Well. Here we are. Back on the AIP diet.

As hard as this is to work in with a busy schedule, a career and a toddler, I am SO thanfkul to the holistic professionals who found out that this diet is SO healing and SO beneficial to calming our inflammation and auto-immune issues. And PRAISE THE LORD for meal prep. You NEED to be meal prepping. If you ever need help, reach out! I can talk to you about some easy tips. 

I've found for me, it's 100% needed to come back to this from time to time when I feel myself more sluggish, carrying excess water, inflamed or reacting more from cross-contamination. I haven't put many AIP recipes on the blog, because honestly, when I'm on AIP it means I'm not at my best and the energy for recipe creation and promotion usually isn't there. However, I am trying to turn a new leaf. 

I was so blessed in 2012 when this blog really started to take off because of the connections I was making with so many women, men and children who were needing to go gluten free, dairy free or soy free and it made my heart so happy to know I could provide safe and yummy recipes to those who needed them in their season or life of food restriction.

I want to make it a point to add more healing foods, more AIP options and more whole choices when it comes to entrees in 2019/2020. 

The baked goods are pretty and fun guys, but they have their place. And unfortunately their place isn't in my home or body right now. 

For this recipe, I've found it's hard to find organic ground chicken in the stores. If you invest in a meat grinder, you'll be able to grind higher quality poultry to make this recipe.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb organic ground chicken
• 1 medium uncooked sweet potato, finely grated (I peeled and cut it and put it in my Ninja)
• 2 Tbsp. grain-free flour (cassava, coconut, tigernut)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil 
• 1/8 c. chopped chives
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt 

Optional: You could also add a small amount of grated apple, to make Chicken Apple Nuggets. 

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment. 
• Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. 
• Wash hands and using your hands, roll meat and potato mixer into nugget shapes and place on baking sheet. (I needed two baking sheets to fit them all)
• Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
• Serve with AIP friendly guacamole or vegan AIP coconut sour cream.

Have you incorporated an AIP lifestyle? What health changes have you seen? 

If you haven't, leave any questions below and I'd be happy to assist you! It's hard, but so so so so so so so worth it! 

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyNutrishDish #CollectiveBias

Spring is in the air and that means time outdoors with the family + crisp, cool recipes.

​Our Miniature Schnauzer Charlie adores this time of year because he knows it means days at the dog park, road trips around the state and exploring the backyard to his little hearts content. I'm also enjoying the slower pace of spring as we are wrapping an issue of the magazine and summer will be a more leisurely time to play with the pups and nest to get ready for baby. 

After spending an early morning at a local farm with the hubs perusing delicious goodies, it was time to return home for lunch and naps with the pup.

Many of you have been asking me, that when I'm not making Charlie's food from scratch, what I feed him. There are many seasons of life where one may not have the resources, the time or the funds to make homemade dog food to keep on hand. It's important to know what brand to trust to make sure your fur babies are getting the best, in not only flavor and texture, but in nutritional value.  It's a delicate balance to ensure they're getting all of what they need. 

We chose the DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® dry dog food line because, like we do, she uses whole ingredients in her recipes. Our pups are family to us and it's important, knowing what I do about food and what it can do for our bodies, that they also get the best of the best. It's formulated for all size dogs too, which makes it a match for our 13 year old senior lab as well. 

I've been a fan of Rachael's for many years now, the heart she has for dogs and the quality of her product lines. Having my dogs on a wheat and corn free diet (like mama, like pups) I was ecstatic to see this new product emerge. Also free of soy, gluten, by-product, fillers or preservatives, I feel confident in knowing it's a food that can grow with him as he grows from puppy into a little man and into his senior years. 

Once the pup was fed, it was time to whip up something for me and the hubs. With Sunday being our meal prep and plan for the week day, I wanted something cool, quick and easy. So I took cues from Charlie's decadent dish, the DISH Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe with Veggies & Fruit, to create the recipe below for my Spring Chicken Salad.

Using some of the same whole ingredients founds in Charlie's nosh - green apples, cranberries and chicken became the stars of our lunchtime fare. Serving it with my favorite gluten free brown rice crackers gave us the whole grains needed to round out our protein packed meal. 

This salad is cool and refreshing and serves 2. The cranberries offer a welcome sweetness while the tart apple and spring greens lend a nice crunch. 

It was the perfect compliment to the refreshing homemade lemonade we picked up at the farm this morning and I felt good knowing Charlie was enjoying a meal that was also packed with vitamins and minerals that his little energetic, growing body needs. 

