{YAI's THAI} -Whole30 approved

Good morning cupcakes! 

I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend. One of my best friends and I are going to meet for vegan doughnuts tomorrow and I am so excited. I haven't seen this girl since Christmas, so tomorrow will be some much needed girl time. I will let you all know more about that in a blog post later. Today I meal prepped, did one hour of cardio, experimented with some new recipes, and tried out some new products. One company I want to share with you is called {YAI's THAI}

If you get a chance, go check out their website! Also, if you are doing a round of Whole30 or plan to do one in the future, all of these products are Whole30 approved. This is a very new company. It was started in 2015 by founders Leland and Sarah. They get their inspiration from Leland grandmother (Yai is Thai for grandmother). To read more about their story, follow this link: {YAI's THAI Story}

"Everything we make is low calorie, low sodium, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, vegan, Whole30 approved, paleo-friendly, and has no added sugar or anything artificial."

I want to personally thank Sarah and Leland for creating these products with consumers health in mind. There are so many products on the market that are full of things I do not want to put in my body. Just check out the ingredient list for one of their products and you will find there is nothing but simple, healthy ingredients. Thanks again Sarah & Leland. You have a truly amazing company!

Now let me explain four different products to you...

Thai Salsa-Hot

If you like things super spicy, then this is right up your alley. I can't wait to put this on my eggs this week. Their label is no joke, this is so spicy. I took a fork full of it to try it out, and it cleared out my sinuses. My boyfriend would love this! It has hints of ginger and lime! Follow this link to get some for yourself: {THAI SALSA HOT}There are some ideas on how to use this salsa on their website. 

Spicy Thai Relish

I also tried this relish with a fork. I love the combination of sweet/spicy! I am still brainstorming a recipe I can make using this stuff. YAI's THAI recommends it for hot dogs, sandwiches, stir fries, or with crackers. YUM! I think I would use it on a burger... for sure! Follow this link to get some for yourself: {Spicy Thai Relish}

Chili Garlic Hot Sauce

Talk about HOT! This stuff was smokin'. If you don't think frank's is hot enough, this one is a total game changer. I would love to add this to my omelettes! I also think it would be bomb on some sweet potato fries. The combo of the sweet from the fries would balance the hotness of this sauce perfectly! Follow this link to get some for yourself: {Chili Garlic Hot Sauce}

Chili Lime Hot Sauce

I added this to my meal last week that consisted of green beans, sweet potato, & chicken. It added so much flavor to my meal! If you are bored with your prepped meals, try adding some of this hot sauce to it. The chili lime hot sauce will completely change the flavor! YAI's THAI recommends it with guac! WHAT!? Game changer! Follow this link to get some for yourself: {Chili Lime Hot Sauce}

If you would like a sample pack, there is one with all four of these products for $24 dollars. To check it out, follow this link: {YAI's THAI Sampler}

Here is a link to some recipes using their products: {YAI's THAI Recipes} Here is a hint... there are recipes such as Chili Lime Chicken Wings, Thai Jalapeno Poppers, Thai Taco Salad, & Thai fish tacos just to name a few. 

Here is a list of all the locations & online stores: {Find YAI's THAI}

How would you use these products? Comment below and let me know.

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away." 

{Wild Zora} The Perfect Travel Food + Discount Code

Hello cupcakes!

I recently tried Wild Zora Meet & Veggie Bars and I am so excited to take them with me on my flight to California! These will allow me to get healthy protein in while I am flying all the way across the country. I do not like to buy airport food #1 because it is expensive & #2 it is not always easy to find health food

Here is a discount code you can use to get 15% off your order through March: "Healthnut"

 Most of these bars are Paleo & Whole30 approved. 

The first flavor is Turkey Masala & Spinach.

If you are hesitant about the veggies in these meat bars, don't be! The make the bars so delicious & softer than other jerky type snacks. Here are the ingredients:

 Free-Range Turkey, Organic Vegetables & Fruit (Spinach, Dates, Apricots, Onion, Garlic), Spices, Sea Salt, Cayenne Pepper, Organic Celery Powder.

The second flavor is: Parmesan Beef with Kale, Tomato, & Basil

Here are the ingredients:

Grass-Fed Beef, rBST-free Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Cultured Cow’s Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Organic Vegetables & Fruit (Red Bell Pepper, Apricots, Dates, Basil, Kale, Tomato, Garlic), Sea Salt, Organic Celery Powder, Spices.

