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White Chicken Chili {Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Nightshade-free}
This comforting and hearty low carb White Chicken Chili cooks in under 30 minutes and in one pot. It’s perfect for a delicious fall or winter weeknight meal! It’s keto, paleo, whole30 and nightshade-free. With a few simple tweaks, AIP-compliant, too.
It’s about that time of year, soup, stew and chili season. My absolute favorite!!! I adore the comforts of these foods, I crave them. This is the food that makes my soul happy.
I also REALLY love meals that are ready in 30 minutes or less on the stove top, one pot, no special tools or equipment, just a straight-up, easy, hearty meal.
This particular White Chicken Chili recipe is low carb and keto-friendly, it’s paleo, Whole30 compliant and made without any nightshades. With a few minor changes you can also make this White Chicken Chili AIP compliant.
What are Nightshades?
Nightshades are a botanical family of plants, more technically called Solanaceae. The most common nightshades are tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplant. These plants all have certain characteristics in common (like the shape of the flower and how the seed is arranged within the fruit–Wikipedia has a good description). There are more than two thousand plant species in the nightshade family, the vast majority of which are inedible and many of which are highly poisonous (like deadly nightshade and jimsomweed). Tobacco is a nightshade, and is known to cause heart, lung, and circulatory problems, as well as cancer and other health problems (although, clearly some of this has to do with the other toxins in tobacco products derived from the processing.) The reason why nightshades are problematic for many people is due to the glycoalkaloid content. Over-consumption of these edible species can actually be poisonous to anyone, and it is possible that the low-level toxic properties of nightshade vegetables contribute to a variety of health issues over time.1https://www.thepaleomom.com/what-are-nightshades/ Read more here about the potential concerns with nightshades for those with autoimmune disease.
Why Nightshade-free?
While I am not 100% nightshade-free, 100% of the time, I have discovered in this last year that in abundance, nightshades can trigger my autoimmune symptoms and cause noticeable joint pain for me, it can cause migraines and allergy-like symptoms, so, I have been careful about how much I consume them and the amount. If I am struggling with an autoimmune flare-up or digestive flare-ups, I will cut nightshades out completely until things calm down a bit. On the regular, when my autoimmune symptoms are managed, I still prefer to avoid them in whole food form, like tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants, but usually in pretty small amounts, as a garnish or in spice blends, etc – nightshade do not trigger a noticeable response for me, so I don’t overly concern myself with obsessing over it, in that sense. I know folks who have to be 100% nightshade-free and it can certainly be challenging, in a lot of ways I think even more than having to avoid gluten, since they can hide in spices, seasonings, sauces, etc.
References
1. ↑ https://www.thepaleomom.com/what-are-nightshades/ -
Greek Souvlaki Chicken Wings {Paleo, Keto, Whole30} – Gas Grill, Traeger and Oven Options
Marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano, these delicious crispy Greek Souvlaki Chicken Wings are grilled until gently charred, while they still stay juicy and tender. Don’t skip the re-sauce and the final step for extra crispy and flavorful wings. We serve ours with a homemade tzatziki sauce on the side, which makes the perfect cooling, dipping sauce. This recipe includes instructions for a gas grill, a Traeger Wood-Fired Grill or the oven.
We made these delicious Greek Souvlaki Chicken Wings on our new Traeger Wood-Fired Grill, which has absolutely changed our grilling game and most especially it’s taken our already amazing wing game to another level. With real smoke coming from wood pellets and no fear of flare ups, it’s been incredible for grilling. In many ways for the purpose of this recipe, it’s just the same concept as Mark’s patented in-direct grilling method that he developed for our gas grill which we have shared here before, however the Traeger brings a delicious wood fired flavor we have never gotten with the gas grill. Mark’s method for indirect heat makes for THE BEST and most crispy chicken wings you will ever make on the grill. EVER! Either way, on a Traeger or not, give these chicken wings some time, it’s all about the low and slow and then give them that last round of heat, with the “re-sauce” – you will fall in love with the crisp factor. The instructions below are for a gas grill and for my Traeger Nation folks, below that you will find the instructions for your Traeger. Read the rest of this entry »
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Sheet Pan Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Veggies {Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
This easy Sheet Pan Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Veggies is truly a delicious, one-dish meal packed so much flavor and it’s so simple and fuss-free. With lots of different options it’s easy to make it work for you and your family. It’s one of our favorites and I know you are going to love it, too!
