Whole30 approved meals

Easy dishes to get you started on the clean-eating plan

HOUSTON

If you've ever considered trying the food plan "Whole30" culinary instructor, Marcia Smart with Smart in the Kitchen, shares 3 of her favorite recipes!

Check out her recipes below: 

Instant Pot Pork Picadillo

Feel free to substitute ground beef or turkey for the pork, or green pepper for the red. Some Cuban picadillo recipes contain raisins, but this recipe is without. Add ½ cup golden raisins for a touch of sweetness if you’d like.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 pounds ground pork
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3/4 cup pimento-stuffed green olives (regular pitted green olives are fine too)
  • 2 tablespoons olive brine
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons capers
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons red wine or apple cider vinegar

 

Instant Pot Method:

Press sauté button on your Instant Pot. When the insert starts to warm up, add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Add the meat and use a wooden spoon to break it up (the meat doesn’t need to be completely cooked through before adding the remaining ingredients). Add garlic, tomato, salt, red pepper, cilantro, cumin, chili powder and bay leaves and stir. Add olives and the brine (the juice from the olives, which adds flavor) cumin, chili powder and bay leaves. Add tomato sauce and red wine vinegar and mix well.

 

Cover and cook on manual high pressure, with vent set to sealing position, for 15 minutes. Let the steam release naturally or do a quick release, discard bay leaves and serve.

 

Stovetop Method:

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onion and ground meat and sauté until the meat loses its raw red color. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Sauté until sauce thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Discard bay leaves and serve.

 

Delicious served over cauliflower rice, steamed rice or quinoa.

 

Green-Chile Chicken Burgers

Serve these tasty burgers in a lettuce wrap with guacamole, pickled red onions, jalapeños and cilantro.

 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil,
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles, drained
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
  • Coarse salt
  • Ground pepper

 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

 

Heat grill to medium-high. In a bowl, combine chicken, cumin, green chiles, chopped cilantro, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Once combined, season with ground pepper as desired. Divide the mixture into 4 patties.

 

In a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the chicken patties, being careful not to crowd too closely together.  Sauté both sides until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the pan and chicken patties to the oven until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165°F when inserted into the thickest part.

 

Easy Weeknight Bolognese

To make the recipe Whole30 compliant, omit the Parmesan rind, make sure your crushed tomatoes have no added sugar and serve over wilted greens, zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.  

Ingredients

  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 yellow squash, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 28-ounce can of organic crushed tomatoes
  • 2 pounds ground beef (preferably grassfed)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1-inch piece of Parmesan rind

Instructions

In a large high-sided sauté pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the vegetables for 5-10 minutes until softened. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and let simmer until warm.

Transfer the vegetable mixture to a food processor and purée until smooth. Set aside.

In the same pan you use to sauté the vegetables, pour a drizzle of olive oil and allow it to heat up. Add the beef to the pan, breaking up with a wooden spoon, and sprinkle generously with salt.

After the beef loses its raw red color, add the vegetable mixture to the pan. Stir to combine, adding the Parmesan rind to the pan. If the beef needs to be broken up into smaller pieces, use a pastry blender or a potato masher to break it up in the pan. 

Taste for seasoning. Cover and simmer on low until ready to serve. Before serving, discard the Parmesan rind.