Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Saucing It Up and Whole30 Steak Stir Fry

Today was a sauce making day. I made ketchup, salsa and a stir fry sauce. I'm glad my food processor is still hanging in there even though it has multiple cracks. 

I made The Clothes Make the Girl's Kickass Ketchup. I followed her recipe exactly except that I omitted the mustard. I used 1/8 tsp cloves and allspice.

I also made the Food Network's Ree Drummond's Restaurant-Style Salsa, minus the sugar. It isn't as good as my friend Eleanor's salsa, but it is tasty, easy and makes a large batch. I was getting tired of just having hot sauce on my eggs in the morning. This salsa will be a delicious change. 

We have a lot of leftover steak from making fajitas this weekend and my FAVORITE use for leftover steak is Steak Stir Fry. Before Whole30 I would make a stir fry sauce with hoisin sauce, ketchup and some other ingredients. But hoisin sauce is definitely off the plan and the kind I buy locally isn't Tommy safe anyway. So I created a new stir fry sauce that is Whole30 and Tommy safe. And instead of rice we'll be having the stir fry with spiralized sweet potatoes. This sauce turned out really good (if I do say so myself). It's sort of sour, a little sweet and has a little spice. And it's super easy.  The flavors worked really well with the steak and sweet potatoes. Yum. 

If you haven't gotten the message, I'm loving my Paderno Spiralizer. It's such an easy way to make veggie noodles and hash browns too. If you don't have a spiralizer, you could always serve this stir fry over rice, millet or quinoa.


Stir Fry Sauce

1/2 cup Kickass Ketchup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp coconut aminos
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp tamarind paste
1/4 tsp granulated garlic (garlic powder)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir until smooth.



Steak Stir Fry with Sweet Potato Noodles

2 sweet potatoes
2 cups cooked and sliced steak
8 oz can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
4 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp oil, divided
1 recipe Stir Fry Sauce

Cooking the Sweet Potato Noodles
1. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a dutch oven sized pot over medium heat.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop a little off one of the short ends to make it flat.
3. Firmly press the sweet potato into place on the spiralizer, with the small spiral cutting blade.
4. Cut the sweet potato into spiral noodles. Repeat with the other sweet potato.
5. Add the sweet potatoes to the pot. Cook until crisp tender, carefully stirring the sweet potatoes so they cook evenly.

Preparing the Rest
1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms and saute until browned.
3. Add the steak and bamboo shoots. Saute for a couple minutes until warmed. 
4. Add the stir fry sauce and heat thoroughly, stirring continuously.
5. Pour the contents of the skillet into the noodle pot. Carefully stir together.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Whole30 Pad Thai

I love Thai food. But since Tommy is allergic to rice and peanuts (among other things), he hasn't had the pleasure of trying Thai food yet. I recently bought some tamarind paste and wanted to try and make my own Pad Thai. I couldn't find sugar free Fish Sauce locally and didn't feel like ordering it online, so I used anchovies instead. And dates as the sweetener to make it Whole30 compliant. There's definitely some room for improvement, but it was a lot better than a recipe I tried years ago for a healthier version of Pad Thai. 

The sauce tastes really strong straight out of the food processor. And it's very thick. But it mellowed out a lot when I added it to the veggies and chicken. Tommy only tried a couple bites with the sauce since he's never had tamarind before, but he LOVED it. I hope he still likes it tomorrow! 

I cooked the sweet potatoes and the cabbage together, but that didn't work out all that well. The cabbage needed more cooking time and the sweet potato noodles pretty much broke down into tiny pieces. So I wrote the recipe with the way I should have done it and cooked the cabbage separately and added it to the noodles at the end. 

Overall I would definitely call this a success. Of course it's not as good as authentic Pad Thai, but for an allergen friendly and Whole30 compliant recipe it was pretty good. I'll definite make this again. Probably with a couple tweaks...


Whole30 Pad Thai

3 grilled chicken breasts, diced
1 head green cabbage, sliced thin
1 large sweet potato, spiralized
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 medjool dates, pitted
1.5 Tbsp tamarind paste
2 anchovies fillets
1 Tbsp coconut aminos
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Combine the dates through red pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat in a dutch oven size pot. Add the cabbage and saute until tender. Remove cabbage from the pot and set aside for later.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Cook the spiralized sweet potatoes until tender but still firm. Add the cabbage, chicken and sauce. Carefully stir to combine until all ingredients are warm.


