Who’s ready for week 3 meals? I hope you are not doing with challenge with me…since it’s day 30 and I am posting days 15-21!

BUT…you will be fully stocked with ideas to smash out this challenge for Sept (or any other 30-days) if you’d like!

As always…

In the interest of saving time, I’m just going to copy/paste the intro from week 1 meals (which you could read here, and week 2 meals here) and head right to the dishes!

Usually, I would take the time to blog each recipe and make a recipe card for it, but there are just too many to do! So I’ve decided I will just give you some basic info, and links to recipes that I modified (and list what modifications I used.)
First, a refresher!
Whole 30 is a diet challenge. I’m not going to go into all the details, but you should know that it restricts dairy, grains, soy, legumes, any added sugar (artificial or not. 100% fruit juice being the only exception), vegetable oils, and specific additives: MSG, sulfites (except those naturally occurring), and carrageenan (found in almost all lunchmeat and some almond milk). Oh and alcohol. All kinds. Cooking, drinking, vanilla…ALL kinds! And any “sex with your pants on” foods. That’s what the program calls restricted foods made with compliant ingredients. Like ice cream made with bananas, cauliflower pizza crust, banana pancakes, etc. These foods are not allowed in any form!
Click here for a complete rundown of the rules if you are interested.
So why am I telling you this? So that you know every meal I post on this page DOES NOT contain these ingredients. They are 100% WHOLE FOOD. Clean eating. No (or very few) additives. All are gluten-free, diary-free, and most comply with the Paleo lifestyle. And best of all…they are all good! 🙂
As you will notice…this is not your typical diet food. I am just starting out with this clean eating concept, so the thought of baked fish and roasted veggies every night is extremely unappealing to me! So I am doing this challenge, but I am doing it in a way that I can stick to! Cooking the things I like and that are appealing to me! Eventually, I assume eating a plate full of vegetables will be appealing to me, but that day is not today! So here we go!
A few things you should know about my kitchen and how I cook:

1. I am horrible about planning meals and will usually decide mid-day what dinner that night will be. And it will be whatever I have in the house! I tend to just look at my available ingredients and put something together.

1. I buy my meat in bulk and freeze it, So I always have something I can pull out of the freezer. 

1. Butter is outlawed on the program but “clarified butter,” or ghee, is allowed. I always have some in the refrigerator, and when I list butter in these recipes, I mean clarified butter. (Here is how to clarify butter). Of all the other acceptable cooking fats (coconut oil, olive oil, lard, bacon grease) I only use olive oil or coconut oil. And I, of course, always have those in the house. 

1. I have a very healthy selection of herbs and spices so I rarely have to buy something new. And I salt and pepper everything! I may not say it in a recipe, but really…everything!

1. I try to make extra for dinner and eat it for lunch the following day. Some days I get 2 lunches out if it!

1. I rarely measure! My measurements are “some”, “a little”, or “enough.” I just cook by taste and sight. So add as much or as little of an item as you want according to your own tastes!

1. Because of this challenge, I will not purchase any brand that has added sugar. You’d be surprised what sugar is added to! So check your labels! There are very few compliant prepared meats. Most lunchmeat, sausage, and bacon have some form of sugar. My packaged fruits are all no sugar added. I make sure my tuna does not list soy, and all condiments and spices must not have sugar, honey, MSG, etcetera. 

Ok, I think that’s enough background. Now on to the meals!
(I try to take pictures every day just to remember what I ate, but sometimes I forgot. And some pictures were just shoot and go,  so not every meal or picture was Instagram worthy!)

Ok, that was easy! Now Meals! Some things are a repeat from week one or week two, so I am just going to reference which day/meal for the instructions, instead of repeatedly writing everything! It will look like this D2 M2 (day 2 meal 2). 🙂

D15 M1: Sweet potato hash (D1 M1) with Adele’s Chicken and Apple Sausage (2 sausages cut up), and an egg.
D15 M2: Leftover bacon guacamole burger, leftover potato salad (D14 M3), and grapes
D15 M3: Chicken fried Cauli-rice. I used Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe from Iowa Girl Eats as a guideline. I cooked the chicken first, and then cut it up and set aside. I riced and cooked the cauliflower according to the recipe, but used fresh shredded carrots, frozen peas, and some fresh snow peas I had in the refrigerator. I added the chicken back in after the eggs, and then I substituted coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce in the last step! So good! Even the day after! 😛

D16 M1: Leftover sweet potato hash
D16 M2: Leftover chicken fried cauli-rice
D16 M3: Compliant Applegate hotdogs and shredded brussels sprouts sautéed with apple. I’m not a fan of brussels sprouts, but J likes them and I try to eat them. I chopped them up to a shred, then chopped up an apple. Sautéed together in butter with a bit of balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.

D17 M1: Sweet potato hash and an egg
D17 M2: Leftover hotdog and grapes
D17 M3: Taco lettuce rolls with Cilantro Lime Dressing from Stupid Easy Paleo. I always use ground turkey for tacos. I brown it with diced onion. Taco seasoning packets are not compliant in the challenge, so I seasoned it with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and S&P. My favorite taco sauce (Mayaco’s brand) happens to be compliant, so I just pour some of that in there as well! I just taste as I go an add more of whatever I need. It’s usually a lot of cumin and chili powder to get the taste right.

D18 M1: Lara Bar and a banana
D18 M2: Leftover taco lettuce rolls
D18 M3: California chicken lettuce rolls. Chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato, and Dump ranch from the Whole Sisters.

D19 M1: Fancy bananas (D10 M1).
D19 M2: Leftover taco lettuce wraps
D19 M3: We had to eat out so went to Seasons 52– roasted tomato soup, grilled flank steak with steamed asparagus and roasted potatoes.

D20 M1: We had a free hotel breakfast, so just worked with what they had! Scrambled eggs with fresh spinach, melon, and banana with slivered almonds and raisins.
D20 M2: Chicken salad with dump ranch.
D20 M3: Steak with caramelized bell pepper and onions, and salad with dump ranch.

D21 M1: Banana and Lara bar
D21 M2: Compliant Turkey lunchmeat, dill pickle, and mustard roll-ups, and grapes.
D21 M3: Compliant Knackwurst sausage we found at our local grocery store, and fried potatoes with onions.

Sorry I’m so horrible with remembering pictures! I usually remember just after I finished eating! And I haven’t dug out my fancy camera a single time in this challenge! It’s just a lot to keep up with, so quick iPhone pictures are easier. I will get back to the better photos after this challenge though! Hope these are giving you some inspiration and motivation to try your own challenge! 🙂