Well, damn, I reread the Whole30 guidelines for this 30 day challenge and I missed the "no milk substitutes". So I failed with my coconut milk. It was a carton of coconut milk not a can. I thought I checked the ingredients at the store, like I always do. But, I just checked it the other day and there is dried cane juice or something like that. I have been wanting some sweet stuff during the last week, oh, and a piece of toast a couple mornings when I woke with a horrible sore throat. For some reason a piece of toast with butter always feels good on a sore throat to me. Like scratching an itch? Maybe? I digress. Like I said, I have been wanting some sweet stuff during the week, but not craving it. But, I have REALLY been wanting a latte, many lattes actually. Especially, right now when it is cold outside or when I am having a bummer day. I decided I had to find something to replace it so I bought a carton of coconut milk, came home and made up a latte that hit the spot. But, I didn't read the fine print (actually it was regular size print) and coconut milk is a no-no. Actually a double no-no because of the cane juice. FAIL! Oh, well, I'm fine with starting over as I had planned to really try to stick to this way of eating anyways so a extra week of 99.9% doing it right can't be a bad thing. Starting 100% now is a good thing too since our gym is starting this challenge tomorrow. However, I do wish I would have had a brownie or two with those lattes! Mmmmm....brownies! :) Um, ends up after typing this last sentence first thing this morning, I did have a brownie and it was good, but it didn't leave me wanting to eat the entire pan so I call that a little bit of a success!
I was going to post the guidelines for the Whole30 program, but it got long so I am going to post that separately. Nothing from me, just a cut and paste from our friends at Whole9.
Here are a couple of recipes I made last week. I tried to remember to make note of where I found them, but my brain failed me pretty much every time. If I know where it came from I will give credit where due. I will never take credit for making a recipe, frankly because I'm not creative enough to make up a recipe on my own. I'm much more of a follower than a leader in the cooking department. I will note that I have currently been finding recipes here for my first two weeks of recipes.
Sausage & Peppers
Ingredients:
4 Italian sausage links (I got mine at Costco. No nitrates, nitrites, preservatives, gluten-free)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 bell peppers, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large sweet or yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
1 small (14.5 oz) can of crushed tomatoes (I used organic)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup red wine (replace with broth if you're in a no-cheat Paleo phase)
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan that has a lid. When the oil is hot, add the sausages and brown slowly on all sides. This is somewhat tedious, but worth it. When you're happy with they way they look, remove from the pan and place in a bowl to catch the juices.
2. Increase the heat to high and add the onions and peppers. Toss to coat with the leftover oil in the pan, and saute until they get little black spots. When they've softened a bit, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and stir-fry quickly to prevent scorching – about 45 seconds or so. When you can smell the garlic, you're ready for step 3.
3. Add the wine/broth to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get the yummy brown bits. Let the liquid cook down by half.
4. Add the tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes, and stir well to combine. Lovingly place the sausages back in the pan and nestle them down into the vegetable bed. Bring to a bubble then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the peppers are soft and the sausages are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Even though I'm not a huge fan of sausage of any kind I decided to give these a try. I ended up enjoying this recipe...the first night. The leftovers I didn't care for so in the future I'll make sure to only make enough for the first night. I'm still not a huge fan of sausages, but every once in awhile is okay.
Recipe #2!!!
Salsa Dancing Pork
I was going to post the guidelines for the Whole30 program, but it got long so I am going to post that separately. Nothing from me, just a cut and paste from our friends at Whole9.
Here are a couple of recipes I made last week. I tried to remember to make note of where I found them, but my brain failed me pretty much every time. If I know where it came from I will give credit where due. I will never take credit for making a recipe, frankly because I'm not creative enough to make up a recipe on my own. I'm much more of a follower than a leader in the cooking department. I will note that I have currently been finding recipes here for my first two weeks of recipes.
