Meal Prep 11/28/16

Lately I've been packing a lot more into my weekends, so my meal prep has been on the super simple side. More often than not, I prepare two "all in one" meals that include an animal protein and at least two veggies each. I also love to cook elaborate and creative dishes, but sometimes a "no-fuss" meal is exactly what I need to keep things easy! 

Breakfast: Protein Shake // I know I've been posting about these shakes for months, but I really love them, I feel great eating them, and they're super easy!! 1 scoop Build protein by PureWOD and 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and ice. Lately I've been adding in some peppermint to my chocolate shakes and some matcha to my vanilla ones to mix it up! 

Lunch: Creamy Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Casserole // First, I cooked the squash. Normally I cut it in half, de-seed, cook under high pressure in my Instant Pot for 7 minutes, then use the quick release function to release the pressure. This time I went the old school route and baked it cut-side down in the oven at 425 until tender. Either way, after the squash is done, scoop out the strands into a large bowl. I was using up some leftover pre-cooked chicken in this recipe, but if you don't have that, just cook some in the Instant Pot (12 minutes on high pressure), then shred! To the squash I added about 1 cup of chopped kalamata olives, 1 cup of Chosen Foods Mayo, and two bags of chopped fresh baby spinach (about 12 ounces). I mixed that all together, then spread about half of it in a layer on the bottom of a large glass baking dish. I topped that with the cooked chicken (just shy of 2#), added the rest of the squash mixture, then baked it at 400 until bubbly. It's not pretty, but it has great flavor! 

Dinner: "Beef Tapa" Hash with Bok Choy // This dish was inspired by a Beef Tapa recipe I've seen floating around, but rather than buy a cut of beef, I decided to modify and use the ground beef from US Wellness Meats that I already had in my freezer. I cooked the beef in my Le'Creuset dutch oven until no longer pink, then added 1/4 cup coconut aminos, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1# of shredded radishes, and 1# of chopped bok choy. I simmered until the veggies were soft, adjusted the seasonings (added a little more fish sauce), then portioned it out for the week!

Optional Snack: Collagen Bar + Homemade Chocolate // Primal Kitchens Collagen bars are a go-to for me. Stay tuned for a giveaway coming soon, hint hint :) I also made a fresh batch of homemade chocolates. You can find the basic recipe in my 11/21/16 Meal Plan post! 

Another quick and easy week that clocked in at just under two hours, including roasting the squash in the oven! 

Have a great week! 

Meal Prep 11/21/16

I can't believe it's already the holidays! I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, and am looking forward to all the festive, cozy things that the season brings. Seeing as this will be a short week, I only need three days of food to get me through the work week. I didn't change much about my prep, however. I prepared dishes and portioned them as normal, I'll just have a few extra servings in the freezer to use at a later time! These are perfect for weeks when I have less time to prep, when plans change, or when I want a little more variety in my week. 

I'll do a post on my meal prep routine at some point...stay tuned!

Breakfast: Protein Shake // 1 scoop Vanilla Build protein by PureWOD and 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and ice. I also use the Rootz pre-workout energizing superfood before I go to the gym, which I LOVE!

Lunch: Ground Bison with Primal Kitchen Ranch, "Cheesy" Turnip Mash, and Bacon Braised Kale // I started by cooking up 1# of ground bison from US Wellness Meats in a large skillet, then added about 1/2 cup of Primal Kitchens new dairy-free Ranch dressing (DELICIOUS) to make a creamy sauce. It was a little on the runny side, so I mixed in 1 tbsp coconut flour to thicken it right up! For the turnip mash, I roasted about 4# of peeled and chopped turnips in avocado oil (again by Primal Kitchens) until golden. Then I blended them in my food processor with some coconut milk, SariFoods non-fortified nutritional yeast (one of my favorite flavor boosters), and Himalayan pink salt to taste! In the meantime, I sautéed some kale in bacon grease, sprinkled with smoked salt, then braised in bone broth in my Instant Pot until soft.  

Dinner: Sausage Soup with Zucchini and Spinach // I definitely made this up on the fly, but it turned out well! I started by browning 1# of the pork sausage from US Wellness Meats in my Le'Creuset dutch oven (this was given to me at my wedding 4 years ago and is probably my most used kitchen item!). When the sausage was cooked, I added in 1.5# chopped organic zucchini, 4 cups of homemade bone broth, and 2 bags of organic baby spinach. I let that simmer until the veggies were soft, adjusted the seasonings, and then portioned it into jars for the week!

Optional Snack: Collagen Bar + Homemade Chocolate // Primal Kitchens recently came out with two new flavors of their collagen bars, which I love!! They're balanced in terms of macros (about 15 gm each of carb, protein, and fat), and are full of gut healing collagen. You can try them out for yourself here! I also made some homemade chocolates this week to have after my meals, just for fun! The simple recipe is one part each of cacao butter and coconut butter and two parts cacao powder. I just whisk it all together in a saucepan over low heat and add sweetener to taste. I especially love adding a drop of peppermint essential oil (learn more in the "Work With Me" tab)! 

Excluding chopping (which my husband helps me with), this prep took just over an hour. Thanks for stopping by!

Meal Prep 11/14/16

Last week I was in Colorado at some property that my family has in the southern part of the state. I grew up spending a couple of weeks each summer there, and still try to go back a couple of times each year. The cabin is 15 miles outside of town and it's so quiet that you can hear every bird chirp and tree rustle. Naturally I did a lot of sitting on the back porch and looking at the mountains (my view), reading, and of course, cooking! It was nice to be able to be more spontaneous with my cooking while I was there. Since I wasn't constrained to a work schedule, I was able to listen to my body and cook/eat when I was hungry, which allowed me to be more creative. The first day I bought a few different protein options and tons of veggies, then mixed and matched all week long. 

This week things are back to normal, however, and I'm all prepped and ready for the workweek! 

Breakfast: Protein Shake // 1 scoop Vanilla Build protein by PureWOD and 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk, Bulletproof Brain Octane, and ice. I also use the Rootz pre-workout energizing superfood before I go to the gym, which I LOVE!

Lunch: Thai Pork with Bok Choy and Collards // I started by browning 1# of ground pork from US Wellness Meats in a large skillet, then I added about 2 cups of chopped green onions (green parts only for low-FODMAP), about 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger, and a couple of tbsp of coconut oil. Then I added two packages of chopped baby bok choy from Trader Joe's (about 12 oz total) and about 6 cups of chopped collard leaves. I let all of that cook for several minutes, covered, then seasoned with about 2 tbsp each of coconut aminos and fish sauce (I only use this brand!), to taste. Super simple! 

Dinner: Tom Kha Gai // This recipe is a staple of mine, and it really couldn't be any easier! If I don't have the lemongrass, ginger, or lime around, I'll use my doTERRA essential oils instead. You can find the recipe in my cookbook, Weeknight Paleo! 

Optional Snack: Fat Bomb, Macadamia Nuts, Collagen Bar // The fat bomb is 1 tsp each of Artisana Coconut Butter, Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil, Tin Star Foods Ghee, and Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts. I also added a drops of stevia and a splash of vanilla extract. I also have a Collagen Protein Bar by Primal Kitchens and some macadamia nuts, just in case I need them. 

Have a great week!!

Meal Prep 10/31/16

Well, I'm quite pleased with how well things turned out last week with my low carb high fat 16/8 approach to eating! I've eaten lower carb historically to help control my digestive symptoms, but this was my first time tracking my actual intake. I averaged about 1700-1900 calories daily, 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carb. All in all, I felt really great! The first couple of days were an adjustment since I had been doing a more zone type approach for 6 weeks or so before (30-40% fat, 30% protein, 30-40% carb), but after that, I felt super satisfied and energized, and didn't have any trouble keeping my food within 8 hours and fasting for 16. And the best part? NO BLOATING. Bloating is the primary symptom that I deal with on an ongoing basis, and I was actually surprised at how much the LCHF approach made a difference!! I really didn't have cravings for carbs at all, though I did plan a "carb up" day on Sunday and treated myself to an Acai bowl with protein powder for lunch and some roasted butternut squash with dinner. DELICIOUS. 

I'm implementing the same thing this week, and here's what I'm having:

Breakfast: Protein Shake // On workout days I'm using Rootz protein superfood with some added cinnamon and Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk and ice. (Plus the Rootz pre-workout energizing superfood, which is the best I've used!!) On non-workout days I'm having the new Vanilla Build protein by PureWOD with coconut milk. 

