Tag: Whole30

Quick Hash

Published on by Christine3 Comments

Who loves a great hash!? This is on my regular rotation of dinners because it is so quick and easy + super versatile. It’s a great way to work in veggies and I love that it is great leftover for breakfast.

The key to making this super QUICK is using the slicing disc with your food processor. It’s amazing!! I didn’t use the shredding or slicing attachment for years and I’m embarrassed at how much time I used to spend chopping things and shredding cheese.  This brings food prep time down to seconds.

Ingredients:

  • 5 large red or golden potatoes or 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 bag of Brussels sprouts (I’ve also used broccoli florets, which of course don’t require slicing, and I’ve added carrots too before)
  • 1 package of sugar-free pasture-raised bacon
  • sea salt + pepper + onion powder + garlic powder to taste

Preparation:

  1. Put slices of bacon on parchment paper on a large baking tray (I use this one: GreenLife Ceramic Cookie Sheet)
  2. Place in cold oven and turn to 425 degrees.  I typically cook for 10-15 minutes until bacon is crispy. Baking time will vary depending on your oven preheating time and the thickness of the bacon – keep an eye on it!
  3. While bacon is cooking, prepare potatoes & veggies. Clean and cut small enough to fit into the feeding cylinder of food processor.
  4. Slice the potatoes and veggies using the slicing attachment of your food processor.
  5. When bacon is cooked, transfer to paper towel lined plate, leaving the bacon grease on the pan.
  6. Add the potatoes and veggies to the pan and toss in the oil, adding more avocado or coconut oil if needed to coat.
  7. Season the potatoes and veggies, ensuring you use plenty of the sea salt.
  8. Place in oven and cook 20-30 minutes until browned and brussels are caramelized, taking out once mid-way to toss.
  9.  When potatoes and veggies are ready, crumble the bacon on top and serve.
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Potato-Crusted Quiche

Published on by Christine1 Comment

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On #mealprepmondays, I try to always make breakfast for my daughter and I for the week so it makes mornings easier.  This quiche, made with hash browns instead of pie crust, makes for a healthier version that’s still super yummy and filling.

As with ALL my recipes, this takes very little time to prepare and is really easy to make.  There is a lot of room to create in this recipe- using different meats and veggies based on what you like best or what is on sale that week.  My go-to is bacon & spinach but I’m always trying something new.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons of butter (or coconut oil)
  • 2 cups organic frozen hash browns (I use half a package of the Alexia brand)
    • I’ve also used frozen sweet potato fries for this if you want to avoid white potatoes.
  • 6 large soy-free pastured eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetables
    • I typically use what is leftover from dinner the night before- asparagus, bell pepper, frozen spinach have all worked great.
  • 1/2 cup cooked breakfast meat
    • I like to mix this up depending on what’s on sale/what I’m feeling. I rotate between bacon (look for organic + sugar-free), ham and breakfast sausage.
    • TIP: If cooking bacon, make less of a mess and use of an already heated oven by oven-baking it instead of frying.
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk (or heavy whipping cream)
  • 1/2 cup grated raw cheddar cheese
  • Sea salt & pepper

Preparation:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Put the butter in your quiche dish (I use this one, but a standard pie dish would work just fine too) and place in the oven to melt.  TIP: to make it easier to put in/take out of the oven, I put my dish on top of a cookie sheet.
  3. Put frozen hash browns in dish and spread around to evenly distribute and mix in butter.  Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Put dish with hash browns into the oven until slightly browned- typically around 20 minutes.
  5. Whisk the eggs with milk and salt & pepper. Add the veggies and meat and cheese and stir.
  6. When potatoes are brown and crispy, take out of the oven and add the egg mixture.
  7. Put dish back in the oven and cook until the eggs are puffed and set- around 20 minutes.

I’d love to hear your favorite combinations of meat & veggies to put in this!  Enjoy!

 

 

2-Minute Guacamole

Published on by Christine1 Comment

Looking for a simple summer snack that will keep you swimsuit ready?  Today, I’m sharing the easiest 2-minute guacamole recipe perfectly paired with veggies like celery, carrots or zucchini slices.

Did you know that you actually need to eat fat to burn fat? Well, certain fats that is – unsaturated fats.  That’s the fat in fish, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, butter, seeds and avocados. They help remove LDL cholesterol from your arteries and promote a healthy heart.  And these real foods are soo much healthier than the low-fat processed foods loaded with sugar and salt to add flavor from the removed fats.  These healthy fats actually help break down the stored fats in your body and contain the building blocks to building muscle, all working together to help you slim down.

Avocados pack in healthy monounsaturated fats that contain oleic acid and give you protein and fiber.  They actually help reduce cravings and keep you feeling full so you don’t over-eat.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

Shopping Tip: How do you pick a perfectly ripe avocado? Peeling away the stem and if you find green underneath, take that one! If you find brown, then it’s overripe. If the stem won’t come off at all, it’s not yet ripe, but you can take it home to be ready in a few days!

