Quick and Easy Sausage Gravy #SeptemberWhole30 #Paleo #GlutenFree

#SeptemberWhole30…Mercifully the End Is in Sight!

So we’ve arrived at the final week of our second round of #Whole30. We can see the end from here and I’m feeling a sense of relief. This has been a much harder process than our first Whole30. As I’ve continued to struggle with lagging motivation, I’ve reflected on my own motivations and goals for this doing this round. Many (too many probably) of my goals were related to my appearance or were self-focused, dare I say even selfish goals. Here’s a portion of my goals for this #SeptemberWhole30:
• More energy to exercise – I wanted to start a walking regimen (but I haven’t walked once)
• Create and try new recipes
• No more under-eye circles
• Brighter eyes
• Want my clothes to fit better
• Looking younger
Those types of goals could be describes as external or “extrinsic” motivators. Research has shown that extrinsic factors are significantly less motivating than internal or intrinsic factors. The moral of this story is that internal goals are more motivating than external goals so keep that in mind when you’re considering committing to a (somewhat difficult) program like #Whole30.

One benefit I’ve noticed during both our first Whole30 and this round is feeling more in control of food. I’m far less likely to overeat. I’m less likely to to keep eating just because the food tastes good. I find it much easier to simply stop eating midway through the meal; to leave food on the plate; and to just walk away from the table. It’s possible that some of my willingness to stop eating has to do with my general disinterest in the food. At this stage of the game, I’ve pretty much exhausted my ability to create new or exciting Whole30-compliant recipes. Because we’ve eaten our old stand-byes so many times, I’ve been desperately seeking quick and easy ways to jazz them up like adding a sauce or gravy. This sausage gravy really perks up plain scrambled eggs, omelets or leftover meat and potatoes. My family was very pleased and asked that I keep this one in the rotation even after we’ve finished Whole30 which is the ultimate test of a tasty recipe!

Quick and Easy Sausage Gravy #Whole30 #Paleo #Glutenfree #Dairyfree #Grainfree

Ingredients:
• 1-2 lb. Whole30-compliant (sulfite and sugar-free) Sausage, casings removed
• 3 Tbsp. Bob’s Red Mill Instant Potato Flakes
• 2 Tbsp. Tapioca Starch (I used this one from Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/3 cup Original Unsweetened Nut Pods Creamer
• 1/3 cup Homemade or Whole30-compliant Chicken Broth
(Find a list of commercially-available Whole30-approved broths here)
• 1/3 cup Distilled (Cold) Water
• ½ tsp. Sea Salt
• ¼ tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Hardware:
• Large frying pan or cast iron skillet
• Measuring spoons
• Large glass measuring cup (at least 2 cup size)
• Spatula
• Wire whisk (optional)

Instructions:
1. Place sausage in large frying pan or cast iron skillet. Place pan on stove. Turn stove setting to MEDIUM-HIGH setting (7). Cook sausage over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, using spatula to break up sausage into smaller pieces as it cooks, and to prevent any sausage pieces from burning.
2. After meat has completely, turn off the heat. At this point, you may drain the fat from the browned meat. Because I used venison sausage, there really wasn’t an excess amount of fat. But if you use pork sausage, you’ll probably need to drain it.
3. In a large measuring cup (preferably one with spout) stir together coffee creamer, broth and water. Then add salt and pepper and stir again to combine. Add to this mixture the instant potato flakes and tapioca starch. Stir well until there are no large lumps visible.
4. Place pan with cooked sausage back on stove over LOW-MEDIUM heat (3). Slowly stir liquid mixture into meat in 3-4 additions, stirring well after each addition using a wire whisk or fork to stir mixture.
5. Reduce heat to LOW and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring more or less continuously. At this point, you may cover gravy and keep covered over LOW heat, stirring occasionally, up to 30 minutes. Just be sure to keep stirring it occasionally.

Notes and Serving Suggestions: I tried to note this above but it’s worth repeating, the liquids should be cold when initially combined with the potato flakes and tapioca starch in order to prevent lumpy gravy. Also disregard my pic featuring the unsweetened French Vanilla flavored Nut Pods creamer. That’s a mistake. You really want to use the original (unflavored) version for best results.

