Cassava Chia Tortillas (Paleo, Gluten Free, Grain Free)

When I was on AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) cassava tortilla’s were a staple. They are a great substitute for bread or taco shells or really anything you can dream up. They are also great with a little maple syrup and fruit along with a sprinkle of cinnamon for a sweet treat. This recipe adds chia seeds to mix things up a bit but the chia can be left out to make AIP compliant. You can also add any seasonings or flavors you like to the base recipe to keep it interesting. These Cassava Chia Tortillas will become a staple no matter how you decide to make them because they are super easy and so good! LOVELY INGREDIENTS FOR VIBRANT HEATH: Cassava: is high in Vitamin C which is great for the immune system as well as building collagen in the body. It is also a good source of fiber and antioxidants including anti-inflammatory phenolic compounds. Chia Seeds: are high in antioxidants, minerals, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. They are also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium and in addition are a great source of fiber. Print Cassava Chia Tortillas Author: Katie at Whole Lovely Life Prep time:  10 mins Cook time:  20 mins Total time:  30 mins Serves: 6-12 tortillas   Paleo, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Dairy Free, AIP (modification), Whole 30, Vegan, Vegetarian Ingredients 3⁄4 cup cassava flour 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt 2 Tablespoons chia seeds 2 Tablespoons olive or avocado oil ⅓ cup water + 2 Tablespoons water (add more water as needed) Instructions In a bowl mix cassava flour, sea salt and chia seeds. (omit chia for AIP) Add olive or avocado oil and ⅓ cup water. Add an extra Tablespoon of water at a time, as needed until you have a workable dough. Mix well with a fork. Then, use hands to bring together into a dough ball. Roll small amounts of dough into 6 to 12 round pieces. Use a tortilla press or a rolling pin to flatten. For extra thin, press and then role. Note: When rolling out tortillas use parchment paper or 1 liter bag cut into 2 halves to avoid sticking. Heat a cast iron skillet and carefully place the tortilla into the skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet any will do but you may need to oil your pan to avoid sticking. The easiest way to do this is remove the…

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Breakfast Tacos with Green Chili Cilantro Sauce (Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

I have a brand new recipe to share just in time for the upcoming weekend! I am not much of a breakfast person during the week. I love fasting not only for the health benefits but for the simplicity it brings to my life. However, on the weekend when things are slower I love to make a super satisfying breakfast and these Breakfast Tacos with Green Chili Cilantro Sauce are perfect. They are nutrient-dense, simple to make, and can be doused with as little or as much Green Chili Cilantro Sauce as you like. By the way, you should make a double batch because not only is this sauce good on these breakfast tacos but it is delish on pretty much anything. LOVELY INGREDIENTS FOR VIBRANT HEATH: Sweet Potatoes: are a great source of fiber (insoluble + soluble), antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They are also high in beta-carotene which converts to Vitamin A making them an immune health superstar. Pasture Raised Eggs: are high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, antioxidants, and choline. They also help increase levels of HDL (good cholesterol). Cilantro: is powerful at riding the body of heavy metals. It is also high in antioxidants, good for both heart and brain health as well as digestion and may help with lowering blood sugar. Avocado: is an amazing source of healthy fat, vitamins C, E, K, and B6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, potassium, lutein, and beta-carotene. Red Onion: is high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, cancer fighting compounds, antibacterial, and is great for digestive health. Garlic: is filled to the brim with antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory and amazing for the immune system. Ok! Lets get cooking. You will also need a batch of either Cassava Chia Tortillas or store bought tortillas. Print Breakfast Tacos with Green Chili Cilantro Sauce Author: Katie Faison at WHOLE LOVELY LIFE Recipe type: Breakfast + Brunch Prep time:  20 mins Cook time:  20 mins Total time:  40 mins Serves: 4 tacos   Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Vegan (see modification notes) Ingredients 1 small sweet potato 4 pasture raised eggs sea salt to taste ¼ teaspoon smoked chipotle ¼ of a small red onion chopped ½ an avocado sliced ghee for cooking eggs 2 teaspoon avocado oil sprinkle of sea salt 4 Cassava tortillas (either store bought or see link to recipe in post) GREEN CHILI CILANTRO SAUCE 1 can green chilies 1 bunch…

