Build your own gourmet salad at home for much less

A greek gourmet salad at home

 

I know it sounds weird, but I hate to eat lunch!  Most people hate to eat breakfast, but I find that I struggle with lunch!  My kids are creatures of habit and tend to eat the same things day after day.  I do not like to eat the same thing 2 times in a row.  My husband jokes that in the 12 years we have been together I have never cooked the same thing twice.  This is not entirely true, but I probably only have 5-8 things I will cook more than once.  I love food and recipes and am always creating new ones to try and share.  I get bored easily so I like variety! 

I buy my veggies from a local farm at the farmers market once a week.  They are an organic and non-GMO farm and provide my family with more than enough veggies to feed us for a week!  Pictured is my salad that is my "go to" lunch when I need to pack something while I am on the go! 

 

Gourmet salad recipe:

Lettuce of your choice (preferably not iceberg because it does not have any nutritional value)

cucumber sliced

bell pepper diced

grilled chicken shredded

feta cheese crumbled

artichoke hearts chopped (I have a artichoke spread I buy at Trader Joes that I love and it's what's pictured here)

black olives

salt and pepper to taste

homemade dressing (optional)

 

*the dressing I like to make that's quick and easy is:

olive oil, Dijon mustard, dried parsley flakes, lemon juice

combine and shake well 

 

 

 

 

Are you "weight loss resistant"?

What is "weight loss resistance" you may be wondering?!?  It is basically where you can NOT loose weight no matter how hard you try.  You are eating right, working out, and nothing is happening, in fact you may even be gaining weight instead!  This is a problem that affects about 70% of the population and it is under the umbrella of Auto Immune. 

I wrote a post a little bit ago about Auto Immune and what it even is.  http://trottingthrulife.blogspot.com/2014/09/autoimmune-problems-what-does-it-even.html
I talked about my ups and downs with health and eventually becoming weight loss resistant.  At the time of the post, I was doing a SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) detox.  What this did was KILL off all the bacteria in my gut, both good and bad.  It was pretty intense as I was very limited to what I could eat because carbs and fiber feed all kinds of bacteria and make it multiply and grow.  How did I know I had bad bacteria in my gut?  I had previously worked with a Nutritional Therapist and she did a stool sample on me to see what was going on in there.  This is how we initially found out.  I took an all natural anti-microbial for 3 months to kill the bad guys off, but they just came back.  So after learning more about bad bacteria and how it grows, it was necessary to eliminate the carbs and fiber and take the supplements all together in order to truly get the bad guys gone!  Some people can rid their bodies of this in 15 days, however my body was stubborn and it took 30 days.  After those 30 days were over, I was able to reintroduce carbs in the form of veggies.  I did this in very small amounts and did not take the extra supplement of fiber this time!
Also while doing this 30 days of detox, I made sure to consume plenty of healthy fats. I did this in the form of "bulletproof" coffee and "fat bombs".  http://trottingthrulife.blogspot.com/2014/09/eating-fat-to-burn-fat.html  Which believe it or not, my body actually started burning fat again and I lost 11 pounds! 
Now I am on the phase of healing the individual cells through a "CORE cellular healing" program.  You can look this up by doing a Google search of Dr. Pompa.  He's the guy who developed this program.  There are plenty of you tube videos also where he explains everything in great detail.  It really does make sense! 
So as of today...I am on my second round of the CORE supplements, feeling great, and working towards healing my individual cells.  My heavy metals test revealed that I still had some in my system that were in the yellow, Aluminum & Mercury to name the top 2.  There were some other ones too but not commonly known.  I have 2 silver fillings and I am meeting with a holistic dentist on Nov 17 to have a consultation about having those properly removed and replaced.  This will help because those fillings are constantly leaching out into our system making our cells inflamed and when the body is inflamed that's when diseases thrive!  This doesn't happen over night, but over a LONG period of time.  Also there is Mercury in our mascara, and aluminum in our deodorant, so considering our skin is like a big sponge, we are absorbing toxins by simply using beauty products.  I don't mean throw out everything you have and go buy new, but you can check out  what you have by using www.cosmeticdatabase.com.  They rate products on a scale of 0-9 with 9 being highly toxic! 

