Let's get to the basics

This post lists a few of my must have foodies in the kitchen.

When I get home from the market, part of the process is to clean the veggies and fruits before putting them away. They have been in transit from the fields and need a nice bath. I clean out both sides of my sink, fill the sides up with water and throw the kids in the tub. When they are cleaned I leave them to dry on my dish drainer or towel on the counter. They wait their turn until it's time to find their home.

Top shelf: apple cider vinegar, ghee (butter), balsamic vinegar, coconut milk, 

home made kraut and almond butter

Middle shelf: leftovers for lunch, fresh eggs and hard boiled egg

Bottom shelf: mushrooms, sliced and mixed olives, hot peppers, breakfast wraps for the week.

Top shelf: brussel sprouts, spinach, dill, coriander (cilantro)

Bottom: broccoli, fennel, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini, green pepper

Lemons, garlic, ginger, avocado, herbamare, pepper, sea salt

oranges, grapefruit, apples, dates

eggplant, onion

               Not shown: Olive oil, coconut oil and reserved bacon fat, spices and dried herbs, cashews and almonds

Fresh eggs/hardboiled eggs
Always have these on hand. You will need them in many recipes and especially for breakfast meals. Hard boiled eggs are a perfect snack at work, school or play.

Almond Butter and Cashew Butter
Either one of these are so simple to make. Add almonds or cashews in a food processor. Add 1 Tbls of olive oil. Blend for 3 min. Stop and scrape sides. Continue to blend until you hear the processor change it's tune. You will see the butter start to form in the bottom of the container. Blend to the consistency you like. It's fantastic to scoop out of the jar for that sweet-tooth (Mr. Marty!). As I said in my previous post we have these kind of nuts on hand at work and home. They have great healthful fats and it's a nice stabilizer to curb your appetite between meals. Only a little palmful is all you need. NOT THE WHOLE JAR! (hehe)

Side note: You can make your own almond flour too by blending the almonds to a fine consistancy. It's when you continue blending when the butter starts to form.

See the following directions as you scroll through the photos. I am a visual person. If I can see it...I can make it!

Cauli-Rice - Instead of white or brown rice. Oh, man this is fantastic! Super simple and you can make ahead and toss in the fridge for another meal. Super light and blends well with whatever dish you are making.

Clean and dry a head of cauliflower.

Chop in small chunks and toss in food processor.

Pulse the cauliflower in the processor until it looks like little rice bits.

Add 1 Tbls coconut oil to the pan and heat. Add cauli-rice and mix.

Pour juice of 1 squeezed lemon and 1/4 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) on to rice.

Toss ingredients together and heat through about 5 min or so.

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite dish.

Kraut
This is a great addition to your morning breakfast. Just a 1/4 cup is all you need. You can add this kraut to any meal you see fit. Your belly will be happy and so will your taste buds.

Super easy! I have made a lot of different versions of Kraut all having similar ingredients. I have nailed it down to this simple way. What you will need is a head of cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, dill, sea salt, peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, distilled or boiled filtered (cooled) water, glass jars with a plastic lid, and a baking pan (to catch the juice that may escape through the lid seal). I will show photos of just the cabbage. You can do the same with the carrots and cauliflower if you choose to use them. Also, add whatever spices you want. Switch it up a bit!

                                        Slice the cabbage in thin strips and cut them in 1/2.

Place the cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle 2 Tbls sea salt on top. Massage and mix together the salt and cabbage. They really like each other. The cabbage will start to break down a bit. That is what you are going for. It may create some juice too. If it does, that is awesome! When the cabbage looks ready then you can move on to the next phase. (really it's how you like it) I massage it for about 3-4 min.

In a clean and sterile jar with lid, put in 1 tsp of pepper flakes and pepper corns, 2-3 sprigs of fresh dill, 2 cloves garlic peeled and cut in 1/2. Pour in a 1/2 cup of the water to jar.

Place the cabbage in the glass jar with the other spices. Pack it down and add more. Pack it down and add more. 

When it reaches the top 1/2 inch from the top, pour in the water very slowly. The water will fill in the the grooves as it reaches the top. 

Take a cabbage leaf and press it down so the liquid is covering it. This will keep the sliced cabbage from wanting to float to the top.

