Favorite New Things - Whole30
Doing Whole30 exposed me to a whole bunch of new foods, recipes, spices, liquids, powders, etc.! It was like tapping into a world I never knew existed. Here's a list of my favorite new things I tried and loved during my Whole30 experience. These are all things I have continued to use after I completed my round of Whole30.
Nutpods - This is the coffee creamer solution for Whole30. They are why I was able to 100% commit to this program.
Ghee - It's like butter, but better. I didn't even know a such thing could exist - a butter that tastes better than regular butter. But it does. And I LOVE using it to cook with. Different brands of ghee have slightly different textures. I really like the Organic Valley brand, and Trader Joe's brand.
Sesame Tahini - When I tried it on its own it tasted like a really thick sesame paste - no bueno. But when I used it as the main ingredient to create a lemony garlic tahini sauce - it was outstanding. This is a great alternative to hummus.
Coconut Milk and Cream - This is one of those things I always saw at the store, but never knew what people used it for. It's now a staple in my pantry, and I've used it mixed into sweet potatoes, as the base of red curry, in pumpkin custards... it's such a versatile ingredient. I love the Thai Kitchen brand so much that I'm scared to try another brand!
Dates - Dates became my quick go-to if I felt like I was crashing from low blood sugar. I usually only needed one or two. I've also used them in recipes to sweeten a sauce. They're quite handy! I absolutely LOVE Thrive's brand.
Larabars - When I needed something more than dates, I'd eat a compliant (not all of the flavors are) Lara Bar. The bars were sweet in taste, as they all had dates as a main ingredient. But they are pretty small - like 3 bites.
RX Bars - And when I needed something more than a Lara Bar, I'd eat a compliant (not all of the flavors are) RX bar. These bars are dense, and reallllllly chewy. I liked the Mixed Berry flavor the best. I also liked that they had a good amount of protein in each bar too. But these I eat for a purpose versus enjoyment.
Thrive Market - Ok, so this is not a consumable per say, but it needs to be on this list! It's an online store that offers (major) discounted prices on healthy and clean foods. They often run deals (right now they have one where you get 20% off your first three orders, plus their standard free shipping for orders $49 and higher). You pay an annual membership fee of $59.95, but you'll easily save more than that if you purchase these types of foods.
Recipe Rundown:
Jamaican Jerk Raspberry Chicken with Plantains - I loved the chicken, but wasn't crazy about the fried plantains. This has everything to do with the fact that when I typically order fried plantains, they are covered in cinnamon and honey and butter.
Spicy Cacao Orange Almonds - These were a tasty snack!
Sesame Chicken - This is definitely one of my new favorites!!! The sauce is unreal.
Chipotle - THEY HAVE A COMPLIANT OPTION!!!! I wish I had discovered this sooner! Pork carnitas over lettuce with green salsa and guacamole. I thought it was going to be "meh" because it was substantially less extravagant than what I used to get (pre-Whole30), but it was actually delicious. To the point where it is going to be my go-to from now on. YUM!!!