Since I cannot have dairy, I will be giving this flavor to my boyfriend to try. He is excited to try it out.

The third flavor is: Chili Beef Bars with Kale, Apricot, Cayenne Pepper

Ingredients:

 100% Grass-Fed Beef, Organic Vegetables & Fruit (Red Bell Pepper, Unsulfured Apricots, Dates, Kale, Garlic, Onion), Spices, Cayenne Pepper, Sea Salt, and Organic Celery Powder.

This is one of my favorite beef jerky type snacks I have ever had. There is zero guilt associated with eating this snack! I love eating a protein as a snack because it helps keep me full longer.

The fourth flavor is: BBQ Beef Bars with Kale, Tomato, Red Bell Pepper

Here are the ingredients:  

Grass-Fed Beef, Organic Vegetables & Fruit (Red Bell Pepper, Tomato, Unsulfured Apricots, Dates, Kale, Garlic), Chipotle Pepper, Ancho Chili Pepper, Sea Salt, Spices, and Organic Celery Powder.

I am a huge BBQ fan, this flavor is so tasty. I could eat this like every day!

The fifth flavor is: Mediterranean Lamb Bars with Spinach & Turmeric

Here are the ingredients for this flavor:

Natural Lamb, Organic Vegetables, & Fruit (Spinach, Apricots, Dates, Garlic, Onion), Sea Salt, Oregano, Organic Celery Powder, Rosemary, Turmeric.

They remind me of so much of beef jerky, but so much healthier!

Sometimes it is hard to find snacks that match my diet style.

"Wild Zora™ snack bars are made of the same REAL FOOD that Zora, our Founder, feeds her family and friends - and that means MEAT & VEGGIES.  Although she didn’t know it at the time, she created snack bars that are extremely low Glycemic Index (meaning, they DON’T spike your blood sugar), are high in nutritional content, give you lasting energy, and still TASTE GREAT.

Don't forget to get yourself some for 15% off by using the code "Healthnut" :)

What do you think your favorite flavor would be?

To read more about Wild Zora's story, follow this link: Wild Zora

How do you fit more protein into your diet?

I hope you all have a wonderful hump day!

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

{Monday Motivation}: Otto's Cassava Flour & How to get Creative in the Kitchen

Hello cupcakes!

It's time for our third edition of Motivational Mondays with my friend and fellow blogger Maddie Butterfield. Feel free to grab the graphic above and join us! I love starting the week with some inspiration and positivity.

My goal for this post it to let you all know you can eat healthy and not have to eat boring food. I like to make eating healthy fun and exciting. I tend to eat a Paleo style diet which means almost all of the foods I eat are fresh and natural (no added chemicals or artificial ingredients). I was getting bored with my eggs and potatoes that I have eaten for the past 2-3 weeks. I decided I wanted to switch it up in the kitchen. Who else loves being creative in the kitchen?

I decided to try and make some Spinach Paleo Tortillas. I love sneaking in veggies anywhere I can get them. Perfect for kids who don't like veggies. I also like this recipe because there are not many ingredients used to make the tortillas. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of spinach
• 3 T of water
• 1 c. Otto's Cassava Flour
• 2 T Chosen Blend Oil or oil of choice 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1-2 T water

Directions: 

In a pan, wilt the spinach with the 3 T of water. 

While the spinach is wilting whisk together the flour and salt. After the spinach is wilted, process until smooth. 

Next, mix together the spinach puree, oil, and the flour mixture. Next, add in the egg and rest of the water. 

I was Face-timing my boyfriend as I was making these. He said, "take a picture of me so I can make it on your blog." What a keeper :)  So... shout out to Cory for being the best girlfriend a girl could ever ask for. I get to visit him soon in California so stay tuned for those posts. 

Then roll the dough into 2 balls and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Next, break the each ball into 3 smaller balls & roll out between parchment paper. 

Heat a skillet on medium heat. I sprayed my pan with Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray. Cook each side of the tortilla until brown. 

I decided to make my tortillas into egg wraps. I cooked 2 eggs, onions, and spinach. I also added Primal Kitchen Chipolte Lime Mayo to the wrap. 

