Meal Prep 7/3/17: Whole 30 Week 2

We're officially a full week into the Whole 30 and feeling great! I don't have any sugar cravings at all, and I'm loving the food freedom to eat whatever and whenever I feel like I need to. In general I'm pretty good at eating intuitively, but the fact that the Whole 30 prohibits any kind of calculating your food macros/calories/etc is actually a lot more freeing than I expected, because it's been making me really pay attention to my own hunger and satiety.

The only downside of the W30 is that I'm definitely spending a lot more time in the kitchen than I usually do. Pre-W30 the mister and I would both have smoothies for breakfast, which required minimal prep, and his lunch was always no-cook. Now I'm preparing 6 full meals for the work week as opposed to the 3 that we were used to before. However, as with anything, it takes practice, and I'm sure that my time investment will go down as I get into more of a routine!

Here's the plan for this week!

Breakfast for me: Root Veggie Hash with Ground Venison // I started by shredding 1# of carrots and 1# of parsnips (with the bitter cores removed) in my food processor, then sautéed that with 2-3 tbsp of bacon fat in my Le Creuset pot. In a separate skillet I cooked 1# of ground venison with about 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 2 tsp ground sage, 2 tsp fennel seeds, and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning. After the meat was cooked through, I added it to the root veggies along with about 10 cups of chopped chard (from about 1.5 heads). When the chard wilted I portioned everything out! 

Breakfast for him: Frittata + Banana // To make the frittata, I sautéed up one diced onion with two chopped bell peppers until soft. In another skillet, I sautéed 12 oz of sliced mushrooms until toasty and brown. In yet another skillet I cooked up 8 oz of Whole30 compliant bacon (also from US Wellness Meats), and lastly, while all of that was going on, I roasted up about 1 pound of fingerling potatoes in the oven. I layered all of those things in a large pyrex dish, then whisked up a dozen Vital Farms eggs and poured them over the top. I baked that at 350 for about 25 minutes until the eggs were set. 

Lunch for me: Mustard Roasted Chicken with Butternut and Kale // This recipe can be found in my e-book, here! It's one of my favorites and it has been entirely too long since I've make it. In short, it's chicken, butternut, and kale all roasted with a mustard/sage/coconut sauce. Delicious and super easy to put together!

Lunch for him: Chicken, Veggies, Strawberries, Nuts + Dried Figs // I heavily seasoned the chicken with Paleo Powder all purpose seasoning blend, then baked at 400 until cooked through, about 25 minutes. The veggies are in my favorite reusable bags by Stasher. He had a similar meal last week and it wasn't quite enough to keep him full, so I added some extra chicken, nuts, and the dried figs this week!

Dinner for me: Curried Ground Meat with Veggies and Cauliflower Rice // This is another recipe from my cookbook, Weeknight Paleo. I didn't have any ground beef on hand so I used ground wild boar instead! I enjoy incorporating different and more unique proteins into my diet for the sake of variety in both flavor and nutrition. The other ingredients in this dish are jicama, onion, bell pepper, and of course, coconut milk and spices. 

Dinner for him: Date Shallot Chicken + Broccoli + Potatoes // This Date Shallot Chicken recipe by PaleOMG is one that we come back to time and time again! I added garlic and rosemary to the potatoes too so they're a perfect complement to the chicken. 

Snacks: W30 compliant LARABARs or Rx Bars for him and an apple with Artisana Coconut Butter for me!

I spent about $160 on groceries this week (a little higher than usual because we were out of some bulk items that I usually have on hand), did about 1 hour of veggie prep (both of us at the same time), and probably 4 hours of cooking. That's a lot of episodes of Gilmore Girls :) 

Have a great week, and stay tuned for another giveaway this Thursday!!

-Tracey

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!

Meal Prep 6/26/17: Whole 30 Week 1

When the non-paleo eating husband proposes a Whole30, you say YES! To be honest, as familiar as I am with the Whole30, I've never actually done one myself. I've done a 21 Day Sugar Detox and pretty much every therapeutic diet known to man in my journey to heal my gut, but never a "by the book" Whole 30! In full disclosure, this one won't be a full 30 days; we'll be just a few days short when we take a trip up to central CA for one of Craig's best friend's weddings, but we're not going to sweat it. I think it will be 26 days total, which is still a great accomplishment!

