Whole 30

As I have said before, I love Thai food. The flavors are bright, exciting and spicy. Unfortunately, it’s also usually full of sugar and soy too. So, I’ve been adjusting recipes to make them Whole 30 compliant.

I’ve been utilizing the meat grinder attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer. For this recipe I used chicken thighs and ground them together with the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t have a meat grinder, don’t worry. You can purchase already ground chicken, mix in the other ingredients, marinate, and then follow the cooking instructions.

Chicken Larb

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken thighs
1 medium shallot finely minced
¼ cup Thai Basil leaves-chopped
¼ cup mint leaves-chopped
4 fresh Thai green chilies- stems trimmed and finely chopped
3 Tablespoons lime juice
3 Tablespoons fish sauce

Kitchen equipment needed:
Meat grinder or food processor
Mixing bowl

1. Start by chopping the shallot, Thai basil, mint leaves, and Thai chilies.
2. Cube the chicken thighs into small chunks.
3. Mix the chicken with the herbs, shallot, chilies, lime juice, and fish sauce in a bowl. Let the chicken marinate for 1 hour.
4. Once marinating is done use the meat grinder to grind the chicken. There will be extra liquid at the bottom of the bowl once the meat is ground. Just mix the liquid back into the meat mixture once the chicken is ground.
5. Fry the meat in a skillet until the chicken is fully cooked.

It’s simple and delicious too! I served the Larb over some Asian slaw and with cucumbers. But it is great served in lettuce boats too. By the way chopping herbs is something that I have always struggled to keep neat. Check out this YouTube tutorial by Gordan Ramasy. It’s really helpful.

I added two more meals to my freezer arsenal. I didn’t come up with either of these recipes but they are both worth checking out and making! I, for one, will be making both of these again.

No Bean Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili from Skinny Taste

Ingredients:
20 ounce 93% lean ground turkey
Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
10 ounce can Rotel mild tomatoes with green chilies
8 ounce can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cumin, or to taste
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1. In a large skillet, brown turkey over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks into smaller pieces and season with salt and cumin.
2. When meat is browned and cooked through add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the can of Rotel tomatoes, sweet potato, tomato sauce, water, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and bay leaf.
3. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are soft and cooked through, about 25 minutes stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup more water if needed. Remove bay leaf and serve.

See the original recipe here at Skinny Taste!

Crockpot Jambalaya by Food Renegade

Ingredients:
5 c. chicken broth- make sure it is compliant
4 peppers – any color you want- I used one of each green, red, yellow and orange- seeded and chopped into chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 large can of organic diced tomatoes with the juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leafs
1 pound large shrimp, raw and de-veined
4 oz. chicken, diced into bite sized chunks
1 package spicy Andouille sausage, cut into rings- make sure it is compliant! I used Wellshire Farm’s
1/2-1 head of cauliflower
1 full bag frozen okra- I made this change from the original recipe
3 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning*see below
1/4 c. Frank’s Red Hot or compliant hot sauce of your choice

Kitchen equipment
6 quart oval crockpot- or at least this is what I have

1. Put the chopped peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, chicken, cajun seasoning, Red Hot, and bay leafs in the crockpot with the chicken stock. Set on low for 6 hours.
2. About 30 minutes before it’s finished, toss in the cut up sausages and bag of frozen okra.
3. While this is cooking quickly make cauliflower rice by pulsing raw cauliflower in the food processor until it resembles rice.
4. For the last 20 minutes, add in the cauliflower rice and the raw shrimp.

*How to Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning (from Emeril!):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

See the original recipe here at Food Renegade!

Questions about my methods for freezer storage or want to check out some other freezer meals I’ve stored? Check my previous post Five Whole 30 Approved Freezer Meals.

For me, giving up soy has been the most difficult food to give up during Whole 30. I am half Vietnamese, so I am used to eating foods with a fair amount of soy. I was surprised that rice was not more difficult to give up, but so far that hasn’t been a problem. I enjoy all types of Asian food but it is difficult to find Whole 30 compliant dishes that aren’t full of soy and sugar. I’m on a mission to make some delicious, compliant Asian dishes. I started with Tom Kha Gai- a delicious sour, spicy, coconut-filled soup with chicken and veggies. It is delicious and I think you are really going to love this recipe.

Whole 30 Compliant Tom Kha Gai
Ingredients:
2 stalks of lemongrass outer leaves removed, smashed, and cut into ¼ inch pieces
10 kaffir lime leaves
1” piece of ginger peeled and cut into 4 chunks
2 Thai chilies- each cut in half
6 cups compliant chicken broth
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound of shiitake mushrooms stemmed and caps cut into bite sized pieces
1-13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
2-3 Tablespoons of compliant fish sauce – Red Boat is a great brand

Garnish:
2-3 cups bean sprouts
A handful of Thai Basil Leaves cut into smaller pieces
2-3 Thai chilies cut into slices- optional if you like it spicy
2 scallions cut into small pieces
1 large tomato cut into bite sized chunks
1 lime cut into wedges

Kitchen equipment needed:
4 quart sauce pot or soup pot
Fine mesh strainer
Large bowl

