by Christina | Mar 31, 2017 | Wellness
The BEST Cauliflower Pizza Crust Pizzas with Betsy Schell (^^ her photography!)
**This post was written in 2017 (I used to write posts about my health protocols as I went through them, so those posts are more time-dependent), and since writing this, these health issues have been resolved. I am grateful for these experiences as they inspired me to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and health coach myself. Please remember that this post is not current – it was just a documentation of my experiences at the time.**
After I published my post about the health protocol I’ll be doing for the next 4-6 months, a lot of people asked me to write posts with updates every so often. I am happy to oblige – it’s nice to take you guys along for the ride with me. I also think it will be helpful in case any of you have to go on some kind of “protocol” – this way you can learn from my mistakes! Let’s get into it.
I’m currently on my fourth week of the protocol, so I’m getting the hang of it. Surprisingly, the time has flown!
I’m happy to report that right now, I honestly feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life. It’s incredible. About 2 weeks in, I felt like a completely different person. Things aren’t perfect, but they are monumentally better than before. What is perfect, anyways?
Let me start with the positive effects I’ve noticed. First of all, I feel full for the first time in about 2 years. I had honestly forgotten what it felt like to be satiated by food. If you didn’t read my last post about my symptoms, here’s the deal – one of my biggest issues was that I never felt full during or after meals. I had a constant hunger gnawing in my stomach, which was slowly driving me insane. According to my NTP, I always felt hungry because of my malabsorption issues and my body’s inability to properly digest fats.
I can’t explain my relief now that I am able to be satiated from food. Mentally, physically, and financially, things have become much easier. I can eat a meal, feel full, and go on with the rest of my day without feeling like a ravenous animal. The amount of food I eat at mealtimes now is much more… realistic? I don’t want to say normal, because there is no “normal” amount, really. Basically, my grocery bill is much more do-able, I don’t have to cook 24/7, and I finally feel like my body is functioning properly.
Before, I was constantly frustrated because nothing satiated my hunger. It would take me 2 days to go through the amount of food that should feed a family of four over a week. I felt out of control and stressed out. AND STILL HUNGRY. I’m glad those days are behind me now, but every day I wake up and am honestly a little scared that it’s not real, or that it’s going to go away. I’m four weeks strong, though. It makes me tear up when I think about it – that’s how relieved I am.
Along with that, now that I’m actually satiated after my meals, I have zero sugar cravings. Usually when I see photos of cookies and cupcakes and ice cream on my feed, I think, OHMYGOD NEED THAT NOW. Nowadays, I’m really unfazed. Like, sure, that looks good, but I don’t really want it. Now that my body is actually absorbing the nutrients it needs, it knows I don’t need to be a crazy psycho sugar monster all the time. I feel much more balanced. Since I can’t eat any sugar on the Candida diet, anyways, it’s definitely nice that I don’t crave it or think about it anymore.
The second huge change I’ve noticed is that I don’t have physical pain when I eat or after I eat. I had gotten so used to the stabbing pains and intense cramping that came with every bit of food I put in my mouth, that I honestly hadn’t realized how bad it had gotten until it finally went away. It wasn’t until more recently that this went away pretty much completely, which I will explain more thoroughly in a second. I had a few slip ups that reverted my progress, but in the past week or two – no pain. IT’S A MIRACLE. The fact that I can finally eat food without it feeling like someone is twisting a knife in my stomach is a serious game changer.
My bloating is pretty much completely gone, and my bowel movements are much better. Sorry if you don’t like talking about bowel movements, but that’s part of this. Up until this week, I was still having a really bad time with that. However, this week things have been much more normal, and I’m hoping the pattern continues.
I slipped up a few times during Expo West, which really put my stomach out of whack. A restaurant put pepper on my avocado after I asked them not to, and I ate it anyways. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but it really screwed up my stomach. I was also eating way too many cruciferous vegetables during that time because those were the types of veggies available to me. I was just trying to eat foods that I wasn’t intolerant to, and I didn’t want to worry about amounts. That set me off track, though. My gut is really sensitive right now as it’s healing, and I have to be gentle with it.
Eating out more often during Expo West, including eating my own food that I packed, made me realize that it’s honestly more stress than it’s worth. And that stress negatively affects my stomach. When I first found out about the protocol, I was really upset that I wouldn’t be able to eat out at restaurants and that I would have to cancel the trips I had planned. However, I’m okay with that decision now. The fact that I feel so much better already makes it worth it, and I realized that the stress of trying to make sure I’m avoiding my food intolerances, packing all of my pills, not annoying everyone around me, etc. is really just not worth it. I’m much happier cooking for myself at home where I don’t have to worry about any of that.
As of right now, the only symptoms I’m having are a) pains if I slip up and eat foods on my intolerance list, and b) still kind of unpredictable bowel movements. I really want to get my digestion completely on track. The other thing I’ve been dealing with are breakouts. I usually never break out unless I eat something that upsets my gut. However, the breakouts don’t really make sense to me right now because I’m not eating anything inflammatory. I have two suspicions. 1. It might have been from some supplements I was taking that I recently found out I shouldn’t have been consuming. 2. My NTP says that it’s probably a detox reaction. My body is finally pushing out the toxins, and detoxing through the skin is one way it’s doing that.
