Whole 30 Meal Plan (budget-friendly) (2024)

Whether you’re a Whole30 pro or just starting out, this Whole 30 meal plan hits the spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Get a week’s worth of budget-friendly and kid-approved Whole 30 recipes!

I’ve been talking a lot lately about the Whole30, which makes sense. When you’re on the Whole30 your life pretty much revolves around your meals… planning, prepping, cooking, cleaning up… this coming from a FOOD BLOGGER who already plans, preps, cooks, and cleans more than the average person… oy very.

But I’m a firm believer that even something like the Whole30 program can still be streamlined, kid-friendly, and done on a budget, without spending your whole life in the kitchen. There are plenty of easy Whole 30 recipes out there, and with a bit of planning and meal prep, you can enjoy delicious recipes that the whole family will love.

What Is Whole30?

If you haven’t heard of the Whole30, it’s an elimination diet. No grains, gluten, soy, dairy, or sugar for 30 days. And no look-alike foods either, like eggs + bananas = pancakes. Read more about it here.

Having a plan in place before you begin is vital to success when attempting a Whole30 diet, so I took the best Whole 30 meals we’ve made, lots of lessons learned, and created a Whole 30 meal plan I think you’ll love!

Psst! You WILL spend MORE money on the Whole30 because you’re eating more protein and a whole lot more fresh fruits and veggies and a few specialty items like ghee and coconut aminos… but you can still eat Whole30 on a budget. This meal plan balances the heart of the Whole30, with the numbers in the checkbook and the practicality of a busy life.

Pros And Cons Of A Whole30 Diet

There can certainly be benefits to following a Whole30 diet. Whole30 encourages reading labels and choosing whole foods, avoiding highly processed foods with ingredients you can’t even pronounce. We like to avoid those too.

A Whole30 diet may:

• Help you be more intentional about what you eat
• Show you how certain foods might affect how you feel
• Reduce sugar cravings
• Help you sleep better
• Make skin clearer
• Increase energy

However, eating only Whole30 recipes does cut out foods like beans, rice, oats, and quinoa, which many people do not need to exclude. Dairy, butter, and alcohol are off the list too.

Still, doing a Whole 30 can help you be more intentional about what you’re eating, and you may even find a new favorite recipe to add to your family’s regular rotation – I know we’ve loved Almond Crusted Baked Chicken and Sweet Potato Apple Bake.

Before You Start The Whole 30 Meal Plan

Always check the meal plan the day before.

Nothing will ruin your plan like not having thawed meat or running out of potatoes. I suggest checking what’s on the plan for the next day right before you cook dinner. This way you cover a lot of bases at once…you can prep (if you need onions for tonight and tomorrow, knock out both), you can pull meat to thaw, and if you need to make a quick run to the store, you have enough time to check stock of a few essentials so it’s not a one-item-only trip.

I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend reading the entire meal plan through before you jump in.

You may not like what I’ve planned, or you may not have the time on certain days of the week. Whole30 meal planning is VERY different than any other meal plan because of the amount of time required to prep and cook. With that said…

• I’ve done my best to note when to work ahead
• When to double recipes
• Hacks to save time
• Also, be careful if you change the order of the recipes.
• Many of them are based on leftovers and re-using ingredients, so I don’t want you to get stuck because you didn’t have what you needed.

Deal with the monotony.

Being on the meal plan for Whole30 means you’ll be in the kitchen A LOT. It’s part of the territory. However, you can make your life easier by cooking in bulk and eating leftovers. I’ve done my best to include variety, but there are instances when you’re going to eat potatoes for 3 days in a row and this is part of being on the Whole30 too.

This Whole 30 meal plan feeds 2 people.

Most people who embark on the Whole30 do it with a partner or do it alone. In either case, a meal plan for 2 people is easiest to divide. Or, if the kids are doing it with you (like ours did with us), then this plan is easy to multiply as well.

I’m working on the assumption that you aren’t home all day.

Most people don’t have the luxury of working from home or having schedules flexible enough to spend 2-3 hours DURING THE DAY prepping meals for the next couple of days. With that said, I’m including a dedicated prep day. This will set your Day 1 and your entire Whole30 off on the right foot.

Clean out the fridge.

Before you go shopping for more food, make sure you eat what you already have. Use items that are about to go bad (and that are compliant) as side dishes, add them to your hash… whatever you have to do, eat them. You already paid for that food, and not eating it is throwing money in the trash can!