As far as serving suggestions – obviously, during Whole30 you wouldn’t serve this over biscuits (the traditional southern style) unless you’re family is not doing Whole30 with you. This gravy really jazzed up our scrambled eggs meal and is delicious over just about any egg preparation you can imagine. I think of it as a condiment, a super sauce if you will to help us get through these last difficult days of this #SeptemberWhole30!

Wisdom for the Day:
“Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle — even then, I will be happy with the Lord. I will truly find joy in God, who saves me.” ~Habakkuk 3:17-18 (God’s Word Translation)
Read more here.

Simple Salmon with Lemon and Dill #SeptemberWhole30

Simple Salmon with Lemon and Dill

By now, everybody knows (wild-caught Alaskan) salmon is a health food. It’s chalked full of Omega-3 fatty acids. It’s high in protein and is a great source of Vitamins B6 and B12 and minerals like selenium, phosphorus and potassium (source).

Unfortunately, my family doesn’t really like salmon. After several years of marriage and many coerced meals, my husband now eats it without much push-back. Occasionally he even smiles and says he likes it. My mother on the other hand, all but refuses to eat salmon. She basically has to douse each bite with a half cup of lemon juice before she can choke it down!

Mom’s problem is that she’s been served (not by me) too many dry, fishy-tasting salmon entrées over the years, so she believes she doesn’t like it. Our lovely and generous neighbors recently bestowed upon us a beautiful 2 lb. (wild caught) Alaskan salmon filet. On a particularly hectic weeknight, I decided to make that gorgeous salmon filet for dinner, despite my mother’s protestations.

To accommodate my mother’s need for lemon flavor, I used both freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon slice slices. The salmon basically steams in the lemon juice, water and oils, sealing in the flavor and preserving all the tender, flaky wonderfulness of the salmon!

LEMONS!

The secret to any successful fish recipe is not to overcook it. I’m convinced the reason so many people dislike fish is because so many people overcook it. So keep this in mind. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly to account for your oven or the thickness of your salmon filets (our filet was fairly thin). Set your oven timer if you need to. And remember to allow for several minutes rest time after removing the baked salmon from the oven (step #6 below) before serving. During this time, the fish will continue to cook somewhat, so it is better to err on the side of slightly shorter oven cooking time if you are uncertain.

Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
• 2 Tbsp. Distilled water
• 2 lb. Wild caught Alaskan salmon, skin on
• 1 tsp. Sea salt
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder or 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• ¼ tsp. Dried Dill or 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. ghee (clarified butter), melted
• 1 Whole lemon, thinly sliced (preferably organic)

Hardware:
• Glass measuring cup
• Small chef’s knife and cutting board
• Citrus juicer
• Measuring spoons
• 9 X 13” Baking dish or pan
• Aluminum foil

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 340° Fahrenheit (171° Celsius).
2. Wash and slice whole lemon. Then prepare 2 Tbsp. lemon juice. Set aside.
3. In a glass measuring cup, combine 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, and 2 Tbsp. water. Stir mixture to combine, and pour mixture into 9 X 13” baking dish.
4. Next place salmon skin-side down over the mixture in baking dish. Then sprinkle salmon evenly with salt, garlic and dill. Drizzle salmon with melted ghee. Then lay lemon slices on top of salmon.
5. Cover the entire baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. And bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Do NOT over cook salmon.
6. Allow salmon to rest 10 minutes. Then remove foil. Serve and enjoy.

Serving Suggestions and Notes: I served this with a simple green salad and Crispy Fried Sprouts because I happened to have a couple bags of shredded brussels sprouts on hand. But I think salmon also pairs well with steamed asparagus, crispy roasted green beans, broccoli, zucchini or any green vegetable you have on hand. These Quick and Easy Crispy Potatoes are a simple and delicious are a #Whole30 compliant side dish sure to please the whole family.