Whole30 Double Batch Meatloaf, Onion Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Prosciutto Brussels Sprouts

The last two weeks I made double batches of meatloaf. It's just as easy to make a double batch as a single. The leftover meatloaf is great diced up with veggies and eggs for breakfast. Or even by itself as an after workout snack. 



Whole30 Double Batch Meatloaf

2 lb ground pork
1.25 lb ground turkey
1.25 lb ground bison
1 cup dry minced onions
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup Sweetener Free Ketchup
2 Tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp ground sage

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with tin foil.
2. Combine onion and coconut milk in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Pour all ingredients (except for 1/4 cup of the ketchup) into a very large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands.
4. Split the meat mixture between the two pans and form into loaves. Spread the 1/4 cup remaining ketchup over the top of the loaves.
5. Bake for 50 minutes. Optional, broil for the last two minutes to form a crust.
6. Remove from oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting.




Roasted Prosciutto Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 oz prosciutto, cut into chunks
zest from 1/2 of a lemon
oil
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Layer Brussels Sprouts, prosciutto and lemon zest in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss together.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once



Onion Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp dried minced onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Toss all ingredients together in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring once.

Whole30 Greek Taco Salad

Earlier this week I bought a pound of ground lamb at the grocery store with no real plan for it. I was just excited that it would be a nice change and we already know Tommy can eat lamb. I was looking up ground lamb recipes and stumbled upon Jeff Mauro's Greek Taco Recipe. We have enough of these ingredients to be able to make something very similar. And it didn't take very many adjustments at all to make it Whole30 compliant. I also added chopped avocado to the salad. 


I only had 1 lb of lamb, so that's what I used. And I had giant regular yellow onions and not red onions. For the red wine I used red wine vinegar. For the cucumber and tomato relish I used 1/4 of an onion since my onions were huge. I made my own tatziki sauce that fit the program. The sauce was the best the second day and then got weird after a couple days. 

The first time I had the salad it was delicious. But the leftovers weren't as satisfying. I think the sauce is best prepare in advance and then the salad is best the first time. 

Whole30 Tatziki Sauce

1 cucumber
Pinch of salt
1 cup cream from a can of coconut milk
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp dried basil

1. Peel the cucumber and grate it on the big hole side of a box grater. Place the cucumber in a collander fitted over a bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze the cucumber to remove more liquid. Combine the cucumber and the remaining ingredients in a bowl. 
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Stir before serving.

My New Favorite Meal - Buffalo Chicken Alfredo with Sweet Potato Noodles

I've made Brittany Angell's Buffalo Chicken Alfredo with Sweet Potato Noodles twice in the last two weeks. It's soooo good. It's rich, creamy, a little spicy and so satisfying. I barely had to modify it to make it Whole30 compliant. Both times I doubled the sauce and added more veggies to the sweet potatoes to make it a one dish meal. It is really delicious reheated as leftovers too. 

The first time I used three smaller sweet potatoes and one head of cauliflower that I cut into florets and roasted. The second time I used one giant sweet potato and added leftover chopped broccoli to the cooked noodles.

I followed Brittany's recipe for the sauce and noodles. Check out her recipe here. I doubled her recipe for the sauce, except I used one whole can of full fat coconut milk for the cream, only used two tablespoons tapioca starch, one tablespoon of refined coconut oil for the butter and omitted the chili powder. 

This week's version was even better than the one I made last week. Last time I roasted boneless skinless chicken thighs in the oven. But they didn't crisp up the way I had hoped. This time I grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, smoke paprika and olive oil. The chicken was so flavorful with a nice crispy outside and super moist inside. My absolute favorite way to cook chicken.


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Whole30 Carnitas Taco Salad

Over the weekend we made Carnitas Taco Salad. Oh man this was one of my Whole30 meals so far. It's delicious, filling and really really good as leftovers. I made the same pork as before (Carnitas Tacos) except I reduced the cayenne pepper. Last time Tommy had a spicy bite and burst into tears. So this time it was more mild but still had a little spice. I made an Whole30 compliant Avocado Lime Dressing. My usual favorite Creamy Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette contains sugar. And we still had Wholly Guacamole instead of whole avocados. I didn't really miss the cheese or tortilla with this taco salad. 


Whole30 Carnitas Taco Salads

Layer the following:
Lettuce
Sauteed Peppers and Onions
Carnitas
Tomato and Onion Relish
Guacamole
Avocado Lime Dressing


Sauteed Peppers and Onions

3 bell peppers (a mix of red, yellow or orange)
1 large onion
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 Tbsp garlic pepper (or a mix of dry minced garlic and red pepper flakes)
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium/medium low heat.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and saute until the peppers and onion caramelizes. 


