I am on day 28 of my Whole30. I am very proud of myself. I have done so well this go round, I didn’t cheat one time! I feel great, my clothes fit better and my bank account is a little fuller! Yes, you read that right! I saved money on Whole30! Eating at home, planning my meals ahead of time, getting creative with leftovers and buying in bulk really helped ease our food budget this month.
I have been notoriously bad about buying groceries and then never using them. This month of Whole 30 has helped me learn to stretch my ingredients, and buying in bulk was key to that. Plus, it’s teaching my daughter a good lesson about leftovers, which she usually complains about. I’m sure she got it from me. I’ve also been a bad left over cook. I always save them, but rarely eat them. I’m learning to repurpose them in a ways that makes them seem new! Which is fantastic.
Because I was giving my daughter leftovers in her lunch at least 3-4 days a week, I decided to refresh my knowledge of proper food storage. Around Thanksgiving 2013, we posted some information on proper food storage. So, I pulled it up and it was still super helpful. (go us!) I realize its not even close to Thanksgiving, on this 1st day of February, but it’s still got incredibly helpful tips for leftover storage. Take a look here.
This recipe saved me on several occasions when I needed a delicious side dish that would keep me on track. It goes with just about any protein. I often served it with turkey joes, or even just a grilled chicken breasts. Also, it’s great reheated, so my daughter usually got some the next day in her lunchbox and I would toss it in my scrambled eggs in the morning.
This is one of my favorite recipes this month because I was able to re-purpose in a couple of ways. For my daughters lunch, I would reheat it with the protein from the night before, all in the same skillet and turn it into a leftover stir fry. For me, I would top my fried egg or mix it into my scrambled eggs in the morning. I even one chopped up some hardboiled egg and made a bacon, brussel sprout salad. It was delicious!
For us, the key to getting through Whole 30 without losing our mind was learning to re-purpose ingredients, but also to simplify what is on our plates. For example, one of our favorite dinners this month was something I call Turkey Joes. It’s a take on Sloppy Joes, but with all fresh ingredients, and we served it by itself. No bread needed! It was super delicious and we didn’t even miss the “sandwich” part of the traditional “Joe.”
I hope you enjoy this super simple, but incredibly delicious clean, Paleo, Whole30 side dish.
P.S. – Be sure to find a Whole30 Approved Bacon i.e. no sugar.
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