Whole30 Staples: Products I Swear By

I completed my very first Whole30 last month.  From the first week through reintroduction, I feel like I learned so much about myself and my food habits.  Since I was new to Whole30, I wasn't sure which products I was going to love so I experimented.  There were several that became must haves for me.  I think everyone's Whole30 staples will look a little different but these are the things that were super beneficial in my book! These Whole30 staples are all the items that I used on a regular basis.  They got me through the day to day as well as the times when I wanted to stuff my face with chips and cookies.

Click here to Check out my Costco Whole30 Finds!

1. Nutpods Dairy Free Creamer

This stuff is a LIFESAVER.  I used nutpods in my coffee every single day of my Whole30.  I also added a little ghee and collagen to my coffee but I will chat more about those later. One of the things I love about nutpods is there are 3 flavors: hazelnut, French vanilla and original. So you get a little variety, which is nice.  I'm just not someone who loves plain black coffee nor did I grow accustomed to the taste when I forced myself to drink it. Having a compliant creamer around was so helpful.  I left one at work as well for my afternoon coffee. I buy mine on Amazon but recently my local grocery store started carrying it which is perfect! Another thing you can try is using coconut cream in your coffee. I also liked this but it just wasn't as convenient as the nutpods creamer.

 2. Fourth & Heart Ghee

This is my favorite brand of ghee!  My local Whole Foods sells it as well as Sprouts but I typically grab mine on Amazon.  Where I buy pretty much everything.  This ghee is actually a little on the pricier side but it's a good $4 cheaper on amazon so that's another reason I buy it there. Fourth & Heart has several flavors but I would say these 2 are the ones I use most often.  I use the pink salt for my eggs and just general cooking fat.  I use the vanilla bean flavor for my coffee as well as when I roast sweet potatoes or butternut squash.  SO. FREAKING. GOOD.

3. Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

Ok so this isn't something you absolutely NEED for your Whole30 but it was something I used everyday.  And I still do! Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides gives my coffee some extra protein which helps with hunger and I get all the benefits of collagen. Two birds, one collagen.  Since starting collagen I have noticed improvements in my hair, nails, joint pain and muscle recovery after workouts.  I love this stuff!  The Mixed Berry flavor is great in smoothies and the Matcha Collagen is super tasty too! I used the matcha a lot during my Whole30.  There is a vanilla flavor that's super good in coffee but you definitely need either a frother or a blender to fully dissolve it. The unflavored peptides dissolves without needing to be blended. You can also grab the original unflavored peptides on Amazon.  That's the one I use on a daily basis. I also have the little to go packets of the collagen peptides that I bring with me when I travel or when I'm out and about. Another option is the collagen coffee creamer but I can't speak to that yet since I just ordered them for the first time recently.  I will update this post after I try them.

4. Tessemae's Ketchup

This stuff was so helpful!  When I was first preparing for my Whole30 and doing some shopping, I has such a difficult time finding compliant ketchup.  They all contained sugar.  And yes, you can make your own but "'aint nobody got time for dat!"  It just was not super convenient for me to sit around and spend the time making it.  So I was so happy when I found this.  It totally tastes like regular ketchup to me but it's sweetened with dates so there is no added sugar.  Score!  Funny story.  I looked EVERYWHERE for this ketchup. I went to about 5 different grocery stores.  I could never find it.  The day after I ordered it on Amazon, I found it at another store.  And since then, I have been seeing it everywhere I looked previously.  It's a conspiracy I tell ya! Someone is messing with my emotions.

I ordered Tessemae's Sauce Boss kit from Amazon and so far I have been super happy with everything I've tried!  Especially the habanero ranch!  This was my favorite brand of Whole30 approved salad dressings and marinades.