Carnitas

3.5 lb Boneless Country Style Ribs
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

1. Optional: Line Crock Pot with liner.
2. Combine all ingredients and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
3. Shred pork, discarding any big chunks of fat.
4. Using a gravy separator, separate out the fat and add the juices back to the pork.


Tomato and Onion Relish

1/4 of a medium onion, finely diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 tsp salt
Squeeze of lime juice

Combine in a small bowl.


Whole30 Avocado Lime Dressing

1/4 cup avocado oil
2 Tbsp guacamole
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth.


Monday, March 10, 2014

Meal Planning - Week of March 10

So far, cooking Whole30 dinners have been pretty easy to make for our whole family. I am glad that Whole30 is very similar to what Tommy eats anyway so I don't have to do many adjustments. We all have different foods for breakfast, and Tommy and I tend to have similar lunches. Last week we made a big batch of meatloaf and it was so good as leftovers. It was delicious as is and also with eggs for breakfast. So we're definitely having meatloaf again this week.

Today I finally received my Paderno Spiralizer and Coconut Aminos. Coconut Aminos are made from coconut tree sap and are a soy free alternative to soy sauce. I am so excited about my Paderno Spiralizer. It's sort of like a rotating mandoline. It allows you to cut veggies into noodles and other spiral shapes. I tried it tonight with sweet potatoes and it worked great! I'm so excited for another way to eat sweet potatoes. I'm getting sick of mashed and roasted sweet potatoes. 


Monday - Brittany Angell's Buffalo Chicken Alfredo with Spiralized Sweet Potato Noodles with cauliflower

Tuesday - Pork Lo Mein (Based off of Brittany Angell's Paleo Lo Mein with Spiralized Noodles)

Wednesday - Sweetener Free MeatloafOnion Sweet Potatoes and Carrots, and Brussels Sprouts

Thursday - Leftovers 

Friday - Brittany Angell's Paleo Crispy Coconut Mango Chicken, but with fish instead


Sunday - BBQ

Friday, March 7, 2014

Whole30 Day 3: Crabby with a Capital "C"

This morning I woke up incredibly crabby. I think I skipped over the second day of the Hangover phase and jumped straight into "Kill All The Things". I had a really hard time falling asleep last night. So when I woke up as Ben was getting ready for work I was super grumpy. I was able to go back to sleep for a little while, but then when I woke up for the day I was full on crabby. I was tired, and my coffee with coconut milk just wasn't as tasty as it was the last two days. 

I had plans to meet a friend at the gym and then do something afterward. I was really really close to bailing and just sitting at home grumpy. I'm so glad I went to the gym. Halfway through my workout my mood completely turned around. Instead of having a miserable day, I ate a bunch of tasty food, went to the gym, hung out with a friend and then came home and cleaned out my car. Overall it turned out to be a pretty good day. Although now I'm super tired.

For breakfast I had Onion Sweet Potatoes and Carrots, two eggs, hot sauce and guac. And coffee with cream from a can of coconut milk. Yes, it does look very similar to my other Whole30 breakfasts, but the veggie combo was different. The carrots were a nice change from just sweet potatoes.


For my after workout snack I didn't have anything portable to bring, so I got an Americano (black) at Starbucks and they did have one thing of a sweetener free dried fruit and nuts. Not the ideal choice, but it fit within the program and it was better than nothing.

Lunch was the same as yesterday. More of the Whole30 Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans.

Dinner was the delicious Whole30 Coconut Shrimp and Roast Veggies with Red Curry Sauce. The veggies took a while to peel and chop, but it made a ton so we have a LOT of leftovers. The shrimp were really pretty quick to make. 

I'm ending today full and tired. Hopefully I'll sleep better tonight.

Whole30 Coconut Shrimp and Roast Veggies with Red Curry Sauce

Earlier this week I had bought sweetened flaked coconut to make coconut shrimp. But since I then decided to do the Whole30, that coconut was no longer an option. So instead I used the fine macaroon unsweetened coconut that I already had. These shrimp turned out great! And Tommy actually ate one! I think he would have happily eaten more, but since we're still trialing shrimp, he was only allowed one today. The picture doesn't do this dinner justice. 


I roasted up a big batch of veggies. I split all the veggies between two baking pans. It made a lot, so we'll also be eating these with eggs for breakfast this weekend. 

