Whole30 Prep Work: Recipe Testing

{Baby E likes talking about vegetables and the benefits of eating a rainbow.}

I am gearing up for my next Whole30, starting in September, so the next couple weeks I plan to try out some new recipes in hopes of breaking up the mundane and finding some simple, busy-schedule-friendly ideas. I will post the meal plan next week or so if you want to follow along and complete the challenge with me! {You can find the meal plan for the last Whole30 here.}

I have been feeling pretty tired and rundown and just generally 'bleh' lately, so I decided that another Whole30 was in order. {And yes, 'bleh' is a perfectly acceptable medical  term.} For me, this means cutting out the following things:

-- Heavy cream in my coffee 

-- My nightly square of dark chocolate

-- Corn chips on the weekend

-- Red wine on the weekend

I think the dairy, grass-fed though it is, is making me congested and potentially causing some bell bloating. The corn chips, which are my vice, completely blow my low-carb diet out the window, so I think it's time to remove them, and giving up chocolate/sugar and wine for a month is definitely a good thing. 

All that being said, I'm trying out some new recipes over then next couple weeks. With a full time job and five month old taking over my life, I need to find some simple, easy to prepare recipes that I can make ahead of time. For me the key to success is preparation. Here are a few recipes on my list:

Dairy-free Pizza Quiche - The Spunky Coconut

This would be good for breakfast or lunch or even dinner paired with a mixed green salad!

Homemade Almond Milk - Against All Grain
This is something I've been meaning to try for a while, so now seems like the perfect time. I will be drinking my coffee black during my Whole30, but sometimes a little almond milk is a nice addition.

Chicken Pesto Meatballs + Marinara - The Clothes Make the Girl
I'm a big fan of zucchini noodles, and with all the fresh basil in our garden, I really want to try a paleo pesto, so this recipe sounds right up my alley.

Shirred Eggs - Against All Grain
I'm always looking for ways to spice up my regular breakfast of scrambled eggs and chicken sausage, and this recipe sounds like a winner.


Check back late next week for the first week's meal plan.
xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Vanilla Almond Granola // Against All Grain

Oh, granola. It is one of the things that I missed most when we switched to a paleo diet. I missed granola so much that I would periodically cheat and allow myself some gluten free granola that usually contained seed oils and corn. And until I found this recipe by Danielle Walker, I hadn't been satisfied with a paleo version of my beloved snack. But, like all her other recipes, this one is a definite winner. 

  

I omitted the flax seed and used 1/2 cup of maple syrup instead of the 3/4 cup of honey. I also substituted golden raisins for red ones. Next time I think I will try it with cranberries!

This granola is great over refrigerated coconut milk, coconut yogurt, with a splash of almond milk or eaten alone. It also makes a great gift!

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos