A Month of Whole30 Dinner Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love!

If you're doing a Whole30 chances are your whole family isn't doing it with you. In the past I've found that this can be a bit overwhelming when it comes to food prep. Making every meal completely separate is just a lot to do. One solution I have found is to make family-friendly Whole30 dinner recipes. That way, at least for one meal, I was just making one meal that everyone would eat. 

I thought I'd share some of the great Whole 30 dinner recipes I've found from my favorite bloggers (and my own recipes are in there too!). 30 Whole30 dinner to be exact! This list should help you cruise through an entire month of Whole30 with great family friendly dinners.

One Month of Whole30 Dinner Recipes

Crock Pot Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili from Cotter Crunch

Ancho Beef Chili Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins from Cotter Crunch

Healthy Vegetable Packed Pale Salmon Cakes from Cotter Crunch (without the optional honey)

Easy Paleo Tuna Green Chile Zoodle Casserole from Cotter Crunch

Whole30 Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas from Physical Kitchness

Burrito Bowl Stuffed Peppers from Athletic Avocado

Lemony Cucumber Mint Pesto Chicken Kebabs from Athletic Avocado

Pistachio-Stuffed Chicken Breasts from Nutritioulicious

Whole30 Sloppy Joe Bowls from Physical Kitchness (While I believe white potatoes are considered technically Whole30, I swap the white potatoes for sweet potatoes here)

Paleo Turkey Sweet Potato Meatballs from The Lean Green Bean

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas from My Natural Family

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala from My Natural Family

Slow Cooker Beef and Sweet Potato Stew from FitViews

Ground Chicken Italiano from FitViews

Smoky Grilled Pineapple Burgers from FitViews

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti With Homemade Meat Sauce from FitViews

Super Easy Turkey Taco Salad from FitViews

Slow Cooker Beef With Broccoli from FitViews

Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables from FitViews

Mom's Meatloaf Paleo-Style from Healthy Perspectives

Paleo Portobello Burgers and Baked Sweet Potato Fries from Healthy Perspectives

Vegetable Pancakes With Homemade Sriracha from Food Pleasure & Health

Rosemary-Lime Salmon Skewers with Zucchini and Bell Peppers from Go Dairy Free

Hearty Beef Stew with Roasted Winter Vegetables from Go Dairy Free

Coconutty Butternut Squash and Kale Soup from Run to the Finish

Easy Oven Baked Paleo Meatballs from Jay's Baking Me Crazy

Paleo Barbecue Chicken Casserole from Jay's Baking Me Crazy

Paleo Chicken Fajita Bowl from Jay's Baking Me Crazy

Roasted Vegetable Medley With Sausage from Jay's Baking Me Crazy

Paleo Chicken Cobb Salad With Buffalo Ranch Dressing from Paleo Running Momma

Enjoy!


Is this your first Whole30? What's your favorite Whole30 dinner recipe?

I'm Going Streaking on Snapchat

I suppose it's that time of year again. The time of year we welcome in the shiny New Year filled with hopes and dreams for a fresh start. We sit down and make lists. Resolutions. Things we're going to do different in the coming year. 

We make our New Year's Resolutions.

Unfortunately, let's be real friends, we don't tend to follow through with these New Years Resolutions.

I'm all for goals, but we all know that the majority of people promptly break their New Year resolutions within 2 weeks or so. 

But not us dear reader friends. Not this year! 

No, we'll go ahead and make a goals list. I think those are fabulous for focus. For direction. For setting our intentions. I make them all year round. But then, we won't stop there. Let's choose not to be in that percentage that gives up. Let's take those goals and turn them into actions. Actions repeated. Then repeated again. On and on and on. For 66 days.

Let's try a STREAK!

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Why a streak instead of resolutions?

Well, resolutions are usually generic "shoulds". Like, I want to "lose weight" I should "get healthy" I'm going to "make more money" and on and on. Which are all great goals, but they're too vague and often times overwhelming. They're not action-inspiring. 

With resolutions we start out filled with energy and motivation from the New Year hooplah and then fritter out into hopelessness again shortly after.

A streak however is action. Action focused on building the habits that will get us to our goals. Instead of focusing on a big, vague, sometime in the future event or occurrence a streak focuses on tasks. Actions we can take NOW. It's a complete shift in mindset that I view as a game-changer.

