Let’s talk about nuts. It’s about time since I told you a while ago I would explain why I took them out of my diet. I’m an assh*le. Good spot to put an asterisk huh?
Anywho, nuts. So I cut out nuts lately. If you’ve read my blog before, you know I’m super down for nuts. Like, love nuts. Almond butter sings to me. I make homemade nut butters to calm my nerves. Or make me smile. BUT, my body doesn’t really like nuts. As I’ve talked about in past posts, my body has changed drastically within the last year. Along with how my body reacts to different foods. You see, when I first started eating almond butter, I lost a balls ton of weight and had a crap ton of energy. Now, when I eat almond butter, I’m bloated like nobody’s business, I don’t feel very good and I almost feel fatigued or weighed down. I wasn’t sure if nuts were the main culprit so I just decided to cut them out completely to test out the theory. I’ve also been told by many people that cutting out nuts can help with acne. Well, it’s been almost 3 weeks without nuts and feel awesome. I don’t feel like I’ve lost any weight nor do I feel like my skin looks better, but I’ve had compliments from a couple people saying I look leaner and my skin looks better. I think they are liars, but whatever. Laura cut out nuts with me and she says the same thing, she feels better and her body is working better. To say the least, our digestive tracts are working awesome. You’re welcome Laura, I’m sure you appreciate me telling the world wide web that.
I’ve still had a random nut tastes here and there. Making some nut butter for my crush last week and making sure it didn’t taste like crap was one of the times. He’s real good lookin. Then yesterday, I filmed some cooking videos with my wonderful friends Ian and Patrick from Again Faster, in hopes of making it onto the CrossFit Journal, fingers crossed!! But I cooked up some of my favorite paleo desserts and still didn’t even eat much of them. I didn’t even crave them that much. Very impressive for me because they were my favorite desserts. Ian even said my Sticky Apple Bars were the best thing he’s ever eaten. Badass. So I just left the rest of the desserts in the fridge for Rj of CrossFit Deco…since it was his kitchen. Thank you Rj, we would have literally died of suffocation or heat exhaustion in my little dink of a kitchen space.
So here is what I think about nuts. I’m not against them, I’m really not. I think they are great for some people. And almond butter was one of the things that helped me eat paleo in the first place. But I honestly do think I have an allergy to nuts. I don’t think my body processes them very well. Hopefully this f*cking acne clears up soon and nuts were the whole reason behind having adolescent zits. Fingers crossed twice!!
So since I just bashed nuts, I made a recipe with them today. Sorry no nut people, but it had to be done for this recipe. Somethings gotta give. I just wanted to say that. But I do give you guys TWO different options for this dip. A paleo-fied version and a cheese version. I eat cheese once in a while because it’s delicious and I don’t feel like poo poo after I eat it, so I thought I’d make a second dip version for you people out there that still eat dairy. Paleo purists, stop hatin’.
OH, omg I almost forgot to tell you…my buddy Jon will be providing you all with a wonderful celebrity guest post on Friday! Jon is pretty cool. He’s funny. And has abs that go for days. You will not find any lovey dovey sh*t on his post. Jon doesn’t love me. He loves CrossFit. And paleo. So he’s gonna get science-y on us. How cool is that? He’s going to talk about post workout nutrition. And make you all understand why you eat healthy. I don’t get that stuff. Nor care. Thank you Jon.
4th of July Spinach and Artichoke Dip (two ways!)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 1x
Ingredients
Version 1 (no cheese)
- 2 (14oz) cans artichoke hearts (mine were in brine), chopped
- 16oz frozen spinach
- 1 cup cashews, roasted and unsalted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Version 2 (with cheese)
- all of the ingredients above
- 2 ounces goat cheese at room temperature
Instructions
For Version 1:
- Add frozen spinach and artichokes to large saucepan over medium heat and sprinkle with just a bit of salt.
- While your spinach thaws and artichokes warm up, pull out your handy dandy food processor.
- Place cashews in food processor and turn on. Grind until your cashews become a flour then begin to pour in your olive oil until you get a creamy consistency. Kind of like a super creamy cashew butter.
- Once your spinach is completely thawed and it’s all good and warm, drain the excess water from your saucepan and add spinach and artichoke to a large bowl.
- Add your creamy cashews and seasons to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Serve with sweet potato chips or veggies!
For Version 2:
- Follow all steps above.
- Add goat cheese to your cashews and spinach and artichoke mixture. Mix well to combine.
- Serve with sweet potato chips or veggies!
http://thebeautygypsy.com/what-is-your-acne-telling-you/
Once again you have rocked my face off! My husband is a major foodie and he loves this … he thinks it is “so much better than all the other junk out there” … keep them coming girl … and we will keep following!
INCREDIBLE. Best Spinach and Artichoke Dip I’ve ever had, and there wasn’t even any cheese in it. AWESOME.
Whoa! This is super delicious, like, better than the dairy-laden real thing! I’m going to sear whole button mushrooms in coconut oil, then stuff them with this dip and stick the whole thing under the broiler. To serve at a 1920s theme murder mystery party. Yum, thanks for a great recipe!
This is brilliant! Thanks for the idea!
Hi! I just came across this while doing a Google search for a paleo appetizer and I am SOOOO excited to try it! I have two questions:
1. Would walnuts work? I know they’re very different from cashews, but I have a whole bunch of them so…
2. I loooooooove goat cheese, but my BF does not… how “goat-cheesey” is version 2?
Also – I LOVE the Food Should Taste Good chips, especially the sweet potato ones, good call on that!
Thanks! I’ve made a bunch of stuff off of your site and have loved everything, keep it up!!
No you definitely need cashews. And its not incredibly goat cheesy, but still is some
So interesting! When I first switched to whole foods back in May I felt horrible, sluggish. I thought it was the detoxing but I didn’t really eat horribly before that. I told my hubby I wondered what it was. I ate a lot of almond stuff and was starting my day with a nut cereal made with almond milk. So I switched to oatmeal for breakfast (I’m whole foods, not solely paleo) and I have been totally better. I haven’t cut out nuts. I just don’t start my day with them. Glad to find this post because at the time I couldn’t find anyone on the net saying they had that problem. On another note, I will be trying to make the cheese free version of this spinach and artichoke dip tomorrow:) I hope it is as delicious as my mouth wants it to be:) Merry Christmas!
It was a winner. Me and my hubby loved it. And I am glad to have some leftover today to munch on:)!! Thanks!
This is amazing! My mom made a chicken and rice casserole at Christmas that was full of stuff I can’t eat. So when I got home I made this and added 2 cut up cooked chicken breasts and am mixing in some brown rice (not Paleo, I know, whatevs!) so amazingly delicious!
hey juli. i’m gonna make this and wanted to know if the cheese melts or if it stays in hard little blocks? i noticed you didn’t bake it and I’ve usually always baked my spinach dip before to melt the cheese. thanks!
it melts since the artichoke and spinach are warm
this was a HUGE hit at easter. we usually have the typical heavy, creamy dips so i was happy that my family embraced a lighter dip. even my stepdad loved it and he usually stays far away from any weird “paleo” things i make.
i ended up using sheep’s milk pecorino and a little goat’s milk gouda to mix in. probably 1/3 cup total. i thought it was very rich and tasty.
Do you eat this warm or cold. If warm does it reheat well?
Thanks for the great recipes!
warm! and yes, just heat up in the oven!