Marinated Kale Salad - GF/DF/Vegan/Whole30

This is my go-to salad for potlucks and dinner parties, because I can make it a day or two in advance. In fact, the flavors get better over time, which is incentive to assemble it ahead of time. Leftovers last a week in an airtight container in the fridge, making this the perfect recipe for meal prep. This salad also doubles well and doesn’t need precise measurements for anything besides the vinaigrette ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup EVOO

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp. onion powder

• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

• 1/4 tsp. pepper

• 6 cups chopped kale, stems removed

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

• 1 seedless cucumber, diced

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries (watch for sneaky sugar if doing the Whole30)

• 1/4 cup dried apricots, sliced

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:

1. Add EVOO, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper into a large mixing bowl, and whisk together to make a lemon vinaigrette.

2. Add chopped kale to the mixing bowl and massage the dressing into the kale with your hands.

3. Place the bowl in the fridge to marinate while you prep the veggies.

4. After dicing the cucumber and green pepper, and halving the tomates, add them to the bowl and stir.

5. Add dried cranberries, apricot slices, and pine nuts, and stir well.

6. Store the salad in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving (a full day or two is even better).

7. When ready to serve, toss the salad well and top with a few extra pine nuts, cranberries, and apricots.

Whole30 3-Minute Ranch

I believe everyone should make their own mayo and ranch at least once in their life. With this recipe, though, you’ll come back time and time again! Not only is it significantly cheaper than purchasing a Whole30-compatible product, but the taste is sooooo good! I get compliments and requests for my ranch recipe every time I make it, and not just from fellow Whole30-ers.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup avocado oil

• 1/3 cup full fat canned coconut milk

• 1 egg

• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1 tsp. sea salt

• 1 tsp. black pepper

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 tsp. onion powder

• *** 1 tsp. dried chives

• *** 1/2 tsp. dried cilantro

• *** 1/2 tsp. dried parsley

• *** 1/2 tsp. dried dill

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except the 4 green spices (indicated with ***) in a wide mouth mason jar.

2. Place an immersion blender down at the bottom of the mason jar and blend for 30 seconds.

3. Pull the immersion blender up and down to incorporate all the oil.

4. Once everything is well blended, STIR in the 4 green spices.

5. If you’re using a metal lid, place a small piece of parchment paper between the jar and the lid. Since cilantro chelates metals, you want that barrier to keep your ranch tasting right.

6. Store the jar in the fridge until the expiration date of your egg (if for some strange reason you don’t eat it by then).

EASY Whole30 Sheet Pan Italian Chicken

With four kids at home, I need dinners that are quick, easy, and enjoyed by all. I don’t always win at meal time, but this Italian Chicken checks all of the boxes. With simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand, it only takes a few minutes to prep, and once your oven is preheated, it cooks in 15 minutes! Throw it on top of a salad for a super easy, minimal prep meal. For a balanced, hot meal ready in under 30 minutes, add a second sheet pan of potatoes and veggies to the oven 10 minutes before the chicken, and finish cooking them at the same time. This is also a great recipe to batch cook, making it a perfect candidate for your weekly meal prep. Drop a comment if you make it and love it, and be sure to share it with your Whole30 accountability group! Enjoy!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Cut chicken breasts into large chunks/slices. Make them bigger than bite-sized, but smaller than a chicken tenderloin.

3. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well, being sure to evenly distribute the oil and seasonings.

4. Spread out chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, so there’s space between each piece of chicken. (if you’re batch cooking, make sure you spread out over multiple sheet pans).

5. Bake the chicken at 425F for 15-16 minutes. Cut into a few of the largest pieces to make sure that the meat is white throughout.

6. Serve warm over rice (not Whole30, but part of your reintroduction), cauliflower rice, baked potatoes, or a bed of greens. You can’t go wrong!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds chicken breasts

• 2 tbsp. EVOO

• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp. sea salt

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 tsp. onion powder

• 1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper (use less if you or your kids don’t like strong peppery flavors.)

