Pondering Next Steps in Health

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

When in early 2016 I began a daily exercise practice, I wasn’t sure how long I could stick with it and I certainly didn’t anticipate I would be writing a health blog six months later. Nevertheless, I’ve now known for more than a year that I wanted to find a way – or ways – to help people to be their healthiest selves. 

At first I considered becoming a personal trainer or getting certification to teach a style or brand of exercise that I loved. I still would love to do that someday, but after a lot of research I decided that wasn’t currently the best use of my money and time. Given my work following the auto-immune protocol, I started this blog to document my health journey as well as the progress I made even earlier through exercise and a mindful approach to my health. I’ve considered becoming a health coach someday as well. But currently, I’m at a bit of a crossroads. 

In my life, I love to do a variety of things. I’m self-employed with a variety of work. I love the arts, food, the environment and improving the lives of the people I care about. I love to write and edit and to help people get organized. And I would love to make more money doing these things. 

So how do you monetize a health blog where your focus is on making common sense choices, developing habits and on learning to know your body? Besides gaining a following and having advertisements, it seems like my best path would be to create a “system” with resources for people to follow or a book to read. And I’m not there yet, and I’m not currently sure if/when I’d be the best person to do that. 

So one of the choices I’ve been considering for many months is to become affiliated with a health company and market their products. M2M companies aren’t my favorite thing, but it would give me a clear path to income IF they had products I could stand behind. I’ve been courted by at least four companies in the last year, and I’m leaning toward one of them, because I can see a clear path where I can test some of their products on my diet and because although they offer a “shake”, their overall approach to fitness can be made to align (perfectly, I think) with mine. 

But I wonder how I will be judged if I make this leap. I know people have enjoyed reading about my health journey, and I will continue to share it. I would just have additional offerings for those who are interested. And maybe I could find a way to “coach” people who don’t need the products too, if they cared to listen? 

I’d love your thoughts. This had been on my mind for months and I’m trying to decide if I’m ready to make the leap! 

(Pictured below are some recent meals in my life!)

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Cheating and Erin McKenna’s Bakery 

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

One of the things I continue to struggle with in my journey to health is the feeling of being torn between strictly following the AIP (auto-immune protocol), which overall has me feeling MUCH healthier than I used to, and the desire to be “normal” and indulge in a treat or a meal out. When you have food allergies and restrictions, any time you don’t prepare the meal yourself there is a risk of cross-contamination or mistakes…and if you add in ingredients that aren’t on your diet technically – AKA a “cheat” in my world – the risk to your health continues to increase further. Of course the flip side of the coin is that every time you stress out about having to obsessively plan and pack your meals, or have to turn down a tasty homemade treat or meal, your stress level, at least if you’re me, goes up. That affects your health negatively. It’s hard to feel satisfied with eating at home 100% of the time, especially when food is such a social thing in our culture. 

So I’ve been navigating this a lot lately. And my response varies day to day, frankly. Although I was initially 100% strictly following my diet, I enjoy allowing myself a little leniency now and then. I can afford to do this in a smart way, and your mileage will vary. The key is to keep a food journal, limit cheats so that you can track exactly what effect they have on your body, and exhibit self-control. I also recommend you try to keep cheats out of the house whenever possible. I have yet to purchase gluten-free bread for the house, for example, but I’ve had a cookie or pancake outside the house with no reaction. That way I’m not cheating daily and can keep there overall integrity of my diet. 

My husband and I are extremely lucky to be new Florida residents (and full-time travelers) which allows us to have inexpensive Disney World passes. These passes do have blackout dates, so occasionally we get our Disney fix at Disney Springs, a shopping and recreation center with free parking near the parks. 

Yesterday we stumbled on a bakery that opened recently, and I seriously thought I must be dreaming. Erin McKenna’s Bakery is from NYC but now had a beautiful, small Orlando location. The sign outside said their food is dairy free, egg free, soy free, gluten free and certified kosher! It’s vegan too. Plus, the only “nut” they use is coconut!!! For me, that means this is the most “on plan” bakery I can imagine. 

Although some of these treats probably have seeds (a low level reintro for me that I haven’t completed yet), and they have more sugar than I need of course, otherwise I’m unlikely to be cheating at all. So of course I had to stop in with my husband. 