I am a sucker for a sheet pan meal, but as the snobby, recipe-developer / food lover I don’t love the sloppy, unfocused sheet pan meals, like a good part, I believe a good sheet pan meal should have a solid theme!!
This is maybe my favorite sheet pan meal, to date. Greek Souvlaki Chicken and veggies, is, in my opinion, the perfect culmination of the food I grew up on. Fuss-free. No need to get the grill going, no standing over the stove top, just toss it together and throw it into the oven. That sounds aggressive, be gentle, no one wants chicken marinade on the ceiling.
As per usual, with most recipes here on Tasty Yummies, we’ve got lots of options for you with this Sheet Pan Greek Chicken Souvlaki, you can opt for bone-in or boneless chicken. Get a whole chicken and break it down into parts (though, I do recommend halving the breasts the short way, if you are cooking the various parts, so the pieces are similarly sized). You can even make this with wings and drumsticks. It’s so versatile and this way you can make it to your liking.
If you are doing the keto or low carb thing, this go with cauliflower or go half and half if you’ve got a fam and they’ll some want potatoes. I do this often at our house. I have also made this with white sweet potatoes and it’s amazing, too. For dairy-free, paleo or Whole30, simply leave off the feta cheese (or check out this amazing dairy-free feta recipe from my friend Brittany) and opt for a dairy-free tzatziki sauce.
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Instant Pot Hamburger Soup aka Ground Beef Stew {Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
This Instant Pot Hamburger Soup is a simple, weeknight meal is a breeze to throw together, it’s hearty and budget-friendly. This comforting classic version of a ground beef stew is paleo, Whole30 and keto-friendly.
This simple, humble Instant Pot Hamburger Soup was born accidentally. You see, I had fully meal planned for this week , which is exciting enough when I plan ahead and to that and on the menu I had my Instant Pot Beef Stew, it’s a favorite of mine, it’s pure, cozy comfort food that reminds me of my childhood. I had planned to leave out the white potatoes and mix up the veggies to suit my tastes and needs. I love that this stew recipe is generally affordable as chuck roast or stew meat is often an budget-conscious cut of meat, however I hit up my local grocery store and the grass-fed chuck roast was $12 / pound, EEEEK and no other quality stew meat option. That’s a hard NOPE!! I wasn’t making a stew that cost over $30 in meat. I looked to my left and there I found grass-fe, grass-finished ground beef, $4.99 / pound. Perfect, I thought, I would just make my beef stew with hamburger meat and it would be amazing.
To create this ground beef stew I made a few light changes, I increased the broth, went with less meat, I left out the potatoes and opted to create for more of a soup, then a stew, though it still had those cozy stew vibes with the veggies and the flavors.
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Herb Roasted Turkey Breast {Gluten-free, Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
Got a small gathering planned? This Herb Roasted Turkey Breast is a simple and easy way to enjoy the flavors of Thanksgiving without slaving over a HUGE turkey. The skin gets beautiful crisped and golden browned and the herbed butter (or olive oil) brings a beautiful flavor to the whole breast. Gluten-free, paleo, keto, whole30 – friendly.
Roast turkey breast is a really great alternative to roasting a whole turkey. Not only is it less work, it’s less time, too, which leaves the oven open for making some of the must-have sides, ahem – I am looking at you stuffing and roasted Brussels sprouts. A four- to five-pound turkey breast will feed six to eight people, it’s a cinch to carve, and it’s perfect for making those tasty leftover sandwiches or salads or a delicious soup the next day.
Enjoy this easy Herb Roasted Turkey Breast recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or really, you can make it any other time of the year; the leftovers are fabulous! I especially love that without fussing with a whole bird, all the cook time and the carving time, you get more time to spend with your loved ones, because that’s what it’s all about, am I right?
This turkey breast is tender, juicy and it’s delicious served alongside your favorite stuffing, cranberry sauce and some mashed potatoes 0r cauliflower mash and definitely some green beans. Don’t forget a pie for dessert.
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Keto Loco Moco Breakfast Bowl {Paleo, Whole30, AIP-option}
This Keto Loco Moco Breakfast Bowl is a lightly updated version of a classic Hawaiian comfort food. We swap the traditional white rice with cauliflower rice and with flavorful Umami grass-fed beef patty from TRIBALÍ Foods and epic mushroom gravy make this a savory dream come true.