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Love Yourself Fully

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hoping you all are having a wonderful day. Today is the perfect day to share a part of a document I created called “Mind Body Realizations and Promises To Self” which I give to all my coaching clients at the start of their healing journey. It is not easy but working towards accepting and loving ourselves just as we are is critical to healing. We all are messy and imperfect in the most perfect way. To truly love yourself and accept yourself as you are you need to explore what parts of yourself you may view in a poor light or the parts of yourself that you may not be ready and willing to accept. This can be scary but once you start exploring this area of your life you will find more and more to love. How you do this is up to you but my favorite way is to write. Write without judgment and let your words flow. I love the exercise of rewriting the story you have about certain parts of yourself or the things you consider true about yourself that probably aren’t. Write the story you currently have and then rewrite it showing gratitude and love for the unique person you are. In Love, Health + Gratitude, Katie

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Favorite Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Compliant Snacks

Whether you are following the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) or just looking for healthy snack ideas you have come to the right place! The market is flooded with “healthier” snacks these days but so many still have junky oils and added ingredients that take the healthier factor down a notch. These are my absolute favorite brands and items that I turn to when I’m in the mood for something crunchy, salty or convienant. These snacks have minimal clean ingredients and if there is added oil it is a non-inflammatory better for you oil. Jackson’s Honest Sweet Potato Chips : Sea Salt   Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs : Himalayan Pink Salt Artisan Tropic Cassava Chips : Sea Salt Artisan Tropic Plantain Strips : Sweet   Artisan Tropic Plantain Strips : Sea Salt   Sana Coconut Tortilla Chips : Himalayan Pink Salt   Barnana Plantain Chips : Himalayan Pink Salt Epic Bar : Beef Apple and Uncured Bacon Epic: Smoked Salmon Snack Stick   Epic Baked Pork Rinds : Himalayan Sea Salt Dang Coconut Flakes: Lightly Salted Chomps Beef Sticks : Italian Style   Chomps Beef Sticks : Sea Salt Gemini Super Foods : Peeled Tiger Nuts  Sea Snax : Olive Oil  Did I miss any of your favorites? If you have a favorite AIP compliant snack that did not make the list please share in the comments below and I will add. In Health, Love + Gratitude, Katie

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Clean Eating Summit 2020 Interview Videos

In October of 2020, I was a speaker at the Clean Eating Summit along with 15 other experts. I shared the Whole Life Approach that I use to help people reclaim their health and lives. In my interview, I share my story, my Whole Life Approach, and the benefits, and actionable steps you can take right now. Regardless of if you are working to eat cleaner or struggling with chronic illness/autoimmunity, you will find information that you can use starting today to transform your health and life. I also shared two FREE EXERCISES along with printouts that can be used to implement change in your life starting today. Below are the videos from my interview. CLICK EACH IMAGE to WATCH the VIDEOS. If videos aren’t your thing you can READ the INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT HERE. VIDEO ONE VIDEO TWO VIDEO THREE VIDEO FOUR VIDEO FIVE (SUPPLEMENTAL INFO + FREE EXERCISES) I hope you found this interview helpful! If you are seeking change in your life and are ready to dig deep into why you are suffering with chronic health issues or are simply ready to make improvements to your daily habits consider reaching out or take a look at my coaching offering HERE. In Love, Health + Gratitude, Katie

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Clean Eating Summit 2020 Interview Transcript