Their menu is almost entirely sweet treats. They do carry soft serve ice cream (I didn’t ask what it’s made of) and they have a few flavors of bagels. But the reason to go here is for the goodies, as far as I can tell. Their offerings included tea cakes, cupcakes, cupcake tops, frosting shots, at least six kinds of donuts, cookie cake, brownie treats and bites, and much more. 

I limited myself (and my husband, who agreed to help) to three treats. Amazingly they accepted our annual pass for a discount, so I paid less than $9 with tax. I went with a cookies and cream donut, a vanilla sprinkles donut (can you tell I’ve been obsessively craving donuts?) and a blondie cupcake with raspberry icing and jam and cookie crumbles. Everything was seriously amazing. The donuts are cakey but very moist throughout, and the frosting on the cupcake top was almost fudge-like. The donuts also weren’t super-sweet which I really appreciated. Also, Mark Bittman at the New York Times has declared these the best donuts anywhere!

My husband, who basically eats anything, agreed he’d happily go back here for a treat, especially a cupcake or cupcake top. This is my new favorite donut place and I can’t wait to try their other flavors!

I can’t recommend them more highly. Find them in NYC, Los Angeles or the next time you’re in Orlando. Or if you’re in the U.S., order a treat online! 

How do you navigate cheats in your meal plans? I’ll be exploring this more in upcoming posts. For me, gluten is a never again, but everything is a conversation right now. 

Thanks for reading!

Baking Fail? 

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

Sometimes, you crave a treat and can’t move past it. For me, I can usually ignore cravings and they go away – in fact, they’re rare nowadays – but persistent ones sometimes demand a response. In this case, I’ve been staying for two weeks with a family whose son makes apple pies every few days. In fact, I woke up to a fresh one in the oven two mornings ago. So while I’m not a big pie person, I love baked apples, and I started to obsess over a similar treat since I had a bag of almost untouched apples to use up. 

After much debate, I settled on these apple pie bars with a shortbread crust. I love shortbread and our crust isn’t really my thing. I subbed arrowroot for tapioca and skipped coconut manna and used a touch of cane sugar instead of a 1/4 cup coconut sugar as I had none of the latter on hand. 

My first sign something was amiss was the crust didn’t brown. I think I cooked it almost 3 times as long as it called for. So I accepted this was going to be a little unique. Frustrating as I made no crust substitutions!

Step two, the apples, was straightforward. I figured it’s hard to mess that up. 

Step three was a bit of an experiment. It seemed okay going in, but in practice, it didn’t brown. So after waiting longer I accepted defeat and put the bars in the fridge to harden. 

So how are they? They’re fun. I like them okay cold and hot. Would be nice with coconut whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. And they’re a nice treat as is too, a little crumbly but good.

Honestly, they’re not my favorite. I’m not sure if I will make them again. But they meet my craving very well. 

For the record, they’re AIP – auto-immune protocol – so good for those needing egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, vegan, etc.  

What do you consider a baking “fail”? If it’s edible, are you still happy?

Dairy-Free Ice Cream on the AIP

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

Following the auto-immune protocol is challenging, but particularly when you love ice cream as much as I do! I have been enjoying commercially-made coconut milk ice cream in moderation, but I know it has a few ingredients, like guar gum, that I really should be avoiding. The only way to get ice cream without it is to make it myself or visit one of the very few ice cream makers who avoid it. 

So I recently experimented. I’ve been craving caramel and I had extra cacao chips leftover from the cookies, so those things shaped what I made. I ended up bouncing between a couple of recipes for the ice cream, and I mixed it by hand instead of using an ice cream maker to see if this was doable on the road in an RV!

Here’s one of the recipes I used from A Squirrel in the Kitchen. It’s basically coconut milk, vanilla (not strictly AIP but I have been able to tolerate it, and there are other options too) and maple syrup. I added the cacao chips. I combined that recipe with this one from The Tasty Alternative, which made me think I could avoid heating the ingredients and simply blend, add chips and freeze. I then followed her recipe for “caramel” sauce exactly, using honey and skipping the optional cashew butter since I haven’t reintroduced that. Once the mixture went into the freezer, I stirred it by hand, taking care to scrape the sides, every 20-25 minutes until it was at a suitable ice cream consistency a few hours later. I used a small Tupperware for storing it, so you can really make anything work. I highly recommend trying this. It’s really tasty, pretty easy and skips all of the nasty stuff added to most commercial ice cream. The caramel sauce is amazing (my husband was pretty jealous) and could easily be used for other recipes too. Moderation is key – be sure to use a small bowl so you can really enjoy it! Once I exhaust my supply of store-bought coconut milk ice cream I hope to switch to homemade generally in the future. And if you aren’t strictly AIP and love ice cream, check out my ice cream blog for clues on the best sources of delicious ice cream! 