If you haven’t been able to tell by recent recipes here on Tasty Yummies over the last 8 or so months, I was incredibly touched by my two trips to Hawaii in the last year. The food clearly made a major impression on me, among many other things. Beyond the flavors, of course, I love the varying cultures that inspire the cuisine, as well as the locally accessible foods that influence the food.
One dish that continuously peaked my interest (AKA haunted me) on both of my visits to the islands was the Loco Moco bowl. Loco Moco is classic Hawaiian comfort food. Traditionally made with white rice, a burger patty, an over-easy or fried egg, and a generous serving of beef gravy, often with mushrooms, it’s basically a Beth dish, if there ever were one. Savory, unfussy, non-pretentious, comfort food with an undertone of umami. GAH! Dream status. The bad thing, I could never ever ever enjoy one while I was on the Islands, the gravy ALWAYS contained gluten, every single restaurant, I would ask.
So, I creepily creeped on anyone that ordered it near me, took mental notes, maybe drooled a little and couldn’t wait until I could recreate one at home in a way that I could enjoy.
As usual, besides the given of recreating a recipe without gluten, I wanted to created something that was totally grain-free and as always, prioritized quality ingredients, most importantly the beef! You all know how important the quality of my animal proteins are to me. You can read more here about the differences between grass-fed and grain-fed beef and why I choose to make this a focus of my nutrition.
I know prioritizing quality of food can often feel overwhelming, but we cannot afford not to make as many attempts as we can for better quality, our health depends on it. I am also intensely passionate about supporting the companies prioritizing not only better quality but also transparency in their supply chain. TRIBALÍ Foods was created by Holistic Nutritionist, mom and former vegetarian, Angela Bicos Mavridis, who merged her passion for wholesome, nutrient-dense foods with globally-inspired flavors for a delicious, healthy meal option. After meeting with Angela in person and bonding instantly over our Greek heritage, our connection ran even deeper as we shared our health and healing paths and our commitment to high-quality, sustainable foods that actually taste good!! I fell in love instantly with TRIBALÍ and Angela.
TRIBALÍ Foods‘ patties feature 100% organic grass fed and finished, pasture-raised beef and 100% organic free-range, air chilled chicken, all meat is humanely raised on family farms without any added antibiotics or added hormones, and blended with locally sourced herbs and vegetables like shiitake mushrooms, poblanos and fire-roasted garlic. You can buy TRIBALÍ Foods online (use coupon code YUMMY to save 20%), or find them in the freezer section of select Super Targets from coast-to-coast, in Southern California at natural retailers like Bristol Farms, Lassen’s, Lazy Acres, Erewhon and Gelson’s and now all of the Natural Grocers locations across America. I get mine locally at our Whole Foods and you can check out the store locator to find a retailer near you.
The Umami Grass-fed Beef Patties were the perfect choice for these bowls, having fire-roasted garlic, onions, and woodsy Shiitake mushrooms — with a tangy hint of nori seaweed, a dash of Red Boat fish sauce, and umami spices. I love that they are paleo, keto and Whole30 friendly, but they are also AIP compliant. WOAH!
With the umami rich beef gravy the punch of flavor if this comforting Keto Loco Moco Breakfast Bowl is unreal. I cannot wait for you to experience this, too! Breakfast just got a whole lot better and better for you, too! Read the rest of this entry »
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How I Treat a Gut Flare Up / My Gut Healing Go-tos
A few weeks back I was in the thick of a pretty annoying gut flare up. Bloating, gas and excruciating stomach aches with nearly every meal, the whole nine! For those of you that follow me there, I shared a bit on Instagram about what I was dealing with and also used this as an opportunity to remind you that even us “experts”, the nutritionists, health coaches and others working to help people in their health journeys – we aren’t immune to these kinds of set backs.
With the amount of questions and interest those posts created, I pulled together an email and sent it out to the Tasty Yummies list, sharing my personal gut healing approaches when I deal with an acute gut flare up. Because it was so well received and many of you mentioned how helpful this information was for you, I wanted to compile it into a permanent post here on the website, that would be much easier for you to reference, whenever you need it.
