I don’t have a cute or nostalgic little story to kick off this post. It’s about food, so let’s get right to it.

Memes aside, we’ve actually been eating really, really well since (cringe) quarantine, with a few well-earned cheats (raspberry oat bars from here!) around a birthday and Mother’s Day. We continue to adhere about 80/20 to Whole30 guidelines, simply because in doing so, we’ve never felt better. It works for us, so I’m not questioning it. Energy is good, sleep has greatly improved, and attitude, while usually not too lousy, is sparklier.

The recipes below are either 100% Whole30 compliant, or inches from it, and designed to crush your cravings. Eating healthfully does take work, so these have varying degrees of prep time, but most will net you a few lunches’ worth of leftovers.

Craving Mexican? Try Mango Shrimp Ceviche.

I actually made this recipe up by just tossing favorite ingredients together, and you can add or subtract ingredients as you like or don’t. It’s a lot of chopping, but you can find easy shortcuts in the deli, too. If you simply must have chips to scoop, look for the cleanest corn tortillas in the store, cut them up, and bake.

My Very Own Mango Shrimp Ceviche

1 ½ lb cooked shrimp, chopped & chunky

1 medium red onion, diced

1 cup (at least) mixed bell peppers, diced

1 cup (at least) tomatoes, diced

1 large can diced jalapenos

1 large container deli mango pico (or chop your own mango, but I’m generally chopped out at this point)

1 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 – 7 limes, or just buy the plastic one)

Several healthy drizzles of olive oil; a big scoop of jarred garlic; salt and pepper to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro, avocado slices, and lime wedges for garnish

Chop it all up, mix it together and put in the fridge for a few hours to meld (if you can stand to wait). Otherwise, dig in, with a spoon or with tortilla chips.

Craving MORE Mexican?

Try Pork & Hominy Pozole.

This recipe was featured in a Blue Apron box (before I ended my subscription because I just couldn’t deal with all the waste). We make it about every ten days, and we love it every time.

Craving Asian? Try the Egg Roll in a Bowl.

This is one of those “meat salads” I mentioned in an earlier post. Broccoli slaw is so very versatile; I use it frequently (try it in place of rice in a Chipotle-style burrito bowl) as it provides a satisfying, cruciferous crunch.

Craving pasta? Try Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash.

This is SUPER yummy. We up the veggie count by adding tomatoes and/or bell peppers … just whatever is lying around. Yeah, yeah, the texture isn’t exactly al dente, but it should do the job.

Enjoy!