Here’s an easy breakfast option that can be paired with a vegetable of your choice, or perhaps some fruit. These are great on the go as they take only seconds to reheat in the microwave!

INGREDIENTS
12 slices bacon (check your labels for Whole30)
12 eggs
Cooking spray (optional; check your labels for Whole30)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350° while you cook your bacon (one slice per egg) to the point that it’s almost done, but not yet crispy. Line each hole of a muffin tin with one slice of the cooked bacon, forming a circle with each. You can use cooking spray if you’re worried about the egg sticking to the bottom of the pan, but I don’t usually bother. Just be sure to check your labels if you’re doing a round of Whole30! Crack an egg into each hole. Bake for 20 minutes and voila!

Top with salt, pepper, or whatever seasoning or hot sauce you desire. Enjoy!

If you haven’t tried making your own Whole30 mayo, now is the time! It’s easier than you think and once you get the hang of it, I guarantee you’ll be making a fresh batch and finding new uses for it each WEEK!

Here’s my own recipe, which never fails! Pro tip: if you want your mayo to emulsify every time, be sure ALL ingredients are at room temperature. In a pinch, if I’ve forgotten to pull my egg from the fridge beforehand, I’ll crack the egg into the food processor, add the salt, mayo, and oil and wait about ten minutes.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1 egg
1-1/4 light tasting olive oil or avocado oil (do not make the mistake of using extra virgin olive oil!)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS
Be sure all ingredients are at room temperature (see pro tip above). Add egg, mustard, salt and 1/4 cup oil to a bowl or jar if using an immersion blender, or to your food processor. Blend on low until all ingredients are combined (this takes seconds), then continue to blend on low as you slowly add the remaining cup of oil [visit me @erins.whole.life on Instagram and search the hashtag #erinmakesherownmayo to find my mayo posts, including one where I shared a video of the sloooooooooow pour]. The mayo will begin to emulsify and your mind will officially be BLOWN! Once you’ve finished pouring all of the oil, add your lemon juice and vinegar and blend once more to combine.

I keep my mayo until the egg’s expiration date. As long as your ingredients are room temperature and you remember to pour the oil in super slowly, you should be all set! Enjoy!

This recipe is a go-to recipe, on or off Whole30. We gobble this up at our house and I find it so easy to make, so tasty, and so satisfying that I make it A LOT. It’s been a hit among friends, family, and my Erin’s Whole Plate clients alike.

Author’s note: DO NOT SKIP THE SAGE!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup red grapes, quarted
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups boiled, shredded chicken breast
4 tbsp compliant mayo
1 tsp dried, ground sage
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

I typically eyeball the ingredient portions, but I did my best to measure them out here! I make huge batches (like triple this!) and we eat it on repeat for days. I’m generous with the sage, but you can start with 1 teaspoon and add more according to your taste.

This dish was inspired by the Beef and Plantain Skillet with Lemon Basil Aioli from sophisticatedcaveman.com. The truth is, I was planning some sort of taco zucchini boat but the zucchinis in my grocery pickup order were like an inch and a half wide! Way too narrow. So this dish was born and my friend/meal client Hannah liked it enough to let me make it four days later so I could measure out and refine the recipe! My husband also gave it two thumbs up and was happy to eat it again!

The spice in this dish comes from the mayo! The meat mixture itself is a savory blend of beef and vegetables with traditional taco seasoning.

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS
1 – 1.5 lbs ground beef, 80 – 85% lean
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced (I love red or Vidalia)
2 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Warm your wok, skillet, or frying pan over medium-high heat, adding all beef and vegetables. When using beef with higher fat content, such as I suggested here, there’s no need for additional cooking oil. I found that with frequent stirring, the vegetables and meat in this dish cooked in unison, such that the vegetables retained some of their firmness and color! I often don’t have time to cook the meat first, then add the vegetables, or vice versa. I like when I can toss it all in and get it done!

Once the meat is completely cooked, drain all the grease in your colander. Don’t rinse the meat and vegetables because the fat adds so much flavor! Return the beef and vegetable mixture to your pan and season with cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine thoroughly.

Serve with Chipotle Lime Mayo with Fresh Cilantro. My husband had his as is, but I served mine over greens, garnished with radishes, red onions, and fresh cilantro.

For the Chipotle Lime Mayo with Fresh Cilantro:

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cup mayo
1 1/2 tsp Chipotle Chili Pepper
1 cup fresh cilantro, packed
2 tbsp lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS
Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until thoroughly combined. I suggest adding the Chipotle Chili Pepper one 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

At the end of last year I decided to start making and selling Whole30 meals to help people who wanted to complete the program with less stress around meal planning and prep. I was so fortunate to garner immediate interest from my friend Amy (a Whole30 veteran) and her friend Nikki (a novice), and Amy’s husband who was basically forced to come along for the ride!

For nearly six weeks I planned and prepared two meals daily for these three, delivering in batches containing four days worth of food. It got to be very stressful but I didn’t realize how overwhelmed I was until I was forced to take a break when our family came down with the stomach bug and them my grandmother passed. The forced hiatus allowed me to see a couple of things: 1) I don’t want to be a personal chef! I have never in my life dreamed of cooking for other people. 2) I love Whole30 and I believe it can change an individual’s relationship with food. And THAT is what I want to share with people.

I came to realize that my initial approach was actually doing a disservice for my clients. And then when I hit them with the news that I could no longer sustain that level of production, they were essentially left high and dry. I hadn’t helped them build skills for sustaining and maintaining a healthy way of eating.

So now I’m taking a new approach. My current client, Hannah, signed up for 30 days worth of meals with me. She has been my only client for the last month, during which I provided her with two meals per day for the first thirty days. During that time we rotated which meals she was responsible for. One week she had to do breakfasts while I did lunches and dinners. The next week she did lunches while I did breakfasts and dinners. And so on. Frankly, I consider the lunches and dinners pretty interchangeable. Now that Hannah has completed a Whole30, she’s opted to go for sixty days total but I’m providing only one meal daily. We both love this approach because she’s easing into the meal planning and prep that comes with eating real, whole foods as a part of a lifestyle. This has really tapped into my knowledge as an occupational therapist, because I’m helping Hannah build her own skills and a sense of self efficacy. By the end I want her to be able to say “I can do this on my own”. After all, independence is always an OT’s primary goal! She’ll have a tool box of recipes, strategies, and resources to keep her on track.

I’m looking forward to evolving as a coach and incorporating this unique element of preparing meals for clients into the coaching experience. I intend to start coaching more remote clients as well, while sticking to only one local meal client at a time. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please share!

Erin’s Whole Plate is going to be the name I use for the coaching and meal preparation business. Erin’s Whole Life will continue to be my blog name as well as my Instagram username as I intend to share more than what’s on my plate!