Paleo Basics // Coconut Cream

Coconut cream is one of my favorite products. 

You can get coconut cream two ways: take a can of full fat coconut milk and refrigerate it upside down overnight or longer. When you're ready to use it, take it out and turn it right side up. When you open it, the cream will be on the top and the milk will be on the bottom. Scoop out the cream and put the milk in a mason jar to use for later! As the cream sits in the fridge it continues to thicken slightly, so you may need to add a little of the milk to get it the consistency that you want.

You can also buy coconut cream from Trader Joe's! This is what I do (convenience is key when you have an infant!). If you open it at room temperature, it is a liquid and will thicken in the refrigerator even after opening. It becomes a greek yogurt consistency. 

Here are a few of my favorite uses for coconut cream:

-- Spoon into a bowl and top with fresh fruit and almonds/pecans/walnuts and cinnamon (and a drizzle of honey if not Whole30ing). My favorite combination is strawberries and pecans! Cinnamon + bananas is another good combo.

-- Add a spoonful to your morning coffee (amazing with a little grass-fed butter).

-- Use in Thai chicken soup or coconut curry stew or use in this creamy roasted tomato soup (one my favorite fall recipes!).

-- Add to a post-workout shake for good carbs and fat. My favorite combination is 100% whey protein powder + coconut cream + 1/2 a frozen banana + one tablespoonful cocoa powder + almond milk + ice (Not Whole30 compliant!)

How do you use coconut cream? I'm always looking for new recipes!

xoxo

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Paleo Basics // Trader Joe's Favorites

Today I'm starting a new series about paleo basics. When I published the Whole30 meal plans in January {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} I received quite a few questions about things that I take for granted. Like how to make chicken salad, where to find certain products, and how to eat paleo and not break the bank. All of theses things are second nature to me now since we have been eating paleo for four plus years, and I sometimes forget what it was like in those first few months. It can get overwhelming quickly, so my hope is that this series will help you seamlessly ease into a paleo lifestyle.

When it comes to saving money and eating paleo, one of my favorite places is Trader Joe's because I can get good quality paleo items for a good price. There are a few produce items that I will only buy organic {spinach and sweet potatoes are on the list}, and TJ has good prices on these items as well as some pantry staples and oils. Because we live an hour  from the closest TJs, we go about once every 2 weeks and stock up. We build this into our grocery budget by making the in between week's budget smaller and buying less that week. So every other week we have more to spend on our grocery budget.

See my list of TJ favorites here.

A few notes...

-- We buy meat from our local grocery store or online because we can get free-range chicken and grass-fed beef from local farmers. However, if I can't make it to another store or we are out of our freezer supply, I like knowing I can get decent meat products at Trader Joe's as well.  

-- We get our eggs from our backyard hens or from a local farm. Before we had the ladies, however, we purchased the organic eggs from Trader Joe’s.

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos