What Am I Eating?

I thought I would take a minute to show you guys some things that I’ve been eating!  These are all recipes from a book by Dr. Amy Myers called The Thyroid Connection.  While I’m not following her 28 day meal plan (I don’t have time to cook that much!), I am using her recipes for all of my dinners and most of my lunches.  Each meal I make serves four, and some serve six.  So Matt (my husband) and I will eat it for dinner and then we each will eat it for lunch a couple of days later.  So I’ve only been cooking for dinner, which has been nice.  And when I have time, I will prep some of the items on the weekend so they don’t take as much time during the week.  So far, everything I’ve made hasn’t taken long to cook, it’s just the cutting of veggies and such that seems to take the bulk of the time.  Oh, and I should also say, I’ve actually really liked the majority of the recipes, which I’ve kind of been surprised by, I must admit! Below are a few that we’ve had!

Citrus Shrimp over Red Leaf Lettuce Salad – We really liked this!

Pineapple Taco Salad with Grass-Fed Beef – This was one of my least favorites, only because I felt like it needed dressing or more oil.  I think if I made it again, I would actually crush some of the pineapple and throw it in a blender with some olive oil and apple cider vinegar to make a dressing.

Pear and Parsley Smoothie – I was VERY surprised by this because it tasted so good!

Apricot Chicken Salad – this did not call for a tortilla or wrap but it was really good on one!  I used a coconut wrap from Thrive Market.  The ingredients for the wrap are coconut meat, coconut water and coconut oil so it’s Stacy approved!

Turkey Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash with Tuscan Kale Pesto – another really good one but I also added a little extra olive oil to my “spaghetti”.

Seabass and Cucumber Seaweed Salad –  so I found out with this that what kind of seaweed you get actually matters… definitely make sure you use wakame seaweed!!

Blueberries and Cream Smoothie

Sweet Potato and Green Breakfast Hash – hands down my favorite!!

Mint Chocolate Brownies – these are actually not from Dr. Myers book, I got this from one of her social media outlets, just can’t remember which!  These have become a staple!  I get one each day as a dessert.  😊

Also, not pictured but a few other things that I’ve loved:

Grass-fed Beef and Veggie Breakfast Scramble

Coconut Chicken Curry (I had never had Curry and this was  SO GOOD)

Salmon with Zucchini Noodle Pesto and Garlic Butternut Squash

Wild-Caught Cod with Sage Parsnip Mash and Asparagus

Greek Lamb Burger with Coconut Tzatziki and Zucchini Half-Moons (I was so surprised at how much I liked this!! I’ve never had lamb before and this was really good!  The coconut tzatziki sauce was so delicious!)

I will post some more recipes as I go through the 10 weeks.  I’m also going to use some recipes from The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott, NTP.  There are several in there that look really good! I look forward to trying new things throughout the 10 weeks!  And I can’t wait to share them with you!

Do you have AIP recipes that you love and are willing to share?  Or do you need help navigating your nutrition for your autoimmune disorder?  Shoot me an e-mail!

Can’t Have Pizza on an Elimination Diet?? 😩 Well, of course you can! Here’s how!!

While I’m a huge supporter of eating good, whole foods as much as possible, sometimes you need a little something fun, a little “cheat”, especially if you’re just getting used to eating for your health, not eating for fun!

My daughter is on an elimination diet which takes out several things including gluten and dairy. So when movie night shows up at school every couple of months and they are serving pizza, she can’t have it…and it breaks my heart and I hate it for her. 😥 So I have started making her a version of pizza that she CAN have. This “elimination diet approved” pizza has allowed her to feel normal! Check this video out to see how I make it!! (**Not all elimination diets are the same. Check with your doctor or health coach to see if this would work for you.)

If you need help navigating the waters of an elimination diet, e-mail me here. I would love to help and support you!!

Struggling to Stop Drinking Coffee?? Try This!!

My new favorite thing to drink in the afternoons!! Dandy Blend Herbal Beverage!! Check it out! 😊

This Can’t be Grain-free! It Tastes too Good!!

“Your child needs to go through an elimination diet.”

These words can be devastating for a lot of people to hear.  You get this long list of foods your child needs to avoid and if you eat all of them on the regular, you could be in freak-out mode!  Especially if you have no idea how to replace some of your child’s favorite snacks, breakfast and bakery items. Well, this blog is about to help you out when it comes to replacing some of those gluten containing items that our kids love!

Cassava might be one of my new favorite things!!  For a family that is trying to avoid grains, Cassava flour can be a lifesaver when wanting a bakery-type item!! Cassava, or yuca root, is a starchy, tuberous root that can be eaten whole by baking, boiling, or frying.  You can also ferment them.  They have been compared to a white potato but they are known to be low on the glycemic index, making them ok for diabetics.   But, my personal favorite is cassava flour.

I use Otto’s Natural’s Cassava Flour

Tortillas I made using cassava flour, egg, spices, and water.

You can use cassava flour as a substitute in any recipe calling for regular flour, which is what I love!  We’ve made tortillas or wraps with the flour and they have turned out perfect!  We make our own “chicken nuggets” for our kids to have for lunch or dinner.  We use a combo of almond flour and cassava flour to make them.  I’ve always used almond flour but adding the cassava gives it more of the “fried chicken” breading that we like.  It also has the added benefit of being lower in fat than the almond flour.

My FAVORITE tortilla chips! They are so light and crispy!! They also have lime, but I’m out! 🙂

And thank goodness for the companies that are amazing at creating products made from cassava flour!  Siete’ Foods makes the best tortilla chips!!!  I buy three bags a month from Thrive Market and usually get one in each flavor.  And yes, I 100% take these chips with me when we eat at a Mexican restaurant…no shame here!  While eating out isn’t the best for you, I also don’t want to be a recluse and always stay home!  So taking these chips has allowed Paisley and I to enjoy chips and salsa (we don’t eat corn), which we both love.

Mine and Paisley’s favorite snack chips!

Plant Snacks makes some amazing Cassava Crunch chips that I LOVE to snack on!!  They come in a couple of different flavors but the plain ones are probably my favorite.  However, I have to be honest and say that I haven’t tried all of the flavors yet.  They have become my go-to Friday and Saturday night snack and I’m lucky if I don’t eat the whole bag in one sitting.  Paisley loves these chips as well, so they are PICKY-kid approved!  I also get them from Thrive Market.

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Simple Mills oh how I LOVE thee!!!!  This company saved me when my daughter first went on her elimination diet!  They use cassava, but also include some other ingredients in their mixes.  But every ingredient, which isn’t many, is something you know and is of quality.  This company has so much to offer, from crackers and bread mixes, to cupcakes and muffins… they even have frosting!!  If you follow me on insta, then you know how Simple Mills’ cupcake mix and frosting saved my butt on the day of Paisley’s school Valentine’s party!! (See pic above!)

Bottom line, if you or a family member needs to be gluten, even grain-free, try out cassava flour and companies that use it!  It’s wonderful for giving you options when you don’t always want meat, fruits, veggies, and plants and comes with the added benefit that it’s not high in fat like an almond flour.

Oh, and did I mention that cassava has nutritional benefit as well?? 🙂  It can help with inflammation and helps to balance your gut flora, among other things.  So, not only can you enjoy some treats but you can do it in a health way!  Who doesn’t want that?!?!

 

For help and support with leading a gluten and grain free life, shoot me an e-mail!  I would love to chat with you!