1. Start by preparing the lemongrass and ginger as described above in ingredients list.
2. Place chicken broth, lemongrass, ginger, the two sliced Thai chilies, and the Kaffir lime leaves in sauce pot and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Once simmering, let the flavors combine for approximately 20 minutes.
3. While the broth is simmering, cut the mushrooms and chicken into pieces. Also, wash the bean sprouts, chilies, scallions and prepare the garnishes as listed above.
4. After the simmering period of 20 minutes strain the contents of the pot into a large bowl with the use of the fine mesh strainer to catch the lemongrass, chilies, and lime leaves. Discard the contents of the strainer and return the broth to the pot. Once again bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat.
5. Add in the chicken and mushrooms and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (meat thermometer should read 165 degrees F) and the mushrooms are tender.
6. Add in the can of coconut milk and stir well.
7. Mix in 2 Tablespoons fish sauce and taste the broth. I added an additional Tablespoon of fish sauce because I felt it needed more. I like a good amount of fish sauce.
8. Dish the soup into bowls and garnish with a handful of bean sprouts, Thai basil, scallions, a few pieces of Thai chili, lime wedges and a few chunks of tomato.

I absolutely loved this soup and I hope you enjoy it as well. I’ve eaten Tom Kha Gai at Thai restaurants and I felt that this recipe comes very close to what I have had there. I hope to have more compliant Asian recipes coming soon. Have any suggestions of what I should try next? Comment below with your ideas.

When we decided to do Whole 100 this year, we knew that being prepared before the start date was going to be important to our success. Being prepared is everything when completing Whole 30. Getting rid of forbidden items and stocking your refrigerator, freezer, and cabinets with approved items is key.

Two weeks before we began I made a few large batches of food that could be stored in the freezer. I wanted these meals to be quick to make, would freeze well, and would be delicious too. Of course you don’t need to store these in the freezer to enjoy them. Tons of foods freeze very well. Soups, stews and sauces do very well. Precooked meat and casseroles do well too. Some foods to avoid putting into your freezer are items like lettuce, cucumber, sprouts, eggs and potatoes. Freezing them will make them weird, rubbery and watery. I’ve not heard of anyone trying to freeze these items but if you’ve ever accidently pushed them into the back of your refrigerator and they have gotten frosted, you know exactly what I mean. I made all these meals during one long cooking meal preparing session. Of course you could make one or two of them per week, or make double of any of these to eat during the current week while still having enough for storing some in the freezer too.

We already had a vacuum sealer which worked well to store recipes that don’t have a lot of liquid in them. We purchased ours at a garage sale for $10 last year. We have two kinds of vacuum sealing bags; these FoodSaver bags and these VacMaster VacStrip Bags. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Both bags say that they are safe to use in the freezer, refrigerator, microwave, and can be put in boiling water. This is nice because it gives a lot of options for reheating these frozen foods. I’ve used the “boil in the bag” method a few times so far and thought it worked well. If microwaving just make sure you vent the bag in some way to avoid an explosion.

The Food Saver bags say that they “Work with FoodSaver Heat-Seal vaccum sealing systems”. This leads me to believe that they would not work well with other vacuum sealing machines. They allow you to make any length bag you desire as they come on one large roll. They also come in a few different widths. We used the 8” bags. The VacMaster bags come in pre-measured sizes of various widths and dimensions.  They claim to work on “all vacuum packaging machines”.  So, apparently any vacuum sealing device, no matter the brand would work. Here are some pictures of each bag. The FoodSaver bags are on the left and the VacMaster is on the right.

I’m not sure if it is because our vacuum sealer is an older model but I thought the VacMaster bags sealed much better and removed more air than the FoodSaver bags. The extra strip down the middle is supposed to increase the suction, so I suppose that could be the reason. Perhaps a newer model vacuum sealer would work better than ours. It’s hard to say.

We also purchased some freezer friendly plastic containers from Target to store soups and stews. There are a slew of cheap plastic containers out there. I liked these ones because they are PBA-Free and are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe. But honestly the price is very good as well. $3.99 for a 12-pack is very reasonable. Even though they are microwave safe, I try not to microwave in them. I find that even if a plastic container is listed as “microwave safe”, continuous microwave heating does damage the integrity of the plastic.

You don’t need to use my methods of storage either. I have heard of many people using Ziplock freezer bags, aluminum foil pans, or glass storage containers. It all depends on what kind of space or methods you think are best for you and your family.

So, here are five recipes that I made and stored using either the vacuum sealing bags or the plastic containers as I explained above.

