Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Coconut milk and other meal prep...

Yesterday I was a busy bee after grocery shopping.  I'm committed to setting myself up for success for the Whole30, so I am getting in the mode NOW.  Here are a few shots of my day yesterday....


Breakfast: Chicken breasts with curry powder and pepper, cooked in coconut oil

Prepped radishes for snacking. I saved the greens too for salads and smoothies

Dinner.  I love doing chicken this way.  Just toss it in the crockpot and let it go. 
 I picked the carcass after dinner and plan on making lettuce rolls for dinner tonight. I also threw it back in the crockpot over night and now I have a lovely chicken stock to store in the freezer to be used as needed.
My silly boy was helping me prep the kale.

He was good at tearing the leaves into bite sized pieces

Dressing for the kale.  Mustard, olive oil and juice from half a lemon + pepper

Ready to be dressed

Dump on the olive oil mixture

Massage away...about 2-3 minutes till it wilts and softens

Pure deliciousness.  I like to let the flavors "marinate" for at least an hour before eating.

Next it was coconut time.
 This step is messy.  A big heavy knife will help crack the  coconut open.  (Do a google search for "how to open a coconut").  Make sure you have a vessel ready to catch the coconut water.

I strained the water through a cheesecloth into a bowl, then it went in a cup in the fridge for later use.

After prying the flesh from the shell
 I placed the flesh into my trusty Vitamix and poured hot water over it (almost boiling, but not quite).  I let it it sit while I used my vegetable peeler to clean and shave more flesh for toasting.  Then I let it whirl for a couple minutes.  It then went through the cheesecloth again (makes sure you squeeze the pulp in the cheesecloth).  

The fruits of my labor.  Gorgeous fresh coconut milk.  I think I might need to invest in a bigger carafe.
Toasted coconut flakes for snacking


After school: The kids asked to squeeze oranges from the backyard.  Why not?

Dinner: Chicken from the crockpot, asparagus and mashed cauliflower.
The cauliflower has a bit of parmesean cheese in it.  When I start the Whole30, I'll have to tweak the recipe.

While it may seem like I had an awesome day, the truth is I went a little nutso about 10 o'clock last night.  Nothing good comes from late night eating. 

So far today I've had coconut milk in my coffee and I plan on making a big green smoothie shortly.  I am still debating on whether to continue logging my foods using MyFitnessPal while on the Whole30. 

Happy Hump Day! 



   

4 comments:

Kristen @ Change of Pace said...

OMMMMMGGG! Coconut milk! I love it. I've gotta do that. I'm totally opposite of you. As the days are ticking by I'm already planning on a splurge of pizza for dinner tomorrow ;)

Mrs Swan said...

would you mind sharing the ratio of the dressing ingredients? When I try and wing it- it sucks LOL I have been meaning to try the massaged kale thing. TY!

Jess @ PaleoJess said...

Love the coconut milk! I've been cleaning out my cupboards getting ready for Whole30...4 more sleeps :-)

Amber said...

Definitely getting pumped for April as I'm doing the Whole30 over on my blog too :) I haven't tried massaged kale yet... I'm a wuss haha.