Whole30/Paleo Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Yesterday I posted this picture of my lunch on Instagram and Facebook and quickly received requests for the recipe.  So I posted it to Facebook and made sure to note all the changes I made.  When I realized that my minor changes weren't so minor after all, I decided to post the recipe here.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
16 oz crabmeat
      (I bought the flaked kind in a package and minced it in the food processor.  Original recipe calls for canned crab)
24 oz baby bella mushrooms 
     (We buy 16oz of mushrooms and use the remaining crab mixture in omelets for breakfast the next couple of days)
1/2 C homemade mayo
3 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:
Combine crab meat, mayo, chives, and paprika.  Let rest for at least 15 minutes.
Clean mushrooms.  Remove stems and let dry.
Place mushrooms on baking sheets (if you're worried about them sticking, spray with EVOO or line with parchment paper)
Fill mushrooms with crab mixture
Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (until top is slightly browned)
Let rest for 1-2 minutes.  Top with freshly squeeze lemon juice and serve.

To see the original recipe, more details, and *much better* pictures, click here!


Whole30 Mayonnaise

I have never been a fan of mayonnaise, but when we started Whole30 the first time, I realized that we needed something as a base for foods like chicken salad.  When I tried this recipe, I was shocked at how easy it as and even more shocked at how delicious it was.  I usually make a double or triple batch because it goes so quickly in our house!

Ingredients:
1 egg
     -The egg MUST be at room temperature so I usually leave it on the counter in a bowl of warm water for an hour.
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice (also need to be room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon mustard
3/4 cup LIGHT olive oil
salt and pepper


Method:
Combine egg, garlic, lemon juice and mustard in blender and blend until smooth.
Slowly pour in olive oil.  If you are doubling the recipe, I recommend pouring in 3/4 cup at a time, blending and then adding the second half.
Blend until it thickens.
Add salt and pepper to taste and combine.
Store in fridge.  
Mayonnaise will be good for one week past the expiration date on the egg carton. 

To see the original recipe and better pictures, click here!

Whole30 Meal Plan AND recipe

We're doing another Whole30! Our last attempt was derailed by a nasty stomach bug, but we are currently on Day 4 and going strong!  It helps, I think, that we're doing it with friends this time.  Per yesterday's post, we're doing this because we have found that we feel better when we eat better.   

Since it is the first time our friends have done Whole30, I made a meal plan to share with them.  I planned two weeks worth of meals which we will alternate (i.e. Weeks 1 and 3 of Whole30 we will eat the same meals).  Included are links to most the recipes I list!  You can access the meal plan here.

A few notes:

1. Please do your own research about Whole30 before starting.  My meal list might be a great resource for you, but it doesn't take the place of knowing what the "rules" are of Whole30.  Additionally, if a recipe calls for something like mustard, I'm assuming that you'll check the back of yours to make sure it is Whole30 approved.

2.  I have tried to do a different protein each day of the week so that you aren't eating chicken for every meal.

3.  On the last page of the meal list I've listed several alternate meals in case you didn't like one, couldn't find the right ingredients, or just needed a fresh idea.  I've also listed some ideas for snacks and add-ons to meals.

4.  I have listed things you can eat at a few chain restaurants, but (as always) you should check with your local restaurant before ordering it.

5.  You can access my Pinterest board of Whole30 foods if you need more inspiration!  Also, here is an old blog post where I listed some favorite meals from our first Whole30.   

Speaking of meal inspiration, last night we had one of our favorite Whole30 meals! We like it so much that we eat it often when we're not even doing Whole30!  I love that it is simple to prepare and I can easily run to the store to pick up salmon, a lemon, squash, and zucchini and have a delicious and healthy meal in a short amount of time.  :)

I have said it before and I will say it again: I am not a photographer, not a *food* photographer, and not good at writing recipes, but this meal is easy enough to prepare that you shouldn't need too many instructions.  If you do have questions, however, leave a comment and I'll try to get you a clear answer!

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Place fresh salmon on a large sheet of aluminum foil (skin side down).  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add lemon slices on top.  Fold aluminum around salmon.  Bake for 20-35 minutes (depending on how thick your piece is).  Salmon should be light pink and flaky when it comes out.  Open packet and remove lemons.

Wash squash and zucchini and remove the ends.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices, then cut each slice into four pieces.  Toss in bowl with olive oil, a very generous tablespoon of garlic (or more if you're like me!), salt, and pepper.  Place in baking pan and cook for 20 minutes (turning the pieces a few times during the cooking time).