Put the jar in a baking pan to catch any liquid that may spill out. Don't worry if it does. That is good stuff happening in there! Leave it alone for about 5 days. Check on it by lifting the cabbage leaf up with clean hands. Taste a bit and see how you like it. I usually give my kraut about 7 days. If you want it to break down more, leave it be for another couple of days. When you are ready, pull off the cabbage leaf and discard. Place the jar in the fridge and store it there for months. You will eat it fast so don't worry! I usually like to make up about 4-5 jars at a time. Sometimes I don't have time for that and only make a jar at a time. So whatever floats your boat just have fun. Once you make this a few times, it gets quicker and quicker to create. Make sure all the equipment you are using is clean when preparing this, even your hands. You want the live action to have a great start.

                                     

Tapenade
Easy as 1, 2, 3! Add Sliced green and black olives, a few sprigs of coriander (cilantro) or parsley, and 3 Tbls coconut cream in a food processor. Take them for a spin!

I hope these recipes help you out. Some other items I have on hand are arrowroot powder, coconut flour, almond flour. I can make my own almond flour here in Tunisia as explained above. The arrowroot powder and coconut flour I have to bring with me.

Enjoy!

Gluten free and Paleo friendly meal

Citrus - A Punch of Sunshine to Your Day!

The wonderful thing about this time of year in Tunisia? It's citrus season. Going to the market every Saturday is my inspiration for the week's menu. I usually have some ideas in my head but when I get to the market and find that the main ingredient is not available, I have to adjust. This week it was sweet potatoes. Couldn't find them anywhere, even at the little grocery store close by. Oh well, no stuffed sweet potatoes this week.

Instead I was pleased once again to see the huge array of citrus. The season began just before we left for holiday break. One of my favorite is grapefruit. Maybe it's because of the fond memory of eating it sliced open with sugar sprinkled on top. As a little tike, I used to walk over to my dear "Grandma Fanny's" home. She wasn't really my grandmother, but was the "grandmother" for the whole neighborhood. This was a morning routine for me. Her kitchen was warm and cozy with an old fashioned 1800's wood cooking stove. Good ole fashioned cooking was made in and on top of that stove. She always had coffee on the stove top ready for guests to arrive just about every morning. I was the first guest. Always! She served me grapefruit once and I was sold! I think it was really because of the sugar she used to put on top. I couldn't wait to dive into the pink citrus. Grandma Fanny used to tell me "Hang on there Topsie, let me cut around the edges for you." She would carve around the grapefruit gently and then cut out the triangle shaped wedges so my spoon would scoop it up easily. I would patiently wait for her to finish her art work, and then, "Oh! Wait...just a dash of sugar. Enjoy there now Sweetie!" Get's me choked up just remembering the story. So many wonderful memories in that old bright green kitchen. So needless to say, I am a junky for grapefruit. I did cut out the sugar and now love the juice, pulp, wedges in a container, peeled, you name it I will eat it all natur-el.

When we moved overseas, grapefruit was hard to find in Nepal. I loved to drink just a 1/2 glass in the morning. Sometimes I could find it in the store in a container. If not, I made due and had orange juice. In Tunisia, I was prepared to survive on oranges but was so delighted to see the huge round yellow citrus one day at the market. There it was, sliced open with it's fresh bright pink color calling my name. It was like I found the "golden ticket" of goodness. I buy about 6 grapefruit for the week. Marty and I have a 1/2 glass of grapefruit juice (pulp and all) with 1 Tbls apple cider vinegar. Once in awhile a bit of honey to take the bitterness away. (While doing the Whole 30 the honey is not added.) Then we chase it with a 1/2 glass of water.

If you are taking any medication especially for your heart, this grapefruit drink would not be for you. Sorry. Be sure to ask your Doctor. You may be able to have orange juice with apple cider. It's worth asking!

Here are some helpful links regarding grapefruit, apple cider vinegar and honey. Great benefits!

Apple cider vinegar and grapefruit - fat flush

Health benefits of grapefruit

The worlds healthiest foods

Reasons to use apple cider vinegar

7 reasons to love apple cider

Delicious health benefits of honey

Gluten free and Paleo friendly

Who wants to see some Fooootbaaaalll!

Yes, the Seattle Seahawks play at the Superbowl on Sunday.

Being from the Seattle area in Washington State, this is a HUGE deal!
Superbowl Sunday no matter who is playing is a time for friends and family to gather around wearing their team colors and cozy slippers and curl up on the couch (but be ready to leap out of the couch or chair at a moments notice to yell about a play) and take the day to forget about your health goals. One of the biggest snack eating days of the year!

Sunday is going to be the game of the year for Seattle. We are cheering them on here in North Africa! We will miss the social gathering, the Whooo-hooing for the great plays and the booing for the bad calls. But, we know we will be well informed by the ongoing "News" on Facebook. LOL!