Healing Isn’t Linear and It’s Often Not Pretty.
Before we get into my personal gut-healing tips, I want to remind you that that your health and your wellness is not a linear journey, it’s not black and white and often it’s not too pretty, either. Healthy isn’t a destination! It isn’t a level you achieve, a peak you reach, that you only ever move forward and onward from. Things happen and this journey is ever-evolving. But, something tells me, many of you already know that.
Unfortunately, the set backs and the flare-ups happen, this is all part of the journey and for many of us, especially those of us who struggle with autoimmune issues, oftentimes it feels somewhat inevitable. But, I also try to stop in these moments and remind myself this is why I have worked so, so hard to prioritize my health, to listen to my body and to continuously educate myself – because as these setbacks emerge, I am now armed with an arsenal of tools to go into battle with and I find I bounce back far quicker than I ever have before.
In the event that you missed the conversation in my Instagram stories that week (you can catch a pulled together replay version of it here) – in a nutshell I was speaking about exactly all of this, so I won’t repeat myself too much. The feedback from you all was beyond amazing, though and hearing your own personal stories and struggles, it truly touched me! So thank you – for showing up, for sharing and being vulnerable in return.
As you may have seen in those stories, I mentioned that at the time, I was personally in the middle of a gut flare up, nothing crazy major, not a full on autoimmune crisis – but my gut was pretty dang angry. Could have been related to the episode where I got “food poisoning” in Mexico back in April or it could be a response to new supplements I had introduced or a reaction to a new food. Not too sure the cause or origin of the flare up, but, what I do know is that I have the knowledge and I am empowered to take control and implement the various gut soothing and healing approaches, to calm these flare ups as they happen.
And as a reminder to all of you, even those of us that are “wellness experts”, nutritionists, health coaches, etc, it can happen for us, too. We aren’t immune nor are we perfect – we don’t have it all 100% fully figured out, either.
Customized Wellness. Personalized Nutrition.
You’ll notice, I am not selling or sharing any of this as a protocol, a diet or a reset. Some of this looks like the autoimmune protocol, other parts look like a low-FODMAP or the SCD approach, some reminiscent of GAPS. This is because with WELL over 13 years of gut-healing under my belt, with experimenting, experiencing, trial and error – I now have a bit of a personalized gut healing tool kit that is customized just for me. This is why I am SO BIG on this idea of honoring your individuality, because there is NO ONE catch-all remedy for everyone and anyone that tries to tell you or sell you otherwise – is lying to you. Especially when it comes to the gut, my gosh there are a slew of factors to consider when it comes to gut health.
That said, below is some of what works for me, for gut healing and soothing. I share not because I believe if you are struggling that you should do exactly this and you will find relief, but more I want to inspire you to feel in control, in charge and to feel open to experimenting with your own approaches, so you too can create your own tool belt that you can use whenever necessary.
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Lettuce Wrapped Chicken Souvlaki {Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
Blog Post from May 2017: After 4 weeks of loads of travel, I am back home and getting back into real life. Interestingly, I have never been more organized with my content when traveling, especially before 4 weeks of on and of travel. I had plenty of content to share posts just as regularly while I was gone. From this time last month, until right now, I have been in Mexico, Portland Oregon and finally, Buffalo, New York. I’ve been down the road and back again, to say the very least.
This final leg of travel, which I just returned from last night, began as an innocent surprise trip home to see my family. I somewhat randomly selected this week, though it was my Mother’s birthday and my nephew’s first birthday, but it was just all a good excuse to come home and surprise everyone.
Sadly as the trip crept closer, I received word that my Grandfather had fallen ill and it wasn’t looking great this time. His body was failing him and it was his time. He was in Hospice. I kept checking in with my mother, from my trip to Portland, asking how he was and managing the wonder of what would happen if he passed if I was in Portland, mere days before my scheduled surprise trip. Could I book a rush trip back to New York from Portland? I would also have to spoil the surprise that I had worked so hard on and it would be a challenge cancelling a non refundable trip, just to come a couple days sooner.
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Easy Quick Pickled Onions Recipe
Easy Quick Pickled Onions will instantly upgrade just about any dish. We love them on salads, sandwiches and wraps, burgers, pizzas, tacos, eggs and more.