I usually prepare the salmon first and stick it in the oven to start cooking.  Then I quickly prepare the squash and zucchini and put them in the oven as well.  20ish minutes later, both are done cooking at the same time and the meal is ready to eat!

Let me know what you think if you try this!  And if you have any favorite paleo/Whole30 meals, I'd love to hear about them!


P.S. The blog is likely to be a bit quiet this week as we're sick and I'm working on another project! :)

Whole 30 Easy-Peasy Tilapia Recipe

I'm a bit embarrassed to call this a recipe because it's really so easy and simple.  This is a quick meal that we whipped up last night when we started our second Whole30.  It uses ingredients that I keep on hand and is very adaptable, so if I do happen to be out of an ingredient, I can easily leave it out or find a substitute.

Start with two tilapia fillets and cover both sides with lime zest and a sprinkling of sea salt.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25-30 minutes.

While the fish is baking, make guacamole!  We use two avocados, lime juice (from the lime that was zested, but reserve 1/4 of it), tomato, red onion and salt.

When the fish is done, plate it and squeeze remaining lime juice over it.  Top with guacamole and dig in!

Oh man, for as many times as I say that I am NOT a photographer, I really need to say I am SO not a food photographer!!!  I don't do this meal justice, so you'll just have to give it a try.  And if you do, maybe take some better pictures of it?  :)

The Whole30 Challenge -- TAKE TWO

Back in September, my husband and I completed Whole30, a 30 day challenge of eating real food and eliminating addictions to sugar, wheat, etc.  It was hard, but GREAT!  I had far fewer migraines, hardly any fibromyalgia pain, lots of energy, cut out my sugar addiction, and ended up losing 20 pounds in the process.

We've decided to do another Whole30 in January!  We totally splurged on Thanksgiving and I've been paying for it the past few days with very achy joints.  So now I'm back to collecting recipes that are FREE of sugar, dairy, gluten, corn and legumes.  Can you say "Hello, Pinterest"?

Although you can start Whole30 at any time, they have three "scheduled" starts throughout the year including January 1st.  But since my husband's birthday is in January, we'll be waiting until after his birthday to start meaning we'll finish mid-late February.

I'm already excited (and scared) to do another Whole30!  But one thing that is giving me extra motivation is that we have friends doing it with us this time!  We might not all start on the same date, but as of right now, we have four friends who are doing Whole30 in January!  My goal is to encourage 10 people to do Whole30.  It really did help me and I think it could do the same for you.  Do you want to join us??

whole30 meals and more!

Well, we are now on Day 23 of Whole30!  It has been a lot easier than I anticipated.  The first few days were hard, but now we don't have to think about it so much.  Additionally, I've noticed that I have more energy.  Some people talk about having "tiger blood" which means having boundless energy.  For me, I've noticed that I crash less often.  I used to go CRAZY waiting for Caleb to come home...I was so tired and could never have him get home soon enough to help with the baby.  Half of the time I had a migraine so I just needed to lay down.  My migraines have been so, so much better (I've only been having them if I haven't eaten or slept enough.  Totally a change from having them day after day).  I've spent more time outside being active with Hadden and haven't been on edge waiting for Caleb to get home.  Additionally, a pair of shorts that 23 days ago were tight can now (literally) fall off me.  I really need to find my belt!

This week I was preparing a meal for a friend, but since I couldn't taste what I was making (it wasn't Whole30), I asked another friend to come over and taste test some apple muffins for me.  Thankfully, she didn't mind that job. ;)  We got around to talking about Whole30 and what we ate so I thought I'd give a brief description.

Here is our official shopping list.  The first week or two I took this with me the store to make sure I was buying Whole30 approved foods.  Now that I have it in my head, I don't usually carry it because I already know what to buy.

This is what WE have been eating.  Sometimes on the different forums, I see people who have different opinions about what is allowed on Whole30 (e.g. one person says to drink only water, but most people agree that other drinks like tea are fine).  To the best of my knowledge, everything I've eaten has been compliant with Whole30, but if someone who is more advanced with Whole30 recognizes that I did something wrong, please don't rake me over the coals! ;)

Breakfast:

Eggs

  Egg casserole with compliant chicken sausage and spinach

  Omelets with peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes

  Fried or Scrambled Eggs

Cowboy Breakfast Skillet

Fruit

Main Dishes:

Grilled Chicken

Grilled Steak

Tilapia

Salads (including a modified version of this one)

Homemade Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash

Turkey or Chicken Burgers

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Tuna Salad (with homemade mayo)

Sides/Snacks:

LARA bars (we've found about 5 flavors that are compliant)

Kale chips

Fruit (sometimes with a side of almond butter)

Vegetables (LOTS!)