Wisdom for the Day:
When they went ashore, they saw a fire with a fish lying on the coals, and they saw a loaf of bread. Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter got into the boat and pulled the net ashore. Though the net was filled with 153 large fish, it was not torn. Jesus told them, “Come, have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared to ask him who he was. They knew he was the Lord. ~John 21:9-12 (God’s Word Translation)
Read more here.

Awesome Autumn Apple Sausage Soup #SeptemberWhole30

This is day 19 of #SeptemberWhole30, and our second #Whole30 has been more challenging than our first. Both Hubs and I have struggled to maintain motivation, and most recently we’ve been battling powerful (if surprising) cravings. We’ve had multiple conversations over the past 10 days that have gone something like this:
Hubs (and/or me): “You know what would be great right now?”
Me: “I don’t know ’bout you, but I’d like a drink!” (this is especially crazy because I almost never drink)
Hubs: “I’d like to eat a whole bag of chips, maybe two.” (Again bizarre. Hubs never, EVER overeats!)

The cravings are apparently to be expected according to the #Whole30 timeline, but the lack of motivation is disappointing. We’ve had several discussions about why we seem to be white-knuckling it this time around. There seems to be no energy or excitement to the process this time compared to last time. For example, I’ve suffered from a serious lack of creativity this time. I’ve primarily had to rely on recipes from our first #Whole30 only because I have had such a hard time coming up with new stuff this go-round.

This soup recipe is the one exception to my recipe dry spell. This recipe makes a huge amount of soup and it’s ready pretty quickly. Using fresh and frozen veggies that are pre-chopped saves time and energy which is really important at this stage of the Whole30 process. And the wide variety of flavors and textures; plus lots of fiber and high-quality protein makes this a very satisfying and satiating meal. Just what you need when the cravings are raging!

As a special added bonus, this recipe includes some ingredients from Healthgrove’s list of top 30 foods for beautiful skin and hair – #19 Brussels Sprouts and #4 Collard Greens, along with smaller amounts of #16 carrots. Brussels sprouts are a terrific source of Vitamins C and K. Collard greens are also great sources of Vitamins C and K and are some of the best sources of Vitamin A available. When you add in the collagen and gelatin, this soup becomes a skin and hair beautifying bonanza! And it’s really delicious!

Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil
• ½ large sweet onion (e.g. Vidalia), chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, crushed)
• 2 tsp. pure sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 6 stalks celery, chopped (divided)
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped (divided)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, crushed)
• 2 tsp. pure sea salt
• 32 oz. (4 cups) homemade or Whole30-compliant stock. Whole recommends several delicious commercially-available broths. Check out the approved list here.
(I like this one from Imagine Foods)
• 32 oz. (4 cups) distilled water
• 1 oz. dried mushrooms (I found these beauties for less at our local Walmart)

• 4 medium red potatoes, diced or shredded (I made a batch each way and prefer using shredded potatoes because the shredded potatoes added more textural variety)
• 1 package Aidell’s Organic Chicken & Apple Sausage, chopped
• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Instant Potato Flakes (optional but yields a creamier soup)
• 1 bag (14 oz.) frozen chopped collard greens, defrosted and drained
• 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen brussels sprouts, defrosted and drained (or 12 oz. package fresh shredded brussels sprouts)
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. each dried thyme leaves, rosemary, ground bay leaves, and white pepper
• generous pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 large or 2 small apples
• 4 Tbsp. Great Lakes Brand or Vital Proteins Brand Beef Gelatin
• 4 Tbsp. Great Lakes Brand Collagen or Vital Proteins Brand Collagen Peptides
Hardware:
• Chef’s Knife
• Cutting Board
• Measuring Cups + spoons
• Extra large soup pot with lid

Instructions:

