Heal your gut. Heal your life.
I wanted to come up with a clever name for this Vegan Mac n Cheese, but alas, nothing clever here. It is what it is. Well, gluten-free, Vegan Mac n Cheese.
I’m still laughing over those two words, “Minnesota Sushi.”
A couple weeks back, my fridge looked pathetic and the kids wanted a snack before we headed out. I opened the door and found some lunch meat, mayo, and a few pickles. I remembered a little snack (also an appetizer) I’ve had several times over the years.
You take that lunch meat, spread cream cheese over it, and insert pickles. Then you roll it up, and bam – you have a snack.
Well we rarely eat cream cheese because of the dairy factor (although, on my list is to get some Miyoko’s and/or make my own) so that wasn’t an option.
The mayo was an option. I swapped in the mayo for the cream cheese, and delivered to the children (and myself).
Ryan had just left for a work trip, so I sent him a Marco Polo (with my face stuffed obv), and told him all about the brilliance of this snack. He Marco’d me back, and said,
Yes, it’s called Minnesota Sushi.
I literally spit my water out because I was laughing so hard. In all these years, I had never heard that term. Google it, though, and you’ll see.
It’s also commonly referred to as “the pickle roll-up.” That makes sense, and isn’t that funny, but Minnesota Sushi? Classic.
Here’s the deal, after living on the West coast for 11 years, I wasn’t afraid to admit (once I had been back to Minnesota a couple months) that I had been living in the California Bubble. Before moving out West, I never ate Sushi. I didn’t even really know what it was. Out there, though, it could have been a 5th food group for us. We had access to everything.
I was thinking, while noshing on my Minnesota Sushi, about how (funny!) vastly different Sushi and Minnesota Sushi are; two completely different lives. I thought about the comments people have made to me over the years. Those from here, “You’re so lucky you lived in California; I’d love to move there.” And those from California, “Why would you ever move back to the Midwest; it’s so dull, cold, and basic there?”
And it’s funny using those comments and the two different Sushi’s as metaphors for both.
I couldn’t care less about all the upscale, delish Sushi in the world at this point (by the way, go to Minneapolis and you’ll find Sushi that rivals Sushi found in California).
Nope. I’m totally cool being basic – killin’ it with this Minnesota Sushi.
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Even though I’m all about the Minnesota Sushi, I’m still not interested in just buying any old lunch meat and mayo.
For these, I used:
Before anyone gets in a tizzy about these being “uncommon” foods and hard-to-find, I’ll let you know where I got each:
I continue to do the best with what we have in a 30-mile radius.
There is no recipe for these little delights. It’s so simple. Lay out your ham or turkey, coat with mayo, place little pickles inside, roll up, cut, and enjoy.
Here is how easy it is to make them (click HERE to save the video for later):
Now listen, you know you want to make these ASAP. If you are Gutsy like me, know that they are: low-FODMAP, low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free, sugar-free, and grain-free. They are Paleo-ish (the Mayo is where the -ish part comes in for me). The Mayo has egg in it, so they are not egg free. If you don’t want egg, you could sub in Just Mayo (It’s also found at Walmart, but I don’t like the ingredient list as much in that one, way too many ingredients).
I hope you love this little snack idea. Serve it at your next party, no matter where you live. Even if you get a silent eye roll or two, they will be gone because they are so d#$% good.
Xox,
SKH
As soon I knew for sure I wanted to partner with Vital Proteins, I knew that this post, why I believe in gelatin for gut healing, would be the first post I shared with you….because I whole-heartedly do believe in gelatin for gut healing.
Have you ever made my “super-famous” bone broth? Of course you have. But here is a common question/complaint I get,
After I made your bone broth, I put it in the fridge because there was so much leftover. When I woke up in the morning to make a cup, I was so grossed out. There was a huge layer of fat sitting on top. Is that normal?
By now you are wondering, “What is Sugar Free January?”
It’s a legit question, considering the fact that sugar free means something different to almost anyone and everyone you ask.
If you are interested in the undertaking of a sugar free January, and want to know how I’m doing, here you go.
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About 4 years ago I wrote a post called, “What Does Sugar Free Mean.” In the post I said,
For all intensive purposes of The Gutsy Girl’s Bible: an approach to healing the gut 2.0, sugar-free means that most sugars are limited and that even fruit and all added sugars (except for raw honey) are removed.
If a recipe on my blog says “sugar-free,” that means it does not include even honey or fruit. In other words, there will not be many “sugar-free” recipes on my blog. The Basil and Arugula Lemon Pesto is an example of sugar free.
Remember, sugar-free for Gutsy girls typically needs to mean something a little different than for the average Joe. Our guts are more complicated and thus require a little more tender loving care. I can’t sugar coat (pun intended) the truth about sugar for y’all. If I did, I wouldn’t be helping you heal ????
I still, wholeheartedly believe this. However, the belief only remains true for those who need to engage in heavy-duty gut healing.
I no longer do, and thus, the way I engage with sugar free changes.
If you do still need to honor complete sugar avoidance, make sure to check out these 192 sources of sugar. Print the list out or click HERE to save it for later. I spent hours putting this list together, and it’s a great resource.
At this stage of my healing journey, I do not need stringent rules. My goal is to continue being consistent by eating as many nutrient dense foods as possible while also maintaining some sort of normalcy.
Therefore, I realize that for many, sugar free means complete sugar avoidance and to even avoid things like fruit. But as I stated yesterday on Instagram,
One thing I **will** tell you is that it does **NOT** include the exclusion of fruit. Duh. Too many sugar-free plans and programs take fruit away, and personally, I do not believe in that as a long-term strategy. If we vilify things like bananas, apples, and oranges, what are we teaching about the #realfood movement? For real.
I stand firmly behind that idea.
What I’m talking about for a sugar free January means:
My sugar free January means I can still have bread and baked goods that mimic the real thing. This is banned on the Whole30 Diet, and it’s a huge reason I was a Whole30 Dropout. Trust me, to take away something like the AIP Bread recipe I developed below would be much more “diet/fad” than real life.
In addition to the above, a realistic sugar free January for you might mean:
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I know what you guys want to know…..but tell me how to get by without sugar. So I will share with you 10 “sugar” fixes for sugar free January.
So how did I do yesterday, on January 1st? Fantastic! Here was my day of general eats:
Looking for more gluten-free foods with nil sugar that are not dessert in nature? Click HERE to grab a list of 30.
Let me know if you’re joining me for sugar free January and/or if you have any questions.
Xox,
SKH
I once created Spicy Sweet Potato Fries for a client. Since then, I have made a couple minor changes to the recipe, and with colder days ahead, changed their title to Comfort Spicy Sweet Potato Fries. Because, yes, friends, that’s what these are – a comfort food.
I have 11 favorite AIP packaged foods for you today.
