Happy Spring!!! I meant to post about this weeks ago…we started a new routine last month with Dempsey now going to daycare 3 days a week and all of us getting sick…but now we are in a better groove and less sickness!
I feel like the Whole30 month flew by! Results are in….my skin nearly completely cleared up, and…I lost like TEN POUNDS!! Who knew! I had no idea my body would respond so well! And for my skin, I had these rough skin areas on my knees that nearly completely resolved. My food reintroductions I had big plans for – I had wanted to take a couple weeks at a time to see how my skin reacted and what seems to trigger the dry skin – however I got a stomach bug and then traveled right away and was eating whatever I could stomach and derailed the reintroduction plan because my residual heartburn was so bad for days. So basically I felt great up until the stomach bug and ultimately I need to do the Whole30 month again and do the reintroductions better this time. Stay tuned!
I wanted to do a quick roundup of the rest of the recipe favorites!
- Tuna Steak with Cauli-rice and Cucumber Salad
This was a Mike creation on the tuna – basically just sesame seeds and sesame oil and coconut aminos, and the cucumber salad was just cucumbers with the dressing in the recipe linked – definitely serve the cucumber salad fresh like the recipe recommends, we let it sit and it kind of got watery – so serve fresh! Mike, my mom and I devoured it!
2. Whole30 Steak Cobb by No Crumbs Left
Literally followed this recipe to a T the first time around and it is SO GOOD – I’ve made it twice now and the dressing I didn’t have parsley the second time or chives and I think I put red onion or white onion in place of that and it was still SO GOOD. Her steak instructions are on point as well – totally worth it to make marinated or pickled red onions and to learn how to soft boil the eggs – it’s just a win all around!
3. Salt + Vinegar Smashed Potatoes by Half Baked Harvest
these potatoes are BOMB – just didn’t make the dipping sauces or use the cheese, but also probably could use a kite hill yogurt for the sauce, I just did the spices and garlic and olive oil etc – they are SO GOOD I think we have made them now 3 times!
4. Acai Bowl DIY
Acai packet base with some banana and almond milk, topped with fruit and coconut and chia seeds! Just avoided the honey and granola that is usually in acai bowls which I did miss, and the base I could have put more banana in or other berries, but it was still tasty and hit the spot!
5. Cashew Lemon Chicken and Veggie Skillet
This was inspired by some of the Half Baked Harvest skillets I’ve made in the past – Start with a 1/4-1/2 cup of raw cashews and soak in warm water and set aside. Then I sautéed some veggies in olive oil in a skillet that can go in the oven. Pictured here are red peppers, mushrooms and onions and then I took them out of the pan, added in the seasoned chicken thighs with umami, salt, pepper, paprika or whatever spices you enjoy, brown on both sides, remove from pan, then deglaze the pan with chicken broth, add in some ghee (or good quality butter if you’re doing butter or dairy), and then go back to those cashews, dump the water and add in 1/2 cup fresh water, blend up those cashews quick until they are creamy, add the mix to the broth, mix well and simmer, add back in the veggies and chicken, add more broth if needed, and then toss the whole thing into the oven for 10min until the chicken is cooked through and there ya go! I served this over spinach as well next to the potatoes pictured above!
6. Paleo Hot Cocoa
2 dates soaked in your 8-12oz of warmed milk of choice either in your electric frother or microwave or stovetop – then blend in the dates in your blender or Nutribullet type blender with a tablespoon of cocoa or cacao powder and tada! I loved the unsweetened barista blend Califia Almond Milk, or the Milkademia Latte Da unsweetened blend they froth so well in our instant frother or when blended!
Cheers to spring and if you have any question about the Whole30 feel free to reach out anytime!
xo – Sarah