GREEN EGGS & GUACAMOLE, SCD, CLEAN EATING IDEAS

GREEN EGGS & GUACAMOLE, AIP, CLEAN EATING

 

Doesn't that look like green deliciousness just waiting to be eaten!  I decided to try eggs for breakfast for the first time since doing the Autoimmune Protocol AIP diet for three months and now transitioning to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet SCD for two months.  Prior to these lifestyle changes, if I ate eggs for breakfast, I would be in the bathroom within 20 minutes cramping, bloated, painful diarrhea and generally ruined the remainder of my day in and out of the bathroom.  So far, no issues after eating my "Green Breakfast".

 

There are quite a few variables that could be making the difference in my gut health.  Let's start with the pan I cook in, I only use stainless steel pans now, no nonstick surfaces.  The eggs are organic instead of non organic.  I didn't cook them in margarine, butter or with non-stick spray. I cooked the eggs in organic coconut oil.  And perhaps the most important thing is this...my gut has had a total of five months of no refined sugar, no eating out, only organic homemade real food with three months to heal on the elimination diet and two months to continue healing on the SCD diet.  And did I mention homemade chicken bone broth every day for 5 months!

I used two eggs and a half cup of very finely chopped spinach in my eggs.  The guacamole is pretty simple.  I used an avocado, 1 TBSP lime juice with a sprinkle of salt and just mashed it up. 

 



Using Freezer Meat Meal Starters Equals Savings?

When I decided to start making Freezer Meat Meal Starters, it was more for convenience than anything but I am realizing that I am actually saving a little money this way.  Generally, I go to the grocery store weekly and just buy what we need for the week.  Since my diet doesn't have a lot of variety right now, I found myself buying what I had planned for the week without much regard for what I was paying.  But this week I realized we actually saved a little money by making Freezer Meat Meal Starters!

The Publix Greenwise boneless, skinless chicken breast that I buy are packaged two breasts to a package and range in price from $5.99 a pound on sale, up to $7.99 a pound not on sale.  Prior to making Freezer Meat Meal Starters, I would buy four packages of chicken breasts a week for four meals with leftovers for the hubs lunch or we would just overeat at that meal. Sometimes they were close to a pound and sometimes they were closer to a pound and a half which can really add up fast.  When paying $7.99 a pound that is $31.96-$40 (depending on weight of each package) just for chicken breasts for four meals!!   Not to mention what I paid for the meat for the other three dinner meals each week.

This week I paid $5.99 a pound for chicken breasts.  I bought four packages with a total cost of $25.96.  Each package was just barely over one pound.  I made Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal Meat Starter and ended up with enough cooked shredded chicken for six dinners, each freezer jar has 6-7 ounces of cooked meat which is plenty for the hubs and I per meal.  Not only did I save money buying on sale with each package closer to a pound, but we got six meals instead of four.  This also forces us to not overeat at meals and forces the hubs to eat healthier and not rely on leftover sandwiches for lunch (yes, he still eats bread with Hellman's mayonnaise and tater tots with eggs for breakfast and did I mention sweet tea LOL).

I know there will be blog readers who think paying $5.99 a pound for chicken instead of $2-3 a pound for conventional chicken is ridiculous.  Sometimes I am not sure if Greenwise Chicken is worth the added expense either. I am just hoping that in the long run, my health improves and I don't have to take medications to feel good. 

Even if you do buy less expensive chicken breasts, give the idea of Freezer Meat Meal Starters a try...it can save you time and money too.

P.S...I actually went back and bought more chicken while it was on sale and made Chicken Meat Balls and Ground Browned Chicken...my freezer is almost full!

Stuffed Summer Squash from Freezer Meat Meal Starter, SCD, AIP, grain free, egg free

Stuffed Summer Squash Recipe from a Freezer Meat Meal Starter  of Browned Ground Beef

Dinners are easier and healthier now that I have a freezer full of cooked Freezer Meat Meal Starters.  Even if you forget to take something out of the freezer to thaw, it doesn't take long at all for the meat to thaw enough to use in a recipe, especially the browned ground beef.

Sometimes our meals are a little repetitious not to mention the flavor is boring.  I am trying to come up with simple recipes that are SCD legal and don't contain any of the other foods that I haven't added back yet especially nightshades. It is too hard to follow a recipe and make substitutions so I just make it up as I go and use what is available from my local store.  Hence, the reason for stuffed organic summer squash...all the organic zucchini were gone.

STUFFED ORGANIC SUMMER SQUASH          2 SERVINGS

6-8 ounces browned cooked ground beef or use one container of Freezer Meat Meal Starter, Browned Ground Beef, thawed
3/4 cup No Tomato Red Sauce thawed  (I make this once a month and freeze in 3/4 cup servings)
2 medium organic yellow squash
1 large sweet onion or 2 small, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 TSP olive oil, divided
2 cups organic baby spinach, chop really small like you would herbs (I dislike the texture of big pieces of spinach)
1/4 cup black olives, sliced

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Peel squash, slice in half, remove seeds.  Brush with olive oil.  Place in glass baking and cover.  Bake 25 minutes.
• Slice onions, sautee in olive oil about 7 minutes, add garlic cook 2 minutes.  Add browned ground beef and spinach.  Cook about 3 minutes longer just to mix ingredients together.  Add olives to the mixture after you remove the pan from the heat and stir in.
• Scoop meat mixture into the squash. 
• While stuffed squash are roasting, warm No Tomato Red Sauce in a small saucepan.  Once you remove stuffed squash from the oven, spoon warmed sauce over them.