Friday Favorites

Quick story: Yesterday, I ate 89 percent of a bag of grain free granola.

It was delicious. But it was also the most sugar I’ve had in 35 days.

My. Head. Hurt. Like. A. Boss.

The Whole30 is no joke. It changes your life. It teaches you to notice how your body reacts to things.

Just because it’s grain free and Paleo and all that jazz, doesn’t make sugar any less powerful of a dragon.

The thing about Food Freedom is it allows you the grace to acknowledge the habit (eating a whole bag before lunch) and revise (more veggies and water and good stuff).

Do the Whole30 program. Change your life. It only takes 30 days. You can do it.

Now for the favorites.

Asian Chicken Soup

This soup is a serious nod to Nom Nom Paleo’s Chinese Chicken and Bok Choy Soup in the Whole30 cookbook.

Sometimes I stand in my kitchen and look aimlessly around the room and hope I generate a delicious idea. And sometimes I need a nudge in some direction.

This nudge came from her Asian inspired soup.

It’s cooling down here. And it happened to be a little rainy the evening I made it. But all the stars aligned to create this goodness.

So thank you Nom Nom Paleo for the inspiration.

What you need:

  • Four chicken breasts
  • Garlic powder
  • Ginger powder
  • One carrot, cut in half moons
  • 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 packet of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup bok choy, roughly chopped
  • 6 cups chicken bone broth
  • 1 big spoonful of Red Boat’s Fish Sauce
  • 1 big spoonful coconut aminos
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a skillet in the stove to medium heat to cook the chicken. Season the chicken liberally with ginger and garlic powder. Sauté until chicken is cooked completely. Set aside.

Heat a large pot on medium high heat. Add coconut oil with the carrot and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook until onions start turning translucent, about 7 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and season with a little more salt and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth (I used broth made from my big fancy dinner chicken)and add bok choy, coconut aminos and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Right before serving, dice up the chicken and add to the pot. Cook 5 more minutes to combine all the flavors.

Serve and enjoy.

This soup is definitely a favorite of ours. And I’ll have to make it again and again. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Friday Favorites

We’ve made it to Friday.

It’s day 29 of Whole30.

I’m almost there. The end of the clean eating road. Though I don’t think much will change. I’ve been feeling so good and clear-headed. Don’t really want to lose that.

So what are my favorites today?

Share some of your favorites.

Band of Beauty Membership Perks

When I placed my first order of Beautycounter, I had no idea how much I would love the products.

What I didn’t know before becoming a consultant was there was a membership program with awesome benefits.

And I kind of felt like I missed out on something, even though I was a consultant.

Now through Saturday, Beautycounter is running a special for becoming a part of Band of Beauty. And it’s an amazing deal.

If you purchase $150 of product and add the $29 yearly membership fee, you will get:

  • $22 product credit
  • Free shipping on all orders over $100
  • Complimentary gift of an eyeshadow duo in oyster and amethyst
  • A FREE Lip Sheer in Twig (a best seller and my absolute favorite.)

So for your $150 purchase – $30 Lip Sheer – $34 eyeshadow duo – $22 product credit – approximately $5 for free shipping….you get $91 in product or rewards. So you really only spend $59.

When you do the math, you get a ton of safer beauty and personal care products and a heck of a deal on future savings on shipping and products via product credits.

Join my Band of Beauties.

Not sure what products to get to reach the $150 goal to get the pretty Lip Sheer in Twig? My suggestions are the Charcoal Cleansing Bar, Countermatch Adaptive Moisturizer, Body Wash in Citrus Mimosa, Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner Set and the Volumizing Mascara.

Get yourself that best lipstick ever. And save big time. You will be so glad you did.

Chili Dogs

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.