I am so excited to eat this for breakfast everyday this week. Currently drooling over here as I type this up. 

So my goal for you this week is to try something new in the kitchen. Whether that be trying out a new healthy recipe in the kitchen, meal prepping your food for the next day of work, or buying a new food to use in the kitchen. Make healthy eating fun and exciting. I love when I create something new that I am so excited to eat for the rest of the week. Another easy way to sneak spinach into your diet is to make a smoothie. One smoothie that I love making is 2 scoops of Nuzest Vanilla Protein Powder {"ToriF" for 15 % off}, 1 banana, 1-2 handfuls of spinach, 1 T chia seeds, & 1-2 c unsweetened cashew or almond milk. My last easy tip for sneaking in more veggies is to make my delicious Cauliflower Pizza.

Let me tell you a little about Otto's Cassava Flour:

• It's an all natural, grain free replacement for flour and can be used as a 1:1 ratio substitution in many recipes. 
• There are no added fillers
• Recipes don't come out dry when you use this flour, unlike other flour substitutes 
• Gluten free, grain free, nut free, and soy free
• "Also known as yuca, cassava is a delicious root vegetable that becomes the perfect alternative for wheat when dried and ground using our proprietary preparation (say THAT 5 times fast!
• Cassava is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, manganese, iron, & potassium
• Cassava is a good source of fiber

To read more about Otto's Cassava Flour and how the company got started, follow this link: Otto's Cassava Flour Story

Here is a link to some other recipes using Otto's Cassava Flour: Recipes

Later Taters xoxo

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

*Spinach Tortilla recipe from Fork & Beans 

1 tortilla= 95 calories, 5.3 g. fat, 16 g carbs, 1 g fiber, & 1.6 g protein

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{Motivational Monday} & Giveaway

Hello cupcakes! 

I am linking up again with Maddie for Motivational Monday. I love sharing new healthy recipes with you. For today's post, I want to share a healthy pizza recipe! I am also including my meal prep and some tips/tricks I use weekly.

I also wanted to take a minute to let you know I am doing a giveaway. I've teamed up with YAWP to offer you all a chance to win a variety pack of YAWP bars. Check out this post to read more about YAWP: YAWP Eats. 

To enter, you must:

 1) follow my instagram: @toriswholelife_bbg 

2) follow YAWP's instagram: @yawpeats

3) Tag a friend in the comments on my instagram giveaway post

Here are two meals I will be having this week:

1) Grilled lean turkey burger wrapped in lettuce and topped with tomato, green onions, and Dijon mustard. I will be having carrots and snap peas on the side. 

2) Eggs and oven roasted white sweet potatoes

Cauliflower Pizza

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pink Himalyan salt

3 eggs

1/2 c. -1 c almond flour

tomato paste

other toppings such as: onions, pineapple, peppers, jalapenos, olives, fresh basil

meat of choice etc. 

Directions:

Pulse cauliflower in a food processor until it is in small pieces (looks like rice)

Place cauliflower in a microwave safe dish & microwave for 6 minutes. Stir half way through cooking. 

Let the cauliflower cool. Once cooled, add 3 eggs, almond flour, garlic powder, & salt to cauliflower (add as much almond flour as you would like. More almond flour will make for a more solid crust, but less almond flour will taste good too! It all depends on your preference). Spread "dough" out onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until the crust is baked and starting to brown (pictured below)

After the crust is done baking, take it out of the oven and spread tomato paste on top. Next, top the crust with your desired toppings. Place pizza in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes. 

Here is the finished product!

 My roommate, Katie, also made some oven baked apples to go with our cauliflower pizza! They were so delicious. We are both doing the Whole30 together. 

Here were some of my groceries for meal prep.

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you know I am obsessed with oven roasted potatoes. This time I used white sweet potatoes, Olivado Avocado Oil, and Flavor God Everything Spicy seasoning. Here is my tip for oven roasting potatoes. While you are cutting the potatoes up, place them in a bowl filled with cold water once they are sliced. Makes the potatoes cook so much better in my opinion. 

It was such a nice day in Indiana on Saturday. I decided to take advantage of using my parents' grill for meal prep since I was visiting. 

I love using the grill. It gives food such a great taste. In the summer I like to grill everything for meal prep! I will add my veggies and potatoes to the grill as well. What is your favorite thing to grill?