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week. I’m proud to say I’ve been doing a great job with weight training every other day. I hope you’re persisting in making the time to exercise too!

My First AIP Thanksgiving Adventure

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who have recently celebrated (or who are celebrating late). I’m thankful for my health, my friends and family, and for my body and mind that allow me to creatively find work as a self-employed creative person. 

Since this year’s Thanksgiving would be my first following the auto-immune protocol, it was very important to me to keep it as traditional as possible. I wanted the normalcy of turkey/chicken, stuffing and cranberry sauce. I wanted pie. And I wanted lots of leftovers to enjoy after the fact. 

In addition to needing to design an AIP Thanksgiving menu, I thought I would need to prepare it all in our RV. But as it turned out, a friend offered us his driveway and the use of his kitchen to prepare my menu and share it with a few friends. This proved to be the best of both worlds. 

My friend prepared a few dishes. He modified his usual turkey recipe a bit for me – he used olive oil instead of butter and watched the spices. He cooked it on his big green egg charcoal grill and it was probably the best turkey I’ve ever had! He did use a little bit of sugar and a little bit of wine, but since it was such a small amount I knew I would be okay with moderation. 

He also prepared brussel sprouts in a fun way (with lime juice) and gravy, which I told him he could prepare however he wanted since I don’t like gravy! And he put the sweet potatoes I’d washed and put in aluminum foil on the coals after the turkey was ready – they were perfect, caramelizing and delicious, no additions needed. 

I had bought a couple of cans of organic cranberry sauce. I know I could have made my own, probably without any added sugars that weren’t natural, but since my traditional Thanksgiving always had the stuff from a can, we went with that. And it was awesome of course. (And easy.) Again, moderation is key here with the sugar content. 

My biggest challenge was executing the stuffing, or dressing as some people call it. There are a million stuffing recipes out there, but the one I crave is the Stouffer’s bread crumb stuffing right out of the box. Box stuffing is all I have ever had and it’s amazing so that’s basically what I wanted. 

But “gluten-free” commercial box stuffings have tons of additives and brown rice flour, which I haven’t reintroduced yet. And if I was going to eat this for many days afterward I didn’t want to get sick. 

So I shopped around for recipes. Most AIP stuffings don’t bother making bread for crumbs. They use a meat or a mushroom base – way easier – or maybe plantains to get something of the right texture. But I wanted my bread. 

In the end, I ended up buying a cookbook, called the Allergy-Free Holiday Table, just to have a recipe that looked like “my” stuffing. Even then I had to leave out the meat and modify the broth, but it seemed to be the way to go. First you make Buttermilk Biscuits. Then you crumble them and combine them with spices, celery, onion and more to make the stuffing. I tripled both recipes to make sure there would be plenty of leftovers. (AIP recipes don’t tend to feed a crowd.) 

Sadly, my Buttermilk biscuits didn’t rise properly. Maybe they needed more apple cider vinegar?  

But I crumbled as best I could and hoped for the best. It was chewy rather than crumbly, but it totally did the job and has supplied me with leftovers for days! I used tapioca flour and arrowroot flour. 

I knew another guest was bringing dessert, so I made only two – apple crisp and key lime pie. But I made an extra key lime for me!

Apple crisp is one of the first desserts I ever made from scratch. Because I can’t have oats, the topping is basically a taste of coconut heaven – coconut flakes, coconut oil and coconut butter with coconut sugar where you’d expect brown sugar. I also had to skip the nutmeg. It’s very tasty and not too unhealthy either! My critics said it was very good – they suggested using the coconut whipped topping I made for the pie on this too, and they enjoyed the Granny Smith apples which make sure the recipe has tang rather than too much sweetness. 

My final goal was to recreate, as best I could, the key lime pie my grandmother used to make. She insisted it had to be key lime juice from Florida and there was no way lime juice could substitute. However, she would use graham cracker crust, pre-bought, and I think she even used Cool Whip on top. So I wasn’t sure how well I could do following AIP. (For what it’s worth, I have found it almost isn’t worth ordering this at a restaurant. It’s almost never as good as my grandmother’s because the key lime filling isn’t quite right.) 

