Eat well, move daily, laugh often, sleep lots and love your body. Repeat for life.

Is it really that simple? Maybe. At least it feels a heckuva lot simpler on Day 21 of Whole30. Scientists are still arguing whether 21 days is truly the magic number for forming a good habit, but I’m starting to believe in the magic. Meal prep is the norm, I’ve got a roster of MVF’s (most valuable foods) to save the day and the sugar dragons seem to be hibernating for the winter. Sure, I’m still looking forward to tacos in Mexico in 2 weeks, but I’m also not agonizing over my every meal. Hopefully you’re feeling those good habit vibes, but if you’re still looking for some recipes to shake up the last nine days and tips to surviving social outings, you’ve come to the right place! Read on for the dEATs.

Three weeks in and we are in the home stretch people! Hallelujah. The light is at the end of the tunnel and it feels pretty easily within reach. Meal prep is mastered and the Whole30 rules are incinerated in our brains. Question is, have you been avoiding social outings with…outsiders? You know, the deviants who are gobbling up bread and pasta and chocolate, while you’re on the road to body euphoria. Yeah, I thought so. But now that we’re fully in control of our cravings, we can theoretically go out to a bar, restaurant or party without caving. Yes, you can! And here are a couple of my tricks for staying the course while out ‘n about:

Socializing on Whole30….Yes, It Is Possible

1.) BYOB: Bringing your own (compliant) beverage is the key to survival. Some of my favs: GT’s Kombucha, LaCroix and Spindrift Sparkling Water. They’re all bubbly, flavorful and give you something to sip while others imbibe. And if you want to make your own “mocktail” one of my favorite concoctions is a 50/50 mix of LaCroix Sparkling Coconut Water and Pom Wonderful Cherry Pomegranate Juice. Add some ice, a sprig of mint and you can fake it all night long.

2.) Stash Snacks…Everywhere!: Bringing your own snacks is totally acceptable. Be a pack rat. I like to stash some Cuties, Larabars and even some carrots and a single serve Wholly Guacamole cup. Also, eating a little something beforehand will help. A cup of Kettle & Fire Bone Broth will curb my cravings for something salty and indulgent while an apple with NuttZo 7 Nut and Seed Butter will curb any sweet tooth.

3.) Find Compliant Restaurants or Takeout: Restaurants are buying into the trend with more and more offering compliant offerings. For example, Chipotle has a Whole30 Salad Bowl loaded with carnitas, fresh tomato salsa and more guac than you’ve ever seen. If you’re in Chicago, Kitchfix offers a variety of Whole30 meals that you can order in advance, heat and eat without any subscription. Use this link for $20 off your first order.  True Food Kitchen is another of my favorite “nicer” restaurants. Wherever you live, don’t be afraid to call a restaurant in advance and ask. I promise you won’t be the first person!

It’s totally doable to stay on track and still be a social queen (or king) with the right game plan. The worst thing though, after all this work, would be to call it quits! Just envision how good it’s going to feel to finish…and finishing isn’t Day 27, friends. Cheers to making it to Day 30…the Final Frontier.

Read on for another roster of recipes to help ya get there! These ones are super simple, especially if you’re feeling meal prepped out by this point!

Chipotle Sweet Potato Hash
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
-2 sweet potatoes, diced
-1 bell pepper, diced
-1 small yellow onion, diced
-2 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp paprika
-4-6 Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium heat on the stove top with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Once sizzling, add all of the ingredients up to the eggs. Stir to combine and cover, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes.
Step 2: Once the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, make 4-6 wells within the hash. Gently crack an egg in each of the wells. Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
Step 3: Serve with some fresh fruit and optional garnish of salsa and guac. Enjoy!

Butternut Egg Nests
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
-1 package of Cece’s Organic Butternut Spirals
-1 jar of Rao’s Tomato Basil Marinara
-6 Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs
-Italian Seasoning
-Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a sheet pan with olive oil then using Cece’s Butternut Spirals, form circular nests with a well in the middle. Make sure the nest is wide and dense enough to hold the egg. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning then place in the oven for 2-3 minutes. This helps to pre-cook the spirals and ensures the egg when you crack it into the nest since the pan will be hot.
Step 2: Remove the sheet pan from the oven and gently crack an egg in each of the nests. Return to the oven for 6-8 minutes. The egg will continue to cook a bit when you take it out of the oven to cool, but err on the side of 8 minutes if you like your eggs more done.
Step 3: Serve 1-2 nests per person with marinara sauce and your favorite fresh fruit.

