Baked Cinnamon Grapefruit

So fun fact…I’ve recently become a GRAPEFRUIT lover 😍. I love eating it all by itself but then this weekend I decided to bake them and add some cinnamon! Most recipes require sugar, honey or maple but honestly in my opinion you don’t need it! Seriously this little trick has taken grapefruit to another level! It’s an easy little way to make your day a little more fancy!⠀

Here’s how you make them! ⠀

Ingredients ⠀

  • grapefruit(s) ⠀
  • cinnamon ⠀
  • baking sheet ⠀

1. Preheat oven to 375F⠀

2. Cut the grapefruits in half, but make sure to go down the middle not through the white little hole at the top! This cut gives the ideal star-like look!⠀

3. Sprinkle cinnamon over the grapefruit.⠀

4. Bake for 35 minutes. ⠀

5. Give them 5-10 minutes to cool before you dig in!

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Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask Honest Review

Hey Guys!

So you’ve probably seen this white jar of powdery clay in someone’s bathroom, or on instagram or on a list of 10 beauty products and wondered to yourself about it cause they whole thing cost $10.

Can something that cheap be good….I asked the same question so I decided to find out for myself!

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So I ordered the clay mask off Amazon and it arrived promptly within 2 days (thanks amazon prime).  The tub was in a plastic baggie that was a little foggy but other than that no complaints.

I read the instructions that said to add equal parts water and apple cider vinegar to the clay. Honestly I eye-balled the amounts, but I wanna say I did 1/3 cup water to 1/3 cup ACV, and a good dump of the clay….estimating around 3 TSBPs.

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The next step is very important, YOU MUST MIX the mixture well. I used a spoon to get out all the clumps. At this point, I did notice that the mix was a little too watery so I added a bit more clay.

I obviously made way to much for just one usage so I actually store the clay mask in the plastic container pictured to the right. I have noticed no difference in the mixture in the three weeks that it has been in the tupperware.

Now back to the mask. I had a face full of makeup on so I took it off with a makeup wipe and cleaned my face with some facial wash. I did not dry my face, as the mask is to be put on with a wet face.

I layered on the mask with my fingers and evenly coated it on my face. Let’s be real here for a minute…the mask is probably the ugliest color you have ever seen and when you’re putting green puke goop on your face for the first time, its kinda weird. For the first 5 minutes or so, you don’t really notice anything. There is no pulsating or tingling…at least in my experience. But once you are about 7 minutes in, you start to feel a tightening around your face and it’s getting harder to move your face. I like to think of this time as when my face is going through an extra strength power wash.  It’s not uncomfortable but it’s also definitely not relaxing. You will also notice that the mask is starting to change colors.

 

Once your face turns less puke green and more mint green, it’s time to wash it off. This should be around minute 15…I personally like to wait to until my entire face is that same shade of mint green. I washed off the mask with water…it did take some scrubbing but nothing too intense. After I took off the mask, my face was a nice shade of cherry red. This is absolutely normal! The redness wears off after about 20 minutes.

img_2358Overall results though are that my face automatically felt smoother. This could be my mind playing tricks on me but after consistent use for the three weeks (being 1x/2x a week) I also began to notice that the chin comodone that has been residing on my face began to soften. This could have been my imagination but I was actually able to pop some of it recently!

HONEST REVIEW: I would absolutely recommend purchasing the clay mask! It’s honestly a cheap buy that will keep on giving! For $10 bucks you can easily have a 100 masks! No joke! I think it would also be a fun gift to give as well because again who would think something that comes in a powdery clay would actually be a great product! So since it’s the holiday season, this white tub of magic would actually be a great budget friendly stocking stuffer, secret santa or yankee swap gift! And it really does leave your face feeling fantastic!

Feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section below and if you have any questions!

 

How to Save on Money on Your Whole30

Hey Guys! With January already looming I figured I’d share some of my personal knowledge to make your future Whole30 Rounds easier. Some of these tips can easily be applied to life after round so these are definitely worth a read. I split it up so there are generic tips and some more specific tips. Hope you guys find these helpful!

WARNING: Will some of these tips make your round a little harder…potentially because prep-work will be mandatory but in the end every dollar does count! You can make the choice whether you want to spend the money to make your life easier but you can no longer use the excuse “eating healthy is so expensive” because it just isn’t true!

