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I’ve been on the AIP DIET for the past few months to help reduce some chronic inflammation. These are all the recipes I followed and loved during the elimination phase!
Not only were this recipes delicious and so fun to try out during AIP, but many of them have become staples that I’ll incorporate into my routine for some good anti inflammatory meals. I’ll also revert back to these recipes whenever my symptoms flare or I get glutened as a recovery strategy.
I’m a fan of simple meals, so not all of these recipes are detailed – some are just simple instructions and you can customize as you see fit. Original recipes are linked where applicable. ytn
Follow the entire series to read what I learned and experienced along the way! Start Here >> AIP DIET SERIES – INTRODUCTION
FULL AIP DIET MENU – Elimination Phase
I used to meal plan my week but I found that I prefer having a menu each week. It provides me a little more mental flexibility so I can change up the plan if needed. Here’s the full menu of everything I ate during my 8 weeks of the elimination phase.
Breakfast Recipes
Coconut Yogurt Bowl:
Coconut yogurt mixed with cinnamon and honey. Topped with berries and banana or fruit of choice
I’m obsessed with Cocojune organic pure coconut dairy free yogurt but it’s pretty pricey, I switched to Harmless Harvest Plain Coocnut Yogurt which is also fantastic, comes in a larger container, and is cheaper. I buy mine at Sprouts, but you should be able to find them at Whole Foods.
Ground Turkey Hash:
Brown ground turkey in a pan. Season as desired (I’ve been using garlic, onion, italian or ginger). Chop up a sweet potato into small cubes and either bake or airfry. I airfry mine at 400F for 10 minutes. Add sweet potatoes to the pan with ground turkey, load up with spinach or kale and let it wilt down. Store in the fridge for an easy heat and eat meal.
Turkey Sausage Plate:
These patties are so nice to prep ahead and save in the freezer, that way you always have a quick protein option you can just reheat and eat. Great as a snack or to add to any meal.
Sausage Patties:
2 lb ground turkey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
1-2 tsp Himalayan pink sea salt
1/2 tsp dried sage
2-3 TBSP coconut oil
In a large bowl mix all ingredients together except coconut oil. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. When you are ready to cook, shape the mixture into 8-10 balls, then press them between your palms to form patties. Heat coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place patties in the pan and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, cooking in batches so each one has space to cook. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen.
For the rest of this meal:
Pair sausage patties with cooked butternut squash or sweet potatoes. I like the cube my sweet potatoes and airfry at 400F for 10 minutes. Sautee some kale or spinach in a pan. Add a sliced avocado to the side.
Sweet Potato Apple Hash
This one wasn’t my favorite, I thought I would like it but I just couldn’t get into it.
Brown ground turkey in a pan. Add cooked cubed sweet potatoes (airfry at 400F for 10 minutes or roast in oven), slice and apple and add it to the pan to soften. You can also add kale or spinach and let it wilt down if you’d like.
If I make this again I might skip the sweet potato and do a turkey, apple, bacon hash instead.
Fruit Smoothie
Blend together your preferred frozen fruit with coconut milk and spinach if desired.
Sweet Potato Toast
To make the toasts you cut a thick slice of sweet potato, airfry at 360F for about 16 minutes, flipping halfway. Then I topped it with cinnamon, strawberries, and honey or smashed avocado or shredded chicken and pesto! You can get really creative and it keeps you pretty full.
Lunch Recipes
I pretty much interchange lunch and dinner options, but these are the ones I deemed as easier lunch prep or that I preferred mid day.
Chicken Bites
A staple in our house! All it is is cubed chicken breasts, seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook in the air fryer with any veggie you want at 400F for 10 minutes.
Cilantro Avocado Dip
Just Blend Together:
1 generous handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 large avocado, peeled
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1-2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Water for desired consistency
Tropical Chicken Salad
Toss together greens of choice (I use spinach or kale), cooked cubed or shredded chicken, diced avocado, and diced mango. Add some lime juice and cilantro to taste.