Roasted Butternut Squash soup
Ingredients:
2 medium butternut squashes
1 medium apple of choice- I used a gala
2 Tablespoons ghee
4 cups of compliant chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup coconut milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Kitchen equipment needed:
Spoon
Baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Large sauce pan
Blender or stick blender
Storage containers of choice- for freezer storage

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Split the squashes in half and removed the seeds using a spoon. Place squashes cut side up on the baking sheet.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon ghee and brush tops and insides of the squash with it. Season with salt and pepper and place in preheated oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
5. While the squash is baking, peel and dice the apples and onion.
6. Heat the remaining ghee in the large sauce pan and cook the onions and apples in the sauce pan for 7-8 minutes. Remove pan from the heat until the squash is finished cooking.
7. Once squash has finished baking cool until you are able to handle it. Scoop the flesh from the skin of the squash and add it to the sauce pan with the apples and onions.
8. Add the chicken broth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to medium and simmer 10-15 minutes.
9. Remove pan from heat and add in the coconut milk. Puree the soup with a stick blender or transfer to a blender (do it in small batches to ensure that you won’t get scalded or make a mess) to make a smooth soup.
10. If storing in the freezer separate the soup into storage containers in desired portions. Label the containers with contents and date.

Italian Sausage and peppers
Ingredients:
1 package of Whole 30 compliant Italian Sausages
1 of each green pepper, red pepper & yellow pepper
1 large yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 jar of Whole 30 compliant marinara or sauce of choice
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Kitchen equipment needed:
Large skillet
Storage containers of choice- for freezer storage

1. Wash and dry the peppers. Remove seeds and slice the peppers into strips.
2. Remove the skin of the onion and slice into strips.
3. Mince the clove of garlic.
4. Heat the oil in the large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add in the onions and peppers and sauté, turning often until vegetables are tender.
5. Slice the sausages into rings and add to the pan with the peppers and onions.
6. Once the vegetables and sausages are cooked well add in the jar of sauce and warm everything together.
7. If storing in the freezer separate the sausage and peppers into storage containers in desired portions. Label the containers with contents and date.

Crockpot pork loin with sauerkraut, apples and onions
Ingredients:
2 pound Pork tenderloin
1 medium granny smith apple
1 package of sauerkraut (32 oz.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon caraway seeds

Kitchen equipment needed:
6 quart oval crockpot- or at least this is what I have
Meat thermometer
Storage containers of choice- for freezer storage

1.  Drain and rinse the sauerkraut. Mix the caraway seeds into the sauerkraut and put it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Slice the onion into strips and place on top of the sauerkraut.
3. Slice the apple into thin wedges and place on top of the onions.
4. Rinse the pork loin and pat dry. Place it on top of the other items in the slow cooker and season the meat with the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender and a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees F.
6. Once cooled, cut tenderloin into equal servings and separate the sauerkraut, apples and onions into equal portions and scoop into storage containers in desired portions. Label the containers with contents and date.

Chicken legs in mushroom sauce
Ingredients:
10 chicken legs
3 pounds mixed mushrooms of choice- portabellas, white mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, oysters, etc. cut into slices.
2 cups compliant chicken broth
2 Tablespoons ghee
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Kitchen equipment needed:
Large, deep skillet with lid
Kitchen thermometer
Storage containers of choice- for freezer storage

1. Rinse and pat the chicken legs dry then sprinkle the legs with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the ghee in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add 5 chicken legs to skillet and cook until browned on each side- about 3-5 minutes. Remove the first 5 legs then do the same to the remainder of the chicken. Set chicken legs aside for now.
3. Add sliced mushrooms in the skillet and mix them into the ghee. Cook the mushrooms until tender- about 5 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the skillet and add in the chicken broth. Cover the skillet reduce the heat to medium and cook for approximately 25-30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked and internal temperature reads 165 degrees F and the broth is reduced. Check the skillet about halfway through the cooking time- if it looks like the broth has reduced too much add a little more. At the end of the cooking time if there seems to be too much liquid, remove the chicken from the pan and continue to simmer the liquid until it is reduced to a gravy like consistency.
5. Sprinkle the dish with parsley and mix it into the sauce.
6. Once cooled, separate into desired portions and separate into storage containers. Label the containers with contents and date.

Whole 30 meat balls
Ingredients:
2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
½ medium onion diced
2 carrots finely chopped
3 cloves finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
5 leaves fresh basil chopped finely
½ cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
2 eggs

Kitchen equipment needed:
1 large mixing bowl
Small bowl for whisking eggs
Baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Storage containers of choice- for freezer storage

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the large mixing bowl mix the beef, veggies and seasonings well.
3. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add it to the meat mixture. Mix all the ingredients well.
4. Roll the meat into 1” meatballs and place on the foil lined baking sheet leaving a little space between each. You may have to bake in batches if you have a lot.
5. Place baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until browned.
6. Once cooled, separate into desired portions and separate into storage containers. Label the containers with contents and date.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do. The meatballs are pretty versatile. I’ve reheated and had them just like they are. I’ve also added them to sauce and had them with “zoodles” and I have wrapped them in lettuce and eaten them as a “sandwich”.

One more thing, it’s questionable how long things last in the freezer. Before this, I have only done a few frozen meals.I’m sure that how long food lasts in the freezer is dependent on the method of storage used.  I thought this guide from Real Simple to be helpful. Dating and rotating meals in the freezer is probably going to be important in order to avoid freezer burned food in the future. I’ll try to update this as I gain more experience with freezer food storage.

If you have any questions about my methods or have any great tips to share please comment. I’d love to hear from you!