Coconut Cacao Chia Pudding with Raspberries
Serves: 3

Ingredients:
Cacao Pudding
– 1 can of full fat coconut milk
– 3 T Navitas Organics Superfood Cacao Powder
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– Sprinkle of Himalayan salt
– 1 T date syrup (below; sub maple syrup if Paleo)
-1/4 C chia seeds
Date Syrup
– 1 C of Medjool dates
– 1 1/2 C of water
– 1 tsp lemon juice
Garnish
– Raspberries

Directions:
Step 1: Prepare the date syrup by placing the pitted Medjool dates in a food processor with the water and lemon juice. Pulse until smooth and the consistency of syrup. Place in a mason jar to store.
Step 2: Make the chia pudding placing the coconut milk, data syrup, cacao and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender or whisk to combine all of the ingredients. Add the chia seeds and mix together with a spoon until combined. Place the entire mixture in a large mason jar and refrigerate, covered, overnight.
Step 3: Once the chia pudding is chilled, serve in small glasses with raspberries on top for garnish.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Coconut Chicken Curry with Cauliflower Rice
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
– 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
– 12 oz of vegetable or chicken broth
– 4 T of Thai red curry paste
– 1 T coco aminos (or soy sauce if not doing Whole30)
– 1 T freshly minced ginger
– 2 tsp fish sauce
– 3 cloves of garlic
– 1 lb of chicken breasts
– 1 butternut squash, peeled and medium diced
– 1 yellow onion, medium diced
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp crushed red papper
– optional red pepper flakes, cilantro and limes for garnish
– option to add your favorite vegetables to the curry such as red bell pepper slices, broccoli florets or zuchinni
Serve with cauliflower rice and your favorite vegetables.

Directions:
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients with the exception of the coconut milk, to a slow cooker set to low heat. Mix to combine, cover and let cook for 3 hours. Note that you’ll be removing the chicken and blending all of the ingredients to create a thick curry, so no need to perfectly dice everything.
Step 2: After three hours, remove the chicken and set aside on a plate. Add the coconut milk to the slow cooker, then use an immersion blender to combine all of the ingredients into a thick sauce. Cover and turn heat to high. Add any additional fresh vegetables you’d like to include such as red bell pepper strips, spinach, kale or even broccoli. While the curry continues to simmer, small dice or shred the chicken. Add to the curry and cover again. The curry should be done at this time, but allow to cook a bit longer for the flavors to meld and/or for the newly added vegetables to cook. Taste and if it’s not flavorful enough, add 1 tsp of curry powder.
Step 3: While the curry continues to cook, heat a teaspoon or two of olive oil in a medium pan over the stove top on medium heat. Add a bag of pre-packaged cauliflower rice to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower rice is softened.
Step 4: Serve the butternut curry over the cauliflower rice with a squeeze of lime juice and optional cilantro garnish. Feel free to top with your favorite steamed vegetables.

Cheers to making it to Day 30, friends!

The post Whole30 Survival Guide: Final Frontier appeared first on The Shooks Life.

‘Twas the night before vacation, when all thro’ the house, not a creature was stirring, not even Moose the bulldog. Steel cut oats were warming in the slow cooker with care, in hopes that warm weather would soon be there. The parents were nestled all snug in their bed, while visions of pumpkin pie danced in their heads.

‘Tis the season for story time. The Shookman household is readying for a warm winter’s nap in New Orleans before the Thanksgiving holiday. And with the days getting shorter, the air getting a wee bit chillier, and more chairs at the table, these Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oats are just what’s needed to warm bellies while allowing you more shuteye. Read on for the dEATs, along with some tips on warming the mind & body if the changing seasons are impacting your mood and energy levels.

