How To Know When To Ditch Your Doctor

I’ve been through 7 doctors since getting my Hashimoto’s diagnosis in late 2014. Some of those changes were forced due to cross country relocations, and others were by choice.

Here’s how I knew when it was time to move on, and what I looked for when I did.

Each of my doctors has been helpful in their own way, and each has helped me understand more about my health. However, just as there is value in having a doctor who has known your full health history, there is also value in recruiting a fresh pair of eyes! As I have partnered with each of these doctors over the years, they have been able to recruit their own professional experience to see my story with a unique lens.

Even so, there have been a couple of times in recent years where I have found myself stuck, and my doctor didn’t really know what to look for or recommend next. The reality is, in healing, there are sometimes plateau periods like this. However, seeking out the root cause and optimizing health should still be the priority, rather than just sitting back and “waiting things out.”

Remember, your doctor is working for you. You should feel free to ask questions, request tests, propose alternative treatments, and more. Your doctor is the expert in medicine, but you are the expert on your body. You should feel like your he/she is on your side, supporting you with your best interest at heart. Even if you’re not actively seeing progress, your doctor should be able to explain why this is and what exactly you are waiting on before making another change. If this is not the case, consider looking elsewhere!

When I’m looking for a new doctor, here are a few things I consider:

-This relationship is a partnership. I am knowledgable about my body, my symptoms, and my health. It is important to me that my provider welcome my questions, input, and suggestions.

-What is his/her practice philosophy? Will they be seeing out the root cause or just treating symptoms? What do they believe about the value of diet and lifestyle in healing? (These are foundational concepts in the naturopathic approach to medicine.)

-Do they have experience in treating autoimmunity?

-Do they offer alternative treatments, such as IV therapy, sauna, acupuncture, etc?

-Is this person covered by my insurance? If not, do they offer a free meet and greet so that I can see if I feel comfortable with them before moving forward?

-When I share a brief overview of my health history with them, are they able to respond in a way that inspires confidence? Have they worked with patients with my particular health issues before?

-Is there anyone who has seen this doctor before of whom I could ask questions?

Medical care is expensive, and when it comes to health, it truly is important that we have our best interests at heart. One of the most important pieces of my healing has been to take the initiative and be my own advocate. When I reflect back on the early days of my journey, I was so desperate to feel better that I took anything that my doctors said as truth, and I didn’t know how to do my own research. Had I been better equipped from the beginning, and known what to look for in a provider partnership, my journey might have been quite different!

This concept of how to be an empowered patient and partner well with your provider is one of the topics that we explore in depth in my Healing Hashimoto’s course. We also discuss topics such as optimizing your lab work, different types of practitioners, how to make the most out of your appointments, and much more!

If you’re ready to understand your Hashimoto’s so that you can heal your Hashimoto’s and take back control of your health, you can start by downloading my free PDF on the TOP 5 THINGS THAT HAVE HELPED HEAL MY HASHIMOTO’S NATURALLY!

I hope you feel empowered by this information! I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

Warmly,

Tracey

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

Four Easy Instant Pot Recipes

It’s no secret that I love my Instant Pot, or that it has been a huge asset when it comes to meal prep and batch cooking. The same can be said for the ZUPA NOMA soups that I always keep on hand, so I teamed up with the ZUPA team to combine the two for some easy, Whole30 compliant weeknight meals that you can knock out in a flash. (Seriously though, I made (and photographed) all 4 in under 3 hours one morning, and that included the dishes!) Don’t forget that you can save 15% on your ZUPA order with code wholedailylife!

Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash With Meat Sauce (W30)

(My #1 way to cook a spaghetti squash these days!)

Ingredients:

Medium/large spaghetti squash

1 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1# sugar-free ground pork sausage

4 oz tomato paste (preferably organic)

1/2-1 bottle ZUPA Tomato Gazpacho

1 28 oz jar compliant marinara sauce (preferably organic)

To serve: fresh baby spinach

Instructions:

1. Wash the spaghetti squash and cut in half “hamburger style.” You can scoop out the seeds or leave them in for now, it doesn’t matter! Place the squash in the bowl of your IP with the steamer insert underneath and add about 1 cup of water. Close and lock the lid, then set the Steam function for 8 minutes. (7 if it’s a smaller squash.)

2. While the squash is cooking, sauté the onions and mushrooms with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When starting to soften, add in the ground pork and cook until no longer pink. Add in the tomato paste and the 1/2 bottle of ZUPA Tomato Gazpacho; stir to combine, then add the marinara sauce and let simmer.

3. When the squash is done cooking, use the quick release function to release the pressure (so that it doesn’t overcook). Carefully remove the squash with tongs and scoop out the seeds, if needed.