 

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GENERIC TIPS

  1. This is an after you buy, but freeze your leftovers…ie meal leftovers, coconut milk, homemade dressings. This is especially helpful for foods that can go bad like fresh fruit and veggies. Here is a list of fruits and veggies that can be easily frozen:
    •  bananas
    • berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)
    • kiwis
    • apples
    • pineapples
    • mangoes
    • cherries
    • watermelon
    • grapes
    • peaches
    • papaya
    • oranges
    • onions
    • tomatoes
    • squash
    • pumpkin
    • spinach
    • chard
    • kale
    • green beans
    • broccoli
    • cauliflower
    • carrots
    • brussel sprouts
    • asparagus
    • beets
    • turnips
  2. Don’t shop at Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck…be open to exploring other stores like Aldi, Costco, Amazon and your local grocery stores.
  3. Learn to eat the same meal a few times a week and change your mindset about what foods should be eaten during certain times of the day. For example, there is nothing wrong with having dinner leftovers as Whole30 breakfast the next day.
  4. Don’t shop for ingredients, but rather shop for a recipe. What I mean by this, is to first take inventory of what you already have at home, then look for a recipe, and only then go to the store to get the remaining ingredients. I strongly suggest Pinterest when “shopping for a recipe”.
  5. Don’t buy organic or grassfed. This is entirely up to you, but not a requirement of Whole30.
  6. Try to always be prepared with emergency snacks to avoid an emergency situation where you run to a convenience strong and pay an inflated price for a Chomps stick or Rx Bar.
  7. Stock up on the frozen veggies, they tend to be a very cost effective option. Just always make sure to read your ingredients!
  8. Shop the sales ads…seriously though. I started to seriously shop the sales and it has made a huge difference in getting the most bang for my buck especially for meat!

SPECIFIC TIPS

  1. Make your own homemade compliant mayo and ranch. Trust me this is a HUGE money saver. A jar of compliant mayo runs you at least $7….a big bottle of avocado oil or light tasting olive oil is around $10-$12 dollars and you can make at least 4 batches of mayo…same size as the jar. Also if you want the mayo to be even cheaper use Light Tasting Olive Oil instead of Avocado Oil.
  2. Avoid convenient bars like Rx Bars, Larabars, R bars, Chomps, Epic Bars etc and instead either make your own or think more basic snacks like veggies, eggs, nuts etc.
  3. Avoid Whole30approved product lines…there are a lot of options out there now that are still compliant and not endorsed by the Whole30. YOU DO NOT NEED THESE PRODUCTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
  4. Buy Nutpods at Home Goods, TJ Maxx & Marshalls or learn to drink coffee black!
  5. Shop generic brands for items like mustard, hot sauce, sparkling waters, certain spices etc. You’d be surprised how clean some of these generic brands can be.
  6. Buy raw nuts and roast them yourself…also buy these in bulk if you can. Costco has a huge bag of almonds that can last WEEKS for about 12 dollars. Trader Joe’s and Aldi are also great to buy smaller portions for raw nuts.
  7. Cook with eggs outside of breakfast! Get creative!
  8. Save your leftover bacon fat to cook in!
  9. Make your own ghee. Its surprisingly easy and super cost effective. All you really need is a sauce pan and a strainer.
  10. Make your own pasta sauce/marinara from canned tomato sauce!
  11. Canned salmon can be expensive, but mackerel is a good substitute!
  12. In all honesty, seafood can be pricey and if you’re not a huge seafood foodie, then you can easily avoid those recipes!

 

 

 

Dating in today’s world….

You wanna know what has always bothered me about the dating world and more specifically online dating…that the go-to first date of choice always has be to be grabbing a drink. I get the convenience and the lack of commitment to it, but why does alcohol have to always be the activity of choice?

I have said this quite a few times, when you’re doing a round of whole30 or living that whole30 life, you can and should go be social and this does include dating! Is it easy…ummm no not at all. I will be the first to admit that I have done everything in my power to not go out on a date on my whole30. But the moment I decided this is my lifestyle now I was like heck why not. I will go into the food portion of dating another time, but today I want to focus on the drinking aspect especially with @Melissa_Hartwig’s campaign of “I’m not drinking right now”.

 

I am not a big drinker to be completely honest. I tend to have a drink if I am meeting a friend or if I am going out or if I am celebrating something, but drinking a glass of wine by myself at home has never been something I’ve done. This stems from the fact that alcohol has not had the best history in my family’s past and I personally have my own experiences with it that have traumatized me to this day. But that’s me! The fact that I am not a big drinker is and should be completely ok. Sadly not always the case…people can be very quick to judge but in the end I will always say “keep your eyes on your own cup”. My level of enjoyment is not based on what’s in my glass.

