Week 2 Autoimmune Paleo Meal Plan & Recipes

Wow I am so floored at the response I got on my last meal plan for Week 1 that I decided to upload another week to help those of you who are wanting to follow the AIP (autoimmune paleo protocol) out :)

Every couple days I will be uploading another week full of recipes and a meal plan so make sure you head back to check it out! I am a creature of habit so my favorite recipes you may see carried over to a few of the meals the next week or so. Hopefully they're some of your favorites as well ;)

Recipes:

1. Homemade Bone Broth

2. Breakfast Cherry Pudding

3. Crockpot Italian Beef
4. Crockpot Spaghetti squash 
5. Coconut chicken: Take chicken breasts and slice in 1/2. Place in skillet with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and cook until done. Make sure you flip over every 5 minutes. 
6.  Roasted Pork Tenderloin 
7. Spaghetti and Meatballs 
8.Paleo Pizza with Nomato Sauce
9. Crockpot Turkey Meatballs with Pesto and Spaghetti Squash 

Week 1 Autoimmune Paleo Calendar and Recipes!

It's that time of year where the #1 New Years Resolution is to LOSE weight. I get it :) I'm right there along with all of you. However, my goals go DEEPER. I want to be in "remission" from my thyroid symptoms and with the switch of my nutrition, I am on my way! 

I wanted to be able to share with you all the recipes and meal plan that I have put together for myself. If this this something you all want to see, I will continue to share these! There are SO many awesome recipes out there for autoimmune paleo! You don't have to get "bored", but it will take some getting used to. It's quite a switch to start eating non processed foods, but your body will THANK you. 

My recommendation for eating-- if it didn't come from the earth or have a mama, don't eat it! ;) 

Here is my week 1 AIP recipes! ENJOY :) If you look below the picture there are links directly to all the recipes on this weeks meal plan!

Recipes:

1.Homemade BONE BROTH
2. Green Juice (2 stalks of celery, 1/2 english cucumber, 1 cup chard, 1/2 cup organic apple, juiced in a juicer)
3. Cherry Breakfast Pudding
4. Breakfast meat patty
5. spaghetti and meatballs  (nomato sauce recipe)
6. Fabulous fish stir fry
7. paleo chicken piccata
8.roasted pork tenderloin 
9. crockpot turkey meatballs with pesto and spaghetti squash

Paleo Cookie Dough Bites

If you're ANYTHING like me, I love my SWEETS but hate the way they make me feel afterwards. I was searching for SOMETHING I could make this year that would make me feel like I was eating something sinful, but wouldn't leave me curled up in a ball afterwards. 

And then I found this beautiful creation…. Paleo Cookie Dough Bites! Super easy to make and so good, no one will know they're "healthy" ;) 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1½ tablespoons coconut milk, full fat
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon raw honey
• ¾ cup blanched almond flour
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips, plus more for drizzling

Instructions

1. whisk together the coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla and honey
2. using a rubber spatula, gently mix in the almond flour until ingredients are combined. Be careful not to over mix or the batter will become oily.
3. fold in the chocolate chips and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes
4. roll chilled dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
5. melt chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water
6. drizzle chocolate over each cookie dough bite or dip the end of the cookie dough bite in like a buckeye :) 

Recipe make 10 cookie dough bites. Store in the refrigerator.

SO excited to hear what you and your family think of these this holiday season!! 

How to properly Dry Brush & why it's IMPORTANT!

While healing my thyroid, it was recommended I start "dry brushing". Honestly, I had NEVER heard the term before and when told what it was I thought, "eh I'll skip that part!" It wasn't until I really hit rock bottom that I realized I needed to give this a try. 

Two weeks in to dry brushing and I'm addicted! I can feel my circulation working MUCH better along with my skin feeling so much softer! So why is dry brushing important??

1. It stimulates your lymphatic system! This helps you avoid getting sick and aids in eliminating toxins from your body!

2. It helps you EXFOLIATE! Dry brushing removes the dead skin (sick right?), opens up your pores AND gives your skin that nice glow look to it.

3. Increases circulation so that you are no longer freezing all the time! Your blood will actually flow to those feet and hands ;)  It also encourages the elimination of metabolic waste. 

4. Stress Relief! It helps you calm your mind & reduce muscle tension when done in a warm, quiet place. 

5. Improves digestion & kidney function 

6. It's ADDICTING! If you need something to be addicted to, this is the perfect thing! It's one of those things that just feels so good and IS so good for you!


So how do you do it?

First you'll need a high-quality dry brush. Look for one with bristles made from natural materials. They should feel stiff but not overly so. Ideally, choose a brush with a long handle so you can reach your entire back and other hard-to-reach spots. You can find the brush I use by clicking here !

