Meal Plan 8/14/17: All About AIP

Hi there, and happy Monday! I had a neat opportunity to host the Autoimmune Paleo Instagram account this week, and as such, prepared only elimination phase complaint foods! If you're not familiar with the AIP diet, it's a diet originally pioneered by Sarah Balantyne of The Paleo Mom. It starts with the basic paleo template but then also eliminates eggs, nuts and seeds, alcohol, and nightshade vegetables, each of which has been shown to have a potential impact on gut health. By eliminating these foods (along with the obvious offenders like gluten/grains, dairy, sugar, etc) I, along with many of my clients, have seen a huge improvement in gut health, which translates to an improvement in autoimmune symptoms. There's a great overview of the diet here. 

When I work with clients on this diet I usually recommend that they follow the elimination phase for 1-3 months, or until they see a noticeable improvement in their symptoms. At that point, we start to strategically reintroduce foods and monitor for any changes in their symptoms. Ultimately the goal is for them to be able to eat the most liberal diet that they can while maintaining their health.

Here's what I prepared for the week!

Breakfast: Cinnamon Ginger Hot "Cereal" // This is the perfect AIP friendly alternative to the classic bowl of oatmeal! My batch is inspired by this recipe from Eat Heal Thrive, and uses spaghetti squash and carrots as the base. I modified the recipe by using extra spices, extra coconut milk (my favorite brand), and half of the apple cider. I'll add in some Vital Proteins collagen peptides every morning for protein. 

Lunch: No-Cook Spread // I have a variety of different things this week to incorporate a bit of variety! As usual, I have cucumber and radishes as my veggies, an apple for carbohydrate, and an avocado for fat. I have turkey for protein on a couple of days, an Epic bar for one day, and some dairy free cheese (by The Spunky Coconut and featuring my favorite Sari Foods Nutritional Yeast) and pâté (chicken livers from US Wellness Meats) on the others! I'll put the pâté recipe below!

Dinner: Coconut and Plantain Chip Crusted Chicken with Assorted Roasted Veggies // This chicken is the AIP version of the one that I posted on the US Wellness site as their featured chef this month! For veggies, I picked up several different types (cauli rice, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, sweet potato) and mixed and matched for the week! I'll put the chicken recipe below.

Snacks: Gut Healing Gummies and Carob Bites // For the carob bites, all I did was mix one part carob with two parts coconut butter until smooth! I also turned a portion of this mixture into a bark with dried cranberries and coconut on top which was so much more delicious that I even imagined! I made this batch with Eating Evolved roasted coconut butter, which definitely added some depth of flavor. If you order online, use the code "traceygmt" for a free gift with your order!

Chicken Liver Pâté

-1 yellow onion, diced

-1# chicken raw chicken liver

-6 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 tbsp coconut oil

-2 tsp each: dried sage, dried oregano, dried rosemary (or use fresh if you have it!)

-1 tsp salt (I like @redmondrealsalt)

-2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

-2-3 tbsp coconut oil

1. Caramelize the onion in 1 tbsp coconut oil, then add in the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.

2. Add in the chicken livers and cook until no longer pink.

3. Transfer the cooked chicken liver to a food processor and add all other ingredients.

4. Process until completely smooth, then transfer to small jars. Top each jar off with 1 tsp coconut oil to seal the top.

I like to make a batch of this each month and freeze the jars to pull out when I want them!

Coconut and Plantain Chip Crusted Chicken Tenders:

-1 cup shredded coconut (I buy mine from Trader Joes!)

-1 large handful plantain chips (Inka brand is compliant)

-1 tsp salt (I like @redmondrealsalt)

-2 tsp garlic powder

-1.5# chicken breasts

-1/2 cup coconut milk

1. Add the plantain chips to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped into small pieces. Add the shredded coconut, salt, and garlic powder and process until you achieve the texture of breadcrumbs.

