Want to try Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil?

Enter my first giveaway!

I have some exciting news!

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil sent me a free sample (pictured above) recently and I got to try it for the first time. I'm happy to say that I think we've officially found our favorite brand of coconut oil!


Even just upon opening the jar, I noticed a difference in the aroma. It smelled amazing and I couldn't wait to try it. It has such a natural, rich flavor to it. I've really begun to appreciate Tropical Traditions as a company as well - they're truly devoted to providing only the best quality coconut oil. Best of all, none of it is mass produced. Its made by families of coconut farmers in the Philippines who've been passionate about coconut oil for hundreds of years. One of the founders grew up in the Philippines herself, so once she and her husband (who founded the company with her) moved to America, she'd already come to expect that same type of quality... which is exactly what Tropical Traditions has strived to do ever since. And it seems they've accomplished just that!

What is there not to love about coconut oil? 

Growing up, my mom used a lot of olive oil in her cooking and when I eventually went on to cook myself, I found myself using a ton of it (because I learned to cook watching Rachael Ray!). Then I found out that when you heat olive oil, it can become rancid. When these chemical changes occur, it not only decreases the nutrients, but can cause harmful cancer causing compounds.

Because of this, we stopped cooking with olive oil and instead only use it unheated, usually with salads or veggies.

At first I was leery of coconut oil. The thing I was most  worried about was the consistency- I missed being able to pour olive oil over meat and veggies before putting them in the oven to bake. I guess you could heat your coconut oil up and do the same thing, but I've actually gotten used to just using spoonfuls of it and mixing my seasonings in separately.

For those of you who've never tried coconut oil, you might be worried about how the flavor will impact your food. I was worried about the same thing, especially since I've never really been too crazy about coconut.  For whatever reason though, I find coconut oil itself to have a more mild, pleasant taste. 

It really adds an extra something to our meals. By far, though, my favorite way to use it is for turkey burgers. The taste is incredible! They come out so juicy and flavorful. You have to try it! We just throw a little bit into a pan and cook the burger on low heat. Dustin's favorite trick is to only flip it once - it lets the seasonings and oil simmer right into the meat. Yum. 

Aahh.. the smell is amazing!

Not to mention, there are so many uses for coconut oil, beyond just diet. I haven't tried it yet, but its supposed to be really good for your hair. 

Watch the video below to hear about all of the ways you can use coconut oil!

 

I even used it in my butternut squash soup the other day! I don't think it would have tasted nearly as good had I used anything else. It gave it such a rich, deep flavor.

Want to win a jar of your own?

First, comment this blog with how you plan to use your coconut oil and I will be randomly selecting one winner on June 19th.

Then, all you have to do is subscribe to Tropical Traditions Newsletter here: 

 Sign Me Up!

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!




Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil? 







You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:















Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.






Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Updates & a couple recipes

We're alive! I cannot believe I haven't posted since December. So much has happened - good & bad. As always, our health has made life pretty chaotic, but here's the good news... we haven't slipped up on the diet once! In fact, being on the SCD diet through out all of the chaos has given me something to focus on, something that's positive. 


We're still having so much fun experimenting with new foods and learning new ways to eat old favorites. Our taste buds have completely changed. These days, a cold banana is like eating a candy bar to me. 


Some of our new favorites are acorn and butternut squash - we like filling them with ground turkey and other veggies. So yummy! We're also trying to incorporate more greens. Oh! And I recently learned that I love beets! Who knew? 


We've also been having fun coming up with our own soup recipes. I have to admit, Dustin's soup was better than mine. He used a ton of veggies and turkey meatballs and it made for the most delicious broth. The flavor was perfect, and it felt like it was healing my stomach as I ate it! Yum. I made my first butternut squash soup.. it was tasty, but could use some tweaking.


Dustin is enjoying big salads with tuna and olives and his own homemade dressing. He also found a homemade mayo recipe he loves and he eats it with just about everything - it's helping him put on some weight!


Speaking of weight, Dustin's has stayed pretty steady and mine has finally stabilized at around 100 pounds. I'm only 5'1" so I feel pretty good at this weight - in fact, I think this is the best I've ever felt about my body. Not just because I've lost weight, but because it feels better! Before the diet, I was around 125lbs and I'm beginning to think most of it was inflammation! My health is still a pain in the butt, but its nice to look in the mirror and at least feel like you look healthy. Sometimes I can almost convince myself I am... but then my stupid heart races or my blood pressure drops and I'm back in bed again! If only my body would be a little more appreciative of all the things I do for it!


I shouldn't say that though. POTS issues aside, things are actually alright. My stomach is giving me a lot less issues these days. In fact, my doctor said I no longer have any Ulcerative Colitis symptoms and that these days it sounds more like "Irritable Bowel Syndrome". I kind of laughed about that, because the medical system is so funny... all of these long, crazy names that basically just describe symptoms. I have poor digestion and the diet is helping me improve it - that's the long and short of it! :) 


Dustin's GI issues are virtually gone! No more throwing up. I even notice a difference in how he looks. He still has some really rough POTS/EDS days (which is to be expected), but his face is more vibrant, his coloring is better. I notice an even bigger change in him when he drinks juice. He's been juicing here and there and we're hoping to slowly introduce fresh juice to my stomach too! I tried pomegranate and apple for the first time yesterday with no real issues.


Alright, onto the food! Oh and before I start, I apologize so much that these recipes are so badly written. Seriously. Its like a five year old wrote them. One day I'll get better about remembering the steps, but for now these will have to do. We're constantly changing how we prepare everything and most of it is just done spur of the moment so its hard to actually sit down and remember it all. Hopefully this give you a rough guideline or just inspires you to come up with some ideas of your own.

Dustin's Cheesy Broccoli Chicken

(without cheese!)

Ingredients:

Broccoli 

Chicken breasts

Squash sauce

(we use Cascade Farms organic winter squash sauce; they sell it at our local grocery store. I think its probably available anywhere.)

Coconut oil

Your favorite seasonings

(we use salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and turmeric. oh! and chives!)

First, shred the raw chicken into thin strips

(the easiest way to do this is to throw it into the food processor! comes out perfect!)

Cook chicken on medium heat in a saute pan with coconut oil.

Boil 1 small bag of frozen broccoli 

(even better if you use fresh!)

Once the broccoli is cooked, add it to your chicken. Then simply add your squash sauce and stir.

Season to taste.

(we usually season as we go, as well. I think this helps deepen the flavor!)

Kyli's Chicken A'la Beets

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs

Beets

Beet greens

Carrots

Yellow squash

Coconut oil

Ginger

(you can either peel and mince your own or buy it already prepared)

Set your oven to 400 degrees.

Slice beets. Then, chop carrots, beet greens, and squash in bite sized pieces.

Spread a layer of coconut oil in a casserole dish. Add your veggies. Give them a mix! Add a couple more teaspoons of coconut oil.

Season with salt, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, and anything your heart desires.

Place chicken thighs on top of veggies.

Cook until chicken thighs are done, when liquid runs clear.

My chicken thighs finished cooking before my beets were done, so I just took them out, covered them and waited awhile longer.

 Enjoy!