So, what’s been making the biggest difference for me? First of all, taking out the foods that my body was reacting to. Second, supporting my liver and gallbladder properly. I think that being able to properly digest fats has made a world of a difference, and that is the key factor in my satiety. I also think that successfully adding in probiotics has slowly but surely been having a huge positive impact on my digestion. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to add in probiotics without complications, which I’m really excited about.
I’ve also realized that I was eating way too many vegetables before, and it was really screwing up my digestion. I still love my veggies and eat a lot of them, but nowhere near the amount I was eating previously. There have been a few days where I ate larger amounts of vegetables, more closely to what I used to, and I honestly felt horrible afterwards. This has been an interesting realization for me.
I also mentioned on social media that I’ve been trying really hard to properly chew my food. I’ve never been one to speed through a meal, but I eat even more slowly now. I try to chew my food until it is really pulverized in my mouth, which has made it much easier for me to digest. I started thinking about this because in my Balanced Bites Master Class, Diane and Liz mentioned how important it is to chew your food at least 20 times before swallowing. After that, I realized I definitely don’t chew my food 20 times. I inhale it. Since making an effort to really chew my food, I feel like my digestion has really improved.
There were a few other things I slipped up on that I want to talk about, and it has to do with doctor-patient communication, which is so important. I have found that this is such a huge factor in patient results, and it’s something a lot of people don’t talk about. I am working with an NTP and a functional medicine doctor, and sometimes what they say conflicts. They aren’t checking each other, and I’m kind of the middle (wo)man between them.
Long story short, my doctor had me taking a few pills that were actually worsening my problems, and it wasn’t until about a week and a half ago that I realized it. I take responsibility for not checking the ingredients more thoroughly. You should never just blindly trust any supplement your doctor suggests. Basically, one of the pills had traces of soy and dairy in it. Safe to say, removing that eliminated a lot of my problems. I think that might have been causing some of my breakouts, as well. A few of the other pills contained some of the ingredients that my body is reacting to right now, like turmeric and ginger, which means I was still ingesting those every day, furthering my inflammation. This is why it’s hard to work with two different practitioners. Communication is everything. All I can say is to make sure you learn from my mistakes!
The bad news is that because I was taking those pills, my protocol might be extended a month longer. There’s no way to know until I retest, though. The good news is, my NTP was going to shorten my protocol by a month anyways, so now things have kind of evened out. I’m going to retest in two months and we will go from there.
As far as the food goes, I feel like I’ve done well with not letting it get too repetitive, but I’ll admit, it’s still pretty repetitive. I’m running out of ideas. I’m hoping that I’ll have more time to be creative now that I’ve graduated. I’ve been experimenting more with chia puddings, breakfast smoothies, and eggs in the morning. If you follow me on social media, you know I’ve been obsessed with my skillet meals! For dinner, I’ve been having fun with cauliflower pizza, sea veggies, and other veggies that I never bought before.
There are really only a few changes I’m making from here on out, per my NTP’s request. The first is that I really have to stick to limiting the amounts of foods that I’m supposed to be limiting. For example, there are a few foods I can only have 2-3 times a week, but I was having them closer to 4 or 5 times a week. I would have leftovers of those foods and didn’t want to throw them away, so I would eat them again. To remedy that, I started keeping a tally of those foods on my fridge so I don’t forget how many times I’ve eaten them that week. I’m also going to eat those foods in larger amounts so that I can have them fewer times overall each week, if that makes sense. Before, I was only supposed to have one cup of those foods each time I ate them, but now if I have more than one cup at a time, I won’t have leftovers and will truly be able to eat them only 2-3 times each week. Such a puzzle.
Another big adjustment I need to make is to eat my meals earlier in the evening. I think this will be good for me because I’ve been wanting to shift my sleeping schedule anyways, now that I’m not in school. I’m notorious for eating dinner really late, right before I go to bed. While there’s no problem with eating something before bed if you’re hungry, my NTP explained to me why it’s not great to be in a habit of eating your last full meal of the day right before you go to sleep. She explained there is actually a correlation between people who eat their last meal late at night and SIBO!
While our digestive processes should function no matter what, gravity does help a little. So if you eat a huge meal and immediately lay down to sleep, and you do that every single night, it will take longer for your food to pass through your digestive system and could cause some fermentation in the gut, especially for those of us who are prone to that. I had never realized this before, so I’m really glad she brought this up! She told me to try to leave at least 2-3 hours between dinner and bedtime, so that’s my new goal. If I am actually genuinely hungry before bed after dinner, then I will of course still eat. However, I haven’t had that problem since getting my hunger signals back in check.
Lastly, I’m going to keep trying to add more fermented foods into my diet. I’m adding more probiotics slowly, but I really want to get fermented foods in there, as well. It’s a little hard because I can’t have cabbage, but I’m looking into other options! I recently got a fermented hot sauce, which I’m very intrigued by.
Overall, I’m really really happy with my progress. Amazed, actually. I feel better than I have ever felt, and it gives me hope that this will actually be the last “protocol” I ever have to go on. All good things! I am going to be disregarding the protocol rules on my birthday next week, so we will see how that goes. I will keep you guys updated and check in again in another month!
by Christina | Mar 28, 2017 | Recipes, Wellness
Happy Monday, lovely! My last post about graduating was a long one, so I thought I’d pop in with a quick and easy recipe (if you can even call it that) to even things out. It’s my first week as a college graduate, and I’m seriously on Cloud 9. Part of me has no idea what to do with myself. I’m taking this week “off” for spring break, and then heading to work full-time starting next week! Although, let’s be honest… do I ever really take a week “off”?! (Laughable.)
