I still treat "Freeday Friday" as a bonus day, during which I indulge myself. But right now, indulging means taking a little longer over my coffee, lingering over my yummy breakfast, taking a walk later in the day and then perhaps a creative pursuit. I also will be getting my hair cut and colored this afternoon; believe, me...right now this is a necessity, not so much an indulgence! Anyway, one of the things I also do during Freeday Friday indulgences is to peruse some articles of interest on the internet. I found this article the other day and quickly skimmed it, saving it for a more focused read later on. This morning, I took a little longer to read it. I found the author's points very interesting and pretty insightful. He addresses some of the thoughts I have had around alcohol and TW30 and, in a larger sense, a healthy lifestyle.
http://www.primalpal.net/paleo-recipe-blog/143/Whole30-and-Alcohol-Consumption
In addition to these lovely pursuits, I also love Freeday Friday because I can take the time to prepare a nice, healthy meal and not feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants. I have a whole chicken defrosting on the counter. Tonight will be thyme roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and probably a green salad. Speaking of which...
I have made reference to MPV; short for MaPat's Vinaigrette. After having a wonderful salad served with a basil vinaigrette at a local restaurant several months ago, I came home to try my hand at re-creating the recipe. Here is what I came up with.
TW30 disclaimer; when reading the ingredients of the Penzey's creamy peppercorn seasoning, I found that there is a small amount of sugar (ingredient 3 in a list of 6). So, if you're wanting to make sure that no sugar sneaks into your TW30 foods, go ahead and make your own version of this herb mix, using my note at the bottom of the recipe, omitting the sugar)
MaPat’s Magical Basil Vinaigrette
½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup Champagne or white wine vinegard
¾ cup olive oil (I used light)
1 tbsp. Penzey’s creamy peppercorn salad dressing seasoning (I LOVE Penzey's for top quality spices; here's the link to their website http://www.penzeys.com/)
Place all ingredients in glass measuring cup or immersion blender container. Blend with immersion blender, tipping to incorporate and emulsify oil. Cover and refrigerate. Good for up to one week.
(Assuming you don’t have any Penzey’s seasoning on hand, I would just use a combination of pepper, kosher salt, sugar, garlic powder, dried thyme and dried parsley to equal 1 Tbsp.; those are the ingredients in the Creamy Peppercorn Seasoning).
Since it is currently winter, my supply of basil leaves much to be desired; by that I mean it consists of some spindly brown stems sticking out of some slimy dirt/compost in a garden container on the patio. I'm reduced to getting my basil at the grocery store (when I'm lucky enough to find it) or :::gasp::: substituting dry for fresh. If you substitute the dry, use roughly one generous tablespoon. Believe me, this recipe alone makes planting a little basil in your garden or containers worth it.
Since it is currently winter, my supply of basil leaves much to be desired; by that I mean it consists of some spindly brown stems sticking out of some slimy dirt/compost in a garden container on the patio. I'm reduced to getting my basil at the grocery store (when I'm lucky enough to find it) or :::gasp::: substituting dry for fresh. If you substitute the dry, use roughly one generous tablespoon. Believe me, this recipe alone makes planting a little basil in your garden or containers worth it.
Breakfast: The last of the artichoke, spinach, coconut milk, seasonings that comprised the filling for the prosciutto wrapped chicken tossed with some spaghetti squash (I tell ya, I'm getting some mileage out of this week's spaghetti squash!) and warmed. Served two fried eggs over this and topped with cubed avocado. 2 strips of bacon. Fresh pineapple. Coffee w/almond milk.
Lunch: (on the run) Teriyaki jerky, baby carrots, roasted rosemary almonds, banana
Pre Dinner beverage: Lemon Blossom tea; love this!
Dinner: Thyme roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes (seasoned with thyme, garlic powder, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper), sautéed greens (chard, collard greens, chopped sautéed onions, crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, garlic powder, balsamic vinegar)
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