! I made a chunky tomato sauce with mushrooms and ground beef, and layered that with thinly sliced eggplant (which I baked for a bit to draw out some of the moisture) and spinach. Topped it with pumpkin seed-nutritional yeast "Parmesan", then baked it until bubbling around the edges. (Not sure if the "Parmesan" was considered SWYPO, but it isn't a trigger food for me so I deemed it compliant!)

 

Some tips:

 

- It's pretty easy to create a casserole from layers of meat, veggies, and sauce. So long as you don't use ingredients that contain/release a lot of water (i.e. zucchini, thin sauces) - or pre-bake/reduce those that do - it should work.

- Try taking classic casserole recipes and subbing coconut milk for dairy milk.

- To bind your casserole, make a creamy sauce out of cooked cauliflower, zucchini, or eggplant + seasonings + a bit of arrowroot/tapioca starch (Google recipes for these). You'd be surprised at how rich a sauce made from vegetables can be! Also very easy on the wallet
- Even just a mixture of ground meat + veggies + seasonings - like burgers but with more veggies, and baked in a pan - is delicious, portable, and stretches the meat a bit. I just made a turkey-kale-squash version and it was SO yummy.

[ultrarunnergirl]

Been stressing about money and realizing that our family cannot afford 'hunk o meat' meals 3 times a day, but we like the way we feel eating paleo so I don't want to stop. We can't have eggs (2 of us are majorly intolerant) but there is no limit for carbohydrate/starch as we are all thin and active. Any casserole ideas that won't break the bank?

 

Here is the "Grocery Shopping on a Budget" guide. Hope it is helpful!