Since it’s Monday, you know what that means… a new episode of Actually Adultish is out! This week’s episode is an interview with fitness influencer Katie Austin, who is quite the inspiration. She’s super real, down-to-earth, positive, and just a breath of fresh air. I love her energy. On the podcast episode, we chatted a little bit about healthy eats (of course), and I mentioned one of my favorite “snacks”… cinnamon roasted nuts! It honestly never even crossed my mind to post this because it’s so simple, but mentioning it to Katie made me realize that I might as well. Sometimes the simple things in life are the best things, right?
Candied pecans are one of my absolute favorite treats to make during the holidays, and they’re always a crowd-pleaser. About two years ago I used that as inspo to come up with a “candied” nut recipe without the sugar. You know, something for an everyday snack. Something quick and easy.
People always ask me for snack suggestions. I’m not really a snacker, TBH, but I always keep things on hand in case I get in a bind. Those tend to be avocados, canned fish, and nuts. I always have a bag of nuts with me. I prefer organic, raw nuts – usually walnuts, pecans, and almonds, but I know some people want something a little… extra.
If you don’t like raw nuts, then definitely try this out! Cinnamon-spiced nuts have a warm, candy-like flavor without the sugar, and the nutmeg gives it a little somethin’ extra. Roasting, in general, deepens any nuts’ flavor, but adding spices makes it ten times better. Super easy, simple, and quick! Plus, you know exactly what the nuts are being roasted in, unlike those sketchy pre-roasted nuts you can pick up at the store. This doesn’t take much prep, and these are the perfect snack to throw in a baggy and carry around. They’re also the perfect treat to put in a little dish tray in your living room so you look fancy.
My one roommate said, “It tastes like Disneyland!” after she tried these. I mean, if they taste like Disneyland… how could you say no?! Feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking. I like to use pecans and walnuts, but feel free to try another combination if you like. You could also use just pecans or just walnuts. Sometimes I also like to add shredded coconut into the mix, which tastes amazing! If you have some on hand, then I’d highly recommend trying that, too.
Cinnamon Spiced Roasted Nuts (Paleo/Vegan)
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 4 cups nuts
Ingredients:
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 325*.
- Toss all of the ingredients together thoroughly. Make sure all of the nuts are evenly coated.
- Place the nuts in an even layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Try to leave space between the nuts so they roast evenly.
- Roast the nuts in the oven for about 10 minutes. Flip them over and roast for another 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
by Christina | Mar 24, 2017 | Wellness
Aaaand just when you thought Expo West would never end, it’s back again! If you haven’t read Part 1 of my Expo West recap, you can click here to catch up. If you’re ready to move on to Day 2 of the adventure, you’re in the right spot.
We started off day 2 at the Simple Mills brunch, which I couldn’t actually eat at because of my protocol, but I really wanted to. I’m a huge fan of Simple Mills products because they have amazing ingredients, and it just proves to people that paleo, gluten-free, grain-free products can be absolutely delicious. Whether or not you have dietary restrictions, you’ll love Simple Mills.
If you’re not familiar with the company, Simple Mills makes a ton of healthy baking mixes that will seriously make your dreams come true. Pancakes, muffins, cakes, cookies, breads, and pizza dough, to name a few. (That’s the pizza dough I got my dad for his birthday, for those of you who were asking.) The ingredients are on point, as I mentioned before. It’s the only packaged mix I would ever buy or recommend.
I haven’t personally tried the crackers, but everyone and their mom says that the crackers are out of this world. So many flavors, so little time.
The blogger brunch was totally adorable – I stared at the food with extreme lust, I won’t lie. They had a delicious looking coffee cake along with different flavors of cupcakes/muffins and a ton of toppings – fresh fruit, Kite Hill yogurts and cream cheeses, Wild Friends nut butters, paleo granola… the works.
It was so fun getting to meet the girls behind Simple Mills and chatting with the CEO. There’s nothing I love more than hearing about how an amazing company came to life.
We had a much better idea of what we wanted to do on the second day, so we were much more efficient. Addie and I stopped by the Epic booth and took a picture with this bison, because duh.
More importantly, though, they had samples out of a ton of their bars. Epic bars are another great bar option, but they’re on the savory side! If you like jerky, you’d probably be into these. Some of their flavors have sugar in them, so watch out for those, but there are others without. I hear the Venison is bomb.
We then headed over to Cappello’s, which I apparently have been missing out on for quite some time. I’ve never seen this brand at my Whole Foods, so I’m very late to the game. However, I was thoroughly impressed with them and have only heard great things about their products! They have paleo, vegan chocolate chip cookie dough, paleo pasta, and some very tempting pizzas. Check out the ingredients on the pasta below! LEGIT. You can buy huge amounts on Amazon, but you’re probably better off checking your local health store!
We finally made our way over to one of the other buildings, and that was where all of the real magic happened.
Crazy Richard’s PB was our first stop on the way in. If you’re a peanut butter lover, I’d def recommend Crazy Richard’s. Very thick and creamy, with clean ingredients. Only peanuts!
We then hopped on over to the Bonafide Provisions booth – one of the best bone broths in the game. They definitely have one of the most exciting new releases – the drinkable veggies bone broth. Basically, it’s veggies mixed with bone broth. Kind of a mixture between a soup and a drink. You get all the benefits of bone broth PLUS the benefits of your favorite veggies. I was so impressed with this. I didn’t get to taste them because of my protocol, but every person I was with tasted them and agreed they were amazing. Yes, I believe it. The ones that caught my eye were the carrot and beet flavors. Yum.
