January Whole30 - RASS Dressing

It's January.  It's 2021.  Hoping it's a better year.  2020 took EVERYONE for a ride.  Let's hope it gets better in this new year.

Well, 2020 took a toll on my waistline and I used the quarantine making very questionable food choices.  Thank goodness for the opportunity to reset.  Just like the half of the country, food resolutions are on the menu.  Thankful for Whole30 that gives you a quick reset, and the ability to reacquaint yourself with what your body needs nutritionally.

This is my 4th Whole30, and while I'm following for ingredients, I'm certainly not following all the rules (i.e. the SWYPO rule).  I've learned that SWYPO's do not derail my Whole30.  SO...if this is your FIRST one, I will be sharing what to do if you're on a strict round.  And to be clear, SWYPOs are NOT allowed on a strict round.  And I recommend HIGHLY if it is your first round, that you avoid them, too.  

So, that brings me to RoyAnn's Secret Sauce (aka RASS).  We have a local diner that has the most amazing sauce they serve with fries and fried things (which even non-Whole30 I can't eat because I'm GF/DF since the first time I did Whole30). It's such a good sauce.  It's a cross between a horseradish sauce and Thousand Island dressing.  But, so much more!  This time around, I've decided to make a compliant version to be used on all the things.  It's a dip.  It's a dressing.  It's a drink (okay, it's not a drink, but....it COULD be...).  I digress.  Give it a try, let me know what you think!

Whole30 RoyAnn Secret Sauce (RASS)

1 Large Egg
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar* (check yours for sulfites!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 Cup NutPods Original (or any compliant milk/cream)
1 Cup Pure Olive Oil (or Avocado Oil)
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
2 Tbs Horseradish
2 Tbs Dill Relish (I use Wegman's brand, but if you don't have one local, find a compliant dill relish)

Combine Egg through tomato paste in 16 oz wide mouth jar.  Place immersion blender stick into the bottom of the jar and start mixing.  Once "cream" starts to form in the bottom of the jar, slowly bring the blender up to the top of the oil.  Bounce up and down while it's running until the sauce is thick and smooth.  (Feel free to taste and adjust seasonings, if you like). Remover blender.

Stir in horseradish and dill relish.  Again, adjust to your liking. 

Serve on...everything (pictured on a salad!)

Whole30 Tuna Tapas

A few years ago, one of our homeschool groups had a picnic.  My friend brought this amazing tuna dish and called it "Tuna Tapas".  She served it on a bed of quinoa (which is not compliant).  Everyone in my family loved it, in fact, I think we might have been the ones who polished it off and licked the bowl (Sorry, Lindsay!)

Each coop day, her daughters would bring it for lunch, and my daughter would stair at them longingly until they consented to give her a bit.  They call it "Tuna Tapas Tax" (some day, I'll explain our families "French Fry Tax"). Earlier this summer, my daughter was going to be at their house over dinner and my friend asked if she made Tuna Tapas for dinner would my daughter eat it.  After having a good laugh over it, I replied yes (and when I told my daughter thats what was for dinner, she did a fist pump and a "yesssssss"). 

I've been working on perfecting the recipe for replication and sharing.  I also looked at several recipes online, so this is fairly close to a lot of them, but tastes mostly like my friend's. And, it's Whole30 Compliant, easy and delicious!

A perfect summer meal.

Whole30 Tuna Tapas

4 Cans Solid White Albacore Tuna (make sure it's compliant!)

1 Red Pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 Red Onion, diced

2 Tbs Homemade Mayonnaise (or compliant store-bought like Primal Kitchen)

1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar (check for sugar and sulfates!)

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 Ripe Avocados, sliced

1 Large Tomato, diced

Bib or Boston Lettuce

In a large bowl, mix together tuna, red pepper, red onion, mayo, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper & garlic powder.  Serve over lettuce and avocado slices, top with diced tomato. 

When not on round, this is great with Siete Tortilla Chips.

GF/DF Lasagna - Food Freedom Recipe

While MANY of the ingredients in this recipe are Whole30 Compliant, the concept of eating pasta is a recreation - so please, do not eat this on round, it is a wonderful recipe for Food Freedom, though.  For those who stay ingredient compliant while doing Food Freedom, omit the Mozzarella Shreds, and this is "Whole30 NON ROUND compliant".

After my two full rounds of Whole30, I've decided that in addition to being gluten free (which I have been for about 8 years), I must also be dairy free.  I miss Lasagna.  I do not anymore.  This was delicious, albeit quite expensive!

I very similarly followed my traditional recipe for a lasagna, and used some amazing dairy-free products that are available on the market right now.



GF/DF Lasagna
1 Package Capello's Lasagna Sheets (thawed)
1 container Kite Hill Ricotta Cheese
1/2 container Kite Hill Sour Cream*
1 package Follow Your Heart Dairy Free Mozzarella Shreds**
1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
28 oz jar of pasta sauce (check your labels for sugar and/or dairy!)
1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
1 egg
1 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground meat in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Turn off heat and add jar of sauce.  If using ground beef, make sure to drain excess fat before adding sauce.  Set aside.

Place ricotta, sour cream, egg, Italian seasoning and nutritional yeast in a medium bowl and mix until well combined.

Lightly grease an 8X8 or 9X9 deep square baking dish/pan. Add about 1/2-3/4 cup of the sauce mixture to the bottom of the pan and spread around.  Cut lasagna sheets to fit in the pan and place two (or 3) on top.  Add one half of the meat sauce mixture on top, cover with more lasagna noodles cut to fit.  Carefully spread all of the cheese mixture over top of the noodles.  Sprinkle about half of the mozzarella on top. Top with more lasagna noodles.  Spread the remaining meat mixture ontop and sprinkle with mozzarella to your liking. 

