Meal Prep and Emergency Preparedness #WellnessWednesday

Hello Everyone! This Wellness Wednesday Week 4 and I'm here to talk to you about Paleo Meal Prep and Emergency Preparedness. One of the easiest ways to fail with a Paleo diet is to not have a plan. It's so easy to get home late and think to yourself "I don't have time to cook now, we can get takeout tonight." That may be okay if you choose the right restaurant and pick a paleo option, but it's really
easy to let "tonight" become tomorrow night, and the night after that, and before you know it, you have been eating out for several weeks in a row. Taking the time to form a plan for your meals for the week ahead of time can not only save you time, but also be easier on your budget (eating out is expensive!).

Some of the best ways to prepare are baking a whole chicken and/or ham; steaming several day's worth of quinoa or wild rice; baking sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, or another starch; or even preparing breakfast foods such as pancakes, egg cups, waffles, or baked oatmeal. Don't forget that a crockpot can also be an excellent asset, allowing you to prepare tomorrow's meal today.

You can either prepare enough meals for a few days and use all of them fresh, or you can prepare enough for the entire week and freeze some for the end of the week. This is also helpful for when the primary cook in your house is going out of town. It can also be great for when your children are home from school with a babysitter or when you are preparing for a big storm. I grew up in rural Connecticut and we lost power several times a year for days at a time because of the weather, and it was always nice to have food prepared ahead of time rather than having to live on processed foods and tuna fish.

While you're at the store, don't forget to pick up a few gallons of drinking water, extra batteries for flashlights, anything missing from your first aid kit, and stop by your local sandbag distributor if your home could be in a flood zone (also a good idea to check evacuation routes!).

Stay safe, stay dry and please remember to reschedule your appointment if you won't be able to make it!
Yours in Health,
Dr. Chelsea

Neverending Pancakes GF DF

My friends, if you learn nothing else from this blog, I hope I can teach you to ALWAYS READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE STARTING A RECIPE!

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day and the most fun to cook! I'm all about making pancakes from scratch, and I have several recipes I use which are completely Paleo and also delicious!

However, I know that making breakfast for a crowd- whether it's for a holiday, special occasion, or simply because you have a large family- can be a significant struggle. Sometimes, shortcuts must be taken, particularly when said family shows up unexpectedly. You want to be able to keep the gluten free integrity of your home, but they may be wary of "this whole no grain thing". 

Making a big show about breakfast (or breakfast for dinner) can also be a special treat to help kids who are a little more reluctant to sign on to the gluten free lifestyle. Sometimes, you have to get as close as you can to the "real thing" while they're adjusting to the transition. When your family is more established in a gluten and dairy free routine, it's easier to use recipes with fewer processed ingredients like this pumpkin pancakes recipe.

For when you need a shortcut, this King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Pancake Mix is definitely the way to go!  


If you are not cooking for a crowd, please make sure to follow the instructions for cutting this recipe in half! I made the mistake (yet again) of not reading the box where it says "add mix". Not "add 1/3 cup of mix". Not "add half of mix". They mean add the WHOLE MIX.

Whoops.

Well, I'm human. Like you, I'm not a chef. Kitchen mishaps happen. 


This made a MOUNTAIN of pancakes! A little much when you intend to make breakfast for two people, but perfect for a crowd!

I also am not the world's leading authority on flipping pancakes. Whoops.

Also please make note of where it says to let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to allow it to thicken, this is important! To make this dairy free, I subbed Smart Balance for butter and used coconut oil spray on the pan. I also used 2 cups of almond milk in place of the milk, also after not reading the box where it recommends an appropriate proportion of rice milk. 

As you can see, the pancakes fluffed up beautifully anyway, hooray! Box mixes can be wonderfully forgiving. Blueberries also make a wonderful addition.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!
Dr. Chelsea