Whole30 Day 30: Instant Pot Carnitas

It’s Day 30(!!!), and I saved (one of) the best recipes for last: Whole30-friendly Instant Pot Carnitas!

Here you are, on the last day of your Whole30, so let’s take a moment to reflect on all the changes you’ve experienced this January. Remember when you first got started, a little sluggish, a little scared, and kinda-sorta unsure whether you were going to make it through all 30 days? And look at you now: You feel like a new person. You ARE a new person. You’ve mustered up an awesome amount of determination, and you followed through with something incredibly challenging. Now, you stand to reap the benefits!

When you were in the thick of it all, it might have been tough to remember why you put yourself through a Whole30 in the first place. Remember: the Whole30 is designed to help you understand how different foods affect you. By cutting out foods that are commonly problematic for 30 days, you’ve managed to re-set your baseline, and banish your bad food habits. Your sugar cravings are gone, you’re sleeping better, and you’ve boosted your metabolism, digestion, and overall health. So a loud and hearty cheer of congratulations is in order—BUT YOU’RE NOT QUITE DONE YET!

I’ll get to what you have to do next, but first, you gotta celebrate. That’s where my Instant Pot Carnitas comes in. I’ve perfected a Whole30-friendly version of this Mexican classic that uses an Instant Pot to make cooking a breeze. Plus, the results can go toe-to-porky-toe with the carnitas at your favorite taqueria!

This Instant Pot Carnitas is the perfect End-Of-Your-Whole30 Party dish. Bring out a big platter of these citrus-kissed carnitas at your next Whole30 shindig, and you’ll be the most popular person in attendance—even though you’ve avoided going out to eat with your pals the entire month of January, and everyone (who hasn’t done a Whole30 with you) thinks you’re either an anti-social shut-in or a weird health nut.

Seriously: THIS’LL SHOW ’EM! Get the recipe here!

But remember the part where I said you’re not quite done yet? Well, here’s the thing: You did a Whole30 to see how certain foods affect you, right? So you’re not going to want to throw away all the hard work you did this month by suddenly throwing yourself into a frenzied free-for-all at a Vegas buffet. If you immediately start eating grains, dairy, alcohol, and all the stuff you’ve been carefully avoiding for the past 30 days, you’ll have wasted the precious opportunity to re-introduce those foods one by one, so you’ll really understand how each of them impacts the way you feel.

So at your End-of-Whole30 party, give yourself a high-five, and maybe start with your first re-introduction food group. Pick one, and keep tabs on how you feel. Not sure how to do this? Check out the Whole30’s 10-day re-introduction plan here! 

Better yet, buy or borrow a copy of Melissa Hartwig’s Food Freedom Forever to learn how to navigate your eating life after a Whole30!

Here’s my January Whole30 wrap-up post!

A note to my Nomsters: This is one of a series of daily blog posts I’m writing in the month of January 2018 to help those doing a Whole30 to kick off the New Year. Not sure what the Whole30 is, or want info on how to get started? Read my Whole30 prep post—and then come back to Nom Nom Paleo every single day for recipes to inspire, delight, and sustain you on your Whole30!

And remember: Throughout January 2018, I’m partnering with Whole Foods Market nationwide! In all Whole Foods Market stores, you’ll find my personally curated Nom Nom Paleo Picks on the shelves, a rotating menu of ready-to-eat Nom Nom Paleo dishes in the hot bar, and even my famous Magic Mushroom Powder available for sale!

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!