With nearly 8 years of recipes, Tasty Yummies is filled with lots of main dishes and side dishes, special occasion recipes, treats, easy weeknight meals and loads of simple how-tos, but I am always trying to check back in with the staple foods that continuously make appearances in my own kitchen, that might be beneficial for you guys, too. The foods that are on repeat and that I continue to come back to. The ones that offer the most bang for the buck, in terms of flavor vs time involved to prepare.
Quick Pickled Onions are pretty high up on top of that list. Quick Pickled Onions, more specifically quick pickled red onions, these are something I love to have on hand for a pop of flavor and crunch whenever I need it. They are great on top of salads, wraps, burgers, shredded chicken or beef, tacos, pizzas, veggie bowls, on chili or soups and so on.
The nice part of Quick Pickled Onions is that they bring the crunch that fresh, raw onions do but the flavor is far more mellow and less intense. It doesn’t hang on your tongue the way that raw onions can.
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Paleo Breakfast Sausage Patties {Whole30 friendly}
Paleo Breakfast Sausage Patties are simple to make at home. Just about 15 minutes of work and you’ve got ready made breakfast options for the week. With a pre-made hard or soft boiled egg (or any eggs really) and a side of greens or other veggies, you’re starting your day with quality protein, fat, greens and fiber, without any of the sketchy ingredients found in many store-bought sausages and you have a well rounded breakfast for the busy mornings, ready in just minutes.
I find one of the best ways to feeling more in control of your meals and let’s be honest, your life, is to plan ahead. With cooking, while I don’t fully subscribe personally to meal prep or even very rigid, planned out batch cooking, I am always looking for ways to cook in abundance so I can cook once and enjoy multiple times over.
These Paleo Breakfast Sausage are a perfect example of that. Often I will make a double batch so we have plenty on hand for the week, for simple breakfasts without the fuss.
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Bone Broth Braised Greens {Paleo, Gluten-free, Whole30, AIP}
These Bone Broth Braised Greens are a nourishing addition to any holiday table or just a perfect, comforting side dish, for anytime. Bone broth, onion, garlic, lemon and red pepper flakes add flavor to this side dish that can be made with whatever hearty green is in season. Collard greens, Swiss chard, kale or a mix of your favorites.
I find that at holiday tables (shoot many dinner tables year ’round, for that matter) the veggies are often an afterthought. The thing people throw together and half-ass, because they “have to”. Veggies deserve more love than that. A little respect and honor, ya know? After all, nutrient-rich veggies should be the backbone of any real food diet, or any diet really. We should be shooting for some green stuff at every single meal. Non-negotiable.
I know veggies can get boring and if you’re like me, in the cooler months, salads get less and less enticing, so getting those greens in can be hard. Steaming works, but let’s be real, it can be ‘blah!’ and when you serve ‘blah’ veggies, it’s a fight to get them down and the chances are you aren’t going to do it at every meal.
These slow cooked greens, bring the flavor and nourishing, healing goodness of the bone broth, we get a little heat from the red pepper flakes and the onion, garlic and lemon, round it all out with classic, simplicity.
It’s a pretty fuss-free recipe and at the end of it, you get a bowl of goodness that your beautiful body sooo deserves! Every time I share that I am whipping up this recipe on social media, I get so many messages that you want the recipe. So I finally wrote it up to share with you. Just in time for the holidays.
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Spicy Pumpkin Fries {Paleo + Whole30}
Fall is officially upon us, which means we can finally celebrate all things pumpkin! For what it’s worth, I believe in waiting it out, slowing down and fully holding onto summer as long as we can. Each season flies by far too quickly, so I truly try to savor each moment and live in the present. The next season always comes.
But the time has come, where we can go hog wild on pumpkin everything. While there is a plethora of pumpkin recipes here on Tasty Yummies, these Spicy Pumpkin Fries may be one of my all time favorite pumpkin recipes. I shared these last year as an exclusive email list-only recipe and the response was so huge, I just couldn’t let these get lost in the abyss of email inboxes gone by, so here we are!
Savory, spicy and just a little crisp – this is what fries are all about, no matter what they are made from. Traditionally we know that fries out in the wild, are submerged in a vat of adulterated vegetable and seed oils, these oils are truly some of the worst things we can put it our body. (read more here) But, when made at home, baked with high quality oils, you can enjoy without the worry of toxic fats.
