Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Oh My!

This post is sponsored by Evolve Juicery and Kitchen. Opinions, however, belong to the writer.

Wanna know a secret? We struggle with wasting food at our house. Not terribly, but certainly more often than I would like, which always triggers some guilt because I hate wasting food. It feels akin to setting money on fire.

There are several issues at play contributing to our food waste. For one, I am a bit particular about the conditions under which I enjoy cooking. I enjoy cooking if- and only if- all of the following conditions are met:

  1. I have the kitchen completely to my self.
  2. The kitchen is completely clean.
  3. I have a glass of wine in hand.
  4. There is no extraneous toddler noise. This includes talking, whining, crying, laughing, or any other form of bodily noise. It also includes any toddler related activities including but not limited to: obnoxious toys, obnoxious music or obnoxious television.
  5. All ingredients are on hand and not expired.

Read: I never enjoy cooking these days.

Furthermore, I hate leftovers. Like, vehemently abhor leftovers. I mean, unless it is pizza, of course. I’m not a monster. Another factor contributing to our food waste issue is my husband’s absence from most meal times. You might recall from my previous post that my husband works horrifying hours. He is rarely around for dinner. Once a week, at best. The vast majority of the time it is just me and our daughter, Greer. More often than not when I cook, we will eat said meal MAYBE two times and then the rest of it gets thrown out. We are the worst.

Last, but certainly not least, I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. The long and short of that meaning, that my body doesn’t respond to insulin as well as it should – not to the extent of being diabetic, but enough that it interferes with my hormones and makes getting pregnant tricky. There are several medical therapies that are utilized to combat PCOS, but in addition to those, literature supports adopting a diet that is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates. I have tried and failed at this approach to food several times, but when you hate leftovers, it can be super tricky to eat the low/slow carb diet that is recommended without feeling like you are majorly depriving yourself of variety and spending all your time in the kitchen.

When Evolve Juicery and Kitchen (previously known as Evovle Paleo Chef) offered the chance to sample some of their fixin’s, I eagerly jumped at the opportunity.  There are so many pluses here: low carb/keto, already prepared, healthy, quick, easy, variety! Best of all, absolutely delicious. And I am not just saying that. I was given three meals to sample, as well as one of their dessert offerings. For my meals, I had their Chicken Pad Thai, Pork Burger with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Chipotle Aioli, and the Pork Chili with Corn Muffins. For dessert, they provided their bacon chocolate chip cookies. UH, YES PLEASE. Made with almond flour, these little puppies are lower in carbs than their traditional counterpart, but equally as delicious. Every single thing was outstandingly (and to be perfectly honest, surprisingly) good. I suppose I shouldn’t have been so surprised given that their owner is a trained chef.

While I have my own reasons for loving this meal service, I know I’m not alone in needing an extra bit of help in the food department. Maybe you are battling a medical condition like PCOS, Celiac disease, etc. and want more meal ideas. Maybe you need help with weekly meal prep. Maybe you are looking to lose some weight and kick start your metabolism by getting into ketosis. Or maybe you just simply are looking take the some of the burden off of yourself as a mom. There are so many reasons to consider trying out Evolve Juicery and Kitchen.

All of the food from Evolve is dairy free and free of processed sugar. If like me, you want to be watching your carb intake, Evolve Juicery and Kitchen has the perfect upcoming opportunity to jump into the world of Keto with their 45 Day Keto Challenge.  All participants will be provided with all food needed for the entire 45 days including lunch, dinner, and two snacks. Breakfast is not provided as part of the challenge includes intermittant fasting. Additionally, challengers will receive a starter kit specifically designed for those new to Keto. There are options for either food pick up or delivery twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays. If the challenge doesn’t feel quite right, they also have rotating meals that you can order on a weekly basis that support Paleo, Whole30 and Keto diets.  

Evolve Juicery and Kitchen is offering Kansas City Moms Blog readers their first meal free (if you haven’t purchased before) with the code kcmoms.  Offer valid online only.  

All orders must be placed by Friday at 10 a.m. and can be picked up or delivered (for a charge) on Sunday. Evolve has Missouri locations in the Crossroads, Liberty, and GreenAcres Briar Cliff.  On the Kansas side, the Lenexa location will be closed as of this Sunday but there is have a temporary location within Weiner Lounge for pickups at 9645 W 87th St, Overland Park, KS 66212.  Two more Kansas locations are in the works with one at 135th and Pflumm, which opens on March 2, and the other in Downtown Overland Park opening in mid-May. 
Holly Pyle
Holly loves to talk. In fact, she spent the majority of her fifth-grade year isolated to the back of her classroom for excessive talking.  She was reprimanded for this in various ways throughout her education, including during graduate school. She is now mother to Greer, her incessantly yammering three-year-old daughter. Holly’s parents regularly chuckle at this poetic justice. In addition to excessive talking, Holly enjoys buying and killing houseplants, rearranging home decor, thrifting clothes for her daughter, and doughnuts. She is passionate about the use of the Oxford comma, women supporting women, and the power of vulnerability in relationships. She struggles with racking up library late fees, writing bios, infertility, and understanding people who desire to go to Vegas.