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Speaking of fat, is anyone cooking with a refined coconut oil?  To cook, I use either an unrefined virgin cooking oil or ghee.  I find that at the temperatures I use to sautee and roast, I get a lot of smoke.  I used to work as a chef, and I always used canola for really high temp cooking to avoid the smoke thing.  Does the non-virgin coconut oil smoke less?  I'd pick up a jar now, but I'm trying to conserve my meager funds, and as you all can probably guess, I already have about 15 kinds of fats in my fridge and pantry...

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Speaking of fat, is anyone cooking with a refined coconut oil? To cook, I use either an unrefined virgin cooking oil or ghee. I find that at the temperatures I use to sautee and roast, I get a lot of smoke. I used to work as a chef, and I always used canola for really high temp cooking to avoid the smoke thing. Does the non-virgin coconut oil smoke less? I'd pick up a jar now, but I'm trying to conserve my meager funds, and as you all can probably guess, I already have about 15 kinds of fats in my fridge and pantry...

I've not used it myself, but I think refined coconut oil has a higher smoking point than unrefined - there is a few threads on it, perhaps do a search to be sure :)

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I bought the refined because I think I read it's a more neutral flavor.  I've roasted veggies in it at a pretty high heat and also sautéed in it.  Haven't noticed any problems.  But I'm not an expert so Amber's suggestion is probably the best -- more research.  :unsure:

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Never made pesto before...definitely need to try it!  Sounds DELICIOUS!   :)

 

 

I got a nice pesto recipe from Mark Sisson's Primal Easy Meals and now adapt it to use what I have around
in terms of different nuts and different greens.
1 cup pistachio nuts (or macademia, or pine nuts or walnuts)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/4 c loosely packed mint leaves (or parsley, or basil or cilantro)
some salt
blend it all in food processor and it's done!

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Those amounts are very flexible. When making pesto on my own, it's usually one big handful of nuts (raw pecans, most recently, though I've used roasted/salted pumpkin seeds (just the inner bit) and any other variety of nut I have on hand), 2-5 cloves of garlic, one big bunch of basil (or arugula, or cilantro, or...), and 1/2 to 1 cup olive oil. Nuts in first, with the garlic, and maybe a third of the greens all in the food processor. Zip up, then toss in the rest of the greens, turn the processor on and start streaming your oil. I tend to go higher on the oil and make a super oomphy emulsified pesto. 

 

I've also done it with an immersion blender with great success. 

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this thread has turned into an ode to pesto ;)

I vary mine around too, depending on what is available and I tried freezing it too so I would not be too tempted to eat it all in one go but I am managing to ration it out.....a bit of pesto for the breakfast eggs, a bit for the lunch salad, it's all good!

I am just about done with my first whole30 and all is well

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Well, obviously, you're so slim because you eat all that raw meat and fat with nothing else...I seriously get mad when people immediately bash how I'm eating and the next breath tell me how great I look, and how on earth did I get like that?

 

Riiiiiiiiiight.

 

The best, though, is when I have to buy a new belt because I've already had to punch two holes in it (and I've only lost 10 lbs on the scale, but apparently more size than I thought I had!). Or when my pescatarian sister realized that, really, she and I actually eat a lot of the same foods...I just add beef to them! Roasted sweet potatoes, all kinds of strange (to the SAD diet folks who eat corn and green beans) veggies...

 

May I ask, what is wrong with green beans? I eat them once a week. Just curious.

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Nothing's wrong with them. I was using them to illustrate how strange my veggie eating habits are to someone whose idea of a veggie is canned veggies like corn and green beans.

 

Green beans are fine to eat on a W30, but if someone for whom that was their only veggie heard that I have eaten and like rutabagas, parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes, etc.

 

Is that more clear?

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my favourite pesto right now has macademia nuts as these seem to get a good write up in most books in terms of omega3/6 and I love them anyway (bit pricey but that makes sure I at least ration my use a bit more)and as we in NZ are in early spring basil is not there yet so I use mint from my garden or parsley.

I am looking forward to spring and summer and all the lovely greens in my garden- I grow lost of herbs, some go all year round and lots of greens....more pesto!!

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this thread has turned into an ode to pesto ;)

I vary mine around too, depending on what is available and I tried freezing it too so I would not be too tempted to eat it all in one go but I am managing to ration it out.....a bit of pesto for the breakfast eggs, a bit for the lunch salad, it's all good!

I am just about done with my first whole30 and all is well

 

I do the same thing!! I freeze it so I won't eat the whole darn thing in one meal -it's just so yummy! 

I am also near the end of my first W30, it's day 28 for me today -loving this so much. 

