15 Grain-Free Side Dish Ideas

Here are a few of my favorite side dishes for anyone who has taken one of my freezer workshops or just anyone reading who needs some fresh ideas! All are “clean” and super tasty! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do….

Roasted Carrots

Brussel Sprout Chips

Kale Chips

Roasted Potatoes

Rainbow Roasted Root Vegetables

Cucumber Dill Salad

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Plantain Chips

Roasted Broccoli Recipe

Mashed Garlic Cauliflower

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Cauliflower Rice

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Butternut Squash

Zesty Side Salad

Side Salad Topped With Roasted Sunflower Seeds And Drizzled With Olive Oil & Lemon

If you are in a hurry, you can also sauteed a bag of frozen veggies in coconut or avocado oil or just toss together a simple side salad full of leafy greens and top with extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice in place of store bought dressings. Enjoy!

 

 

Simple Whole30 Shopping Guide

I host a semi-annual Whole30 and was asked to make a simple short shopping guide. I actually wanted to make a video instead, but there are only so many hours in the day, so maybe the next Whole30 I can make that happen. For now, please use the following when at the grocery store during the Whole30 (and remember that the Whole30 is stricter than Paleo, so there are things that aren’t allowed that even on Paleo).

MEATS

Buy local, pastured, grass-fed/finished, and wild-caught when it is available and fits into your budget. If you live around Columbia,MO, you can find all of this (except the fish) at the local Columbia Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. If you receive EBT and have a child under 12, you may be eligible for their swap program, which allows you to “cash in” $25 dollars of your stamps for $50 in tokens.

Many people think that red meat is unhealthy, however if you get it from a source that cared for the animal correctly, where it was allowed to eat it’s natural diet and wasn’t injected with hormones etc., then you don’t need to fear it! Check out this article from Chris Kresser.

You still need to avoid added sugar so watch you sausage and bacon (almost all have added sugar). Things like bologna, hot dogs, and most lunch meat are off limits. I was able to find a no sugar added turkey from the deli at Hy-Vee. If you ask them the ingredients they can print your labels if they are unsure. Many canned tunas have soy in them and should be avoid.

While eggs are not meat, I wasn’t sure where else to add them, so I will include them here. Eggs are also not to be feared! Locate a local source when possible. Cage-free does not mean anything so don’t pay extra for these.

Short Version: Pork, Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Bison, Duck, Deer, Sugar Free Deli Turkey, Canned Salmon and Tuna, Fish/Seafood, Eggs

PRODUCE

Depending what your diet looked like before, you will probably be buying somewhere around double the amount of fruits and vegetables. Always purchase local and organic when possible. Check out the dirty dozen if you are on a budget. Eating in season is always a good idea, but isn’t a must. A local farmer’s market is always a good option.

Fruits do need to be limited to some extent, especially if weight loss is a goal; however, if you are coming from a sugar and carb heavy diet, the first week or two, it will be easier if you eat more fruits. Then the last 2-3 weeks you can cut them back. The only canned items that I personally can use are tomatoes. Avocados are an excellent fat source. If you are having trouble losing weight though, they should be limited.

Frozen vegetables are also a great option. Being so busy I use them a lot. Just cook some protein and throw some frozen vegetables and spices with it. Bam! Dinner is served. Also, after the first week do your best to try some new thing you haven’t or didn’t like before.

Dried fruit is ok, but shouldn’t be eaten alone. For example, instead of eating a handful of raisins, add them with some tuna, spinach and olive oil for a quick salad. Larabars are a great on the go option (just avoid the ones with chocolate chips), but they need to be limited, because they are made with dates. I personally am going to limit myself to no more than 3 a week this Whole30.

Short Version: Get tons of vegetables and some fruits. Maybe even double of what you typically buy. Grab a few larabars in case you need something quick.

NUTS AND SEEDS

Nuts and seeds are a healthy addition to your Whole30, but should be limited also. Adding a handful to a salad adds a nice texture though, so don’t be afraid to use them sometimes. You want to purchase raw nuts and seeds. The bulk section is a good place to get these if your store has one. If you buy them from a package just be sure to check the label for added ingredients! Almonds are high in Omega-6’s so do not overdo them especially.

You can also purchase nut butters like almond and cashew butter or even sunbutter. As always, be sure to read the labels as many of these have added sugar. Many stores have a machine that will grind the almonds right there so you know exactly what is in them. Hy-Vee and Clover’s in Columbia have these machines.

Nut flours are a great option for replacing all-purpose flour. While you are not allowed to make things like pancakes on the Whole30, you can use nut flours to bread chicken etc.

Please note that peanuts are a legume, not a nut, so they should be avoided.

Short Version: Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds Etc.(Raw), Nut Butter, Nut Flowers

COCONUT

I know that coconut is a nut, but I decided to list it separately because it offers so many great options! The coconut offers us oil, chips, flours, and milk. Be sure to get extra virgin (or virgin) coconut oil and full fat coconut milk. I purchase Nature’s Valley in a can. Yum!

The oil is awesome because it has a high smoke point, so you can cook with it. You can use it on your teeth, hair, and body also!

Short Version: Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Coconut Flakes, Coconut Chips, Coconut Flours, Coconut Milk

OILS

Since we are no longer using vegetable oils, you need to know what to use in place of them. There are lots of great options. As mentioned above coconut oil is one of them. Avocado oil is another one. Olive oil is great, but should not be heated much and is better used for dressings.