2. Cut the chicken breasts into 1" pieces and pour the coconut milk into a small bowl.

3. Dip each chicken nugget into the coconut milk, then coat with the plantain and coconut mixture. Place each piece on a parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165.

Have you been curious about giving the AIP diet a try? Here's a meal plan to make it happen! It really can be super simple. My quick go-to's are a breakfast hash with ground meat and veggies, a no cook lunch with raw veggies, fruit, and deli turkey, and a dinner of a soup or something like roasted meat and veggies. Easy peasy! 

Have a great week!

-Tracey

Meal Prep 8/7/17: Simplicity + Featured Chef Project!

Hi there! Gosh, it has been a busy few weeks! I'm pretty sure that's how I started last week's meal plan post, but that's just the reality right now. 

I had a follow up with my doctor last week, and the good news is, everything is moving in the right direction! We didn't make any changes to my current protocol and are planning on continuing on as things are for another three months or so. I'm content with that, other than the part of having to take dozens of supplements. But they're making a difference, so that makes it worth it! 

We had company in town again this past weekend, which was a breath of fresh air. It's always so good to spend time with good friends! We did plenty of eating out at some of our favorite restaurants here in SoCal: GoodOnYa Deli, Breakfast Republic, Urban Plates (a new find!), and Pressed Juicery, of course! After all of that, I'm looking forward to returning to the simplicity of normal work-week food. As with any extra busy weekend, I did take a few shortcuts, which I'll explain below.

Breakfast for me: Pork and Spinach Hash + Sage Roasted Butternut // I recently found the bags of chopped organic spinach in the freezer section of Trader Joe's, and I've been taking full advantage of their convenience! In the past I would have chopped up a couple bags worth of fresh baby spinach just to toss it into the skillet to wilt, but the frozen bags taste exactly the same to me, and they're so much less hassle! Cheaper too :) I started this meal by cooking up 1# of plain ground pork from US Wellness Meats (did you see? I'm their featured chef this month!) in my Le'Creuset dutch oven with about 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp ground garlic, 2 tsp fennel seeds, and 2 tsp ground sage. When that was cooked through, I added in a 1# bag of chopped organic spinach that I had thawed and removed a bit of the extra water from, then portioned everything out into Pyrex containers. At the same time, I roasted a couple of trays of butternut squash cubes (1/2" pieces) that I had tossed with some coconut oil, salt, sage, and mustard. Those cooked  400 for about 30 minutes until soft. 

Breakfast for him: Protein Packed Banana Oat Bread // We've been relying on frittatas for several weeks in a row now, so this week I mixed things up with this oat bread. While nutritionally I do prefer the frittata, the oat bread is a bit easier to make (one step instead of several) so it's convenient for busy weekends. I started with this recipe as a base, but honestly, I never measure the ingredients! Here's what it usually ends up being: 3 blended ripe bananas, 1 egg, 5 scoops of whey protein powder, 1 carton of greek yogurt, about 1/2 cup water, 1 heaping cup of oats, 1 beaten egg, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, and about 1-2 cups of frozen berries. I mix it all together then pour it into a greased baking dish (usually an 11x7 Pyrex) and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). 

Lunch for me: Beef Sausage + Veggies // Really guys, if you're not buying meat from US Wellness, you should take a look at their site! I make a big order every few months and stock up on plenty of ground meat, whole cuts, and convenience items like these sausages. Pro tip: they send out a 15% off coupon in their newsletter every few weeks, so keep an eye out for that! All I did for this meal was roast some sweet potatoes (in Fourth and Heart Vanilla Bean Ghee YUMMM), sauté some kale on the stovetop until crispy (again, featuring Fourth and Heart, garlic this time), and roast some zucchini in the oven while the sausages cooked in a skillet. 

Lunch for him: No-Cook Spread // His usual of veggies (this week with some hummus for dipping!), fruit, deli turkey (one of our staples for shaving some time off of meal prep), and nuts. Veggies and grapes are in our favorite Stasher Bags.

