So I announce I’m going AIP, and then I leave you hanging with one lousy recipe. Truth be told, with my research came some differences in opinion. I had been doing some things for my diet I should not have, so I took the weekend to really plan and gain further understanding, savor my last spoonful of Trader Joe’s Almond Butter, and started with a bang Monday morning. I’m blessed and have a girlfriend who did this before, and felt so amazing, that she is doing it again with me. Support systems make all the difference in the world.
Next week I’m supposed to go out to see some girlfriends I haven’t seen for ages, and of course a dinner and cocktails sound fantastic! But I can’t eat anything on three of the menus, and the stuff I can (side of broccoli, protein, etc) likely are made with butter… a big no-no. So I’m making myself a dinner, and a snack to keep in my purse in case I feel tempted. It’s okay, I won’t need to spend $30 to catch up with friends, and I know I’m keeping my diet.
So this weekend I went on a cooking binge. I mean it. Pork roast, sweet potato chips, kale, broccoli, AIP Pumpkin banana “muffins,” apple crisp, and chicken breasts. What on EARTH does one girl need this much food for? Well, my breakfast consists of chicken breast and avocado (I really need to find a protein-packed breakfast alternative… which I’ll be doing next week!), pork for lunch (which is the recommendation from the FLO living) and a white fish for dinner with sides (also FLO).
For a nice, hearty meal that makes you feel cozy when you want to curl up under a blanket (since it’s that time of the month), you need a roast. Pork is Alisa’s recommended protein for this time, and since grains aren’t going to be a part of your diet, onions, carrots, and sweet potatoes definitely are! I paired my roast with mashed cauliflower and kale (also in the FLO chart!). Everyone at my office looks a little jealous when I have this for lunch. Also, I’m on a budget – I don’t have a giant income or anything, so when it came time to choose the cut of meat, a pork tenderloin (my specialty) was around $10 on the low end for a tiny piece, or a pork roast was $5 to feed me lunches for four days. Cauliflower is around $1.99 a head, tops, and precut kale at Trader Joes is $1.99 a bag. So… that put my lunches at about $3.50 a day – for a feast. Not too bad!
Pork Roast
Ingredients for the roast:
1 pork roast (mine was about 2 lbs for 4 servings)
½ large onion chopping in 1 inch pieces
3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 sweet potatoes (optional; cut in 1 inch cubes)
½ C water (3/4 if not using wine)
½ C red cooking wine (optional, it’s AIP because the cooking burns off the alcohol. I like Trader Joe’s $2.99 Charles Shaw Merlot)
1 T coconut oil
1 T minced garlic
Salt, pepper, basil, rosemary, if you want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon, I think it really brings out the wine flavor
Directions:
Quite possibly the shortest directions ever needed.
Place onion, carrots, and sweet potatoes on the bottom of a crock pot. Place the pork on top, add your liquids, then your coconut oil (atop the roast), garlic and seasonings on top. Set on low for 6 hours – voila! It’s done.
Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 T coconut oil
½ large onion, diced
3 stems of green onion/chives
¾ T minced garlic, or 2 pieces of garlic diced
Sea salt and peppercorns to taste
Directions:
Cut up the cauliflower, mainly the tops. I steam my vegetables with a steamer on the stove top, which requires boiling water in a pot, the steamer, and a lid – it will take about 10 minutes. If you do not have that, in a microwave-safe bowl, place your cauliflower and cover with saran wrap. Place in the microwave on high for 2 minutes (I like to give the bowl a little break in between heats), and then another 2 minutes. Check for a cooked, soft consistency.
In a small pan, use your coconut oil to sauté the onions and garlic. Add this to the cauliflower bowl and mash with either a potato masher or a fork (it’s so much softer than potatoes, a fork will suffice!). Add salt and pepper to taste, then top with your chives, cut into small pieces for a garnish.
KaleKale doesn’t need to be broken out into ingredients and directions, especially if you’re using the Trader Joe’s bag I told you about! In a large pan, use 1 T coconut oil, sauté the kale on medium heat, covered, for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Nutrition facts for 1 serving of the ENTIRE meal:
Calories: 375
Fat: 19 g
Carbs: 24 g
Protein: 31 g
Sugar: 10 g
Fiber: 13 g
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