Bellmaestra

I love this quote: “Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you and be silent." --Epictetus Stephanie

Kind of sad when the popularity of Whole30 leads to price gouging... I like the "So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk" to use in recipes; it's sold in convenient tetra packs so it's easy to store the leftovers. I've been buying it on Amazon. Last time I bought it, a 4-pack was $18.99 (Pretty high already); yesterday I tried to order it and a 4 pack was $39.99!!! I know I can find it elsewhere... I just love to shop online because sometimes I'm just too busy to get out. Oh well. Stephanie

The struggle is real! :-) Stephanie

That article was satire; the author is a comedian. The humor was lost on me, to be honest. As a resident of Michigan where some citizens have no access to clean water, while Nestle is pumping millions of gallons of our clean fresh water for their own profit, I implore people to drink tap water or filtered water from reusable bottles. Sorry to get on a soapbox... Stephanie

One of my splurges is to buy fresh veggies that have already been cleaned and cut up: green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, or even a mixed veg like a cauli-broccoli mix. I buy new potatoes or small Yukon gold potatoes that don't need to be peeled. Then I use them as part of a roasted sheet-pan supper. Heat your oven to 350F. In a big bowl, toss veg of your choice in a little olive oil and desired seasoning, and arrange along one long side of a sheet pan. Toss a few cut up new potatoes in oil and seasoning, and arrange along the other side. Toss boneless chicken thighs, or sliced compliant sausage, in oil and seasonings, and arrange between the veg and potatoes. This all will take you about 5 minutes! Pop in the oven and let roast for 30 minutes while you go watch the news, read a book, or toss a green salad. Voila: instant supper! And the leftovers work great for breakfast in a scramble, omelet, or hash; you name it. Stephanie

I buy this all the time; it's great and the package size is perfect. My health food store carries it, and I also get it from Amazon. Stephanie

I've found that some days I use less or more EVOO that others... don't know if it's a humidity or atmosphere thing, but I reserve about a cup of oil and add it gradually. You'll hear a change in the sound of the blender as it begins to emulsify. When that happens, I don't try to add more oil... If I do, that's when it breaks and I get soup. Yuck! Also, I warm my egg in a cup of hot water to bring it to room temperature quickly. Usually I don't feel like waiting when I'm in the mood to make mayo! Stephanie

Recently, I've been making these, which are easy to vary: Egg Veggie Muffins 350 F; makes 12 muffins Cherry Tomatoes, cut up Large handful fresh baby spinach, chopped Jarred chopped jalapenos, or chopped sauteed bell peppers and/or onion Other leftover cooked veggies (Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, etc.) Leftover chicken, or any cooked meat, diced or crumbled (Recently I used Applegate ham diced) Seasonings such as salt, cumin, taco seasoning, Frank's hot sauce, etc. 6 eggs beaten with small amount of water Divide veggies into 12 muffin cups (silicone works best; this will stick to paper liners). Beat eggs and seasonings together, and pour evenly over veggies into muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes until set. Could try other veggies; salsa; sliced olives, tomato paste; other seasonings depending on the flavor you want. We allow 3 per serving and bag up the rest for a quick breakfast; I even like them cold!

Yeah, it's mostly the icky name, but I don't like the idea of that much coconut milk in a salad dressing either. :-) Stephanie

I love the Whole30 Mayo recipe and have had good success with it most of the time. The only failure I've had was when trying to make a double batch, so I generally make a single batch at a time. (I make mine in a regular old blender.) Today I decided to try an experiment. First, I made my usual single batch of mayo in the blender, and it was perfect. I dumped out all I could into a container to go in the fridge. Then, without cleaning out the blender, I added the ingredients for another batch of mayo and blended it up. It too turned out perfectly. After adding the lemon, I added about a teaspoon of homemade ranch seasoning mix that I found here: https://www.thepinningmama.com/whole30-homemade-ranch-seasoning-mix/ I blended that lightly and threw it in a separate container. Voila! Regular mayo and ranch dressing in about five minutes, and only one cleaning of the blender. Frankly, the idea of Dump Ranch turns my stomach, and this dry seasoning mix was easy to make and will last along time. Cheers, Stephanie

I always add water to the meat mixture; I saw a chef on TV once who did that to make his meatballs more tender.

Thank you for doing all you can to help us! It can't be easy... and yet you remain kind and supportive! Thank you! Stephanie

You'll be fine! We started on the spur of the moment in July 2016, and it was very successful. Just keep it simple. Planning to start another round in 2018 after the holidays, a cruise, my birthday, and Super Bowl are behind us! People seem intent on buying lots of prepared foods, and I would say forget that and go with the simpler, the better. Stephanie

Concentrated grape juice can be a pretty strong sugar hit. I remember watching for labels saying "packed in fruit juice" when buying packaged fruit cups for my kids, and feeling cheated that the fruit juice wasn't from the actual fruit itself. Using concentrated grape juice is a way of making it sweet while still being able to call it 100% fruit juice. So I'd use care if the sweetness is a trigger. Stephanie

I'm leery of grocery store sprouts; it seems like there are ongoing issues with contamination. Years ago I used to grow my own sprouts... that might be something to consider if you really like sprouts! It's pretty easy. Amazon has sprouting kits... of course! They have everything. :-) Stephanie