Day: 27 & 28

Dinner: Kulua Pig With Hawaiian Haystacks (Whole30 Style!)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24035/kalua-pig-in-a-slow-cooker/

Kulua pig is bursting with flavor! It will bring to life any dish with it's salty smokey flavor. I used this to make a WHole30 compatible version of Hawaiian Haystacks.  My salad, consisting of lettuce, peppers (red, yellow, orange), carrots and cucumbers was finished off the avocado cilantro sauce I posted in my earlier post of fish tacos. 

 The sauce was a little thicker than I would have liked, but it tasted so good I didn't want to dilute any of the flavors! I had this again the next night and was wishing I would have taken a picture of when it looked a lot more pretty, but you get the point!

Day: 26

Dinner: Can it be possible, the bacon wrapped skewers again!

This may be my favorite dinner so far. Okay, I've decided it IS my favorite dinner so far! The curry sauce makes these skewers.  Don't be afraid to completely submerge the bacon/turkey bites into the curry sauce, it is that good!!

For my vegetables, I have brussel sprouts and carrots. Love this combination! Add about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, with a generous shake of salt and pepper. Stir all ingredients in a bowl and then place on a cookie sheet.  Make sure oven has been pre-heated to 415 Degrees. I stir the vegetables twice during the 15 or so minutes of cook time (you want them to have a bit of brown to them). These veggies taste awesome and are so simple to make!

Day: 24 & 25

Dinner: Bacon Wrapped Siracha Chicken with Curry Sauce

Cashew Curry Lime Sauce from Whole30Recipes Instagram: 

1 tsp. Yellow curry pwder

1 tsp. Red curry powder (I just used the paste)

1/2 tsp. Turmeric

1/2 tsp. Ground Coriander

1/2 C. Raw Cashews

1/2 C. Hot water

1/2 tsp. Salt

Juice from half a lime

1 tsp. Olive oil

1/4 C. Yellow Onion

2 Cloves garlic chopped/minced

1/2 Can of Coconut Milk (this is my own addition)

Combine spices, set aside. Soak cashews in hot water for 10-20 minutes (I soak mine right in the blender).  On medium heat saute the onion until translucent. Add garlic and spices, cook another minute.  Add spices and lime to the blender, pulse until smooth. The sauce may need more salt, add until sufficient.  Top on roasted vegetables or meats.

As for the bacon wrapped chicken siracha, I marinated cubed chicken in siracha and lime juice for about 3 hours. I then wrapped bacon around each piece of chicken and stuck with a tooth pick. I broiled for 20 minutes, turning over each piece halway through.  I then placed in a bowl, added several spoonfuls of the curry sauce to the chicken. I only used about a 1/3-1/4 of the sauce on the bacon wrapped chicken, just enough to provide a little more moisture. You could also use it as a dipping sauce! 

Day 23 & 24

Dinner: Zuchini Noodles w/ Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Use a spiral slicer to make zuchini noodles. Cook noodles in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and add meat sauce! 

Canned Spaghetti Sauce: http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/canned-spaghetti-sauce.html

If you're making your sauce fresh, I really like this recipe: 

http://wellnessmama.com/8907/pasta-sauce/

We had company the other night and I thought, uh oh, I'm on this crazy diet, what am I going to fix for other people?! I needed something filling and a dish that wouldn't be too time sensitive. Lasagna meets that criteria perfectly! I already had spaghtetti sauce I had canned over the summer (those long hard hours do pay off in the winter). I ended up using 2 precious quarts. I also added 1 little can of tomato paste to help thicken it a little more. 

