Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

So shelter in place is a lot longer than we all thought it would be, eh?

If some of us are still cooking and not giving into eating out, or maybe the desire to want to support locals, here is another family favorite!

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai) from Chef John at All Recipes.

I use coconut sugar instead, and double the amount to get more flavor, but feel free to use the original sugar or adjust the number of tablespoons you use as needed. Also, be sure to adjust the spice if you have little ones or those sensitive to spicy foods in your family. I often don’t have thai chilies but jalapeños have worked well for us. I also use extra virgin olive oil and about 1 tbsp of dry basil. Some stores have minced ground chicken already, which makes the chicken prep that much easier, and that taste and texture is actually our preference as a family.

Like the last recipe, it’s super easy, delicious, kid approved, and diverse. You can have it with various types of noodles or over rice or even salad.

Our favorite way is mixing white rice and flat noodles (the noodles like in rad na dishes).

You can find our adjustments and/or print it out here. Otherwise, there is a png version below.

If you make this recipe, let me know what adjustments you make and what you use to eat it with!

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Caramelized Meat

While we are all in this shelter in place, one thing I know if that we ALL have been cooking and baking way more than our usual norm.

Some of us are also trying new recipes. so I thought I’d start sharing some of our family’s favorites that we’ve found over the years, including recently that are both healthy and tasty!

I wanted to make my very first one I share this year, be Vietnamese caramelized meat that I got from Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats.

I use coconut sugar instead, and double the amount to get more flavor, but feel free to use the original brown sugar or adjust the number of tablespoons you use as needed. Also, be sure to adjust the spice if you have little ones or those sensitive to spicy foods in your family.

It’s super easy, delicious, kid approved, and diverse. You can have it with various types of noodles or over rice or even salad.

Our favorite way is using whole wheat noodles, and cooking the noodles with grass fed butter and garlic to pair with this delicious dish.

You can find our adjustments and/or print it out here. Otherwise, there is a png version below.

If you make this recipe, let me know what adjustments you make and what you use to eat it with!

Enjoy!

Whole Foods Based Cleanse Results!

In August, I ventured with doing another 21 day cleanse to help detox and rid my body of some toxins and other gunk to help my system, and hopefully help with decreasing flare up severeness and episodes. 

The last time I successfully completed one was in the Fall of 2015, and actually, that is what jump started my whole health journey. I try to do one yearly, per the recommendation of my chiropractor, so last year I started one in July of 2016, but had to stop because I found out I was pregnant with our now, daughter! 

So when the opportunity arose for me to do it this year, I was excited to see if it could help with my postpartum goals, and my symptoms, since it seemed like I was getting them more often with lack of sleep and possibly the build up in my system from not fully completing one since September 2015. 

Cleanse + Breastfeeding

I saw another coach who did this cleanse while breastfeeding (Lindsay Matway). She personally talked to one of the co-creators and got the green light with adjustments. And because they are also the same creators of Shakeology, the superfood shake that has improved ALL of my health issues and even healed some, I knew they were people I could trust. It is not recommended for those that are pregnant. 

Some of the foods we had during the cleanse, plus tons of distilled water that we added minerals to.

Like her, I made 2 adjustments while doing the cleanse. 1) The supplements we take are all natural. However, it is recommended to NOT take the detox supplement, because those toxins can potentially be released into your breast milk, which we do not want! 2) You need to increase your daily food intake by approximately 500 calories, the approximate amount that our bodies burn from breastfeeding each day. Now, I highly recommend, encourage and even INSIST that you talk to your doctor before even considering doing this cleanse, as well as maybe a lactation consultant. I am NOT a professional, and only sharing my experience and opinions. I continued because one, vegetarians and vegans can still breastfeed, and two I know that eating a healthier lifestyle can only do good to my body, which in turn I felt would be good for my breast milk and then my baby.

Every body and woman is different. I personally saw an increase in my milk supply in the middle of the cleanse. I shared this on Day 10, here. My filter was not as great during the cleanse, so please forgive me...lol

Again, if you are going to do this, please make sure to consider everything thoroughly before making the decision, including talking to your doctor about it. 

What is the Ultimate Reset?

The Ultimate Reset is a 21 day whole foods based cleanse that is natural and uses foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods, along with supplements, so you're not in starvation mode. By cleansing and detoxing, you are helping your gut heal, gaining your energy back, gaining more mental clarity and focus, and overall, maximizing your health physically, emotionally and mentally. There are THREE phases. Week one incorporates some animal protein, while week 2 and 3 we are vegan and continue to cut out more things, such as grains. By doing it this way, it gives our body the opportunity to heal and restore to its best state! 

The results

I personally lost a total of 10.2 lbs and 8 inches! I ran a group of 10 of us total who did the cleanse, which I would HIGHLY recommend. When I did my first cleanse in 2015, I was able to complete it on my own. BOTH ways are hard, I'm not gonna lie. But doing it with other people made the journey SOOOO much better. We were able to motivate each other, encourage each other, whine together, say we wanted to give up together, but more importantly PRAY for each other. 

You have to remember why you wanted to do this, and you have to keep those reasons close to you to get you through the hard times. The 21 days may feel like a long time, but it does go by really fast. 

Total, my group lost 115.3 lbs and 56.75 inches. This is the bare MINIMUM because not everyone measured. Isn't that SOOOO amazing?!?!? Here are some of the things some folks shared at the end:

"I learned how to be SATISFIED with foods that are wholesome and healthier for my body, and even post reset already, I'm still satisfied with the foods I'm continuing to eat from the reset plan!"

"I learned that food is fuel, and that I can not only live with lesser treats, but my body feels much better."

"I learned that I can do hard things."

"I learned that when I give it my all, I can actually finish something I started."

"I learned to rely more on God for the things that I don't think I can do, and for the things I mess up on."

Personally for me, my cravings are better, which after very many treats during and post pregnancy, is AWESOME, so I can get back into my pre-pregnancy eating lifestyle with lesser struggles. It has given me more energy to tackle more Mommy duties such as sleep regressions, sleep training and homeschooling. My mental clarity is better; even when I am struggling emotionally with the lack of sleep...I am able to make better decisions of addressing it healthily, including reaching out to others.

I would HIGHLY recommend doing one yearly as well. It's only once a year. The financial and time investment is SO worth it. We easily spend how much on things that don't contribute to our greater health, which in turn makes us better to serve our families, our jobs, etc. We easily spend the time doing things that are mindless. The time will pass anyway...and I KNOW you can do hard things! 

You are worth it. Your loved ones are worth it. Your purpose is worth it! 

If you are considering doing the cleanse, let's chat! The next time we tentatively plan to do it is not until January of 2019. In the meantime, we will be doing multiple mini 3 day cleanses. (Our next one is after Thanksgiving!) But if you want to do it now, you DO NOT have to wait! We can work together one on one, and I can plug you into some awesome groups. Ready to do it? You can get it here. 

If the cleanse is not something you're ready for, but do want to take steps to a healthier lifestyle, join our virtual health and fitness accountability and motivational group here.

Looser clothes, pounds gone, inches lost...just some of the amazing transformations from the inside, out!

Have other questions? Contact me here and I will get back to you within 24-48 hours: