Next Week's Meal Plan: GF DF W30 with AIP Modifications

Your done-for-you meal plan for next week!

I can definitely vouch for how delicious this meal plan is by the fact that there is none left, and also by the fact that my husband, who generally eats and enjoys what I cook but doesn’t always say it, gave a thumbs up and an audible “that was delicious” after dinner one night!

We’ll get right to it. Lately I’ve been prepping B and L and parts of dinners over the weekend, then adding the finishing touches to meals on Monday and Tuesday nights. We then eat leftovers for the rest of the week.

Here’s this week’s meal plan:

B: Pumpkin Porridge // I used my Spaghetti Squash Porridge recipe here, but replaced half of the squash with a full can of pumpkin, skipped the Superseed blend, and added in 1/4 cup chia seeds. For a protein boost, I also added in 2 scoops of Vital Proteins Vanilla Collagen (this is one of my favorite VP products!) and 4 scoops of Vanilla Nuzest Pea Protein (omit the latter for W30). This is a tough recipe to convert to AIP, but in the past, I have used the squash, dates, pumpkin, and the coconut milk, added in some coconut flour to thicken, and lots of collagen!

L: Chicken and Veggie Soup with Avocado // I used my simple chicken soup recipe, as described here, with the addition of 1 large white sweet potato that I chopped into 1/2” cubes and two bags of baby spinach that I roughly chopped and added in at the end to wilt. I stocked up on avocado to top off each bowl, along with some sauerkraut! This recipe is AIP and W30 as written.

D1: Meatloaf with Creamy Carrot Parsnip Mash and Crispy Kale // What is it about meatloaf that is just so delicious!? I used this recipe, modified a decent amount to fit what I had on hand, and topped it off with Naked Bacon (wholedailylife for discount!). For the Carrot Parsnip mash, I roasted 1# each of carrots and parsnips, chopped into coins, with coconut oil at 350 until tender, about 30-40 minutes. After those cooled a bit, I puréed them in my food processor with coconut milk and broth (from the soup) until creamy. Lastly, for the crispy kale, I just de-stemmed one bunch of kale and chopped it into thin ribbons, added it to my Green Pan (we have been LOVING cooking with this!) with about 3 tbsp ghee, and let it cook until crispy! This combo is all AIP and W30 as written (with the AIP mods as suggested in the meatloaf recipe, aka, omit the egg).

D2: Ginger Scallion Chicken Meatballs with Cucumber Salad, Microgreens, and Butternut Squash // I used this recipe for the meatballs but subbed chicken for pork. For the cucumber salad, I sliced up 4 Persian cucumbers on my mandolin, then tossed them with 3 tbsp sesame oil, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 3 tbsp coconut aminos, and about 1” of finely minced ginger. This was a total wing-it recipe, but I’m happy with how it turned out! I made that fresh on the night we ate it, so it didn’t make it into the photo above. Since I also wanted some leafy green with this meal, I added the microgreens. I’ve been growing my own using kits from Hamama Greens and I’m hooked! So fresh and SO cost effective compared to what I was buying from the market!! (wholedailylife for discount) Lastly, for the butternut, I simply roasted chopped butternut with coconut oil and salt at 350 until tender and golden, about 30-45 minutes. Those roasted purple potatoes were leftover from the weekend and we used them up with this meal! All of these recipes are W30 and AIP as written!

These are some of my favorites, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! If you have any questions, ask away, and I’ll see you over on Instagram!

Have a great week!

-Tracey

Pizza Frittata + Nut-Free Whole30 Meal Prep

The week of July 4th my husband and I took a road trip to Colorado and back. The drive was long, but the trip was so worth it! I spent a lot of time just sitting, reading, walking, hiking, playing with the dogs, and RELAXING. Relaxing is not my forte when I'm at home...I always feel like there's so much to do. While I was away I really wanted to think about what it was that makes vacation feel like vacation, and I think it is the idea of timelessness. I spent so much time just sitting and doing what I wanted without the pressure to get anything in particular done or be anywhere at a certain time, and it gave me so much freedom to decompress. I used to be bored by sitting around and doing nothing, but now I see it in the same light as meditation. There is value in allowing the mind to just have space to stretch out and wander! 

One thing that I always try to do before I leave town for a trip is prepare some healthy food to have when I get back. This way when I get home, tired from traveling, I don't have to worry about doing a lot of shopping or cooking! I actually prepared last week's meal plan the weekend before we left so that I didn't have to do anything except pick up some fresh fruit. I also try to deep clean the house, but that didn't quite happen 😂  It felt good to get back in the kitchen this week and the time away definitely helped spark some creativity! 

Here's this week's meal plan:

Breakfast: Pizza Frittata + Pesto Spaghetti Squash // This pizza frittata made some waves on Instagram when I shared it in my stories, and for good reason! Good news: this recipe is incredibly simple, and I'll share it below! For the pesto spaghetti squash, I just steamed up a large squash (cut in half) in my Instant Pot for 8 minutes, then used the quick release function. To make the pesto, I simple blended up about 4 cups of fresh basil with 1/2 tsp salt, the juice of one lemon, and 1/2 cup hemp hearts. You can find another version of this recipe here!

Lunch: No-Cook // I've always been a fan of the no cook meal, but during summertime, I fully embrace it. I'm keeping it simple this week with a bottle of ZUPA (15% off with wholedailylife), some berries, and either Ayobayo Droewors sticks (10% off with wholedailylife) or Safe Catch salmon mashed with avocado for protein.

Dinner: AIP Meatloaf with Sweet Potato and Collard Greens // This meatloaf recipe is in my e-book, Weeknight Paleo ($2 off with wholedailylifew30)! If you're an adventurous cook and don't want to hassle with the recipe, it's basically cauli rice, green onion, shredded carrot, zucchini, salt, herbs, and 2# ground meat (I used beef), with bacon on top. For the sweet potato, all I did was steam up two of them in my IP for 13 minutes and then mash with some salt, but I also like to add coconut milk sometimes! Last but not least, I just chopped up the collard greens and sautéed with some bacon fat in a skillet for about 7 minutes. I ended up adding a little bit of broth toward the end as well.

Pizza Frittata

Ingredients:

10 eggs, beaten

Pre-cooked sausage links of choice, sliced into 1/2" pieces (about 3 cups total)

5-6 oz baby spinach (1 bag), roughly chopped

8 oz sliced black olives (roughly 1/2 cup)

1 cup chopped green onion

8-10oz organic pizza sauce  (look for one without added sugar)

Instructions: 

1. Grease the bottom of an 11x17 glass baking dish, then distribute the sliced sausage along the bottom.

2. Lightly sauté the spinach in a pan to wilt (optional), then distribute over the top of the sausage.

3. Add half of the olives, then half of the pizza sauce in dollops throughout the dish.

4. Add the onions, then pour the beaten eggs over the top.

5. Finish off with the rest of the olives and more dollops of the pizza sauce.

6. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes until bubbly and cooked through. 

This recipe is versatile, so feel free to add in anything that you usually enjoy on a pizza! If you make it, I'd love for you to tag me on Instagram so that I can see your creations!

Have a great week!

Whole30 Batch Cooking

Hi there my friends! 

Confession: I've been slacking a bit on my veggies lately. Normally I pack int least 6-8 cups daily, but these past few weeks I've been a little under the weather and haven't had my usual appetite. Inconvenient....because when you're sick, you want to pack in as many veggies as possible!! I decided to keep things super simple this week and really challenge myself to up my veggie game. Sometimes when I overthink it, it starts to feel overwhelming. 

My biggest tip? Chop those veggies up (or buy them pre-chopped), toss them with some oil and salt, and roast baby roast! Add a few easy batch cooked proteins (meatballs, Instant Pot chicken, etc) and you're good for the week. I'll also be making sure I have at least one bottle of Zupa each day, because it doesn't get much easier than that!

