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I don’t know if you guys have tried Num Num BBQ sauce (I got mine from Whole Foods) but my friend Daphne introduced me to it when she brought it over for our dinner the other night, and I was blown away. Now granted, I haven’t had a lot of BBQ sauce over the past 7 or so years because it is hard to find one that doesn’t have a lot of sugar or other gross ingredients. I know, picky, picky, but even with those complaints I still wasn’t willing to make my own. Anyway after trying this Country Boy’s Mustard Num Num sauce with our dinner, and while Daphne was giving my husband a lacrosse lesson in the kitchen, I blurted out “I’ve got a new dish I’m going to make with this sauce!!” Clearly I wasn’t as focused as much on lacrosse as everyone else was…

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Sometimes I will wait to post a recipe just to make sure we love it as is and won’t need any tweaks. Well, it has only bee a few weeks and already we have made this recipe 4 times. It’s now a new staple in our household and there is little that gets me more excited than finding a new staple meal. We love it so much my daughter has been taking it to school to have as a part of her lunch for the past few weeks. Oh and she came up with the name, too, if you couldn’t tell.

You’ll see the recipes calls for avocado oil or butter as the cooking fat. We did try it with avocado once and with butter another time, and, honestly, it tasted pretty much the same so feel free to use whatever you have around! I hope you love this meal as much as we do!

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BBQ Chicken Slaw Delight
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Ingredients
  1. 1 rotisserie chicken
  2. 1 cabbage chopped or 1 pack pre-cut cabbage
  3. 4 tbsp avocado oil or pure butter, half for the cabbage and half (avocado oil) for once it's done cooking.
  4. 2 tsp sea salt
  5. 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  6. 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
  7. Add on after all cooked
  8. 1/2 cup Num Num Mustard BBQ Sauce
  9. 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
  10. 4 scallions, centers chopped
  11. cook with avocado oil or butter until brown and mostly cooked.
  12. add salt garlic powder smoked paprika (optional), scallions.
  13. once done, add cabbage back to pan and stir in bbq sauce and cilantro.
Instructions
  1. In a large pan, add 2 tbsp avocado oil or butter and saute cabbage until it starts to soften and turn brown.
  2. Tear apart the rotisserie chicken and set that in the cooked cabbage.
  3. Stir in the avocado oil, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, scallions, & bbq sauce.
  4. Then garnish with scallions and cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
  1. EDITED 2/16 - I actually like it best with a whole or rotisserie chicken. The juices from the cooked chicken breast can dilute the flavor some. For a quick easy and even tastier meal, try the rotisserie!!
Stir It Up! https://stiritup.me/

  • Melissa - I totally agree about this sauce! I discovered it, as well as the regular BBQ flavor, during a tasting that they were having at Whole Foods about a year or so ago. It is delicious and pretty healthy on the ingredient scale – looking forward to trying your recipe. Thanks!ReplyCancel

  • Robyn - Can’t wait to try it. My DIL is a vegetarian think this would also work with mushrooms?

    DO you know if Sprouts has this BBQ sauce?

    Thanks!!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - I do not know re Sprouts, sorry Robyn. I think it would be great with any variety of mild tasting veggies though like shredded brussel sprouts, broccoli slaw, etc. Hope you can find it!ReplyCancel

I work with many clients that will say, “I’m eating clean, but I still just can’t lose any weight.” It must be old age, right? Well, sometimes it is. But many times, when we gain weight without any nutritional changes, it isn’t always food related. Many times it has to do with one of these four things:

1. For women, hormone imbalances (estrogen dominance, PCOS)

Do you have breast tenderness? PMS is worse than ever? Are you gaining weight around your hips, thighs and stomach? Do your cravings for sugar or carbs spike at certain times of the month? Then you may have a hormonal imbalance. 

2. Thyroid problems (sluggish T3, low TSH)

Are you exhausted way too often, have muscle weakness, constipation, feel cold even when no one else is cold, have dry coarse hair? All could be signs that you might have a thyroid problem. 

3. Adrenal/cortisol problems (stress hormones)

Are you under a lot of stress and have a hard time sleeping through the night? Do you wake up utterly exhausted (even after a good night’s sleep)? Might be time to check your adrenal hormones like DHEA and pregnenlone. 

4. Serotonin levels (low levels in particular)

Are you irritable or short tempered, are you REALLY craving carbs (especially in the fall or winter), feeling a little blue, or feeling not very confidently lately, and/or do you have tinnitus?

