All Hail King Ceasar (Salad)

Unlike the Okinawan folk tale of the protective Shisa Lion, the classic King Ceasar I’m referring to was invented somewhere I never would have guessed, Mexico. 🇮🇹

I’ve always been a fan of the infamous cesar salad, a good choice on any meal plan with the various choices of dressings ranging from full, lite and oil based.  My personal favorites are the Ken’s Simply Vinegarette Cesar, and for a splurge the Ken’s Lite Creamy Cesar is a real treat.  Of course the fully leaded is a king in its own right with the traditional Creamy Cesar – I bow to thee, it is the best out there in my humble opinion.

Recently I shared my thoughts on a post called “Oh My (Grilled) Goodness.”  This post was conceived on the 4th of July weekend when my son and I were Que’ing up a true king’s feast of all kinds of proteins and veggies.  We are enjoying learning and experimenting with fruits and veggies on the grill and one of our recently-reigned favorites is romaine lettuce. 

I like to stock the Costco Artisan Romaine, which are the small heads that are versatile for all kinds of protein style meals including tacos, wraps, wedges and of course the obvious, salads! 

My technique is to slice one in half, drizzle each open side with Olive or Avocado Oil, season with salt and pepper, then lay flat on medium-low heat grill for about 15 or 20 mins.

The result is a beautiful browned open-faced jewel of which to now sprinkle with parmasean cheese, drizzle your choice of dressings then crown with a hearty helping of grilled chicken.  Use a knife and fork to consume this royally or pick it up like a peasant and get old school down and dirty with it.

This is seriously one of the tastiest fares I’ve created from my little Weber grill.  Serve with a half a lemon also blackened on the hot fire, and some homemade baked croutons made with Dave’s Powerseed or Costco’s Keto Bread.  Soooooo incredibly good!  And YES legal for the diabetic!☆

Just think of all the grilled salad variations you could make: chefs, cobb, Greek, BLT, or how about a Chinese chicken salad!? Yuuuum!

However you serve and eat it, it will be an amazing new addition to the family table.  Beautiful in a dish and DELISH!

Oh did I mention it makes a perfect lunch!? 😘

Of which, by the way, enjoy yours like the king or queen YOU are!

Love, Shannon

Oh My (Grilled) Goodness

BBQing has been a family favorite for many, making it a comfort food stemming from the roots of our history and foundation.  There’s just something about cooking outside. And the good fortune of California’s weather provides grilling opportunities almost every weekend, rain or shine.♧

My son and I have been enjoying the craft since 2007 when he was just 12 years old.  His dad, my husband, was a great griller! He had passed away a year prior so I felt it was important to make sure I started him manning the tongs as soon as he realized he loved the food it creates. He’s always been a carnivore by nature, just like his dad. And it turns out he has the gift of grilling like him too.☆

We were at someone else’s backyard BBQ a few years ago when we had grilled broccolini for the first time. We ate it straight off the grill and what a treat that was! It brought up for me memories of a time my sister-in-law served grilled ears of fresh sweet corn for dinner, and that was it. We each ate it to our hearts content. It was the best corn I’ve ever had to this day, and remains a fantastic family memory now that both she and my brother have unfortunately passed due to a tragic love story♡.

Therefore, grilling veggies became not only a tradition but also a challenge as to what we could attempt, accomplish and enjoy hot off the grill as an appetizer, if you will, or served alongside a smoking hot slice of protien.

We’ve discovered so many delicious fresh options for early evening meals in the yard: Portobello mushrooms, whole green onion, bell peppers, par-cooked, potatoes, artichokes, asparagus & butternut squash; romaine, zucchini… and our all-time favorite corn and the beloved broccolini!

Yet to attempt, whole carrots, sugar snap peas, tomatoes and I recently heard Avocado works! Whoa, really?! Hey, it’s almost as if anything colorful is at least worth a try!

So if you think BBQing is just for dinner or carnivores, think again. A beautiful, fresh, delicious whole foods meal can be a spontaneous surprise for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Oh my (grilled) goodness, what a treat it is when you break the rules to serve up something memorable.

Enjoy your lunch!

Love, Shannon

Pondering Persimmons

I was pondering persimmons this morning during my breakfast☆  I love persimmons and I owe it all to The Whole30.  