Dinner for me: AMPLE // You may remember these from a couple of weeks ago. Ample is a meal replacement shake that I discovered in the Spring. It is designed as an all in one "just add water" kind of product, and after looking at the ingredient list, I was impressed! They have a whey and collagen based formula, which is the one I'll be having this week, as well as a vegetarian pea and rice protein based one. While I do generally prefer whole food based meals, having something like Ample is an incredibly convenient backup for busy weeks. If you'd like to try it out for yourself, you can use the code "wholedailylife" for 10% off of your first order!

Dinner for him: Chicken Sausage + Potatoes and Broccoli // Pretty much the same as my lunch, but with different sausages and different veggies. I make a weekly trip to Grocery Outlet (If you've never heard of it, it's a bargain grocery store, just like it sounds! They carry lots of name brand products there but at great prices. I've found The New Barn, Artisana, Purely Elizabeth, Chosen Foods, and plenty of other amazing brands! It's like a treasure hunt every time.) and a couple of weeks ago they had Aidels chicken and apple sausages on sale for $3 a pack, so I snagged a few packs to put in the freezer. 

Snack for me: Apple +  Artisana Coconut Butter //  Pro-tip: stash a full jar of coconut butter stashed at work. You'll thank me someday :) 

Snack for him: Epic Snack Pack 

Alright, I have plenty more that I could write about, but I'll have to save that for another day. Have a great week!

-Tracey

Meal Prep 7/31/17: Waffles and No-Cook Soup

It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks around here! We were staying at a friend's house to dog-sit for our last week of the Whole30, then went straight from there to spend a weekend in Santa Cruz for a wedding. We jumped right back into normal life for a full work week and then have had both family and friends in town this past weekend, only to head right back into another week of dog-sitting! Needless to say, I'm making good use of all of my time saving tips and tricks in this week's meal prep.

Breakfast for me: Protein Waffles with Cashew Yogurt and Berries // Okay, so this one wasn't so much of a time saver, but I've been dreaming it up for a while and wanted to give it a try! After a bit of a rough start, I was pretty pleased with how these turned out. I started with two large hannah sweet potatoes that I steamed in my Instant Pot. I processed these in my food processor with 5 scoops of Equip Foods vanilla protein powder ("wholedailylife" for 10% off) and 10 eggs, then cooked them up in my waffle iron that I sprayed with plenty of Primal Kitchens Avocado Oil. I learned after the first batch that I definitely needed to leave them in for a while in order to get them to come off in one piece! Since the waffles already have about 30 grams of protein per serving I plan on topping them off with some Forager Project Cashewgurt and fresh berries!

Breakfast for him: Frittata + Banana // This is a definite staple in our house. You can see how I make it here!

Lunch for me: DNX Bar, Zupa, Cucumber, Radish, Apple, Avocado // I'm all about that no-cook kind of meal. Zupa soups are a permanent fixture in my fridge, perfect for weeks when I need a veggie boost but don't have a lot of time. I'll be having that with some fresh zucchini and radish, a small avocado, an apple, and a DNX bar for protein! Lots of volume here, so in reality I'll eat until I get full and then save the rest for later. If you want to stock your fridge with Zupa too, use the code "wholedailylife" to get 20% off your order + free shipping!

Lunch for him: Raw Veggies, Fruit, Deli Turkey, Nuts // Have you gathered that he's a creature of habit when it comes to food? I don't mind, it makes meal prep easy! We love using Stasher Bags for his lunches because they're reusable and they don't leak! 

