Hello, friends! It’s been so cold and rainy here in Little Rock and I’ve wanted nothing more than warming foods. I have really been working on checking in with my body and figuring out what my body really wants and needs. Not what my mind or emotions want, what my body needs. This is called intuitive eating. I would encourage you to begin practicing intuitive eating. I know you will love the results. For me, I had to create a healthy relationship with food and how it makes me feel before I could really dive into intuitive eating.
So, this past week I checked in with myself and my body said… PROTEIN! This is what my mom calls being “meat hungry.” Have you ever gotten to where you just crave meat? For me, this happens when I am amping up my workouts or lifting more weights. My body wanted protein so I whipped up a batch of my favorite slow cooker carnitas. I’ve been making these for years, with a tweak here or a tweak there and I want to encourage you to do the same! Add what sounds good to you, throw it in the pot, and make it happen!
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I’m almost done with my second round of whole30! This round has been great and I think it was easier than my first round. This round I traveled which is difficult but I made it work! I have learned a ton this round and I’m looking forward to the reintroduction phase. It’s my favorite part about whole30.
This is one of my FAVORITE whole30 soups and I make it all the time! It personifies my food beliefs: simple, nutrient dense, delicious. It’s thick, creamy (with no dairy!), and super filling. But my favorite part is that it’s all made on a sheet pan! How easy is that? I understand that you don’t have hours to cook dinner for your family. We all have carpool, errands, grocery store, feed the dogs, husbands, kids, the list goes on…. and on…. and on…. SO, this recipe is perfect for a cold weeknight. Bonus- you’ll have leftovers. I made this before I went out of town and my husband was able to eat on it all weekend!
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Hi friends! Who else accidentally planned their whole30 to fall during the Super Bowl? 🙋♀️ Oopsie! But that’s ok! I’m ready and willing to take on this challenge. And just in time for Sunday’s game, I give you my Whole30 Buffalo Chicken Dip!
Nothing says Super Bowl more than buffalo chicken anything and everything. I have made a similar dip in the past with a cream cheese substitute but I had to make a whole30 option! Technically COULD use an almond milk cheese but I wanted to play it safe. Looking at you, whole30 police.
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Happy New Year! I hope your 2019 is off to a FAB start! Do you do resolutions? I used to, but last year I started choosing a word for the year. Last year my word was THRIVE and this year it is GRATITUDE. And I am so grateful for you, dear reader! Thank you for following along, trying my recipes, encouraging me, and loving food as much as I do!
A few little housekeeping notes: I will be doing whole30 but I am going on a trip first and waiting until I get home to start. Know thyself. Don’t set yourself up for failure! I know I want to eat a GF cookie or two on my trip. And that’s the truth! That being said, this recipe is NOT whole30 but I have lots of others I’m working on!
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Remember that bone broth I posted last week? Next on the agenda… beef and vegetable soup using that bone broth! (You can totally use chicken/beef stock if you don’t have any bone broth) This soup is so delicious I could eat it for every meal… and I did for a week. No shame!
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Bone broth has been one of those “buzzwords” in recent years. But it’s for a good reason. It is delicious and one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat… or drink. However, I’ve found I don’t really enjoy the taste of most bone broths you can buy at the store. (I do like this one and I buy it often.)
But what makes bone broth so special? When you soak and steep the bones, you are able to extract the most valuable nutrients. For example, collagen and amino acids. Read more about the vitamins and minerals in both broth here. One of the best parts of bone broth is you get tons of bang for you buck. Fruit, veggies, bone marrow… without actually eating all of those things. It’s nature’s multivitamin. Luckily for you, you don’t have to cook your bone broth for 12-24 hours anymore. Enter: Instant Pot!
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This might be one of my FAVORITE recipes to date! I love Greek food, and this recipe is inspired by one of my favorite Greek restaurants in town. Sheet pan dinners are all the rage, and there’s a reason for that- they’re quick and easy. This recipe is literally foolproof. My favorite part? Minimal dishes to clean. You add one ingredient at a time because of different cook times for different ingredients.
The tzatziki sauce is the TRUE star of this dish! It’s actually my favorite tzatziki EVER and I kind of made it on a whim. And I’m glad I did! It’s creamy, it’s cool, it’s flavorful, and citrusy. YUM!
This sheet pan dinner is paleo (debatable because potatoes are that gray area in paleo), gluten free, and Whole30. I’m currently doing my first ever Whole30 (I can’t believe I’ve never done it until now) and this recipe is such a delightful addition to my Whole30 wheelhouse. You can totally shape and make this recipe to fit you and your favorite flavors. You can use a store bought Greek seasoning (I like this one) or use the recipe I created. It is so flavorful and downright delicious!
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SUMMER ISN’T OVER! That’s right, I said it. Here in the south, summer lives on throughout September, and sometimes even October. Heck, we’ve had years where it’s 80 degrees on Christmas Eve. That happened two years ago, and it was wild!
I haven’t had a typical summer. If you don’t follow me on Instagram (go follow me!), you might not know that my husband and I adopted a precious baby boy. I will definitely share more of his story and our adoption story eventually but I’m still processing it for now. The majority of our summer has been spent indoors with our precious newborn baby boy. And we wouldn’t have it any other way! Now that our sweet baby is 3 months old, we’re starting to come out of the newborn fog and we don’t want summer to be over! I know a lot of people consider Labor Day the end of summer, but I say if the veggies are fresh and the temperature is still high, it’s still summer! You can’t force boots on me when it’s 100 degrees outside.
This salad is everything summer is and should be: fresh heirloom tomatoes, spicy-smokey jalapenos, RANCH, and hot flavors with cool textures. Bonus: it’s Whole30 compliant! It is such a quick and easy meal that you will love! It is so easily adaptable to make work for you or your family. If you don’t like spice, leave out the jalapenos. Add cheese if that’s your thing. If you don’t like cooking bacon in the skillet (I recently learned from a friend some people hate cooking bacon- I didn’t know this was a thing), cook it in the microwave. Lay paper towels on a plate, then lay bacon, then more paper towels. I cook for 2 minutes at a time and check them. I like my bacon very crispy! Be careful though, the plate will be hot, hot, HOT!
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Risotto is one of my FAVORITE things on earth and you can bet your bottom dollar if this is on a menu (especially seafood risotto) I’m going to order it. I miss it terribly when I’m eating low carb. This recipe was born when I didn’t have anything in the fridge except frozen shrimp, frozen cauliflower rice, and butter. BOOM! Instant deliciousness.
What is risotto? Risotto is rice cooked in a creamy, sultry sauce. YUM! It is traditionally from Italy. Sometimes I describe risotto as a mix between pasta and rice. Oftentimes risotto is made without cream but the starches in the rice make it creamy. It’s delicious and you should be able to enjoy its flavors even if you’re on a low carb diet (lifestyle).
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