If you are wanting to make the switch or want to try DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® remember to gradually introduce the food by incorporating it into your current dog food over the course of 7-10 days. Slowly replace your dog’s current food with DISH until it’s completely switched over. 

We found it at Target and it was simple to find, located in the Pet Supply and Dog Food section of the store. Many stores carry it, and you can check the store locator for a store near you. 

Charlie adores this food and gets excited for mealtime, which shows me it's an authentic win in our household. 

​And for those of you who know my heart for dogs, Rachael’s personal proceeds are given to Rachael’s Rescue, an organization that was created to help shelter pets in need. She has donated over $10M to date towards food, medical supplies and treatments for these unfortunate animals. A win/win for my dogs and those without a home. 
​

Have you tried DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®?  Or, do you have an adorable photo of your pup to share with me? Leave it in the comments below or contact me. Seriously can never have enough cute dog photos on the internet in my opinion. 

Do you have a favorite quick and easy go-to spring salad recipe? I'd love to try + taste! Share below!

Spring has sprung and that means family picnics, holidays beginning again and basking in my second trimester "glow". 

I'm glad to have gotten back into the swing of working and taking care of our home again. The first trimester was rough on me. You can read about that here and here. But the nausea and fatigue has subsided and I feel productive again. (YAY!) There are many exciting things in the works for the blog & my nutrition business launch, as well as my role as Managing Editor for BASIC Magazine. We are wrapping our second issue, our Spring issue, and that's taken most of my time lately, I was even proofing in between prepping tonights delicious dinner. 

With St. Patrick's Day just a couple of days away, I wanted something traditional that's easy for you all to prepare as well. Trader Joe's has an amazing pre-cooked Corned Beef right now that you just throw in the oven for 35 minutes and voila! you have dinner. We tasted it on a recent shopping trip and knew it had to be the star of our dinner to celebrate the Irish holiday. 

I'm also thankful I have my appetite back. For so long I was too nauseous to eat much of anything, then it was weird random cravings, followed by a short lived (thank God) vegetable aversion and finally the baby has tapped into his or her mama's foodie style and now I'm back to craving all of my Paleo favorites. Eggs are still the star that make me feel the best. 

We went with the traditional white fingerling potatoes to accompany the corned beef, even though white potatoes aren't my best friend some days. I've abstained from potatoes for the most part so we splurged tonight. They are best served warm with vegan butter, herbs and sea salt or paleo ketchup. If you are off white potato, try the corned beef with one of my following side dishes that would pair wonderfully with this traditional dish:
​

• Herbed Sweet Potatoes 
• Cauliflower Rice
• Steamed Asparagus

I also added my Maple Thyme Carrots for some added vegetable content in the dish. 

And of course, it wouldn't be the full traditional meal without my Apple Cider Cabbage which you can prepare and cook while your main dish is in the oven. It has amazing cleansing benefits and adds a great nutrient boost. 

I would love to know if you enjoyed if you tried any combination above or share what your favorite St. Pattie's Day meal is!
​

It's officially Fall. This fact means my palette begins to crave all the fall favorites. Soups, stews, turkey, sweet potatoes and all the traditional Thanksgiving-related fixings. However, living in Arizona, it's still reaching triple digits and it doesn't sound like the funnest afternoon to have my oven heating the house to temperatures that will melt us.

That's where my Thanksgiving-inspired salad comes in. This is one of my favorite go-to lunches right now. Super simple, crisp and cool, I still get to please my palette with falls favorite tastes. Juicy turkey breast? Check. Sweet, tart cranberries, check. And to top it off I pair this with a cool, savory side of bacon and sweet potato salad and boom, it's like Thanksgiving and summer made a love child.

A love child of crisp, cool, crunchy goodness that bursts with all the flavors of the holiday season. 

Ingredients:
Fresh turkey breast, shredded
1-2 C. Organic Romaine Lettuce
Steve's Paleo Goods Cranberries (no added sugar or corn syrup)

Toss & top with a cranberry vinaigrette or Apple Cider Vinegar & enjoy! 

I've been really, really bad at doing recipe testing and food photography lately. Finishing up school for my diploma in Personal Nutrition, working full time, trying to start our family & blogging gets to be a bit much (don't get me wrong, I LOVE what I do, but by the end of the day, I'd rather make something I know it quick and nutritious. 

I'll get back to making more elaborate and yummy special stuff, but for tonight. Here's #WhatIAte. 

When shopping at Sprouts over the weekend they had a box of Organic Turkey Patties in stock - just two ingredients: Organic Turkey & Rosemary. They were a bit pricey, but with multiple case studies, work and the blog - paying $10.99 for a whole box was worth it to me to make sure I'm eating protein over carbs when I'm in a time crunch.

