‘Whole30’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Salmon Croquettes

July 12, 2020 · Clean Eating, Fish & Seafood, Whole30

Just six dollars worth of canned salmon, a few pantry ingredients, and 15 minutes, and you’ll be enjoying these tasty Salmon Croquettes in no time flat.

Some days, I see a recipe online, print it and put it in a stack, only to discover it years later, still unmade. Some days, I see a recipe online, and make it the same day.

These days, it’s all about motivation and my memory. Both of which have peaks and valleys lately.

And this recipe? Happened to see it in the morning, and since I only needed one ingredient to make it, I actually had it made and was chowing down on it that same afternoon.

Trust me, it doesn’t happen too often.

The recipe originally comes from Defined Dish, and I made two small tweaks to it. It is so simple to make – all you have to do is mix a few ingredients in a bowl, form the croquettes shape, and fry them up.

Whether you’re on Whole30, love salmon, or just want a quick and easy meal for the hot summer months, I don’t think you can go wrong with this one. Enjoy!

Hungry for more salmon recipes?
This is another super simple one, and perfect on the grill.
A delicious salad with smoked salmon and buttery croutons from Joy the Baker.
I forgot all about this creamy pasta with smoked salmon … gonna have to add it to my list.
And lastly, for now, my tried-and-true favorite Smoked Salmon Dip.

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Recipe: Falafel Spiced Turkey Burgers {Whole30}

February 18, 2020 · Narrative, Whole30

Those hints of falafel seasoning mixed with ground turkey serves up one delicious bite after another – let’s make Falafel Spiced Turkey Burgers!

I love falafel, and its seasoning, so when I saw Molly Yeh make these Falafel-Spiced Turkey Burgers on a recent episode of Girl Meets Farm on Food Network, I made a mental note to go look up the recipe. There was only one problem … I was doing a round of Whole30, and her recipe wasn’t completely Whole30-compliant. A couple small tweaks and changes and here we are … a crazy delicious Turkey Burger recipe that is packed with flavor and kid-approved! My oldest loved them, and some mornings, I even crumbled a few pieces into my scrambled eggs. So freaking good, guilt-free, quick, and healthy. I loved them so much I actually made the recipe four times over the course of ten days! Winner, winner, turkey dinner!

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Recipe: Triple Veggie Skillet {Whole30, Paleo}

February 3, 2020 · Narrative, Whole30

Healthy, filled with vegetables, and a delicious way to start your day. Let’s make this Triple Veggie Skillet.

I did my sixth round of Whole30 (where you give up dairy, alcohol, grains, legumes, and sugar for thirty days) last month, and even though it’s over, I’m still going strong with most of the guidelines. To be honest, I just feel better when I do, and although I’ve brought back my coffee light and sweet, I’m just going to keep on keeping on. Feed yourself good food, and you feel good. Sometimes it really is that simple.

So with that in mind, I spend a few hours on the weekend to prep food and meals for the week. It’s a huge key to my success on Whole30, and just sets me up for a much easier week food-wise.

Yesterday afternoon, I made this Triple Veggie Skillet for breakfasts this week. This morning I paired it with two eggs up and avocado, and it truly was one of the most satisfying breakfasts I’ve had in a long time. I made mine with tomatoes, potatoes, and spinach, but you could certainly mix-and-match the vegetables with others. Super simple to make, using basic ingredients, I just don’t think you can go wrong with food cooked in bacon grease. Am I right? ;)

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Recipe: Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise {Whole30}

January 10, 2020 · Narrative

The smell is heavenly, the taste is light, let’s make some Roasted Garlic Mayo!

You likely have heard me extol the virtues of homemade mayonnaise before … it’s so light and lemony and downright delicious that after the first time I made it, I never had store-bought again. Plus it’s so much healthier! Since you’re making it yourself, you KNOW the ingredients that are going in it, and it’s clean eating at its finest, and Whole30 and Paleo to boot. Now we’re “kicking it up a notch,” as Emeril used to say (is he still around and cooking?), with this divine Roasted Garlic Mayo.

First let’s talk about the health benefits of roasted garlic all on its own … to name a few, it’s nutritious, has been shown to reduce blood pressure, it can reduce the length of the common cold, lowers the risk of heart disease, and improves bone health (and so much more!).

Oftentimes, if the oven is going to be on for half an hour, I’ll pop in a bulb of garlic to roast, squeeze out the roasted cloves and keep it in a container in the fridge so I always have some on hand (put in small container and cover with olive oil and they’ll be preserved for about two weeks). You can spread some with butter or ghee on a toasted baguette, add to a veggie stir fry, and pop into the mayo recipe below. I also sometimes it eat just straight up! I used to frequest a restaurant (and even got engaged there!) called The Garlic Rose. Garlic was, as you can imagine, infused in some way into every dish they served and it was as amazing as it sounds. What YOUR favorite way to use roasted garlic?