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Greek Gyro Meatballs {Paleo-friendly}
These Greek Gyro Meatballs aren’t your standard ground meat Greek meatballs, instead we are bringing the flavor and more importantly the texture of gyro meat. So you can skip the multiple steps and the need for delicate, thinly sliced meat and condense the work into these tasty bites!
My love for Greek food runs very very deep, you guys know this. Last year when I created, basically the best homemade gyro ever, I realized that I had been sorely missing out for basically an entire lifetime. Growing up Greek there were loads of recipes and dishes that were handed down from generation to generation, things we just always grew up eating – souvlaki, avgolemono soup, lamb meatballs, pastitsio, leg of lamb, Greek Potato Salad and that list goes on and on.
Though we all loved it very much, gyro wasn’t exactly one of those foods, it just wasn’t part of my family’s Greek food repertoire. Souvlaki was always the go to for this time of meal and if and when gyro was served, at our house, it was the store bought stuff (eeeeek over-processed, gluten-containing and not so good – so, I always passed). When I broke into the homemade gyro game, after years of being without it, it quickly became a dish that is requested every time I am home in NY visiting my family.
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Cast Iron Crispy Chicken Thighs
These Cast Iron Crispy Chicken Thighs are insanely simple, plus ready in under 30 minutes this super crispy, crackly and epically tasty chicken is a great weeknight dinner option.
In my continued efforts to bring you more of the simple, easy dishes that I cook on the weekly here in our house, along with solid fuss-free options for those of you transitioning to a more whole food focused, real food lifestyle – today, I give you a personal favorite of ours: Cast Iron Crispy Chicken Thighs.
These crispy, crackly-skinned chicken thighs are a staple around here and with varying spices and flavors, along with your desired sides, these are a simple weeknight option that you will never tire of. Plus it’s ready in under 30 minutes.
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Smoky Shoestring Sweet Potato Fries
You may have noticed that it’s been a bit quiet over here. I have been working on a few bigger projects that are taking up most of my time, but given the current state of the world, I have also needed to just take a big step back, where I can.
It’s strange to feel that I simultaneously have so very much to say, so so much, yet I am constantly finding myself at a loss for words. Dumbfounded. Instead of being glued to my computer and my phone, rather than refreshing my social media feeds minute after minute, I have instead chosen self care and comfort. I’ve chosen to march and to focus on action. I have surrounded myself with others feeling equally as devastated and at a loss, but also very fueled to do something about it. I have been volunteering my time and donating my dollars. I have been cooking for comfort and love rather than just for work. Serving others and nourishing myself. These are the things I can control and while the world is feeling increasingly more out of control, I find myself wanting to focus inward first, to take care of myself, then find ways I can use my voice, my power and my passion in my local community to help how there I can, as well.
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Whipped Sweet Potatoes
This Whipped Sweet Potatoes recipe is shared with permission from Diane Sanfilippo’s Practical Paleo 2nd Edition
For many of you that have followed Tasty Yummies and my ongoing health journey for some time, you know that this website, my passion and my recipes were all born of my own quest to find health. In discovering a severe gluten intolerance nearly 12 years ago, to my autoimmune disease diagnosis and a slew of other digestive troubles along the way – I have always chosen to let these challenges be the catalyst to me educating myself, empowering myself and in turn hoping to help others do the same.
From the very start, I have always embraced and preached the idea of nourishing your individuality, that there is no one-size-fits all approach to health and that if you can quiet down the outside influences enough and tap into your own intuition – all of the answers are there. When the paleo movement began to come to fruition and came more to the forefront, I admittedly found myself viscerally opposed to this idea – just as I always had been with any other diet that contained strict labels, rules and a very black and white approach to health. It wasn’t so much that I was against the idea that it could work for some, it was more that I was witnessing very dogmatic activity from many of it’s supporters, which turned me off. It was feeling to me like some vegans’ approach to health and their belief (and often consequent judgement) that “their way” was the only way. Despite following a diet fairly close to what was labeled as “paleo” and having some interest in the idea that it could continue healing my body using a paleo diet, I stubbornly rejected the notion of slapping a label on my heath journey, this blog and my continued autoimmune struggles.
