recipes: whole 30 dinner ideas

hey everyone! happy sunday! 

if you are ever thinking of trying whole 30 here  some good dinner ideas for the program. i wanted to share a few favorite dinners that we have had on our first round of the whole 30 program. you can scroll through the list below but if you are new to the program like we were the general idea of this lifestyle change includes: grass fed meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, potatoes, and fruit. yep that's the entire eating pallet for the program. this program isn't a diet, it is definitely a lifestyle change that is for sure.

the first week was the hardest because of the sugar cravings but after the first week you really begin to feel different and much better. after having many stomach issues this past summer i can happily say i have never felt better from this. removing processed foods, sugar, dairy etc. has really made a difference for me. not to mention we are liking the weight loss as well but we are definitely feeling great in such a short amount of time. we only have 2 weeks left and although i sometimes think about the gluten-free cookies i made and a pizza here and there (ha!) i can't wait to continue this lifestyle for as long as i can. 

here are some dinner ideas below! i hope you enjoy :) i know we sure do!! have a great day and thank you for stopping by xo

grilled chicken with pineapple salsa & grilled veggies

almond crusted chicken with asparagus & sweet potato 

applewood sausage, onions, and potatoes 

hamburger lettuce wrap with homemade salsa 

turkey meatballs with tomato sauce

a favorite: shepherd's pie (we have made this several times, i always forget to take a photo ha!) 

basil chicken & tomato sauce 

steak, grilled veggies, and sweet potato 

diy: dr bronner's & making your own all-purpose cleaner

what an easy and safe way to make your own home cleaner, huh? first, i need to talk about how this summer has been a life-changing one. with the amount of toxic and harmful chemicals that we all use every single day in our foods, home products, cosmetics, the list goes on; it is more important now than ever to start making smart choices to rid the amount of harmful chemicals in your homes. not

 only have i transformed my beauty product regimen by adding safe products to my routine instead of harmful ones with beautycounter, i have also transformed our cleaners and home products as well. i will be doing another post soon on beautycounter (i could talk about BC for days ha) but wanted to start with introducing you to dr. bronners. 

have you heard of or do you use dr. bronners? if you haven't, i must say i am a little obsessed with it and you definitely need to learn more about this wonderful brand.  Go here to learn more: http://www.drbronner.com

what do we use it for? at our house, we use this for an all-purpose cleaner as shown above, hand soap (our favorite is the peppermint), and reed loves their bar of soap for the shower (eucalyptus) has a manly smell ha! there are so many more uses for dr. bronner's but these are just a few ways we use them. they are safe, smell amazing, and work great! oh, and another favorite is my lavender spray germ-x that i use a ton of! love it!

now, that i have shared a little of information, lets get to how i made the all-purpose cleaner. i made several of these for family members and they have all enjoyed them as well.

ingredients & details: 

-grab a bpa free spray bottle from your local whole foods, target, etc

-use or purchase your favorite essential oil (my favorite is peppermint and this is what i use for everything)

-grab a bottle of pure castille soap from dr. bronners or another brand if you prefer (you can get unscented like i did or you can get scented- they have citrus, peppermint, lavender etc)

-then, you mix 1/4 c of soap in a quart of water in your spray bottle

-add 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite essential oil

-then shake well, and shake before using it each time

-thats it! easy and safe!

-i labeled mine with my blog name sticker and you can do the same or just write with a sharpie what it is :)

here is a little bit of specific information on dr. bronners castille soap: 

With no added fragrance and double the olive oil, our Unscented Pure-Castile Liquid Soap is good for sensitive skin – babies too (though not tear-free!). Dr. Bronner’s soap is concentrated, biodegradable, versatile and effective. Made with organic and certified fair trade ingredients, packaged in a 100% post-consumer recycled bottle. All-One!  info found on http://www.drbronner.com 

where can i purchase this stuff???