I debated between a few recipes, but eventually I settled on this one from Forest and Fauna. It had three steps. First, you make a crust, using mostly coconut flakes and honey. It’s insanely good even if it’s hard to get it to shape into the perfect crust – no one minded though.  

Secondly, the filling. It calls for about three avocados per pie. Weird as this may seem, ripe avocado has almost no flavor and a perfect texture to be a vehicle for key lime juice. The filling is perfect, insanely tasty and the perfect consistency after you freeze it. Have I mentioned egg-free, dairy-free, grain-free means almost anyone can eat this deliciousness? 

I did the final step right before serving dessert. I used a recipe from my new cookbook for the whipped cream since Forest and Fauna’s website wasn’t working right. (The recipes were almost identical.) I went with maple syrup as the sweetener to pair with the cream from coconut milk. My husband got his arm workout in and we were rewarded with delicious whipped cream that the guests raved about. 

Everyone went nuts about this pie. Even those who don’t normally like key limes and those who weren’t planning to eat dessert. It’s that good. And I managed to fit the second one in my freezer for later! 

Suffice to say, I’m super-happy with how it turned out. The stuffing was just okay (though with an awesome kick) but if I’m enjoying the leftovers on day 3 I must have done all right! And everything else I’m just thrilled with. 

I’m so thankful there are great AIP recipes out there to be found. Thanks for reading – and do what my grandmother would and make a key lime pie this Christmas! It’s my favorite. 

Comfort in Cookies (and Fast Food, Too!)

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

As you probably noticed in my last post, I got kind of depressed when my egg yolk reintroduction wasn’t successful. One of the major reasons I was depressed is that eggs are so standard in baking. This meant that I’d always have to be careful with baked goods and at the minimum observe extra moderation with them.

So what do you do when you’re feeling blue? Whether it’s election blues or egg yolk blues? You bake, of course!

Early in my AIP adventures, I was missing chocolate. One of the easiest chocolate substitutions is cacao, although it doesn’t agree with everyone. In my enthusiasm at learning it’s on the protocol, I bought cacao powder and chips. Unfortunately I later learned there are a few ingredients that make the chips non-compliant, so I should have made my own, but since I had them on hand, I decided to indulge a little in this case. As I worked on healing and mourning the loss of eggs, I got to work tracking down ingredients for this recipe.

Flame to Fork is where I found this recipe for AIP, Chewy “Chocolate” Chip Cookies. I substituted arrowroot powder for tapioca powder, since it’s what I had on hand, and I think it made them a little extra dense and more akin to a chocolate peanut butter cookie if that sounds good to you.


First you mix a bunch of stuff. I found it a tad crumbly so increasing the liquids slightly might have helped. And I tripled the recipe since we’re staying with friends and I wanted lots of cookies!


Next you roll them into balls. This took way more time than regular cookie dough. But they will do the job, particularly if you follow the instructions and let them set a bit before you remove or eat them.


These took a while to cook. It can be hard to tell they’re done because they don’t burn as obviously as traditional cookies. So err on the side of less time if you’re unsure. After all, there aren’t any eggs, so you can even eat this as cookie dough without fear!

I’m crazy about these cookies. So is my husband. If I had controlled myself and not eaten 6-8 in a day, I think I would have been fine with the store-bought chips, but next time my digestion will thank me when I make them myself. And if my husband has his way, I will be making them a lot!

If you have trouble finding the ingredients, check Amazon. Depending on the area I’m in, I’ve found most of these ingredients at Walmart or local grocery stores and just about everything at a local food cooperative.

One final note: a quick fast-food story. We just spent a couple of days in Minneapolis and of course visited the Mall of America while we were there. I was prepared with meat and fruit bars, but I was hoping for some fast food I could eat without paying for a sit down meal. A quick search hadn’t turned up anything, but finally I thought to ask Piada Italian Street Food what oil they use on their grill. When they showed me the bottle of olive oil I got so excited!

I had a fantastic salmon salad – they let me substitute things I could eat (olives, cucumbers, artichokes) for things I couldn’t and talked me through every ingredient. Amazing service, amazing meal and I can’t recommend them more highly for a healthy and delicious fast casual experience! Look for them in a city near you in Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota or Kentucky.

Thanks for reading, and stay strong! We are so much more than the food we eat but it sure does influence how we feel.