A streak builds instead of trailing off. A streak builds momentum instead of losing it. It builds upon itself. Builds energy and motivation with each step taken, each day x'd off. A streak builds confidence. It doesn't focus on numbers on the scale or zeros in the checking account. A streak focuses on tasks completed. The mindset shift is empowering. It's addicting in the best way possible. It's self-perpetuating. It's a game-changer.

But why 66 days? Of course you can streak for any amount of time you'd like, but I was reading in The ONE Thingby Gary Keller that, contrary to the 21 days or even 30 days that we hear, it actually takes an average of 66 days to build a habit. Hence, the 66 day streak!

But what to streak? Well, start with a goals list. Keep it relatively short. 2, 3, maybe 4 things you want to focus on this year. Focus on those things that will make the biggest impact on your life overall. Take your time and really think this through.

Next, take that list and figure out what you need to do every day to reach those goals. Boil them down to the littlest things. The daily actions.

So, for example if your goal is to lose weight. Too big. Well, you need to change your eating habits and move more. OK, still too big. What exactly does changing your eating habits mean to you? Do you need to eat more veggies, count your calories, count your carbs, do a Whole30, measure your portions, drink more water... Those are your daily actions that you can turn into a streak. Same with exercising more. What does that mean to you? You want to choose things that are doable, actionable. Do you want to walk a mile every day, increase your overall daily steps, do a thirty minute workout DVD... Those are your actions. Now turn them into a streak!

I definitely recommend getting a paper calendar where you can actually make x's for the 66 days.

Again, I want to say you want to choose things that are doable, for you, and actionable. So, if you want to start running and have never ran before, choosing a 3 mile a day run streak probably wouldn't be your best choice. But, you can walk daily moving into walk/run intervals. Also, if you want to lose weight, choosing "lose two pounds a week" for your streak isn't really an action. It's an outcome. You want to focus on actions. So, if you want to lose weight your streak could be counting your calories every day.

For me, my goals are to lose weight, get back to running 5ks this year, keep my kitchen clean, and make more money with my writing. So, I've broken those down into doable action steps that I can turn into a streak. I'm not focusing on the entire year even, but on each 66 day chunk. 

For the first 66 days of the New Year I will:

• Run at least a mile for 66 days straight. Slow as it needs to be. Easy. Not stressing my body, but consistent.
• Track my food in whatever app I settle on.
• Move so that my step tracker reads at least 10,000 daily steps at the end of the day.
• Write (non-blog writing here) at least 15 minutes a day.
• Load my dishwasher and wipe down the kitchen counters every night.
• Work on one blog related thing each day. Even just a small thing like an image for a blog post, answering an email, or testing a recipe as part of a regular meal.

And? For accountability I'm taking that all a step further. I'm going streaking on Snapchat!

Beginning January 1st, every day for 66 days, I will share a snap showing that I've done each thing on this list.

Who's up for a streak? What one thing can you do every day? Want to take it over to Snapchat too?

Add me on Snapchat! Username: kerriolkjer https://www.snapchat.com/add/kerriolkjer

Best Last-Minute Gifts

When I first met my husband he did ALL of his Christmas shopping last minute. I mean, wandering around the mall at 6 PM on Christmas Eve last minute. It drove little-miss-budget-plan-ahead here nuts. Well, this year I find myself doing a little last-minute shopping. Ah well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

If you've waited until the last minute and are feeling a bit of the stress this time of year can bring (and your blood type may or may not currently be coffee like mine) I'm here to help! Here's my list of BEST last-minute gifts for your wife (or mom, sister, BFF, aunt, cousin, neighbor's grandma's step-daughter)...

POPSUGAR Must Have Box

POPSUGAR sent me their Must Have subscription boxes to try out for October, November, and December. I whole-heartedly recommend this! Their subscription box is flawlessly curated and filled with fun surprises every month. You can choose one month, three months, or six months of this fun box and your loved one gets Christmas on and on and on. So much fun. And I have to say for the price they're a steal. SO much great stuff in each and every box. The December box:

Use the code SHOP5 (which never expires) to get $5 off their FIRST Must Have Box!