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Recipe: Sweet Potato Egg Casserole

October 13, 2019 · Narrative

Super simple and crazy delicious, this Sweet Potato Egg Casserole is a great way to start your day.

For the past few months, I have been trying to do some big batch cooking on the weekends to set our household up for a slightly easier week. I have been sort of successful. I say “sort of,” because no matter how much prep I do on the weekends, one or both of my children will undoubtedly throw open the refrigerator that is seriously packed to the gills and ask, “do we have anything to eat?” Followed by them closing it, grabbing pretzels, and declaring that we have “NOTHING to eat.”

#reallife

You can make this in about half an hour, including baking time, and you’re rewarded with something that tastes like it’s good for you … because it is. As I described it in a recent Instastory (are you following me?), when you take a bite, you just know you’re doing something good for you body.

Whether you’re following a Paleo lifestyle, doing a round of Whole30, or just want a guilt-free breakfast that is hearty enough to keep you going until lunch time, this is it.

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Recipe: Cheesy Cauliflower Muffins {Whole30}

October 15, 2018 · Narrative

Looking to change up your breakfast routine from “all eggs, all the time?” These Cheesy Cauliflower Muffins are just the ticket.

I’m not gonna lie. I was very much on the fence about making this recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower Muffins. With a cup of nutritional yeast, they didn’t smell so appetizing while I was mixing up the batter. Although I’ve used nutritional yeast before, it’s usually a sprinkling of it here and there. Not a cup. But I’m glad I stuck with it, because these are soooo good. So good that I found myself even picking at them even when they were cold.

The recipe comes from the new cookbook, The Plant Paradox. I had read an interview with Kelly Clarkson, and she was talking about how she recently lost 35 pounds, and she credited it to this lifestyle and cookbook. Although it’s not a Whole30 cookbook per se, many of the recipes are Whole30-compliant, or can be easily adapted as such, so it fits in nicely if you’re doing a round of Whole30 and are craving a bit more variety or sources to pull recipes from.

A friend and I cook for each other and swap food weekly, so after one weekend afternoon of cooking, we’re set for the week, which is pretty rad. I made breakfast and dinner last week, and she took lunch and side dishes. These Cheesy Cauliflower Muffins were my breakfast contribution, and we ate them along with a fruit salad that she made.

The recipe comes together very quickly and is little more than mixing a few simple ingredients together and baking. Easy peasy. I doubled the recipe to give us two each per day for breakfast. You could totally bulk these up even more by adding in some chopped spinach, chicken, ham, or whatever else you’re hankering for. The only thing I would do differently is to cook them directly in a muffin pan sprayed with non-stick spray, instead of using liners, because the muffin stuck to the liners when peeling them … and who wants to lose some of their breakfast that way?!

Do you have this cookbook? If you do and you’ve tried some recipes from it, please share. I need to know what to make next…

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Recipe: Moist Turkey Meatloaf {Cucina Antica & Whole30}

July 14, 2018 · Narrative

Crazy simple turkey meatloaf that is so tender and delicious, you’ll find yourself making it again and again.

Hi! Remember me? I’m trying to be a better blogger, I swear. And perhaps you haven’t given my absence a second thought. But I have, and I’m working on it. I’m juggling two businesses, two kids, a freelancing career and … well … some days I just don’t know where the time goes! But I’m a work in progress, just like everyone else.

So how about a new recipe?

I’m the first to admit I’m not a fan of ground turkey. I just find it so tasteless, and honestly rarely use it in recipes.

I also really hate the word moist.

BUT.

There is just no other way to describe this turkey meatloaf.

Like so freaking crazy moist.

And even though I don’t really like ground turkey, I’ve made this recipe four times in the last six weeks or so.

And both my kids love it.

Yes, yes, pigs are now flying…

And it could not be simpler to make. Mix a few standard ingredients together, form a meatloaf shape, and bake.

SO GOOD.

My last shipment of sauces from the folks at Cucina Antica featured their Puttanesca one, and that’s what I used for this recipe, and for those that are following Whole30, this recipe is compliant! Their line of sauces are sugar free and have real tomatoes in them (not paste) and nothing unpronounceable. Heck to the yes!

Whether you’re eating clean, are looking for a family-approved recipe, or just want to learn to love ground turkey (or all of the above, like me!), give this one a whirl. I think you’ll love it as much as we do!

Hungry for more of the recipes I’ve developed for Team Cucina Antica? You can find them right here.