Whole30 Cilantro and Spinach Mini Turkey Meatloaves

My family survives on batch cooking! Our breakfasts are almost always prepped ahead, and I usually double my dinner recipes so that there are plenty of leftovers for the week. Meatloaf, though, is usually a “one and done” meal in my house because I only own one 9x5 loaf pan. Then I found a Mini BBQ Meatloaf recipe and it changed the game for me! My family loved that recipe so much that it inspired my Cilantro and Spinach Turkey Mini Meatloaves. With ground turkey being a more affordable protein option than organic ground beef, this recipe has become a regular in our house. I love that I can now batch cook meatloaf!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp ghee

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

• 3-4 cups chopped spinach

• 2.5 pounds ground turkey

• 1/4-1/2 cup almond flour (I’ve included a range here, because some ground meat is fattier than others, and will require more flour)

• 3 eggs

• 1 tbsp coarse grain stone ground mustard

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 3/4 tsp garlic powder

• 3/4 tsp onion powder

• 3/4 tsp paprika

• 3/4 tsp dried dill

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Warm a skillet over medium heat while you prepare your onion, garlic, cilantro, and spinach.

2. Add a large spoonful of ghee, about 2 tbsp, to the skillet and let it melt completely.

3. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent.

4. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.

5. Add the cilantro and spinach and sauté until wilted.

6. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool while you prepare the meatloaf mixture.

7. Preheat the oven to 350F.

8. Combine the remaining ingredients (ground turkey, almond flour, eggs, mustard, and spices) in a large mixing bowl, and stir until well combined.

9. Add the sautéed onion and greens to the mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

11. Scoop out about 1/2-3/4 cup of meat mixture, form into a mini loaf, and place on the baking sheet. You should be able to get about 10-12 mini loaves total.

12. Bake the mini meatloaves at 350F for 23-25 minutes, or until they are no longer pink.

13. Top with your favorite ranch dressing before serving.

Notes:

This recipe is a meal prep recipe and intended to produce leftovers. If you don’t want 10-12 mini meatloaves, simply halve all of the ingredients to make a smaller amount.

Sweet Potato Quiche with Sausage and Spinach - Whole30/Paleo/GF/DF

I did a takeover on the Whole30 Recipes Instagram feed in December, 2019, and this recipe received so much love! It’s a little more involved than my usual recipes (mainly because it uses a few more dishes and takes over an hour to cook), BUT I promise you it is worth it! If you’re looking for a grab-and-go breakfast option, or really want to impress your mother-in-law at your next family brunch, this recipe is for you! I wrote it to be made in 2, 6-count muffin tins, but you can easily make it in a 12 inch cast iron skillet by adjusting the cook time.

Sweet Potato Quiche With Sausage and Spinach:

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds sweet potatoes

• 1 pound #whole30 compatible breakfast sausage

• 12 eggs

• 1/2 cup bone broth

• 2 large handfuls of spinach

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease two, 6-count muffin tins with coconut oil.

2. Peel and coarsely chop the sweet potatoes, then place in a food processor and pulse until finely diced.

3. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a large bowl, add TWO eggs, and stir until well combined.

4. Spoon the sweet potatoes into the muffin tins and press them to make a “crust” on the bottom and up the sides of each well.

5. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, brown the breakfast sausage in a skillet, and set aside.

7. Whisk the ten remaining eggs in a large bowl, add bone broth, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. When the crust is done, remove from the oven and drop the temperature down to 350F.

9. Place the spinach on top of the crusts, then spoon the sausage on top of the spinach.

10. Add the whisked eggs, and bake the quiches at 350F for 18-20 minutes, or until the eggs are set.

NOTES:

• To make one big quiche in a cast iron skillet, cook the crust for 35 minutes at 375F and the quiche for 30 minutes at 350F.

• Don’t have or cant eat sweet potatoes? substitute red or gold potatoes for the crust.