Bake for about 30 minutes until everything is bubbly.  Remove from oven and let sit about 10 minutes before cutting.

*use the KiteHill Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt if you are trying to remain Whole30 Ingredient compliant
**Omit if staying Whole30 Ingredient compliant

Round Two Recipe Round Up

Finally having some success with Round 2!  We are 12 days in and (seemingly) going strong and doing well.

The key this time was planning our dinners for the entire 30 days.  Some were recipes from our last round, some were new, and a lot of what we ate was just adapted recipes that I already use every day, but make compliant by using compliant ingredients.  Here's a few of the new ones we chose and are loving them!  I hope that you enjoy them, too.

1. Lemon Pork Picatta - adaptation, use tapioca starch or arrowroot instead of cornstarch, exchange the wine for more chicken broth.  I served this one with mashed cauliflower and steamed green beans.

2. Whole30 Chick-Fil-A Nuggets - let's face it...we miss Chick-Fil-A while on a round, don't we??? And 40 Aprons is a great site to glean recipes from.

3. Creamy Tuscan Chicken - This was unbelievably yummy.  I had intended to serve over spaghetti squash but time was running short, so I served over cauliflower rice, it was divine.  The leftovers for lunch the next day were even better!  We're planning on going on vacation in a couple months, and I always prepare frozen meals to take with us.  I'll be prepping this one ahead of time and pouring over spaghetti squash.  Only note would be to watch your sun-dried tomatoes, make sure that they do not have any added stuff, and if you choose oil-packed vs. dried, make sure that the oil is compliant.  I used dried.

I'll add some more links next week after we try a few new ones.

Confession Time & Back-on-the-Wagon Breakfast

So.

Fell off the wagon.

Hard.

And my feet got tangled in the ropes while it dragged me along.

Been doing what I want, when I want, eating all the time...all the sugar.  Sugar Dragon had me in his cave chained to his gooey sweetness for a long time now.

I'm in pain.  My skin is terrible.  I hurt, everywhere.  All the time.  I have NO energy.  Why did I do this to myself again?  Was it worth it?  No.  No, it was not.

I've also gained back about 10 lbs of the 20+ I'd lost doing my first round and the few months after.

New motto "Food is fuel".  This morning's breakfast is my way to climb back on the wagon.  Taking each day one meal at a time.  So for now, I've made it.

Back on the wagon and riding it as long as I can.

Back-on-the-Wagon Breakfast

2 Eggs, whisked
3/4 Cup frozen spinach
5 or 6 grape tomatoes, diced
1 tsp approved oil or ghee
1/2 Avocado, diced
1/2 lime, squeezed
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a small skillet, heat oil/ghee over medium heat.  Add frozen spinach and sauté until defrosted and soft.  Add tomatoes and stir around.  Add eggs.  Allow the eggs to settle to the bottom of the pan and using your spatula, continue opening up pockets where the eggs can get to the bottom.  Cook for 1 minute or 2 until eggs have solidified.  Flip over and allow to cook for a minute or so on the other side.

In a small bowl, place diced avocado and lime juice.  Sprinkle with salt.  Move to one side of the bowl and add the eggs to the bowl.

Eat.

Feel satisfied.

Get back on the wagon.  AND STAY THERE!

FFF - Fast Food Friday - Whole30 Pork Fried Cauli Rice

When I go to the store, I purchase a LARGE pork loin roast (and I mean LARGE).  I cut it up in different ways to prep for future meals.  I make nice thick chops, I cut into large chunks and roll in seasonings to prep for carnitas, and I also dice a pound of it up in bite-sized cubes and freeze it with the marinading ingredients for this recipe, so that when I want fried rice, it's quicker than waiting for take out!  Don't worry, you can dice and prep in the same day (although, I do recommend an overnight marinade for the pork to get the most flavor out of this dish).  Buying this large pork roast, and cutting it and having it frozen in marinades or spice rubs makes cooking later a breeze and takes some of that thought process out for me.


Whole30 Pork Fried Cauli Rice
3/4 - 1 lb Boneless Pork Chops, cut into cubes
1 12 oz Bag Green Giant Riced Cauliflower & Sweet Potato (the one with no sauces added, defrosted)
*1 clove Garlic
3 Tbs plus 2 Tbs Coconut Aminos (some for marinade, some for cooking)
1 tsp Red Boat Fish Sauce
2 Tbs. Sesame Oil (I prefer Dark - again, some for marinade, some for cooking)Avocado Oil OR Olive Oil for stir frying
1 egg, beaten well
1 diced scallion


***Place pork cubes, 2 Tbs Coconut Aminos, 1 tsp Red Boat Fish Sauce and 1 Tbs Sesame Oil into a baggie big enough (I was able to use a quart sized freezer bag)** Let marinade at least 4 hours or overnight is even better.*** (this is the step I do when I get home from the grocery store so that as the pork is defrosting, it's also marinading). 


Heat wok (or skillet) on medium high heat.  Add about 2 or 3 tbs of Avocado or Olive Oil and 1 Tbs Sesame Oil. Add garlic clove (whole, peeled) to oil while it is heating up and slightly fry the clove - flipping - be very careful not to burn, burned garlic is YUCKY!.  Remove the clove when it is lightly browned/fried on all sides.  Set aside, you will be adding this back later.


Add pork cubes and marinade to the hot pan and cook until just about done.  Add the defrosted Cauliflower Rice blend and continue to stir fry.  After about 5 minutes, add 3 Tbs. of the Coconut Aminos.  Stir around and create an empty spot on the pan to cook the egg...allow it to COOK before trying to scramble it and stir into the rice/pork mixture.  (otherwise you end up with a creamy like sauce and not pieces of egg).  Dice the garlic that has been set aside and stir in when you stir in the egg.