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Amazon

If you're ordering online last minute, you just can't beat Amazon, especially if you're a prime member. I KNOW she'll love one of these:

In-Store

OK, if you really want to go out and brave the crowds, more power to you. The one spot I would recommend to finish up that last-minute shopping is Barnes & Noble. I could spend days in there and they really have something for everyone on your list. They have books of course, but also the most beautiful journals, adult coloring books (that means intricate, not naughty...ahem), a great variety of Garmin activity trackers...

...and so much more you may not realize. My kids got Nooks (it's OK, they don't read my blog) and I just know they're going to love them. Plus, you can get Starbucks while you shop (and maybe a cute mug and some Christmas blend...just sayin'). For most women I know, you can't go wrong with a BN gift card if you absolutely can't decide.

OK, who's last minute shopping? What's your favorite place to do it?

Let's Have Coffee and Chat...

The end of 2016 has been a crazy blur for me. It's been work, work, freak out a little, work harder, repeat. I thought I'd just take a moment to grab a cup of coffee and chat. I always see bloggers do coffee date posts and think, "What a fun idea! I should do that." Then never do. So, if we were having coffee together...

I would probably promptly blurt out that I'm a little scared (I'm good like that). Finances have begun to look bleak since hubby's job loss. Don't get me wrong, I have total faith. I KNOW we will be fine. I KNOW good things are coming. I KNOW a door is just itching to open for me. But every once in a while I feel a little fear. I look at the bank account and feel that grip. That constricting in the pit of my stomach. A tiny little doubt tries to whisper in my ear. I'm human.

Of course then you'd hug me and agree that there is a door just itching to open for me and we'd smile together hopefully...

Then I'd tell you I'm working on my fiction writing again. I know I have stories to tell and now seems like an amazing time to suss them out. I'm the queen of excuses for why I'm not writing.

I'd share that I'm planning to work on A Promising Place more. As time permits of course, but I want to work on sharing my family's story like I'd originally intended. We had a summer of ups and downs and I really want to share all the fun.

For a while I'd probably ramble on about running. I am working my way up to a runstreak January 1 and I'm so excited for it! I think I'm most looking forward to feeling the feels of how it feels to push myself again. Strangely I look greatly forward to that. Running has always been my therapy. Now seems a great time to make time to focus on it again. To make sure I'm taking care of me in all the craziness.

Also, I'd tell you how excited I am to revamp my You Tube Channel for the New Year. My to-do list is kind of long, but I'm really hopeful that this gets done. I miss connecting with everyone over there. I'm pondering whether I want to vlog through programs again, do my things I'm loving videos, a book club, live videos, or maybe some 'coffee date' type videos. Not sure what the exact schedule will be yet, but I have lots of ideas floating around.

I also might confess I've always wanted to do a podcast, but have never decided on a topic. At this point I'm sure you'd give me a friendly talking to about over-filling my plate.

Last, if we were having coffee I would chat with you about my upcoming plans for FitViews. I'm currently planning out and starting to work on content for January. For the first time in a long time I love this here blog again. I know that sounds weird, but lately I click over here and think, ya, I like that. 

So, dear reader friends, if we were having coffee together what would you share with me??

Also, I would love your help with my 2017 content planning. What would you like to see more of here on FitViews and over on my You Tube channel? (If I judge strictly by traffic ya'll want coffee, food, and Jillian. Ha, ha, OK, who doesn't?) Any feedback is hugely appreciated. Feel free to comment below or email me at fitviews@gmail.com.

Maybe we should make these coffee dates a regular thing...

Staying Active With Our Pets in Winter #HealthierTogether

This post is sponsored by Nulo™ and the BlogPaws™ Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share information about Nulo, but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. Nulo is not responsible for the content of this article.

Winter can be a really tough time to remain active. As the temps drop down and the snow piles up I find myself struggling just to get my daily steps in. I notice the struggle not only in myself, but in my entire family and even in our pets. Left to our own devices we would all be less active in winter. I find it's even more important to be intentional about our activity levels during the winter. To be diligent about seeking activity out. To get creative.

3 Tips to Stay Active During Winter

1. Wear an activity tracker to keep you mindful of your activity level.
2. Get outside whenever it's warm enough. Walk, hike, run, go sledding, play in the snow. Whatever you do, when the sun peeks out, go do it!
3. Have indoor activities available. A treadmill, a mini trampoline, or an exercise bike are all good choices.

