HELP! Need Complete Meal Prep Help (Printable)

[BeachLily]

Hello,

I'm a single mother with two children and - between family, work and life - it's impossible to do the Whole30 without nearly complete weekly meal prep.  After I wash/prep veggies & sauces for the week, I can cook breakfast/lunch/dinner each morning, but I do need to be able to follow a quick-reference plan.  I don't have nearly enough time to figure it all out during the morning rush (or evening exhaustedness, esp after work, homework and bedtime rituals).

I've gone online and, though there are recipes in various places, I REALLY need some help finding a full 30-day meal prep help.  Part of my problem is that after being a vegetarian for 30 years, what I've read has convinced me that I ought to try meat again...and I don't know how to cook, spice, or prepare any kind of meat.  So...

Specifically, I need:

1. Printable recipes that are complete meals (not mix and match side dishes).  So if a recipe for breakfast is given, it will have protein, veggies and fat (not just the side veggies with the option to add protein).
2. Printable shopping lists that go with the recipes
3. A full 30-day plan

Though I've looked online, full meals that come with shopping lists AND a printable version seem to be nonexistent.  Can someone please help me?

Thanks in advance!

[ShannonM816]

The problem is going to be that no one has the same taste you do, not everyone is cooking for the same number of people, has the same like/dislike of leftovers you do, so the chances you're going to find one plan that will work for you for 30 days are pretty slim.

There are some weekly menus with grocery lists here, but she doesn't do meal planning where every meal is assigned a particular day and meal time, it's more about having food on hand all the time:   https://meljoulwan.com/recipes-index

I haven't looked through everything here but it might be helpful:   https://nomnompaleo.com/post/42057515329/the-round-up-30-days-of-whole30-recipes

If you're willing to pay for a meal planning service, Real Plans might be an option:   https://realplans.com/whole30/

Or, it would take a little more work to set up initially, but www.pepperplate.com is a free meal planning website and app that lets you add recipes from the internet or your cookbooks, plan a week or more of meals, and will create a shopping list you can either print or access on your phone or tablet. 

[slc_melissa]

Consider making yourself, say, a 7 day or 4 day plan that you repeat.  No need to eat something different every single day of the month.

[ladyshanny]

16 hours ago, BeachLily said:

 recipes that are complete meals (not mix and match side dishes).  

Hi @BeachLily - you might want to hit this a different way rather than trying to find literal "recipes" that hit the meal template. LOTS of us that have been around for awhile just cook a bunch of "stuff". I don't write it all out very often anymore because it's in various versions all over the forum, but I will below give you a 2-hour cookup that should give you a very good start. Then, at meal time, you take your protein of choice, a couple veggie choices and a fat choice, put it on a plate and eat.

So, first you can take a tray of chicken thighs, throw onto a pan and sprinkle w/ salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Bake for 35 minutes at 435F. Put a few sweet potatoes on the oven rack also to cook at the same time.

Now, get two frying pans going, each with a couple pounds of ground meat (pork, chicken, beef, turkey). Season neutrally (S&P) and get them cooking.

Put 8-12 eggs in a pot on the stove and get them hardboiling. 

This is your protein for the week and the hands on time is only about 10-15 minutes, if that.

Now get going on some sauces and the veggies. Make mayo, this will get you FAR. So versatile....make it a double batch. Steam some brocoli and some green beans and then run under cold water when done to halt the cooking process. During your shopping trip get baby cukes, bell peppers, baby tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, snow peas etc. These are simple veggies that are great raw and add color and interest to your plate.

By now your chicken and ground meats should be done, you can peel your eggs and wash up your dishes.  Your two hours is probably almost up but you could also take some time to make a big oven-egg-bake which can be cut into squares and eaten hot or cold for breakfast. Just add some fat and some of your veggies when you plate it.

Add canned fishes to your pantry stock and you have MORE than enough food to get you started. Then you just build your plate. 

[BeachLily]

First the thanks:

• ShannonM816, thank you so much for your incredible links and insights.  I will check them out but I'm particularly interested in the app you mentioned...sounds ahhh-mazing!
• Thank you, slc_melissa, for the tip!  I totally get that starting small can be better for some as it definitely helps keep overwhelm to a minimum.
• And ladyshanny, thank you for the amazingly fantastic quick tips to get started.  

Then some info:

So here's a full disclosure:  I need a 30-day "system" because not only am I a single mother, but i'm trying to launch a business all while meeting the needs of my family and keeping my sanity.  If anyone can relate, not having to reinvent the wheel each week with a tasty, varied menu would be absolutely dreamy!  Another thing is that I'm going from being a vegetarian for the last 30 years to trying meat again (because of the claims of the Whole 30 Diet) which means I *really* don't even know how to cook meat!!   So... LadyShanny, your step by step quickie will DEFINITELY come in handy for a novice like me! 

[mod edit to remove link to "for profit" trademark infringement]

Anyway, than you ALL for chiming in and helping a mamma out!  It takes a community to raise a new Whole30'er!  

 

 

[SugarcubeOD]

I don't see that the program is free, it looks like it's $29 and just so you're aware, it doesn't look like it's endorsed by Whole30 so you need to use caution when using the recipes - we can't check them because most of the volunteer moderators are not going to pay for the program but watch for desserts and make sure each meal you eat matches the template.

[ladyshanny]

All, the link to the "meal plan" has been removed as it is an infringement upon the Whole30 trademark and branding. The purveyor of these meal plans will be contacted to discuss.