These are just a few examples of the symptoms you could be experiencing. 

Fortunately, you can get lab work to see if any of these things are going on with your body (in particular it’s easy to test for the hormones, thyroid, and adrenals). It’s important to find out if you have any of these imbalances, deficiencies, and if so, why? If you have a good doctor that will accommodate you, they could order the labs for you. My office also specializes in working with many of these issues.

The good news is there are many things that can be done to correct your levels. I go regularly (every three or so months) to make sure my all hormones are where they are suppose to be (especially since sex hormones can change pretty erratically at my age) so I check numbers 1, 2 and 3 from above. Anyway, I hope this gives you something to think about if you can’t lose weight or more importantly, you just don’t quite feel like yourself lately. We all deserve to feel and be our best!

Okay, on to the food…

For the past few years we have held a slumber party for my daughter’s birthday and every year Alice always requests ribs for dinner. But, this year, even though it’s only a mere 8 months away, she has already requested “Mr. Edward’s pork loin”. It is her new favorite meal. While the pork is so flavorful, the extra marinade really makes this so delicious.  This has become a Sunday night regular, but we double the recipe so we can have it again Tuesday night. Though sometimes on the second night, we’ll use our favorite chimichurri sauce with it for a change. It’s so good!! It also goes really well with our cauliflower mash. I hope y’all love it as much as we do. Oh, and I did try to make it in the oven the other day and it wasn’t nearly as good as it was on the grill so definitely Big Green Egg it if you can!

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Honey Lime Pork Loin
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1.5lbs
  2. 1 lime, zest (if you have a zester)
  3. 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  4. 1/4 cup raw honey
  5. 2 tsp sea salt
  6. 3-4 fresh cloves minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  7. 2 tsp olive oil
  8. 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
  1. Place the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, and garlic in a jar with a lid and shake to combine. Pour half of the marinade mixture into a freezer size resealable bag, add the pork.
  2. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
  3. Place the remaining marinade in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. Light grill and bring to medium-high heat, about 450 degrees.
  5. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
  6. Remove the tenderloin from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
  7. Slice and add your remaining marinade.
Notes
  1. You must use the extra marinade for dipping. That's partly what makes it so good!
Stir It Up! https://stiritup.me/

 

  • tricia - This could not come at a better time. I am 45 and starting the hormonal change. I want to go the natural route, and my mother had hrt which increased her estrogen too much, and resulted in breast cancer. I am going to look into the evening primose and the Calcium D. I also take regular Calcium tablets. Would I continue with those as well.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Tricia, Just be sure to not guess and get labs drawn (same time of the month) so you can compare and know you are giving you body what it needs. Def don’t want to guess and esp with your family history. If anything you might want to make sure your estrogen doesn’t go too high. The DIM or Calcium D Glucarate might make more sense for you but again, hard to say without labs. Best of luck! And sorry for my delay. Somehow I never saw these comments!!ReplyCancel

  • Michelle - The pork looks delish! Yum!ReplyCancel

  • Christine - Hi there! Thank you for posting this! If your blood work comes back and says your adrenals are fatigued and your T3 is sluggish etc., do you address these soley with diet and supplements or do you ever take medication? I’ve had issues with all of the above and I’m ashamed to admit I’m too hooked on “healthy” sweets and red wine to heal myself!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Christine, Diet can help a lot but your body will likely need extra adrenal support. Sugar stresses our adrenals so maybe start with that though? Ugh I know, sorry! 🙂 But also look into adrenal support (Vitamin C, ashwaganda, etc).ReplyCancel

  • Savanna Colwell - Just wanted to let you know Ryan and I are making this tonight! I started it last night with the marinade and it smelled so good! Can’t wait to throw it on the grill when we get home tonight. PS, Your blog helps our “newlywed” dinner ideas more than you know.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Ha, that is so great! Thanks for your sweet note Savanna!!ReplyCancel

  • Paula - Did you add the olive oil and cilantro to marinade with the pork tenderloin in the bag or add later?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Yes, add half the marinade with the pork in the bag and save the other half for drizzling on the pork once it’s done. Sorry if I left that out!ReplyCancel

Hi all! Sorry it has been so long, but hopefully you can expect some more posts coming up soon. I have some good, educational ones on the horizon I’m excited to share. Anyway, I hope your new year is going well so far!