Our pets need to stay active in the winter months too. Whether they're indoor only or indoor/outdoor, it's our job to help them get the physical activity their bodies crave.

As for my family, we get outside and get active whenever we can. Idaho can be pretty cold and gray, but when that sun comes out we take advantage of it! We love to take walks and just play in the snow. The cats love to join us.

Every day we still have to do the chores, no matter the weather. Every little bit of activity adds up! When it's warm enough the cats love to go out with us. They follow us around while we feed the cows, chickens, and goats. They climb wooden posts, chase each other around, and generally kick up a ruckus.

When it's just too cold to get outside, it's important to have other options available. For us we have a treadmill, exercise bike, mini trampoline, and dueling basketball hoops. There's no excuse for us not to get active! As for our pets, I find pet toys to be a must during the cold winter months. Pet toys are much more than something silly, fun, or even frivolous that we buy our spoiled pets. They are a necessity. Simply playing with our cats with their toys is the best way I've found to keep our cats active on days it's simply too cold to get outside.

Of course staying healthy in winter is more than just physical activity, it's nutrition too. Personally, when I know keeping my daily activity up is going to be a struggle, whether it's because of winter weather or a vacation or whatever, I tend to focus even more on keeping my nutrition tight. I think that translates to my pets too. Winter seems an even more important time to get them good nutrition without the junk.

Nulo™ helps us do just that. Nulo Pet Food is a premium pet food available at Pet Smart nationwide. Nulo is pet nutrition inspired by world class athletes. It provides exactly what I believe my cats need most, without the junk they don't. 

Why I believe Nulo is better pet nutrition:

• Nulo provides a protein rich diet with industry leading animal-based protein levels that nourish growth, repair muscle and tissue, and enhance flavor.
• Nulo is lower in carbs promoting lean body mass.
• Nulo's patented probiotic, BC30, supports my cat's immune system, provides improved nutrient absorbtion, reduces gas and improves stool quality, and prevents growth of yeast organisms that may cause skin problems and ear infections. It also survives the cooking process (kind of an important little detail!).
• Nulo is grain-free pet food and contains low glycemic carbs. 

And, yes, Nulo makes dog food as well! That is also available at Petsmart.

A little mindfulness of our activity levels and some great nutrition and we'll all be Healthier Together this winter!

You can learn more about Nulo at their website Nulo.com. You can also check out Nulo at your local PetSmart or online at PetSmart.com.

Connect with Nulo (@NuloPetFood) on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.


How do you live Healthier Together with your pets during the cold winter months?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nulo. The opinions and text are all mine.

Sweet Cinnamon Low Carb Pancakes

I'm completely obsessed with low carb pancakes lately. Oh, you've caught on to that? Well, these Sweet Cinnamon Low Carb Pancakes are a seriously tasty addition. They're a quick and super easy breakfast option.  Whether you're getting bored on your egg fast or just a low carb or keto style eater these are for you! With only 4 grams of carbs for the ENTIRE RECIPE they'll fit nicely into your plan.

This recipe makes 3 or 4 decent sized pancakes and comes in at 340 calories according to my tracking in My Fitness Pal. I generally eat the whole thing and double the batch if hubby wants some too. It easily doubles or triples or quadruples...to feed however many you'd like. I love to make a giant batch on Sunday and have them ready for the week. Just reheat in the microwave and go.

Low Carb Sweet Cinnamon Pancakes

For this recipe you'll need:

A mixing bowl (I like to use a large glass measuring cup to easily pour the batter in the skillet), a hand mixer, measuring spoons, a small non-stick skillet (I love my Non-Stick Ceramic Skillet), and a spatula that won't scratchyour skillet.

Ingredients

2 Eggs
2 oz Cream cheese softened
1/4 tsp Vanilla
2 Packets stevia or other low carb sweetener (I used Truvia)
1/2 tsp Organic Vietnamese Cinnamon
Ghee for the skillet

Directions

Add all of the ingredients except the ghee to your mixing bowl and blend well with your hand mixer on medium, working up to high. The batter should be smooth with no bits of cream cheese visible (though I've been impatient and made them this way and it was fine, just with bits of cream cheese in the finished pancakes obviously). Preheat your small non-stick skillet to medium-low (3 on my stove top) and add a little ghee. Pour just enough batter into your skillet to cover the bottom. If you add too much batter they can be hard to flip. Wait until bubbles appear and pancake appears set. Flip. Cook on other side until done, about 30-60 seconds.

