In the Kitchen | 20 Healthy Meal Ideas

In my Clean Slate post at the end of last year, I mentioned we would be doing our annual Whole 30, but I need to fess up - I’ve been modifying the basic principals - and I’m really happy with our new and improved weekly menu! I thought I’d share my main recipe sources and my favorite meals from the cook books I use most.

As you can see by scrolling through this post, I’m one of those people who takes photos of her food. Love it or leave it I guess! It keeps me creative and accountable and makes me excited to cook. Cooking healthy can be fun and delicious, so do whatever inspires you to eat well! 

What’s the Whole 30?

In short, it’s a diet plan that focuses on meats and veggies and forbids alcohol, sugar, dairy, grains and beans. Read the full rundown here.

What are we doing differently?

Because one of the main goals of a Whole 30 is to identify what foods might inflame your system, we’ve already tested what does and does not upset our lil tummies. For starters, we’ve minimized the amount of dairy we consume (grass fed butter, milk in coffee and small bits of cheese are examples of our exceptions). In the grain department, we’re not eating refined grains that you’d find in breads or desserts* for most meals but have been eating a lot of quinoa, which we love! In the sugar realm, we still use honey as a sweetener - for my morning coffee and in salad dressings. We also eat things like bacon and sausages made by our local butcher and those tend to have sugars in them. Not a big deal to us! We also love beans - whether it’s black beans or homemade hummus, so we’ve kept them as a big part of our weekly diet. Finally, we’re in the alcohol business and we’re responsible adults, so we’ve chosen to allow ourselves red wine on weekday evenings with dinner and a cocktail or two over the weekend. #noregrets 

But Aren’t you Obsessed with Baking?

*Good call. Yes, yes I am. I plan on baking sweet treats and breads on Saturdays once and a while. Adam has a request in for baguettes and I want to do something with my new springform pan! It’s my personal belief that if you deprive yourself too much, you just go buck wild and throw caution to the wind. It also gives me something to look forward to! 

Where do you get ideas?

I’ve been using two cookbooks almost exclusively and I really love them! They are Primal Cravings by Brandon and Megan Keatley and Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci. I believe in supporting other bloggers and authors, and thus won’t be reposting their original recipes. If you like what you see in these photos, please consider supporting them yourselves and buying their cookbooks! I’ve listed my source in each photo from this post.

I’ve also included photos of easier off the cuff meals I’ve dreamed up myself with memorized family recipes or simple preparations (poaching eggs, basic red pasta sauce, etc) And don’t be afraid to pick up something pre made at the grocery or butcher like veggie kabobs!

Favorite Breakfasts

Breakfast is easily my favorite meal of the day. I love eggs cooked in all sorts of ways - poached, scrambled with veggies or hard boiled (and fried, let’s be real!) And yes you’ll see bacon below and no, not everyone would qualify it as healthy, but if you buy from your local farmer or butcher and eat it minimally, it’s a great way to get a lot of flavor in a little (or big) bite. Below are some dishes we’ve really enjoyed as a traditional breakfast meal but also for dinner! See a week’s worth of my favorite paleo breakfast ideas here.

Main Dishes

When I’m looking for recipes and meal ideas I want something nutrient dense, colorful and focused on veggies, lean meats and healthy fats. The following dishes fit the bill and can be altered to fit different dietary needs.

Snacks

Only a couple ideas here, but for me, they hit the spot. On the sweet side of things an apple with almond butter satisfies my sweet tooth. If it’s savory you’re after, a hard boiled egg wrapped in prosciutto is a quick flavor filled bite.