Beef fat and duck fat from quality sources are great options. This one might make you think I am crazy, but lard is also an excellent and tasty option. If you are in the Columbia area check out Sullivan Farms at the Columbia Farmer’s Market for some high quality lard that I personally use. You do not want to use store bought lard, since those pigs were probably not taken very good care of. Since fat stores toxins, this lard would be full of them.

Short Version:Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, Olive Oil, Duck Fat, Tallow (beef fat), and Lard (pig fat)

EXTRAS

There are items that do not fall into any of the above that are Whole30 approved also. Mustard and balsamic vinaigrette are two of those. I did not cover everything, so be sure to check your labels. If you are unsure, screenshot the label and post it to the group to find out.

Short Version: Mustard, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and READ YOUR LABELS

Check out these posts if you are wondering what a Whole30 meal looks like or what our first week of the challenge was like last time. This post may be helpful also! And if you think you are fat, please check this post out! The first week or two might be rough, but you will feel better when they are over!

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

Have you ever cooked sweet potatoes in a crockpot? If not, then I STRONGLY URGE you do it. Like right now, stop what you are doing and go put some sweet potatoes in your slow cooker.                 You can thank me later!

Pictures are awesome I know, but I will have to edit this post to include them later. People NEED to know about this and my camera is out of batteries! 🙂

Instructions

1. Wash, scrub and rinse 3-4 organic sweet potatoes.
2. Place in slow cooker on low for 8 hours or 4 hours on high.
3. Try not to eat them all.

I promise it will be the best baked sweet potato you have ever had! We make them a lot in our house, because as far as effort goes, this amazing side dish is about as effortless as they come, short of popping open a bag of unhealthy chips.  Baked sweet potatoes pair well with a variety of dishes. Add some butter from a grass-fed cow and cinnamon for a sweet snack!

Strawberry Lemonade

I help a lot of people clean up their diets and one thing that I know for certain is that each person is on their own stage and does things in their own time. Some people must do the all or nothing approach, but most people have to do the teeny tiny baby step approach. While the all in approach certainly gets you from A to B faster, some people will be too overwhelmed and instead of just falling off the wagon, they will blow the entire wagon up! So really I do not think there is any one “right” way to clean up your diet, both methods get you to the same place eventually.

If you are one of the baby step people, then this recipe will be useful for you. Especially if you drink any sweetened beverages like soda pop, juice, gatorade, etc… Like making your own tea, this recipe is great, because you add the sugar (in this case raw honey) yourself; therefore, it is gives you the control to cut it back slowly, so that you can allow your taste buds to adjust to less sweetness without such a “shock”.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces (1 lb.) Organic Strawberries and 6 Ice Cubes or Frozen Organic Strawberries
• 2 Cups Filtered Water
• 1/4 Cup of Raw Honey
• Freshly Squeezed Juice from 2-3 Lemons

Directions

1. 

   If using fresh strawberries, wash, cut/remove ends and cut strawberries in half and place in blender. (If using frozen, you can simply put into the blender.)       

2. 

   Using a juice press or your hands, squeeze the juice from 2 medium lemons into the blender.

3. 

   Add 1/4 cup of raw honey. (Locally sourced is best.)

4. 

   If using fresh strawberries, add the ice cubes to the blender.

5. 

   Add the water and place the lid on the blender.

6. 

   Blend for 1-2 minutes. Be sure to hold your hand on top of blender while blending, so you don’t end up with a mess!

7. 

   Try not to drink it all at once! (If you prefer it more tart, squeeze the third lemon in and if you prefer it sweeter, add more honey.)

Make Ahead Sausage & Veggies Breakfast

I am not a morning person. My toddler on the other hand loves to wake up at 5 or 6 am! He is ready to go as soon as his eyes pop open and he is ready to eat. He does not care that I am not ready to get up and he does not care that I do not feel like making breakfast. Since we are grain (and dairy) free, it obviously limits our breakfast options. On top of that, my son refuses to eat eggs unless they are mixed into something, so there really are no quick options.

This is one of my favorite egg free breakfast recipes, but I usually brown the meat and veggies in a skillet and then place that with seasoning and the apple into the oven. This time though, I said “Hey self. Why not just trying throwing this into the crockpot before you go to sleep and see what happens.” Not only did the house smelling absolutely amazing when we woke up, but the recipe was even better than when I used a skillet and the oven….

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1/2 medium head of cabbage-shredded
• 1 medium yellow onion-diced
• 1 medium honeycrisp apple-diced (you can substitute for other sweet apple types)
• 2 carrots peeled-sliced or shredded
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Slow Cooker Directions:

1. Crumble the ground sausage at the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Add the vegetables and seasonings.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Please note, if you prefer your apples to be crispier, do not add until the last 1-2 hours of cooking. And remember locally sourced meat is always the best option! If you are in or around Columbia, Missouri like I am then be sure to check out the Columbia Farmer’s Market, where you can find locally raised Sullivan Farms (pastured, non-gmo) and Crocker Farms pork products!

The recipe will half, double or triple great! So try any of those combinations if feeding more or less people. You can add baked sweet potatoes as an excellent side dish to make this meal go farther (which also cook excellent in a crockpot).

Check out the Back 2 Basics Cooking resources page for tons more whole food resources!

What is your favorite go to breakfast choice?