Whole 30 Meals: Prep Day

• Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken. Pull the meat off the bones. This will yield about 6 cups of shredded meat, enough for 3 lunches for 2 people.
• Peel and dice 20 carrots, 10 celery ribs; quarter 200 grapes, roughly chop 200 almonds. This will yield enough for 5 lunches for 2 people.
• Make a double batch of Homemade Mayo.
• Make a 5x batch of Oven-Roasted Hash Browns. This will be 5 days worth of breakfasts. (Feel free to substitute sweet potatoes if you prefer.)

Whole 30 Meal Plan

Day 1

Breakfast: Potato Hash with Eggs

Tip: Put fat in the skillet, scoop out 2 cups of prepared hash browns, and warm/crisp it up. Top with a couple of fried eggs and you’re done! (Or if you prefer, here’s how to make the best scrambled eggs.)

Lunch: Chicken Protein Salad

• The actual “official” version of this recipe is in the Whole30 book, but here’s my favorite version of it
• 1 cup shredded chicken + ½ cup each diced carrots, diced celery, quartered grapes + ¼ cup chopped almonds + 4 Tbsp Homemade Mayo + salt & pepper. Mix it all up in a bigger-than-you-think-you’ll-need bowl.

Dinner: Egg Roll in a Bowl

Egg Roll in a Bowlis one of the Whole30 dinners that come together fast, and that’s why I put it on the first day of the meal plan. One thing is constant on the Whole30 – there’s a lot of chopping, prepping, and cooking. Take the time after dinner tonight to prep (even more) for the coming days!

As tempting as it may be to eat the entire pan, be sure to set aside half of the dinner for Day 3.

Day 2

Breakfast: Potato Hash with Eggs

See notes from Day 1.

Lunch: Chicken Protein Salad

See notes from Day 1.

Dinner: Almond-crusted Chicken, Caramelized Onions & Swiss Chard, 5-minute Asparagus

• Almond-Crusted Chicken is so good, I’m 100% sure it will continue to be on our meal plan long after we finish the Whole30.
• The Onions and Chard take the longest, so preheat the oven and get these veggies going in the skillet before you work on the chicken. We preferred boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they’re just SO moist, but use whatever you have and/or whatever is on sale.
• This is the asparagus recipe I was thinking of, but make it easy on yourself (and compliant) use coconut oil, and skip the lemon pepper seasoning. Despite the simplicity, it’s fantastic.
• Also, be sure to double everything you make this night as you’ll be eating leftovers in a couple of days.

Day 3

Breakfast: Potato Hash with Eggs

See notes from Day 1.

Lunch: Chicken Protein Salad

See notes from Day 1.

Dinner: Leftover Egg Roll in a Bowl

• I know firsthand that Egg Roll in a Bowl makes a lot of food, so here’s your chance to take the night off from cooking… well, almost.
• Since dinner is “done,” spend the night getting ready for the next few days. Make a batch of Breakfast Sausage and chop up enough fruit and vegetables to cover breakfast for the next two days.
• If you’re not sure how much you need, err on the side of too-much. It’s better to have leftover prepped veggies in the fridge than to run out of time in the morning to chop extras and end up hungry mid-morning.

See Also

44 Make-Ahead Freezer Meals for Super-Busy Nights

Day 4

Breakfast: Veggie Egg Scramble, Breakfast Sausage, Fresh Fruit

A veggie scramble is nothing more than a bunch of vegetables scrambled up with some eggs. I highly recommend including veggies you don’t normally have for breakfast, for variety. Olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach are all good options.

Lunch: Leftover Almond-crusted Chicken, Caramelized Onions & Swiss Chard, 5-minute Asparagus

Dinner: Lemony Spatchco*ck Chicken, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli

This is one of my favorite Whole 30 dinner recipes because it all cooks in one pan!!

• I recommend taking advantage of the fact that your hands are free by shredding a few sweet potatoes and apples for breakfast on Days 5 and 6. You’ll be making a double batch in the morning and while it comes together quickly, the few minutes head start on the prep work really helps.
• While the oven is on, go ahead and bake sweet potatoes for Day 5 and 6 as well. You’ll need four.
• When dinner is done, pick all the chicken off the bones and make a double batch of Hawaiian Chicken Wrap filling (see below).

Day 5

Breakfast: Sweet Potato Apple Bake, Breakfast Sausage, Fresh Fruit

My kids LOVED Sweet Potato Apple Bake, and I admit that it’s a nice break from the same old same old at breakfast. You’re making a double batch, so save at least half for breakfast tomorrow!

