Chicken Stir Fry Soup

This week has been cold. The nights have also been busy. We have been hitting our Crossfit classes in the evenings. This means that it is late when we get back home. That being said, I decided that on these nights, I would prep dinner as far as possible so that it would be easier to get to the eating part once we arrive back. Monday night we had a beef chili with veggies and pineapples. I made it on the stove before we left and quickly reheated it upon return. Tuesday night we had a Mexican chicken chowder which I also made before leaving and reheated right before serving. We were going to take tonight off, but we have this competition on Sunday, and one of the lifts will be practiced tonight, so here we go again. My dinner was going to be a chicken stir fry over cauliflower rice. Although it is an easy to make meal, I didn't want to be chopping ingredients or just beginning it after the workout.  So, I decided to come up with a new recipe that used the same ingredients, was just as easy, and would be ready to eat soon after we walk back in the door.
I have turned the stir fry into a soup. I already made it. The stove is shut off. It is stored. My cauliflower rice has been prepped. When we get home, I will reheat it to a boil, stir in the cauliflower rice and some salt and pepper, turn it off, and consume it. Job well done. I do have to confess though....I did put some in a bowl and threw a little cauliflower rice in with it already. I had to taste it for you! It's good. It's warm. It's simple. (It's also Whole 30-approved.) Go do it.

How I Shaved $500/Month Off My Paleo(ish) Grocery Bill

When I first started out transitioning to Paleo over a year ago, I immediately threw out all grain-based flours and products, drove to Whole Foods and stocked up on grain-free items. I got into the grain-free baking as more of an experiment rather than baking on purpose. I wanted to see if these ingredients would really work. I was impressed, so I continued to try more and more recipes, which meant that I was spending more and more money on said ingredients. This was going on all while slowly buying more and more fruits and vegetables and better quality meats. So, one could say that I got excited and spent a lot because of it. Once I started noticing some health benefits, this became even more so. Well, after a while, I knew I needed to do more than just cut out the grains and eat more protein and produce. I knew I needed a more drastic change because although I was feeling and looking better eating this way, I was frustrated that it wasn't going even further. That is when I researched and found the Whole 30 program. Basically, it took away my baking and alcohol, and made me more aware of the products I was buying. I think along the way (and three W30s later), I became a little overboard. I tried to buy only the "perfect Paleo" ingredients, make elaborate "Paleo" recipes, and got caught up in the all or nothing point of view. My body and mind loved this way of eating, but my bank account ...well, not so much. My grocery (and household product) bill for a family of four had reached $300/week. Yes, a week! So, $1,200/month!  Did I mention I quit my job to stay at home with my family?? We were doing okay and making it work, but it was taking a toll, and month after month of that adds up.

Coastal and Berry Grain/Dairy-Free Cups

I have been baking with grain and dairy-free ingredients for long enough that I understand how they work. I might not know the exact science behind the combination of ingredients, but I get that coconut and almond milk can be used as a 1:1 substitute for cow's milk. I understand that when choosing one milk over the other, the coconut milk has a creamier consistency versus the almond milk. I understand that grain-free flours (almond, coconut, etc.) cannot be used as a 1:1 flour substitute (not even for each other).

Easter Dinner

It was a rainy Easter here, but we ended up having a relaxing day with a couple of friends (and The Walking Dead marathon starting Saturday night to get them caught up for the season finale).
We had an early Easter dinner that included roasted citrus chickens, fruity spinach salad, roasted carrots, and asparagus soup. That was topped off by a key lime pie I began making on Saturday. I had high expectations for this pie, and they were exceeded. Here's a little picture/recipe recap of what went down.

21-Day Sugar Detox

So, yesterday was the last day of my level 3 for athletes 21-Day Sugar Detox. I have to say that this went by really fast, and it was pretty easy! Maybe this was because I was used to eating by the Whole30 rules and only having sugar from fruit. That was the thing though-I initially began this detox because I thought I might have been curbing sugar cravings with fresh and dried fruits (as well as some honey or maple syrup sweetened baked goods). I am guessing that if I was using these sources just to push sugar into my body, it must not have been that much. This detox never gave me a sugar "craving". Sure, I made a few things for my family that I would have liked to have tried, but I did not crave it because it was sweet.
I was also expecting that the couple of weeks before I started this, when I had too many nights out, would catch up to me, but apparently that was not the case.