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Recipe: Beef & Potato Hash with Jammy Eggs and Avocado {#NationalEggMonth}

May 19, 2018 · Narrative

Comfort food is something we all crave at one time or another, but comfort food that is clean eating and guilt-free? Count me in! Let’s make this delicious Beef and Potato Hash with Jammy Eggs and Avocado!

A million years ago, when I was a newlywed, my then husband loved Hamburger Helper. Can’t say I blame him. Total comfort food, easy to make, and downright hearty.

But, I’ll be honest. Back then I didn’t know a ton about cooking, nor cooking and being responsible for someone else’s meal regularly either. And while I had lived on my own and cooked and entertained, it certainly wasn’t daily, and I still resorted to a box of this and a can of that sometimes.

But … know better, do better, right?

Over the years, through cooking shows and cookbooks, cooking classes and just your basic trial and error, my kitchen has evolved into having very little in the way of boxes and cans, and the focus is on clean eating that is easy and delicious, with a strong lean on fresh and healthy food.

So when a new client, NestFresh Eggs, wanted some recipes developed to help celebrated #NationalEggMonth, my mind immediately went to a comfort dish that we could eat guilt-free.

And, tbh, who doesn’t like meat and potatoes? Neither of my kids will eat mashed potatoes or baked potatoes, and barely eat french fries, so roasted potatoes are pretty much a regular fixture in my house. So when I was brainstorming for this recipe, I knew I wanted to do a riff on comfort food that used roasted potatoes.

As for eggs … well, we go through a ridiculous amount of eggs in this house. Because it’s kind of like the easiest epitome of clean eating. Hungry? Make eggs. And just like potatoes, our house is very divided on how they’ll eat the eggs. My son will eat them scrambled, sunny side up, hard boiled, and deviled. My daughter will eat the whites of hard boiled, and deviled. She’s a work in progress.

Neither will eat “jammy eggs,” but it’s kind of my favorite, and I thought a slightly runny yolk would be perfect for this dish.

And avocado. Well, I pretty much add avocado to any recipe I can. It’s a good fat, and when it’s smushed, it makes a great condiment … and slicing it up and mixing it with the jammy eggs, and the roasted potatoes and beef … that’s a winner right there (or at least I hope it is!)!

And speaking of winning… NestFresh Eggs asked that we submit our recipes to a contest that they’re running. You can vote once a day, every day, for the month of May, and this recipe was, of course, my entry. You can find the other recipe submissions here … go vote (your entry might also win you a pretty sweet gift basket!). I won’t tell you to vote for MY recipe, but if it happens to speak to you, I’d be much obliged if you did!

Haven’t heard of NestFresh before? They are a humane and sustainable egg producer with a focus on happy and healthy hens. There’s a movement we can all get behind!

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Recipe: Tahini Lemon Dressing {Whole30}

April 8, 2018 · Narrative

The best way to get vegetables into someone’s mouth is to serve them up with a delicious dressing or dipping sauce … let’s talk about this Tahini Lemon Dressing!

I eat a ridiculous amount of vegetables, whether or not I’m doing Whole30, and there are very few that I don’t like. I think kale is actually the only one.

I know! A food blogger that doesn’t like kale … what the?!

I like to change up how I’m making my vegetables on a regular basis with different cooking methods, seasonings, dressings, and dipping sauces. Although both of my kids LOVE roasted broccoli, they don’t love it steamed. But I happen to think that steamed broccoli is the perfect way to eat up this lemony tahini dressing.

But, truth be told, there are a million delicious ways to eat it. I mean, I even drizzled it over my omelet the next day.

Yes, it’s THAT good.

And better still … it takes just a couple seconds in your blender or mini food processor, and a handful of ingredients, and you’ll be diving face first into this deliciousness right along with me.

The main ingredient is, of course, tahini, which, if you’re not familiar with it, is a sesame seed paste, and an ingredient that’s often found in hummus recipes. I buy my tahini at a local Indian grocery store because it’s heaps cheaper there than at a traditional grocery store (same goes for many herbs, spices, and vegetables as well).

Beyond the steamed broccoli, I also dipped grape tomatoes in the dressing and drizzled it over grilled chicken. I made another batch and added a touch of peanut butter and a touch more coconut aminos for a slightly different and equally yummy version. You basically can’t go wrong!

Hungry for more dressings and sauces?
It’s not Whole30-compliant, but this Bleu Cheese dressing is seriously amazing.
And the Caesar dressing I shared here is lick-the-plate-good.
My all-time-favorite Whole30 condiment is this Buffalo Aioli. When I’m on Whole30, there is always a jar in my fridge.

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Recipe: Turkey Bolognese {Cucina Antica}

March 27, 2018 · Narrative

A light take on the traditional heartier Bolognese sauce, this Turkey Bolognese, served over Zucchini Noodles, is filling, guilt-free, and quick to table. Let’s get started!

