Whole30 Week 1 Meal Plan + Grocery List

I’m having a hard time processing the fact that it is already the end of October! These past 6 weeks have been insanely busy for us — first, Blair’s family reunion weekend in Florida, followed by a visit from my sister, a girls’ weekend in Charleston, another trip to Charleston for my birthday, and then a visit from my grandparents these past few days. I knew it was going to be a very busy time, but boy was I underestimating the way all of that travel and going out to eat would make me feel.

After dropping my grandparents off at the airport this morning, Blair and I looked at each other and immediately said “we need to clean up our diets”. Now, we already do really well when it comes to eating healthy foods and getting exercise in, but what we’re not used to is going out to dinner all the time and that’s where I’ve felt really thrown off of my ‘health’ game this month. With Thanksgiving only a month away, I’m ready to get back in the kitchen and step up my clean eating game! I posted that I was interested in starting a Whole 30 and when I asked if anyone wanted to join me, over 75 people responded yes (wow!).

SO, here’s my plan:
I’m starting a Whole 30 tomorrow (Monday, October 23) to test out how it goes with the intention of hosting an “official” Whole 30 group in January after the holiday season is over. I know, though, that there are a few people hoping to join in on a challenge before then, so I’m sharing my meal plan & grocery list today for those that are curious to start now as well.

What is Whole30, you might ask? A 30 day challenge intended to cut processed foods, diary, grains, beans, legumes, packaged goods, added sugar, and alcohol and get back into the kitchen with fresh, whole foods. There is a very strong misconception that because Whole 30 is connected to the Paleo diet, it is 30 days of eating a lot of meat, which we are absolutely not intending on. Now, we do plan on eating some meat and eggs during these 30 days, but the intention for us is to really get back to lots of fruits, vegetables, and home cooked meals before anything else. I’m so excited! This is what we plan on cooking this week at home (keep in mind this is for two people!) and what I bought at the grocery store this week:

Meal Planning
Monday: Butternut Squash Kale Buddha Bowl (without the chickpeas)
Tuesday: Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
Wednesday: Curried Chicken Meatballs + Cauliflower Rice
Thursday: Salmon, Baby Potatoes & Roasted Broccoli
Friday: Asian Chopped Chicken Salad
Saturday  & Sunday: we’ll be in Philadelphia! (ha! more travel!)

Breakfast Ideas
scrambled eggs, avocado + fresh salsa
scrambled eggs + roasted sweet potatoes
tomato pizza swapple with smashed avocado
blueberry swapple with almond butter
vegetable frittata
coconut yogurt + berries

Lunch Ideas
leftovers
Sweetgreen Salads

Snacks
sliced apples + almond butter
baby carrots + slices of bell peppers with baba ghanoush dip
kombucha (this is controversial but I am just avoiding any with added sugar!)

Other Tips
I plan on making my own coffee and adding MALK unsweetened almond milk when I want it
it is common to crave food when we are actually dehydrated, so I plan on keeping myself extra hydrated and sipping on hot tea throughout the day when I want something to distract me (this is my favorite tea!)

GROCERY LIST

Fruits
strawberries
blueberries
apples
avocadoes
bananas
lemons

Vegetables
baby carrots
bell peppers
cherry tomatoes
sweet potatoes
purple baby potatoes
butternut squash
dino kale
spinach
cauliflower
cilantro
ginger
red onion
broccoli
red cabbage
shredded carrots

Meat & Fish
ground chicken
ground turkey
chicken breast
wild caught salmon

Other
coconut yogurt (I love Anitas & Coyo)
local, pasture-raised & organic eggs
almond butter (no sugar added!)
malk unsweetend almond milk
fresh salsa
full fat coconut milk
canned tomatoes

*This list does not include a lot of the “extras” like spices, coconut oil, etc. that we already have on hand!

So, there you go! That’s what we’ll be eating this week and I’ll be sure to post on Instagram as much of it as I can over these next 30 days (and I’ll try to do this same meal plan + grocery list next Sunday, too!).