Paleo Pancakes

October 2, 2017October 1, 2017Leave a comment

The one thing about Whole30 that gets me down is the you-can-only-have-eggs-for-breakfast thing. Sometimes, a girl just wants a stack of pancakes.

So with September Whole30 coming to a close, we thought it would be a good idea to try out some paleo pancakes.

Originally, I had planned to make them from scratch. But wondering the aisle of Whole Foods, I found this little beauty.

Here are the ingredients: almond flour, arrowroot, organic coconut sugar, organic coconut flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and sea salt.

You mix in eggs, milk (I used the Original flavored Nutpods) and oil (I used coconut oil).

And you have delicious paleo pancakes.

I topped my pancakes with Thrive Market Crunchy Almond Butter and a little dab of Cinnamon Pecan Creamed Honey from Lake in the Willows Apiary from my favorite farmers market.

The only non-compliant things on this gorgeous plate is the creamed honey topping and the coconut sugar in the pancake mix. Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than traditional sugar, supports good gut bacteria and has less fructose than other forms of sugar. The honey just made it decadent.

But here’s the thing. We both had full plates, but we didn’t eat everything. We ate until we were full. And then we acknowledged that we were indeed full so we stopped eating. Food Freedom Rule 1: Don’t eat it just because you think you have to.

I’m excited to share our Food Freedom journey with you. It’s always a learning process, but this time it feels different to me. I plan on finding paleo alternatives whenever possible and go back to the Whole30 rules when I feel like I’m losing control.

September Whole30 Complete

October 1, 20171 Comment

Hello October.

Not only is October my favorite month, but we successfully completed the September Whole30 reset. And we absolutely feel fantastic.

So what’s next?

As of this morning, I’ve been re-reading the major points of Melissa Hartwig’s Food Freedom Forever to get a handle on how to do life after the Whole30.

For me, after Whole30 is over is the hardest part. I’m always nervous about reintroducing foods I know will have a negative affect on me, and I don’t want to lose all of the wonderful good feelings I’ve cultivated over the last 30 days.

But we have a lot of be thankful after this season of Whole30.

Here are some of our NSV (Non-Scale Victories):

Long-lasting, sustainable energy
Less digestive issues
Complete mental clarity
No brain fog
Zero bloating
Less headaches
Mindfulness of the meal prep stages
The ability to say “no thank you” in certain situations
Sharper sight (colors look brighter, richer)
Lack of cravings
Less snacking, if at all
More exercise
Better quality sleep
Ability to tackle hard tasks or challenging things after a long day
More motivation in the morning
Clear skin
More creative recipes and flavor profiles
Zero joint pain or aches

And I’m sure there are others I’ve left out.

Since this was our third time to complete the Whole30, I did notice the hangover phase lasted considerably less time than round one and round two. It took me 12 days to feel better during round one. It took eight days in round two.

But this time, it only took four (excruciatingly hungover) days to feel awesome. That to me was the biggest win of all. The mental clarity part of Whole30 is what I crave. The sustainable energy is also a big one.

It feels good to finish something so rewarding.

Check back tomorrow to see how we celebrated our completed Whole30.

Chili Dogs

September 27, 2017Leave a comment

Who says Whole30 has to be filled with boring dinners?

Not me.

I’m all in for flavor and healthy.

So how does chili dogs apply to that?

One big and flavor packed way.

Applegate makes Whole30 compliant hot dogs. I happened to be at Whole Foods (shopping for Amazon discounts) when I spotted them.

Then, it hit me.

Chili dogs.

So I made the classic chili recipe from the Whole30 book, and Whole30 chili dogs were born.

And we weren’t sad about it.

Only thing not pictured in the photo was a squiggle of mustard.

It was a favorite of ours.

And it will happen again soon.

How to Do Fancy Dinners on Whole30

September 26, 20171 Comment

Whole30 is a fantastic program. Until there is something to celebrate.

Holidays. Birthdays. Weddings. Babies. Good days.

In my world, celebrating anything is about the food. What are we going to eat?

September had three things we had to combat: Labor Day and Brad’s mom’s birthday and our anniversary.

Since Ladonna’s birthday fell during the middle of the week, I promised her a big fancy family dinner.

So I spent the week preparing the menu and getting everything together so I could make her a birthday celebration.

What was on the menu?

Herb Roasted Chicken from the Farm at Barefoot Bend

Balsamic Dijon Roasted Root Vegetables

Sautéed Zephyr Squash

Paleo Apple Crumble

It was a dinner of firsts.

First time to roast a whole chicken. First time to make a Paleo dessert that was Whole30 approved. First time to make homemade chicken stock.

But the best part was we are well. We celebrated a special lady’s birthday. We were 100 percent Whole30 compliant, even if some of the items were considered a Paleo treat (or as the Whole30 creator calls it sex with your pants on foods).

We ranted and raved about how good a truly free range farm chicken tastes. It was a delightful experience I was happy to create and center around good food.

What are your favorite ways to celebrate something when you are trying to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle?

A Taste of Fall

September 25, 2017Leave a comment

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love coffee. Lattes, especially.

They are so creamy and warm. And just….perfect.

When I shared my post about Whole30 Lattes, I was just messing around trying to make creamy, delicious coffee.

But as I got to searching on the Internet and Pinterest, I ran across Against All Grain’s Pumpkin Spiced Latte.

And I can honestly say it is a dream come true.

Warm and frothy with a light pumpkin flavor. It is heaven in a coffee mug.

I added a little MCT oil to my mixture and left out the maple syrup for now because of Whole30.

But it is a decadent treat. And I will be keeping a the pumpkin base mixture in the fridge and add it to my coffee to welcome the cooler fall weather.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy pumpkin?