Several years ago the #whole30 changed my life.  I agreed to do it with a co-worker, we both succeeded.  The following year a few more co-workers joined us.  We all succeeded!☆  To this day, I have kept better eating habits, cooking techniques, and make better #freshfood choices.  I’ve kept some weight off as well. 

Because of The Whole30 I’ve become friends with natural foods, and many of them I’ve learned to grow in my own #homegarden ♡. I believe that this is truly a #rootchakra experience and adventure with #fresh #natural #wholefoods and is a journey of #ReciprocalHealing with the #livingearth ♡ based on mutual respect of its gifts. 

Rarely do I post my preparation and/or meal creations — I vow to do that more — but I always impress myself with #beautifulfood and well-balanced plates. 

It can be a lot of fun to try new varieties of fruits and vegetables! Enjoying each of their uniqueness and beauty, color, taste and textures can even be a bit of a sensual self-discovery. Just be attentive to your body and allow your self to become aware of its feelings and reactions.

Do you feel that tingle in your belly? Follow that feelgood and as always …

…enjoy your lunch!

Love, Shannon

Reprogramming Your Palate

I wonder while I start this blog post, how transparent I should be when sharing about me.  It’s in my nature to be open and honest with people, friends, family and I’ve been through enough in my 55 years to know better than to think there’s any good reason not to be candid.  Life is too short to not allow yourself to be known as the 100% true to you!

Having said that, it’s also not easy at all to be vulnerable enough to share what could appear negative about your self, but I think I’ll role the dice and take my chances. 

Hello, this is me:  I’m a 222 lb woman who has been overweight pretty much since I was 10.  And I was just told by my doctor that due to this new diabetes diagnosis, I must lose 75 lbs.  I’m going to be truthful here and say I had big-ass ‘dear-in-the-headlights’ when those words left his mouth and hit my ears!  When I got home I wanted to cry.  Not because I can’t lose 75 lbs, moreso because (insert visual of screaming & kicking temper-tantrum stricken child here) I don’t want to!  

Truth is, I’m afraid to be an average size and my wounded inner-child/teen/adult fights back, “yeah, we’re comfortable fat!”

My point is that it became painfully obvious that I’m programmed to believe that I need layers of padding around me for protection!  I can fight change, choose to be fat and believe that I don’t need to take all this so dang seriously, while continuing my unhealthy ways  to an eventual path of slow but sure destruction.  OR I can speak firmly to the inner-committee and let them know, “Y’all, there’s a new sheriff☆ in town who is here to stay!” then gently and lovingly assure them, “Hey, don’t cry, it’s for the best so we can live a long hearty life!” ♡

The good news: fortunately, we definitely can retrain our taste buds to enjoy healthy fresh foods that are alive with nutrients and natural flavor!  The bad news; unfortunately, it can’t be done without conscious choice and a decision to plan, shop, cook, and consume differently than we used to which for some is a whole helluva lot easier said than done!

The picture I’ve provided is a great example.  I love seafood and ceviche is no exception, but this one was made with all-natural fresh ingredients, served with a half Avocado 🥑 filled with all-natural Herdes Fire Roasted Green Chile Salsa and a side of Trader Joe’s Crispy Plantain Chips.  Oh my, this was not only DE-LISH but a fairly high-end lunch that was perfectly legal! 

I’ve trained my rich-fat-foods palate to crave decadent yummy fresh foods and part of the addiction is how pleasing it looks!

In its essence, it all boils down to choice.  We have to choooose to live differently and choooose live food which supports an experience that involves taking the high road in this adventure.  But we also have to decide that we’re worth the possible uncomfortable feelings it may dish up to our friends and family. 

If you want things to positively go your way, you must CHOOSE YOU!

Eat well, friends, and…

…Enjoy your lunch!

Shannon

PB&J Lifesaver!

It’s ironic that I named this blog after the lunch meal since honestly I think my favorite meal is breakfast.

I got fat and unhealthy eating bagels smothered in cream cheese alongside a coffee ☕ chaser with plenty of half-n-half and real sugar! Oh how I love rich savory foods.