regular castille soap, essential oils, and dr. bronners can all be found at your local whole foods, fresh market, sprouts, etc. i hope you have enjoyed this important diy project, thanks for stopping by! :)

recipes: whole 30 slow cooker turkey meatballs

my oh my are these delicious! we are right at one week with whole 30 and i must say the difference in how we feel in just one week is crazy! not putting anything processed, gluten, dairy, or sugar in our bodies has really made the difference. we are really enjoying it and have found ourselves being super creative in the kitchen because of it. i have always liked to cook, but experimenting with new ingredients and foods has been super fun. 

we can't wait to continue each week and share more recipes along the way. tonight, i am sharing a healthy and delicious turkey meatball recipe. we both really enjoyed these and they were super easy to make. i found this recipe from a paleo/whole 30 food blogger and I am glad that i found this one!  i placed her direct link at the bottom of the page for you to visit her site as well. she actually adds sausage in her recipe as well mixed with the group turkey! here is the recipe:

ingredients: 

• -1 lb ground turkey (i made 2 lbs above for lunches the next day)
• -1 tsp basil
• -½ tsp oregano
• -½ tsp rosemary
• -½ tsp thyme
• -½ tsp onion powder
• -½ tsp garlic powder
• -1 tsp salt
• -½ cup almond flour
• -1 egg, beaten
• -1 large can of organic crushed tomatoes
• -½ large onion, quartered
• -2 cloves garlic, crushed
• -2 tbsp red wine vinegar 

details: 

1. Begin by heating a large skillet to medium high.
2. In a large bowl, place your ground turkey
3. In a separate small bowl, mix together basil, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and almond meal. Add mixture to the meat.
4. With your hands, mix together the spices and meat until well incorporated. Add in beaten egg and continue to mix well.
5. Form meat mixture into large meatballs (about 1.5-2 inches in diameter).
6. Grease your skillet, and add meatballs. Cook each meatball about 1 minute per side until the meat is browned (but not cooked through). Add meatballs to slow cooker.
7. Top meatballs with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and vinegar.
8. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
9. Serve plain with fresh basil, or with spaghetti squash

this recipe is from: http://www.wholesomelicious.com/slow-cooker-paleo-turkey-meatballs/

thanks for visiting and stopping by tonight! enjoy your week! 

recipes: whole 30 lifestyle

hey everyone! i hope you all had a wonderful 4th of july holiday! we are back to the grove of things after our fun weekend in memphis visiting family. we are tackling another new challenge this summer of eliminating bad ingredients, sugar, gluten, and dairy from our diets by being apart of the whole 30 lifestyle. this isn't a diet, it's definitely a lifestyle change and they say if you can train your body for 30 days then you can continue this as a lifestyle and i know we can do it.

like many of us, i grew up on good family home cooked meals and baked goods. while i wouldn't change that for anything (duh!) haha, i definitely want to continue the traditions of home cooking but i want to do it in a healthy way. we are very new to this program and definitely wanted to begin a good lifestyle change for the better!!

after several months of literally throwing away every home product and personal care item that was unsafe and filled with toxic chemicals in our home, we are now taking on the idea of what goes in our bodies should be just as important as what we apply to our skin daily. with this being said, we started whole 30 this week and i wanted to share a few ways that we started meal prepping. these are very easy and basic ways to meal prep and get the most bang for your buck when it comes to eating healthy.

here are a few pictures below with captions on ways you can meal prep at home for your family and how to make your foods last:

whole 30 book: filled with tips, lists, and recipes

stocking up on fresh vegetables-- if you can't eat all of them right now; then cut them up and freeze them for next time 

keeping your cilantro, basil, parsley etc. fresh can be a challenge but washing it well and placing it in a jar like this will help it last and keep it fresh

making fresh salsa is a great way to add flavor to anything that you are cooking

making breakfast muffins for the week are a great start to each morning--- these are made with spinach and so good! 

preparing lunches days in advance will definitely help throughout the week--easy to grab and go! 

i hope you enjoy! we are new to the whole 30 program and i can't wait to share delicious and healthy recipes with you along the way! thank you for stopping by!

www.whole30.com