Whole30 and Beyond

I have cranked up my cooking classes again (which have surprisingly gotten very popular lately...had to put a cap on the number of people descending on our kitchen for messy activities such as making pasta from scratch...it was fun, but, whew! That's a lot of eggs) and wow, are we having a good time!

My family and I completed the Whole30 challenge in January, and although I would say that not everyone 'enjoyed' it, I did. Maybe because I poured my heart and soul into in the kitchen all month. Maybe because I definitely saw some improvement in the way I feel, slept, energy levels, etc. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has the time to devote to meal planning and cooking. I learned so much about myself and my relationship to food, and learned a bunch of new things in the kitchen, too. I ended up making all kinds of things from scratch: mayonnaise, almond milk, bacon (yep - can anyone say 'pork belly?'), and salad dressings.

I thought it would be awesome to pass along some of what I learned to my cooking class, so we had a BforD (Breakfast for Dinner) last night. (*note: cheese is a no-no on the Whole30 but I introduced it last night as an option for those not following the diet)

Menu: Frittata, Sausage, and Banana Pancakes

Frittata is awesome because it is so easy, kinda gourmet, and can be different every time. It lets a new cook feel a huge sense of accomplishment while allowing so much freedom to be creative. And you can use leftover meat, veggies or cheese. No special ingredients necessary. 

Frittata
Ingredients and Instructions:
A cast iron skillet, small if you are just making enough for one or two.
Olive oil
Vegetables: can be fresh or already cooked, leftovers are great! Mushrooms, onions, garlic, peppers, spinach, kale, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, etc.
Meat, if desired: ground beef, pork, chicken, shrimp
Cheese: whatever!

Heat oil in skillet. Saute vegetables and/or meats til thoroughly cooked. Season if desired with s&p, oregano, thyme, sage...be creative!

When saute is complete, add beaten eggs, one or two per person. Turn heat to medium-low and let eggs cook until they are almost set. Add cheese on top if desired and place in broiler for a few minutes until frittata is completely cooked (eggs will be set) and cheese is melted and browning.
Remove from oven and serve.

Sausage
Most ready-made sausage has sugar in it, so I wanted to find a way to enjoy this breakfast treat in a Whole30 compliant way. This recipe would also work with ground chicken or turkey.

1 pound of ground pork
1 t. each of garlic powder, thyme, oregano, sage, celery seed, parsley
1/2 t. each of salt and red pepper flakes
(you can adjust these seasonings to your liking)
Mix together and fry in saute pan.

Easy peasy.

Banana Pancakes (and technically, you're not supposed to eat pancakes while on the Whole30, although I'm not sure why???)
My daughter brought this one home from college, and it's become a staple around here.

The basic recipe is 2 ingredients: a small banana and 1 egg. But I thought they needed a little more substance so I beefed them up a little.

Per person, makes 2 pancakes:
1 small banana
1 egg
1 1/2 t. coconut flour
1/4 t. baking soda
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Few drops of vanilla

Put all ingredients in a blender and pulse a few times to combine. Spray non-stick skillet with coconut oil and cook like regular pancakes. You can add berries or pecans, or top with a crushed and cooked berry mixture.

Love filling up this big table with happy faces!