4. To serve, plate some of the spaghetti squash alongside some spinach and top with a generous portion of sauce!

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken with Sweet Potato and Arugula (W30)

Ingredients:

1-1.5# boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders

1 ZUPA NOMA Tomato Vinegar Habanero shot

1 bottle compliant BBQ sauce (I used Tessemae’s)

To serve: cooked sweet potato, arugula

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken in the bowl of your IP. Pour the veggie shot and half of the bottle of BBQ sauce over the top, then close and lock the lid.

2. Cook on the Poultry setting for 15 minutes, then allow pressure to release naturally (this is important to prevent the meat from getting tough).

3. Shred the chicken with two forks, then transfer to a bowl with tongs, leaving the excess liquid behind. (We want some of it, just not all of it!)

4. Add the rest of the bottle of BBQ sauce to the chicken and mix to combine.

5. Serve chicken with cooked sweet potato and arugula.

Instant Pot Pizza Soup (W30)

(Making all of your pizza dreams come true. Try it topped with cheese, sliced pepperoni, and sourdough croutons as part of your Food Freedom, if that suits you!)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

8 oz sliced mushrooms

8 cloves garlic, minced

1# sugar-free ground pork sausage

1 bottle ZUPA Tomato Gazpacho

1 12 oz jar compliant pizza sauce (preferably organic)

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (preferably organic)

1 jar roasted bell peppers, drained and diced (preferably organic)

Toppings: sliced olives, fresh oregano, fresh basil

Instructions:

1. Add the olive oil, onion, and mushrooms into the bowl of your IP and hit the Sauté button. Sauté until starting to soften and brown, then add the garlic and sauté one minute more.

2. Add in the ground pork, and cook until no longer pink.

3. Turn off the saute function, then add the ZUPA, pizza sauce, fire roasted diced tomatoes, and diced bell peppers. Stir to combine.

4. Close and lock the lid, then set to Manual high pressure for 10 minutes. Okay to use quick release.

5. Top your bowl with olives and fresh herbs!

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili (W30)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, de-seeded and minced

1 jar compliant salsa verde

1 bottle ZUPA NOMA Tomatillo Kale Avocado

Juice of 1 lime

1 4 oz can green chilis

1 large white sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2” cubes

1-1.5# chicken tenders

For garnish: cilantro, avocado

Instructions:

1. Place the onion and olive oil in the bowl of your IP and hit the Sauté function. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, until onion is starting to soften, then add the garlic and jalapeño and sauté 1-2 more minutes. Turn off the sauté function.

2. Add the salsa verde, ZUPA, lime juice, green chilis, and sweet potato cubes. Stir to combine, then add the chicken tenders, making sure they are submerged.

3. Close and lock the lid, then cook on Manual high pressure for 12 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.

4. When soup is cooked, remove the chicken tenders with tongs and roughly chop them before adding back in. (optional)

5. Garnish with lots of fresh cilantro and avocado!

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!! As always, please share them if you make them and tag me so that I can see!

-Tracey

Simple Weeknight Recipes

Has it been two whole months since I last published a blog post? Yep. A LOT has happened in that period of time!! If you haven’t seen on Instagram, my husband and I moved from San Diego to Phoenix at the end of October. I went from working full time in a management position at a large healthcare organization to working from home, doing private practice and planning out how I will be creating more valuable content for you all in 2019! We've also been doing some traveling, and have a few more trips planned before the end of the calendar year.

The morning we left San Diego!

If you’ve followed me for any period of time, you know that for YEARS I have done all of my meal prep cooking on the weekend so that I could eat leftovers all week. Well, when we moved, two things changed. (1) I have a more flexible schedule and (2) we acquired the smallest “full size” fridge ever. (I thought they couldn’t get any smaller than the fridge we had at our last place…I was wrong!)

This has prompted me to change up my strategy to do more cooking as the week goes along instead of doing it all on the weekend. I’ve been experimenting with cooking a meal every night, doing some limited batch prep that I can mix and match from all week, and cooking all of the meals earlier in the week. I haven’t settled on a favorite yet, and I think my strategy will evolve with time, but I wanted to share some of the easy weeknight meals and food combos that I’ve been making in case you’re in need of some simple inspiration! They’re not all 100% Whole30 compliant, and some do make use of some convenience products from brands that I appreciate. Most are easily modified to fit your specific needs!