Dry skin brushing should be done daily for best results, or even twice a day if you like. Try incorporating it into your normal daily routine, such as doing your brushing before your morning shower and then again after work (avoid doing it too close to bedtime, as it may leave you feeling energized). I always do mine as soon as I shower in the morning so it gets me feel energized, refreshed and read to take on the day!

When brushing, always brush toward your heart, which is best for circulation and your lymphatic system. You can brush your entire body (including the soles of your feet). Start at your feet and work your way up your legs to your arms, chest, back, and stomach. Avoid brushing your face (unless you have a special brush designed for this delicate skin)!

The pressure you apply while brushing your skin should be firm but not painful (avoid "scrubbing"). Your skin should be pink after a session (not red or irritated) and you can brush for as long (or as little) as you'd like. An average dry brushing session may last between two and 20 minutes. Mine usually is about 2-3 which is about how long I can get myself to stand still!

Hope this is helpful! I know by adding it in to my daily routine, I have already seen so many changes in the glow of my skin as well as my energy levels. Excited for you to try it out!!

If you're looking for a group to hold you accountable to your goals to get healthier and fitter, and you're struggling with thyroid issues, make sure you apply to be in my next "21 Days to Jumpstart Your Thyroid" group by clicking here 

Banana and Cream Oatmeal

With the weather changing I was getting a bit bummed I couldn't have my favorite breakfast meal-oatmeal! I remember growing up and having that for breakfast EVERY morning along with some fresh fruit! Unfortunately, I've realized that gluten doesn't agree with me very well. I knew there HAD to be an alternative to this breakfast favorite of mine that wouldn't hurt me. And then I discovered Banana and cream oatmeal!Oh my heavens! It tastes amazing and is super easy to make!! Read below for the recipe ;)

Banana and Cream Oatmeal:

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 tbsp coconut butter (I used Marantha)
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mash your banana and add the Celtic sea salt and cinnamon.
2. Warm the coconut manna/butter in sauce pan over low heat.
3. When it's runny and warm remove from the heat and scoop it into the banana mixture.
4. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Overnight Cherry Breakfast Pudding!

Okay this "pudding" is UNREAL it's so good! 

Honestly, when I started doing Auto Immune Paleo (AIP) I really wasn't looking forward to it! I was focusing so much on the things I "couldn't have" that I forgot about the things I COULD have. I am enjoying all of the recipes I have found that are AIP approved! Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Overnight Cherry Breakfast Pudding

Ingredients

1. Native Forest Whole Fat Coconut Milk
2. 1 bag of frozen dark cherries
3. 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract (optional)

Instructions

1. Pour the bag of cherries and the can of coconut milk into a small pot.
2. Heat on low for 5 minutes to melt the cherries
3. Puree mixture with a hand/immersion blender
4. Pour into 4 ramekins and cover
5. Chill in refrigerator overnight

Optional

1. Stir hemp, chia or flax seed into pudding after its chilled. Sometimes I dust with cinnamon in the morning too.

**Recipe created by Jen Wittman**

Your body is a TEMPLE!Why LESS is MORE when it comes to weightloss!

After a few weeks of reflecting… I finally was able to connect the dots on WHY I have been suffering from all these "conditions" -- candida, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, hormonal imbalances etc etc etc., I wasn't treating my body like a temple.

It's so easy to fall in to treating our bodies like they're not "enough". We obsess over the way we look and never stop and realize that what we are doing on a daily basis could be the reasons WHY our bodies are rebelling against us. 

When it comes to LOVING your body-- less is MORE. Killing ourselves in hours upon hours of high intensity work outs or cutting out calories down to pretty much NOTHING is not the way our bodies were intended to be treated. When we do those sort of things it causes stress on EVERYTHING-- which in turn leads to more stress put on our organ & food sensitivities that come out of NO WHERE and guess what?? Usually leads to unwanted WEIGHT GAIN! 

That's not very fun huh?? 

You'd think that by eating less and working out more-- like society tells us to do to lose weight-- we'd lose weight! Quite the contrary!! 

What do I believe will bring you results??

My TOP tips:

1. Treat your body with respect- stop the negative talk and focus on the things you LOVE about yourself!

2. Less is more-- focus on getting in 30 min of exercise daily-- that's all you NEED to reap the benefits of exercise!

3. Focus in on your nutrition- you want to make sure you're eating ENOUGH calories to keep a healthy metabolism. Many of you would be shocked at how many calories you can really eat to lose weight! Waaaay more than the 1200 number I keep seeing floating around! 

Eat MORE natural, unprocessed food and LESS processed junk! If it came from the earth or had a mama you're good to go 

4. Take a chill pill- seriously... CHILL OUT! Give yourself time everyday just to relax and unwind. Your body NEEDS that to fight off the daily stresses that pop up. Stress is one of the worst things for our health!!! 

Think you could put these in to action? Know someone these tips could help? Make sure you share these with them!!