Dinner for me: BBQ Pork + Roasted Potatoes + Greens // I've had a package of pork tenderloins in my freezer from US Wellness Meats (where I buy all of my grass fed/finished meat) in my freezer for a few months now because I could never decide what I wanted to do with it! I was originally thinking that I would put it in the crockpot with some salsa verde to make tacos, but then I saw a BBQ salad on Instagram that totally inspired me and I changed direction entirely. I have had some Tessemae's BBQ sauce in my fridge that I bought for the Fourth of July and decided to use that up too. I cut the tenderloins into 3" chunks to make them easier to shred later, dumped in the sauce, and let it all cook on medium heat on the slow cooker setting of my Instant Pot for about 4 hours. When that was done, I shredded the meat, added it back into the pot with the juices, and added some additional BBQ sauce. In the meantime, I also roasted up some fingerling potatoes with Primal Kitchens Avocado Oil (I use this oil pretty daily; it's very neutral in flavor and high heat tolerant!) and plan on tossing both over some fresh greens and drizzling with Primal Kitchens Ranch! 

Dinner for him:  Grilled Chicken and Veggies // We did this a couple of weeks ago and it made things super easy, so since we currently have access to a grill, we're doing it again! I planned for a full potato, a whole bell pepper, a portabello mushroom, a whole zucchini, and 2 chicken thighs per night. 

That's the plan for the week! Also, stay tuned for a giveaway of DNX bars, coming soon!

-Tracey

Meal Plan 7/24/17: Whole 30 Recap + Food Freedom

We made it through the Whole 30! And since I know you’re all wondering… 

Overall, I felt great! I had good energy, no slumps, and no symptoms of anything that could have been a food sensitivity (such as headaches, breakouts, or brain fog). Prior to starting, I had gotten into the habit of enjoying a treat (NadaMoo, I’m looking at you!) a few times per week. While I did miss things like having a small piece of dark chocolate after lunch and enjoying something like Pressed Freeze while out on a drive, it feels really good to not have the cravings for sweets on a regular basis. In the past I have gone months on end without any added sugar at all, and while I’m sure I could do that again, I’m looking forward to bringing some of my favorite top quality treats back into the picture as part of my Food Freedom! (If you're unfamiliar with the phrase, you can see the official Whole 30 explanation here.) I also LOVED how many veggies and fruits I ate. I normally eat a lot, but I probably increased that amount by 30% on the Whole 30. I was also concurrently working on a physical goal of getting strong enough to do a handstand, and I definitely saw strength and skill gains in this area! I don’t know that I would directly attribute that to W30, as I have been diligently training as well, but the W30 gave me the freedom to eat intuitively and fuel my body as I felt that I needed to. 

It wasn’t all sunshine and roses though. There were a few things that I really missed, like my Rootz pre-workout powder ("wholedailylife" for 10% off), a daily piece of Eating Evolved dark chocolate ("traceygmt" for a free gift with your order), fun products like Mikey’s pizza crusts, and Equip protein powder ("wholedailylife" for 10% off). The powders are convenient, the dark chocolate is a little daily #treatyoself, and the pizza crusts represent creativity in the kitchen and my love of experimenting with the endless number of interesting products that have made their way to the market in recent years! I also found it a little challenging to get in as much carbohydrate as I felt that I needed, particularly around my hardest workout day each week. My digestion has come a long way, but is still a little sensitive to some starches and higher FODMAP foods, meaning that I relied mostly on fruit and sweet potatoes for carbs. This worked, but by the end of the W30 I was ready to have other options. In the past I would incorporate white rice on occasion, especially in a PWO refuel, so I look forward to trying that out again. Lastly, as anyone who has done a W30 (or seen my meal prep) knows, it does take some effort! Fortunately you can make a Whole 30 as simple or complex as you want, but it was still a step up in terms of weekly prep and cooking. 

Things I didn’t miss at all: alcohol, snacks, added sugar. I know that last one seems contradictory to what I just said above, but really, I think what I was feeling when I was “missing” my daily chocolate or a trip to Pressed Freeze was really just the act of self-care. I’m a foodie, and having something special like that is FUN for me, whether savory or sweet! 

What’s next? 

