I have been BUSY these last few days. On Wednesday, I decided that to continue to eat healthfully, constant cooking is a necessity and therefore a Trader Joe's run was in store! To make that happen, I needed to go prior to work. I rushed to the office, dropped off Charlie (my sweet healing dog), ran to TJ's, shopped for 4 huge bags of groceries (for $150 which for sure would have been doubled at Whole Foods), rushed back to the office and unloaded the groceries in the fridge, saw patients until 6ish, re-loaded groceries, drove home, fed Charlie and unloaded the groceries AGAIN and ran to the gym to BODY JAM!...my favorite...the class that allows me to pretend that I'm a professional dancer for a solid hour...then HOME by 8:30pm. THAT is dedication to health. Holy cow!
I've been busy cooking like crazy...keeping it simple though b/c really, who has the time?...chicken and regular pork Italian sausages (whole30 approved, of course), grassfed ground beef with riced cauliflower and carrots (like a fried rice) with coconut aminos, scrambles, salads, butternut squash soup (See below for recipe) and a big pot of chicken soup (my specialty). Roasted a ton of veggies...lasted like 5 days (recipe below). I decided to make more which took me maybe 10 minutes to prep 2 more big pans of veggie to roast for another several days of making fuller meals easier.
THE KEY TO SUCCESS = Keep the food prepped! :)
THE KEY TO SUCCESS = Keep the food prepped! :)
Yesterday was the first time that Whole30 felt hard. Mom ordered food for me and my sister's family. She thought she ordered me something healthy by getting a chicken kabob with veggies but when I opened it, there was a soy/terryaki sauce all over it. Two things happened...first of all, when someone tries to do something nice for you even when they get it (whole30) wrong...you feel badly about it and often we just say to ourselves, "it's not THAT big of a deal, fuck it, I'll just eat it"...which I didn't but then I started to look around and realized I couldn't take a bite of anything...the cheeseburger on a bun, a few of those fries, nibble on the cookie, taste the terriyaki steak with fried onions...the only thing there as I looked around - blood sugar tanking + feeling starved - was iceberg lettuce...YUCK! Fortunately, my husband saved the day with a rotisserie chicken and the butternut squash soup that I had made but without that, I felt screwed.
This was a SOLID reality check for me. It is something I know already but there it was staring me in the face...so much sugar, wheat, corn, grains, dairy in some form...found in EVERYTHING - seemingly - and I had such an awareness of how easily we can fall into the trap of slowly but surely (or quickly) getting out of a healthy eating regimen. Just a little bit of this and that is all it takes to swirl and whirl down the rabbit hole of "who cares" and "Oh, we'll get a dessert and we can all share it or only have a couple bites"...Yeah...I know I'm not the only one.
If you fell off the wagon, get your ass back up! Start Again and Stick to it! You've got this!
To help you along...Here are a couple of Ideas/Recipes that are DOING IT for me!
~Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken Burgers = DELICIOUS + Flavorful and sliced up on a salad...YUM!
~Roasted Veggies: dice up any veggie like sweet potato, onion, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, brussel sprouts (I throw all of them on a pan) massage in coconut oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Put in oven at 400-415 for 30-45 minutes (I like mine more well done and crispy) and let cool.
~This is great with dinner as a side dish, warmed up in a saute pan and throw in an egg or diced up sausage for breakfast or throw it on your salad to make the salad more filling + texture
~Butternut Squash Soup - I mentioned it above...steam a couple of bags of butternut squash (already diced for you thanks to TJs), Blend it with some Whole30 approved chicken stock (read labels), add unsweetened almond milk and seasonings...I was wanting sweeter so I went with salt, pepper and cinnamon. You can do basil, curry, rosemary, garlic, saute onions and blend it all in. You can even swirl a bit of pesto on top of it with a few walnuts to provide texture once in your bowl. It is REALLY easy. Took me 20 minutes from start to finish. *Note* Careful not to add too much liquid if you like the soup it bit creamier in texture.
~Tessamae Salad Dressings = life is easier (found at Whole Foods) - loving the Zesty Ranch and Green Goddess
~A Special Treat by Dr. Cari J = Your Welcome! :)
I got really creative. I put 1 banana in a bowl and blended it with 1/2 cup of Justin's Almond Butter. I then added 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut chips, sliced almonds, and crushed walnuts. I hand mixed it in and divided it into small glass jars - added a few blueberries on top and placed in the fridge for quick easy treats or to support blood sugar balance on a busy day! IT IS DELICIOUS!
~I admit - to part of the batch I added an egg and more nuts, baked it at 350 for 17 minutes and it made like a cookie...fuck'n amazing. I have to say...I am NOT a baker...so this experiment pleased me greatly that it was an actual success on the first try...feels like I'm cheating but I feel solid about it...as long as it isn't an everyday eat...
Until Next Time,
Cari J.
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