Why Personalized Food is Important & Easy Romesco Sauce Recipe
This post has been sponsored by Just Right by Purina. All opinions are my own.
We’re in the home stretch of 2018 (hard to believe) and I’ve been in a super reflective mood as we get ready for the busiest (and best) time of the year. My little family (as in, Dustbust, Rosie Roo, Teddy Bear and I) have made a lot of changes over the last nine months, including a new job for Dustin, lots of home improvement projects, and a lot of lifestyle changes. The biggest change we’ve worked on making this year was our eating habits – specifically adopting a healthier mindset when it came to food and what kinds of food we put into our body.
Dustin and I both found ourselves in really uncomfortable situations at the beginning of the year. Both of us had gained some weight that was affecting our overall health and wellbeing – my knee replacement was starting to hurt more and Dustin had developed some sleep issues caused by weight gain. We both were tired of saying “We will eat healthier or follow this diet” and it lasting for a week before slipping back into old habits. It was time to take our commitment to ourselves to be healthier seriously.
We started by doing lazy Keto and then moved to strict Keto about halfway through the year (you can read my post about all the tips and tricks for starting the Keto diet here.) About three months ago, I decided that I needed to make some changes and moved to a more intuitive-based eating plan, while Dustin continued to stay focus on a Keto/Low-Carb lifestyle. Guys. We both feel (and look) so. much. better. since deciding to change our eating habits and truly make lifestyle changes.
One of the biggest things we’ve learned during this journey is that it’s important to listen to your body and adjust what you’re feeding it in order to feel good. While I lost some significant weight while eating Keto, I found myself feeling really sluggish and constantly dealing with bloat. My skin was NOT having the excessive amount of fat I was eating and I was breaking out like a mad woman. But, instead of completely giving up on the idea of eating healthy and going back to old habits, I decided to make some adjustments and try a different approach. Even though Keto is working really well for Dustbust, it wasn’t the perfect solution for me and that’s okay. It just goes to show that there isn’t one right way to lose weight or incorporate healthier eating habits into your life and that it’s important to really take your personal preferences into consideration when making diet changes.
That’s why we have been so stoked to be partnered with Just Right by Purina this year because their philosophy when it comes to dog food is the same as ours when it comes to people food. Every doggo is different, which means they have different dietary needs. Our Rosie girl has super sensitive, dry skin and needs to be on a fish-based, grain-free formula to help combat the irritation and hotspots she typically deals with. Teddy, on the other hand, needs a kibble that will support his growing body and his high energy. So, instead of buying the same formula for each pup, we just get online and fill out a survey for each dog that helps determine their nutrition needs. Then, Just Right by Purina creates a personalized blend and sends it to us. It’s super easy and convenient to use and the best part is that each of our doggos gets a kibble that’s perfect for them. (To learn more about how to choose the best kibble for your dog, read this post!)
This month, Just Right by Purina‘s chef, Amanda, sent us a personalized recipe to try in our home that was perfectly catered to our lifestyle and needs. We shared with her a bit about our health journey and how we are constantly grilling fish and chicken on the BBQ because it’s easy, fast, and fits both Dustin’s and my eating plans. So, she whipped up a Romesco Sauce recipe to pair with the proteins we grill. I won’t lie, I was a little nervous when I saw the recipe because it was something that was completely outside our typical cooking routine. However, you can only put so many sauces on your BBQ chicken before it gets boring, so we were excited to give it a try.
Easy Romesco Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Red Pepper
- 3 Plum Tomatoes
- 1 Red Onion
- 1 Head of Garlic
- 1 Cup of Almonds (we used smoked ones)
- 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
- Ground Corriander, to taste (about 1/2 tablespoon)
-
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
-
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions:
- Cut up the pepper and onion into chunks and place on the grill with the head of garlic while grilling your protein (creates a nice depth of flavor)
- Grind up the almonds a food processor until a fine powder
- Pull the veggies from the grill (should have some nice char marks on them) and press the garlic out of the head. Add them into the food processor with the almonds and combine.
- Add the tomatoes, olive oil and seasonings into the processor and combine until a smooth sauce!
- Serve with fish or chicken from the grill!
Verdict:
Okay, this is DEFINITELY tasty and it pairs perfectly with chicken fresh off the grill. I loved the nutty undertones to the sauce from the almonds (although I wish I would have ground them up longer to make the sauce a bit smoother.) It definitely didn’t taste tomato based at all but had a hint of sweetness to it from the tomatoes. Definitely tasty and the perfect recipe to send to my little family!
Okay, your turn. I’d love to hear what recipes have been working well in your house recently and if you’ve noticed any differences in your doggos when you change their food! Let me know in the comments below!