I’ll be honest. When Cucina Antica first reached out and asked if I wanted to be a Brand Ambassador for them this year, even though I was currently on Whole30 (and have now morphed into Food Freedom Forever), I didn’t inspect their ingredient list too carefully.

Because, well, I’m Italian and they said sauce, and I was there.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when the first shipment arrived of sauce and I turned the jar around so I could read the ingredients and found out that it was, in fact, Whole30-complaint.

Whoop!

When it comes to developing new recipes for clients, I tend to keep my own family’s needs close to heart … in that, I usually create recipes that would actually appeal to us and would hit our everyday dinner table. As an on-the-go family with young children, but one that still places a great deal of importance on family dinner time, that means healthy recipes that are easy to make, delicious, quick to table, and use commonly sourced ingredients, and I think this is something that appeals to a lot of people.

And this Turkey Bolognese recipe hits those notes easily.

My daughter will eat pasta seven days a week if I let her, and my son, well, much less. As for me? Since I’m following most of Whole30’s core principles, I’m not eating pasta at all. So for my first recipe with Cucina Antica, I focused on a meal that I could make but adapt so we could all enjoy it … but not keep me in the kitchen feeling like a short order cook. That means spaghetti for my daughter, zucchini noodles for me, and half and half for my son … and bolognese sauce all around!

Because the Cucina Antica sauce line is all natural, it has no added sugar, no preservatives, and is gluten-free. It uses imported tomatoes (no tomato paste here!), and the ingredients are all completely pronounceable and clean, and a jar of their Tomato Basil made a delicious simmer-all-day flavor for my bolognese.

I started by cooking onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and then the ground turkey. Once that was done, I added a jar of the Tomato Basil sauce, warmed it through and served it over the noodles.

Which means a healthy dinner that we all loved was on the table in under thirty minutes.

Take that, Rachael Ray!

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Recipe: Roasted Tomato Salsa {Whole30}

March 19, 2018 · Narrative

Fresh homemade salsa is one of those things that is so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bought it from a grocery store shelf. Let’s talk about this Roasted Tomato Salsa – delicious, simple, and Whole30-approved!

Would you buy a cookbook based on just one recipe? I mean, like, it’s kind of akin to buying it based on just the cover photo, right? You get hooked, and that’s that.

That’s kind of where I am right now. I happened to catch an episode of ABC’s The Chew last week, and boxer Laila Ali was the guest. Given how focused she and her family are on athletics, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that she’s also very into eating a clean and healthy diet. She was talking about her new cookbook, Food for Life, and shared the recipe for this Roasted Tomato Salsa. Once I saw how easy it was, and that it was Whole30-compliant, I googled for the recipe and here we are.

And honestly, it could not be simpler to make. Roasting the vegetables, seriously, makes a world of difference. Just a little bit of time in the oven, and then the blender, and you’ll be rewarded with the most delicious, fresh salsa ever.

It tastes great when accompanied with plantain chips (homemade, if you’re doing Whole30), as a side with eggs, or even as a topping for grilled chicken. After it’s made, it will last in your fridge for about a week … you know, if you don’t polish it off beforehand!

I haven’t bought the cookbook … yet.

Hungry for more Whole30 recipes?
This zucchini recipe is seriously one of my favorites and is so quick to make.
These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are in a weekly rotation in our home.
Just thinking about these buttery, warm Avocado Fries is making my mouth water.

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Recipe: Japanese Zucchini & Onions {Whole30}

March 4, 2018 · Narrative, Whole30

A very simple and quick side dish that is packed with flavor and Whole30 compliant. Let’s dig in to Japanese Zucchini and Onions!

My go-to method of having zucchini is usually making them into zucchini noodles (aka zoodles), but to be honest, zucchini is usually a take-it-or-leave-it vegetable for me. I don’t mind it and will eat it, but I don’t really crave it, so sometimes you want to change it up a bit, and here we are. This dish seriously takes less than ten minutes to make and was so packed with flavor, I may or may not have licked the plate when I was done.

True story.

I also made it two more times that week.

Yes. It’s that good.

A simple slicing of the zucchini to make bite-size strips, thin slicing of the onions and mushrooms, add in some seasonings, stir fry it, and devour.

And if you happen to be following Whole30, paleo, or just like to eat clean, this recipe hits all those marks. I served it alongside some lemon grilled chicken, but it would be equally delicious with some fish or a host of other main entrees.

And, tbh, I just ate a small plate of it for lunch one day as well.

Hungry for more zucchini recipes?
This recipe for Zucchini and Carrot Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce isn’t Whole30, but it’s still fresh and delicious.
Baked Zucchini Fries are a perfect side dish to hamburgers.
If I’m in the mood for zucchini noodles, this recipe is one of my favorites.

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