After everything is done cooking all together turn off the heat.  Sprinkle top with scallions and stir them in.  Feel free to top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds if you desire!

ENJOY!

NOTES:*You can use any of the riced cauliflower you'd like just make sure that it has no added sauces or flavorings that are non-compliant.

Whole30 Philly Pepper Steak & Eggs

Philadelphia.  City of Brotherly Love. Home of the Eagles, Superbowl Champs LII.  Famous for their Cheesesteaks.  I've eaten a lot of them in my day.  Love a good cheesesteak.  Of course the question that always comes up is Pat's or Geno's?  In my book, NEITHER!  There's tons of places in south eastern PA to get a killer cheesesteak.  WAIT!?  NO DAIRY!  NO GLUTEN! A pile of plain old shaved steak meat sounds kinda boring.

This is NOT a boring breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Easy to whip up.  And so easy to eat while being very satisfying and compliant.  I put my air fryer to work again and added some spiced wedgie fries to go with it. 

2 lbs Chipped Steak Meat (I get from my local grocery store in the meat dept)

1 large green pepper, diced

1/2 medium red pepper, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 Tbs Bacon fat, Ghee, Avocado Oil or Light Olive Oil (I prefer the bacon fat...because...bacon fat!)*

1 Tbs Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Eggs ( as many as you need for your clan, prepared how you like them)

In a large skillet, set on medium high heat (I use a 12" Fry Pan) heat your fat source, add diced peppers and onions and sauté, stirring often.  Cook for about 5 minutes until crisp tender, and some pieces have a slight char on them (be careful not to burn).  

Add chip steak to the skillet, separating as you add it in.  Allow the meat to sear a little and stir around, breaking up a little as you stir.  Cook for another minute or two and stir again.  The meat will cook very quickly.  If you're adding the nutritional yeast, sprinkle over the meat after the first minute or two, making sure to stir it in well so that it dissolves.  This will give a cheesy flavor without adding dairy, but it is not necessary, and will still be quite delicious without it. 

While the meat is finishing up, prepare your eggs to your liking in a separate skillet.  My family is partial to over-easy and over-medium eggs so that the yolks can ooze onto the meat. (okay, I might have just drooled on my keyboard there!). 

I also like to add sautéd spinach just under the egg to add a bit more veggie, if you like.  

ENJOY!

*NOTE ON BACON FAT AND WHOLE30....only ever use bacon fat if your source is organic and free from nitrates & nitrites.  While nitrates and nitrites are okay on Whole30, when rendered into fat, they are not good for you, especially when reheated.  The brand of bacon I use is organic and uncured so the rendered fat is pure.  After cooking my bacon, I allow it too cool slightly and strain through cheesecloth and store in clean glass jar. Just like my great-grandma used to do.

Zoodle Pad Thai

One of our favorite off plan recipes is Pad Thai.  We have a local Japanese restaurant that makes the most delicious Pad Thai known to man.  For those who are NOT on Whole30 Round and can handle rice noodles and peanuts, this is the recipe that my recipe is based off of: One Pot Pad Thai

On Whole30 Round, or even trying to remain as strict to Whole30 as possible (or even Paleo or low-carb), this was a delicious experiment and definitely scratched the pad thai itch I was having.  Preparing does take some forethought, as the components to the sauce may not be readily available in your kitchen. For example, I made the NomNom Paleo Whole30 Sriracha on my meal prep day because I knew I'd be making this pad thai this week for a meal.  That made putting the sauce together a little easier. You can also prep the sauce and keep in the fridge if you like, but I do not recommend making the zucchini noodles until the day of (or purchasing if you aren't making your own zoodles). Making some of these things ahead of time, makes this meal a quicker meal to put together on the fly.  My plan is to freeze the remaining sriracha sauce for another recipe, or another time I make the pad thai.

So...here goes!

Zoodle Pad Thai

[Sauce]
3-4 dried, pitted dates, reconstituted in 1/8 cup boiling water
1/8 Cup Fish Sauce (Red Boat is Whole30 Compliant)
1/8 Cup Rice Vinegar (make sure to check your source for added sulphites)
1/8 Cup Lime Juice
1/8 Cup Coconut Aminos*
1/8 Cup NomNom Paleo's Whole30 Sriracha Sauce (you could also use a Whole30 compliant ketchup and add compliant hot sauce vs. making this - taste would be a little different, but that would work).
1/2 to 1 tsp salt (to taste, really...coconut aminos do not add that "salty" flavor as strongly as soy sauce would)

[Rest of the ingredients]
2 large boneless/skinless Chicken Breast, sliced in thin strips and cut to a about 1" pieces
3 large zucchini, julienned into noodles using a Veggetti or spiralizer (a julienne peeler would work as well, but take longer and not quite be noodles...but would work).
2 Tbs Sesame Oil, divided
1 Tbs EVOO or Avocado Oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 medium Shallot, diced
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 Cup Bean Sprouts
1/2 cup crushed almonds (I used slivered almonds and chopped them up a bit)
1/4 Cup Sliced Green Onions
1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro

To prepare the sauce, place all of the ingredients into a tall glass jar that your immersion blender will fit into.  Start by reconstituting your dates in this jar with the boiling water.  Once they are soft and pliable, add everything for the sauce EXCEPT for the sriracha sauce.  Using your immersion blender, blend until the dates are all incorporated and no chunks remain.  Then stir in your sriracha sauce.  (I've found blending the sriracha with the remaining ingredients makes it REALLY spicy!).  I like to make this on my prep day so that cooking goes much faster.

Prepare the zucchini doodles and set aside to "drain".  I put mine in a colander and just let them hang out until I'm ready to use them.

