Whole 30 Buffalo Chicken Dip

Fixings

• 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
• Plain cream cheese from Kite Hill,
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing (Whole 30ers - you will need to use a compliant ranch. I use my homemade mayo and follow this ranch recipe)
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
• Celery and/or carrots for serving

Fix It

1. Mix all ingredients (except for the veggies) in a baking dish. 
2. Cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  

Whole 30 Jalapeno Poppers

Fixings

• 6-10 Jalapenos
• Plain cream cheese from Kite Hill,
• Compliant bacon (I buy the Maverick brand from Publix)

Fix It

1. Wash & cut the jalapenos lengthwise. Deseed the peppers accordingly (I wear gloves when doing this ever since my sister cut jalapenos and even after washing her hands, tried to change her contacts. Three days and a milk wash later, she lived.)
2. Spread cream cheese on each pepper. 
3. Wrap in bacon (I cut each strip in half). 
4. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and cook for fifteen - twenty minutes at 400 degrees. 

Guilt-Free Super Bowl Snacks

Starting in high school, I developed a love for Super Bowl weekend - primarily because I was paid extra to babysit during the game or I actually went to a party. I vividly remember hanging out at my BFF Perry’s house (P.S. we are still besties) during one of the games when I witnessed the absolute best halftime performance of ALL times! Does 2011 ring a bell?

I mean – JT shoots sparks from his hands AND my girl Britney (or as I called her "Baby Britney" as this video makes me feel old) makes an appearance, what’s not to love?!

While I doubt any game can replace that memory, which is totally engraved in my heart FOREVER, this year’s game is pretty special to our household. Being from Atlanta and living in the wonderful state of Georgia, our home team the Atlanta Falcons are making a long overdue appearance in the championship game this year. Even though I typically cheer for certain players in the NFL, I am a supporter of the Falcons since my husband has been a lifelong fan. In fact, one of our memories from this last year included a date to the Falcons v. Panthers game. Needless to say, we are thrilled to watch them compete this Sunday!

In preparation for the big game, I wanted to share a few healthy snacks that you can chow down on (and serve) guilt free. I threw these together when my husband decided to invite people over to watch the playoffs and it happened to be during my first week on Whole 30. :insert cranky face emoji here:

Fruit Salad

Homemade Guacamole for Veggies

Veggie Tray with Salsa

Buffalo Chicken Dip with Carrots & Celery

Jalapeno Poppers

The Buffalo Chicken Dip and Jalapeno Poppers were made with cream cheese from Kite Hill, which is Whole 30 approved. However, you can only purchase this from Whole Foods. Since we don't have one here, I stocked up on a few the last time we were in Atlanta and am so glad I was able to use these for this occasion. I plan on making another batch of poppers on Sunday! If I can think of any other compliant recipes that use cream cheese, I'll be sure to attempt them this weekend as well.

There you have it. My Whole 30 meal plan for week two will be posted next week since Super Bowl snacks clearly take priority! If you have a favorite football dish to share, please leave a link in the comments so I can check it out. And, if you feel so inclined, drop a comment with your pick for the Super Bowl LI!

Here's to a hopefully awesome game for our Falcons - RISE UP!

Whole 30 Meal Plan: Week One

With the first seven days on the fourth round of Whole 30 behind me, I want to share my week one meal plan with you.

As a reminder (or if you are new), Whole 30 focuses on eating three meals a day (no snacking, but I snack if I get hungry then make the necessary changes to my meal to prevent hunger in between). For today’s post, I am going to share what I ate this last week for breakfast, lunch & dinner, plus reveal my strategies I use when meal planning. I suppose I could have shared that on my previous post, which talks about meal planning and grocery shopping. Eh, better late than never!

***Please keep in mind that some of the meals below are marked with an asterisk. PAY ATTENTION TO THE ASTERISK! Although I have linked to most of the recipes, an asterisk means a substitution was made to certain ingredients to make it an acceptable Whole 30 meal. Be sure to scroll below to read the necessary changes.***

Without further delay, here are the strategies I keep in mind while planning each meal:

Breakfast

For the most important meal of the day, I keep it simple. I eat breakfast at work and usually make a lot of these items on Sunday to eat during the week. Breakfast on Whole30 is not your typical breakfast. I am VERY boring for breakfast and pretty much eat the same thing throughout the week.

Deviled Eggs

Lunch

I make a batch of chicken salad and eat dinner leftovers throughout the week. I throw in a few different sides and eat many baked potatoes with ghee.

The BEST Chicken Salad Ever

Dinner

I mix up the meats so we aren’t eating the same thing (like poultry) seven days a week. Since we have a sometimes-busy schedule, I base certain meals (Instant Pot or slow cooker dishes) on nights when we have activities late in the afternoon. I also do not modify a recipe to meet my serving size. There may only be three of us, but leftovers are always welcome!
 