Kale/Spinach Salad
Toss together your greens of choice with sweet potatoes and roasted veggies. Make a simple oil olive dressing to drizzle on top. I usually cube my sweet potatoes and add them and any other veggies to an air fryer, spray with avocado oil and season, then cook at 400F for 10mins.
Here’s a simple olive oil dressing recipe:
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Honey
1/4 Lemon Juice
Salt
Shrimp Tacos
I use frozen shrimp that I run under water for a few minutes to thaw. Then I season them with salt, ginger, and whatever else I want. I cook those in a pan or airfryer at 400F for about 5 minutes. Then just heat the casava flour tortilla, throw on some raw coleslaw mix, diced mango and diced avocado with a spritz of lime juice and you’re done!
Salmon
Here’s how I cook my salmon: Thaw salmon fillet in fridge then pour a bit of coconut aminos on it, season with garlic, onion, and ginger, drizzle with honey. Air fry at 400F for 8-10 minutes until it reaches 165 degrees. Then I add that to a bowl with diced mango, diced avocado, and diced cucumber. Drizzle with more honey if desired
Cassava Wraps
Cassava wraps make AIP lunches so much easier, especially for pack ahead lunches! You can heat a cassava wrap and fill with any protein, veggie, and sauce that you like. It’s a great wrap to make with whatever leftovers you have.
Chicken Cucumber Wraps with Tzatziki sauce
(Tzatziki sauce original recipe linked)
Tzatziki Sauce:
1/2 large cucumber
2 cloves garlic
2 cups coconut yogurt
3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Salt
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
Finely dice the cucumber or shred it. Wrap in a paper towel to squeeze out excess liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients and half the olive oil to a bowl and combine. Top with remaining olive oil.
Wraps:
Heat a casava flour tortilla so it’s flexible. Spread some Tzatziki sauce on the wrap, top with shredded chicken breast (I season mine with salt, garlic and onion, and air fry at 375F for 18-20 minutes until it reaches 165F and then shred it using my Kitchen Aid Mixer). Top with cucumber slices and more Tzatziki sauce if desired.
Dinner Recipes
Lemon Chicken and Asparagus (or whatever veggie you have)
I make this multiple times a week! Easily one of my favs. (Original recipe linked)
2 tbsp avocado oil
1 tsp sea salt, divided
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
1 bunch asparagus
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chicken broth
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp arrowroot starch (I’ve been using tapioca starch cause I have it)
Using a large skillet, heat the avocado oil on medium heat.
Add the chicken to the skillet and lightly season with salt. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Set aside.
Prepare the asparagus by chopping off the thick white base, and then slice in half again.
Add more oil to the pan if needed and sauté the asparagus with more salt for about 5-7 minutes or until softened and lightly crisp. Set aside.
Reduce the heat slightly and add the minced garlic to the pan. Cook until fragrant.
Add the broth, lemon juice, coconut aminos, and arrowroot starch to the pan and stir for about 2-3 minutes or until the sauce lightly thickens.
Add the chicken and asparagus back to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes to reheat.
Baked Salmon with Lemon & Herbs
Honestly, not my favorite but it was a nice change. I didn’t follow a recipe and I probably should have.
I seasoned a fillet of salmon with lemon juice, salt, fresh parsley and fresh dill. Air Fried it for about 8 minutes at 400F with some sliced zucchini.
Beef & Broccoli
Another one that quickly became one of our favorite go-to’s! (original recipe linked)
Marinade
3 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
1/4 cup cilantro
2 TBSP chives or green onions (plus more for garnishing)
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1/4 cup avocado or extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Beef, Broccoli and Mushrooms
1 lb beef (flank steak, or flat iron), thinly sliced
3 cups broccoli, chopped (stems included)
2 cups mushrooms (button or cremini), sliced
Preheat oven to 425 F
In a food processor or high powered blender, combine coconut aminos with oil, garlic, ginger, chives, cilantro and salt. Alternatively, finely dice these ingredients and mix with salt, olive oil and coconut aminos.
Slice your cut of beef into thin slices and cover with half of the marinade.
Chop your head of broccoli into small florets (ensure you use up the stems too) and measure out 3 cups.