In a large wok or skillet, heat 1/2 Tbs of the Sesame Oil on medium high heat and scramble/chop up the egg.  Set aside once cooked.

In the still hot wok/skillet, add 1 Tbs Sesame Oil and 1 Tbs of EVOO/Avocado oil.  Add garlic and allow to lightly fry brown, flip and cook on the other side. on the other side (be careful not to BURN the garlic...ewwwww!!!!).  Remove and set aside - IF you want to add the garlic back in at the end of the cooking, smash it and slice it thin.

Once garlic is removed, add shallot and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes. Then add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Add the sauce and stir around and cook until the sauce begins to thicken/reduce.

Quickly add noodles, bean sprouts, cooked egg, and garlic (smashed and sliced).  Stir around until zucchini noodles become crisp tender.

Remove from heat.  Sprinkle the top with scallions, cilantro & chopped almonds.  Serve IMMEDIATELY!

A family pan of zoodley goodness!

Meal Plan & Prep Monday

Prepared Thai Chicken Meatballs

For any plan of any kind to be successful, it takes planning and preparation.  This is true in all aspects of life, not just food.  I find when I prepare for meals ahead of time, and get some of the work out of the way, there's food available for those nights when I only have 30 minutes to pull something together, or I just don't feel inspired to cook at all.  I know many people who menu plan, and while I don't do it faithfully every week, I hope to get better at it as 2019 progresses.

While I'm not on a strict round right now, we live fairly close to Whole30 ALL the time.  Because of this, I still have a day in the kitchen almost every week, and when I am cooking something on the fly I try to make extra for easier time of meals later in the week (for example: if I'm grilling chicken for dinner, I throw a few extra breasts on so that I don't have to food prep grilled chicken another day; when baking potatoes for dinner, I bake extra for leftovers and quick grab meals).  I would say, in general, I at least prep fresh Whole30 Mayo, Dump Ranch, a dozen hard-boiled eggs and grill about 3 pounds of Chicken Breast each week (that is, if I haven't had it for a meal and prepped extra already).

So, here's a few of my menu items this week:

Coconut Curry Meatballs w/ Cauliflower Rice
Zoodle Pad Thai (I'll share the recipe in a blogpost later this week)
Whole30 Instant Pot Beef Stew
NomNom Paleo's Cracklin' Chicken & Creamy Whole30 Bacon Garlic Spaghetti Squash
Philly Pepper Steak & Eggs (another recipe I'll be sharing late this week)
Whole30 Mock Chick-Fil-A Nuggets & and Air Fryer Waffle Fries (with a salad for greens)

I usually try to food prep the day after I go to the grocery store.  I put everything in the fridge, not freezer when I get home from the store.  The only exception to this is if I'm planning to use the whole package, as is, with no modifications (as in the shaved steak I bought to do the pepper steak, that was just placed right into the freezer as is).

I always buy two packages of Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts that are about 5 lbs each. For one of the packages, I opened it and prepped it for future meals. I diced up two breasts and placed in a container of pickle juice, and put in the freezer.  This will be used for the Mock Chick-Fil-A Nuggets.  I also sliced 2 breasts very thinly in bite-sized pieces, placed them in a container with 2 Tbs of Coconut Aminos and sprinkled with salt. This will be used for the Zoodle Pad Thai. The remaining chicken breasts in the package were seasoned liberally with Trader Joe's Season Salt and grilled.  These will be for quick lunches (or breakfasts!).  The other package gets cleaned up (gut off all the extra bits that are yucky!) and separated in about 1 1/2 pound packages and frozen.  These are for meals and nights when I know I'll have time to think and cook, or just to pull out and grill when I run out of grilled chicken in the fridge.

I prepped a batch of NomNom Paleo's Whole30 Sriracha Sauce that is used in the sauce for the Zoodle Pad Thai.  I will be freezing the leftover sriracha sauce, that way, I don't need to make it again when I need it. I also prepared the Pad Thai Sauce.

With this weeks haul of Ground Chicken Breast, I prepped a triple batch of the Coconut Curry Meatballs.  I froze 2/3rds of a batch in one container that I'll use later in the week for the Coconut Curry, and the remaining third in a container that I'll use in week or two for a soup recipe I saw.  I find when I have a couple recipes I want to try that have similar flavor profiles, it's nice to over-prep for the first one so that when I go to try the second recipe, half the work is already done!

I also prepped the Creamy Whole30 Bacon Garlic Spaghetti Squash and placed in an oven safe dish, covered and put in the freezer.  I will pull it out to defrost in the morning I plan to use it and bake it off while I'm making the Cracklin' Chicken.  While prepping the bacon for this recipe, I prepped two more packages of the bacon.  That way, I have some bacon in the fridge to add as a condiment on salads, or have a couple slices with breakfast.

My last thing to prep was some roasted vegetable soup to have in the fridge as a veggie packed side to add to my lunches.  I'll be sharing this recipe sometime in the near future, but it really couldn't be easier to throw together...chop a bunch of veggies - usually the ones on my counter/fridge that are happening to start to be a little overripe, roasted in the oven until soft and blended with some compliant bone broth to a soup like consistency.  Easy peasy and not any cheesey!

Roasted Tomato Soup ingredients ready for the oven!

FFF - Fast Food Friday - Blistered Tomatoes & Veggies w/ Chicken & Fried Potatoes

When I say "Fast Food", I do not mean McDonalds, Wendy's, Chick-Fil-A....or (Tom Hortons for our northern friends!), I mean quick, easy, tasty meals for one.