 

Now back to drinking and dating. Let me start with that in the beginning I would go along with the “Grab a drink and meet up” scenario and I would just order a seltzer water. Sometimes it was fine…but most of the time it wasn’t….I even had a date who got really upset that I wasn’t drinking. It was really awkward. I still stood my ground tho. I quickly learned that in order to make this work for me I should just be upfront.

 

Now if I really really don’t want to meet for a drink I say….”I’m doing a cleanse and I’m not drinking, do you mind if we meet for coffee”….if your date likes you enough and wants to meet, he/she shouldn’t have ANY issue with this. And if they do…well better to know now then waste your time. After the first date, you will be able to gauge if you want them to know your story…but again you DO NOT OWE THEM ANYTHING. Heck if you want maybe don’t say anything about it and use it as a screener test. ***Uses this idea on her next date.

 

Society is who society is and people are who they are. The standard has been “oh you’re not drinking, are you pregnant or are you a recovering alcoholic?” No I am just not drinking right now. Society will not change by itself, it’s us who have to stand our ground. You have the choice to say no. Let’s make sure we do!

 

So if you’re like me, single, riding in the online dating lane, and not drinking right now, let’s be the change and try to change the standard. Again if someone likes you, they will do everything in their power so that you like them back!

 

XOXO

Gabby

Whole30 Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili

So I will be the first to admit that I thought the instant pot was a bit scary and overwhelming but I quickly learned what a magical kitchen instrument it actually was. I was actually super busy one Sunday and didn’t have a ton of time to meal prep so I thought to myself..if I can make chili in the crockpot how hard could it be to make it faster in the instant pot. And that is how this recipe was born!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs of ground chicken
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic
  • 3 sweet potatoes
  • 1 green pepper (get whats on sale to be honest, when it comes to colors of peppers lol)
  • 1 red pepper
  • avocado for garnish
  • 1 TSBP salt
  • 1 TSBP pepper
  • 1 TSBP chili powder
  • 1 TSBP paprika
  • 1 TBSP cayenne pepper
  • 1 TBSP cumin
  • 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 cup of compliant chicken broth
  • 1 can of tomato paste
  • olive oil or avocado oil

 

  1. Begin by place your ground chicken into a mixing bowl, add the salt,pepper, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and cumin and then mix the spices in with the meat.
  2. Next peel and cut your sweet potatoes into chunks and cut the peppers into rectangle pieces.
  3. Now you heat a pan on your stove top and add the oil once the pan is heated thoroughly.
  4. Next mince your garlic and add to the heated pan.
  5. Take your sweet onion and chop into squares and add to the pan.
  6. Let this heat until the onion is fairly browned.
  7. Take your ground chicken and spices and add to the pan. Although to cook until meat is fairly brown. THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE FLAVOR OF THE MEAT IS SEARED IN.
  8. While the meat is cooking, this is the perfect time to plug in and turn on your instant pot. The setting you will be using is the chili function. You can go ahead and start the chili cook function as the machine will need to heat up.
  9. Once the meat is browned, go ahead and add the browned ground chicken to your instant pot. Now you will also add the sweet potato, pepper, can of fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken broth.
  10. Put the lid on top and let the machine do its thing. The whole process will take about 45 minutes…30 for cooking and then another 15 for the cool down process.
  11. Once done you add a half an avocado for garnish!

 

 

 

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Whole30 Pumpkin Spice Delicata Squash

So I have to confess, prior to this year, I’ve never had delicata squash…..but as soon as I had it, I now understand the hype. A squash whose skin you can eat…sign me up!I did some initial research on how to best eat it and it seems like sweet was the way to go. So I thought, how do I make this totally basic…add pumpkin spice of course!

And that’s how this recipe was born! Oh of course its whole30 too! Hope you guys get to try it and enjoy it as much as I do!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 delicata squash ( I get mine at Trader Joe’s…they are $0.99 each)
  • 2 hefty TBSP of coconut oil (I used the Costco Brand Virgin Coconut Oil)
  • 2 TBSP of compliant pumpkin spice (I use the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice)
  • 2 TBSP of cinnamon
  • 2 TBSP of nutmeg
  • 1 TBSP of cloves (optional)
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
  2. You start by cutting the delicata squash in half length wise with a sharp knife. The sharp knife is extremely important because cutting this bad boy with a dull knife could result in the loss of a finger. Next you remove the seeds and guts. Once the delicata is clean, you cut from the narrow end to get the fan like appearance. You can also cut lengthwise to go more for a fry look. (If you have a duller knife, a quick hack would be microwaving the delicata squash for about a 3-5 minutes to soften the skin a bit.)
  3. Next take the delicata curls and place them in a bowl. At this point you take your 2 TBSP of coconut oil and drizzle in. Its preferential that the coconut oil is in liquid form to allow for the spices to coat better.
  4. Speaking of spices, take your whole30 compliant pumpkin spice seasoning, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and dump them into the bowl. Next you mix the mixture either by hand or with a spatula.
  5. Grab your wax lined baking sheet and place your delicate curls on it. At this point, if you feel like you would like more spice, feel free to add some more spices.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes.
  7. Once the delicata curls are done, remove from oven and let them cool.