  • 1 avocado
  • 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper (omit if AIP)
  • juice from 1/4 lime

Preparation:

Mash the avocado with all other ingredients in a bowl with a fork and it’s ready to serve! If you don’t plan on eating it all right away, save the avocado seed and put in the bowl with the guac to keep it from going brown for a day or two.

Enjoy!

 

AIP Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup

Published on by Christine1 Comment

I recently made dinner for a friend who is following the Auto-Immune Paleo diet. The AIP diet basically removes anything inflammatory so that your immune system has a chance to heal.  It’s very restrictive (depending on what you’re currently eating, of course), but great for people with auto-immune diseases or for anyone suffering from unexplained health issues and not seeing results from anything else. Since it avoids foods that are most often problematic, it can also help people understand what kind of food allergies they may have without taking the expensive tests.   Another thing about the AIP diet is that everything must be organic to avoid reactions to pesticides, additives, hormones, etc in non-organic foods – see why organic is always the better choice here.

One of my favorite anti-inflammatory, healing foods is bone broth.  It is super easy to make and I always have some on hand to drink or make soups with. So, when I was challenged to make a meal that was AIP-friendly, I knew I wanted to start there. Today, I’m sharing the delicious Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup I concocted by taking the tomatoes and peppers (nightshade veggies are a surprisingly common allergen) out of my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.  Even if you’re not following an AIP diet, I promise you’ll love this one!

Ingredients:Cilantro Lime Chicken Soup

  • 1 organic zucchini
  • 1/2 bunch organic celery
  • 3 organic carrots
  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 organic chicken cooked and shredded (crock-pot chicken recipe)
  • 8 cups homemade bone broth (or organic chicken broth)
  • 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 tablespoon organic olive oil (my favorite brand is Kasandrinos)
  • 1/4 cup diced cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preparation:

Prep time: about 5 minutes, Cooking time: 35 minutes

  1. Put all the veggies (first 5 ingredients above) into a food processor and blend until puréed.
  2. Add olive oil and puréed veggies to soup pot and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes.
  3. Add broth and salt to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Add chicken, lime juice and cilantro to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes.
  5. Serve with fresh avocado slices on top for added texture.

Hope you enjoy!

Summer Reading List

Published on by Christine1 Comment

Reading in the SunWith summer just around the corner, I’m dreaming of days by the pool reading and soaking up the vitamin D.  While I typically opt for the easy-to-read young adult dystopian novels (yes, I am a teenage girl, apparently), I’m also excited about the health books I have on my reading list.  For those of you looking for some non-fiction book ideas,  here are a few old favorites on my bookshelf or ones that I am currently reading (and will be writing about very soon)!

Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food – This book changed the way I think about food and my health and was the ultimate inspiration for this blog.

The Coconut Oil Miracle – This was a fascinating read since I had absolutely no clue of all the health benefits that coconut oil could provide.  Read my summary here.

Your Body’s Many Cries for Water – Wow… if anything will convince you how important it is to drink water, it’s this book.  You’ll be surprised how many health problems are a simple result of chronic dehydration – read more in this blog post.

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It – A controversial read that attempts to debunk the calories-in, calories-out theory. Read my review here.

RX: Charcoal – Would you ever eat charcoal?  Read about why charcoal is now a staple in my medicine cabinet here.

It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways – I’m halfway through this book and planning to do the Whole30 “diet” this summer… I’ll let you know how it goes!

Healing Oils of the Bible – Just started this book and I am already so inspired.  If you are theologically-minded and want to learn more about scriptural healing, this is a must-read.

Nourishing Wisdom: A Mind-Body Approach to Nutrition and Well-Being – One of the hardest things about the transition to a healthy diet has been self-control and our relationship with “good” and “bad” food.  I’m interested to read the author’s take on how we eat being just as important as what we eat.

Essential Oils Pocket Reference – Not really a sit-down and read kind of book, but if you have essential oils, I promise you can’t live without it.  Organized by symptom, you can figure out how to use oils to promote healing.

The Holistic Dog Book: Canine Care for the 21st Century – I’ve always been intentional about feeding my dog the best food and making holistic medical choices for her, but after she got really sick a few weeks ago, I’m more motivated than ever to make sure she has the chance for optimal health.  This book is going to help me make the transition to a raw food diet.  I will certainly share what I learn soon for all you dog-lovers out there.

Bookshelf

Which one of the these books interests you the most?  What are your favorite health & wellness must-reads that I missed?

*The book links above are affiliate links, which means I make a very small commission if you purchase that product.  I sincerely appreciate your support to keep this blog going!