No Crying Over Split Eggs

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

I won’t lie. This has been a tough week. And what’s depressing is that much of it was brought on by me and my own choices.

Last week I began egg yolk reintroductions. I hadn’t had eggs since I began the Whole30 Auto-Immune Protocol in July, so it had really been a long time – about 3.5 months. I bought the fanciest local eggs I could find for almost $7 to make sure I wouldn’t react to grains or chemicals in them. My husband Ross made me hollandaise sauce to enjoy over brussel sprouts. All is tasty, no negative reaction that I can discern. 72 hours later all is still happy – my lingering sinus infection is still hanging on a bit but nothing else. So I make a quiche-like dish for the week. 9 egg yolks, broccoli, chicken sausage, bacon. It’s ridiculously tasty and I realize how much I have missed eggs. 


I’ve been eating this deliciousness every night with dinner. By day 4, I was dealing with worsening symptoms that it seemed might be dietary. Foggy head, some occasional knee pain, and I was getting tired earlier than usual. Day 5 was worse and overall aches were becoming an issue too. By Day 6, yesterday, I had to admit that egg yolks, at least daily, aren’t agreeing with me. 

Now, this doesn’t have to be a life sentence. First of all, I still have a touch of a sinus infection. Until that’s gone, my body is working a bit harder than it likes to. So maybe my healthiest body could handle eggs a bit better. Also, I am free to reintroduce them again in three months. And finally, I actually tolerated them well initially and then for a few days. So having eggs once or even twice a week is probably a fine treat for me. It just can’t be a daily thing. 

But despite knowing all of this, I can’t help but feel a little depressed this week. I know I’ve reacted really badly to gluten. Now I’m learning eggs are at least somewhat problematic. (Not to mention egg whites…will those be worse? I really, truly hope not.) I feel myself mourning for all of the amazing foods I can’t eat anymore, and mourning the dishes I love to cook that I may never eat again. I’m mourning all of the fantastic restaurants I haven’t visited and may never want to now, knowing the compromises I’d have to make or what it would do to my body. 

And I’m fearful about the other allergies I haven’t tested yet. Like nightshade vegetables, including peppers and my beloved tomatoes. And dairy. Can I ever have dairy again? 

You’re reading the words of a woman who is obsessed with dessert, who has an ice cream blog and who loves to bake and to eat bread. My world has shifted and my options may continue to narrow, and I’m scared and angry, frankly. I know there is much more to life than this. But life without fancy ice cream or real Mexican food would be so much less appealing. 

I’ve also become frustrated to realize that during a more stressful week like this one, my gut instinct is still to overeat and emotionally eat. I want to eat too much squash or sweet potato, even though I know I won’t feel well later. I want to eat all of the sweet things I can find in ridiculous quantities. Do I control myself in the face of temptation? Yes. But the fact that I have to resist overeating at every meal makes me sad. I want to be someone who just eats well to live and occasionally indulges in a treat. I love feeling healthy and thin. But recognizing that the dessert demon isn’t going away is unfortunately a truth I need to acknowledge. I hoped I could break the habit during my Whole30 (really a Whole60) but it didn’t work. 

I hate to end on a depressed note, so I won’t. The good news is there is still plenty I can control. I’m enjoying beautiful sunny days with walks outdoors and time to exercise with weights too. I’m getting plenty of rest and enjoying good for me treats. I bought peppermint creamed honey which is extremely satisfying and reminds me of fudge when I put it on coconut milk ice cream. And my relationships with my husband, friends and family are going well. 

I love my life. And I know that with persistence, I can keep making it better, even if it can never be what it once was. Thanks for reading and stay strong!

Making Healthy Food Choices on the Road

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

I talked in my last post about my experiences eating out while following my diet, the auto-immune protocol. Although eating out is fun once in a while, as a rule I am much less stressed and happier when I am prepared with my own food as I travel. But planning ahead and packing myself a meal or two looks much different than it used to before I was following the protocol.

Back when I commuted 45-60 minutes each way to jobs across southern NH, I kept bread, peanut butter and apples or bananas with me. That way I didn’t need to be tempted by fast food. Filling, relatively healthy meal on the go? Done. It also seemed like a bit of a treat as I rarely ate peanut butter or sandwiches normally if I wasn’t traveling.

Currently, I can’t eat nuts or bread, and I need to limit my fruit intake as well – I try to avoid more than two servings in a day, although I definitely cheat sometimes. So when I will be traveling, here’s what my planning looks like.