Here's this week's easy, Whole30 Compliant meal plan:

Breakfast: Chicken and Veggies // As you might have seen on Instagram, my husband recently got a Traeger smoker/grill, and let me tell you, that thing is magic. We've been smoking chickens on there and the flavor is incredible! We usually do two at a time (because #leftovers), so that's what I'm using as my breakfast protein this week. For sides, I added some steamed green beans (I'm playing around with these; in the past I haven't digested them well, so I decided to steam them to make them extra digestible) and roasted cinnamon sweet potatoes. For the sweet potatoes all I did was peel and cut them into 1" cubes, toss with a bit of coconut oil (my FAVORITE brand), salt, and cinnamon, and roast on a parchment lined pan for 30 minutes at 350 then 30 minutes at 400 to get that golden crust. I'll also be adding an egg each morning. Starting them at the lower temperature makes them extra sweet! 

Lunch: Ginger Scallion Chicken Meatballs with Veggies // For the meatballs, I mixed together 1# of ground chicken from US Wellness Meats with about 1 cup of chopped green onions, 1 tbsp coconut aminos, and a 2" knob of fresh ginger, minced. I formed 16 meatballs then baked them at 425 for 12 minutes until cooked to an internal temperature of 165. The veggies are pretty simple: carrots roasted in Tin Star Foods ghee, yellow squash roasted in Kasandrinos olive oil, and bok choy sautéed in coconut oil with coconut aminos and fish sauce. 

Dinner: Lamb Hash // One of my favorites, as you know! You can find the recipe here. 

Snack: Zupa + Ayobayo or RXBar // You know my love for Zupa as an easy way to pack in the extra veggies! Don't forget that you can get 15% off of EVERY ORDER with the code "wholedailylife" and until the 23rd, you can use the additional code "fourfree" for 4 free bottles! This is a serious deal you guys. Don't miss out! Also, Ayobayo Droewors is my FAVORITE jerky out there. The flavor is top notch, and the ingredients couldn't be any cleaner!! Last but not least, RXBar, which is a perfectly balanced whole-food based protein bar that I love to use around my workouts. I'll be doing a giveaway later this week, so stay tuned!
 

That's all for this week! (Also, this meal is almost completely AIP compliant!) Let me know in the comments, what's your favorite way to sneak some extra veggies in? What are you cooking this week?

Have a great one!

-Tracey 

Chocolate Granola No-Bake Almond Butter Fudge Pie

How's that for a mouthful of a name?! Believe me, the flavor lives up to the hype.

I've always loved the combination of nut butter and chocolate, so when I got my hands on a bag of Kitchfix chocolate sea salt granola, that's immediately where my mind wandered. I also had a couple of jars of Barney Butter almond butter that were begging to play, so I sketched out a rough recipe on a piece of scratch paper and got to work! 

I got lucky and nailed this one on the first try. The only thing to note is that it does soften up (to more of a mousse consistency) at room temperature, so it's best to slice and serve it chilled. This pie is definitely rich, and the base recipe would be great for experimenting with different types of crusts, mix-ins, and toppings!

Ingredients:

2 cups Kitchfix Cocoa Sea Salt Granola

3/4 cup coconut oil, divided (the only brand I use is Dignity Coconuts!)

3 tbsp cacao powder

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 dates, pitted and roughly chopped

1.5 cups almond butter (I used a mix of original and chocolate coconut Barney Butter)

2-4 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings: almond butter to drizzle, melted chocolate to drizzle, Eating Evolved chocolate chunks, more granola

Instructions:

1. Start by lining a 6" pan with parchment paper. (I made two long strips (each about 2" wide) that made an X across the bottom and extended about an inch above the sides, then laid a round piece on top of that.) Spray everything down with a spritz of oil so that it stays in place. 