1. Place soup pot over MEDIUM-HIGH heat and add coconut oil to pot. Rotate pot to disperse oil. Then add chopped onion, chopped parsley, half the chopped celery and half the chopped carrots. Cook the vegetables in oil over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, stirring continuously for 8 minutes. While mixture cooks, open dried mushrooms pack and empty onto clean kitchen towel or plate. Carefully sort through mushrooms and remove and small stones.
2. Reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW. Stir in garlic, sea salt, broth, distilled water, and sorted mushrooms. Place lid on soup pot and cook for 30 minutes. While mixture cooks, if using whole slice brussels sprouts, slice in half and set aside.
3. After mixture has cooked for 30 minutes, remove lid and add all remaining ingredients except apple. Stir well to combine. Then reduce heat again to LOW. Replace lid and cook mixture for 60 minutes more.
4. After 60 minutes, core and chop apple(s), peeling first if desired. Then add apples, collagen and gelatin into soup. Stir well to combine. Be sure the collagen and gelatin dissolve with no clumping. Recover the pot and cook for 15 minutes more (over LOW heat).
5. After 15 minutes, test soup for seasoning, adjusting to taste if needed. Serve and enjoy.

Deliciously soothing and satisfying soup!

Serving Suggestions and Notes: This is a hearty soup that hits on 4 of the 5 primary flavor points – salty, sweet, bitter, and spicy. You can hit that 5th point (sour) by serving a crisp green salad along side this dressed with a fruit-based vinaigrette such as this (Whole30-approved) one from Tessemae’s. Or you can easily whip up Presto Peachy Lime Vinaigrette (pictured above) or this Split-Second Strawberry Vinaigrette, both deliciously #Whole30-compliant and ready in 1 minute or less.

Wisdom for the Day:
“Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat. For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe them in rags.” ~Proverbs 23:20-21 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Read more here.

For More #Whole30 Recipes, Check Out These Great Recipes from the (HealthGrove) Top 30 Foods for Beauty Series:
Super Simple & Sumptuous Sweet Potatoes
Stupid Easy Paleo Cran-Cherry Sauce #WHOLE30 #Vegan #Raw
QUICK & EASY BEAUTIFYING PAPAYA SALAD #WHOLE30 #PALEO #VEGAN
Presto Peachy Lime Vinaigrette #WHOLE30-compliant #Vegan #Paleo #Raw
Split Second Strawberry Vinaigrette #WHOLE30 Compliant (#raw, #paleo & #vegan)
Fix-It-And-Forget-It: Simply Beautiful Southern Greens Crockpot #WHOLE30 Compliant
Quick & Easy Paleo Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing #WHOLE30 Compliant
Chicken Tri-Almandine Casserole
WHOLE30 Stuffed Zucchini 2 Ways
Easy Cheezy Chicken & Broccoli Soup with Crispy Potato Croutons

#SeptemberWhole30 Days 8-9

…Remind Me Again Why We’re Doing This!

So here we are more than a week into our second #Whole30. I won’t presume to speak for Hubs, but I am struggling! When I say struggling, I’m talking about something that goes well beyond the simple “I just want a nap” kind of thing predicted for days 6-7 by the (suddenly difficult to locate) official Whole30 Timeline 2.0. I’m talking about a level of fatigue that I feel down into my bones; that requires giving myself a pep talk just to get out of bed; dragging myself through the day; drinking extra coffee in order to formulate a coherent sentence. I don’t remember being this tired last time, but Hubs assures me I was. I’m taking his word for it, mostly because I’m just too tired to argue the point.

Before I go into all that, some positives. There are a few things actually making this round easier than our first Whole30 in April.

First and foremost – Nut Pods Coffee Creamers (I’m sure I’ve probably mentioned these delicious creamers before because I’m a tad coffee-obsessed, and I was desperate to find a way to keep putting creamer in my coffee during our first Whole30. If you’re a mom you can relate to just how crucial coffee is. It’s basically fuel new moms run on, but I digress).

This Whole30 Mama Needs Caffeine!!!

Next, I’m so happy that we invested in a couple of cases (seriously) of different flavors of these yummy La Croix flavored sparkling waters. Yum. O. Now that it’s football season, I can park it in front of the TV with a nice cold glass of fruity, bubbly La Croix and not feel the least bit deprived. We’ll definitely continue drinking these post Whole30!