So here is a sweet and savory treat to contribute to the snack table. I hope you enjoy it as much as Marty and I do. This one Marty makes. It's a perfect combination of sweet and salty with great healthful benefits. Dates are always available here in Tunisia. Fresh, mildly sweet and loaded with goodness.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

sliced bacon cut in half (as many slices as you want)
whole dates rinsed off (you can slice and get the pit out. If not, just leave them in)
toothpicks

Optional ingredients:
2 Tbls bacon grease
fennel bulb quartered and sliced
brussel sprouts (barbie doll lettuce is what we used to call it) as many as you like. Cut the ends off and pull off the outside leaves. Cut sprout in 1/2.


For the bacon wrapped dates:
Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees
Wrap one date with bacon and secure with a toothpick. When all the dates have their "date" with the bacon, place the them in a baking pan lined with parchment paper or foil. Cook until bacon is at desired doneness. We like to cook them a little longer. The bacon is crispy and the dates caramelize to make it nice chewy. It tastes like candy! YUM!

When the bacon wraps are done, remove them from the baking dish on to a paper towel lined plate to cool. Remove the foil or parchment paper from the baking dish and scoop out about 2 Tbls of the bacon grease. Pour grease into a fry pan. On medium to high heat add in the fennel and brussel sprouts. Saute and make sure they are covered with the bacon grease. Let them dance around and get to know each other until the fennel is slightly tender and the brussel sprouts get a little browned. Pour veggies on to a plate and top with the bacon wrapped dates. YUM!

Marty and I like to make the bacon dates when we are feeling the need to snack but don't want to eat a whole meal. They are very filling and the dates are loaded with goodness. What's so great about dates?

Enjoy your treat and most of all enjoy the game!

Gluten free and Paleo friendly meal

Comfort food

Marty and I have a joke in the kitchen. When I cook I make a mess. No matter what I am making by the time I am done the kitchen is a complete disaster. My main focus is keeping my eye on the dish I am creating. We have been married for 26 years and every time I am prepping something, Marty is close behind cleaning up after me. When we lived in the States our kitchen was so spacious. I loved it. We had this dance in the kitchen and one night he said, "You know what? We need to have a live cooking show with you doing your cooking thing in the kitchen and I will be the guy in the background cleaning the counter, throwing away your discarded ingredients, wiping down the stove and washing the dishes." I cracked up and said, "That would be a hoot!" We still talk about it time to time. Maybe someday we can do a little cooking session on film. LOL!

I appreciate his help in the kitchen. Most of all his patience. He is my #1 taster and has been an amazing support. He is the best breakfast and dessert creator. His famous frittata is awesome! I will post that soon. It's kind of our special weekend morning breakfast.

Yesterday I wasn't feeling the best. Remember, my previous post. Bad headache and felt kind of punky. So the stir fry I was planning on making didn't happen. I was in bed at 8:00pm on a Friday night. Whoo hoo! I got up at 7:00am. That was a solid nights sleep and headache free. YAY! We hit the fresh market, did a little grocery shopping and stopped in at our favorite French butcher and deli. Now when we get home from this adventure, usually I will clean my veggies and fruit. Today, I wasn't in the mood so I took a break from that and worked on my blog. I will get those veggies prepped tomorrow and also get my pork roast in the crock pot for dinner.

Anyway, yesterday's dinner became today's dinner! In our house this is one of our comfort foods and is a great end-of-the-week meal; using most of the leftover veggies in the fridge from the previous week's trip to the fresh market. Let's get started!

Turkey and Veggie Stir Fry

3 thinly sliced turkey breasts (you can use chicken, pork, or beef)
Juice from 1 squeezed lemon
1-2 Tbls fish sauce (yes, this stuff stinks but it adds great flavor. Just plug your nose)
1/2 Tbls ginger (in the jar or peeled and grated fresh ginger)
1-2 Tbls rice vinegar
1 Tbls chili garlic (or use chili pepper flakes)
2 cloves garlic (minced)

1-2 Tbls coconut oil
3 carrots (peeled and sliced)
1/4 of a fennel bulb (chopped)
1/2 zucchini (quartered and sliced)
6-8 mushrooms (sliced)
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1-2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 can coconut milk
pepper flakes
salt and pepper

In a bowl place the turkey breasts. Add to the bowl the next 6 ingredients. Mix around the meat so it is completely swimming in the liquid mixture. Cover and place in the fridge to party for about 2-3 hours. This is not necessary but really helps tenderize the meat.

After it has marinated heat the coconut oil in a skillet, wok or large fry pan.

Pour the liquid and chicken into the pan and cook. Let it hang out for a bit and then flip the meat. Cook meat until no longer pink.

Remove meat from pan and place on a plate to rest.

In the pan the liquid should be really bubbling and ready for more friends.
Add the carrots first. Let them dance for about 2 min then add the fennel, zucchini a couple minutes apart from each other.

While that is happening, slice the meat in thin strips.

Add the mushrooms and sliced meat to the pan and mix them together with the veggies. The next steps go really fast. Add the cabbage and mix in. Layer the spinach on top of the mixture then turn into the mixture. When the spinach starts to wilt a bit add the coconut milk. Turn burner on low and gently stir. Give the sauce a little taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve in a bowl and top with red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

P.S. If you have leftovers, put them in a container to heat and eat for breakfast or lunch the next day. Save the remaining coconut milk in a glass jar with lid. Use it in your coffee in the morning or use it in another recipe later in the week.

Gluten free and Paleo friendly meal

How about some breakfast to get you started!

Breakfast. A meal I used to pass up.

I thought coffee was good enough. Oh, well a nice cinnamon roll or pastry would be great in a pinch. How about some cereal in a bowl with sugar on top. Oh, Lucky Charms, I do miss you but we have a relationship that is really not healthy. Ya see, you smile at me and make my bowl happy. I eat and then find the next 1/2 hour I am ready for a nap. Your cute little marshmallows made my morning. I wondered why I needed to drink more coffee just to keep my energy up. Now I know.

Yes, that is called a sugar high and sugar crash everyone! Years ago my dear friend R. asked me what I ate for breakfast. I said, "coffee (with CREAM and SUGAR) and a biscuit or pastry!" She said, "Girl you need some protein in the morning. It's your fuel for the day." Well folks, I really didn't like mornings back then and my thought was I will just have a good lunch. That's my brunch!

Fast forward. I like mornings, I like my coffee black, my eggs hard and some fresh fruit/veggie for breakfast. Yup, I should have listened to R. years ago. Thankfully she is one of my dearest friends and she has seen my journey through the years. I can always count on her when I need support on healthful choices or encouragement when I have gotten my body moving again. I Love you Ms. R. You are a ROCK Star!

So, if you are a grab-and-go kind of person, these are a few recipes that will get you going. You can make them on a Sunday night and put them in the fridge to eat every morning with a piece of fruit or my favorite, home made kraut. Save Saturday and Sunday for a nice breakfast with friends or family. In fact, party in the kitchen together. It's more fun!

Here is one to get you started this week!

 Super Simple Egg Muffins "Good Morning Sunshine"

6 eggs
6 slices of ham circles
1 diced sweet red, orange or green pepper
1 cup chopped spinach, arugula or leafy green of choice
6 chopped mushrooms
dash of salt and pepper
coconut oil or olive oil (if necessary)

Preheat oven to 350-400

In a muffin pan (if you are using a silicone pan you don't need to grease it) put a bitty amount of oil around the inside of each cup. The ham or bacon will produce some oil so if you don't want to add the oil just scratch that. Place a ham circle in each cup. Sprinkle a little sweet pepper, mushroom, and spinach in the cups on top of the ham. Crack the egg right on top of your veggie creation. It might want to spill over because it is so happy to join the party! Just move the ham around a little to get everyone put together. Add a dash of salt and pepper to each cup. Pop the pan in the oven and cook until the desired egg doneness. I like them DONE and the yokes hard so I may over cook them a bit. But, just keep your eye on them until the egg whites are fully cooked through about 20 min. If you have a bigger muffin pan fill up all the cups. I only have a 6 cupper.

Let the eggs muffins cool a bit and then put them in an air tight container or ziplock. Place in the fridge and reheat in the morning. We don't have a microwave. They heat up just fine and dandy on a fry pan. Cook on low heat with a foil cover for about 5 min.

I like to call these muffins "Good Morning Sunshine!"
The nice thing about this recipe is you can add whatever your little heart desires. If you want to scramble the eggs and then pour over the ham and veggies, go for it. The ham or bacon with the egg is a fantastic kick of protein and healthy fat in the A.M. In addition, some healthy carbs from all the veggies.

Enjoy!

Gluten free and Paleo friendly meal

Where to start?