Another bone broth brand I love – Bare Bones. They have lots of flavors – classic turkey, rosemary and lemon, classic beef, tomato & spice… my favorites have always been the classic turkey and rosemary and lemon. Pretty standard. Bone broth is delicious and amazing for your health. Drink it.
I then had a panic attack because we ran into the KitchFix booth. KitchFix is Addie’s obsession – they’re based out of Chicago and serve incredible paleo meals to-go. I get so jealous every time I see Addie eating one of their meals, and I basically hounded the owner to open in L.A. We will see how that goes. More importantly, though, they have one of the best grain-free granolas in the game. Original, vanilla berry, honey pecan, cocoa sea salt… Nom. I brought home a ton for my roommates, and it was all gone in record time.
One of my most exciting finds was the company Good Seed, which makes paleo-friendly veggie burgers. I’m going to be honest – I’m usually never a fan of veggie burgers. I’ve never found one I would personally eat. Most have gluten in them, and the ones that don’t have gluten still have a ton of grains and legumes, which seriously destroys my digestion. Not all of Good Seed’s burgers are paleo-friendly, but they did have two out for sampling that were. I fell in love! They’re literally made from seeds and veggies. The Wild Mushroom Cauliflower Hempseed Burgers were the ones that caught my eye, and I will definitely be buying these as soon as they hit shelves. Check out the ingredients below — so impressed.
We finally made it over to the one booth I was most excited about – Primal Kitchen. If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with Primal Kitchen. Probably my favorite brand in existence. They had a lot of older products out for testing, like the collagen bars. These are a great bar option because they’re low in sugar and high in protein and healthy fats! They have Chocolate Hazelnut, Coconut Cashew, and Dark Chocolate Almond.
They recently released Collagen Fuel, which I’m very excited about. It comes in Chocolate Coconut and Vanilla Coconut flavors. I’m curious to see how this compares to Vital Proteins. Unfortunately I couldn’t sample it because the samples were mixed with things I can’t eat on my protocol, but I’m very curious to try it.
Two other new releases that I’m over the moon about are the Green Goddess dressing and the Caesar dressing. The Ranch is one of my all-time faves. I can’t tell you how excited I am about the Caesar. Caesar dressing is my everything, and it’s almost impossible to find a healthy one. Primal Kitchen dressings are actually the only pre-made dressings I personally buy. They are sooo good.
Also had a major fangirl moment because we got to meet Mark Sisson and Melissa Hartwig in real life. OMG. I literally almost cried because Mark Sisson is kind of my idol and life inspiration. I told him my whole life story and I’m pretty sure he thought I was a psychopath, but I don’t care. He gave me free dressings and then we took a picture. All good.
Crio Bru! An excellent coffee alternative for anyone trying to kick the habit. Whole 30 approved and made from ground cocoa beans. Pretty great invention, if you ask me. They have different “roasts,” so you have different options!
I also stopped by the Durham Ranch booth, because I love their meats. Everything is natural, sustainable, grass-fed, no hormones or antibiotics added. I’ve had a hard time finding them in stores, but I found out that they’re at my local Sprouts – so check yours! They have so many options – beef, bison, venison, lamb, rabbit, boar, and pork. You can get ground meat, bacon, and sausage. So many options. Now I’m hungry.
For those of you looking for healthy chip replacements, Jica chips are for you! Some of the flavors have questionable ingredients, but the regular sea salt ones are golden. Literally just jicama and sea salt, baked not fried.
Another find I’m super excited about are these B Raw bars! No sugars added, all natural. Organic, raw, gluten-free, paleo, soy-free, and vegan. They have chocolate espresso, coconut macadamia, super green, and almond crunch flavors. The coconut macadamia has my heart skipping a beat. This is what bars SHOULD BE. None of that artificial stuff.
I got to chat with the owner for awhile, and she is beyond incredible. She started off making raw foods in Maui, and then she slowly transitioned into making bars so that she could reach more people. Honestly, it makes me so happy to find companies like this, with owners with such good intentions. We bonded over how food can transform your health. It was great. Right now, she’s only selling in Maui, but she’s coming over to the rest of the States very soon! (You can also order online!)
Then I stumbled across another company I was over the moon about – Paleo Prime. Paleo cookies with, I kid you not, the most impressive ingredients list I have ever seen. As in, not many ingredients, all real food. This is basically the exact cookie I would make if I were to make it for myself, except I don’t have to do any work. I cannot recommend these enough. They have three flavors right now, but more are coming. Classic chocolate chip, vanilla raspberry, and vanilla blueberry. The company is small and based out of Chicago, but I have no doubt that as soon as more healthy foodies find out about this product, the brand will blow up.
I also stumbled across these Paleo Passion Pops, which are a great sweet treat if you’re missing your popsicle days! They have some sugar, but I mean, it’s a popsicle. This company also makes some great granola, if you’re in the market.
Onto another one of my favorite bone broth brands – Kettle & Fire. I got to meet one of the co-founders and was shocked to discover that he literally started this company straight out of high school. Um, #BOSS. So impressive. We talked about how bone broth changed our lives, I thanked him for creating such an amazing product, and it was a great time. They have both beef bone broth and chicken bone broth, so check it out!
