Hi, friends! Happy Friday!
I took a break from blogging for a bit while I learned to balance a new job and daily routine, but I’m ready to dive back in.
This summer has been a whirlwind of trips, time with friends and lots of good food. Andrew and I also completed a second round of Whole30! If you’re new here, we our first Whole30 in January of 2018. Andrew lost 20 lbs! I documented every week of that first round, along with some other helpful posts:
- why I did my first Whole30
- how to do a Whole30 with your husband (this is an entertaining/helpful read, with meal ideas)
- what you need to know before doing your first Whole30
Believe it or not, it was my husband’s idea to do a second round (I was just as surprised as you are). We did the math counting backwards from a trip we had planned, and realized we had to start like…in two days. Talk about not having time to back out!
I made some tweaks to our upcoming week’s meal plan, divided my pantry into “Whole30 compliant shelf” and “everything else” and off we went.
Rather than recapping the whole darn month, I’m sharing the kitchen tools/shortcuts we couldn’t live without! Some of these we also used in our first round, so if they made this list then you know they’re a keeper.
Some of our fave meals are in here too, if you need some meal inspo!
Here’s 9 Things That Made Our Second Round of Whole30 Way Easier
Mayo
You can make your own (we use the recipe in this cookbook) or buy it at the store. The first round we made our own, but this round we bought Primal Kitchen’s mayo- both regular and chipotle lime. Talk about a time saver. It’s more expensive on Amazon- you can find it everywhere from Whole Foods to Kroger these days.
Spicy Ketchup
Y’all, I was not a believer in spicy ketchup until I tried this one. It seems like a really specific item, but it’s crazy good paired with sweet potato fries or Applegate Whole30 approved hot dogs. This was a winner in my husband’s book. I’m still buying this even after our Whole30 is over. We ordered this one from our free Thrive Market trial, but there are a lot of options out there. Just read your labels.
Canned Chicken, Tuna & Sardines
These easy proteins were always my back up in the pantry. When dinner unexpectedly didn’t make enough for both our lunches the next day, I would grab one of these for lunch. I used the chicken for a quick chicken salad, the tuna for tuna salad or tuna patties. Always buy 2 or 3 at a time so you have some on hand.
Applegate Hot Dogs
After a few days you will hit that wall where if you have to wash one more dish you’ll punch someone.
These are the days you have to let good enough be good enough- for us, that meal was always Applegate hot dogs (with aforementioned spicy ketchup), carrots/cucumber/snap peas dipped in ranch, and a handful of nuts. This is also perfect for road trips or eating in the car before a noncompliant restaurant outing (it happens).
Ghee
Funny story- in our first round of Whole30, I went through the long and complicated process of making my own ghee. I strained it through cheesecloth and made such a mess that it look like a tornado went through my kitchen.
Then, I was so nervous that I had left some of the milk solids in the ghee that I threw it out. *palm to forehead* From then on out I bought ghee instead of making it- this is our go-to brand.
Nutpods
Some days I have my coffee black, and other days I decide to enjoy life and add in some Nutpods dairy-free creamer. I’m kidding- sort of. Nutpods is a staple in my house whether we’re on a Whole30 or not. My favorite is the french vanilla flavor, and I also just ordered this 3-pack of new flavors: caramel, chocolate and cinnamon swirl.
ButcherBox Meat
Buying high-quality meat is something we budget for, and living in a smaller town means that grass fed and finished meat is hard to come by. Enter ButcherBox- delivered to our door monthly so I don’t have to drive 40 minutes round trip to Sprouts. Yes please.
Not an ad, just love the convenience and quality! Their bacon is the BEST. And burgers. Love me a good burger.
Buffalo Sauce
If you haven’t spotted a trend here, condiments are your bff. They add tons of flavor to any dish and take plain ol’ chicken breast to the next level. It’s also crazy good on wings. This is the brand we get (but don’t buy it on Amazon- it’s cheaper at the store!)
One of my fave meals was a roasted sweet potato stuffed with pulled pork, drizzled with ranch and buffalo sauce. Get ya some of THAT.
Primal Kitchen Salad Dressings
You can 100% make your own salad dressings on Whole30. Some days I threw balsamic vinegar and olive oil on a salad and called it good. But it’s so nice to have the pre-made stuff on hand. We practically have the whole line of Primal Kitchen salad dressings in our fridge. Green Goddess, Ranch and Caesar are favorites!
For me, not husband. The idea of husband eating a salad = LOL.
Bonus item: I bought this day-by-day journal for my first round, and loved it so much that I bought it again for the second. I loved knowing what to expect, and checking off the “I did it!” box at the end of each day!
I put lots of our meals and compliant products on the ‘gram– you can cruise the feed or also find them in my ‘Whole30’ highlight. Whether it’s your first Whole30 or third, I hope these tried-and-true products make your life a little easier!
More Whole30 Resources:
Prime Day is coming up and you better believe I’ll be sending out my fave kitchen gadgets and general make-your-life-easier things! Have a great weekend!
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