I have posted many photos of my food creations on Facebook. Months of encouragement from my kids, friends and family have prompted me to start posting them here on this groovy new blog. Yes, I did say Groovy.

Here is a little background on some of the recipes I will be posting here.

About 4 years ago Marty and I moved to Nepal. Our eating choices changed dramatically. We were no longer living in the land of preserved food. Everything was fresh and local. We did hang on to a little snack of Pringles (usually the whole can between us), but other than that, we ate fresh foods and unplugged from the "normal" life that we were used to. Those changes in our eating combined with the fact that we walked everywhere was such a healthful and freeing experience.

While in Nepal our second year, I wrote a cookbook "Wherever You Go, There You Eat"  and gave it to our kids for their Christmas present in 2011. I will be updating that cookbook and will post the link here for those of you who are interested. Anyway, our life journey in eating has changed over the years. In the book I explain a little history but in a nutshell, we let go of fast food as a quick lunch on the go and pulled things out of our daily diet that were disturbing our oldest daughter's tummy. After seeing changes that diminished her tummy trouble, other things we ate began to be replaced with better alternatives too. Pretty much we became a Gluten-free, Paleo family without even knowing what Paleo was. On a Fall weekend afternoon in 2011, I was perusing the internet and stumbled across Robb Wolf. He is a Paleo dude with the most awesome book explaining the science behind eating Paleo. What is the Paleo Diet. After reading his book, I was hooked. It all made sense to me. Basically, if you don't know what it is, it means eating fresh fruits/veggies, eggs, healthy fats, meat, nuts and omitting sugars, unhealthy carbs, preservatives and alcohol. Yes, that last word, well, we didn't omit that. Yes, I admit it.  However, by making some of these changes, positive results started happening. I started searching for more inspiration on food choices. While living in Nepal, some of our alternatives were challenging but we made do just fine. I think we felt the best we have felt in years. Sleep was awesome, appetite was fulfilled and energy level was increased. Now, granted, this took time. It wasn't a get fit--rock and roll--right off the bat. Making a change like this basically is releasing old habits and picking up healthful ones. It was a step in the right direction.

In our move to Tunisia we have been blessed with beautiful fruits and veggies, olives, olive oil, nuts and fresh meats. I was really excited to get in the kitchen and create. I had a cook in Nepal and she was absolutely wonderful. The first year she cooked her meals for us. The second year, I shared my recipes with her and she made them.  It was a fun experience working together. So, having my own kitchen to myself was a bonus in Tunisia. Now, side note, life experiences during our first year in Tunisia brought on some stresses. Our eating habits changed and preservative treats entered in our diet again. Our waistline grew, sleepless nights occurred, and numbing crept in. It was a spiral of emotions, worry and stress. Not a good combination. We made it through the 1.5 years living on little sleep, poor eating habits and low energy. It was time for a change.

Visiting our 4 kids over the Christmas holiday was refreshing and helped us refocus on our goals in life. Remembering to embrace each day, be present in the moment, live healthy, and be more active. Also, release those things that we absently reach for that give us a moment of immediate gratification. So, when we got back from holiday and settled back in Tunisia, our new journey began.

I heard about the Whole 30 program and shied away from it. Remember, we like wine (hehe). I could see how the other changes wouldn't be too hard. We don't eat bread much (well, it did creep back in because it is a "crime" not to eat the delicious Tunisian bread here, OH MY!), sugar isn't a huge gotta have (except Marty does have a sweet tooth. I like sugar, it just doesn't like me), beans (meh, we can take em or leave em), dairy (we don't drink milk and rarely eat a bit of cheese - feta is our fav). The hardest thing to let go of was our wine moments. I wrestled with this but came to a point of "Hey Bridge...why not? Why can't you do this? You know you want to. Just do it for cryin out loud!" So on January 15th Marty and I made the leap to do the Whole 30. If you want to read more about it check out the link below. Now, don't knock it till you try it. It is hard, but let me tell you, you will be amazed at how much better you feel. More in control, appreciative of preparing and eating the meals, and your sleep will be outstanding.

