Most teachers I’ve met are born planners and organizers. That is exactly how I would describe myself as well. This past summer, I dove head first into the world of Whole30 (an anti-inflammatory way of eating that centers on healthy, lean meats, vegetables, fruit, and some nuts and healthy fats – basically, no dairy or grain). I LOVED how it made me feel: strong and healthy. More than that, I loved how I DIDN’T feel anymore – no more bloating, GI discomfort, headaches, feeling sluggish. Even mosquito bites didn’t bother me as much any more, as if to say my body was healing and better able to fight.

I wanted to be able to continue eating Whole30 (W30) throughout the school year. However, as you know, time is a precious commodity, and W30 does require a lot of cooking. Armed with my favorite kitchen appliance – my Instant Pot – I spent a good amount of time this summer batch cooking and freezing for the fall. When I made dinner for the family, I’d double it and freeze half. By the end of the summer, you can see below what I amassed. These recipes include W30 as well as paleo items, as I am now in W30 maintenance and slowly adding in items that are permitted in paleo (i.e. honey) but not in W30.

In this picture you see:

• 4 sweet potatoes slightly cooked, peeled, and diced to be added to hash – W30
• Golden Chicken – paleo
• Banana Porridge (Against All Grain Cookbook) – paleo
• Salmon Cakes – W30
• Tikka Masala – W30
• Kalua Pig – W30
• Texas Brisket – W30
• Mint Chip Ice Cream (Against All Grain Cookbook) – paleo
• Chicken Zucchini Poppers – W30
• Frozen banana slices with almond butter – paleo
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread – paleo
• Chocolate Chip cookies – paleo
• Pulled chicken – W30
• Stuffed Pepper mix – W30
• 2 giant bags of frozen veggies from Costco

My first stop to prepare for this endeavor was Costco. There I was able to purchase bulk meat at a discount. Next, I treated myself to a jar of minced garlic to save me a step. I purchased a giant bag of almond meal from Amazon for the paleo recipes.

Not pictured here are the things I will make weekly, including:

• Keto overnight oats
• W30 Egg breakfast
• A dozen hard boiled eggs
• Paleo cereal

In addition, I have purchased a lot of snacks to keep in my desk, listed below:

• Dried apple rings
• Roasted Plantain chips
• Rx Bars (Chocolate Sea Salt and Blueberry are my faves!)
• Larabars
• Fruit and veggie pouches
• Unsalted Mixed Nuts

In the fall, I plan to warm up these items fairly quickly either by thawing them in the fridge the night before, or throwing them directly in the Instant Pot to sauté and warm up.

If you enjoy following my food journey, you can find me on Instagram! I am MightyKeka

Did you do any food prep this summer? I’d love any tips or tricks you can share!