Lunch: Ground Chicken with Coconut Oil and Kale // Inspired by Leanne Vogel of Healthful Pursuit, I cooked up some ground chicken in coconut oil with a few dashes of fish sauce for flavor. I purchase all of my meats from US Wellness Meats in a bulk order online, then pull from my freezer stock all month. Pro-tip: they run 15% off coupons once a month or so, so I always wait for that to place my order. It saves me $20-40 each time! The kale is one of my current favorites, and I'll give it its own page soon! In short, melt a few tablespoons of ghee in a large pot, then add torn kale and stir to combine. Cover and let kale steam until tender, then add a generous sprinkle of salt and lots of chopped garlic.

Dinner: Pesto Pork Skillet // I modified this slightly by using only 1# of ground pork (again, from US Wellness Meats), a lot more garlic, and 10 oz (two bags) of organic baby spinach instead of the kale. I make this recipe often because it's so full of flavor with that pesto! 

Optional Snack: Fat Bomb and/or a Bar // The fat bomb is 1 tsp each of Artisana Coconut Butter, Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil, Tin Star Foods Ghee, and Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts. I also added a drops of stevia and a splash of vanilla extract. One of my go-to's, though they didn't make it into the picture :) I also usually bring a Collagen Protein Bar by Primal Kitchens, just in case I need it. 

This week took about 1 hour of veggie prep and 1 hour of cook time. Quick and easy! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Meal Prep 10/24/16

Happy Monday, and thanks for stopping by!

Lately I've been playing around with a 16/8 type of eating structure, where I fast 16 hours (including overnight) and eat during the other 8. There is a lot of research to support the benefits of fasting, from cellular regeneration to reduced inflammation and beyond. A lot of folks with SIBO or other digestive issues also experience relief when restricting eating to an 8 hour time frame, because it allows their bodies to fully experience the benefits of the digestive cleansing wave. As I've been playing around with this structure, I've been cautious to listen to my body's signals. Lately I've been wanting more fat and less carbs in my diet, so that's what I planned for this week. And if I'm hungry or under more stress, I'll have a snack outside of my 8 hour window and not sweat it! This tends to happen when I teach for several hours in the evening, but surprisingly, I've found that for the most part, it really hasn't been hard to do my eating between 9am and 5pm and give my system a break for the rest. 

One note: time-limited eating (aka intermittent fasting) isn't necessarily recommended for everyone. Exercise caution if you have adrenal fatigue, though I have heard of many healing their adrenals using this approach! As well, if you give it a try and after a few days are noticing an increase in symptoms, cravings, or moodiness, it might not be for you. When it comes to changing things up, listening to how YOU feel is the most important part of figuring out what approach is best! 

Meal prep this week was done in a snap due to two no-cook meal options. I'm all about those time saving shortcuts!

Breakfast: Protein Shake // On workout days I'm using Rootz protein superfood with some added cinnamon and turmeric, mixed with Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk and ice. (Plus the Rootz pre-workout energizing superfood, which is amazing!! AND Rootz is running a sale through tomorrow Oct. 25th for 15% off using the code "fallspecial.") On non-workout days I'm having the new Vanilla Build protein by PureWOD with coconut milk, which is maybe my favorite one yet. It basically tastes like cake batter!

Lunch: Lamb Hash // I modified this batch by replacing the cauliflower rice with shredded radish to decrease the FODMAP content. I also added a little more olive oil to increase the fat for satiety. 

Dinner: Tuna Salad with Arugula and Cucumbers // 1 can Wild Planet tuna + 2 tbsp Primal Kitchens Mayo + Farmhouse Culture Kraut + Bubbies Pickles

Optional Snack: Fat Bomb // 1 tsp each of Artisana Coconut Butter, Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil, Tin Star Foods Ghee, and Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts. I also added a couple drops of stevia to the batch, and a splash of vanilla extract. They came out 150% delicious! 

And that's a wrap! Excluding grocery shopping, this took me about 1 hour in veggie prep and 1 hour in cooking/portioning, leaving me plenty of time to enjoy the weekend!

Have a great week!

-Tracey