We have a few nights during our week that we dub "Fend Night", where everyone must fend for themselves for dinner.  With five people in our family, with crazy schedules and often going in 3 or 4 different directions in the evenings, at different times, and no one is really home at the same time, it makes a sit down dinner as a family a little difficult.  I created Fend Night a few years ago when I just didn't feel like cooking and I knew my kids were capable of feeding themselves (not to mention my husband).  This is/was usually a night to clean out the fridge of the various leftovers we have in the house.  My son will always default and make a sandwich, my youngest will usually make herself a salad and top it with the grilled chicken that's always in my fridge, hubby cooks some kind of eggs...and me?  Well, when I'm in the mood for food that I don't believe my family will touch...or if it contains black olives...I try to do that!

The other night, we were down to our last half of a chicken breast, a handful of tomatoes, some spinach, and my kalamata olives.  Well, thats what gave birth to this dish.  It took maybe 15 minutes from concept to cooked, and it was worth the few minutes time for a "gourmet" thrown together dish. I have been requested to make this for my family sometime.

Blistered Tomates & Veggies w/ Chicken & Fried Potatoes
1 Medium potato (your favorite kind)
Bacon Grease/Ghee/Avocado Oil or EVOO
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup kalamata olive, pitted & halved
2 Cups fresh spinach leaves
Small Dash onion powder & garlic powder
3-5 oz of cooked chicken breast, sliced thin

Wash potato and prick with a fork.  Wrap in a paper towel and microwave 3 to 5 minutes (depends on your microwave's wattage, you want to steam it enough that it is cooked through and fork tender, but not mushy).  Slice in 1/4" rounds.

While the potato is cooking is a good time to halve your tomatoes and prep your veggies for the pan (but don't put them in yet!).

Heat a 8 or 10" skillet over medium heat, add a your oil/grease to the pan - about a Tablespoon or so. Allow to melt.  Add potato slices in one layer in the pan and fry until golden on the first side, flip and fry until golden on the second side.  Remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

Using the same pan, lay the tomatoes in the pan cut side down.  Allow to sit and "fry" in the grease for about 3 minutes - the tomatoes will start to get pale...and when you try to flip one over it's blistered and browned.  Shake around the pan to flip them all over, add the olives and the spinach, onion powder & garlic powder.  Cover and let sit for a couple minutes to wilt the spinach.  As the spinach starts to wilt, add the chicken slices and stir to coat with the juices/veggies.  Cover and let spinach finish wilting.

Stir around and make sure everything is warmed through.  Serve over or next to the potato slices.  Salt & Pepper to taste.

NOTE:  You can use fresh diced onion and fresh garlic if you prefer, if you do that, add the onions prior to the tomatoes and cook until starting to get translucent, THEN add the tomatoes and start at that step, adding the garlic when you add in the olives and spinach (this will keep the garlic from burning and getting that rancid taste that burnt garlic can get).

Also, I have also done this combination and used precooked frozen shrimp that I defrosted and added at the last minute just to warm up.  This works just as well!

SWYPO Sunday: Grain Free Buns

WARNING *** WARNING *** WARNING

This recipe below is a SWYPO and NOT ALLOWED during a round of Whole30.  Recreation of breads, rolls, sweets, treats, etc. is forbidden on a 30 day round.  This recipe is to be used during Food Freedom phases ONLY. 

WARNING *** WARNING *** WARNING

I have been gluten-free for many, many years.  Finding bread, rolls, etc. is often difficult and disappointing.  Thankfully, the gluten-free craze across the country has expanded the choices and quality over the years.  These items, however, still usually do not fit into a Whole30 Food Freedom Lifestyle.  For me, I really do try to stay within the guidelines of Whole30 at least 90% of the time during Food Freedom.  I'm usually 100% "ingredients wise" while at home, and allow off-plan ingredients only when out of the house. That being said, I really enjoy these buns while off-round and at home.

My plan right now, until I can get prepped, ready and in the mindset for a compliant Round of 30 days is to go 6 days 100% compliance, while allowing SWYPOs and treats on only DAY of the week.

I've made this recipe for many years.  It's adapted from one that I pinned years ago on Pinterest.  This is NOT the original recipe, and as of last check, the original recipe no longer actually exists on the internet, which I would totally have linked here if it was!

My adaptations, to me, improved taste, texture and nutrition. These are a very high-fiber, high-protein bun that is versatile and can be used for breakfast in a breakfast sandwich, lunch with compliant lunchmeat, or dinner with a drippy delicious burger. The ingredients for this recipe couldn't be easier.


I hope that you like it (when you are NOT ON A ROUND...it's a SWYPO) as much as I do.



SWYPO Grain Free Buns

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 Cup Almond Flour/Meal
1 Cup Flax Meal
10 Tbs psyllium husk
4 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp sea salt
6 egg whites
2 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all dry ingredients to a bowl.
3. Blend in the egg whites using a mixer
4. Add boiling water and keep blending until you have dough.
5. Divide Dough into 8 even pieces. Shape dough into buns, you can make them flat as they do rise a lot)
6. Place the buns on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 55 minutes.
8. Let cool completely prior to cutting.


NOTE:  You can spray the top with avocado oil spray and sprinkle with seasonings or sesame seeds.

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Whole30 Coconut-Crusted Chicken Tenders

In case you were wondering, YES, you DO want an air fryer.

My amazing husband got me an air fryer for Christmas.  Unlike my Instant Pot that totally intimidated me and I was afraid to use for the first week, I could not WAIT to dig into my air fryer.

First thing I made was french fries.  They were yummy.  Second thing....was this...a family favorite recipe pre Whole30.  It uses lots of things that are not compliant.  THANKFULLY, I tested some theories and adjusted to Whole30 Compliant.  Cannot believe this experiment worked so well!  DELICIOUS and EASY CLEANUP!!  Win-win!

Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 Lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - sliced into 1/2" strips (or 1 1/2 Lbs of Chicken Tenderloins)

2/3 Cup ArrowRoot Powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

Unsweetened Flake Coconut

Avocado Oil Spray (like Chosen Foods OR Avocado oil in a Mister)

Preheat Oven to 225 degrees (this will be to keep "waiting" tenders warm as you fry in batches).

Prepare two sheet pans - cover with foil, parchment or silicone baking mat.  (One will be used for your precooked tenders, one will be used to keep the cooked ones warmed in the oven). 

Prepare your coating stations - 

1. Arrowroot powder with paprika and salt, mixed together (put in large bowl)

2. Two beaten eggs in shallow dish; 

3. Unsweetened Coconut Flakes in a shallow dish

Preheat your Air Fryer to 400 Degrees.

Pat the chicken tenders dry and add to bowl of Arrowroot powder & Spices.  Mix well until all of the chicken pieces are generously coated with the mixture.  It will be dry an powdery.

Dip pieces into the beaten egg one at a time, then into the coconut flakes. Set on one of the baking trays and continue coating the rest of the chicken pieces. 

When all the pieces are coated, spray with avocado oil spray.  Flip and spray again.  This step helps the coating stick well in the air fryer.

Place 4 or 5 tenders in the basket of your fryer and place in your machine.  Cook for 5 minutes, flip and cook 3-5 minutes more until crispy and the chicken is cooked through.  As you remove from the air fryer, add to the empty baking sheet and place in the warmed oven.  Continue cooking the chicken in batches in the air fryer until done. 

Serve immediately.  I served with raw veggies and Whole30 Dump Ranch.  I also made a mock Chick-Fil-A sauce by mixing 1/2 Cup Whole 30 Mayo, 1/4 Cup Whole30 BBQ Sauce, 2 Tbs yellow Mustard, 1 tsp Lazy Kettle Liquid Smoke and mix well.  It's not QUITE CFA sauce, I'm still playing with this one. 

Note: If you do not have an air fryer, you can pan fry them in about 1" of avocado oil OR you can bake them at this point at 400 degrees - about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Bake until crispy and golden brown and that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.

Whole30 Squash-titchio

WHAT!?  LOL!

I know, you're saying, WHAT THE HECK!?  This recipe is meant to represent the greek wonder-food called Pastitchio.  Pastitchio (or pastitsio) is basically Greek Lasagna.  It is a pasta, mixed with meat sauce, covered in a béchamel sauce, baked to perfection and served along side pita and a greek salad. I had a Greek friend whose mom made the  most amazing pastichio.  I would dream about it.  Literally.

Years ago, I made a version of it myself using spaghetti, cream cheese, and meat sauce.  I made it more "upside-down" and called it Spaghetti Pie.  You'd mix the hot pasta with the cream cheese, half and half and spread it on the bottom of the pan, then top with meat sauce and cheese.

I really thought my days of enjoying this dish were behind me.  BOY WAS I WRONG!

Squash-tichio
1 lb Ground Chicken/Beef or Turkey
1 28 oz jar Compliant Spaghetti Sauce (I used Aldi Simply Nature Organic - my regions is compliant)
4 cups cooked Spaghetti Squash threads, DRAINED (I used some leftovers I had from a previous recipe - see note)
4 oz Kite Hill Chive Almond Cream Cheese
1/4 Cup Original Nutpods Creamer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saute pan, brown ground meat and add spaghetti sauce mix well, and turn off the heat.

In a separate bowl, combine cooked, drained spaghetti squash threads, KiteHill Chive Almond Cream Cheese and Nutpods.  Mix until squash is covered well.

Spread squash mixture in the bottom of the deep dish pie pan, or other 2 quart baking dish.  Top with the meat mixture.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly on the top.

Serve.

Enjoy.

Whole30 Turkey Lunchmeat

One of my most difficult things while trying to continue to follow the Whole30 lifestyle closely when not on round is finding affordable lunchmeat that has no added sugar (or crazy preservatives that make them taste yucky!).  Note, I said affordable.  There are some compliant options out there, but they are expensive, and for a family that used to daily subsist of the convenience of lunchmeat constantly in the fridge, difficult is putting it mildly.

Yes, I know that you can't have sandwiches.  But even just a few slices with your salad, or when no on round a SWYPO bread-like substance, a lunchmeat is key.

I experimented the other day with a boneless turkey breast I purchased at our local grocery store.

It turned out pretty darned good!  And I was able to slice it really thin!  Thanks to my husband who bought us a really cool electric sharpener! :)

Whole30 Turkey Lunchmeat

2 lb Boneless/Skinless Turkey Breast
EVOO - about a Tbs.
Trader Joes 21-Seasoning Salute (Or your favorite compliant seasonings!)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place turkey breast in a shallow baking dish that allows air to flow around it.

Spread the olive oil over the surface of the turkey breast and sprinkle liberally with your seasonings.

Sear for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.  Cook 18 minutes per pound - or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads at least 165 degrees.

Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil (or lid, if you placed in a roasting pan that has a lid).

Allow to cool completely before attempting to slice thin.

ENJOY! :)

Whole30 Cauliflower Chowder

It's fall, yawl. Up here in the North, it's dipping to freezing overnight, and we stubborn ones are refusing to turn on the heat until November 1st.  This means warming soup and comfort foods are necessary for heating up from the inside out.

I've been seeing a lot of recipes lately for cauliflower soups...creamy ones, chunky ones, brothy ones. Cauliflower is something we have come to love over the years in our house.  Even my kids love it.  My youngest prefers mashed cauliflower over mashed potatoes.  I'm never one to just follow a recipe as written, I always try to come up with my own flare and my own twist to make it mine.  So, this recipe is a conglomerate of about 9 recipes that I found while doing a deep-dive into Pinterest.

