Whole 30 Dinners Week Three

K, friends, I’ve got to be honest– I’m in a terrible food slump this week. I’m done with Whole 30. Not literally. I’m still keeping up with the program 100%, but mentally, I’m DONE. I’m tired of vegetables, I’m tired of cooking, and most of all (and I do mean MOST OF ALL WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING), I’m tired of all of dirty dishes and general kitchen mess that results from the constant meal prep. Add to that a 15-mo-old who explodes like a food-filled Vesuvius every single snack and meal, and I’m ready to torch the kitchen, collect the fire insurance, and start from scratch. Forget that. I’m just gonna move. Into a tent .

Rant over. So, instead of bringing you a week full of gourmet-looking meals, I’m going to give you THE ABSOLUTE EASIEST MEAL PLAN EVER. Believe me. I’m talking 10 minutes prep time, max. And it’s not hypothetical. This is what we ate this week.

Sunday: Chicken Salad Salad

Take canned chicken and shred it. Mix with Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo (seriously, guys– this mayo is amazing). Make a leafy salad, dress with your favorite Tessemae Dressing, and plop that chicken salad on top. Dinner is served. As an added bonus, this dinner has been awarded the Toddler Gold Star Stamp of approval– a tremendous achievement!

Monday: Smoothie

Really struggling to get supper on the table tonight. As smoothies are always a hit with the littles, I made my green goddess creation again, this time with a banana or two thrown in to help the little boogers sleep better.

Tuesday: Zuppa Toscana Soup from Farmstead Chic

This. soup. is. AMAZING! And super duper quick and easy. (I made it in my Instant Pot, but it would be easy on the stovetop, too.) Seriously. I prepped it and set it to cook in less time than it took my boys to demolish the living room. To make it even easier, I used some pre-cooked chicken and apple sausages from Costco that I had thrown the the freezer. Just defrost enough to get a knife through, chop into bite-sized pieces, and toss them into the pot. I even ate this for breakfast the next morning. (Because I’m tired of eggs, too.)

Wednesday: Chicken Strip Salad

We are SO creative this week! I was going to make the Chicken Souvlaki Skewers from Week One again because we adore them so much, but my grill pan was dirty and I just couldn’t bring myself to scrub it. So, I left the chicken tenders whole, marinated them in the same mixture, and pan-sauteed them. Made another salad and topped it with the tender, flavorful chicken strips.

Thursday: Baked Artichoke Chicken from The Chew (this recipe taken from Stacy Snacks)

I’ve posted this one before, I think, but it remains one of my favorite ridiculously-easy-but-delicious meals. I had to modify it a little for Whole 30– namely, check your mustard label to make sure it only has compliant ingredients, and sub chicken stock for the wine (sorry!). Still amazing.

Friday: Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork from Chowhound 

(I can’t show you a picture of this one because I didn’t take one, and the only one on the Chowhound page shows the pulled pork in a gorgeous brioche bun. I’m not cruel. That would just make you sad if you are on Whole 30. Ask me how I know.)

We’ve made this recipe before, too (hey– I said this week was easy), but the prep is stupid simple and the result is impressive. For Whole 30, omit the brown sugar and probably the barbecue sauce, unless you have one with approved ingredients. This makes a lot, too, so that means…..

Saturday: LEFTOVERS! AND CLEAN UP THIS MESS OF A KITCHEN!

I got through this week and so can you. Next week is the home stretch, baby! We can do this!

Here are weeks 1-3 for easy pinning reference.

P.S. I picked two songs to be my empowering cheerleaders through this Whole 30 challenge: Fight Song by Rachel Platten and Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys. Guess what? Every day that I’ve gotten into the car this month, one of these songs has played on the radio. Is that cool or what??