It’s Day 13, and you’re probably feeling pretty spicy... but hopefully, not this spicy.
I had a crazy busy weekend. Costumes with the kids, Birthday party, Pumpkin Patch, Coffee and Dinner with friends. I was talking to my mom last night and she say, " I can't keep track of you". WELCOME TO MY WORLD. But all that being said. It was satisfying to be able to stay on point and eat clean the entire weekend even with all the chaos.
Packed my snacks both days and toted them around in my purse. Drank lots of water, and walked AWAY from the coffee stand. Hope everyone had a great weekend, and are ready to dig in to week 3.
(( Whole30 Newsletter))
Spice 101
Spices make the food world go ‘round. (No, literally—changing just one spice can turn an Indian curry into a savory Spanish stew.) The right spices can make or break a dish, turning everyday ingredients into authentic ethnic cuisine. Switching up the spices in your rack can even help you fight the food boredom that sometimes creeps up.
But buyer beware, especially when it comes to seasonings (mixtures and blends). Read your labels, because there can be all kinds of hidden junk in the stuff you get at the grocery store. Check out the ingredients in this taco seasoning commonly found at chain grocers:
Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Maltodextrin, Paprika, Spices, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Citirc Acid, Autolyzed Yest Extract, Natural Flavor, Caramel Color (sulfites). Yikes!
“Taco seasoning” sounds innocent enough, but this spice blend is anything but innocent (or healthy). We are sure by now that just looking at those ingredients you know this is not OK by Whole30 standards, but why is it OK by any standards?
Spice 201
Sometimes, spices and seasonings intimidate people with their fancy-sounding names (Za’atar, anyone?) and the precise, teeny-tiny quantities called for in recipes. Don’t be scared! Today, with some help from our friends, we’ll get your kitchen spice-ready.
First, Melissa Joulwan (author of Well Fed), an admitted spice-a-holic, shares her lengthy list of spices and how to use them in this brilliant article.
We’ve also teamed up with Spice Hound to help you identify Whole30 Approved spices to fill your cabinet with. A full 100% of their salts and spices meet Whole30 criteria, and 20 of their spice blends are also Whole30-approved.
Here is a complete list of all approved Spice Hound blends:
| Adobo Seasoning | Cajun Rub | Chili Powder Blend |
| Chinese 5-Spice Powder | Curry Powder | Dukka |
| Fines Herbes | Four Peppercorn Blend | Garam Masala |
| Garlic Sea Salt | Herbes de Provence | Italian Seasoning |
| La Kama | Panch Phora | Poultry |
| Pumpkin Pie Spice | Seasoning Sea Salt | Tabil |
| Turkey Brine | Za’atar |
Though they last a long time, spices can be expensive. If your cabinet is empty, commit to buying one or two new spices a week, until you’ve amassed a collection broad enough to transport you to any foreign country (and cuisine) at the flick of a teaspoon.
(( TIPS AND TRICKS))
Today, we’re having fun with kitchen gadgets. We know that after two weeks of the Whole30, your kitchen skills are improving by leaps and bounds. But what if you could take your skills to the next level (and save some time, hassle, and dishwashing liquid) by picking up some nifty tools? To provide you with inspiration, we’re giving you a delicious Whole30-friendly recipe with each item, so you can take your new toys for a yummy test-drive.
We’re also talking about how to get your healthy, Whole30 food from point A (the stove) to point B (your fridge), to point C (your workplace). It’s not that complicated, of course… any food storage container will do—but some options are just better (and cooler) than others.
So prep, cook, store, and carry in style.
Have a great Day 14!
Gadgets, Tools, & Products We Like
Chop & Measure: We would be lost without our Vegetable Chop & Measure from Williams-Sonoma. It makes whipping up a batch of our delicious mango gazpacho a breeze, and cleans up faster than a food processor.
Julienne peeler: With a julienne peeler, you can turn zucchini into noodles in a flash. Say “hello” to spaghetti and meatballs, Asian noodle soup, buttered parsley noodles, and more.
Avocado saver: Super cute and totally functional. This avocado saver ensures the second half of your lusciously ripe avocado tastes as good as the first. And you’ll want to keep your avocados especially ripe for this Chilled Cream of Avocado Soup with Dungeness Crab.
Mandoline: We thought we didn’t need a mandoline until we actually got one. This Swissmar Borner mandoline comes standard with blades for both thick and thin slices. You can turn whole veggies into salad-ready piles in seconds. Use the thin side for cucumber salad, zucchini, and eggplant — use the thick side for jicama, carrots, and radishes. You can even make these amazing-looking Chili Lime Sweet Potato Chips!
Cutting boards: No kitchen is complete with a solid cutting board, and this Farberware bamboo board is solid, durable, and doubles as a serving tray for crudité and meat. Double win! We also love to keep multiple sizes of lightweight, fast-drying cutting boards around like these from Epicurean. You’ll need a few of these handy when you learn to make these Rice-free Sushi Rolls.
Citrus squeezer: Fresh citrus adds a zing! to just about everything you might cook — but squeezing lemons and limes is a pain in the... wrist. Enter the citrus squeezer. (Bonus: stainless steel won’t get as grimy as plastic.) And it’s gonna come in handy for these Lemon Brussels Sprouts…
Garlic press: Garlic makes savory dishes sing. Sing, friends! And this Kuhn Rikon Garlic Press is a workhorse. It crushes unpeeled cloves in a snap and is easy to clean. Plus, it’s so sturdy, it could double as a weapon. Use it for this Garlic Marinated Broccoli recipe and infuse your dinner with flavor!
Meat tenderizer: When preparing chicken breasts, pound them with a meat tenderizer so they’re thinner and more tender. Ta da! No more unevenly cooked chicken breasts! Works great for this Ginger-Garlic-Scallion Crusted Chicken.
Cheesecloth: Cheesecloth is a woven mesh cloth made of cotton that you can use to make your own clarified butter, soup stock, and more! You might even want to try make your own ghee using these directions from Nom Nom Paleo.
Great Recipe from this weekend.
Jess made this amazing dish this weekend. We to often get stuck in a rut of making the same things because they are safe. But then safe starts to get boring. I encourage you to try a new recipe this week. NomNom Paleo has some great suggestions. Get back to enjoying your food not stressing about it.
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