Teeccino! I was intrigued by their booth because they were serving nitrogen teas, but unfortunately I couldn’t try them because of the added sweeteners. The protocol life is tough. Just kidding. If you haven’t heard of Teecino, it’s a popular brand in the coffee-replacement world. They have a ton of different flavors and are a great drink with a coffee-like taste without the caffeine. Unfortunately, some of the flavors do have gluten, so make sure you pick one labeled gluten-free if you don’t consume gluten. The classic Dandelion Dark roast and the Dandelion Caramel Nut are two of my favorites! So warm and cozy.
I also popped by Artisana, because I am obsessed with them. Nothing new here, unfortunately, but then again, they don’t need anything new. This is my go-to brand for coconut butter, cashew butter, and almond butter. I also love their pecan butter and walnut butter.
I also headed over to Pacific Foods, and, surprise surprise, THEY HAVE BONE BROTH. I love their organic chicken bone broth to keep on hand, but it was my first time seeing the duck! I love duck, if you didn’t already know, and I think this is the first big company I’ve ever seen with this flavor of bone broth. I also sampled a really killer tomato stock with all clean ingredients, which I would highly recommend. I’m not sure when these will be available, but hopefully soon if not already!
Betsy told me about these Turkey Burgers from Applegate Organics, and I had to see them for myself. I usually shun any kind of pre-packaged burger because they usually slide gluten or sugar or something else I don’t want in there. These are totally clean, though! No antibiotics, gluten-free, organic, and literally just turkey and rosemary! You can get them at your local grocery store in the freezer section, or on Amazon through Prime Fresh.
Another healthy chip option – Terra Sweet Plantain Chips! These are made with coconut oil only – I am so impressed.
Lastly, we hit up the Bulletproof booth before we headed out. I’m a big fan of pretty much every Bulletproof product. They have really good collagen bars that I highly recommend – Vanilla Shortbread, Fudge Brownie, and Lemon Cookie. They were also handing out samples of their Fat Water, which comes in lemon, pineapple, and grapefruit. Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of those because they contain Xylitol. However, I do really like their collagen protein, their Brain Octane oil, and their XCT oil. I don’t personally do Bulletproof coffee, but if you’re a fan, you should also check out their coffee and grass-fed ghee.
And that just about sums it up for my 2017 Expo West experience! There were a lot of booths I wanted to find but didn’t get the chance to. I mean, I only have one pair of legs! Thankfully, everyone posted about their Expo West finds, which is basically the same as seeing it yourself. There are a lot of great products that are going to come out soon, and I’m so excited to see where the health industry goes in the next year!
What new products are you looking forward to trying this year?! Leave a comment below and tell me!
by Christina | Mar 22, 2017 | Wellness
As many of you know, Expo West was last weekend, and it was insane. Okay, that might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but it was pretty intense. Get ready for two very long recap posts. What else is new…
If you’re not familiar with Expo West, it’s basically a huge convention where thousands of companies showcase their “natural” products, both old products and new launches. It’s mainly food, but there are also makeup products, household items, and so on.
Expo West is like Christmas for foodies. It’s like Coachella for health freaks. In every way. I honestly felt like I came home from Coachella after my weekend at the convention – it was that tiring. People flew in from across the country to go to Expo West, all for different reasons. Some were there to meet with brands for future collaborations, some were there just to see what’s hot and new, some were there to make other random business deals, and I’m pretty sure some people were literally just there to eat. Not joking.
To be completely honest, the reason I was most excited about Expo West was because I was going to finally meet some of my closest friends in real life. I know, that sounds weird, but whatever. Kate flew in from Philly, Addie flew in from Chicago, I got to hang out with Kayleigh and Laura who drove up from San Diego, and so many more. Even though I ran into a ton of my favorite bloggers, I also didn’t see a lot of people. The convention is so huge that it’s a nightmare to actually find anyone. You either randomly bump into people or you spend an hour on the phone trying to locate each other.
I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into prior to attending. I didn’t realize how big it was or how many companies would be there. As soon as we arrived, I realized it was going to be impossible to see even a quarter of the companies there, so I just had to find my very very top faves and be happy with whatever else I ran into.
Because of that, I’m happy I got to spend some quality time with Kate the night before, and with Addie that weekend. Addie stayed with me at my apartment over the weekend, and I took her to a few of my favorite spots… A.K.A. turned her into an Erewhon addict. We also recorded a podcast episode, Instagram Lies Part 2, which you should definitely listen to.
I was not expecting how much Expo West was going to wipe us out. Like I said before, I literally felt like I got back from Coachella. And we were barely even there! I went with Betsy and Addie, and we only went Friday afternoon and the first part of Saturday, but it was so exhausting. I honestly felt like it took me all week to recover because I was so tired. #dramatic, I know. I’m just really not a convention kinda girl. First of all, you have to understand that within the convention itself it takes forever to get anywhere. It’s huge, there are multiple buildings, and there are just too many people to be comfortable. More people should wear deodorant.
Kidding, but not. Beyond that, though, everything is a line. We literally waited in line to cross the street. Getting from the parking lot to the convention was at least an hour ordeal. It should be called a snail, not a shuttle.
Okay, all joking aside, though, it was really cool to see everything. Another thing that bothered me was how many unhealthy products were there. You really had to search for the good stuff, and I was bitter they didn’t just put all of the actually healthy products in one area for my convenience. Oh, well. Also, most of the products I saw were products I’m already familiar with. It was really nice to meet some of the founders of different companies, and I did discover some exciting new products, but I don’t want people who didn’t get to go to Expo feel like they missed out on everything. You’re really fine, I promise.