A family favorite was the almighty Peanut Butter Toast! Dating back to my grandparents, it was comfort food for me to the max with the toast a little well done, butter under the Peanut Butter…and to make things even better (or worse), I’d go to the next level spreading my favorite Knotts boysenberry jam on top of that! Embarrassingly gluttonous, but admit it, you’re salivating just slightly…aren’t you? Either that or you’re thinking OMG, no wonder this lady was fat!! Lol!

So my point is: these are a few of my favorite things and its heartbreaking to have to give up PB&J and other comfort foods because of being diabetic…even if it is how I got here!

So my mission here friends is finding compliant versions of those foods that I can feel good about, aide in my sugarless requirement, and still fully enjoy…fat-girl-style! So voila! I give you a PB&J lifesaver!

This was made with Dave’s Killer Powerseed Bread and Trader Joe’s Almond Butter. You have to believe me when I tell you that the fresh cherries 🍒 (purchased from Costco) made this breakfast so delicious I said “Yuuum” out loud…twice!

The way I see it, you can use whichever fresh fruit is in season, or of course your favorite fruit, to get different “jam” hacks…i.e. apricots, strawberries 🍓, grapes, or my much-loved black & boysenberries 💜. If you need a little sweetness, add a teaspoon of erythritol & monk fruit (I like Anthony’s brand, its all natural and diabetic, keto, paleo compliant!

How would you get creative with this? Add sliced bananas 🍌? Sprinkle natural cocoa? Perhaps something even more heavenly, but legal?

Times they are a’changin’, and if we want to live long, healthy lives, so must the menu.

We can chooose to love the healthy, healing hacks if they’re even remotely close to the real thing. We will learn that our pallets change along the way and we start to crave the natural foods while other comfort foods & favorites become a really special occasion, only-every-once-in-a-while treat!

I just want to tell you, I’ve really been enjoying writing and sharing this blog with y’all. Thanks for sitting at the table with me.

Enjoy your BFL…breakfast for lunch,

Shannon♡

#diabetes, #diabetic, #sugarfree, #keto, #almondbutter, #freshfruit, #pb&j,

Ariba Arugula!

I looove arugula!  It deserves a lot of recognition in my book, aka blog, and I’m here today to lift my hands up and give it a nice long round of applaud 👏! ♡  Praised be the almighty Arugula! Amen.

Arugula has a slight savory pepper flavor.  Its wonderful chopped in salads or topped on any sandwich, but today I sautéed it in a pan, scrambled an egg in, and added my favorite Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde. For keto lovers or diabetics, moderately sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (jack would be the perfect match but this lower fat option takes care of business). Once the scramble is ready and cheese slightly melted, I lay one of my all-time favorite Whole30 finds (and a staple in my fridge), a Seitz Almond Flour Tortilla on top and flip the entire thing in the pan so the tort is faced down, then i fold it over into a taco, continue to brown on each side and Holy Moly, I have the greatest whole30, paleo, keto, diabetic-legal creation E V E R!

Breakfast Taco lovers listen up:  This is the bomb!

Serve this with a side of any fresh or frozen fruit – another much-loved hack, frozen chunks of fruit!  This pairs really well with a savory choice like mango 🥭  or apricot.  I had mine with 5 fresh cherries and one of the small sweet red apricots which I found at Lazy Acres over the weekend.  I absolutely adore this variety of apricot, a new five-star favorite of mine and potential post all its own!☆

I like the small wild or baby variety of this leafy green. Ecowatch.com states, “While you’d get most of its isothiocyanate nutrients raw, eating it lightly cooked the body absorbs more of certain ingredients and carotenoids than when its consumed raw.”

Per ecowatch, the following are the blessings bestowed upon us by arugula:

Cancer fighting powerfood, rich in chlorophyll, hydrating leafy green, good for bone health, reduces inflammation, cleansing and detoxes the body, protects from cognitive decline, aides in weight loss; and thats not all, as an aphrodisiac since the first of the century this sexy beast has been considered “An elixir that gives flavor to life!”

And there you have it friends, healthy in all the best ways!

‘All hail the almighty, Arugula! I bow my head to thee in sincere respect, admiration, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the fire 🔥 in my belly called passion.♡’

Enjoy your lunch,

Shannon♡

#diabetes, #diabetic, #natural, #whole30, #paleo, #keto, #growyourown,

30 Days of Anything

When was the last time you did 30 days of anything new? Thirty days of anything can and will change your life…if you so choose.