So did anyone make a resolution to eat better or feed your family better for this year? Sometimes the hardest part about making healthier habits is feeling like you’re doing it alone. Multiple studies show that one of the biggest things that can help someone succeed in setting new goals is to do it with friends for accountability and support. 

A part of what I do â€“ aside from individual nutritional consulting â€“ is to lead group sessions on health and nutrition. Over the years, I’ve delivered talks on getting and staying on a wellness track. I lectured about discerning dietary myth from fact. Taught about what helps our metabolisms be as efficient as possible and how to keep inflammation at bay. My point…Want to learn AND have some fun? Need a girl’s night out? If you and your friends want to pick someone’s house, grab a few healthy apps (OK, and some wine), let’s slate a session to discuss how you and your family can feel better. If you’re interested, shoot me an email with the number attending, and I can send you pricing (and I promise, it can be cheaper than going out to dinner). I’m afraid this only pertains to the local Atlanta area. My email is landriav@gmail.com

Okay, on to the food…

Speaking of Atlanta, if you live in Atlanta, have you ever had the fried parmesan cauliflower from Yeah Burger? Oh my goodness it is SO good. 

“Crazy Cauliflower” from Yeah Burger

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Anyway, Alice and I love their cauliflower so much we thought we would try to recreate it. While we didn’t have a fryer or any parmesan, our new recipe completely exceeded our expectations. Honestly, I was going to make two batches. The first one without parmesan and the second with…but you know what? We didn’t need to do it. It just didn’t need the parmesan. The dish already was super tasty and bursting with flavor!  Alice said in some ways, it was actually “better than Yeah Burger’s.” I had to literally wrestle with her for this dish. I held both of her arms with one of my hands and had to reach over her to get a bite (we were of course laughing while doing this). I gave Tate a bite while he was doing some screen time and he didn’t respond at first because he so focused on his show. And then he stopped… looked over and said “WOAH, mom. That is AMAZING!!!!”. This recipe is no ordinary roasted cauliflower.

stiritup.meOne happy girl…
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It’s so easy to make and you can even get your cauliflower pre-cut from Whole Foods or some of the other stores if you would like…

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I hope you guys LOVE this as much as we do!

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THE BEST Roasted Cauliflower
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Ingredients
  1. 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
  2. 3 tbsp coconut oil
  3. 1 tsp sea salt
  4. 2 garlic cloves
  5. 1 tbsp lemon juice
  6. 1/2 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
  7. 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425F.
  2. Place the cut cauliflower in bowl and add melted coconut oil and salt and stir well.
  3. Cook for 25 or so minutes flipping about half way though.
  4. While that is cooking, in the bowl you used earlier, mix together the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil
  5. For the last 5 minutes, turn the oven on broil 500 to get it get a little more brown if you would like.
  6. Once the cauliflower is brown and tender, remove it from oven, pour it back into the bowl and stir until the cauliflower is well coated with the lemon, garlic and olive oil.
  7. Place the cauliflower on a large plate, garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Notes
  1. Even though I used the pre-cut cauliflower, I still cut it a bit more so it would be thinner and have more sides to brown and soak up the lemon, garlic, olive oil mixture.
Stir It Up! https://stiritup.me/

  • Laura Pope - yum! Going to try today. Now if you could find out how to make those yeah burger Brussels sprouts I’d love you even more, if that’s even possible.ReplyCancel

  • ania - LOVE this dish. Goes really well with fish. So easy too!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Oh good thought! Glad you love it as much as we do!!ReplyCancel

I was starting to plan out my Christmas eve dinner list, and one thing kept popping to the top of my list – this chocolate pudding pie. But it’s not any old chocolate pie. It is my VERY favorite dessert. Very. Favorite. And, I’ve never made it. Maybe that is part of why I love it so.

My daughter Alice found the recipe last year on the Against All Grain web site and it has been her signature dessert (aside from Molten Lava cakes) ever since. The only ingredient that some of you may not have is gelatin. You can still order it on Amazon prime and get it on time. It’s good to have around anyway. We use it for our gummies, also. 

My sweet husband tried to make it for my birthday and instead of cinnamon, he accidentally used cumin. Eeek! I’m not sure if that’s worse that pepper and poppyseeds but apparently we all need to slow down. I hope you get to slow down, enjoy some good quality time with family and friends for the holidays, and have a fantastic new year! 

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Happy holidays!!