Sausage & Peppers
Ingredients:
4 Italian sausage links (I got mine at Costco. No nitrates, nitrites, preservatives, gluten-free)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 bell peppers, sliced into 2 to 3 inch long strips
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large sweet or yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
1 small (14.5 oz) can of crushed tomatoes (I used organic)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup red wine (replace with broth if you're in a no-cheat Paleo phase)
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan that has a lid. When the oil is hot, add the sausages and brown slowly on all sides. This is somewhat tedious, but worth it. When you're happy with they way they look, remove from the pan and place in a bowl to catch the juices.
2. Increase the heat to high and add the onions and peppers. Toss to coat with the leftover oil in the pan, and saute until they get little black spots. When they've softened a bit, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and stir-fry quickly to prevent scorching – about 45 seconds or so. When you can smell the garlic, you're ready for step 3.
3. Add the wine/broth to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get the yummy brown bits. Let the liquid cook down by half.
4. Add the tomatoes, oregano and red pepper flakes, and stir well to combine. Lovingly place the sausages back in the pan and nestle them down into the vegetable bed. Bring to a bubble then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the peppers are soft and the sausages are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Even though I'm not a huge fan of sausage of any kind I decided to give these a try. I ended up enjoying this recipe...the first night. The leftovers I didn't care for so in the future I'll make sure to only make enough for the first night. I'm still not a huge fan of sausages, but every once in awhile is okay.
Recipe #2!!!
Salsa Dancing Pork
(adapted from Salsa Dancing Chicken at http://www.everydaypaleo.com/)
2 lbs pork roast (Pork chops or chicken would work great. I just happened to have a pork roast thawed)
2 lbs pork roast (Pork chops or chicken would work great. I just happened to have a pork roast thawed)
2 tablespoons grass fed organic butter or coconut oil
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
1 14.5 oz can of organic diced tomatoes, drained
1 12 oz jar of Salsa Verde or green salsa of your choice (Check ingredients for nasty stuff!)
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
Sea Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Slice the pork roast into about 1/2 inch slices; salt and pepper. Brown the pork slices for about 3 minutes per side. Remove the pork and set aside. Add the onions and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, salsa, cumin, paprika and pepper; mix well. Pour sauce into crockpot. Place the pork into the crockpot in the sauce. Turn crockpot on high and "crock" for about four hours. Serve with shredded cabbage and avocado.
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
1 14.5 oz can of organic diced tomatoes, drained
1 12 oz jar of Salsa Verde or green salsa of your choice (Check ingredients for nasty stuff!)
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
Sea Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Slice the pork roast into about 1/2 inch slices; salt and pepper. Brown the pork slices for about 3 minutes per side. Remove the pork and set aside. Add the onions and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, salsa, cumin, paprika and pepper; mix well. Pour sauce into crockpot. Place the pork into the crockpot in the sauce. Turn crockpot on high and "crock" for about four hours. Serve with shredded cabbage and avocado.
I really liked this recipe and will definitely make it again with chicken and pork. Yum! My kids even loved it. Two points for mom!
I've cut-and-pasted pages of new recipes into a Word document to draw from for the next couple weeks. A few I wrote down for the upcoming week:
Chili Chicken with Sweet Potato Hash
Sweet Potato Fries with Paleo Ketchup
Pork Chops with Sauerkraut
Chicken Curry
Cottage Flower Pie
Your Basic Pot Roast (that's how creative I am with dinner! lol)
I would share my menu for the day, but it was pathetic and not worthy of writing down. Starting tomorrow I will be trying to post my daily food.
Tomorrow's Monday! Make it great!
Trina, I don't see where it says on Whole30 that coconut milk is not allowed. I have never heard of such a thing. I see they say that it IS OK, in fact, as long as it is "clean". And you can definitely get cans of coconut milk without cane juice. Coconut milk is totally paleo, and it is great because it is naturally sweet without needing sweetener.
ReplyDelete-Jessica
Yes, canned coconut milk is ok, but I bought a carton of coconut milk because I don't like the canned stuff.
ReplyDelete