The #Whole30 is all about changing your habits through daily routine. Honestly, if you do anything for 30 days straight, you will be shifted.

Let’s commit…uh oh, I said the dreaded word…to just ONE thing new. This isn’t a bet, a deal, a detox challenge or a high-pitched squeal of “yay, someone joined!” It’s a personal calling, an individual quest to test your self’s ability to be flexible, get out of your own way and allow a different experience for just 30 days.

It’s only 30 days, not forever; and its not every thing, it’s ONE thing.

Yes, it can be a food elimination like no creamer in your coffee; or replacement like using almond milk creamer instead; or an addition like eating more veggies, but what else could work?

• How about a walk? Even if it’s just to the corner and back.
• How about planting an herb or veggie and tending to it every day?
• Do you have 30 friends/family, how ’bout calling one person per day and checking in with them and listen?
• Aspiring to write a book? Set your intention to sit and write for 30 mins a day.
• Sit with a child every day for 30 days and give them your undivided attention.
• Share daily gratitude on social media.
• Go off the social media grid for 30.
• Cook a homemade meal every day.
• Or of course, by all means, do a detox! Here’s the highly recommended Whole30 detox: https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

Create a daily game of it and have FUN…thats something new, having fun every day for 30 days!

I just planted a container garden, so my choice will be to tend to it each day and use at least one variety as an ingredient or garnish to each meal!

I planted:

• 5 variety tomatos 🍅
• Herbs – basil, oregano, lemon thyme, rosemary
• Jalapeños 🌶
• Japanese cucumbers 🥒
• 3 variety salad greens🥬
• Orange chard
• Lemongrass & lavendar 💜

I’m seeding many others to get a rotation started as well.

Thirty days of being a real gardener, that’s my choice! 😇 #gardenangels

✌💚🥦

What will YOU choose?

If you have what you need to start your 30 Days of Anything, start today…or make a run for supplies and start tomorrow! No need to wait until the beginning of a week or month, you’ll risk losing momentum and passion for the project!

So pick a thing, any thing, and just make the decision to start.

Enjoy your lunch,

Shannon ♡

#gardening, #diabetes, #mindful, #diabetic, #growth, #selflove, #soulful, #gardenangels,

The Infamous Curried Couscous!

Have you had Mendocino Farms Curried Couscous? Let me tell you, the first time I had it I was instantly addicted!

Being a Paleo fan and a Whole30 veteran, I’ve attempted to make mock (legal) versions of it with no success due to the grain ingredient. But now that I must work healthy grain back into my daily consumption, I’ve returned to the challenge!

Thanks to TheMissingLokness.com cook who posted a pretty good version of it last year using simple easy items I had in my kitchen; well, by jove I think I’ve got it!

Here’s The Missing Lokness version: https://themissinglokness.com/2018/05/02/mendocino-farms-curried-couscous-with-roasted-cauliflower/

Now here’s how I’ve hacked it to be compliant for my whole natural food wants and diabetic needs:

I recently read about the benefits of Sorghum and bought the Anthony’s brand, so I used it as my grain. Sorghum is a complex carbohydrate so its highly recommended for diabetics for the long, slow burn. I cooked it for over an hour and its still not as soft as Couscous or any of its cousins, but it worked good enough for me. And for the mayo, I personally substituted the Primal Kitchen’s masterpiece, Avocado Oil Mayo! PK has some amazing paleo/whole30 products out there – must try their ketchup…omg! Yes! A++

Other than those two component hacks, I followed the recipe by the book. And I think it tastes PDC, pretty darn close! However, the visual is more earthy than the beautiful golden hue of the real thing as the grain is more like a brown rice and doesn’t take on that really magical essential turmeric color, but if you can get past it, then throw in a little more of this or that to get to your own liking. Either way, I highly suggest trying it, it is sooooo good!

I may have never been able to enjoy that particular favorite food again, but now I have a homemade legal-for-me version which is super easy to make…and eat!

Share your own hacks with us, if you will…I would looove to hear about what you use!

Until then, nom nom nom.

Enjoy your lunch!

Shannon♡

#sorghum, #curriedcouscous, #diabetic, #whatsforlunch, #diabetes,

Learning to Eat Again

“When life gives you lemons, 🍋 make lemonade.” I’ve done just that very thing many times in my years on this earth; however, from now on my lemonade must be sugar-free.