1. Pack a cooler and ice packs. I have one large enough to fit 5-6 Tupperware if needed, which covers me for two meals easily.

2. Keep silverware, plastic or otherwise with you at all times. If a meeting runs over or you forget to pack a fork in the morning you won’t be stuck eating salad as a finger food. Plates and napkins or paper towels help too.

3. I now keep an emergency box in my trunk. It has coconut butter, olive oil, some kind of canned meat that opens easily and a package of seaweed. If needed, I can improvise or supplement a meal with these. My next goal is to buy a can opener for the car.

4. I never leave home with an empty purse. At the minimum, I have a fruit bar and an Epic meat bar with me at all times. Between protein and the fruit I almost have a meal and I can go many more hours without eating at the drop of a hat. (Epic bars are great. I buy them by the case on Amazon. Full of protein from great sources without any fillers or weird ingredients.)

5. Pack yourself legitimate, satisfying meals and use that cooler well. Some of my favorites this season? Chicken salad made with avocado instead of mayo, sometimes on a cabbage or lettuce wrap, approved deli meat sandwiches with avocado on lettuce, AIP approved tacos or salads, make your own sushi with smoked salmon or lobster, avocado and seaweed and much, much more. Even just a fancy salad will leave you satisfied without the fast food regret! And with my sweet tooth, dessert is usually essential. A maple candy, date roll or dried banana help me turn down the ice cream.

I spent the last week traveling in an RV and sight-seeing. To make sure I stayed on track, I packed easy to prepare foods like frozen shrimp, chicken sausages and salmon and I pre-cooked sweet potatoes, veggies and squashes to make things easier. I had an awesome week and didn’t feel deprived thanks to the tasty food options I had on board!

What tips do you use to avoid temptation or frustration while traveling?

Adventures in Dining on the AIP

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

I love to go out to eat. I enjoy indulging in foods I didn’t have to cook myself or perhaps wouldn’t know how or want to bother cooking. I enjoy conversation over a good meal. And I enjoy the opportunity to try new things.

Since I began following the auto-immune protocol, going out to eat has basically been off the table for me. For one reason, it’s really inconvenient. Although there is fast food out there that I can eat, it involves so much research and is so restrictive that it generally seems like even if I CAN eat there, it’s not worth the hassle. For another, eating out is expensive. I don’t mind paying well for a good meal, but if you can only eat half of what you’re paying for and are limited to one or two dishes, is it really worth the expense? And finally, after two months of Whole30 AIP, I am working on reintroductions. Because restaurants bring an extra element of risk to the table, combining reintroductions with dining out isn’t recommended. 

Nevertheless, I have wanted to eat out, at least occasionally. There’s a sense of normalcy to being able to go to a restaurant and order off a menu. And socially, it’s just fun! 

So, here are the four places I have eaten out recently and how I approached them. I’m happy to say they were all really successful. (I also tried a decaf coffee one night at McDonald’s and quickly realized that made my body miserable. Oops. It’s a question mark for AIP.) I suggest you always call first to talk to the kitchen about your allergies and needs, and I suggest erring on the side of caution with any unknown ingredients. As always, tip well! 

Greek Dining at Amphora, Derry, NH

I ate at Amphora early in my Whole30 (really a Whole60). I adore this restaurant and their chef, and he insisted on calling me to talk about my options for eating there. Ultimately I went with one of their delicious salads and added grilled shrimp. He told me anything on the grill that wasn’t marinated would work. I had to leave off the stuffed grape leaves, tomatoes, feta, pita and banana peppers of course and replace the dressing with olive oil. This left me with green lettuce, artichokes, kalamata olives, onions and shrimp. Not the most exciting meal ever (and I was hungry a little before the 4 hour mark) but it was nice to have a tasty meal with my family at one of my favorite places. Next time I might be brave and try the lamb. 

Breakfast at Polly’s Pancake Parlor, Sugar Hill, NH


This would have been the hardest one for me if I didn’t psych myself up for amazing company and come prepared to just munch on fruit and eat when I left. In reality, it took a lot of discussion with the server (and the kitchen had to redo my burger when they accidentally put cheese on it) but I had a tasty, if very expensive, breakfast with plenty of leftover fruit. 