Both my husband and I plan to continue eating this way the majority of the time. I’ll probably add back in protein shakes, though I liked the challenge of having a real food breakfast and would like to continue to do that and save the protein shakes for when I’m extra busy and could use the added convenience (like this week). I’m going to test out the effects of dairy, as I had previously suspected that it might be giving me some skin trouble, which did clear up on the W30. I also have some other potential causes pinpointed though, so we’ll see what happens this week!

Speaking of which, how about this week’s meal plan! We were out of town this past weekend so I was out of my normal routine. I used a few shortcuts this week, but as you can see, kept things about the same for the most part!

Breakfast for me: Chicken Apple Sausage + Chard + Sweet Potato // These chicken apple sausages are from US Wellness Meats, and this is my first time trying them! They do contain a little bit of sugar, which is why I didn't use them during the Whole 30. I'll be having roasted sweet potato and sautéed swiss chard with them. 

Breakfast for him: Frittata + Banana // Prior to the W30 he was having a smoothie or an oat based breakfast bread in the mornings, but the frittata has been a winner ever since. You can see how I make it here. 

Lunch for me: Lamb Meatballs with Tahini Sauce + Spinach Cauli Rice + Zucchini + Apple // I was feeling creative in my meal planning this week, which is how this spread came about! For the meatballs, I started with a pound of lamb (again from US Wellness Meats) and seasoned it with about 1 tsp each of garlic powder, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, salt, and a handful of fresh parsley. After mixing everything together I portioned them out into meatballs using a 1 oz scoop and baked at 425 for about 15 minutes. The tahini sauce is simply tahini mixed with some garlic powder, lemon, and water to thin it out. To make the Spinach Cauli Rice I cooked up a bag of pre-riced cauliflower from Trader Joes in a large skillet with some ghee until soft and starting to brown, then added in a bag of frozen chopped baby spinach. I seasoned it with lots of lemon/lemon zest to brighten up the flavor, and added in some chopped parsley, chopped green onions, and Sari Foods Nutritional Yeast. To bulk up the meal a bit I also added some roasted zucchini, and brought an apple to have on the side for carbohydrate. 

Lunch for him: Raw Veggies, Fruit, Deli Turkey, Nuts // I try to incorporate a "no cook" meal for each of us each week to help cut down on cooking over the weekend. This week he'll be having raw veggies (carrot, radish, snap peas) with grapes, deli turkey (we like Applegate and True Story brands the most, but this week I went with the Sprouts brand because it was on sale) and nuts. The only change here is that instead of cooking chicken we're using the deli meat for convenience this week. 

Dinner for me: Ample Shake // Ample is a meal replacement shake that I discovered a few months ago. It is designed as an all in one "just add water" kind of product, and after looking at the ingredient list, I was impressed! They have a whey and collagen based formula, which is the one I'll be having this week, as well as a vegetarian pea and rice protein based one. We'll see how I do with the dairy after having kept it out for the W30! While I do prefer whole food based meals, having something like Ample is an incredibly convenient backup for busy weeks. If you'd like to try it out for yourself, you can use the code "wholedailylife" for 10% off of your first order!

Dinner for him: Taco Salad // This is another of our go-to meals that requires very little prep. I use the taco seasoning from Trader Joe's on the meat, which is the only part of the meal that I make in advance. In addition to the lettuce, bell peppers, and salsa, he'll also be adding some black beans as a reintroduction. 

Last but not least, I'll be reintroducing my favorite Eating Evolved chocolate with lunch :)

This meal prep took me about 4.5 hours, not including about 75 minutes of shopping time at two different stores (or the dishes!). 

Have a great week!

-Tracey

Review: Pili Nuts + Pili Nut Cheese and Cheesecake Spread

Have you heard of the pili nut? Think the soft neutral flavors of macadamias and cashews with the smoothness of butter. Seriously. These little nuts are delightful!