This recipe is benefitted by mis en place - prep all your veggies, etc. before starting.  Once that is done, the recipe itself comes together very quickly.


Whole30 Cauliflower Chowder

8 oz, No Sugar Added Bacon, sliced in small pieces
2 12 oz bags frozen cauliflower, defrosted (avoid ones with added sauce, looking for ONLY cauliflower here!)
2 large stalks celery, one a fine dice, one sliced
1 Medium white onion, half a fine dice, half roughly chopped
3 Cups Chicken Broth (make sure it is compliant!)
2 large carrots, 1/4" dice
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 large white or red potatoes, 1/2" dice (see note)
1 Cup Nut Pods original creamer (see note)
Sliced green onions
Salt & Pepper to taste

In one medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 Cups chicken broth with 1 full package of cauliflower, roughly chopped half onion, and the one sliced celery stalk.  Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until the veggies are soft.  Once soft, puree in batches in a blender, OR puree using an immersion blender and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large soup pot (5 quart), place bacon and cook until crispy.  Drain and set aside.  Reserve about 2 TBS of the bacon fat for sauteing the vegetables.

In the same soup pot, after removing bacon and all but 2 Tbs of the bacon fat, sauté the finely diced onion, celery, carrots and garlic over medium low heat.  When the onions are just about translucent, add the potatoes.  Take the cauliflower from the 2nd package and dice into bite-sized pieces.  Add to the soup pot and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining broth and cover pot.  Bring to a boil and cook until the veggies are softer, but not mushy.

Once the veggies in the soup pot are soft, add the pureed cauliflower/onion/celery to the pot.  Stir well and allow to mix together.  Reduce heat to low and slowly add the 1 Cup Nut Pods.  Stir until combined, and slightly thickened.  Salt & Pepper to taste.

Serve with the reserved bacon and sliced green onions (not pictured, I forgot them! EEEK!)

NOTES:

1.  If you are not following Whole30 - you can use Half & Half or Cream in place of the NutPods.
2.  You may use white sweet potato instead of a white potato in place of the potato.

A Day in the Whole30 Life

We have started another round of Whole30.  We started on Wednesday, and are now on Day 3.  I confess, I was not as prepared heading into this round as I was in our first! I think I was a wee bit overconfident.  We started on NO groceries on Wednesday, and I didn't get to do a full shopping trip until Thursday.  But, today, our fridge, freezer and pantry are STOCKED.  And I'm working on my prep.

I'm often asked what a day looks like in Whole30. If you haven't visited their website, yet, PLEASE DO SO.  ALSO, consider buying the book, cookbooks, and Day By Day guide.  Melissa & Dallas have outlined EVERYTHING you need to know.  I found them so helpful prior to starting our first round.  And going into this second round, it's been nice to reread everything and be fully versed on all the "rules".

The tennents of Whole30 are three meals a day, no snacking, and the template for meals should be very balanced.  A balanced plate is mostly vegetables, a little bit of fruit (not necessary at every meal), a plated fat (GOOD Fats!), and a protein.  IT IS NOT KETO or PALEO, no matter what someone's told you...it is neither of those things.

So, heres a day in my Whole30 Life.

Breakfast.  You've heard the tag line "the most important meal of the day". I admit, I never used to eat breakfast.  I used to drink my iced tea (okay, until about 8 months ago, I'd start my day with a nice large glass of Coke Zero), and probably wouldn't eat any real food until about 2:00 p.m.  And then I would continue eating almost hourly until 10 p.m.  Gee, now that I look back, sure have no clue how I packed on so many pounds (note sarcasm). Forcing breakfast in my body when I first started my first round was neither easy, nor pleasant.  But, I noticed after a couple days in that I started waking up hungry and actually WANTED to eat!  Here's my breakfast today, and this is fairly typical.  My plated fat was ghee (aka clarified butter) that my eggs were cooked in, I do normally love an avocado half in the morning with lime juice and a little salt.  Since I just went shopping yesterday, my avocados were not ripe enough, yet.  YES, by the way, you CAN have bacon on Whole30.  Please make sure that it is bacon that has no sugar or ingredients you're not supposed to have on round, this bacon was Wellshire's No Sugar Bacon that I got on sale at Whole Foods (I might have taken all they had, thanks to Amazon Prime, I got the sale price PLUS another 10%).  I always have Unsweetened Iced Tea with Lemon as my caffeine-of-choice-in-the-morning.   As you can see, I'm pairing this round with my "Made to Crave 60 Day Devotional".  Being "whole" means dealing with the "whole" self, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Breakfast: Eggs in Ghee, Tomatoes, Strawberries & Bacon

Lunch.  Lunch was a quickie today...thankfully, I had some leftover (compliant) pulled pork in the fridge along with some (also compliant) homemade barbeque sauce.  Added lots of mixed greens and homemade Ranch dressing.  I know that you see the word "homemade" and get scared, believe me, these are EASY recipes and I have learned them well enough I can toss them together whenever I need them. I took a few minutes this lunch time to look over some recipes and get some ideas for the upcoming week. 

Lunch: Pulled Pork BBQ w/ Mixed Greens and Ranch

Dinner.  After running out with my youngest to see a movie with a few of her friends, I came home to cook up some dinner.  I decided to go simple and easy as well as adding in some of my prep for the upcoming week.  Each week I grill 5 lbs of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast for quick grab lunches & dinners for the three of us who do Whole30 in the house.  Even though I'd be the only one eating dinner, I decided to have a good one.  I grilled the chicken, topped with Trader Joes Fresh Green Goddess Dressing, steamed broccoli with ghee and an amazing fried potato.  The potato was so easy, I had lots of bacon grease leftover from making bacon at breakfast, I steamed the potato in the microwave for 5 minutes while the grease was heating up in the pan.  When it was done steaming, I smashed it with a potato masher and placed in the hot grease and cooked it on both sides until crispy. It was amazing. I WILL be doing that again.  I also paired it with my daily kombucha.  I usually drink my home-brewed kombucha, but Aldi had the GT Synergy Watermelon Wonder on sale for super cheap, so I decided to give it a try.   I only drink about 8 oz of Kombucha a day, so I'm also having some flavored seltzer. 