Slice or dice mushrooms into quarters and measure out 2 cups.
Using one large sheet pan or two smaller ones, spread out the broccoli and mushrooms evenly. Drizzle with remaining marinade and mix together with your hands to combine.
Finally, add in beef. Ensure everything is evenly spaced and not crowded. This will ensure you aren’t steaming everything.
Cook for 10-12 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Then, if desired, put oven on broil and cook an additional 2 minutes for extra browning.
Optional – garnish with sliced chives and/or chopped cilantro. Serve warm with sides of your choice.
Steak and Veggies
Basically a staple on this diet, and incredibly easy.
Just season a steak with your AIP go tos (salt, garlic, onion, ginger etc) and cook to your desired temperature. Roast veggies in the oven or airfryer. My go to’s are carrots, asparagus, and sweet potatoes.
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Ground Pork or Turkey
Salt
Coconut Aminos
Raw Coleslaw Mix
Brown meat in a pan and season with salt. when just about done, add the coleslaw mix and drizzle with coconut aminos. Cook until the coleslaw has cooked down and sauteed a bit.
Ground Beef Stir Fry
A great way to use up veggies at the end of the week!
Brown ground beef in a pan, season with salt. Remove beef from pan and sauté any veggies you want to use, coleslaw mix, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli etc. Add coconut aminos to make a stir fry. Combine everything and let simmer for a few minutes.
Chicken Shawarma
Cut a chicken breast into cubes. Season with salt, garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon. Airfry at 400F for 10 minutes with whatever veggie you like. I really like to pair this with cinnamon sweet potato fries. Add a little more honey drizzle on top and enjoy!
Beef Patties
If you wanted you could do a lettuce wrap hamburger situation, but I’m too lazy for that. I just make beef patties by seasoning my ground beef with salt, garlic, and onion, shaping into balls, and then flatting them. Then I cook on the stove or in the airfryer until cooked through on both sides. I pair that with some sliced avocado and whatever veggie I have that day.
Apple & Cinnamon Chicken Thighs
Another one of my favorites! (Original recipe linked)
1.5 lbs chicken thighs
2 slices bacon
1-2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger (or use fresh minced)
¼ tsp cardamom
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
a few sage leaves, chopped
Sea salt
Heat a large cast iron skillet and add the bacon. Cook until crispy on both sides, about 5-8 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon.
Salt the chicken on both sides. When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and set aside to cool. Leave a thin layer of bacon fat on the bottom of the pan (if you have excess, drain it in a separate container).
Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on the first side, until golden brown. After turning the chicken once (so the first cooked side is facing up), add the apples, half your spices, sea salt and pepper. (Save the herbs for the last few minutes of cooking).
Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes on this side, then flip and add the rest of the spices and herbs (and dried fruit, if using).
When the chicken has about a minute left, chop your bacon into bits and scatter it over the chicken.
Serve warm!
Sweet and Sour Chicken
This recipe is so good! (original recipe linked – it’s easier to follow on their site)
It took my a lit to set up as you need to make a “nomato sauce” for it, however now that I have a bunch of that sauce prepped and in my freezer, this recipe is really easy to throw together. The original recipe called for a TON of veggies, which is great, but I prefer it a bit simpler. Now I make the sauce and marinade the chicken, then when that’s done I brown the chicken, add some pineapple chunks, and more sauce and call it good.
Pesto Pasta
(original recipe linked)
Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 cup fresh kale leaves, packed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, packed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Truffle salt
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
I blended the ingredients together for the pesto sauce. Then I heated up a bag of frozen zucchini noodles on the stove, steaming for about 10 mins. Then I drained the noodles, added some avocado oil and sauteed for a bit. Mixed in a bit of the pesto and there you go! You could also add some grilled chicken to make the meal more filling. You could cut your own zucchini noodles but I found the frozen ones worked better for my routine.