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Roasted Garlic Parsnip Cauliflower Mash
In an effort to lighten things up, I have definitely made mashed cauliflower as a swap for mashed potatoes in the past. Listen, I am not going to lie to you guys, mashed cauliflower it’s not “faux mashed potatoes”. Mashed cauliflower is mashed cauliflower. It’s really freakin’ good, but it’s also fairly flat. It lacks the starchiness of mashed potatoes, it lacks the heft! It doesn’t hold up to a thick, luscious gravy.
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Coconut Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote
I know many of you don’t read my words, you look at the pictures, you scroll down to the recipe and maybe you make it. Or maybe you don’t. I get it. No offense taken. Good news for those of you in the no-words-please club, you’ll be excited for this post and maybe those in the coming few weeks. I have finals coming up and studying is of the highest priority but I can’t not create and share recipes, it’s my life blood, it’s my energy source, it literally fuels me. We’re also leaving town tomorrow, headed to Palm Springs for our wedding anniversary. I plan to sit by the pool, read my text books, study my flashcards and maybe sneak in some napping and cocktails while I am at it, too. All that said, writing words right now feels harder than any community projects, any tests and quizzes, essays or book reviews – somehow it’s weighing on me heavier than anything else.
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How Stress, Energy and the Subtle Body Can All Play a Role in Your Healing
I’m very excited that as Tasty Yummies evolves in 2016 and a brand new website is on the horizon, to be bringing you more content, beyond food, to support your individual healing journeys. I hope you enjoy.
How Stress, Energy and the Subtle Body Can All Play a Role in Your Healing
Over this past year my ongoing healing journey has taken on many different faces and the path has very much evolved along the way. I have shared bits and pieces here on the blog, but so much of this past year was so up in the air and very changing, that most of the time this was something I chose to keep to myself.
Having been diagnosed with an autoimmune form of kidney disease late in 2014, my main goal in 2015 was to figure out what I needed to do to get this disease into remission. At the start of the journey, the biggest struggle for me to overcome, was the fact that I seemed to have no real outward or debilitating symptoms of the kidney disease, it was only discovered through a routine life insurance physical the year prior. However, after a brief time where my fear got the better of me and went the western medical route, including several rounds of varying pharmaceuticals, slowly this symptom-free girl found herself with a lot more issues. In turn, I had also found myself overcome by fear and feelings of helplessness.
As my state of mind shifted, so did my health. I began seeing a naturopathic doctor in January 2015 and we began the slow and arduous process of healing my body, first by approaching what could be (and for most people usually is) the underlying problem, my digestion. After the several rounds of prescriptions drugs for my kidneys, my gut was quite unhappy and the rest of my body also began suffering because of it. My naturopathic doctor suspected leaky gut, among other possibilities and this began the shift in my focus towards gut healing.
I spent the better part of the year trying out various protocols, elimination diets, supplements and so on. There were periods of great relief where I had felt better than I had in a very long time, as well as many stretches where I felt terrible, my body likely responding as it does, to the healing process. In the times of struggle it was hard for me to keep a positive mind. When I felt like I was doing absolutely everything I could, life began feeling limited because of the various protocols and plans I had committed to and my healing became, at times, at the center of my consciousness – my life truly felt like it was in a holding pattern because of it. I began to identify as someone being imperfect and I put things, goals, on hold until I “felt better”. It is inevitable that I hit my breaking point in the later part of last year.
STRESS
For me, the true realization that my healing goes beyond physical, began as I chose to honor myself more deeply and recognize unhealthy habits, that I was inadvertently choosing to ignore. My amazing naturopathic doctor often asked at the start of my appointments what my stress levels were and most times I exclaimed “Oh, me? I have no stress, I am good! Life is great”. I have news for you, just because you are positive person, if you choose not to acknowledge or dwell on stress or emotional distress, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t there doing harm, deep in the darkest depths of your soul. It’s there wreaking havoc, I can almost promise you. Ironically, the realization came for me during one of my school lessons in the Nutritional Therapy Program I am currently enrolled in. As we covered the digestion module, we talked at length about the need for our bodies to be in a parasympathetic state when eating. Our digestion works best when we are in a rest and restore/digest state vs the very common sympathetic fight or flight mode.