The low down of Whole 30 - Whole 30

The list of good eats and not so good eats - What to eat and what not to eat

Healthy carbs - Good carbs to eat

So, Marty and I have been giving it a try (Our oldest daughter and husband are up for the challenge and have been enjoying the ride too. Our other daughter has taken gluten out of her diet and is feeling so much better). It has been fun to be communicating with my oldest daughter daily. We check in on each other and share what we are cookin in the kitchen, we are learning together and cheering each other on. We are on day 18 already. In our journey so far, Marty and I both had headaches on day 4, 16 and 17. I can understand day 4 (it kind of felt like a migraine hangover headache) but on Day 16 and 17? I mean come on! You would think that those toxins would be out of your body by then. I think the reality is it was another detoxifying headache. Same symptoms. Day 18 though we are feeling pretty darn good. We just have 12 more days to go! I think the thing we have figured out is that we can live without some things. Yes, we do miss our cheese and wine (LOL) and we will add them in time but next time around more thoughtfully. Side note: We own a house in the most beautiful location in Washington State in a little town called Walla Walla. It is called the "Napa Valley of Washington." Amazing wine and peaceful place to visit and live.

Anyway, back to the present. We can get some things here and others we have to bring in. Like I said earlier we have made changes in our eating but now are more serious and have made modification in our diet like using coconut milk instead of cream or milk, soda water with mint, lime, or lemon for our evening refreshment, hot tea before bed instead of a glass of wine, baked sweet potato chips instead of bagged processed potato chips, fresh herbs, veggies, etc. This blog will be a mixture of Paleo eating and Gluten Free eating. It won't be all Whole 30 stuff. But I will give you an example of the delicious recipes I have been making while doing the Whole 30, I will post those first. I have about 16 + recipes. I will have more as we complete this Whole 30 goal. But at least this will get us started in the right direction of eating more healthful. They are so flavorful, filling and totally delicious! If you don't have some of the ingredients for example: coconut oil - use olive oil. Use the internet to help you find other alternatives. If you are not on Pinterest, get connected. It is filled with fantastic recipes, helpful hints and tools to create your healthful kitchen.

Feel free to check out the links I gave you earlier in the mean time. If it means just changing one thing in your current eating plan, then that is a step in the right direction. I think the big thing is, this is not a DIET. This is a life eating change. Making choices to fuel your body, move your body and rest your body. Here is a little disclaimer, I am not a pro, I don't have nutritional PhD, nor do I claim to be a chef. I am a mom, wife, and am doing the best to find the most in life to live healthy. I have a passion for cooking and love to be creative, share meals, tips and love to learn new things. I really don't like to measure. So please forgive me if I say "a blob," "a dallop," or a "bitty amount." I think you all get the idea of what kind of measurements those mean. But I will do my best to put the actual cups, Tbls and tsp just so everyone is on the same page.

I hope you enjoy some of these creations. Mostly I hope you have fun in the kitchen. Be creative and don't sweat it. Turn on some music, pour a glass of something and enjoy taking care of yourself and your family.

With lots of Love,
"Mommy Like"

Here's what get's stocked up in our kitchen each week...

Lots of fresh produce and fresh herbs...

Meat once a month from my two favorite butchers. One supplies beef, turkey and chicken. The other pork. All the meat gets divided up into ziplock bags and stacked in the freezer. Sometimes when I am feeling super creative, I season and prep the meat before placing it in the freezer. That way all I have to do is defrost, cook and bam! din din is made. I will show you a few recipes in the future where I have done this. The bottom photo are the meats, some homemade pesto (in those baby green jars), pepper flakes from my favorite olive guy at the market, coconut or olive oil cubes with herbs (frozen in ice cube trays, then popped out and put into a container for easy access. Sometimes I freeze my herbs too. The jars to the top left are homemade chicken broth. My butcher is so wonderful and debones the chicken breasts then wraps up the bones for me. I love it because when I am prepping my meats I place the bones in a pot and get my broth going. I know exactly what's in there and the broth freezes great in Trader Joe's size coconut oil jars. Perfect amount of broth for recipes.

See this little guy? Yup, he is my new friend in the kitchen. I brought one from the States but with the plug voltage situation here, I didn't want to fry it. So on a trip to see our daughter in Germany, I toted this puppy home in my suitcase. It made it back in one piece! I have taken it for a spin a couple of times and I love it! I have not had a crock pot overseas for 4 years. This little guy will be traveling the globe with us that is for sure. My new treasure!

Along with the fruits, veggies, meats, and oils we have cashews and almonds in the house and at work all the time. Good healthful snack and great to add to recipes. Homemade cashew- or almond-butter are a cinch to make too.

So that's a lot of information friends. I hope it helps a bit. Don't be overwhelmed if you choose to make changes. Just take one day at a time, find a support buddy and feel free to journal your journey. If you have questions, feel free to send me a note. I am happy to coach you along the way.

Remember the only person who can change things is you. I believe in you!

Gluten free and Paleo friendly