Dinner: Grilled Chicken with Green Goddess, broccoli & fried potato

Yes.  This was enough food.  No.  I was not hungry in between.  I did pack a Larabar for the movie just in case I got hungry (this is truly only an emergency food during a round, and is discouraged, so I use only as an ABSOLUTE emergency food during a round).  I DID NOT EAT IT, I never got hungry!

This should hold me through the night, and yes, I will definitely be hungry for breakfast tomorrow...now to think about what I'm going to have tomorrow!

Eggplant "Parm"

When I was a child living with my grandparents and my great-grandmother, fried eggplant covered in  sauce, and cheese and gooey-ness.  Of course it was fried in a cast-iron pan, on a gas stove, and the added ingredient of love made them taste even better.

Fast forward too many years to even want to mention (so I won't!), I haven't made eggplant.  Ever.  In my life.  After starting Whole30 in June (we are currently not on a round, but practicing food freedom), we've been open to exploring new foods, new veggies.  Eggplant was one that is always a texture issue and has to be prepared just right for me to like it (let alone my kids or husband).

Hubby and I talked about it one day, and I was brave enough to grab an eggplant and give it a try, how hard could it be, REALLY?  The steps are really easy, just need to be followed.

Eggplant "Parm"

1 Large Egg plant, cut in to 1/2" slices (or thinner, if you like)
Salt

Coating:
In one container: 1 Cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
In another container: 2 Eggs & 2 Tbs Water
In a third container:  1 Cup Almond Flour, 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast, 1 tsp Onion Powder, 1 tsp Garlic Powder, 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt & pepper

Avocado Oil For Frying (If you are on a round you need to use a compliant oil)

Compliant Marinara Sauce for topping or dipping.


1.  Prepare your eggplant slices by laying on paper towels or a clean tea towel in a single layer.  Salt.  Let sit for 15 minutes or more.  Flip slices over and salt again and let sit for at least 15 minutes.  Pat VERY dry before starting the coating process!!!

2.  Dip slices of eggplant first in the tapioca starch and cover completely.  Shake or rub off excess.  Dip into Egg and again cover both sides completely.  Put into almond flour mixture.  Coat well.  Set aside to "set" before frying.

3.  Heat oil on medium heat to about 375.

4.  Place 3 or 4 slices into the hot oil.  Cook about 3-4 minutes a side, watching carefully not to burn.

5.  When golden brown and crispy, remove to a paper towel lined plate or cooling rack and salt immediately.

6.  Top with your favorite, compliant, marinara sauce.  YUM!

New Blog, New Me

This is not my first blog.

This is not my first attempt at being a New Me.

There is nothing wrong with the Old Me. Well.  That may not be true.

Shortly after the birth of my youngest child, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  It was a lengthly process to get to that diagnosis, and I had been suffering for years before that child, that I had basically attributed to the stresses of motherhood to young children.

I've tried many diets, many fads (oh, Weight Watchers, Raw, Vegan, Trim Healthy Mama, you name it, I've tried it).  What many of these failed to address was my mindset around food, my need for food and the downward spiral of constant pain, overwhelming exhaustion, feeling inadequate, constant depression, eating because I was depressed, and then, getting overweight.  Clinically obese.  But not really obese in the standard sense.  No medical issues attributed to weight, normally.

A little over two months ago, I embarked on a journey that I thought FOR SURE, I would fail.  Because I always fail.  I always get too tired, too grumpy, too much pain, or a migraine hits.  I fail because I feel alone and don't think I'm worth the effort.  Which is, of course, at it's core, VERY FALSE!

Two years ago, someone mentioned Whole30 to me.  She and her family were going to attempt it, and they did it.  Then another friend did it.  Then another, and soon I was surrounded by friends who did Whole30 and touted it's amazingness.  I bought the book.  I read the book.  I put it on the shelf an totally forgot about it.  NO CHEESE?  NO WAY!  I was not going to set myself up for failure like that.  Life without Cheese.  I knew I could not do it.  I scoffed every time someone mentioned it to me.

Fast forward to this year.  I just was at my wit's end.  Almost the heaviest as I'd been for most of my adult life (except for Pregnant Me), in constant pain, severely exhausted, mentally and physically drained of everything.  I picked up the book again.  I decided that maybe I COULD do it.  For just 30 days, or just 15 days, or just 1 day.  I started talking about it with my husband, and my youngest daughter (now 13) chimes in "I'll do it, too!".  Everyone in the house did it except for the teenage boy who just can't fathom life without pizza (I hear ya, kid!  I hear ya!).

I planned, and planned.  We set a start date.  It started the day after our 23rd wedding anniversary, and ended before the 4th of July.  My youngest said that July 4th was our FREEDOM DAY!  We all laughed at the thought.  I didn't think I could do it.  But I did.

30 Days flew by.  I lost 14 lbs. Who knows how many inches.  And I gained some energy.  I'm not trying to tell you I'm healed.  But what I learned, I have applied.  And I'm still losing eight (though, even as I'm overweight, that is NOT my goal.  My goal is health, and the best life I can live in this body which does not like me very much.

On August 1st, I'll be starting another round.  Round 2.  I'm starting this blog for a couple reasons.  First, to keep me motivated, I've heard that Round 2 is actually even harder than Round 1.  And Second, to share with you that if I can do it, YOU can do it.

It's only 30 Days.