Whole30 Coconut Shrimp

12 oz large shrimp
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened fine shredded coconut, divided
2 tsp coconut flour, divided
3 Tbsp coconut oil

1. Peel the shrimp and remove the tails. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Mix the tapioca starch, salt and paprika in a shallow bowl.
3. Pour the coconut milk into a small bowl.
4. Mix half of the coconut and coconut flour in a shallow bowl.
5. Working in small batches, coat the shrimp in tapioca starch. Then dip in the coconut milk. Shake off excess milk and coat with the coconut mixture. Set coated shrimp on a baking pan while you bread the remaining shrimp.
6. When you run out of the coconut mixture, add the remaining coconut and coconut flour. Doing this in two steps prevents the coconut from getting mushy before you're done breading all the shrimp.
7. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp and cook several minutes on each side until the shrimp is cooked and the coconut is browned.

Roast Veggies

6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 lb Brussels sprouts, cut into quarters
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 Tbsp oil, divided
2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 tsp salt, divided

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Split the veggies between the two 9 x 13 baking pans. 
3. Add 3 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt to each pan. Mix together.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring twice.

Red Curry Sauce

1 can of coconut milk minus 1/2 cup
2 tsp red curry paste

1. Combine in a small saucepan. 
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a little. 
3. Pour over the Roast Veggies.

Whole30 Day 2 - Thank Goodness for Leftovers

One of my friends who recently finished the challenge sent me a link to The Whole30 Timeline to give me a heads up as to how I might expect to feel at various stages of the program. So far, I haven't had much of the "Hangover" phase. I think it helps that I already cut out Cherry Coke Zero over a week ago and I haven't been eating much gluten or desserts lately. I'm still sad about giving up soda. But after drinking one or two Cherry Coke Zeros everyday, I figured that I should try and cut the habit. Especially since it hasn't been on sale recently, and I really dislike paying full price for soda. 

Today was all about leftovers. It was nice to know that I had a fridge full of food that was on the program, delicious, and would be ready to eat in minutes. 

For breakfast I had the same as yesterday. Sweet Potato Hash Browns, two eggs, hot sauce and guac. Just as delicious as yesterday and even better since all I had to do was heat the hash browns and cook the eggs.

For lunch I had leftover Whole30 Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Sauteed Green Beans. It turns out the meatloaf is delicious with guacamole on top. We had bought a pack of Wholly Guacamole recently at Costco, so I'm eating that until it's gone and then I'll probably switch to diced avocados. 

Late afternoon I got a little hungry, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. So I had a couple garlic and jalapeno stuffed olives and some black tea with coconut milk. Definitely sustained me until dinner.

For dinner it was the same as lunch. The whole family had leftover Whole30 Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and Sauteed Green Beans. So good. But Tommy wouldn't eat the sweet potatoes. Even though he LOVES sweet potatoes, he doesn't like them mashed with other stuff. So the fact that there is cauliflower in it makes it pretty much inedible to him. Oh well.

Since I had eaten the rest of the hash browns, I decided to make Onion Sweet Potatoes and Carrots last night so I could just reheat them in the morning and have them with some eggs. Plus Tommy loves roasted sweet potatoes and carrots, so I knew he'd be happy to have that with lunch. 


Onion Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp dried minced onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Toss all ingredients together in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Whole30 Day 1 - Excitement

So yesterday was my first day of the Whole30. I have a lot of excitement about starting the program. I know it will take a while to see results, but I'm looking forward to the journey. It's a nice break from our regular routine. Whole30 does allow nuts. I'll see how it goes, and I may end up adding some nuts in my diet. If I can get enough good fats through other means, I'm going to try and continue to avoid nuts since Tommy is allergic. He is allergic to eggs too, but so far it hasn't been a problem if we cook some for ourselves as long as Tommy doesn't eat it. I'm also likely not going to use ghee. Even though some dairy allergy people can consume ghee since the vast majority of milk proteins are filtered out, it's not a risk I'm willing to take. Plus I'd rather just use a different kind of cooking fat like coconut oil that fits in the program and Tommy's diet. 

Our pantry was already stocked with a lot of Whole30 compliant ingredients. Like canned coconut milk, avocado oil, coconut oil, coconut flour, meats, fruits, veggies, etc. We already had Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausages from Costco. They're only sweetened with fruit juices, so they fit in the program.  And Wholly Guacamole. So it was a little easier for me to start even though I had only decided the night before. It's not a completely out of the blue decision. I have been thinking about doing Whole30 for a while. I just kept making excuses about why I wanted to wait before starting. I'm glad I finally got over my fear and decided to jump in. 