I cooked 1.5 lbs. of ground turkey, salting and peppering as I did. I added the sauce to the cooked meat. I was ready to add it to my lasagna! I used brown rice noodles (all I had on hand). I was a little nervous because brown rice noodles tend to go goopy if cooked too long (or do no matter what depending on the brand).  I never actually tried the lasagna, but I don't think they tasted mushy. My hubby would have told me. ;-) I put a layer of noodles down, then added the meat sauce. Instead of ricotta, I added a mixture of sour cream and eggs. I've done this for as long as I can remember in making my lasagna. I usually don't have ricotta on hand, but I usually do have sour cream and eggs! On top of of that very thin layer, I added a mixture of Parmesan and mozzarella.  I did one more layer of noodles, meat sauce, sour cream and cheese. I covered the dish and cooked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. I took the foil top off and cooked an additional 10 minutes. Came out perfect! Of course I couldn't eat the cheese or noodles, so I made myself zucchini noodles and topped with the meat sauce. --I would have preferred to have a little parmesan on top, but this still tasted amazing!

Day 21 & 22

Dinner: Tortilla Soup (Again!!)

I had chicken in the fridge and a busy couple of days, I made something that was very easy and took hardly lifting a finger of work. I'm sorry for the repeat!

Dessert: Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding

http://minimalistbaker.com/overnight-chocolate-chia-seed-pudding/

I did not follow the recipe exactly in the above picture. Instead of adding maple syrup (or dates as specified), I decided to sub in frozen blueberries for sweetness. It added the perfect touch!  I used regular coconut milk from the carton as my base (not the same kind as the one in the can). 

Update: I've made this a couple of times since. I've done a blueberry banana and cocoa banana. Both were awesome!  

This is another good recipe for chia pudding if you are not on the Whole 30 and can use Stevia. The Carob also gives a lighter taste than the cocoa. Give this one a try with the full fat coconut milk! I have also tried it with cashew milk and that tastes very good too. :)  I liked this recipe better than the one above, hard to wrong with either one though!

http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-blog/chia-seed-pudding-candida-cleanse-friendly-recipe/

Day 19 & 20

Dinner: Vegetable Hash

1. Add potatoes, carrots, onion, broccoli, cauliflower or any other veggie to a 9x13 pan. I first boil my cubed potatoes and sliced carrots in salted water.  The broccoli and cauliflower should also be slightly cooked (and lightly salted), though left a little firmer. If you're adding a squash or zucchini, do not pre-cook).  Shred chicken on top of vegetable medley.

2. Add 1/3 C. melted butter (I have subbed olive oil, not quite as good, but works!) over top of the veggies, along with a drizzle of white wine. Then add pepper (as much or little as you like), 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning, 2 tsp. Garlic powder, 1-2 tsp. Onion powder (if not using fresh onions), and 2 bay leaves.  Incorporate slightly the seasonings with the vegetables. Sprinkle a mixture of parmesean and mozzerella on top. 

3. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted (if veggies are already pre-cooked) and the dish is hot.

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law years ago. Easy, filling and tasty. It's my go to dish if I have a lot of vegetables on hand and shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works great). Picture does not do it justice!

I did not use the cheese or white wine this time.  The dish was not quite as good being rendered Whole 30 appropriate! The Parmesan really makes this dish, without the added cheese, it's still good, but not as amazing as it could be!

Day: 17 & 18

Breakfast: Hashbrowns with Red Pepper

I grated 2-3 red potatoes, finely sliced one shallot and stirred the two together. I added about a Tbsp. of grape seed oil (or Ghee: Ghee makes it a bit crispier) to a pan. Once hot, I added the grated potatoes with shallot and packed it in my mini frying pan. Generously season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes on each side until crisp, do not stir! Afterwards I cooked the red pepper separately and added on top. It was delicious! I will definitely make this again.

Update: I've made this almost every morning for 7 days straight. I now top with 1 whole avocado (sprinkled with salt and pepper). The avocado makes this dish one I can't wait to fix in the morning!

Dinner: Taco Salad

Didn't take a picture. My camera stinks when it comes to inside pictures with artificial light. Taco salad is pretty basic, but I must say it tasted dang good!  I used taco seasoning from this site:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/ 

No artificial stuff around here anymore! I had a beautiful salad full of different greens, meat, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, avocado and topped with my own home made salsa. I drizzled a bit of a vinaigrette I've been making these last few months. A local shop sells an apple syrup and apple cider vinegar which I combine.  I also add a little olive oil to the combination. A very light refreshing vinaigrette.