I know this is a LOT of information and you may be feeling overwhelmed, trust me I know!  I did not begin to feel sick over night, nor did I begin my healing journey in one step.  Feeling sick came on over the course of 4-5 years and I baby stepped into this healing journey which I am still on that started about 2 1/2 years ago.  I don't have all the answers nor do I claim to, however, writing this blog I am hopeful that through my transparencies I can encourage others to take control of their health and begin their own journey to healing! 
*Please consult you health care practitioner before going off any meds or taking any supplements.  I am not a Doctor nor do I claim to be one.  (I just play one on TV!  LOL)

After school/Pre-workout Snack

If you follow this blog then you know that my kids are competitive gymnasts.  I am a RYT (Registered Yoga teacher) and we are pretty active!  So fueling our bodies is very important to me.  This is a quick and easy snack to fuel anyone before a workout.  I easily mix this up in  a disposable bowl and have it in the car, ready for my girls to eat on the way to gymnastics after school.  Our days are so jammed full that it is very easy to fall off the wagon and not have the right nutrients for proper fuel and nutrition.  This is why planning ahead and being very structured is key for me to be able to always be prepared.  (Well, most of the time! LOL)

This is so easy, even the kids can make this themselves!
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 Tbsp almond butter
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder
Mix till well combined!
Eat with a spoon!

Breakfast Pizza

I use a medium small cast iron skillet for this recipe.  It makes the perfect personal size pizza for me, although with all the toppings I use, I can only eat half of one pizza in one sitting. 

Recipe:
Ghee or coconut oil (enough to grease the bottom of the skillet)
3 eggs, scrambled
cooked sausage
homemade marinara sauce
diced fresh tomatoes and bell peppers
diced onions (optional)

heat the oil on the stove top in the skillet
pour in the scrambled eggs and let set until the edges are set
gently loosen and flip the "crust"
top with toppings and place in 350 degree oven and bake for 12 min till all is heated through.

optional toppings: salsa, avocado slices, shredded cheese or goats or feta crumbles

Healthy School Lunches Part 2

 1. Applegate Farms Organic all Beef hotdog (chopped), stick of Sargento Colby jack cheese, banana chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, baby carrots with homemade hummus, and jello jigglers.

 2. Watermelon chunks, gluten free Rudi's wrap with Applegate farms Turkey Bologna and sliced Colby jack cheese (rolled up and halved), homemade hummus and carrot coins.

 3. Another wrap, except with Applegate farms ham this time.  Again with Colby jack cheese and I heated it to melt the cheese and then rolled and halved it.  Gluten Free pretzels (I found at Aldi) and fresh raspberries.  Celery from our organic and non-GMO farmer with homemade hummus.

4. Leftover dinner from the night before.  Spaghetti squash with meatballs baked into a nest from PaleOMG.   Sourdough rolls that I made, which are gluten free.  And organic strawberry Trader Joes' yogurt cup.

Again, keep in mind these are not just for the kids!  These lunches can also be used for the office too.  Incase you missed it... also read my previous post Healthy  Lunches for School (and the office too!)

Healthy FRIED veggies? And some game day food!

 Hand cut organic and non-GMO potatoes

Jalapeno peppers stuffed with herb infused goats cheese

 

 

I am lucky enough to have access to an organic, non-GMO farm that I am a CSA (community shared agriculture) member of in which I pick up a weekly share of 8-10lbs of fresh veggies at my local farmers market.  Since it is football season and we LOVE college football, we entertain quite often and host football parties on most Saturdays.  To keep the party foods to my standards and pleasing to our guests, I have come up with a delicious way to use our veggies and copy some of the traditional appetizers. 

 

At COSTCO, they sell a large container of coconut oil for $16.99.  I buy 2 of these and we fill our outdoor commercial grade deep fryer with this MCT oil which is actually good for you!  After heating the fryer to temperature, my husband does all the frying.  I am the one who cuts all the veggies and gets them ready to be cooked. 

Some things we fry:

okra, all I do is simply cut each piece into bite sizes and we fry them till crispy, that's without anything coating them!

Yellow squash, again, all I do is slice each one into rounds and fry them until crispy!  No breading!

White potatoes and sweet potatoes, I do not peel them, I simply slice them up into "Fries" and cook until desired doneness.

 

For the jalapeno poppers:

cut each pepper in half and remove seeds

using herb infused goats cheese and shredded grass fed cheddar (kerrygold, I shred myself) mixed

stuff into each pepper half and bake in a 375 degree oven until the pepper is soft and the cheese has begun to lightly brown.  (I cooked mine for 15 min)

ENJOY!!!