I realized how often I was actually eating meals under stress. While cleaning up the kitchen from a long day of recipe development, while reading, watching TV or standing over the kitchen counter cooking another recipe or some other unnecessary task that had my mind preoccupied. In doing so, my body wasn’t truly acknowledging, honoring or respecting the fuel I was feeding it. Even on a physical level, you chew less and quicker, swallowing larger bites and giving your digestion even more work. This for me, was step one in realizing that healing my body required so much more than taking a few supplements and changing my diet. Any healing protocol needs to be multi-layered approach, to be effective.
Just in this single realization alone, honoring the body’s need to be in a more relaxed state for proper function, I saw instant results in my digestion and I also began to acknowledge other areas of my life I was holding onto stress and other stagnant emotions. I am not saying this solved my underlying problems or cured me for good, but it was a small first step in a large overall problem and I was happy to see that a small change, could make such a large improvement. Stress can manifest itself in many different ways for all of us, but recognizing it’s presence, acknowledging the source and taking steps to lessen it, are vital in the healing journey.
ENERGY and THE SUBTLE BODY
As a yoga teacher, I was already very aware the roles that the subtle body plays in our health and vitality. Yoga, meditation, exercise, these have all played a big role over the years, in my choice for a more mindful lifestyle. All bringing a deeper awareness of the flow of subtle energies in and around the body, I have always honored the role that these subtle energies play into my health and vitality. If we can look to our life force energy as a source for our overall balance, health or ease, then we can assume it’s lack is the cause of imbalance, illness or dis-ease.
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The Benefits of Collagen
By now you have probably heard from myself and other bloggers about collagen and gelatin and of course, the fanfare around bone broth, etc. Some of you may already know the many benefits of collagen, but even I didn’t know it’s full potential until earlier this year. Collagen is vital for our body and is the basic building block of skin, hair, nails, bones and joints and it plays a very important role in gut healing protocols.
Our ancestors utilized sustainable whole animal nutrition, which provided an abundant amount of collagen. Over the past century however, modern food processing has removed this natural and healthy protein from our diets.
This superfood supplement has provided much healing for me over this last year as it has become part of my daily gut healing protocol, so I am excited to share with you some of the research surrounding it. Beyond finding healing for my gut, the marked benefits in my skin, hair and nails have been the wonderful icing on the cake!
What is Collagen?
Collagen is an important structural protein that makes up one third of the protein in the body and up to 70% of the protein that makes up skin. Collagen is the basic matrix of the connective tissues, skin, cartilage and bone where it comes together to form scaffolding to provide strength and structure.
As a protein, collagen contains significant amounts of amino acids proline and glycine, which are harder to find in other protein sources and serve as a protector of your gut.
The Benefits of Collagen
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Grain-free Apple Berry Crumb Pie (Paleo with Vegan and AIP options)
While this fall has been one of the busiest I can recall, I have also been fortunate to be traveling a ton, living life to it’s fullest and doing my best to enjoy each and every moment. While visiting San Diego county a few weeks ago, in the adorable town of Julian, my husband, Mark, and I were walking the Main Street of this quaint old gold mining town. Julian is an enigma of Southern California, experiencing all 4 seasons, even including snow in the winter. It’s unlike any other place I have been out here. It was an instant love-connection for this east coast girl.
We went at the start of the fall season and autumn was already in the air. Crisp cool breezes, chilly nights, the leaves of many of the trees already changing color and the sweet scent of apple pie in the air. This town doesn’t mess around when it comes to apples. After the gold rush was over, the pioneers remained in Julian, as they began farming the rich land. While many crops were planted and animals raised, apples seemed to be their new “gold”. To this day, during apple season, you will find fruit stands filled with fresh organic apples, locally pressed real apple cider and pies galore. Oh the pies! Quite literally, Main Street in Julian is filled with the aroma of this spiced comfort food.
As we strolled the tiny Main Street, Mark was seeking out what he deemed to be “the perfect slice”. I am pretty sure we walked into every single bakery and he looked on as if he was making a major investment purchase. Only a few city blocks long, Main Street had near 10 bakeries, all specializing in their version of this American classic. I was convinced, being gluten-free, I would only be experiencing this as an observer, enjoying the smells and the smile on my husband’s pie-loving face. But alas, I found one amazing bakery, tucked away a bit off the beaten path, Apple Alley Bakery. The only bakery in ALL of Julian offering gluten-free pies. I opted for the Apple Boysenberry Crumb Pie and as soon as my slice was gone, I wanted more.