Enjoy!

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Whole30 Guide to Nut Milks & Nut Creamers

I am putting together this guide for those of you who are newer to the Whole30 Community and struggle finding out what brands are compliant and what’s not. This list is by no means all-inclusive and will be updated periodically.

But here goes the Whole30 Guide to Nut Milks & Nut Creamers. Let me give a little background, firstly. Obviously one of the those rules of Whole30 is no dairy. So you think to yourself “ok great there are still so many options besides actually milk”. This statement is starting to be more true year by year with companies tailoring products to be more health-conscious.  But even so, a lot of mainstream nut milks (actual nut and then coconut) contain nasty additives like sugar and carrageenan. I’ve put together the following guide to help out with this. Hope you find it helpful!

Please note that I do make a distinct between nut milks and nut creamers!

Whole30 Compliant Nut Milk Brands

  • Silk Nut Milks
    • Unsweetened Almond Milk
    • Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk-
    • Unsweetened Blend Almond Coconut Milk
    • Unsweetened Cashew Milk
    • Unsweetened Vanilla Cashew Milk
    • Unsweetened Coconut Milk

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  • Califia Farms
    • Unsweetened Almond Milk
    • Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
    • Go Coconuts Coconut Milks

**The Califia Farms Toasted Coconut is a no because of the monk fruit extract. The Homestyle Nut milks are also a no because they contain oat bran.

  • Malk Organics
    • Unsweetened Almond Milk
    • Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
    • Unsweetened Cashew Milk

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  • New Barn
    • Unsweetened Almond Milk

**The Unsweetened Almond Milk from New Barn is not compliant because the vanilla extract contains organic cane sugar.

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Whole30 Compliant Nut Creamers

  • Nutpods
    • Original
    • French Vanilla
    • Hazelnut
    • Vanilla Lemon
    • Pumpkin Spice
    • Dark Chocolate Orange
    • Peppermint Mocha
  • Califia Farms
    • Unsweetened Better Half Creamer
    • Better Half Hazelnut Creamer
    • Better Half Pumpkin Spice Creamer
    • Unsweetened Almond milk Creamer (Container & Bottle)

**The Better Half Vanilla Creamer is a not compliant due to the organic cane sugar

  • WanderLife Creamers (These are just coconut)
    • Unsweetened Coconut Creamer
    • Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Creamer
    • Unsweetened Cacao Coconut Creamer

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Food Freedom: The Gourmet Cupcake Rule

Ever walk into the lunchroom during work and come face to face with some vanilla cupcakes with blue and green frosting? You make eye contact with the little guys and they start to seduce you with the glimmering frosting. You tell yourself, “one cupcake won’t kill me, won’t hurt me, won’t deter my journey”. You are about to reach for the cupcake…..at this moment you NEED to stop yourself.

No, this particular cupcake won’t do anything to you…except maybe make you feel a sugar rush. And that’s the thing, it will be a sugar rush as a result of a subpar grocery store cupcake. “Was that cupcake worth it, right now?”, you’ll ask as you ride the wave of sugar.

To aid in situations as described above that involve “Big Ticket Food Freedom” items such as cupcakes, donuts, pizza, pasta, ice cream etc. I use The “Best Gourmet Cupcake Rule” .

I know I am never going to say “YES THIS IS WORTH IT” to a grocery store cupcake in the lunchroom because it won’t be the best, unsurpassed, unbelievably scrumptious cupcake in the world. It’ll be sub par and being sub par isn’t a part of my food freedom. But what is a part of my food freedom is a gourmet cupcake with amazing frosting from an out of this world bakery that I REALLY REALLY WANT, at that moment in time.

The same can be applied to pizza, tacos, pasta etc. Food freedom is not just about the category of food…there’s so much more to it. You can’t just say “oh pizza is worth it to me”. You have to add context of “what kind of pizza”, “what’s the occasion”, and “will feeling shitty be worth it to me once I am finished eating”.

