In all likelihood, sticking to the Whole30 rules means you’ll be eating at home A LOT. The only way to know what you are eating is to prepare your own food. Sorry y’all. While meal planning goes a long way and will keep you from getting bored, make sure you have some staples around so you never find yourself in a jam!

Here are some strategies that set me up to make good food choices on a day-to-day basis.

• Batch cook protein—I have some nifty Pyrex dishes with lids. These made it really easy to bake batches of protein, cool them off, and then stick them directly in the fridge for meals throughout the week. Breakfast casseroles and chicken thighs were some of my favorite items to do this with.
• Prep a large salad—Having the makings of a salad readily available saved me on more Whole30 days than I can count. I have a very old 26-cup Tupperware bowl that I filled with good lettuce and chopped up, hardy veggies. I didn’t pre-chop and add tomatoes (too much moisture) or onions (too much odor) to the bowl; those I did on-demand. I found I had to re-fill this bowl about twice a week.
• Hard boil eggs—When you’re running short on time, grabbing an egg or two on your way out the door, or chopping them and throwing them on your salad can keep you fueled until you can get a better serving of fats and protein. Peel them and keep them in the fridge until you need them.
• Ready-to-go snacks—Even though a Whole30 goal is to keep snacking to a minimum, keeping compliant, healthy snacks within easy reach is a must. In addition to easily-portable things like apples and bananas, I always had various nuts, single-serve black olives, and my favorite Epic Uncured Bacon Bites nearby. Higher fat and protein levels helped to keep me satiated until I could get a decent meal.

Resources:

• Easiest way I’ve found to “hard boil” and peel eggs; the OVEN! http://www.food.com/recipe/hard-cooked-eggs-in-the-oven-baked-eggs-61856