For breakfast I made Sweet Potato Hash Browns (see below), two eggs and a dollop of guacamole. And Frank's hot sauce! I'm so glad that's on the program. Breakfast was delicious and very filling. The hash browns were a little spicier than I intended. I think next time I'll cut down the paprika a bit. Or try a different seasoning. Plus the hash browns made enough for two breakfasts, so that makes the extra effort required to peel and shred the veggies worth it. I had some of the cream from a can of coconut milk in my coffee. It's not French Vanilla Creamer by any means, but it was better than I thought it would be. For me I like that a lot better than black coffee.

For lunch I cooked up some of those chicken and apple sausages with half of a red bell pepper. I ate the sausage on top of an arugula and pear salad, and used reduced balsamic vinegar as the dressing. I also had a few olives with it. Lunch tasted good and filled me up initially, but I was hungry again two hours later. Looking back I realized that lunch didn't have enough good fats. Good to know.

For dinner we had Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans. It was sooooo good. And it made a ton, so we have a lot of leftovers. This meatloaf is seriously delicious. And Tommy loves it too. Win win. I went to the gym after dinner, so dinner was my pre-workout meal and then I had a little more meatloaf with some guac for a post workout meal. I went to bed feeling good and full.


Sweet Potato Hash Browns
Makes 2 Servings

1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small onion
2 Tbsp avocado oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt

1. Shred the sweet potatoes and onion on the large hole side of a box grater, or in a food processor.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the veggies until browned. 




Whole30 Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans

Yesterday was my first day of the Whole30. I was already planning on making meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole for dinner, so it only took a little modifying to make it Whole30 compliant. This dinner was delicious. And the best part was I made a lot of it, so we'll be having it tonight too. 


My Sweetener Free Meatloaf fits with the program as is. I'm not getting bent out of shape about only eating grass-fed organic meats. I'm being realistic and using the meats we already have. This time I doubled the recipe so we could have enough for another dinner. I doubled all of the spices, ketchup, etc and used 2 lb ground pork, 1.25 lb ground bison, and 1.25 lb ground turkey. I mixed everything together in a big bowl and split them into two loaves. It turned out delicious! Way better than when I've tried to use just pork and turkey in the past. This picture also highlights the importance of lining the pan with foil. Just toss the foil when you're done and cleanup is super easy. Much less frustrating that scrubbing the pan.


My Gluten and Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole is pretty close to Whole30 compliant. I could have easily modified that recipe to change how I fried the onions and left out the sherry. But that didn't seem to be in the spirit of the challenge. Whole30 has a phrase, Sex With Your Pants On. It refers to when you change something to fit in the program that imitates some unhealthy habit you have, and you just end up feeling unsatisfied and still crave the original. So I decided to do sauteed green beans and mushrooms. They tasted great and were a lot healthier and easier than making green bean casserole. 


Sauteed Green Beans

2 cans green beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet.
2. Add the mushrooms, garlic and seasonings. Cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid.
3. Add the green beans and cook until the mushrooms are browned.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 lb frozen cauliflower
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp coconut cream from a can of coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

1. Combine the sweet potatoes, cauliflower and water to cover in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Boil until the veggies are soft. Drain and return to the pot.
3. Mash the veggies with the remaining ingredients. 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Climbing Out of a Rut, One Meal at a Time

Last night I came to the realization that I'm in a rut. I haven't been sleeping well lately. I know that for me, if I don't get a lot of sleep every night, it has a domino effect on the rest of my life. I have much less patience, and then that lack of patience leads to a snappy attitude, and an unhappy household. Also, I joined a gym two months ago, and even though I've been going several times a week, I have yet to lose any weight. So it's time to look at my diet. 

Usually after someone gets over the initial shock of what Tommy can't eat, they tend to follow that up with, "Oh, if I ate like that I'd be so skinny." Well, it doesn't really work like that. We eat well in this house, and there are so many great foods that Tommy CAN eat. Plus, the gluten free grains are pretty similar in calories to wheat, and some like coconut flour have much more! 

So last night, when I came to the realization that I'm in a rut, I decided that today I would start the Whole30. It's 30 days of no alcohol, no sugar, no grains (even gluten free pseudo grains like quinoa), no sweetener of any kind, no legumes (except green beans and sugar snack peas), no dairy, no white potatoes, no MSG, added sulfites or carrageenan, and no paleo-fying baked goods. So no almond or coconut flour cookies, muffins, etc. 