The “Best Gourmet Cupcake” rule is the way I get my brain to think “is this gonna be worth it after I am done eating it”.

So next time you find yourself in a “Big Ticket Food Freedom” worth it situation…apply the Best Gourmet Cupcake rule and ask yourself “WILL THIS BE THE BEST GOURMET….???” Trust me it works!

 

And to give you some context, here are some of the “worth its” I’ve had in my food freedom that I applied the “Best Gourmet Cupcake” rule to.

The Rainbow Bagel
Taiyaki Ice Cream
Cookie Dough Ice Cream

 

 

 

Whole30 at Starbucks

So guys we all know that sugar is as sly as the devil and lurks EVERYWHERE. You would think that things like tea and coffee would be safe from the treacherous reaches of sugar, unless you are manually including them.

WELL GUESS AGAIN.

To help all of us in our fight against sugar as well as unnecessary additives in our teas and coffees, especially when on the go, I have compiled some necessary nuggets of information when ordering a beverage at Starbucks.

COFFEE

-So first off, basic black coffee (hot) or iced (make sure to say “unsweetened” when verbally ordering and to check your customization when ordering via mobile) is generally safe. You can go for any of the three roasts starbs has on hand. My personal fav is the blonde roast.

-Now if you don’t want just plain coffee, you can step up your game by ordering an Americano which is shots of espresso and water! I again recommend the blonde Americano…it just tastes smoother in my mind haha. This can also be ordered iced!

-Also important to note that the regular Starbucks Cold Brew and the Nitro Cold Brew have no sugar! Just remember to say no to the cream!

-Other drinks that involve coffee that can be considered compliant: espresso, doppio

***also to be noted the almond milk and coconut milk at Starbucks have sugar in the ingredients sadly

TEA

-So I just recently learned that any Iced Teas that are “Shaken” are sweetened so avoid those but there’s a BUT if you keep reading

-Also not all hot teas are compliant, so please note the following:

  • Compliant:
    • Comfort Wellness Tea
    • Emperor’s Cloud & Mist Green Tea
    • Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea
    • Organic Jade Citrus Mint Brewed Tea
    • Mint Majesty Herbal Brewed Tea
    • Royal English Breakfast Tea
    • Earl Grey Brewed Tea
    • Organic Chai Tea
  • Not Compliant (have sugar or other crap) :
    • Citrus Defender Tea
    • Defense Wellness Tea
    • Passion Tango Herbal Tea
    • Peach Tranquility Tea
    • Rev Up Wellness Brewed Tea
    • Youthberry White Tea

**This list is not all inclusive, but its a starting point

-Iced Teas can be made compliant if you say unsweetened or subtract the liquid cane sugar in the customization screen in the mobile order.  Examples include teas that can be made unsweetened and are compliant:

  • Black Tea (Iced)
  • Green Tea (Iced)
  • White Tea (Iced)
  • Passion Tango Tea (Iced)
  • Pineapple Black Tea (Iced)
  • Peach Citrus White Tea (Iced)
  • Strawberry Green Tea (Iced)

 

Hope this helps! I will be updating this list periodically

UPDATED 9/14/2018

Whole30 Plantain Taco Bake

-2 lbs of ground beef or ground chuck

-2 more green than yellow plantains

-1/2 of a white onion chopped

-2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles

-S&P

-1 Tbsp cayenne pepper

-1 Tbsp chili powder

-1 Tbsp paprike

-1 Tbsp cumin

-1 Tbsp oregano

-1 Tbsp garlic powder

-ghee

-2 eggs

First preheat your oven to 350F. Next you take the ground beef or ground chuck, add in the spices ( salt, pepper, cayenne powder, chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder ) and mix the meat with the spices. Let the meat mixture sit while you heat the skillet with a 1tsp of ghee ( I used @organicvalley ghee). Meanwhile chop the white onion in 1in pieces and sauté the onion in the ghee. Once the onion is cooked through, add the meat and cook until brown.

While the meat is cooking, peel the plantains, cut lengthwise and line the bottom of the casserole dish with them. I sprinkled chili powder on them as well for a bit of a kick. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked through, strain it and them dump it into the casserole dish. Next dump the 2 cans of diced tomaotes with chilies on top and spread across evenly. Place the dish into the oven and let it cook for 40 minutes.

Once cooled, you can serve the taco bake with fresh salsa and guac. I used the medium fresh salsa from @aldiusa and the pineapple poblano as well. I also topped with cilantro for taste.

Caveat…it’s not gonna look perfect..it will fall apart BUT it tastes amazing and is so so easy to make!

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