Easy Weeknight Meal Ideas:

-Burger Salad (burger patty, optional cheese, lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions and peppers, pickles, ketchup and mustard) + Oven Fries

-Steaks (on a stovetop grill pan, seasoned with a spice blend) + Roasted Sweet Potato + Roasted Asparagus

-Crispy Skin Salmon + Cauliflower Rice (I always keeps some in the freezer) + Roasted Sweet Potato

-Eggs + Leftover Batch Cooked Veggies

-Sausage (Bilinski’s or True Story) + Roasted Carrots/Parsnips + Arugula salad

-Ground Meat with Sautéed Mushrooms/Onion in Marinara + Spaghetti Squash + Collard Greens with Bacon

-Sausage + Steamed and Roasted Broccoli + Banza Mac&Cheese

-Simple Chicken Soup

-Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

-Taco Salad

Easy Weekday Lunches:

-ZUPA + Ayobayo + Apple (wholedailylife for a discount on either brand)

-Smoked Oysters with Simple Mills Crackers, Dijon Mustard, Cream Cheese or Mayo + Kraut + Sprouts

-Sardines + Tomato/Avocado/Basil Salad (dressed with evoo, balsamic, salt)

-Tuna Salad (Safe Catch tuna + grapes + celery + green onion + Primal Kitchens mayo)

I hope this gives you some ideas for easy meals! I definitely go through phases where meal planning is a breeze and other times where nothing sounds good, but these quick combos have been good go-to’s for the past several weeks!

I’ll be back again soon with more recipes!

-Tracey

Instant Pot BBQ Beef + Weekly Whole30 Meal Plan

Hi friends,

I’ve missed being able to share my weekly meal plans and recipes with you this past month! In mid September I was in Baltimore for several days attending Expo East. That was such a fun experience and I’m looking forward to sharing more about what I found there with you all in coming weeks. The week after that was my husband’s and my 6th anniversary (you guys showed us so much love on this post!!), and since then we’ve been juggling a lot of big decisions, which I’ll fill you in on very soon! (Hint: they involve some big changes around here!)

I also had a big project deadline that wrapped up with the end of the September Whole30 challenge, and I’m happy to say that I met my goal! I definitely could not have done it without all of your help, and I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you who supported me through the finish line.

There has been lots of positive feedback when I share my Friday night meal preps on stories, along with requests to continue to provide the recipes in a written format. With that in mind, I’m going to continue to do both as often as possible for now! How many of you actually use the step by step flow (where I break down how to do all of this in an hour, like this)? Let me know in the comments of this post over on IG. If it’s helpful, I’ll keep doing it!

Here is this week’s meal plan:

Breakfast: Chicken in Ginger Lime Sauce with Cauli Rice and Spaghetti Squash // I have been making this recipe by AIP Lifestyle for years, and it never disappoints! This week the store was all out of whole chickens (at least in the only brand I’ll buy from the regular grocery store; I prefer to buy from US Wellness Meats or my local farmer), so I used chicken tenders instead. I made this in my Instant Pot by cooking it on manual high pressure for 20 minutes and then letting the pressure naturally release. I also cooked the spaghetti squash in my IP: just cut in half (you can even leave the seeds in!) and steam for 8 minutes with quick release! At the same time, I cooked the cauliflower rice on my stovetop by simmering it in some bone broth that I needed to use up. I’m always looking for opportunities to work more broth into my diet!

Lunch: No Cook: Sardines, ZUPA, Apple // You can find more about how I put together a no-cook meal here. Lately I’ve been doing Safe Catch tuna or salmon or Wild Planet sardines at lunch to try and get more seafood into my diet on a regular basis! For more on why I only eat Safe Catch brand tuna, check out this post. I usually use a bottle of ZUPA NOMA as my lunch time veggie (wholedailylife for 15%), but I also like to take sliced carrots, cucumber, radish, etc! I also grab a fruit. (Organic apples this week!)

Dinner: IP BBQ Beef with Green Beans and Potatoes // This beef is about 1/3 of what came in my Bulkbox delivery, which includes about 5# of grass fed/finished beef trip tip (along with 8# of organic veggies, all for around $55 with free delivery!! wholedailylife saves you 15% off your first three orders). I cut it up into small pieces (about 1” by 1/2”) and then marinated in half of a bottle of Tessemae’s BBQ sauce overnight. When ready to cook, I just transferred it to my IP and cooked on manual high pressure for 35 minutes with a natural release! I shredded this batch with two forks and added some extra sauce for a flavor boost. Super simple, tender and full of flavor! While the meat cooked, I steamed the green beans on my stovetop and roasted the potatoes in the oven.

Snack: RX Bar // I always bring a bar or something similar just in case I need a little extra food during the day. I eat based on my hunger, and hunger naturally varies! This week it is the pumpkin spice RX Bars that just came out for this year!

That’s it for this week! Because I used my Instant Pot three times in this prep, it took me a little longer since I had to wait for the pressure to naturally release. If you’re in a time crunch, I recommend doing the ginger lime chicken in the oven or on the stovetop, which would allow you to get everything done in an hour!

Have a great week!

-Tracey