I do want to share what I found, though. Some are old products I’ve known about for awhile and love, and some are new. Keep in mind, I literally went to .005% of the booths there. There were just too many. There are hundreds of cool new products I didn’t see, so I would definitely encourage you to check out all of the Expo West posts that you can!
I also thought I was going to be majorly bummed out because I couldn’t try most of the food since I’m on my strict protocol right now. However, I had tried a lot of the products before, and there were a few things I could sample. Also, I can usually tell what’s good or not based on ingredients, to be completely honest. This is more about education than anything else – what to keep an eye out for. Also, my friends sampled anything we were interested in, and they basically have the same taste buds as me.
I also kinda feel blessed that I was on the protocol during Expo because I probably would’ve sampled everything in sight and gotten really sick and felt like an even bigger mess than I already did. So, there’s always a silver lining.
One of the first things we saw that sparked my interest were these Pique tea crystals, which I’m so into. Basically, they’re little packets of tea crystals you pour straight into water, and you have instant hot or iced tea. I was very suspicious of this at first, but it’s totally clean! No additives or sweeteners – just instant, organic tea. As a tea lover, I was all over this. Also, the girl running the booth happened to play volleyball with me in high school, which was the weirdest coincidence ever. Definitely ordering some of these ASAP. I’m surprised someone hasn’t invented this before! You can find them on Amazon here.
Another thing I love is discovering clean nut butter brands. I always buy Artisana, but Georgia Grinders was another standout nut butter (that I could actually try!), because the ingredients are so clean. I know a lot of people have heard of this company before, but it was my first time trying this particular brand. Loved it. You can also order this on Amazon — my favorite was the Pecan nut butter. (Don’t worry, I checked – the nuts are dry roasted. Not roasted in any weird oils.)
Another nut butter I hadn’t tried before was Manna Butter. They have a ton of fun flavors. Some aren’t totally clean, but those are more dessert-style nut butters, anyways. The Coconut Cashew has no added sugar and looked the best to me. I can’t even imagine how good that would be dolloped on top of a sweet potato….They also have a flavor called Nuts ‘n Seeds, which is basically an epic combo of nuts – cashews, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, flaxseed, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and himalayan pink salt. All organic and dry roasted. DO IT.
Twinings isn’t the best tea brand, but I had to stop by the booth because I still love them. I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for every kind of tea. I have to alert you that I tried a new flavor called Buttermint that is absolutely divine. It’s a blend of peppermint and vanilla, and I am dreaming about it as we speak.
VITAL PROTEINS. Okay. They have a LOT of new stuff coming out. It’s pretty overwhelming. These were some of the most exciting new releases I saw. Quick rundown. There’s a new Collagen Veggie Blend, which is available right now for pre-order. It’s basically collagen blended with a bunch of organic fruits and veggies. They also have a new Collagen Sports Greens, which is chocolate flavored. I’m very curious about that, and I feel like it could make some bomb smoothies.
They’re also releasing some new “beauty waters.” I probably should’ve written down the flavors because I honestly totally forget. One was lavender something, one was mint something, something had aloe in it… I don’t even remember. Cucumber? Melon? I feel like one was melon. Not sure. They sounded very interesting though, so keep your eyes peeled.
They are also releasing some new supplements, including marine collagen pills and a “Beauty Boost” supplement. As you know, I already take way too many supplements, so I don’t really get that excited about new ones. That being said, I’m sure those will be fab for a lot of people who don’t take 800 pills a day like me and want to boost the amount of collagen in their diets.
What I freaked out about, though, were the new bone broth powders. Straight beef bone broth collagen and chicken bone broth collagen. Literally powders you can put into water. This is the best invention ever, and I especially appreciate it because of my current situation. Making bone broth can be time consuming, and all of the best pre-made brands add things into their broths to make them taste better. Usually, that’s a good thing, but right now I can’t consume garlic, onion, celery, carrots, pepper, etc., so I’m struggling in the bone broth department at times when I’m too lazy to make my own. Anyways, I think this bone broth powder will be a huge hit and will make a lot of people’s lives way easier. You need bone broth. Can’t wait for this release!
I also stopped by the Wrawp booth because it’s a brand I love, so I wanted to mention them. I don’t think they had any new flavors, but these are raw, organic veggie wraps that are a great bread/tortilla substitute if you’re gluten-free and want to make a wrap! They’re made from fruits, veggies, and seeds, and they’re so delicious. I’ve found them at most grocery stores, and Amazon!
We also stopped by the Hu Kitchen chocolate booth, and I was very sad I couldn’t try all of the flavors because of the protocol. However, word is that the cashew butter + vanilla bean chocolate bar is extra hot. (As in, you need this.) If you haven’t heard of Hu Kitchen, it’s basically the best restaurant in NY, in my humble opinion. Their chocolate is on point. It’s paleo, gluten-free, comes in a ton of flavors, and does not disappoint. I’d go for the variety pack, if you’re interested.
The Rebbl booth was especially active, and for good reason. Rebbl makes some delicious drinks, but I personally don’t think they should be consumed on a daily basis because of some of the ingredients. As a treat though, excellent option. I know they’re coming out with new flavors soon, but I don’t even know which ones are new because my Whole Foods only carries four of them. In other words, most of them looked new to me. They have some Protein flavors which I personally hadn’t seen before – Dark Chocolate, Cold Brew, and Vanilla Spice. The Ashwagandah Chai sounds amazing, and it’s only sweetened with stevia, which everyone was super excited about. As great as that is, it also has sunflower lecithin in it, so I’m not the biggest fan. If you’re unfamiliar with Rebbl, the reishi chocolate, matcha latte, and turmeric golden-milk flavors are all fan faves.
