MY HEALTH JOURNEY & GOING MORE PLANT BASED, MY NEW VLOG & LOW-SUGAR BBQ SAUCE RECIPE 🌿
Hi guys!!! Been awhile... but I am back with vigor! I have really eaten up and enjoyed alllll my post partum time just enjoying my girl🦋 But I am back with a new venture and energy! I am so excited to announce that I am starting a vlog! I have been down a long road to health and wellness and I am in a place now where I feel the absolute best that I ever have and I want to share my journey in hopes I may help or inspire someone who maybe has been struggling with the same illnesses I have OR anyone who wants to take control of their health! We are MEANT to feel good in our bodies! I truly healed myself with food and I am a huge believer in the power of Mother Earth and everything she reaps. I am SUCH foodie and I LOVE to cook and I am so excited to start sharing more of this side of me. I recently did a podcast with Alexa from Munchin With Moguls (which you MUST check out! She is soooo darling and interviews influencers about sharing their story and spreading positivity! So good!) Anyways I did a podcast with her where I talk about my journey with candida overgrowth, healing yourself with food, meditation and energy work. But I got so caught up in rambling about my journey of being sick we didn't get a chance to talk about what my diet and lifestyle look like for me now. I guest blogged over at her blog Munchin with Moguls and so I thought I would share my post here as well! This is what has worked for me and I hope it works for you too 💗 I am so excited to dive deep into sharing more recipes, tips and videos about all things health, wellness and healing! Hope you enjoy:)
You can listen to our Podcast here : https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/loving-yourself-to-healing/id1236381199?i=1000389754302&mt=2
NEW VLOG
Hi guys!! Kelly Packer here. After my incredibly fun interview with Alexa, I realized I got so lost in discussing my journey of getting sick with candida overgrowth- and that leading to my conscious food awakening-I forgot to mention how my diet and lifestyle looks for me now! I now eat and thrive on a whole food/paleo-inspired/plant based diet and I feel better right now than I ever have in my whole life. I have more energy than ever and my body looks and feels the strongest it ever has. Eating more plant based is something I feel so passionate about! Here is a little bit of my story:) I started my transition in September of 2015 preparing for a yoga teacher training in Bali, Indonesia. I had already cut out dairy since 2012 because of an intolerance I had to it, not because of the moral reason. In Bali I truly had an awakening. I had felt before that I could maybe see myself being vegetarian in my future but I just wasn't ready yet. I wouldn't let my brain go there or even make the connection that the meat I was eating was actually an animal. I felt like I needed meat to heal my candida and my gut because everything else on the Anti-Candida diet was so limiting. (The Anti-Candida diet restricts sugars of all forms including fruit!)
It served me for a time and got me to the beautiful place I am thriving in now and I am so grateful for that. But little did I know how much better I could feel not eating meat! Did you how many persavites, nitrates, gluten and sugar is added to most meats!? Did you know that processed meat is has been shown to be a leading cause for cancer and diabetes? I was shown videos in Bali that I couldn't "unsee." My whole perspective changed. When I saw how these animals were being treated I couldn't keep on living and pretending like this wasn't happening. I loved my dogs more than life and I would be irate if dogs were being treated this way, why is it any different for any other animal? I love the saying, "You can't un-ring a bell" and my bell had been rung. My heart was completely shattered. I couldn't believe the animal agriculture industry and how little I knew before this. I felt sick. And that's when everything changed for me. I came home from Bali (where I ate completely raw vegan for a full month. AMAZING) and continued to not eat meat. But I did continue eating eggs and occasionally local raw milk kefir. Then at the end of my pregnancy I added back in salmon because that's what felt right to me at the time. I stopped the salmon and kefir a little after Senna was born in August of 2016 and felt so amazing. Then I stopped eggs for a few months but found myself feeling lethargic and depleted. Especially being a breastfeeding mom with a baby who has an intolerance to nuts and soy in my breastmilk, so my plant protein intake is limited... So I added back in eating eggs occasionally and that has been the last and hardest thing for me to let go of. I feel good eating an egg breakfast from happy, local, free range/ back yard hens that live peaceful lives. I have gone back and fourth on this- but right now this is what feels good for my body. A "Veggan Diet" as I call it;) And that is where I am at in my plant based journey. It is a journey and it looks different for everyone. Please do not judge your journey and allow it to move at its own pace with the intention of eating less and less animal products. I started to feel clear and filled with more life force as the vibration of these precious animals were being cleansed through my system. It's more than just on a physical level! It is my hope that you will feel this once you get in the groove of eating an abundance of more plant foods that are so filling and full of LIFE!! Animals are here WITH us to be enjoyed, loved and celebrated. They feel just like us. 💖🌿