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lol, I made 2 batches of pesto last night, one in the fridge and one in the freezer- only had a little at breakfast with my scrambled eggs and veges, so good ;)

lucky for me my husband and son don't seem to interested in anything in the fridge that looks green, so more for me, ha.

mind you- when I serve it with a meal they love it and my 14 year old is packing a salad for his lunch every day, so they are not too bad

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This was the most fun to read...CUZ I LOVE FAT, TOO!!! I'm on day 5 and I snuck into bed last night tittering and my husband wanted to know what was up.  "I just LOVE all the FAT I'm eating right now!!" I gushed!!  I said the EXACT same thing about the sweet potatoes loved in the coconut oil.  OMG delicious!!

 

So, since you are all so enthusiastic, can you give me some tips? I am (NOT COMPLAINING AT ALL - I am not even concerned about the 30-days because I may go 45- or 60- or life, BUT) having a hard time EATING all the veggies.  I actually love them all and have lots of recipes...it's just that it's so much volume.  I get really stuffed.  I've been really careful to only eat if I'm going to eat protein, fat, veggy combo (for snacks, etc) and find I'm not hungry for snacks with all at the meals.  I just don't like eating to stuffed.

 

I've seen these comments before, but I'm really lame on the computer and can't figure out how to search the site by topic. So, sorry if repetitive.

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I'm now on day 30, and plan to keep going, slowly re-introduce, etc. This is the best way to live.

 

As for your question (Marieke) on the veggies, what I do a lot is have tons of soup. It's a super easy way to get all those veggies in (and since it's winter for me, my body loves it). And when I make a batch, I freeze in single-serving containers and that's it, saves me so much time. Still, any veggie recipe from Melissa Joulwan is so darn yummy, that having 2 cups with each meal is a breeze. Here are a few of my absolute favorites:

 

Mashed Cauli (so much better than mashed potatoes!)

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/12/30/new-years-day-good-luck-feast/

 

Velvety Butternut Squash (the first time I made this, I took AGES, now I can get it done in no time)

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/11/17/velvety-butternut-squash/

 

Coconut-Almond Green Beans (and to think I used to hate green beans... Always. Trust. Melissa)

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/03/14/coconut-almond-green-beans/

 

Golden Cauli Soup (hmmmm... soup):

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/10/24/golden-cauliflower-soup/

 

Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup (hmmmm... more soup):

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/

 

Cauli "Rice" Pilaf (my absolute favorite, and it's great alongside ANY PROTEIN!)

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/03/30/cauliflower-rice-pilaf/

 

Here's yet another link, it lists all of her recipes:

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/recipes-index/

 

 

I'm such a fan. 

:lol:

 

I also eat a lot of squash soup, there's a special squash in my country called "loche", and it's incredibly yummy & nutritious, so that's my fave creamy soup.

 

Good luck!!  :D

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@ Marieke, I am with you on this one! I had to first of all give myself permission to actually start eating fat and now I love it!

I also love Melissa Joulwan's recipes, the cauliflower is my friend....it replaces potatoes in mash, rice in cauli rice and the whole family likes it.

I read somewhere that a lot of women when they first start eating this way actually have to get used to eating more in volume, as they are used to restricting themselves a lot!!

I don't worry too much about how much I have in veges, I just slowly increased them until I got to the point that I don't feel I have had a good meal if I skimp on them. always heaps of salad veges, so easy to add to anything and I usually add fermented veges like saurerkraut to one or 2 meals a day, just chuck it in, it's all good ;)

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Both of my parents had heart sugeries in the early 00's and my brother and I discovered late one night that this one cook in the hospital cafeteria always made bacon at 2:00 AM.  Only her, no one else made it and it was GOOD bacon. 

:)

We still talk about that bacon :lol:  of course now....yeah

 

lol, I remember working in a hospital in the early nineties and all the staff getting talks by the dietician to switch us on the delights of canola oil and being told we should advise our patients on this issue...(and I am a physiotherapist...)

years of low fat  and vegetarian eating ensued (and lack of iron, lack of energy, anxiety, low blood sugars) until now and wow the difference! I am so over my guilt now, and am loving my coconut oil, avocado, tallow, whole eggs, healthy meat and am fitter and stronger and happier than I was in my twenties. thanks you Whole30 and thank you primal/paleo people

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lexes, I don't know the answer, but if you have more than you can use, I remember seeing Ina Garten freeze pesto with a top layer of olive oil. She has instructions in this recipe.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pesto-recipe/index.html

 

Just make sure you wrap your pesto well (for freezer storage) because fat tends to absorb freezer flavors.

 

You can also freeze it in an ice tray (a little oil on top to avoid oxidation), then pop out of the tray and into a freezer bag. You can save fresh herbs this way, too (in olive oil, freeze in ice tray, pop out, store). Or, well, anything. :D

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