02. Spring Roll in A Bowl
Spring Roll in a Bowl
you next meal-prep staple
After a semester in Barcelona filled with drinking like there was no tomorrow, indulging in gluten without knowing the havoc it was causing beneath the surface, and not nearly enough shut eye… I came back to America with so many amazing memories…and some major gut issues. Being a healthy individual, I knew that the chronic fatigue, layer of puff, and weakness during my workouts, aming other symptoms that I was experiencing was not normal. While I knew I had not been treating my body super well, I had a feeling that there was a deeper rooted issue. Thus, I reached out to a holistic practitioner and got very in-depth labs done.
After food sensitivity and GI tests, my hunch was correct - listen to your bodies and instincts people!!
One of the major diagnoses I got was leaky gut. In simple terms, leaky gut is when your stomach lining (think of it like a balloon) has little holes in it, allowing toxins from foods, medicine, and drinks to creep into the blood stream and create full body inflammation. As a part of the healing process, I was given a protocol to rotate the foods that were causing inflammation in my body every three days. For me, the list was very long because when you have a leaky gut, your body misinterprets normal and healthy foods as invaders. Thus, to create a calm environment, I rotated these “invaders” every three days. With that came A LOT of exploration with cooking and using different ingredients.
One of my FAVORITE meals I made during this exploration was this spring roll in a bowl. Spring rolls dipped in a creamy peanut sauce are genuinely one of my FAVORITE foods in the world, but unable to have rice in my diet, I decided to experiment. When I came across Kelp Noodles, a zero carb noodle alternative, I was quite skeptical.. but the consistency was absolutely perfect for this recipe and an amazing low carb alternative for noodle recipes that are served cold (note: I think they are too watery to be used in warm, authentic pasta dishes). This recipe will without a doubt remain a staple in my rotation even when I am not on this diet. I highly recommend making a huge bowl of this at the beginning of the week and storing in your fridge to have as lunches throughout the week!
RECIPE: makes 4 + servings
salad:
1 head of romaine chopped
3 chicken breasts (boil on stove top and use mixer to shred)
chopped mint and cilantro
2 chopped bell peppers
chopped cucumber
1 bag miracle noodles (i used @thrivemarmets)
chopped cashews
shredded carrots and cabbage
dressing:
2 TBSP tahini (can sub for peanut or almond butter)
1 knob grated ginger
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1/3 cup EVOO
1/2 lime juiced
hot water until desired consistency
Enjoy!!!