Almonds

Guacamole (we like it served over grilled chicken or tilapia)

Baked Apple Chips

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Homemade beef jerky

Eating Out*:

(*It's especially important if you're doing Whole30 that you are a compete pain in the butt for the restaurant staff double check how that location cooks their food...it might be different from place to place.)

Panera Bread: "Power" Mediterranean Turkey Salad (no pepperocini, add avocado)

                       "Power" Steak Wraps Salad (no pesto, add avocado)

5 Guys:           Burger (no cheese, no bun, lots of vegetables!)

Texas Roadhouse: Steak (no seasoning - just grilled), broccoli (no seasoning), house salad (no cheese, no croutons, oil and lemon as dressing)

Chipotle:           Bowl with carnitas, mild salsa, guac and lettuce)

Are you up for it??  Ready to start Whole30? (I'm hoping at least ONE person decides to do it after me...I have a few people considering it)

 

whole 30 (alternate title: why I haven't had milk, sugar or bread in 14 days)

My and my husband's favorite foods include milk, cheese, bread, alcohol, and any form of sugar.

But we're on day 14 of being gluten free, alcohol free, dairy free, legume free and sugar free.

Thankfully, we're only going to 30.  :)

It would take a long, long time to explain everything about Whole30, so I'm just going to do my best to summarize.  Whole30 is a 30 day challenge focused on eating whole foods and rewiring how your body and brain approach food.  For instance, my body spent a couple days detoxing (not fun).  And my brain is learning that I don't really need to eat when I'm stressed and especially don't need to reach for sugar to make me feel better.

I knew I needed to give this a try because I knew I was too dependent on sugar and milk (along with basically every other food on the list).  Also, I was really interested to see if it would help my migraines and fibromyalgia.

For 14 days now we've been eating a lot of lean meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits and nuts.  In some senses, it's easier than I thought it would be.  I was DREADING beginning this, but once we got started, I fell into a routine.  On the other hand, there have been a couple times when I cried over food.  Like this week when Hadden was really ill and I was so busy taking care of him (and falling into bed the moment he went to sleep) that I honestly forgot to eat lunch.  Cue mini-meltdown.

Here's What I Love About Whole30:

No Cheating
For some reason, this make sense to me.  Maybe because I like rules??  If there wasn't a "no cheating" rule, I would probably find myself cheating on the first day.  But I'm on Day 15 and, to the best of my knowledge, have been fully compliant.

You aren't allowed to weigh yourself
I love this.  I love that it's not about weight-lose, it's about a healthy lifestyle.  We can already feel our clothes fitting differently, but I like that the focus isn't on that. 

It's called Whole30 and not Whole365
I can do 30 days.  I like knowing there's an end.  Of course, many people say that at the end of Whole30, they don't WANT to go back to their old eating habits and instead learn to indulge occasionally.  I know myself and there's no way I'm going to be eating this strictly for the rest of my life.  But I am hoping to be more conscientious in the future and especially consider the way my body reacts to certain foods.  If they make me sick, why eat them? 

I don't have to be hungry
I'm not doing any counting of calories.  I don't have to walk around with a growling stomach.  We try to make sure we eat meals with plenty of protein and vegetables.  And if I need a snack during the day, I eat one.


Here's What I Hate About Whole30:

Losing food as a connection point
Yes, yes, yes, I know that it's good to eat healthy.  Yes, I'm sure I could learn to cook Whole30 compliant meals for guests (and I did last week).  It doesn't change the fact that for these 30 days I have felt very anti-social.  I HATE that.  I love to cook.  I love to have people over. for meals  I think food is a way to bring people together.  It is HARD to lose that.  During these 14 days, we have eaten before we've gone to someone's house and, another time, brought our own food.  Of course we explained about Whole30 ahead of time and our hosts were more than gracious, but it was still unpleasant. 

In Bread and Wine, Shauna Niequest talks about her four months of eating limited foods by saying "I felt like I wasn't living in the same world everyone else was living in."  That's exactly it.  Entertaining is one of the major reasons I know I won't eat this way forever.

Giving up sugar, bread, alcohol and dairy - obviously!
I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that I hated it!  I know it's for my good and I know that i chose to do it, but STILL! ;)




Have you ever tried a restricted diet?  Did you stick with it or was it just for a season?