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Menu planning question


MamaJ

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I have committed to start my Whole30 on October 18 and am planning my menus now. Should I be making new dinners each day or can I repeat the ones I like? I know the spirit of Whole30 is to try new foods, so should I find 24(ish) different dinners (accounting for at least 6 nights of leftovers)? Or can I find 15(ish) different dinners and repeat a few?

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I have nomnompaleo's book (it was a gift) but to be honest I rarely make anything from it and I hardly ever look up whole30 recipes online. For example I tried the much lauded chocolate chilli on my first whole30 and loathed it so I just altered my mothers recipe instead. That's what I do, I alter the recipes I've always cooked (my own, my mother's and my Nanna's) or recipes I already have in my cookbook collection that we fancy (or if I have x ingredients and want to try something different)...or I make things up as I go along with what we have in the fridge. We eat a lot of different things depending on the seasons but I don't tend to look up too many new recipes.

Sometimes I'll cook a huge pot of chilli or stew or a large moussaka or courgette lasagna and eat it for days and other weeks I'll cook all our meals fresh on the day...

We've always eaten a good variety of foods though and I love to cook so expanding my repertoire was not a goal for me (especially with a 7 year old who has to be slowly persuaded to eat new things!)

The exceptions are mayo (loathed the stuff before the whole30 recipe...addicted to it now!) and cauliflower rice (I buy caulis in bulk now and there's only 2 of us...there are currently 3 in the fridge awaiting ricing)

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I have nomnompaleo's book (it was a gift) but to be honest I rarely make anything from it and I hardly ever look up whole30 recipes online. For example I tried the much lauded chocolate chilli on my first whole30 and loathed it so I just altered my mothers recipe instead. That's what I do, I alter the recipes I've always cooked (my own, my mother's and my Nanna's) or recipes I already have in my cookbook collection that we fancy (or if I have x ingredients and want to try something different)...or I make things up as I go along with what we have in the fridge. We eat a lot of different things depending on the seasons but I don't tend to look up too many new recipes.

Sometimes I'll cook a huge pot of chilli or stew or a large moussaka or courgette lasagna and eat it for days and other weeks I'll cook all our meals fresh on the day...

We've always eaten a good variety of foods though and I love to cook so expanding my repertoire was not a goal for me (especially with a 7 year old who has to be slowly persuaded to eat new things!)

The exceptions are mayo (loathed the stuff before the whole30 recipe...addicted to it now!) and cauliflower rice (I buy caulis in bulk now and there's only 2 of us...there are currently 3 in the fridge awaiting ricing)

 

The chocolate chili is in Well Fed cookbook, not the Nom Nom Paleo cookbook.

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The chocolate chili is in Well Fed cookbook, not the Nom Nom Paleo cookbook.

Before I mentioned chocolate chili the second part of my previous sentence had said I rarely cook recipes online...that was the link, not the nomnompaleo cookbook. I cooked it using the recipe from the clothes make the girl blog not the book (which I don't own)

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There is an inherent problem with planning meals too far in advance - what if the menu says Salmon on Tuesday or Pork Chops on Saturday and you don't feel like having them that day. I used the Well Fed batch cooking plan with gives me enough food to make meals for a week without assigning anything to a particular day and giving me plenty of leeway on trying new things.

 

http://meljoulwan.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/

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I have compiled most of my go-to recipes and thought it would be worth sharing them...

 

A few basics:

 

Tom's bone broth

http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2012/02/pressure-cooker-bone-broth/

 

Well Fed's mayo

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/06/03/the-secret-to-homemade-mayo-patience/

 

Creamy Italian Dressing

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/01/25/tangy-goodness-creamy-italian-dressing/

 

Best ranch ever

http://www.planksloveandguacamole.com/2014/05/ranch-dressing.html?m=1

Or, try:

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/03/10/paleo-ranch-dressing/

 

Sunshine Sauce

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/07/21/sunshine-sauce/

 

Ghee

http://www.easyfoodsmith.com/?p=459

Or

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/15235810877/diy-ghee

 

Magic mushroom powder

http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/06/recipe_detail.html?id=8980

 

Sweet potatoes in pressure cooker

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/side/side-vegetable/sweet-potatoes-electric-pressure-cooker.html

 

Whole30 meal planning from Melissa Joulwan

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/29/whole30-2014-week-1-meal-plan/

 

Chicken:

 

Best chicken ever

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/

 

Cracklin chicken

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/74180911762/cracklin-chicken
 

Roast chicken

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/99591424823/weeknight-roast-chicken

Or

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/33574189692/easiest-roast-chicken-ever

 

Grilled Green Chicken

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/7486821187/my-sisters-phenomenal-grilled-green-chicken

 

Hot Thai chicken with broccoli and cauliflower

http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2010/12/hot-thai-chicken-with-broccoli-and-cauliflower/
 

Skillet roasted chicken thighs with Brussels sprouts

http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2012/01/skillet-roasted-chicken-thighs-and-brussels-sprouts/
 

Buffalo Chicken "pasta"

http://paleomg.com/buffalo-chicken-pasta/
 

Crispy chicken livers

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/01/08/crispy-spiced-chicken-livers/

 

Meat:

 

Merguez meatballs

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/03/29/merguez-meatballs/

 

Sweet potato meatloaf

http://paleomg.com/paleo-savory-sweet-potato-meatloaf/

 

Kalua pork--pressure cooker version

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/111934821818/pressure-cooker-kalua-pig
 

Kalua pork--slow cooker version

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/10031990774/slow-cooker-kalua-pig
 

Mexican beef--pressure cooker

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/76137606724/pressure-cooker-mexican-beef

 

Fish:

 

Salmon cakes

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/11/10/oven-fried-salmon-cakes/
 

Moroccan salmon

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/05/06/moroccan-grilled-salmon/

 

Pan fried sardines

http://www.realfoodkosher.com/pan-fried-sardines/

 

Soup:
 

Silky gingered zucchini soup

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/

 

Golden cauliflower soup

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/10/24/golden-cauliflower-soup/

 

Also, Tom's pressure cooker version of the cauliflower soup

http://www.wholelifeeating.com/2013/11/pressure-cooker-golden-cauliflower-soup/

 

Veggies:

 

Mashed cauliflower

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/07/mashed-cauliflower/

 

Cauliflower fried rice (I make it without the pork as a side dish) 

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/06/21/chinese-pork-fried-frice/

 

Coconut-almond green beans

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/03/14/coconut-almond-green-beans/

 

Roasted kabocha squash

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/11136213353/roasted-kabocha-squash

 

Swiss chard with raisins, pine nuts, and prosciutto

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/54289289200/swiss-chard-with-raisins-pine-nuts-and-porkitos

 

Broccoli bagna cauda 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/broccoli-bagna-cauda-51217020

 

Herb crusted acorn squash

http://paleomg.com/side-dish-herb-crusted-acorn-squash/

 

Roasted herby spiralized veggies

http://fitfoodiefinds.com/2014/05/roasted-easy-herby-spiralized-vegetables-20-spiralized-recipes/

 

Breakfast:

 

Sweet potato and crispy kale breakfast skillet

http://www.acalculatedwhisk.com/2014/04/sweet-potato-crispy-kale-breakfast.html?m=1

 

Easy Breakfast Casserole:

http://paleomg.com/easy-breakfast-casserole/

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