Another tea brand I was beyond excited about was Asante Mama. They’re relatively new – totally clean, organic, and straight from a reliable source. I tasted all of the flavors, and these might be the best teas I’ve ever had. The cinnamon had me drooling and is definitely my favorite. Another standout for me was the Moringa. I already ordered all of the flavors…because I’m crazy like that. You can find them on Amazon.
Another insanely exciting find – Raaka chocolate. Okay, we’ve all heard of Raaka before, but I didn’t know they have a chocolate bar called Maple & Nibs that is cane sugar-free and only sweetened with maple syrup. MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED.
They also have a bar that’s only sweetened with yacon, which answers the other half of my prayers. It’s called Yacon. Do you guys know how hard it is to find clean chocolate bars? Almost impossible. They’re gluten-free, paleo, vegan, and Christina-approved. I am ordering these flavors as soon as I’m allowed to have chocolate again.
Another amazing brand – Teaonic. These are bottled, cold teas that are absolutely delicious and have different blends that are supposed to support different parts of your bod – brain, skin, gut, etc. There are no sweeteners, artificial flavors, or other weird additives. Just straight, delicious tea. Love this stuff!
My one problem with this company (and I know many others feel the same way) is that they have a tea called “I Love My Skinny Body.” I don’t really think I need to explain why I have such a problem with that name. However, at Expo West my friend Betsy chatted with the owner about the name of the product, and she agreed it was an error in judgment and that they will be changing the name as soon as they can. Basically, they released the product during a time when companies like Skinny Pop were exploding. Brands, competition, you get it. But rest assured, they know it’s a bad name and are going to address it.
And then I stumbled across my FAVORITE nondairy cream cheese spread – Leaf Cuisine! This stuff is seriously addicting and has 100% clean ingredients. It’s made from a cashew base and is so creamy and flavorful. I love this way more than Kite Hill. If you see it at the store, pick it up! My favorite flavor is Smokey Goudha.
Moving on to nut milks. There are a few nut milks I trust, and one of them is Three Trees. Their organic almond milk is literally just made from almonds, salt, and water, and it’s really thick and creamy. The vanilla almond milk just has added vanilla – no sweetener. I’ve only ever seen this in stores when I’m in the Bay Area, so it’s my go-to when I’m at home. I’m hounding my Whole Foods here to start carrying it. The founders are extremely nice, and overall, it’s just a company I really adore. One of my absolute fave products!
Aaaand then we have New Barn! I like the unsweetened, plain version because there are no weird additives or sweeteners, obviously. This is a great non-dairy milk option that’s more widely available than other brands. They also have a Barista almond milk that’s supposed to be extra good for frothing (because of the sugar), and they also had their non-dairy ice creams out for sampling! They’re not the cleanest ice creams in the game, but a great option for when you want something sweet and are GF and DF.
If you’re into fermented foods (which you should be), I’d highly recommend Mother in Law’s! They were sampling their liquid kimchi, which I had never seen before, as well as their chile sauce and different kimchi flavors. Kimchi has a kick to it, if you haven’t tried it before. Great for digestion and getting in those added probiotics. I love how this brand has so many different flavors and options, because it really does make fermented foods more accessible to the general public. Check them out!
We then ran into a bar company I had never heard of before – Roo’bar. I was seriously impressed with this product. You guys know that I’m generally not a fan of bars, but I always have my eye out for good ones to recommend to people. It’s really hard to find bars that don’t have a ton of sweeteners and weird additives. The founder explained that they started in England and are slowly making their way over to the U.S., and I’m so glad they are.
These bars are vegan, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and added-sugar-free. They’re sweetened naturally with dates, and they have a ton of flavors. They even have some bars that have added probiotics! THE FUTURE. Some also have higher protein than others, depending on what you’re looking for. The Almond with Cacao Nibs, Chia and Coconut, Coconut Vanilla, and Choc Chip Matcha all caught my eye. I stole a bunch of these… I won’t lie. They’re not all available in the U.S. yet, but they are making their way over. Some are available on Amazon!
We also visited the SafeCatch booth, which we all know is a winner. We had a really great chat with the founder, who explained his inspiration for founding the company and his process for finding the safest tuna out there for consumption. I have loved SafeCatch for a long time because of the company’s principles, and I was really excited to see they have some new flavors coming out that a lot of people will enjoy! There were four or five new flavors, and they’re all flavored with different seasonings and spices. Nothing weird, don’t worry. Be on the lookout for these when they release! I love to toss a can in a salad and mix it with avocado – so good. In the meantime, their plain tuna is delicious as ever. And it’s SAFE.
We also stumbled across a newer brand called Wonder Fuel, which was basically an MCT powered energy drink. This is very up my alley. I love coconut products in general – coconut milk, coconut oil, MCTs, etc., and this is a great energy boost without the typical weird additives in most drinks with a similar purpose. MCTs are great fuel for your brain and bod. I’d go for the classic version of this – totally clean!