Normally my order at Polly’s involves three types of pancakes with mixins and lots of syrup and maple cream. Occasionally an egg on the side. This time, I began by ordering herbal tea. I also got a burger on lettuce with onions and mushrooms cooked in olive oil. They threw in a couple of carrots too. They offered pickles but I was afraid they might have sugar or spices I couldn’t eat. My fruit was expensive at $5.95 before tax but it came out in a goblet and I ended up getting three servings out of it! Fresh strawberries, blueberries and bananas, so delicious. Now that I’ve reintroduced maple I could have more fun here, but it was very doable even without it.

Gordi’s Fish & Steakhouse, Lincoln, NH


I went here with my family and knew we’d be paying a lot, but I was eager to try some seafood and the kitchen had lots of options that would work for me. I ended up going with a 1 lb. lobster! They offered steamed broccoli as a substitute for the veggie of the day and I was amazed to see a baked sweet potato on the menu. They also made me an olive oil and lemon mix for the lobster but I really didn’t need it. 

This meal was absolutely perfection. It was such a treat and the first time I’ve been able to get everything I was paying for! Nothing excluded. So incredible and worth it. The sweet potato might have been the best I have had. After, we went out to ice cream and I had brought my own dried banana and date rolls so I got an indulgence while they ate. 🙂 

Great Lost Bear, Portland, ME 


Last weekend, my husband and I were in the Portland, ME area getting our culture fix. Since my brother lives in the area, we made plans to meet him and his girlfriend for dinner. She recommended Great Lost Bear, a tavern known for accommodating all types of diets. 

After reading the menu and talking to them, I knew I could get a burger, so it worked for me. The burger comes with a side salad. They have lots of fun burger toppings, and I could get grilled onions and mushrooms on mine, which I loved. Unfortunately their guacamole has sour cream and Tabasco sauce (thank goodness I asked for the ingredients!) and they couldn’t do just avocado, but their side salad was also decent and I was able to get carrot, onion and broccoli on mine with oil and vinegar on the side. 

The burger was presented well on lettuce too. I was super-jealous of the pulled pork nachos at our table, but I had a very filling meal. As usual, I brought date rolls and dried banana to eat as a treat afterwards. 

Eating out is challenging right now, but it’s so satisfying to feel great after I leave and to enjoy the company of family and friends over a meal. I’m aware there is always a little extra risk dining out instead of cooking myself, but I’ve had great luck so far by calling and planning ahead. 

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your own dining adventures! 

Breakfasts of Champions

Posted on by jamiefeinberg

I love breakfast. I mean, I adore it. I could eat breakfast at every meal if my body would tolerate it, and if there was ice cream on a waffle or something, I would seriously be in heaven.

I have always leaned toward sweet foods, and breakfast is no exception. I have adored making pancakes since I was a kid. (Banana chocolate chip? Yes please!) As an adult, I’ve always had a fun mix or two on hand – buckwheat, gingerbread, pumpkin, etc.

When I go out to eat, not surprisingly, I like to gravitate towards the sweet stuff. Favorites include gingerbread pancakes with ginger sauce, Belgian waffles with ice cream, stuffed French toast…you get the idea. I love an omelet or a fried egg, but those have always been my highlights.

Over the last few years, I’ve made gradual changes in my go-to breakfasts to promote weight loss or maintence. For instance, I went from two slices of toast to one, and I limited the toppings. I went from sweetened yogurt to plain (regular or Greek) and went from less healthy cereals to Kashi or, more often, oatmeal. And I went from eggs (sometimes with veggies) and cheese to more often, just eggs (and veggies), making cheese an occasional treat rather than the norm. These changes seemed to help not only with weight loss but also with limiting the highs and lows of sugar. Less carbs made me feel fuller, much as I didn’t want to admit it. And I became less likely to throw chocolate into breakfast or coffee when I saw that it meant I was fuller longer.

When I made the decision to do the Whole30 AIP, I knew that the toughest adjustment for me would be breakfast. Typical breakfasts for me by this point were usually plain yogurt, cereal and fruit, or maybe a slice of toast and eggs, or oatmeal, and of course I indulged in a crazy sweet breakfast at least once a month. On the Whole30 AIP, almost everything I thought of as breakfast was off limits. No eggs, no oatmeal, bread or cereal. No sugar. No honey in my apple cider vinegar and water drink! Fruit, while allowed, isn’t recommended for breakfast either. No yogurt too, which would make getting probiotics a new challenge for me. (One of the joys of my life has been battling yeast issues for 3 years, so probiotics are key to maintaining balance for me.)