I have had to get creative in the kitchen and it's been tricky at times because my body is very candida prone so I am sensitive to sugars and allergic to gluten. I will have candida reactions if I eat too much fruit- where fruit, grains, nuts and soy are a huge part of a plant based diet so that has provided its own set of challenges. But ultimately it has been a blast to navigate and CAN be done! So this is what I hope to share. My journey of eating a low sugar plant based diet with food intolerances. Thriving on a probiotic rich, plant based diet while taking care of gut health, hormones and the energetic/emotional body is my M.O. Our gut is our second brain! Finding unity in our mind, body and spirit is key! I truly believe a huge part of healing happens within the spiritual realm. While my diet is NOT a no sugar diet (still sugar from fruits and coconut sugar, agave and maple syrup etc occasionally), eating these in balance or as an occasional treat with proper food combining and eaten with an abundance of fermented veggies for optimal digestion. I love using tools like stevia mixed with these natural sugars to find the perfect mix. I am such a foodie and I truly love veganizing and "healthifying" foods that I crave and realizing these new versions are even better- plus they make you feel good and taste AMAZING. I don't want to feel restricted in life or my diet. You can truly eat healthy and cut out sugar and not feel like you are missing out. We all crave sweet things and that is the fruit of life! I love cooking and sharing my food with friends and family and I am so exited to now start sharing this love with you guys through my Instagram, blog and my new vlog! Where I will share recipes and you can get a closer look into my diet and foods I love plus how I plan on feeding and raising my almost 1 year old on a plant based diet. Here is one of my favorite go to dinners that I can not get enough of! BBQ Buddha Bowl with Homemade Low-Sugar BBQ Sauce 😋 I get so many questions about my BBQ sauce and I am thrilled to finally share! The other best part of this bowl is the oil-free sweet potato fries. This is probably theeeeee best life hack of all time! Hope you enjoy:)
You can watch me make this sauce in my new Vlog here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttnBSrFw3qA
Homemade Low-Sugar BBQ Sauce
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
4 tablespoons of canned pumpkin maybe 1/4 cup
1 pitted date
1 tablespoon of mustard (I like the 365 brand, no added sugar and they use apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar
Juice of half of lemon
1/4 teaspoon of uncut stevia powder (I like the 365 brand)
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash or 2of cayenne (less if you don't like spice)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional : couple sprigs of fresh cilantro
Blend in a high powered blender until smooth :) I like to use my Nutri-Bullet! I use this bbq sauce as a base for everything! Add to pinto beans for "baked beans" or a marinade for jackfruit! Amazing dip for sweet potato fries or any roasted veggie.
Buddha Bowl
I love Buddha bowls because they are so versatile and you can switch out any of the roasted veg for whatever you have on hand. Get creative with the presentation and get a fun big bowl and I promise it will become your favorite part of the day! Nothing like a Buddha bowl with a good sauce 😋
For this bowl I used:
Greens of choice for base- I like a mix of kale spinach and romaine
1/4 cup of pinto beans (optional)
1 sweet potato
4 thick slices of cabbage
Brussels sprouts
Onions
Broccoli
Spoonful of fermented veggies
Avocado to top
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of flour ( I use Garbonzo bean flour or buckwheat flour)
Method
Set oven to 425 degrees. Cut the sweet potato into equal sized fry like shapes. I like mine a little thick. Put them in cold water and bring to boil. As soon as water has began to boil drain water. Do not let sit in boiling water! This is the trick to get crispy on the outside soft on the inside:) after water is drained, place potatoes back into the pot and add seasoning and flour. Mix and shake in the pot with the cover on top to keep contents inside. Spread onto a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. Add other vegetable and season them with the same spices. Roast for 20 min and then take veggies out and flip or stir slightly. Put back in over for 5-10 more minutes depending on how crispy you like them!
Adorn roasted veggies on top of greens in a large bowl. Top with avocado and BBQ sauce and a squeeze of lemon. I also like to put Apple Cider Vinegar on top of my greens before putting on veggies:) ENJOY! ✨