There’s nothing like a cozy bed, a hot cup of cider and long nights by the fireplace with family as the first snow falls this time of year. It’s the quintessential picture of hygge, the Danish concept of all things comforting and cozy. This concept of cozy contentment and enjoyment of the simpler things in life is part of the Danish DNA. It’s credited for being one of the reasons Denmark is always listed as one of the world’s happiest countries, despite miserable winters.

I’m a sun and summer lover, so while I love the cozy comforts of fall, I start to feel the energy dwindling as the daylight hours wane. This year, I’m going to try to embrace more hygge with a few simple tips to beat the winter blues (or seasonal affective disorder, as it’s more formally known).

Embracing Hygge

1.) Investing In Relationships: Home is a place we return to this time of year, but it’s only a geographic location. It’s family, friends – the people, who truly make that geographic location feel like home. This year, I’m going try to focus more on my surroundings and the people by dedicating just one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening to tech and the rest of the time to being present. There’s no hygge without home and no home without the people.

2.) Sharing the Food I Love: Food is my love language, so I’m planning to cook up a storm of comforting foods through the winter. But, I’m going to focus on simplifying – doing more slow cooker meals, more one pan or sheet pan dishes, so that I can enjoy the limited daylight hours and time with friends and family.

3.) Breathing Fresh Air: It can be super easy to get lost in Netflix and chill this time of year, which isn’t a bad thing, but the body does need that mood boosting Vitamin D. My goal is to take the bus less (do more walking, while bundled up!) and to try to take a brisk walk over my lunch hour to get a breath of fresh air, some sunshine on my skin and to get the blood flowing in between meetings and loads of desk time.

4.) Indulging in Self Care: I’ve taken to “Selfish Sundays” with a pampering session that I plan to continue through the winter months, warming a nice bath withessential oils like lavender to calm and epsom salt to relieve tension or a revitalizing mask at home. This winter, I’m going to infuse more of this self care in my daily routine using orange peel essential oils to awaken and revitalize in the morning, adding maca to my daily bowl of oatmeal to relieve stress and listening to inspiring podcasts on my walk home rather than business books or music.

5.) Planning Wellness: I’m generally very diligent about being active most of the year, but when it’s constantly dark “outside office hours” it can be hard to find the motivation. This year, I’m going to be diligent about planning my workouts in advance to hold myself accountable and schedule those workouts in the morning to set the right tone for both mind and body at the start of the day.

Now that we’ve fully embraced hygge, let’s make some hygge food!

What I love about these slow cooker oats are 1.) versatility 2.) set and forget 3.) feeds a crowd for the day or a two-person household for the week! While I’ve infused this recipe with the epitome of the season (pumpkin and spices) you can adapt this recipe as you see fit, or go plan jane allowing for customized toppings. The only watchouts are to make sure not to let the kiddos (or significant other) lift the lid too soon to steal a sniff (every lift of the lid will set you back an hour) and also note that in the morning, the oats will seem more liquid until you give them a good stir. They’ll continue to thicken as they cool.

Enjoy one of my favorite recipes for some hygge vibes!

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats with Pumpkin & Spices
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
-2 C of Quaker steel cut oats
-6 1/2 C of water
-1 1/2 C of Blue Diamond unsweetened vanilla almond milk
-1 can of Libby’s pumpkin puree
-1/4 C of brown sugar, packed (option to sub coconut sugar)
-2 tsp of pumpkin spice
-1 tsp of cinnamon
-1/2 tsp of salt
-1 tsp of vanilla

Directions:

Step 1: Prep the slow cooker by spreading a layer of butter or coconut oil on the sides and bottom of the bowl to avoid the oats sticking. Add all of the ingredients with the exception of the vanilla. Stir to combine.
Step 2: Turn the slow cooker to low for 8 hrs, covered. Get a good night’s rest and awaken to the sweet scents.
Step 3: Stir the oats after 8 hours have passed, adding the vanilla. Enjoy with your favorite toppings (shown: brown sugar, pecans, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds).

To make plain overnight oats, simply add an additional cup of water, remove the pumpkin puree and the seasonings. Adapted from ChowHound.

The post Warm Heart & Belly {Full of Slow Cooked Pumpkin Oats} appeared first on The Shooks Life.