So before I committed, I brainstormed and researched fun breakfast recipes. It would take a brain and body reset, but I knew that with practice, I could embrace my new, not so sweet breakfasts.

The sugar highs and lows of the American diet are crazy. Now I rarely miss caffeine (I can tolerate most tea, but I don’t have it often) and I stay full for 4-5 hours in between meals. Every day.

Here are a few of my current go-to breakfasts. I’d encourage you to try them, even if you don’t have any health reasons too. It’s very healthy food and your body will thank you – and they’re tasty too!

1. Chicken Apple Sausage, Sauerkraut, Sweet Potatoes and a Mushroom Veggie Medley (pictured with a few pieces of sauteed apple thanks to my husband, but know that there was sauerkraut on the side!)

This has become my default breakfast of choice. Sweet potatoes get chopped up small like home fries – or I can slice them thin and dress them like toast with coconut butter and/or cinnamon. I cook them in a skillet but an oven works too.  Aidell’s organic chicken and apple sausage is Whole30 approved, but I have found a few other options as well – all chicken sausage and so far they’ve all been very tasty. Last week I mixed it up and went with hot dogs I discovered I could eat! (That’s right. I totally got excited about hot dogs for breakfast.)

For sauerkraut, I stick to fancy organic brands to make sure I’m getting some nice probiotics. I try to alternate brands or flavors each week. Kimchi will also be in the mix, although so far I’ve stuck to three or so brands of saurkraut. Someday I hope to make my own, but it takes a few weeks and I haven’t dared yet!

For the veggie mushroom medley, I’m incorporating favorites but try to mix it up. I know greens are important for those with autoimmune issues, so that’s a staple. A container of frozen spinach is often the basis, but I’ve done fresh kale, frozen collards, Swiss chard and whatever else is around. I absolutely love mushrooms, so I will do shiitake or whatever is around, fresh or frozen and organic when I can afford it. I’ll season it all with turmeric, ginger, garlic or whatever I feel like. I cook the potatoes and veggies around medium in a skillet and experiment until I like where it’s at!

2. Burgers for Breakfast! 

I got fancy beef and made very fancy (small) burgers my first week on the diet to help me get excited about breakfast. Some days I would top them with avocado, and I sliced up sweet potato slices to use as buns. Sauerkraut and veggies on the side of course. Burgers for breakfast seem indulgent and they’re delicious! For sweet potato buns, there are tons of recipes out there. I tend to just use a skillet on medium and cook them for 8-10 minutes per side (you want them to get roasted but not super soft) but you can bake them too, like this recipe suggests.

3. Breakfast Skillets 

My other go-to breakfast has involved ground beef, sometimes just with onion/garlic/spices and other times mixed in with veggies and sweet potato. This week I tried a Moroccan-inspired skillet and I love it. There are tons of flavor possibilities.

4. “Cereal” for Breakfast

This has become my new once a week treat! It’s not the healthiest or the most filling breakfast out there, but it feels indulgent and delicious.

I still pair it with some meat – either an Epic brand meat bar (check the ingredients first) if I am on the go, or some other meat option.

Ingredients you’ll need:

Freeze-dried fruit – it’s expensive at my local food Co-op ($5.50-$8 for a few servings) but worth it to me. I love bananas and they’re a good cereal shape. Last week I picked up raspberries, my favorite, to mix with the bananas.

Shredded coconut – You’ll probably need a natural foods section for this. Pretty cheap at my go-to supermarket.

Coconut water or coconut milk – Coconut water is much more thin a texture than milk would be in cereal, but it’s still delicious and it’s very healthy and easy to find on AIP. I had to order coconut milk through Amazon to avoid carageenan, and it’s full of fat and calories so I haven’t bothered trying it for this yet. (It would leave me with a partially opened carton…) But I do plan to and I’m sure it will be even more delicious!

Directions: Mix a serving of fruit (or a little less, if you’re like me and want to stretch out the fruit) with 2 TB of shredded coconut and about a half serving of coconut water (not sure how much milk). Let it sit for 10 minutes or so to rehydrate. And then eat and enjoy! I usually eat this on Sunday and I eat breakfast later than usual, anticipating that this light breakfast won’t hold me for 4 hours. More like 3.5.

What do you eat for breakfast? Have you considered tweaking your choices? Any awesome recipes to share with me?