5. Trader Joe's Dried Mango

This stuff is kind of a double-edged sword.  It's seriously so good and once your taste buds grow accustomed to not having so much sugar, these taste like candy. And therein lies the issue.  I can become major SWYPO. During my second week of Whole30 I had to stop buying it because I realized I was using it too often to curb sugar cravings. But really, if you're someone who doesn't have too much of an issue with sugar, this is an excellent compliant option for dried fruit.  Used sparingly, it really hits the spot and hey, it was better than downing some actual candy right?  Maybe?  By the last week of Whole30 I felt like I had a better handle on things so I brought these back and portioned them into baggies to eat with lunch as opposed to saving them for when a sugar craving come on.

 6. Sparkling Water

During my Whole30, I used a few brands of sparking water but this was by far my favorite.  This watermelon flavor from Waterloo tastes just like a Jolly Rancher.  Sooooo good! It's a relatively new find for me since I just discovered it last month but I have been buying it ever since! I also used a lot of La Croix during my Whole30.  My favorite flavor is the coconut. Either way, flavored sparkling water will be your BFF when you feel like you can't drink another sip of plain old water. If you're curious what other compliant drinks are out there check out this post from Whole Kitchen Sink!

7. Trader Joe's Manzanilla Olives

I found these little guys at Trader Joe's. They are $0.99 a bag and they are a perfect little snack with some healthy fats and delicious salty flavor.  I stuck these in my purse all the time for on the go situations. I also always had a bag or 2 in the car along with some other compliant items since one of my fears was being stuck starving somewhere without any compliant snacks.  These olives saved me many a time.

8. Meat Sticks

Along with the olives, these meat sticks often came in handy.  It was tough to find meat sticks without sugar so I was excited to find these.  They sell them at Trader Joe's and you can also find them on, you guessed it, Amazon!  They have other flavors as well but this is the only flavor I have tried so far.  These meat sticks are another item in my super handy dandy car snack pack.

9.Chicken Sausage

Chicken sausage was my saving grace on more than one occasion. It was such a helpful thing to have in my fridge at all times.  The compliant option I get at Trader Joe's is the Garlic Herb.  Most often, I used Aidell's chicken and apple sausage. I usually bought mine from Costco to get the most bang for my buck but they are sold at most grocery stores and Target.  The sausages are a good size so they are filling and since they're pre-cooked you can toss them in a skillet to brown and you're good to go.  I used them a lot for quick and easy dinners like this one.  When you're fresh out of meal ideas, breakfast for dinner can be your MVP.

 10. Oil Spray

I used Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spay to roast all my vegetables.  It has a higher smoke point which ensures it won't become overheated and destroy beneficial nutrients in your food and emit harmful chemicals.  I went through maybe 3 of these during the month roasting all my veggies (which reminds me I am currently out and need to grab another). I was shocked when I realized that some oil sprays contain soy. Soy is out for Whole30 so I became a lot more careful when reading labels on sprays.  Trader Joe's carries an olive oil spray that I also purchased a lot during the month.

11. RxBar

These were my go to post workout protein and carb source.  Especially when I could not get home to have my egg whites and sweet potato.  The Whole30 program recommends eating within 15-30 minutes of working out and some of my workouts happen after work when I know I won't make it home within that time frame.  I made sure to really try and use these as only a post workout protein source or in emergency situation when I was on the go.  Because these are sweetened with dates, they can also become a SWYPO issue since they taste pretty candy like.  Used in the right way, they were a huge staple for me during my Whole30. Blueberry is my fave flavor!

 

12. GT's Kombucha

These guys were another beverage that helped me break up the monotony of water. Not only are there healthy probiotics in them, they're also pretty darn tasty.  Make sure to check your labels on these. Most are made from real fruit juice which is allowed oil moderation.  Some flavors contain sugar however so you just have to double check your ingredients list.  I love the Rose and Strawberry Serenity flavors but those contain sugar so unfortunately they are out.  My top 3 favorite compliant flavors are Trilogy, Multi-Green (pictured here) and Guava Goddess.

And there you have it friends!  There are more items I used but these were my cream of the crop during my Whole30.  What products worked best for YOU?

 

 

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