In October of 2020, I was a speaker at the Clean Eating Summit along with 15 other experts. I shared the Whole Life Approach that I use to help people reclaim their health and lives. In my interview, I share my story, my Whole Life Approach, and the benefits, and actionable steps you can take right now. Regardless of if you are working to eat cleaner or struggling with chronic illness/autoimmunity, you will find information that you can use starting today to transform your health and life. I also shared two FREE EXERCISES along with printouts that can be used to implement change in your life starting today. Below is the transcript from my interview. If you would rather watch the videos you can find them HERE. 1.Tell Us About Yourself First I just want to say THANK YOU for having me. I’m excited to be here and excited to learn from all the speakers. I also want each of you to take a moment and honor yourself for being here. You were led here for a reason and accepting the invitation is something to celebrate. Nutrition has always been an interest of mine. However, when I was younger my focus was always centered around calories. The lower the calories the more nutritious I thought a food was. I never really looked at the ingredients or truly understood what was in the so-called healthy food I was eating. For me, at that point in my life, it was all about weight control. That was my only focus and back then a diet coke, for example, was considered a health food in my mind. During my childhood, I had a lot of issues with my stomach. I was diagnosed with IBS early on and was on elimination diet after elimination diet. Even though I was learning that certain foods can cause certain reactions in my body I never really put two and two together until 2006 when I started to have issues with my neck and joints. My story is a long one and can be found HERE if you are interested in reading it but I will share a condensed version now and what brought me to this moment. In 2006 I started to have an issue with my neck and many of my joints. I had a lot of pain which lead me to go to doctor after doctor in search of…

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Clean Eating Summit FREE EXERCISES (Rewrite Your Beliefs About Clean Eating + Finding Your Why)

In October of 2020, I was a speaker at the Clean Eating Summit along with 15 other experts. I shared the Whole Life Approach that I use to help people reclaim their health and lives. In my interview, I share my story, my Whole Life Approach, and the benefits, and actionable steps you can take right now. Regardless of if you are working to eat cleaner or struggling with chronic illness/autoimmunity, you will find information that you can use starting today to transform your health and life. I also shared two FREE exercises which you will find below along with printouts that can be used to implement change in your life starting today. Click on the images Before diving into these exercises either watch the INTERVIEW VIDEOS or read the INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT. Now that you have watched the videos or read the transcript you can dig into the exercises below. There is one more VIDEO to watch before you get started. Click the image below. The First Exercise is about Re-Writing Your Beliefs About Clean Eating. Beliefs start forming when we are very young. One small experience can create a belief we carry with us throughout our lives. The beliefs we have about ourselves and the world around us can either help or hinder the goals we want to achieve. The purpose of this exercise is to list out the current beliefs you hold about clean eating and then re-write those beliefs. Click the IMAGE below or HERE to get your Free Printout. The Second Exercise is about Finding Your Why. You will find step by step directions to help you identify the “WHY” behind what you want to do. This exercise references clean eating but you can apply these steps to any health goal. Check out this article I wrote “8 Ways Identifying Your “WHY” Will Help You On Your Healing Journey” to learn more about how helpful finding your “WHY” can be when it comes to our health goals. Ready to get started on the second exercise? Click the IMAGE below or HERE to get your Free Printout. The other FREEBIE I gave away at this summit was my Nutrient Dense Smoothie Road Map. Recently I created an An Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Compliant version of this roadmap. Pick one and then print it out and keep it in your kitchen for easy reference! I hope you found this interview and exercises…

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AIP Compliant Nutrient Dense Smoothie Roadmap (FREE PRINTABLE)

You found my Nutrient Dense Smoothie Roadmap but are following the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) so that is what brought you here! Welcome! Smoothies on AIP can look a bit different. You might be asking yourself what can you add to your smoothies to make sure they aren’t only nutrient-dense but filled with healthy fat and some protein too. Hopefully, this roadmap will help you create not only delicious smoothies but take a bit of the guesswork out. Here are a few smoothie tips and things to think about when it comes to AIP. All fruit is allowed on AIP but you should aim for lower sugar/fructose fruits. Berries are one of the best options! When following a strict AIP diet consider using 1 serving of fruit with 2 or more servings of vegetables. Work to rotate ingredients. Try not to eat the exact same smoothie every day. This will help with nutrient diversity plus keep you from getting bored. For your greens don’t use just spinach! Spinach is the go-to green in smoothies but there are so many other ones out there that are wonderful. Two of my favorites are parsley and cilantro. I also love adding basil and mint or other herbs to my smoothies. You may miss the nut milk but honestly using filtered or spring water as your liquid base works perfectly. Adding avocado, cauliflower or zucchini will kick up the cream factor. Or, a little coconut too! Don’t drink your smoothie too fast. Take your time. Digestion starts in the mouth and even though a smoothie is easy on the digestive system you still want to take your time. Place this FREE PRINTABLE somewhere in your kitchen for easy access and happy AIP smoothie making! In Love, Health + Gratitude, Katie