Ground Turkey Curry
This SLAPS! I haven’t been able to do Indian food in so long with the whole nightshade thing, but this meal was so comforting and tasty. I paired it with cauliflower rice which I haven’t incorporated in AIP yet. This will 100% be apart of my regular rotation – especially because it includes so many of my pantry staples
General Tso’s Chicken
This was so easy to throw together and really good. I love simple quick recipes and this one was perfect for that. I would keep it in my regular rotation for sure.
Sweet Potato Chicken Nuggets
These were so tasty and easy to make! They’ll make a good option to freeze for a quick meal in the future. The ground turkey and freezing them probably isn’t the best for my histamine intolerance but I still really liked them.
Honey Garlic Meatballs
This recipe was really easy to throw together and so flavorful! I’m not a huge meatball fan but I’d make these again – however I might try them with turkey instead. I personally just don’t love beef. It’s not really inflammatory to me and I notice a big difference with grass fed beef. However I still don’t love the way it makes me feel. So I’ll try them again with turkey.
Snack Recipes
Snack Tray
I often just make a little plate of whatever snacks I have on hand. I buy 2-3 snacking fruits like cantaloupe, berries, apples, peaches, pears, bananas etc. I also snack on pickles, olives, cucumbers, carrots etc.
Avocado Mango Salsa
Just a diced avocado, diced mango, and cilantro with just a bit of lime juice! I’ve been dipping cucumber slices it in and topping my salmon and salads with it.
Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries
One of my favorite sweet treats! Just slice sweet potatoes into long strips (Fries) drizzle with coconut oil and cover with cinnamon (I use alot of cinnamon) airfry those for about 10mins at 400F until you’re desired level of crispy-ness
Cinnamon Apples
Another fantastic sweet treat! Slice an apple and sauté on a pan with coconut oil. Sprinkle a healthy dose of cinnamon on those apples as they cook. Cook until fork tender.
Strawberry Smoothie
Blend together frozen strawberries, coconut milk, and a splash of vanilla for a cold sweet treat!
Dole Whip
Frozen Pineapple
Coconut Cream
Pineapple Juice
Honey (if desired)
Blend together a cup or so of frozen pineapple, a spoonful of coconut cream (it’s strong, so find the amount you like) and enough pineapple juice for you to reach your desired consistency. Add honey if you like, but I don’t think it needs it.
I found that I don’t use much of the coconut cream but you can freeze it and it won’t solidify so it’s always ready for another batch!
Drinks
Lime Water
I start my mornings with a squirt of lime or lemon juice in my water with a pinch of salt for electrolytes!
Matcha Latte
When I need a yummy drink I make a little matcha latte with powdered organic matcha mix, coconut milk, and either honey or coconut cream.
Pink Drink
This might be borderline AIP compliant, but I really needed another fun drink. I got plain, unsweetened cranberry juice with no added sugar so for me it was good enough. Over ice I fill my glass 2/3 the way full of coconut milk, 1/3 cranberry juice, and top it with some freeze dried strawberries.
Teas
Teas that I enjoy when I wanted were turmeric, ginger, hibiscus, and orange
Supplements I’m Taking
These supplements support my gut and overall health during AIP. They are in no way required but people are often curious, so here’s what I’m currently taking:
- Apple Cider Vinegar: I add 2 tsp to warm water and drink it first thing in the morning. This helps balance my low stomach acid and helps with digestion throughout the day.
- Calm magnesium: 1-2 scoops every morning (you can sometimes find it cheaper at Costco) – helps with bowel movements
- Nordic Naturals ProOmega 2000 Omega supplement: 1 daily – helps with joint pain
- Thorne Advanced Nutrients – Multivitamin: 1 daily – helps with nutritional deficiencies
- Ortho Molecular Biotic Probiotic Blend: 1 daily – helps with digestion
- Pure Encapsulations L-glutamine 500mg: 1 daily – helps heal the gut lining
- Digestive Bitters: before meals – for low acid, aids in digestion
- DOA digestive enzyme: before meals and as needed – for histamine intolerance
- Nature Made Calcium supplement: 4 daily – because I’m dairy free, helps with hormone regulation
- Pure Encapsulations Magnesium glycinate: 2-4 nightly – helps with sleep and relaxation and anxiety