Brussels Sprout Chips & Orange Chicken

Kale Chips

Now that you have experienced a brief look into my mind while planning for the week, here’s what I ate for week one on round four of Whole 30:

Whole 30 Week One	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Coffee with NutPods Creamer Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage Apple w/Almond Butter Roasted Veggies/Mashed Potatoes Deviled Egg	****Chicken Salad Deviled Egg Roasted Broccoli/Mashed Potatoes	*Instant Pot BBQ Ribs Mashed Potatoes Roasted Broccoli
Tuesday			**Instant Pot Orange Chicken Brussels Sprouts Chips
Wednesday			Chicken Puttanesca Roasted Brussels Sprouts Crispy Potatoes
Thursday		Leftover Orange Chicken	Chicken Salad Deviled Egg Crispy Potatoes
Friday		Leftover Orange Chicken	Chipotle
Saturday		Leftover Chicken Puttanesca	***Creamy Spaghetti Squash w/ Shrimp Kale Chips

*Make sure to the BBQ sauce used is Whole 30 compliant. I buy mine from Tessemaes. 

**Nix the brown sugar. Substitute coconut aminos and arrowroot powder for the soy sauce and corn starch. Make sure all other ingredients (i.e. ketchup and OJ are Whole 30 compliant).

***Follow the dairy free parts of the recipe. 

****Use Whole 30 mayo. Check out my link below (Whole 30 Food Processor Fun) for a recipe. 

It is important to continuously mix up your recipes when participating in Whole 30 to prevent boredom from setting in. Boredom can lead to failure and nobody likes a failure, but don't be afraid to find something you like and stick with it. There are some staples that I can’t get enough of and have no problem eating over and over (i.e. chicken salad or baked potatoes). 

Still curious about Whole 30? Simply shoot me an email or comment on this post and I will be glad to help you, if possible! I also have a small (but mighty) arsenal of Whole 30 posts, such as:

Why I Started Whole 30

Round One Week One Meal Planning

Round One Week Two Meal Planning

Round One Weeks Three & Four Meal Planning

Round One Results

Whole 30 Recipe Index

Whole 30 Food Processor Fun

How to Survive Whole 30

Meal Planning & Grocery Shopper

Favorites On A Friday: Holiday Style

Have you recovered from this holiday craziness? I sure hope so! 

Now that we’ve all had time to recoup from the crazy holiday season, I thought I would share a few of my favorite gifts! It’s been almost a month since Christmas passed, which is more than enough time to determine what my preferred presents are and which gifts were my favorite to give. They say it’s better to give than to receive and since I agree, let's start there!

Sentry®Safe Quick-Access Biometric Pistol Safe

Born and raised in the South, shooting has now become a hobby in our family. However, being the extremely anxious mother that I am, I had concerns about where to keep our firearms. After reading a few reviews and keeping in mind a curious and smart toddler (she’s so advanced for her age), I chose to purchase this safe. The main reason I went with this particular model was the biometric fingerprint lock. You can store two users per safe – ideal for parents who want to keep their home as safe as possible while preventing access from unauthorized users. The reviews and price were encouraging so the purchase was made for J’s Christmas present. I purchased mine at Academy, but it is available through other retailers. 

Return Address Stamp

"Addressing Christmas cards is SO much fun!" Said no one ever. Hence, the need for a return address stamp. Yes, I could print my own labels or use the free ones that are mailed to us every so often, but I prefer to design my own stamp and it looks MUCH better than a sticker. Since my sister and BIL recently moved, I deemed this to be a perfect gift for them. My sister and I have a strong obsession with all things Harry Potter so after getting inspired by a quick Google search, I found an Etsy shop to bring my vision to life. How perfect is this for the Harry Potter lover? I can’t promise that her husband was as thrilled with it as we were. 

P.S. It would also be a great housewarming present, obvi.
P.P.S. Names and addresses were changed on the above image.

Wooden Auburn & Air Force Academy Footballs

A couple of the most unique gifts I ordered this year were beautiful wooden footballs with hand painted logos for the related schools. A finishing gloss coats these creations and they come with a stand to use for display. 

Unfortunately I do not have a link to share with you where to purchase these beauties as the woodwork was done by a friend of my coworker.

As for me, my birthday falls right before Christmas. I personally love this since Christmas is my favorite holiday and my parents did a great job of separating the two events when I was growing up. Included in this list of my favorite presents received is one of my birthday gifts – yes, it was probably wrapped in holiday wrapping paper, which I don’t have a problem with. 

Instant Pot 

Oh my goodness. Call whoever, put me on blast through social media, but I am officially in the Instant Pot cult. This thing is amazing! I received the 7-in-1 multi-functional pressure cooker that turns into a slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, can sauté/brown, steam and warm – all in one pot. 