Other tips/tricks:

-Prep your meals for the work week on Saturday or Sunday. This will help you stay on track during the week. 

-Lay out your workout clothes the night before so that you can get a morning workout in before you give yourself excuses.

-Take progress photos and ditch the scale. Muscle weighs more than fat, but takes up less space in your body. So if you are working out and trying to lose weight, it is better to take progress photos. 

-When meal prepping, start with the food that will take the longest to cook. For example, this week I prepped oven roasted potatoes. These are the food item that takes the longest, so I start with that!

-Try to drink a glass of water before each meal.

-HIIT workouts are going to get you the fastest results. Once my foot heals, I will be starting BBG again. This is a HIIT style workout program. 

-If you have a family, pre-chop fresh fruits and veggies and set them at eye level in the fridge. 

-Set a weekly goal for yourself. Below are my weekly goals for this week

• Drink 3 of my 64 fl.oz. water bottles. 
• Do not stress eat/mindless eat
• Do yoga if I get stressed
• Put my phone away an hour before bed

-P.S. Next Monday I am going to show you how to meal prep in under an hour!

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away." 

{YAWP} & Friday Favorites

Hello cupcakes! 

Have you heard of YAWP? 

You all know I am a sucker for healthy foods. I love companies that truly care about the ingredients they use in their products. I only feature foods I truly believe in and have tried personally. 

These bars are Whole30 approved, Paleo, & Vegan!

These are YAWP's Cafe Mocha Bars.

These bars are:

• grain free
• gluten free
• dairy free
• no added sugars or syrups

These bars are so crunchy. You can tell there are no added sugars or artificial ingredients when you bite into one of them. They are also very filling for a bar. These would be awesome to take on a hike! Compared to other bars, these are a little less sweet, but I don't mind because I know they are full of healthy ingredients. 

I am also a huge fan of anything coffee flavored. That's why I chose this flavor. 

MOCHA includes Organic Coffee,Organic Cocoa Powder, Vanilla Bean, and Himalayan Salt

We use organic coffee and organic cocoa powder, free of added sugars, for a rich complex flavor. Vanilla bean contributes an aromatic depth to the mocha bar.

I can pronounce every ingredient! I personally know what each ingredient is & what effects it has on my body... all positive effects by the way.

Here is what a bar looks like up close and personal. It's beautiful. Yes, I am a weirdo who thinks food is beautiful! Who's with me?

Here are all the flavors:

-Naked Nutrition Bar

-Cafe Mocha Nutrition Bar

-Coconut Chai Nutrition Bar

-Variety Pack

Here is the link to their website again so that you can get yourself some: YAWP

{Friday Favorites}

Time for another edition of Friday Favorites. I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals! 

Number one: Canon Rebel T5

I am completely obsessed with my new camera. It is my first time using a legit camera, and I love the way my photos are turning out. I still have so much to learn, but the pictures are so much better quality. 

Number two: Mug Cakes

How freakin' delicious do mug cakes look? This one is Paleo and completely free of added sugars. I love how I can use so many different combinations. Here is the link for the recipe: {Vital Proteins Mug Cake}

Number three: Vital Proteins

I am teaming up with Vital Proteins for a GIVEAWAY! Follow this link to learn how to enter: {Vital Proteins GIVEAWAY}

Number four: Stuffed Squash

I debated making this again for next week's meal prep... that is how delicious this stuffed acorn squash is. But I knew I needed to try out some new recipes to share with you all. This is for sure one of my new favorite recipes. 

Number five: RX Bars

I know I have mentioned how much I love these bars before, but I can't stop obsessing over them. What is your favorite flavor?

Number six: Nuzest

I use this stuff to top my mug cakes. It is one of the only protein powders that does not upset my stomach. Use the code "ToriF" to receive 15% off your order.

Number seven: Doughnuts

Ever since I had my first doughnut at Rocket88 Doughnuts, I can't stop dreaming of them. I think I may have to have a once a month trip to the vegan doughnut place. 

Number eight: Primal Kitchen Chipolte Lime Mayo

This stuff is literally good on everything! I topped my stuffed squash with it as well as my eggs & potatoes in the morning. I don't think I will be able to live without this stuff! I can't wait to try it on some chicken this weekend. 

And that's a wrap! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."