I bought a pre-diced container of organic onion while I was there too. Makes it so easy to throw a handful into the pan while the meat is cooking (I did 8 minutes on each side for the patty, I like my meat a little more 'done' than most.)

My friend and I hit Whole Foods while we were in the area (the closest one is about 25 miles from me) and I found a bag of Paleo cranberries. Again just two ingredients - cranberries & pure apple juice for the preservative/sweetener. I rarely do dried fruit, but for some reason I was craving a salad with fruit on top so I added some along with fresh organic pear on a bed of butter lettuce and topped it all with Apple Cider Vinegar to give it a tangy kick that will help detox. 

It's become one of my new favorite summer lunches. What is on your plate this season?

Ingredients:
2 medium organic sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance butter + 2 Tsp. Earth Balance butter
1 large sweet onion
1 large Hass avocado
Handful of organic cherry tomatoes
1 rotisserie chicken
1 clove fresh garlic
Handful of fresh organic spinach 




Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Poke holes in potato to allow steam out.  Place sweet potato on cookie sheet and bake for 75-85 minutes or until soft. 

When the potatoes have about 20 minutes remaining, shred chicken and saute in large frying pan with 1 Tbsp. EB butter and clove of chopped garlic over medium heat. 

Chop onion and in a separate small frying pan, cook onion, covered, over low-medium heat with 1 Tsbp of EB butter until brown and caramelized. 

Once potato is cooked, cut open and insert 1 tsp EB butter into each potato and allow to melt.  Top with carmalized onions, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes and avocado. Serve with shredded chicken and organic unsweetened applesauce. 

*for vegan, omit the chicken. 

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey or beef (I used turkey)
2-3 large sweet potatoes
1 pack organic frozen peas and carrots
2 TBSP. Earth Balance soy-free, dairy-free butter or other healthy cooking fat for AIP
Minced Garlic
1/4 C. diced onions
Sea Salt to taste


Instructions:
Cook meat with minced garlic and sea salt over stove until browned, add peas, carrots and onions half way through until cooked through.

Cook sweet potatoes until soft, and blend in bowl with melted butter or healthy fat.  Place meat and veggie mix in a baking dish and smooth blended potatoes on top. Place in oven for 10 minutes, Allow to cool, serve with organic paleo ketchup (omit for AIP). Enjoy! 

Such a yummy and filling comfort food for fall. You CAN eat comfort foods without chemicals, gluten, sugar and a lot of fat. Put on comfy socks, kick up your feet on the porch, watch the leaves change and enjoy this stew with a mug of organic, sugar-free apple cider. 

Ingredients
Chuck Roast - 2 lbs
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (you can use beef broth, but all the ones I found contain yeast.)
4 Carrots (washed, peeled and chopped)
2 Stalks of Celery (washed and chopped)
Fresh herbs of choice
2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
I medium onion, chopped

Instructions
Brown the chuck roast in a pan with olive oil before placing in crock pot. Once browned, cut into cubes and brown a little longer until each side is slightly seared. Add to crockpot, place cut vegetables and herbs inside and mix. Pour broth on top, place the lid and cook on low heat for 10-12 hours. 

*you can cook this on high 5-6 hours, however the meat will not be as tender on this setting. I prefer to cook roasts on low so that it doesn't get chewy. 

This is one of my FAVORITE lunches to take to work! I take a piece of fresh fruit or nuts if I get hungry later because these can tend to be not very filling for long days. 

INGREDIENTS
4 slices lean bacon (pork or turkey) cooked and chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tbsp paleo mayonnaise
3 large iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves
1 Avocado

INSTRUCTIONS
Carefully remove 2 large outer leaves of a head of lettuce. If you rip or tear one, just save it for the 3rd leaf you need to shred. Shred the 3rd leaf and set aside. Dice tomato and set aside in a bowl. Combine diced tomato with mayonnaise. Place lettuce cups on a plate, top with shredded lettuce. Add tomato, avocado, and then bacon and roll it like a wrap and dig in!

INSTRUCTIONS
Use a slicing mechanism, or mandolin, that will magically make fettuccine just by pushing the zucchini through.

Boil a pot of water and add salt – add your “noodles” and cook for a minute – be sure not to overcook.  Remove and set into a pot of cold to stop the cooking process.

Then, heat a tablespoon of olive  oil in a large saute pan – throw in about 3 cloves of minced garlic, add in your freshly made "pasta", saute around until evenly coated – sprinkle with red pepper flakes (omit for AIP), and fresh basil leaves to taste.  Plate. Light healthy and delicious!