Lastly, I am still really excited about this Daily Beauty Wisdom green tea + collagen recipe. It’s the only green tea drink I have ever consistently drank in my life. For more on green tea’s health and beauty benefits click here and here. This drink is delicious and has some great beauty benefits that others are starting to notice. Here’s what happened:

I had a long, busy day yesterday, with several errands to run, including a much-needed hair appointment. Of course, I also had to make sure our daughter was fed, changed and happy, and all her needs met. So, I needed 3 cups of coffee (thank you again Nut Pods!) and 2 cups of green tea just to get through the day.

I know, that’s a lot of caffeine. But, like I said. I had a lot to do, and I’ve had like NO energy. Still, I did have one briefly exhilarating moment yesterday when my hair stylist commented on the growth and thickness of my hair. She said she could really see a difference in the overall condition of my hair and that my supplements were starting to make a difference. Wow! Score a big win for the collagen drinks!

Green Tea + Collagen + Vitamin C – Delicious and beautifying with a hint of caffeine to boot!

Genetically, I have extremely fine hair, which has been made fragile by years of frequent coloring (read bleaching). Then in the last 15 months or so, I’ve been pregnant twice (I had a miscarriage just prior to getting pregnant with our almost 11 month-old daughter), so I shed a ton of hair postpartum, leaving me with even thinner hair. For my stylist to say that my hair stronger and longer, was a big deal! But alas, my exhilaration was short-lived.

I soon found myself dragging again and questioning my commitment to this “whole” Whole30 thing. Then last night, after having (finally) gotten baby girl to sleep, Hubs and I collapsed next to one another on the sofa. We debated whether to eat dinner or just go straight to bed as we were both equal parts tired and hungry. Though we agreed “we should probably eat” in order to avoid waking up hangry in the middle of the night, neither of us moved immediately, so I turned to him and whined, “I’m so uncomfortable. Remind me again why we’re doing this.”

Hubs – in his (frustratingly) infinite wisdom and patience asked, “If you need some motivation, why don’t you go back and look at your #NSV Checklist from last time? Or read over those things you said you want to accomplish this time? It’s only 22 more days. We can do it.”

I hate it that he’s always right! But I followed his advice and took a look at my #NSV Checklist from Round 1 and reviewed my goals for #SeptemberWhole30 as listed in my Kickoff Post. Here’s a list of the goals I said I hoped to achieve and a status report as of day 9:
• More energy to play with our daughter – No increases on this front
• Improved attention span – About the same
• Fewer ADHD symptoms – Same
• Fall asleep more easily – YES, I fall right asleep and I sleep deeply. Waking up on the other hand…not so easy, hence the coffee!
• More energy to exercise – Exercise is a struggle, a big one!
• Be outside more – No change
• Create and try new recipes – I have one new recipe for a delicious Whole30-compliant Sausage + Apple Soup, but I’ve been too tired to post it!
• No more under-eye circles – I haven’t noticed a change
• Brighter eyes – I don’t notice any difference
• Clothes fit better – I still can’t fit into some of my pre-pregnancy jeans BUT today I easily fit into a new pair of pants that I ordered in a smaller size so I’d say that’s progress, right?
• Looking younger – No real change there
• Fewer seasonal allergies – Maybe a slight improvement
• Less fatigue – Yeah you know the answer to that one
• Practice mindful eating – Honestly, I think there’s been some improvement here

So in total, for 7 of 14 (50%) of my goals, I’ve seen no change.
For 5 of my 14 goals (roughly 36%) there’s been at least some improvement or progress toward my stated goal.
And in 2 of my pre-Whole30 goals (about 14%) both of which relate to energy, there’s been movement in the opposite direction.

So it looks like we’re in this for the long run, or at least for the whole 30 days. And, I’ll close this post by quoting a verse I shared a few days ago: “Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.” ~Ecclesiastes 7:8 (New Living Translation) So I guess that will be the Wisdom for the Day. And I’ll just go reread it a few more times just to remind myself that finishing is indeed better than starting. Read more here.