If you're not familiar with the Whole30, you can find the rules here. In short, it's a paleo diet that also eliminates all added sugar, alcohol, and "paleofied" treats and snacks. All the real foods, all the time! One other thing that I really appreciate about the Whole30 concept is that it really has you evaluate why you choose to eat certain foods. It's also a great platform for teasing out food sensitivities as you reintroduce foods back into your diet on the tail end. 

Conveniently (for him), the husband was out of town this weekend, which meant that my time in the kitchen basically quadrupled from previous weeks since we had to cut out some of our time saving strategies for more Whole30 compliant options (my favorite protein powder has stevia and I usually bake an out based breakfast bread for him each week). I actually had to go buy more glass Pyrex dishes because I used them all up!! I also think I used and washed every pot/pan/bowl/appliance that we have at least twice. At the end of the day though, I love seeing all of this delicious and nutrient dense food ready for both of us to eat all week long. (Plus more on the counter that wouldn't even fit in the picture!) 

Breakfast for me: US Wellness Meats Pork Sausage + Veggies // The veggies include sweet potatoes roasted in coconut oil, spinach sautéed in Kasandrinos olive oil, and asparagus crisped up in Primal Kitchens avocado oil.

Breakfast for him: Frittata + Banana // To make the frittata, I sautéed up one diced onion with two chopped bell peppers until soft. In another skillet, I sautéed 12 oz of sliced mushrooms until toasty and brown. In yet another skillet (oy, the dishes!) I cooked up 8 oz of Whole30 compliant bacon (also from US Wellness Meats). And lastly, while all of that was going on, I roasted up about 1/2 pound of fingerling potatoes in the oven. I layered all of those things in a large pyrex dish, then whisked up a dozen Vital Farms eggs and poured them over the top. I baked that at 350 for about 25 minutes until the eggs were set. 

Lunch for me: Tom Kha Soup with Chicken // This recipe can be found in my e-book, here! It's a staple that I make all the time, and includes zucchini, mushrooms, and chicken in a bone broth and coconut milk base. (I use Golden Star coconut milk. It is additive free and has the smoothest consistency of any that I've found!) 

Lunch for him: Chicken + Veggies, Grapes, and Nuts // I heavily seasoned the chicken with Paleo Powder all purpose seasoning blend, then baked at 400 until cooked through, about 25 minutes. The veggies and grapes are in my favorite reusable bags by Stasher. 

Dinner for me: Green Flatbread + Veggies + Braunschweiger + Apple // My green flatbread has evolved over the years from the original recipe. Currently I love adding in some Guiltless Goodies Superseed flour, Almond Pro almond flour, Ancient Nutrition Pure Bone Broth Protein, and Sari Foods Nutritional Yeast. 

Dinner for him: Chili // Another recipe from my cookbook, and always a crowd pleaser! It includes ground beef, onion, bell pepper, tomato, and lots of spices! 

Snacks: Rx Bars

My weekly meal prep usually takes me 1-2 hours, but this week it took closer to 4-5. Even so, 4-5 hours of cooking for a week's worth of food isn't a bad trade off at all!

Have you done a Whole30? What was your experience like?

Have a great week!

-Tracey

Meal Prep 6/19/17: Freezer Meals

Hello, and happy Monday!

Over the past few weeks I have ended up with a few extra portions of meals from my weekly preps, which I stashed away in the freezer for another time. I usually end up using these up on the weekends, but every once in a while they build up. I only have so many glass containers and only so much freezer space, so when this happens, I build them into my weekly meal prep to clear things out! Not only does this build variety into my week, it also keeps things fresher because food doesn't get stuck in my freezer for too long.

