Stay Calm And?????

Now enjoy this video of the most unusual guacamole you’re ever seen.

Quite a few of you are struggling with what to do when you are on the go.

Today's blog is really "Newsletter" heavy, but lots of great tips and information.  My biggest challenge is if I don't plan my meal before I leave work for the day, with a list of what is needed, and a mission. I get distracted by the store.  All the things I THINK I want.  I am not craving any of  those things if they are not in front of me, but the Oh it would be so nice to just have a Diet Pepsi, or that Rice Pasta with my chicken tonight.  Nothing REALLY bad just not whole 30.

I had karma bite me in the butt yesterday.  I had one of the worst days at work I think I have ever had.  Not to get into the nitty gritty but I learned a valuable grown up lesson on who you can trust and when to just keep you mouth shut.  Needless to say this send my head spinning and the want for sugar vodka sugar and more vodka that amazed me.  I am not a heavy drinker, I go through spurts, but I was CRAVING it more than ever.  So I had dinner with The Boyfriend, got a coffee on the way home, and just took a hot bath and Now I am sitting on my bed with my puppies prepping this post for tomorrow.   "Tramma" will come up in our daily lives.  Jon Lennon quoted my favorite saying once... ( and my mother as well ) Life is what happens with you have other plans.  Do I continue to mope and be pissed off, or do I pull on the boots and just keep moving forward.

I keep moving forward.

Tomorrow is a lovely day with the kidlets, and an evening alone to get the chores accomplished that I CHOSE not to do tonight, Just because I didn't want to.

How do you deal with stress?  Do you eat your stress, Do you hit the Gym?  In the Whole30 process what have you learned about yourself and how you react to these situatio?. Knowing and recognizing those signs will help you in the future.  Listen to your mind.  Listen to your body, and Just walk away from the sugar and the vodka.

((Whole30 Newsletter))

But here are two things to remember: First, you are only one-third of the way through your program! By the time you hit Day 30, things will be clicking along like clockwork. Grocery shopping will feel like a breeze, work lunch preparation will be an established part of your weekly routine, and choosing Good Food off a restaurant menu will be second nature.

Second, there are tons of time-saving tips we can still teach you! (And in the next few weeks, you’ll probably come up with some awesome timesavers of your own, too.) So today, let’s focus on all of the ways you can streamline your new, healthy lifestyle, and give you a little more time in your day to enjoy all of the benefits of being happier, healthier, and more energetic!

Have a great Day 10!

Our #1 Super Time Saver

Post your menu. A whiteboard (or blackboard) in the kitchen can make your Whole30 and post-Whole30 life more manageable. You want three lists going at all times.

• List 1: The first list should include 3 -5 “go-to” dishes you love to eat—easy meals that require little prep and not much brain power. Take a picture of this list and keep it on your phone or iPad, so you can easily grocery shop after work for a quick, delicious, healthy meal.
• List 2: The second list should include the foods you have ready to eat in the fridge: leftovers, cooked and raw vegetables, defrosting meat, sauces and salad dressings. This list serves as inspiration when it’s time to make lunch or dinner.
• List 3: The third list is for things you’ve run out of (or are almost out of), so you know to stock up the next time you visit the store. It’s easy to remember what you need for the meal, but dishwashing liquid always seems like an afterthought!

Finally, if you’ve got any room left over on your board, write down some inspiration to see you through the next 20 days! A compliment someone has paid you recently, one of your goals from Day 0, a few of your motivating factors… whatever you need to keep your motivation front and center!

Fast Food

We asked some of the top Paleo chefs to share their best kitchen tips and tricks with us. Here’s some of what they said… and few tips they’re sharing just with you, our Whole30 Daily subscribers.

