Whole30® 101 + Ball® Jar Recipes

This post is sponsored by Ball® Home Canning; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s that time of year when most of us are resolving to eat better and get healthy.  Unfortunately,  a lot of us fall off the wagon before we even get started.  Subconsciously, our mind is already made up and we will set ourselves up for failure.  For me personally it has to do with mindset, limiting beliefs and that my relationship with food has gone a little sideways.

The best way to set ourselves up for success is to get good grip on how we view and consume food by pausing and hitting the reset button.  Now, if it were only that easy to press a button and be done.  It’s definitely going to take work but the key to success is to have a plan.

Enter the  Whole30® .  What is the  Whole30® ?

The  Whole30® is designed to change our relationship with food.  According to the founder Melissa Hartwig, The program requires you to remove things from your diet that are commonly linked with food sensitivities, cravings, disrupted hormones, poor sleep, and a host of other issues. The  Whole30® is a 30-day experiment designed to teach you how the foods you’ve been eating are impacting how you feel, how you look, and your quality of life.

How does it work?

 Whole30® is an elimination type diet, where you eliminate certain food groups that could be negatively impacting your body and then reintroduce them after a period of time to determine possible food sensitivities.  There is no counting calories or macros on  Whole30® .  You’re also asked to refrain from weighing or taking measurements.  The goal here is to change our emotional and physical relationship with food.

What is off limits?

Dairy, added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, carrageenan, MSG, and sulfites.  You also cannot recreate your favorite foods or desserts with  Whole30® -compliant ingredients, aka Paleo cookies, Paleo bread, cauliflower pizza crust, ect. Remember one of our goals is to reset our relationship with food and we will only hinder ourselves if we continue to indulge in “junk food/treats”

What can you eat?

Vegetables, fruits, organic, sustainable and ethically raised meat, eggs, fish, select oils (choose Olive oil and Coconut oil), Ghee, nuts and COFFEE.

How do I do it?

For me having a plan aka meal planning is vital.  We are less apt to make  Whole30® compliant meal choices when we are hungry or even worse hangry.

I don’t mind eating the same thing everyday, this makes meal planning and prepping a breeze. Below, I will share my go-to’s for breakfasts and lunches for the work week. For storage, easy transport and clean up I use Ball wide mouth mason jars.

Breakfast:

Chia Banana Custard

What I love about this Chia Seed Custard is that it is loaded with nutrient dense ingredients. One of them being egg yolks, I use organic pasture raised eggs.  Eggs are high in protein which will help keep you fuller longer. Pasture raised eggs are higher in nutrients than their counter parts. I also use unsweetened organic almond milk.  I like the brand MALK because the ingredients are super clean,  Whole30® compliant and they sprout their almonds.

Why is sprouted almonds important?  All nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes contain significant levels of phytic acid.  Phytic acid hinders absorption of several key minerals.  Sprouting helps destroy these toxins, increases nutrient absorption and makes the almonds (milk) easier to digest. Research  also suggests that sprouted seeds, grains and legumes are higher in protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

**Recipe is at the bottom of this post **

Lunch:

Salad in a Jar

I love salads and can eat them day and night  The key though is a yummy tasty dressing.  I discovered Primal Kitchen’s dressings and have not looked back. They are delicious and good for you.  They use organic ingredients and they are  Whole30® approved!  You can definitely make your own dressing but in a pinch and when you are short on time (a.k.a. mom life) these dressings are perfect.

I use the 32 oz Ball wide mouth mason jars.   The mason jars make it easy to prep my salads for the week,  in advance, and when layered correctly you avoid a soggy mess.  Plus, they are so nice looking, I totally feel like a Pinterest mom.  They make my fridge look nice and organized too.  All this to say, that Ball Mason Jars are functional, aesthetically pleasing and make help make meal prepping uncomplicated.

For this week’s salad I used the following ingredients:

• Baked boneless thighs.  That I seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika.  I baked them at 425 for 30 minutes.
•  Whole30® approved bacon
• Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
• Organic Cherry Tomatoes
• Organic Shredded Carrots
• Organic Romaine Lettuce

How to build you Salad Jar:

Layer 1: Dressing

Layer 2: Veggies, Fruit, Nuts/Seeds

Layer 3: Protein – make sure your protein is fully cooled down, before adding, to avoid steaming your greens and veggies

Layer 4: Greens

When it’s time to eat you can tip the jar upside down and empty your salad into a bowl or you can give the jar a nice shake to distribute the dressing and enjoy straight out of the jar.

That is it for now, friends!  I will be sure to update you on how my  Whole30® journey is going.  Feel free to ask any questions or drop some encouragement!

Print Recipe

Chia Banana Custard

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 14 ounces Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 2 Egg yolks
• 1 Banana
• 5 Dates
• 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Chia seeds

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 14 ounces Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk 2 Egg yolks 1 Banana 5 Dates 2 teaspoon Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup Chia seeds

Instructions

1. Heat almond milk over medium heat.
2. Place the egg yolks in a bowl. When the almond milk starts to scald, slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolks while mixing vigorously with a whisk. Add the egg/milk mixture back to the pan and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture should thicken slightly, be careful not to boil.
3. Pour the hot milk/egg mixture into a blender and add the banana, dates, cinnamon, and salt. Blend on high speed to combine for 2-3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the chia seeds and pulse to evenly combine.
4. Pour the mixture into four 8 oz Ball jars or two 16 oz Ball jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve topped with banana slices.