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Banana Peel Tea: Benefits and How To Make It

Have you heard of Banana Peel Tea? I stumbled across an article by Dr. Daniel Pompa recently and was fascinated. I had no idea this was a thing but after reading a few more articles about banana peel tea I am excited to start incorporating this into my homemade tea rotation. Bananas are a great source of Potassium, Vitamin B6, and Magnesium. All essential nutrients our bodies need to feel our best. So, it makes sense that making a tea out of bananas would benefit our bodies. One of the greatest benefits of banana peel tea is for helping with sleep. Something so many of us could use a little help with. Banana peel tea is the perfect natural sleep aid! Drinking it shortly before bed helps to relax your muscles and helps you fall asleep faster and for longer. Banana peel tea is also filled with antioxidants which benefit the body in so many ways. In addition, banana peel contains fructooligosaccharides which act as a prebiotic (food for the good bacteria in your gut) which help digestion by promoting the growth of good bacteria in the digestive tract. Now that you know a little bit more about banana peel tea this is how you can make yourself! Print Banana Peel Tea Author: Katie Faison Prep time:  1 min Cook time:  10 mins Total time:  11 mins Serves: 16 oz   Ingredients 1 organic banana peel (organic is critical) 16 oz filtered or spring water ¼ tsp cinnamon Instructions Trim the ends off a banana and remove the peel. Place the peel in a sauce pan along with water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 min. Remove the banana peel and pour in a cup and add a little honey or stevia to taste if you prefer a little sweetness to your tea. Reserve the banana for another use. Notes TIP: You can make a batch or two ahead of time and keep in the fridge to drink right before bedtime. You can also dehydrate or freeze the peel of a banana for future use. 3.5.3251 In Love, Healthy + Gratitude, Katie

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Keto Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée

We had a gloomy day in Minneapolis today so it was the perfect day for making a sweet treat. I also realized that we are almost through October and I have yet to make anything pumpkin spice. I feel like that is sort of a rule for October right? So, I added a little pumpkin spice to make these little creme brûlées a little more festive. They turned out delish! Creme Brûlée never fails me and it’s so easy to make a clean version with quality ingredients and a sweetener like erythritol to keep it sugar free and keto. It really is all about the ingredients. You can make something decadent like creme brûlée much more nutrient dense just by swapping out conventional ingredients for pasture raised, grass fed and organic. WHY PATURE RAISED EGGS? Pasture Raised Eggs are higher in Vitamin A, E and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. You can see the difference in the yolk. An egg from a pasture raised chicken is dark orange whereas an egg from a conventional chicken is a light, sunny yellow color. The difference is insane! Not to mention the difference in how the animal is treated. WHY GRASS FED DAIRY? Grass Fed Dairy not only tastes better than conventional dairy but it’s higher in Vitamin A, E and Omega 3’s just like pasture raised eggs. Funny how when we do things as nature intended we get the nutrients our body needs. In addition, grass fed dairy contains CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Studies show that CLA can play a role in regulating your body’s inflammatory and immune responses and can help to support detoxification. Getting CLA through a whole food source is best vs. a supplement given most come from processed oils such as sunflower and safflower. So adding in grass fed dairy if you tolerate it is a great way to get more CLA in your diet. Ready to make some upgraded Keto Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée? Ok, lets go! Print Keto Pumpkin Spice Creme Brûlée Author: Katie Faison Prep time:  20 mins Cook time:  30 mins Total time:  50 mins Serves: 6   Ingredients 2 cups grass fed heavy whipping cream 5 pasture raised eggs 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp vanilla extract ¼ cup of granulated erythritol Instructions Separate egg yolks into a bowl. Add erythritol and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk vigorously for 1-2 min and then set aside. In…

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