This is the first piece I’m writing outside of the Whole30 but it won’t be the last.  In fact, I’m turning over a new leaf 🍃 on whole fresh, non-GMO, non-processed, all-natural foods that are alive with energy, color, and of course, by osmosis, good vibes. Yep… “and now streaming live, 24/7, is Sugarless!”

New for me, charting this territory comes with some non-paleo requirements, adding the forbidden grain to my plate. Which means, I’m learning to eat…again.  Nevertheless, my focus remains whole-soul, whole-some, and healthy.

Maybe you’ve guessed it by now…I’ve recently been diagnosed as diabetic.  I’m not proud of the latest finding, but I’m not ashamed or embarrassed about it either. 

I’ve been a chubby girl most of my life.  I’ve hidden my feelings in between layers of weight, ignored issues, steamrolled emotions in order to meet the energy of confidence and feminine strength. But fortunately, willpower has never been a problem for me.

I’ve never been a closet consumer scarfing down food just to do it.  Ive seen a few people put away more cookies in one weekend than I’ve consumed in my whole life Not! No.  It’s more that I’ve just enjoyed rich, delicious, fat, free-spirited fare under the muse of self bodily love and acceptance.  Aka: I let myself have whatever I wanted when I wanted it. 

I was a tally proud to be plump. It takes courage to be fat! Period.

So here’s where I capitalize on that willpower component of me and serve up a big helping of all the pieces I’ve learned about Whole30, Paleo, Keto, and Root Chakra related whole foods. And then…live that way for the rest of my life.

I’ve been a huge fan of the 30 and it has changed my life for the better.  I’ve learned to eat for my best health thirty days at a time a couple times a year, so moving forward I plan to continue the task and trek of creating balanced plates. 

I’d be honored if you join me at the table. I’d like to share the journey with you if you’ll have me.

When I named Lunchtime Lifesavers it was meant to provide helpful Whole30 knowlege, food choices, snack hacks and support for my fellow teammates, colleagues and adventurous detoxers…who knew it would be flipped into a diabetes-related blog about actually saving lives one lunch at a time.

I intend to boil this dis-ease down to its essence to find foundational foods that work to sustain a vibrant, healthy and deliciously, yummy, juicy life!

You’re invited to join me as I once again navigate the beautiful jungles of fresh natural foods in search of the unlimited goodness that life can and will dish up in whole healthy ways.

Until next time.

Enjoy your lunch,

Shannon

#diabetes, #sugarfree, #sugarless, #sweetsurrender, #iamdiabetic, #keto,

Third to Home!

Hey detoxers!  It’s the final few days of our 2021 Delco Detox, how exciting!  We can basically start celebrating – without alcohol, sweets or treats of any kind though so don’t get too crazy.  Two more days and we’ve hit home plate!

Now is the time to start planning the post 30.  Where are you going to go from here?  “There’s choices,” you may ask?  And the answer is “yes.”  Do you go back to the way it was before and possibly gain your weight and health issues back, or do you look at your 30 days in retrospect and talk about which habits, which compliant foods, you’re willing to continue forward with.

For my son and I, we have already decided that we are going to stay on track to continue our success for the long-haul, but we will allow ourselves one eat-out day (sustainable good choice meal choices), and one homemade meal with non-compliant foods…one each per week.  The rest of the time we’re staying on course.

Another choice:  When you go back to eating out, what will you choose for the meal?  Time to incorporate fresh choices, all restaurants have them now.  And as far as fast foods, change your mind about what you’ll allow yourself to have.  A sustainable choice like The Habit for a hamburger and sweet potato fries vs. McDonalds, for example; California Fish Grille vs. California Pizza Kitchen;  El Pollo Loco Chicken meal rather than a Canes Chicken meal.

How will you decide to to move forward is so important, but of course it’s always your free will and intention that defines each moment.

I’m so proud of each of you as well as my son and I, we all did it!

Hang in there for the last 2 of 30, friends, and I’ll see you on the flip side.

In the meantime, enjoy your lunch,

Shannon

 

#whole30, #detox, #goodhealth, #sustainablefoods, #healthylifestyle,