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Warm Lemon & Bacon Kale Salad

I have been trying to embrace being conscious of my sugar intake lately. The struggle is real since most processed food has a ton of sugar in it. Once you start reading the labels on your pre packaged food it is an eye opener. One of those processed foods I have been keep a close eye on is salad dressing.

The dressing can take away from what you are actually trying to accomplish when you pick a salad, and that’s eating healthy. Since there aren’t a whole lot of options out there I have opted to start making some of my own that are super easy and very good.

If you have never had a warm salad dressing over Kale you are missing out, so I wanted to share this favorite with you.

Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 16 oz Bag of Chopped Kale
  • Goat Cheese Crumbles (to taste)
  • 6 Cooked Bacon Slices (Crumbled)
  • 1 Red Onion (Chopped)
  • 8 Cherry Tomatos halved (omit if needed)

Salad Directions:

Combine all salad ingredients and set aside until dressing is heated.

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 Shallot (Minced)
  • 3 Garlic Cloves
  • 1/8 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons Liquid Amino’s
  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Dressing & Salad Directions:

Combine all dressing ingredients and heat to simmer. Once complete pour over Salad and you are ready to eat. Serve Immediately.

Enjoy!

First Steps To Cleaner Living: Toss the Toxins

Background:

A few years ago one of my close friends started talking to me about “clean beauty” & “non toxic cleaning” products. She kept saying that a lot of everyday products are toxic, and I should try opting forcleaner options. I had no clue what she was talking about and honestly thought she was being a little weird about it and just over exaggerating why she was going down this new path. I knew her boyfriend at the time owned a holistic publication with his family, so I thought she must be really into this lifestyle with him, and definitely gave her a hard time.

Little did I know I was actually the ignorant one, or better said, not educated in. Fast forward a few months and my husband started to have some health issues. None of the doctors could provide answers to what was causing these problems (that’s a story for a different time). Needless to say, I started researching his symptoms and I kept seeing articles about gut health. Stating what should be obvious here, but the best way to regulate your gut is to know what you are putting in it. That sounded easy, and high level it is. The food you are putting into your body should be “clean”; not filled with pesticides and chemicals. These pesticides and chemicals are”toxins” in a large portion of our food supply. They are used to feed animals, treat plants, or used as preservatives in processed foods.

The Change:

Learning just a little about our food supply led me to toxic household cleaners then to make-up. My eyes were officially opened to the toxins in products we used everyday. I immediately wanted to take action and start getting rid of our normal household cleaners, get our food in check, and just take the steps to cleaner living.

The friend I referenced earlier was helping me navigate this process and recommended products, which was incredibly helpful. Otherwise, it would have been a lot more challenging initially. The labels on the back of products was a totally different language I unfortunately, had not been immersed or educated in.

After initially freaking out and trying to clean all the toxic products out, she warned me I needed to slow down and do this at a reasonable pace. That’s not really in my DNA, but I quickly figured out that you can’t just get rid of everything toxic over night. It is incredibly stressful and it’s just impossible. Everyone I’ve talked to that is “clean living” didn’t accomplish the task over night and they are still working towards it, which helped me take some of the pressure off of myself.

What we can control is the ability to be diligent about educating ourselves and making little steps every day to live a cleaner lifestyle. Big picture, it’s the overall culmination of all toxins that can have dangerous long term lasting effects. So each little thing we do can drastically change the course you are on.

I rounded up some of the first steps I took towards cleaner living and I also included easy replacements options for toxic products.

Where to Start Eliminating Toxic Products:

Store Receipts:

Don’t take them! Receipts contain BPA, which is a harmful chemical often found in plastics. BPA is a known endocrine disruptor. It can stop your natural hormones from functioning correctly resulting in reproductive issues, neurological issues, and cancer.

  • Opt to have the receipts emailed to you and set-up a folder in your email to save them.

Antibacterial Soap:

Contains triclosan, which is also an endocrine disruptor. Inhibits how our hormones are regulated and can result in reproductive and neurological issues, as well as cancer.

Air Fresheners:

Contain phthalates (synthetic fragrance), which are harmful to your lungs and can cause asthma. They can also disrupt your endocrine system which regulates your naturally occurring hormones. (These are also cancerous) Keep in mind everything on this list can also have synthetic fragrance in it and that is the WORST. Opt for products with fragrance using natural essence or essential oil scents that are naturally occurring or “fragrance free”.

Bug Repellants and Sprays:

Contains organophosphates, which are in nerve and chemical agents. Just like they harm bugs they can harm us over time causing cancer, and a host of other issues.

This is a personal journey, I’m not an expert, but this is what worked for me. If you have any advice on your journey please comment and share!

Paleo Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 Stick (½ Cup) Organic Butter
  • 3 Large Ripe Bananas
  • 2 Large Organic Cage Free Eggs (For AIP Sub in Vital Proteins Gelatin)
  • 1 teaspoon Organic Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Cups Tiger Nut Flour
  • 1/4 Can of Organic Puréed Pumpkin
  • 2 Tablespoons Whole Whipping Cream
  • 1/2 Cup of Organic Maple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Organic Baking Soda
  • ½ teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Organic Cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter and set aside. (I use coconut oil spray)
  • Add the stick of butter to a microwable safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute, or until melted.
  • Add the bananas and Pumpkin to the same bowl and mash together.
  • Add the vanilla extract, egg, and whipping cream to the bowl stir until thoroughly combined.
  • In a second bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until combined.
  • Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Paleo Chicken Fingers

Tonight Chloe & I made Paleo Chicken Fingers with Sweet Potato Chips, and it was sooo GOOD! I wanted to share the recipe below. I would recommend cooking the chips before the chicken! I made it up so let me know what you think.

Also, on the Cassava Flour I find that it is the best flour to try and “lightly” fry meats and vegetables. It has a great texture and holds up well. The flavor also doesn’t overwhelm the food. I went ahead and linked the spices and types of flour we use so I hope that helps. Enjoy!

Paleo Chicken Fingers Recipe

Paleo Chicken Fingers

Chicken Tenderloins (Must be organic and grass fed)

1 Cup Cassava Flour: Otto’s

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour: Great Value

2 TSP Organic Chili Powder: Simply Organic

2 TSP Organic Onion Powder: Simply Organic

2 TSP Organic Garlic Powder: Simply Organic

2 TSP Organic Smoked Paprika: Simply Organic

2 TSP Salt (I prefer pink Himalayan Salt)

1 Cage Free Egg

2 Tablespoons of Oil of choice (Avocado, Olive etc): Pompeo

Directions:

Combine all of the dry ingredients on a plate and mix together thoroughly

Put egg into a bowl and whisk

Take out Chicken and dip into egg and then dredge through the dry ingredients and set on separate plate.

Once you have repeated these steps with all of the chicken, go ahead and heat up your oil of choice and once it is hot start cooking the chicken. It should only take about 3 minutes per side. (Make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked before eating)

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