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INGREDIENTS from Against All Grain:

Pudding

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix your crust ingredients and press the dough into a 9-inch pie pan or a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake your crust for 12 minutes, until it is golden around the ridge.
  3. Let the crust cool completely while you prepare your pudding. To save time, you can make the crust the day before and keep it wrapped tightly until you’re ready to use it.
  4. Soften the gelatin by placing it in a small bowl with the vanilla extract.
  5. Warm the coconut milk over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes, being careful not to let it boil.
  6. Whisk the egg yolks, maple syrup, and salt in a small bowl.
  7. Slowly pour the hot coconut milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to temper the eggs. Pour the entire liquid mixture back into the pan, and continue cooking over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes while stirring constantly. You don’t want this mixture to boil and it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  8. Pour the softened gelatin and vanilla into the pan and whisk vigorously and until the gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour the mixture into a glass bowl. If you are using agar-agar, it will take longer for it to dissolve, probably about 5 minutes. If you notice a few small lumps, pass it through a mesh strainer prior to pouring it into the bowl.
  9. Stir in the chopped chocolate until it is incorporated and smooth, then let the bowl cool for 10 minutes.
  10. Pour the pudding into the pie crust, and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the pudding.
  11. Put the pie in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours until the pudding has set.
  12. Top with fresh whipped cream or coconut whipped cream and dark chocolate curls or shavings for decoration.

 

Someone recently sent me a message asking why I used so many eggs in my muffins. To me, the more protein and nutrients I can give myself and my family, the better. And, I am fortunate to have a great source for getting some nutrient-dense pasture-raised eggs.

Look how pretty they are. I love the blue ones in particular…

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You can really tell the difference in the quality of an egg by the color of the yolk. The darker and richer the color, the better. This is the yolk from the duck egg. It has a similar color to the chicken eggs I get, just a little bigger.

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So because it’s cooler out and many chickens are slowing down their egg production, I was offered duck eggs. Apparently duck eggs are even more nutritious, so I couldn’t wait to add them to my muffins! I made a double batch with my 10 precious eggs. As I was mixing everything together I was wondering how different they would taste. Well, they did taste really different and I’ll tell you why. My face is actually sweating as I’m typing this right now. So when you use duck eggs, your baked goods will taste the same…but when you use 1/4 cup of pepper, instead of 1/4 cup of poppy seeds, well, that certainly mixes things up. Ugh, I’m so mad right now! I am stubborn and I hate to waste food, especially good quality ingredients so I ate a duck-egg peppercorn muffin – hence my sweaty face. And now I have a stomach ache to go with it. Grrr. Thankfully, the second batch…the batch without pepper…turned out MUCH better.

These muffins â€“ sans the pepper â€“ are my new favorite. They are such a great change… buttery and delicious! I hope you like our new muffins and be sure to always check your labels, especially when it comes to poppyseeds and pepper. 

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Butter Poppyseed Muffins
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 cup coconut flour
  2. 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  3. 1/2 tsp baking soda
  4. 1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
  5. 5 organic eggs
  6. 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  7. 1/4 cup butter
  8. 2 tbsp canned full fat coconut milk
  9. 2 tbsp poppyseeds
  10. If you want to make yours lemon poppyseeds then add...
  11. 2 lemons juices
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Next, in a small bowl mix together the dry ingredients (coconut flour, salt, baking soda, coconut palm sugar) and set aside.
  3. Then in a medium bowl mix the wet ingredients sans the butter (eggs, coconut milk, vanilla, lemon if you use it).
  4. Now add the dry mixture to the wet and stir until smooth.
  5. Pour melted butter into bowl with the rest of the ingredients and blend everything well.
  6. Place cupcake holders in cupcake holders or greased pan and fill about 2/3 of the way full.
  7. Cook on 350 for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes and enjoy!
Stir It Up! https://stiritup.me/

 

  • Amanda Fraraccio - Hahaha; I can’t wait to make these!!! and though I feel sad for your pepper muffins I have to admit I’m glad to know I’m not the only one making those types of blunders…………..ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Ha, I’m afraid it happens all too often Amanda. And I’m so glad you liked them! They are good with the lemon, too!! Thanks for your notes! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Amanda Fraraccio - made them this afternoon (I just love that I had all the ingredients on hand, how my pantry has evolved….); and Oh my buttery goodness!!!!! Delish!ReplyCancel

  • Ania - These are lovely. The recipe made 8 muffins, so I am making another batch today.
    Thank you for this!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - So great to hear, thank you Ania!!!ReplyCancel