Jello Jigglers

 This is the brand of gelatin that I use.  I order it on Amazon.  This is the only brand that I am aware of that is from grass fed cows.  Gelatin has protein in it and also has many beneficial properties that we should be consuming daily!  www.hollywoodhomestead.com  has lots of interesting info on gelatin and the benefits for you.

 Using juice such as this, is low in sugar and tart cherry has beneficial properties as well for reducing inflammation.  Juice that is not from concentrate is the best choice. 

I heat 1 cup of water to boiling and then remove from heat.  I then add 5 TBSP of gelatin sprinkled over the top and let dissolve.  Once it is dissolved, I add 2 cups of the juice and 1/2 cup of raw honey and whisk until combined.  Then I pour into a glass 8X8 casserole dish and put in the fridge until it is set up.  Cut into squares and eat!  Store in a container in the fridge!

Hummus

 When I get my veggies from my CSA at the farmers market, I always wash them and chop them up for easy access to the kids for lunches and snacks!  They love to dip them in hummus!

 I use organic garbanzo beans and drain about 1/2 the can, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves, 1/8 cup raw sesame seeds, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin and salt to taste.  I put everything in my vitamix and blend until smooth.  You could use your blender or food processor also.

I portion out the hummus into individual serving size containers for lunches.  Also my kids double dip and this way they can double dip in their own container without contaminating anyone else's!

*adding a few roasted red peppers would also be a nice addition and a different flavor and color hummus!

Fueling the kids for performance

 Almond Butter packets to squeeze on apples, applesauce squeezers (strawberry and carrot flavored), nut and dried fruit individual pack, fruit leather.  Bananas, apples, and grapes.  Individual servings of Wholly Guacamole. (organic blue corn chips to dip in the guac- not pictured)

Perfect Food bar (carob chip flavor), has 16g of protein, GF cheese crackers in a small individual serving packet, GF pretzels for dipping in hummus.

 Watermelon chunks (I freeze these and they are a nice refreshing treat like a popsicle), tart cherry jello jigglers (made with all natural ingredients unlike the boxed kind), homemade hummus (which they also used to dip sliced up veggies- red pepper strips, cucumbers, and celery, not pictured).

Colby-jack cheese sticks with Applegate Farms deli meat wrapped around them (not pictured), magnesium chocolate drops (to replenish the lost electrolytes lost due to sweating), mini burgers on GF sourdough rolls.

Yesterday my girls had a gymnastics competition and since they are on different levels, that meant that we would be there all day from 9-5:30!  Since the concessions usually has nothing we can eat, I needed to make sure we were fully prepared and would not need a thing!  This meant me too since I am doing the gut healing cleanse currently and only eating protein and healthy fats!  Call me crazy, but this is what makes me happy!  Fueling my kids for their best performance!  I enjoy it, I take pride in it and I know I am doing the best I can for them! 

No one went hungry!  We had plenty of food and we shared with our team mates too!  Competition was fun, but LONG!  This momma was really tired by the time we made it home!

*I will post recipes to the jello jigglers and the hummus soon!
*And the girls also ate a fat bomb each about 30 min before they went on to compete!  I brought a thermos with a "bullet-proof" coffee in it for me, and lots of boiled eggs, mini burger patties and a steak!

Healthy lunches for school (and for the office too)

 1. This lunch consists of a turkey bologna (Applegate farms) sandwich on my homemade gluten free sourdough bread, Trader Joes nuts and chocolate chunk trek mix, cucumber dices with some homemade ranch in the container with the green lid, and organic strawberries.

 2.This lunch consists of two rolled up pieces of Applegate Farms Turkey, cubed pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, wholly guacamole mini, organic Trader Joes blue corn tortilla chips (in the baggie).  And 2 Trader Joes gluten free ginger snap cookies.

 3.  This lunch consists of Applegate farms ham, Kerrygold Dubliner cheese chunks, my homemade gluten free sourdough mini rolls, fresh organic peach sliced, organic celery with Trader Joes almond butter.

 4. This lunch consists of cucumber slices, kiwi, and a cutie, Almond butter and Trader Joes fruit sweetened strawberry jelly on grain free silver dollar pancake sandwich, and Applegate Farms ham and Colby jack cheese slice.