Here's the plan for this week:

Breakfast: Carrot Cake Protein Shake // 1 scoop Equip Prime Protein (vanilla), steamed and frozen carrots + zucchini, banana, spices, and homemade almond milk! I add in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and a pinch of salt for flavor. I also add in 1 tsp of  Four Sigmatic Chaga Elixir. Chaga is a mushroom that is packed with antioxidants and is great for modulating the immune system. I like to use it daily for overall wellness as well as post workout recovery. I blend everything up in my Blendec, and the addition of the frozen veggies makes this so thick that I eat it with a spoon!

Lunch: Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie by Civilized Caveman // This is a recipe that I pinned years ago and have never gotten around to actually making. I was feeling in a bit of a meal planning slump last week (it happens to all of us!) so I went back to some of the recipes I collected on my Pinterest board at the very beginning and this one piqued my interest! I modified it slightly by leaving out the bacon and the honey, as well as by adding in some cauliflower rice to bulk up the veggie content. I meant to also add some chopped spinach but completely forgot when I was making it!

Dinner: Freezer Leftovers // I have two portions of honey mustard chicken with carrots and kale, one portion of lamb hash, and one portion of tuna casserole. My fifth meal will be date night out! I used Primal Kitchens honey mustard and mayo, Safe Catch tuna, and US Wellness Meats chicken and lamb in these recipes. 

Snacks: Apples + Artisana Coconut Butter // I don't have a snack every day, but I like to keep them on hand in case I need them. My work schedule keeps me on my toes, so sometimes I end up eating my dinner in the middle of the afternoon and need something else for the early evening. 

In other news, I crossed over the 5K followers mark on Instagram this past week, and celebrated with a big giveaway! I said it there, but I'll say it here too: I'm honored that so many of you choose to follow along on my day to day food, health, and wellness adventures! Instagram and social media has been an amazing resource and a source of inspiration. It has allowed me to connect with a multitude of incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging people from all over the world, and has fostered many friendships that would otherwise never have been possible. So I just want to say THANK YOU for following along, chiming in, and sharing your lives with me!

(And if you missed the giveaway, be sure to stay tuned, I have several more coming up!)

Have a great week!

-Tracey

Meal Prep 6/12/17

It seems untimely that now that it's technically summer I spontaneously decided to switch from my usual cold breakfast protein shake to a hot breakfast "cereal," but switch I did. We're still in the midst of the June gloom here in San Diego, and the gray mornings make a hot breakfast feel very appropriate! 

Breakfast: Cinnamon Ginger Hot "Cereal" // I used to start my day with a bowl of steel cut oats, fresh blueberries, walnuts, and greek yogurt every morning. These days I usually enjoy some kind of shake during the work week and eggs and veggies on the weekends. However, every once and a while I get a craving for a hot breakfast porridge reminiscent of my oatmeal days, and I discovered long ago that spaghetti squash is my favorite medium for that! This recipe is inspired by this one from Eat Heal Thrive, and uses spaghetti squash and carrots as the base. I modified the recipe by using extra spices, extra coconut milk, and half of the apple cider. I'll add in some Vital Proteins collagen peptides every morning for protein. 

Lunch: Pesto Pork Skillet // This recipe can be found here. I modify this one as well by using 10 oz of chopped baby spinach in place of the kale and adding in some additional store bought pesto for extra flavor. I also use pork from US Wellness Meats, which is my preferred source for top quality animal protein!

Dinner: Zupa, Veggies, Apple, Avocado, Protein // This no-cook spread is one of my favorite ways to eat because it requires zero prep and is so full of variety and flavor! I always have some kind of veggie (cucumber/carrots), some kind of fruit (apple), some kind of fat (avocado or nut/coconut butter), and some kind of protein (Applegate deli turkey or Epic Bar this week). These days I also love adding a bottle of Zupanoma bottled soup. They're delicious, and a very efficient way to increase my veggie intake! Well worth the cost for the convenience of wholesome veggies on the go. If you want to try them out, you can order on their website and get 20% off and free shipping with the code "wholedailylife!" My current favorites are the carrot coconut lime and the yellow pepper habanero!

One last note on meal prep: I portion everything out in single serving containers as pictured, then stick all of the cooked food in the freezer to pull out day by day, which helps to keep it fresh. I reheat my food in my Hot Logic Mini for just over an hour and it's perfect!

Have a great week!
 

-Tracey