Comments: I am not eating fruit right now because I do not want to use it as a replacement for sugar because my cravings may return.  I will eventually add fruit back into my diet, but until then I wanted a great replacement.  Zucchini is the perfect replacement because it is a blank canvas for flavors.  Since I am completing the Whole30 Program I left out sweetener, but I would recommend adding some sweetener and a little vanilla for a more apple like taste.  Apples can also be used if you can eat apples on your current meal plan.  For the Chicken Sausage I used the seasonings from my Homemade Sausage (minus the cayenne for nightshade free) and added it to ground chicken.  I formed the chicken into patties and cooked them in a skillet.  I took the Prosciutto Wrapped Cucumber as a Whole30 appetizer for a party.  Just make sure to peel and remove the seeds before wrapping half a slice of prosciutto (Check the label for no added ingredients.  I used Applegate Farms) around each slice of cucumber.

 Enjoy!

~Karen 

 

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The official Whole30 Program starts today and I’ve seen so many people make the commitment to participate.  I decided to do the Whole30 after struggling with some serious cravings for sweets, hunger, and fatigue issues.  I’ve been eating low carb, but something isn’t right because I’m gaining weight (or staying the same) despite the efforts I’ve been making to limit my carbs and exercise.  In an effort to figure out the problem I am doing the Whole30 Program, which basically consists of the following:
“Eat real food – meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed. Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee.”

In addition to the above, I’m cutting out eggs and nuts.  I’m cutting these items out too because they are common allergies and I suspect I may be allergic to them as well (eggs more so than nuts). This will require checking labels (always a good idea) and  being aware of exactly what I am eating.  I stopped eating sweeteners last week in an effort  help control my craving for sweets, which helped tremendously.  I’m still going to limit my carbs, but I’m going to make sure I eat lots of low carb veggies. 

I’ll be posting about my daily meals along with some of the recipes.  I may have some other posts sprinkled in over the next month, but this will be my focus. It’s good to get a handle on these issues before the holidays come around.

My meal plan for the week is the following:

Homemade Sausage:
2 lbs ground pork
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried sage
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne

Grind the fennel seed and the thyme in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to break down the spices (optional).  Add the rest of the spices.  Incorporate the spice mixture into the pork.  An optional step, is to fry 1-2 tsp of the meat to see if you need to adjust the seasoning.  Either form into patties or use the ground pork.  Brown the patties or the ground pork in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through.

9 net carbs for the entire recipe 

I make this at the beginning of the week and eat off of it all week along with some sautéed zucchini.  This will be my breakfast every day for the first week and then I will change it up the next week.  This sausage had a mild taste so if you like a lot of spice you may need to double the spices.  Be sure to test a small batch to test the spice level.  Also, my lunch will be leftovers from dinner the night before.  My snacks will include cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and/or olives.  I’ll dress the cucumbers and tomatoes in olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

Are you interested in doing the Whole30 Program?  It’s not too late to get started!

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