5. This lunch was one at home.  3 slices of a mini loaf of my gluten free sourdough bread topped with Colby jack cheese, oregano, and uncured Applegate Farms pepperoni.  Not pictured she also ate 1/2 a peach and a banana, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookie (gluten-free). 

This is a weeks worth of easy and healthy lunches that are for school or the office, or home!  I will work on posting the recipes for some of the items mentioned!  In the mean time, email me or FB message me if you need a recipe before I have time to post them!
ENJOY!

Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins

I am once again embarking on another 21 day food challenge.  The one I did back in November was very successful for me in that I lost almost a whole 7% Body Fat.  Since then there was Thanksgiving, Christmas, a trip to Punta Cana, and well...I gained back 3% of that lost BF during that time.  Not too bad, but its quickly approaching time for bathing suit season, and I am challenging myself again to lower the BF 4% this time and tone up as well as lean out!  I am adding some new recipes, and also incorporating a workout program.  I will be following Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer which you can find for FREE at www.bodybuilding.com


Follow me on Instagram daily for exactly what I am eating.  If you didn't request it last time, I can still email you the original 21 day jump start diet plan if you are eager to get your body ready for swim suit season!  (@alicia_trotter is my instagram username, so come on aboard and follow along!)


Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins
6 eggs (farm fresh is best)
chopped broccoli (leftover steamed from dinner works well)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
6 pieces of bacon (nitrite free and uncured)
fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Chop the veggies, this doesn't have to be done very small because we will be blending these in the blender with the eggs.  Sautee the veggies all but the tomatoes, and basil in 1 TBSP of coconut oil (buy this online at Vitacost.com )  Once the peppers are tender, remove from heat and add to blender.  Crack the 6 eggs into the blender, salt & pepper and puree the mixture.  Take the 6 pieces of bacon and on a microwave safe plate, lined with paper towels on top and bottom, cook only long enough to start the cooking process but still be plyable enough to curve inside the edge of the muffin cup.  (I did  3 min)
Grease the bottoms of the muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or bacon fat.  Wrap the outter edges of each muffin cup with one piece of bacon.  Then fill with egg mixture, and top with tomato pieces and basil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min until eggs are set.
(my computer is on the fritz, so for pictures of this recipe, see my instagram account!  Sorry for any inconvenience.)

Fried shrimp "pasta" Alfredo

Unfortunately I don't have a wonderful picture to show you my delicious dinner from tonight. We were so hungry that we scarfed it down so fast before I thought of it. Sorry about that, but I will share the recipe with you now!!!

Ingredients: 

Uncooked deveined and no tails frozen shrimp

Cashew meal

Gluten free all purpose flour

Plain unsweetened almond milk

Coconut oil

Heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup

4 TBSP butter

6 TBSP farmers cheese (it's the cheese like you get when you drip all the whey off yogurt) 

1tsp crushed garlic

Salt & pepper

Spaghetti squash

Directions: 

Take a knife and pierce the skin of the spaghetti squash about 4-6 times around the squash. Put it on a plate and microwave for about 15 min. You will know it's done when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. Once it's done, cut in half long ways and let set to cool a bit. Once cooled some, scoop the seeds and pulp out and discard. Then take a fork and shred the "meaty" part of the inside into noodle like strings. Toss with butter and season with salt.

Dip thawed shrimp into gluten free flour first, then almond milk, then cashew meal and then add to a skillet of hot coconut oil. Cook till browned and flip and cook other side. You will have to do this in batches. Once cooked, remove to a paper towel lined plate. 

For the Alfredo sauce, melt butter over med low heat in a sauce pan. Once melted, add cream, and cheese. Stir to ,melt, then add garlic. Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Serve squash "noodles" topped with shrimp and Alfredo sauce. Serve along side a salad!

Enjoy!

Challenge results

Today is day 22 and my results from the challenge are in.  

Before.                      After

117.5 lbs.                  112.5 lbs 

25% BF.                      18.7% BF

Goal was 10 inches.       8 3/4 inches

Inches lost were measured at chest, stomach, waist, hips, quads, and calves. I ate very strict but was never hungry. I worked out minimally and mainly did yoga. All of my meals are photograph posted on Instagram if you're curious. I am willing to help anyone who also wants to give their weight loss a jump start. I am currently helping 3 followers and would love to help more. This is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change for better health and better you! 

Many thanks to all who follow and read along! Blessings to you and yours this thankful season!