2. In the bowl of a food processor blend the 2 dates, 3 tbsp cacao powder, and 1/4 cup of coconut oil until smooth. Add in the 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and the 2 cups of granola and pulse until the mixture comes together. Transfer it to the lined pan and press down to form a crust on the bottom and half way up the sides. Set it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

3. Wipe out the bowl of the food processor (no need to wash) and add in the almond butter, vanilla, and remaining 1/2 cup coconut oil. Pulse to combine, then add in the maple syrup to taste. (My almond butter had a bit of sweetener in it already, so I stuck with 2 tbsp, but if yours doesn't, you might want more!) Pour into the crust, smooth the top, then place in the fridge to set.

4. Let chill for at least 2 hours, until firm. To remove from the pan, flip upside down, run hot water over the bottom and sides, flip right side up again, then use the strips of parchment that cross under the bottom to lift the pie out.

 5. Add toppings of choice! I used some additional almond butter, some Eating Evolved chocolate that I melted to drizzle, and some Eating Evolved chunks. I also finished off the rest of the bag of granola on top! 

Review: PASCHA Chocolate (Allergen Free!)

If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that I LOVE a good piece (or a few pieces, let's be real) of chocolate! Honestly, I think I have some every single day. Fortunately, in the past couple of years my chocolate palate has been refined as I have had the opportunity to try more and more of the best chocolates on the market. To think, my bar of choice used to be Hershey's Cookies n' Cream!! (No shame though, I think I would probably still inhale one of those if not for the gluten.)

With that said, when I first started cleaning up my diet years ago, I made the simple switch from highly commercialized milk chocolate (Hershey's, Dove, etc) to dark chocolate from slightly nicer brands such as Ghiaradelli, Green and Blacks, and so forth. After working through several elimination diets in efforts to heal my gut, I became acutely aware of the prevalence of soy lecithin in chocolate, and it was a while before I found some bars that used sunflower lecithin instead. Taking that one step further, I was happy to discover that there are some options out there that have no emulsifiers at all! While the small amount of lecithin doesn't bother me, I am happy to be able to recommend these brands to clients who are highly sensitive.

There are a few that I have come across (I am THAT girl who is always reading the labels on everything, simply out of curiosity), but the one I want to highlight today is PASCHA!

PASCHA Chocolate is a family owned company that is dedicated to creating the most delicious and purest chocolate on the market that is safe for people with all kinds of allergies. All PASCHA Chocolate products are free from the top 8 major allergens (gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut, tree nut, wheat, sesame) and are certified organic, non-GMO, vegan, paleo, fair trade, and the list goes on! Talk about credibility!

The company reached out to me to see if I would like to review some of their products, and I eagerly said yes. I had heard of PASCHA Chocolate before (they make sugar free 100% cacao chocolate chips!), but had never tried it. They generously sent me two bags of chocolate chips and two of their dark chocolate bars, and I eagerly dug in!

I know, tough work, right? Well, I'm happy to report that the chocolate lived up to the hype! It amazes me that some of the best chocolate on the market is also the purest. I tried the 85% bar first, and was impressed with how rich the flavor was. It was perfectly sweet for my preference with a clean taste and a smooth finish. The 85% chocolate chips tasted exactly like the bar, which is dangerous, because I can throw down a handful of chocolate chips in a hurry! The 70% bar was sweeter, but not too much, and is a perfect treat when I feel like something a little more playful than the 85%. Last but not least, the 55% dark chocolate chips were noticeably sweeter, and would be a perfect addition to your favorite baked good of choice! (I can also envision them making a top-notch fudge mixed with some of my favorite coconut butter...if I hadn't already used and washed every dish in my kitchen twice already in the past two days, I probably would already be whipping up a batch!)

If you'd like to try some out for yourself, you can pick up a bar at your local grocery (Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Stop n Shop, and Jewel all carry them), or you can order online on their website or on Amazon. And be sure to head over to their Instagram page to follow some drool-worthy photos, as well as Pinterest for plenty of chocoholic inspiration!

Last but not least, don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY on my Instagram page, which will be up and running through Sunday July 2nd! There will be two winners, and each will receive coupons for three full sized bars of PASCHA Chocolate!

Thanks PASCHA Chocolate, for making such an incredible top quality product and making fine chocolate available to all of us with food sensitivities and allergies!