The pili nut is native to Southeast Asia and has been consumed for many years. Hunter Gatherer Pili Nuts are a cut above the rest, however, because they go one step further to sprout them! Nuts and seeds contain lectins and phytates, which can hinder nutrient absorption when consumed in excess. Sprouting helps to deactivate these compounds and make them more digestible. Furthermore, Hunter Gatherer Pili Nuts are harvested from the mountains of the Philippines. They grow in volcanic soil in their ideal environment, which translates to a high nutrient content! Pili nuts are naturally high in magnesium and phosphorus, and their fat profile contains both monounsaturated and saturated fats. Last but certainly not least, Hunter Gatherer works with the local communities, which not only means that they are able to source top quality product, but also that they have built relationships and created jobs within the Philippines. They are certified paleo, keto, and beyond organic!

Hunter Gatherer carries four flavors of pili nuts: coconut oil and himalayan salt, spicy chili, raw cacao, and turmeric black pepper. The ingredients are simple:

Coconut Oil and Himalayan Salt: sprouted pili nuts, extra virgin coconut oil, himalayan salt 

Spicy Chili: sprouted pili nuts, coconut oil, himalayan salt, siling labuyo chili 

Raw Cacao: sprouted pili nuts, raw cacao, coconut sugar

Turmeric Black Pepper: sprouted pili nuts, turmeric, black pepper, sea salt

All four flavors are delicious, but if I had to pick one to eat straight from the bag, I think it would be the turmeric black pepper. The spices add just a hint of complexity to the flavor, and I'm all for working some extra anti-inflammatory nutrients into my day! All but the Raw Cacao flavor are Whole 30 and 21 Day Sugar Detox compliant. 

Hunter Gatherer also sells Raw Kwiot Honey, which is hands down the most unique honey I've ever tasted!

From their website: "Our Kiwot Honey is harvested in the wild from the hives of the Filipino Stingless Bee, or Kiwot. Don’t expect the sweet, mellow taste of your standard honey; Kiwot Honey’s sour, fermented taste has prompted many people to call it “Kombucha Honey”. While the comparison is useful, Kiwot Honey’s wild flavor is truly like no other in the world. Kiwot Honey is a perfect second product for Hunter Gatherer Natural Foods because Kiwot stingless bees work in a relationship of mutually beneficial symbiosis with the pili tree. The bees are essential for pollinating pili trees, and the trees, in turn, provide valuable food for the bees. By offering both delicious foods we are able to protect both species in their wild habitats, and by doing so, increase our own effectiveness in producing them." 

What a neat relationship and an amazing example of the many symbiotic relationships that occur in nature. True to the description, this honey is sweet, tangy, and sour all in one. My favorite way to use it is drizzled over fruits or spreads, on salads, and in dressings!

While I could eat any of these products on their own, I had fun creating a couple of recipes with them. Naturally I thought the soft texture of the pili nuts would lend them nicely to a dairy free cheese, so that's where my creativity took me!

Pili Nut Cheese

-1 cup Hunter Gatherer Coconut Oil and Himalayan Salt pili nuts 

-1/4 cup Sari Foods nutritional yeast (the only brand I use because it's not fortified with synthetic B vitamins)

-1/4 tsp salt (here's the one I use)

-1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer to a ceramic dish or parchment lined bowl, then set in the fridge to chill. After about an hour the "cheese" will be firm but spreadable, but then will harden up and be sliceable, as shown in the picture above. Serve with sliced raw vegetables or as part of a charcuterie board!

Pili Nut Cheesecake Spread 

-1 cup Hunter Gatherer Coconut Oil and Himalayan Salt pili nuts

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

-1 tbsp Hunter Gatherer Raw Kiwot Honey (more to taste)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Use immediately while spread is still soft, or transfer to ceramic dish or parchment lined bowl and place in the fridge to firm up. Serve with fresh fruit!

If you'd like to give some of these delicious nuts a try, you can find them at www.eatpilinuts.com or at Barefoot Provisions! You can learn more on the Hunter Gatherer blog, as well as follow along on Instagram. 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway over on Instagram! It will be live through Sunday July 23rd, 2017.