MALK. Oh, how I love you. Not a new brand, but harder for me to find. I love Malk because their nut milks are super clean and very thick and creamy. Real deal. The unsweetened almond milk and unsweetened cashew milk are seriously to die for, and I’d recommend you pick them up if you find them at the store! We got to chat with the founders for awhile, and they were so incredibly sweet. If you want something a little more exciting, try the pecan milk! It’s sweetened with maple syrup, and I feel like it would be incredible as a base for some healthy hot chocolate!
Another oldie but goodie – Wildbrine. Back to the fermented foods! They have a new coleslaw flavor out, and if you’re into sauerkraut, I’m sure you’d love it! Not much to say on this front, but I love Wildbrine.
Our last stop of the day was the Four Sigmatic booth. I adore Four Sigmatic. I love to drink their Chaga Mushroom Elixir most nights before I go to sleep – it’s so calming and relaxing. It’s also the only one of their mushroom elixirs that doesn’t contain stevia, and I’m really not a fan of stevia. They have a lot of other mushroom elixirs though – cordyceps, lion’s mane, and reishi mushroom. The Chaga has the earthiest taste, and the others are earthy but less bitter – they have a sweeter kick. You can drink them plain or mix them in with other drinks or smoothies! If you enjoy coffee, I’d definitely recommend the mushroom coffee mix. It includes chaga, cordyceps, and 100% arabica coffee. I don’t know what that kind of coffee is, but it’s good. Mushrooms have so many health benefits – hop on it.
Aaaand that was it for Day 1. We were exhausted, to say the least. After waiting in line to cross the street, waiting in line to get on the shuttle, and finally getting to the car, we were hangry and tired, but it was so worth it. After Day 1, we had a much better idea about how to approach the next day – only hit our top faves.
So that’s it for Part 1. It seems like A LOT, but we barely even went to 1% of the booths! Part 2 will be up very soon.
by Christina | Mar 18, 2017 | Recipes, Wellness
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY, YOU LUCKY HUMAN! Are you wearing your green? I woke up this morning feeling like a CHAMP because I took the last test of my undergraduate career yesterday, so I wanted to make myself somethin’ festive to celebrate my good mood.
Since I won’t be having corned beef and cabbage this year, I opted for something better – a peppermint smoothie bowl! Long gone are my high school days of living at McDonald’s to slurp down a Shamrock Shake every day after class in March. Even though I loved McDonald’s growing up (I really made a 180*…), if I’m being totally honest, I never even liked the Shamrock Shake. I just bought it because I felt obligated to enjoy it since it was seasonal and therefore “special.” At that time, I really didn’t care that I was basically poisoning my body with those frightening ingredients. Times have changed.
This morning I woke up and thought… Forget the Shamrock Shake. I want a PEPPERMINT SMOOTHIE BOWL. My first instinct was to make a peppermint patty kinda smoothie, but I can’t have cocoa/cacao during the “protocol” I’m currently on. Instead I went for the next best combo – peppermint vanilla. It’s underrated. And I added coconut, obviously, because we know I’m obsessed.
This was honestly so delicious that it completely blew my mind, which is why I had to immediately hop on the internet and share the recipe. Everyone needs to make this ASAP. I’m probably a little too excited about it. I like my smoothies thick and creamy, and this guy exceeded my expectations.
It tastes more like mint-vanilla ice cream than anything else, so you literally feel like you’re eating dessert. DELICIOUS. The key to getting a thick, ice cream-like smoothie is to use frozen fruit and veggies. Pretty basic advice, but it really is the key.
This is also a very sneaky, easy way to get a bunch of vegetables into your meal without noticing it. I promise, you will not taste the veggies! If you’re cooking for someone who doesn’t like healthy food, make them this and don’t tell them what’s in it. I made it for my roommate who is NOT into healthy food, and she told me it was definitely like eating ice cream. You know it’s good when it’s roommate approved.
I also (of course) used my favorite Vital Proteins Vanilla Coconut Collagen Peptides. If you haven’t read my post about why I love collagen so much, read it here! #NotSponsored. In short, collagen is amazing for gut health, hair and nail growth, skin elasticity, joint pain, and more. If you don’t have the Vanilla Coconut Collagen peptides, I included some options for substitutions in the recipe below!
This smoothie definitely put me in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit and had me ready to bust out some good old Irish dancing – I mean, I was pretty good back in my day. 😉 I’m pretty sure this is going to be in my breakfast rotation long after St. Patrick’s Day, though…
If you love peppermint, try this out! The coconut is barely detectable… it just gives it a smoother flavor! This is paleo, but it can also be made vegan. Gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free… FULL OF VEGGIES.
Peppermint Vanilla Coconut Smoothie Bowl
Serves: 1
Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower
- 1 cup frozen kale (or spinach if you want a milder flavor)
- 1 cup frozen zucchini (or 1 more cup of frozen cauliflower if you don’t have zucchini)
- 1 cup brewed peppermint tea (let it steep for as long as you can for max peppermint flavor)
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins Vanilla Coconut Collagen Peptides (If you don’t have the vanilla peptides, you can use the regular Collagen Peptides with 1 tsp vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla protein powder if you don’t have the peptides! And if you don’t have any protein powder, just add the vanilla by itself.)
- 2 tbsp coconut butter
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 3/4 cup ice
- Toppings: Unsweetened coconut flakes + anything else you want!
Instructions:
- Add everything except the toppings to a blender. Blend on high until everything is mixed (30 sec – 1 min).
- Pour into a bowl.
- Add toppings.
- ENJOY!
