02 Oct Ten Must-Have Whole30 Convenience Products

You guys… Sticking to the Whole30 plan is hard.  It may be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.  It’s not really the in-your-face temptations like pizza and cheesecake and soda that trip me up.  It’s the little habits I have like putting a little milk in my coffee or butter on my baked potato or ketchup on my…well, everything. There are a few Whole30 convenience products that make it just a little bit easier to succeed. And as a busy working mom of four, I need all the help I can get.

This article contains affiliate links.  All opinions expressed are my own.

1. Larabars

After the “egg incident,” (you can read all about that here: Thirty Days of Whole30 – Day Four (A Setback, I wasn’t sure I would survive the Whole30 at all.  Eggs have always been a staple of my diet, and I had no idea what to make for breakfast without them.  After discovering I can’t have them any more, I ate Larabars for breakfast for several days until I came up with a new plan.  I still eat them occasionally when I find myself unprepared or just in a hurry in the mornings.  They’re a great afternoon snack, too, when you just need something to make it over the 3 o’clock slump.  Be sure to read the ingredients list to make sure the flavor you choose is Whole30-compliant.  I know the Cherry Pie, Key Lime Pie and Coconut Cream Pie varieties are.

2. Sparkling Water.

I drink a lot of water, and I don’t mind it.  But there are days I just want something different. Perrier (in the glass bottles) is my go-to bubbly water of choice, but I also like Hint and La Croix when I want something with flavor.  All of these sparkling waters are free of real or artificial sweeteners.

3. Tessemae’s Ketchup

Remember when I said I put ketchup on everything?  Tessemae’s Ketchup is Whole30-approved and a real life-saver. The kids even eat with it without complaints.  I like to slice up some sweet potato fries with my Mandoline, toss them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, bake them and the drizzle them with Tessemae’s Ketchup.  It feels like I’m cheating on the Whole30, but everything is completely compliant.

4. Tessemae’s Mayonnaise

Do you see a pattern here?  Tessemae’s carries some of my favorite Whole30 convenience products. They make a ton of great Whole30-approved dressings, sauces and condiments.  If you haven’t tried them, you definitely need to check them out.  The closest store to me that sells it is kind of a long drive, so I buy things like Tessemae’s Mayonnaise in bulk on Amazon because we go through a ton of it. Even though my stomach can’t handle eggs, it still loves mayo, and Tessemae’s Mayonnaise is something I will keep in my life even after the Whole30 because it’s just so dang good and much healthier than the other brands out there.  It plays a big role in my Loaded Whole30 & Paleo Tuna Salad.

5. Coconut Aminos

We are big fans of ethic food around this house.  You name it, we eat it.  But I really can’t fathom Asian food without soy sauce. Thankfully, these coconut aminos are a perfect substitute for soy sauce.  I dump drizzle it over my cauliflower rice stir fry bowls.  I also use it in recipes that would normally call for Worcestershire sauce, like my Whole30 & Paleo Spiced Pumpkin Chili.  It’s a real life-saver.  Because who wants to make homemade Worcestershire sauce? Not this girl.

6. Coconut Butter (a.k.a. coconut manna)

I don’t really know what to say about this stuff except for MMMMMM….  I put a dollop on my baked sweet potatoes along with ghee and cinnamon.  What’s ghee, you say?  Well, hold your horses because it’s next.  I also add organic coconut butter to smoothies to give them a little more depth of flavor, and I’ve been known to eat it right out of the jar because it’s just so darned good.

7. Ghee

Ghee is basically butter with the milk solids removed and one of my favorite Whole30 convenience products.  It’s shelf-stable, tasty and can tolerate higher temperatures than butter.  I used to cook my eggs in it before I had to stop eating them.  I use it as cooking fat and also on anything that I would put butter on (which is everything, right?) like Day One’s Baked Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Butter, Nutmeg and Cinnamon.

8. Beef Tallow

I sometimes use Epic Beef Tallow as an alternative to olive oil or coconut oil because it has a high smoke point and it adds depth of flavor to certain dishes.  It is very rich and melts easily.  Make sure you buy grass fed beef tallow and try it in my Whole30 Spiced Pumpkin Chili.    

9. Whole-30 Compliant Marinara Sauce

When I’m in a hurry to make dinner, I brown some ground beef and chopped onions and mix in some pre-made marinara sauce.  Let everything simmer for 10 minutes or so to heat up the sauce.  Then, add zoodles right before it’s all finished.  Voila! You have a quick, easy and tasty Whole30 meal in 20 minutes. I found Victoria Trading Company makes some Whole30-compliant marina sauce sold at Walmart, or you can also get Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce on Amazon.

10.  The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom

It’s not actually one of the Whole30 Convenience Products and it may sound like a no-brainer, but if you don’t have The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, you need it.  The first time I tried the Whole30 plan, I had only read  It Starts with Food, which is super-informative and necessary if you want all of the details and science behind the diet.  But I didn’t have a solid plan in mind when I began my first time around, and I failed. This time around, I am using The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, and it has been a total game-changer. It provides some great background information from It Starts with Food but also includes recipes, a short meal plan, and the knowledge necessary to create your own meal plans.

If you don’t have these Whole30 convenience products on hand, take my word for it and go get them before you begin your Whole30!  You can thank me later.

What are your favorite Whole30 convenience products?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

 

Check out this Whole30 MEGA starter kit at my new favorite site, Barefoot Provisions!

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