Whole 30 Day 4, Monday Meatballs and More

Hang onto your hats people, because I have a lot of information for you today! It is Monday and we are making a big batch of meatballs tonight with spaghetti squash. That, coupled with last night’s big batch of grilled chicken thighs is going to ensure we have plenty of protein on hand for the week! I am bringing you both meals tonight along with next week’s meal plan and grocery list. Why? Well, because I think it may be overkill for me to be emailing my subscribers every day, and type A planners like myself would much rather have information ahead of time. So, especially for recipes that are not my own, I am trying out a more condensed post.

Last night was a “bachelor” dinner for Jason as I had to do a day long fast (don’t ask, it’s TMI and related to my recent surgery), so he went with the Simple Roasted Chicken Thighs from the Whole 30 Cookbook I was telling you about. This is another recipe that we continued to make all year long after our last January Whole 30, so you know it’s good. We always make a big batch because they are great leftover. I actually love to throw these in a freezer Ziploc with the marinade right when I get home from the grocery store and put them in the freezer. That makes for a super easy weeknight meal with plenty of leftovers when you’re ready to cook. We do mix it up just a little by using boneless skinless thighs and throwing them on the BBQ. You can find the recipe in Cooking Whole 30.

I know I said I wasn’t going to post anything from that cookbook this first week, but this is one dinner Jason was up for on his own and we knew it was going to give us lots of leftovers… sorry! That said, next weeks menu has another recipe from that book, so go ahead and order a copy.

I found the meatball recipe on Whole 30 Instagram page and they looked like something worth trying. They come from The Defined Dish, and you can find the recipe here. I’m serving them with roasted spaghetti squash and a simple salad tonight, but there will be plenty of leftovers so I may do another dinner with zoodles later this week. Or maybe we will just reheat them and serve with a side salad for lunches. Again, I cannot say enough about leftovers while you’re doing this!

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I served the meatballs with spaghetti squash and a simple salad of greens tossed in olive oil and vinegar with a little fresh pepper. Spaghetti squash is easy to make. The hardest part is cutting the squash in half! Scrape out the seeds and rub the squash with a little olive oil. Then place cut side down on a sheet pan and roast until a fork easily pierces the back side of the squash. I usually do a 375° oven and 40 minutes is plenty, but it took a little longer tonight since I was using the same oven as the meatballs and waited to put the squash in until I turned down the temperature. Luckily the meatballs stayed nice and hot.

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As far as next week goes, I am going to go easy on the grilling. It has been raining here, and most people are not too eager to BBQ in January. (I feel very lucky that Jason is not most people.) I’m still going to try to squeeze in the Flank Steak with Chimichurri if the weather cooperates, and of course there are a couple of others on the current week that I will continue to post about. But next week will be a more condensed format so I don’t crowd up your inbox.

Whole 30 Week 2 Meal Plan:

*Chicken Cutlets with Bitter Greens, Caramelized Pears, and Shallots (from Cooking Whole 30)

*Whole 30 Smoky Sweet Potato Chile and Salad

*Filet Mignon with Garlic Green Beans and Smashed Potatoes

*Nom Nom Paleo’s Asian Chicken Thighs, Cauliflower Fried Rice, and Salad

*Almond Crusted Halibut with Mashed Potatoes and Romaine Wedge with Tahini Ranch Dressing

*Instant Pot Carnitas Salad Bowls

Please note that I have included links to all the recipes I will be making from other sites where I can, but several of them will be adapted slightly to make them Whole 30 compliant. The substitutions are pretty basic, so I felt OK including the links ahead of time. If it calls for butter I will use ghee, I will make sure all chicken broth is Whole 30 compliant, etc. I’ll give details on substitutions, where required, when I make the dish but I wanted you to have as much information as possible ahead of time. I’ll also be adding in any exciting lunches or new breakfast ideas throughout the week.

The grocery list is comprehensive for the six dinners listed, but I am hoping that you have a lot of the spices, oils, and vinegar already in your pantry. Just print it out and cross off what you already have. And remember to add your staples in for the week! One thing that is not on this list but will definitely be on the one I have in my hand at the store is coffee and more Nut Pods. And remember to read your labels and make sure canned goods, etc. are Whole 30 compliant. If you need a refresher here is a link to the program rules.