Notes

The cream cheese will blend better if it is softened. You can either just let it sit on the counter for a while or soften it in the microwave for 30ish seconds. Also, this batter will be very runny. 

For a special treat serve them with a little heavy whipping cream whipped with a little Truvia and cinnamon sprinkled on top (just note, this isn't included in the calorie count above).

These Sweet Cinnamon Low Carb Pancakes are completely delicious. They're an amazing option if you're tired of traditional low carb ways to have eggs. In describing them I'd say maybe a tad bit crepe-like in consistency, more eggy. Definitely not the consistency of a traditional wheat flour pancake, but an amazing treat when you're egg-fasting, low carb, or keto!

Let me know if you try them!

Try my other low carb pancake recipes:

Hot Cocoa Low Carb Pancakes

Egg Nog Low Carb Pancakes

Pumpkin Pie Cream Cheese Pancakes

My ONE WORD for 2017

I love the one word concept. Boiling all of our goals, our intentions, our hopes, our visions for the next year down to one single word. A mantra condensed. Concentrated. Focused. Until we arrive at one word.

As 2016 comes to a close, I've been looking back over the year. Looking at what worked and what didn't. Looking at successes and failures. Looking at the lessons learned.

I've also been looking forward to 2017. Pondering goals. Considering options. Setting intentions.

If we're Facebook friends you heard the news that my husband lost his job recently. This changes the landscape of our lives quite a bit. It shifts my part-time blogging back to more of a full-time endeavor again. It focuses me on my fiction writing more. It brings with it endless options and opportunities. For myself, my husband, and our family. It may seem like a negative event, but it's actually very exciting.

With that I want to be sure to go into 2017 with intention. Eyes wide open. Focused. Taking all of that into consideration the one word I've chosen for 2017 is:

I've looked through dictionaries and googled definitions. I've pondered what consistent means to me. Consistent is:

Reliable; steady.

Having a regular pattern.

Consistent is an adjective. It's how I want the noun of me to be modified in 2017. It's not sexy like persistent, persevere, or relentless. It's steady. It's repetitive. It's marching. One foot in front of the other. Over and over. Again and again and again. I like it. It's perfect.

Upon looking back at 2016 I saw a pattern. The same pattern I've seen the last several years in many areas of my life. I'm not consistent. In fitness. In blogging. In writing. In running. Everywhere in my life really. I want to change my regular pattern.

I have the passion. I have the drive. I have the vision. I have the tools. I have the belief, the inspiration, the desire, and the knowledge. What I need is consistent action. Over and over again. And then over and over some more.

So, for 2017 I want to focus on being consistent. No matter the shiny things. No matter the distractions. No matter the fires needing doused. No matter the hard things that need pressed through. Consistent.

I generally just focus on fitness stuff here, but I thought I'd share everything I'm working on this year. Healthy living and wellness are all encompassing to me. Areas of my life that I'll be focusing on, that I need to be consistent:

• Fitness. This includes running, strength training, and daily steps.
• Tracking my food.
• My housekeeping. This includes mostly my kitchen. It's my Achilles heal in cleaning.
• My non-blog writing.
• Blogging.

I was reading in The ONE Thingby Gary Keller that, contrary to the 21 days or even 30 days that we hear, it actually takes an average of 66 days to build a habit. So, my focus is not on the entire year at this point. I am breaking it down into 66 day chunks. For the first 66 days of 2017 I will:

• Try a run streak. I want to run at least a mile for 66 days straight. Slow as it needs to be. Easy. Not stressing my body, but consistent.
• Track my food in whatever app I settle on.
• Reach at least 10,000 daily steps each day.
• Write (non-blog writing here) at least 15 minutes a day.
• Clean my kitchen. This will include loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters.
• Work on one blog related thing each day. Even just a small thing like an image for a blog post, answering an email, or testing a recipe as part of a regular meal.

I'm looking forward to an amazing 2017!

Do you choose a one-word? Please share yours if you're comfortable.