Note: Tonight is a slow-cooker meal. Be sure to get that meat in the pot before you leave the house!

Lunch: Hawaiian Chicken Wraps, Fresh Fruit

• The idea is a spin-off of another recipe, except you’re using chicken from dinner last night. To get the same flavor as the original recipe without the cooking, combine the following in a large bowl:
• Leftover shredded chicken + 1 cup diced pineapple + ½ tsp ground ginger + ¼ tsp red pepper flakes + ½ tsp salt + ¼ tsp pepper + ½ tsp granulated garlic + ½ diced red onion. Add 1-6 Tbsp coconut aminos so that the mixture is wet enough to hold together, but not drenched.
• Serve in a double layer of iceberg lettuce and top with diced tomatoes and sliced avocados.

Dinner: Carnitas Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes

The very best carnitas you’ll ever have comes from this recipe and if you use chicken stock, it’s naturally Whole30 compliant. Go ahead and use a 3lb roast – you’re going to make it work for 3 meals.

• You’re going to serve it over baked sweet potatoes and garnish with diced tomatoes, cilantro, diced red onion, and diced avocado. Pile that baby up friends, you can’t go wrong here.
• Tip: If you want to make the ranch dressing you need for Day 6 today, you can drizzle some of that on your stuffed sweet potatoes!

Day 6

Breakfast: Sweet Potato Apple Bake, Breakfast Sausage, Fresh Fruit

Lunch: Carnitas Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes

Use up those leftovers, friends. That carnitas recipe makes A LOT of meat and it’s DELICIOUS, so I know you won’t have a problem having leftovers for lunch.

Dinner: Burgers, Guacamole, Pan-fried Potatoes, Grilled Pineapple, Simple Salad w/Ranch Dressing

• The Best Burgers I’ve ever had were simple 1 lb of ground beef with Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix, so we’re doing that, but we’re doubling the recipe. I recommend using your KitchenAid mixer (or other stand mixer) to mix it all up for you. Divide the mixture into 8 patties and reserve half of them for lunch on Day 6.
• Here’s my recipe for Guacamole and this is my method for Pan-Fried Potatoes. When they’re done, add a little bit of additional fat to the skillet and cook the pineapple until it’s dark golden brown.
• A simple salad is just that – SIMPLE! You can add sliced cucumbers, grated carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, or even fresh strawberries and blueberries. Whatever you want is fine, but you’ve done a lot of work so far so don’t feel compelled to make it any more complicated than it needs to be. Lettuce is a vegetable, and ranch makes it palatable.
• This Homemade Ranch Dressing is Whole30 compliant and super delicious.

Day 7

Breakfast: Veggie Egg Scramble, Breakfast Sausage, Fresh Fruit

Follow the same method as Day 4, but use up any lonesome vegetables you have in the fridge. By the end of the week, there’s inevitably a stray carrot, mushroom, or a couple of cherry tomatoes left. Use them up!

Lunch: Burger Salad

We kept dinner on Day 6 simple, so here’s your chance to get complicated. A burger salad is in essence, leftover hamburger with lettuce. But it’s all the other stuff that makes it worthwhile…

Since I have to give you a shopping list, I recommend putting hard-boiled eggs, olives, tomatoes, sliced avocado, and red onions. Chop up the hamburger into tiny pieces and you’re good to go.

Dinner: Hawaiian Pork, Tex-Mex Cauliflower Rice, Simple Salad w/Ranch Dressing

Tonight’s dinner is similar to the Hawaiian Chicken, except we’re subbing pork:

• Leftover pork + 1 cup diced pineapple + ½ tsp ground ginger + ¼ tsp red pepper flakes + ½ tsp salt + ¼ tsp pepper + ½ tsp granulated garlic + ½ diced red onion. Add 1-6 Tbsp coconut aminos so that the mixture is wet enough to hold together, but not drenched.
• Serve it alongside Tex-Mex Cauliflower rice, which is basically this simple recipe with Homemade Taco Seasoning sprinkled liberally (my store-bought seasoning had added sugar, FYI).
• We’re keeping the salad simple again for the same reason as Day 6. Plus it’s Day 7, and you deserve the break, right?

And that’s it folks! Happy eating!!

FAQs for Whole 30 Recipes

More Whole Food Recipes

• Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole
• Zuppa Toscana Soup
• My Favorite Easy Dinner Salad
• Sheet Pan Hawaiian Shrimp
• Leftover Pork and Potato Soup
• Bacon Brussels Sprouts
• Vegetarian Chili

Whole30 Meal Plan

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