Fear consumed me at first, but I quickly learned how to use it when I took vacation time off work. If you are the cook for your family, go ahead and put this on your Amazon wish list because they go on sale numerous times during the year. Aside from making delicious meals like beef stroganoff and orange chicken, I’ve used it to quickly cook chicken, potatoes and it makes the best hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel and aren’t too stinky. You can bet that some of my future posts will be singing the praises of my new kitchen gadget. 

Peach Skin Sheets

These are also known to me as “kiosk” sheets. Why? Because that is where my mother purchased them from in an Atlanta mall. Ha! She had these on the guest room bed where we stay when in town and I am obsessed with them. I begged for a set as a Christmas present and Santa delivered! I don’t know how to describe these except that they mimic the skin on a peach. They are very comfortable, so soft and are perfect if you hate to get hot when you sleep. The best news about this product is that you don’t have to purchase them from a kiosk and based on their website, they are affordable. In fact they just had a flash sale on their classic white sheets at $55 a set. Head on over to their site and sign up for their distribution list. 

Apple Watch Series 2

To conclude my list of favorite things, I give you the Apple Watch Series 2 in rose gold. 

One of my active objectives for this year was to be more present. If I have my phone on me all the time, I’m tempted to scroll through social media and check emails when lounging around at home. I have found that I can leave my phone anywhere in the house and still be notified on my watch if someone calls or texts. This is definitely not why I wanted the watch, but eliminates the other digital distractions when I am home. The main reason this popped up on my wish list this year was because of the heart rate/gps function. I really need to set up a tutorial with Apple because I am 99% sure I am not aware of all the features this watch has to offer. One day when I have time (get it? HAHAHA) I plan to take advantage of this learning opportunity. Does anyone else have this problem or want to share some of the cool things they use their watch for? If anyone wants to link up and share information on the fitness part, let me know! 

Whew! This was a lengthy post today. Are you still there? If you have any great gift ideas inspired by this past Christmas, please comment below and share them! It may only be January, but it’s never too early to start my Amazon Christmas wish list!

Plan to Eat: Meal Planner & Grocery List Shopper

After traveling last week for work, I was so relieved to have Monday off. A catch-up day around the house was absolutely what I needed, but in typical Monday fashion, not what I got. Instead, I spent the better part of my morning at the mechanic waiting on my car to be diagnosed. Adulting is the worst.

One of the items I needed to cross off my to do list was to meal plan/grocery shop. Since today marks the first day of round four for Whole 30, this was definitely a priority. Thankfully, I was able to plan compliant meals for the week and finalize my grocery list – all while sitting in the waiting room sipping on my coffee. Get ready, folks. You're about to be introduced to something that helps me function on a weekly basis.

One of my friends introduced me to Plan to Eat this past Black Friday when they were having a 50% off sale for yearly membership. After quickly scanning their site and gathering information from my friend, I decided to forgo the 30-day trial and sign up for the yearly plan. I am so glad I dove in headfirst!

Plan to Eat is an online meal planner app that works similar to Pinterest. You can manually import recipes into your account or take the Pinterest approach and scour the internet for delicious concoctions. When you find one you like, click the button on the browser (yes, you will need to download it to your computer, tablet, or phone) and it’s loaded to your recipes in Plan to Eat.

Once you have a solid base, you can begin to meal planning. It’s so easy – you literally drag recipes onto a calendar. As you can see, I primarily use mine for dinner or if I need to make any sauces, dressings, etc. for the week.

And, that’s not all….One of my favorite parts of this service is that the software automatically creates your shopping list based on the planned recipes.

Additionally, you can create a list of staples and add it to your shopping list as needed.

When ready, a quick export generates your shopping list to take with you on your phone. It’s simple to navigate the site and has helped me so much these last few months. Previously I was an eMeals user (I’m talking about for the first couple of YEARS after having E), but I truly love the flexibility of planning my own meals through Plan to Eat. It helps me stay organized which is part of my objectives for 2017.

If you are in need of a service such as this, I recommend trying Plan to Eat. They offer a trial and do not ask for credit card information before starting. The yearly fee is $39, which breaks down to $4.95 a month. Also, they will NOT automatically bill you once the subscription ends, which is almost unheard of based on many of my experiences. Click here to sign up: Plan to Eat 

Once an account has been created, it will automatically share my recipes with you. If you are already a Plan to Eat user, please send a friend request to AidibabyAU – I’m always in need of recipe ideas!

Plan to Eat has become such an important part of my weekly routine (no, I did not get paid to post this – I genuinely love it) and I hope that one of my five readers will enjoy it as much as I have!

Has anyone heard of this company before today? If you give it a try, please let me know what you think!