I have a few friends that have done The Whole30 Challenge and LOVED it. They said they slept well, felt great (after the initial sugar detox), and also lost weight. One of the nice parts about this challenge is you are just supposed to weigh yourself at the beginning and end and not in the middle at all. It's all about rediscovering your relationship with food and how it makes you feel.

Ben and Tommy are not doing the challenge, just me. But I will try and still make a family dinner. It's not too far off from what Tommy eats now. I'll still make some gluten free baked goods for them, but I won't be enjoying them doing the next 30 days. I'm looking forward to the challenge and using it as a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle.


Monday, March 3, 2014

Meal Planning - Week of March 3 and Last Week in Review - UPDATED

Update: After I originally posted this and did the grocery shopping, I decided to start the Whole30 Challenge yesterday. So I've made some updates to our original meal plan. For instance, I'm not making falafels anymore since the main ingredient is garbanzo beans. Instead tonight we're having leftover meatloaf.

Well, after our first week of meal planning, I've definitely learned a few things. I need more rest days. This last week I got pretty tired of cooking and cleaning by the end. The goal for this week is to make more double meals so we have plenty for a second dinner without any more cooking. It was easier than I thought to only go to the grocery store once a week. I don't think I forgot to buy anything, and since we had leftovers one extra day, we actually have all the food for dinner tonight too.  I'm hoping this trend will continue. I think it will definitely help decrease our food spending.

Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. During Lent, I'm going to try and make a vegetarian entree for dinner on Thursdays so that Ben can have a meatless lunch and some sort of seafood for dinner on Fridays. 

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday - Roasted Carrot and Bacon Soup

Tuesday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Gluten and Dairy Free Green Bean Casserole Pizza

Wednesday - Leftovers  Whole30 Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans

Thursday - Falafels Leftovers

Friday - Coconut Shrimp

Saturday - Leftovers Carnitas Taco Salads

Sunday - Eat Out Leftovers


Sunday, March 2, 2014

Cilantro Overload - In a Good Way

Today Ben and I had an excellent day skiing while my dad watched Tommy. We had powder all day and skied until our muscles were sore. We got home and were happy and tired. I really didn't want to cook dinner tonight. Ben and I had agreed on just making a frozen pizza for dinner, but then I realized that I didn't have anything for Tommy to eat for dinner. If I had to make something for Tommy, I might as well cook the dinner I had previously planned on making.

I made Brittany Angell's Cilantro and Lime Sweet Potatoes Hasselback Style and  Melissa d'Arabian's Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto. I followed the directions for the potatoes except I used minced garlic instead of sliced since that's what we had. The oil mixture smelled delicious, but it didn't really stand up to the sweet potatoes. I think next time I'll dice the potatoes and roast with the oil and garlic and just add the cilantro and lime for the last few minutes of cooking. 


We've made this shrimp several times before, but never for Tommy. Since the original cilantro pesto calls for pecans, I had to make a couple changes. Instead of the nuts, I tried using a stalk of celery. The pesto was really runny and too sour. So I added another teaspoon of sugar and one of the sorghum flour tortillas from our Carnitas Tacos night. That made a huge difference. This pesto has a lot of cilantro in it, but the flavors all work really well together. Ben's not really a fan of cilantro but he loves this shrimp recipe. 



Tommy put the shrimp in his mouth a couple times, but wouldn't actually eat it. Oh well, at least he didn't have an allergic reaction. I'll call that a positive first trial. I think next week I'll try making baked coconut shrimp and maybe he'll eat one of those. 

Pork and Tofu Pillows

Friday I made Martin Yan's (of Yan Can Cook) Pork and Tofu Pillows. They are basically like pork and tofu meatballs, except a lot softer in texture and they're cooked in a delicious sauce. Pretty easy to make and a nice change from regular stir fry.


I served that with his Simply Gai Lan from his cookbook Quick & Easy by Martin Yan. That recipe is Chinese broccoli (although I just used regular broccoli) blanched and then sauteed with some sherry, ginger and soy sauce. The flavor was good, but it was pretty much overpowered by the Pork and Tofu Pillows sauce. 


Ben and I liked the dinner a lot, but Tommy didn't really care for it. Oh well, he tried a bite. The next day I took the leftover rice, broccoli and sauce and made it into fried rice for Ben and I with the pork and tofu pillows on top. That was almost better than the original dinner. But since rice was a major part, Tommy didn't get to try that version.