• From frozen to feasting. When I just can’t bear to pack one more work lunch (and I’m feeling really lazy), I don’t even bother to cook my food. Just put two big servings of frozen vegetables in a microwaveable container then drizzle them with olive oil and a good shake of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add a microwaveable protein (grilled chicken, frozen cooked shrimp), cram on the lid, and shove the container in your bag. At lunchtime, microwave the whole shebang for three minutes, and voila! Instant lunch with no real cooking time. (From Melissa Joulwan, The Clothes Make the Girl.)
• Speedy spinach. Here’s an effortless way to include more leafy greens in your meals. Step 1. Get some baby spinach. Step 2. Put a handful of spinach in the bottom of a bowl or plate. Step 3. Spoon delicious, hot food containing meat and vegetables over the top. Step 4. Allow the residual heat to lightly wilt the spinach leaves. Step 5. Nom nom nom. This works great with stir-frys, sautés, chili, stews, and soups.
• Ready veggies. Having trouble keeping enough veggies on hand? Melissa Joulwan from The Clothes Make The Girl serves up tips for keeping your fridge stocked with ready-to-go veggies for Whole30 success.
• Choppity chop. Anytime you’re chopping veggies, chop extra. So, if you have the cutting board out and you’re chopping onions, peppers, broccoli, etc., chop up extra, and store the extra in the fridge for future use. That way, when you want to create a quick dish, you already have things chopped and ready to go. (From Julie and Charles Mayfield, of Paleo Comfort Foods.)
• Ripen your avocados with magic! OK, it’s not really magic… it’s the ethylene that naturally occurs in certain types of ripe fruits. Just place a banana or apple in a closed brown paper bag with an under-ripe avocado, and 24 hours later, your avocado will be guacamole-ready.
• Learn to chop an onion. The Whole30 can mean spending a fair amount of time in the kitchen, and most savory dishes worth their salt start with aromatics like onions and garlic sautéed in luscious fat. This video on how to chop an onion will make you the fastest chopper in your household (and, of course, be sure you know how to use your chef’s knife first).
• Freeze now, use later. Boost veggies, stews, and stir-frys by adding some homemade bone broth. Pressed for time? Fill a few ice cube trays with chicken or beef broth. Dump the frozen cubes into a freezer bag. Then grab a few cubes to add to your piping-hot dish before serving. The same works for leftover lemons or limes. Squeeze them and freeze the juice in an ice-cube tray. Once they're frozen, store the cubes in zippered plastic bags and use them for recipes that call for fresh lemon or lime juice. (One cube equals about one tablespoon of juice.)

For more “fast food” tips, read Get Out of Good Food Jail: Kitchen Tips & Tricks.

Fast Cooking

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  Slow Cooker: With a slow cooker, you can roast meats, make stews, and prepare complete one-pot meals… while you’re at work, running errands, or relaxing with a good book. What’s not to love! Let Real Simple magazine help you pick out the best slow-cooker based on features like programmability, timer, and price.
  
  
  Our friend and Whole30 Envoy Extraordinaire Tom Denham has a ton of slower cooker recipes on his site, Whole Life Eating. The best part? Every single one of his recipes is Whole30 approved! You can also check out PaleoPot, dedicated to healthy crock-pot meals. (Just check your ingredients, as they’re not all 100% Whole30.)
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  Pressure cooker: Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. The higher temperature causes the food to cook faster; cooking times can typically be achieved in one-third of the time of conventional cooking methods. (Sweet potatoes go from raw to mashed in about 12 minutes!) In addition, as the foods get cooked quickly with very little liquid, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are better preserved than with other cooking methods. 
  
  
  Pressure cooking is best for stews, broths, and tougher cuts of meat, like oxtail and cross shanks. (Read more from Harold McGee, author of Keys to Good Cooking, as he outlines his pressure cooker recommendations.) And Good Housekeeping has a nifty comparison of pressure cookers, including “budget buys” and “fastest cookers.”
  
  
  Looking for pressure cooker versions of your favorite recipes? Try Nom Nom Paleo’sQuick Pressure Cooker Bone Broth, Paleo Spirit’s Barbacoa Beef, or our ownPressure Cooker Cacciatore.
  
  
  Still a little intimidated? Check out our friend and Paleo expert Robb Wolf, who runs you through using a pressure cooker in this fun little video.

Martha Stewart Approved

Just because you’re eating Whole30 doesn’t mean you have to make everything from scratch. Here are a few timesavers you can implement around mealtime, on-the-go time, and every time in between.

• Frozen vegetables. Stir-fry mixes (like peppers, onions, and carrots) make for easy mixed veggie side dishes, and can be dumped still frozen into your curry or soup to cook.
• Pre-made salsa and guacamole. All that choppin’ can take a while, but most grocery stores and health food markets made “clean” versions of both of these toppings, turning Mexi-salad night into a 15 minute meal. (Just remember, always read your labels.)
• Canned sweet potato , pumpkin, or butternut squash. Roasting these veggies can take time. Sometimes, a vegetable side can be as quick and easy as open can, dump into pot, heat, and serve. Look for ingredients that are only the vegetable—pumpkin pie filling is not the same as mashed pumpkin!
• Baby food. Yep, we said it… prepackaged baby food can be your best friend while hiking, biking, or during those busy post-workout periods. We like Plum Organicsbrand, but the key is reading your labels to make sure they aren’t adding cereal grains, corn, or rice.
• Broth. While making your own bone broth is worth the time and effort (and it’s really not that hard), sometimes you just need half a cup for the recipe. Imagine Brandmakes a Whole30-friendly organic chicken and beef broth, and comes in small sized containers too.