product. It has added sugar and some preservatives, but this is the LL Balanced
cookbook, and I’m not worried about a
tablespoon of sriracha spread over multiple
servings in a recipe. It has the perfect balance of
sweet, savory, and spice, and I just adore it. You
can sub 1 teaspoon honey + 1 teaspoon plain red
hot sauce + 1 teaspoon water if needed.
• Mayo: As you will see in this book, I am not
anti-mayo. I’m a Southern girl, after all! The
problem with commercial mayonnaise is
that it’s usually made with hydrogenated
vegetable oils, like soybean, and I’ve
explained in my Healthy Fats section (page 26) why this is a NO. However; thoughtful companies like Spectrum, Chosen Foods, and my favorite, Primal Kitchen, have made mayonnaise with olive oil and avocado oil, both healthy choices that taste great. I buy my mayo on thrivemarket.com, or you can check out chosenfoods.com.
• Dijon mustard: A classic and staple! I
adore Dijon mustard, and find that it adds
a wonderful touch of acidity to countless
recipes. A dear friend from college taught
me to dip baby carrots into Dijon, and I still
love this combo. My favorite Dijon ever is
the Trader Joe’s Moutarde de Dijon, but any
basic variety will do.
• Organic ketchup: As with sriracha, ketchup
is not a perfect food, but there are many
brands now offering organic versions
without high-fructose corn syrup. And
sometimes, only ketchup will do. That
is a culinary fact of life. I like Annie’s
Homegrown, which I buy on Thrive Market.
It has a touch of cane sugar, but I don’t
spend a minute worrying about it.
• Coconut water: This is nature’s Gatorade
and something you will always see stocked
in our refrigerator, because my husband
drinks a glass every morning. Coconut water
is packed with natural electrolytes, which
keep you hydrated and help regulate the
nervous system. I use coconut water as the
base of smoothies, my Workout Water (page 89), and as a key component to any illness recovery. I just look for any brand that is 100% coconut water, without added sugars, flavors, or preservatives.
• Tempeh
• Lemon/lime juice
• Cheese of choice
• Eggs
• Prepared horseradish
• Orange/grapefruit juice
• Yogurt
• Hummus
Keeping staples in
your refrigerator
makes preparing
healthy meals easy
and stress-free.
FREEZER STAPLES
• Wild-caught salmon, shrimp, halibut,
cod, and scallops (I order them from
Vital Choice)
• Bread: I like Deland Bakery, Canyon
Bakehouse (GF), Mestemacher rye,
or a sourdough loaf.
• Non-GMO corn tortillas
• Leftover pancakes and waffles (separate
with small pieces of parchment paper
and stack)
• Grass-fed ground beef; ground turkey
• Organic chicken breasts and thighs
• Frozen smoothie fruit such as bananas,
apples, pineapple, cherries, raspberries,
blueberries, and strawberries
• Frozen organic broccoli, spinach, edamame,
peas, kale, or other green vegetables
• Frozen corn kernels
FLOURS
A note on my flour choices: There are lots of
healthy flours out there . . . countless, these
days. But I keep things simple for myself, and I
suggest the same for you. Certified gluten-free
oats are cheap, accessible, and tolerated by
most people. And when blitzed in a high-
powered blender or food processor, they make
a fantastic flour. I realize that not everyone can
or will buy almond and coconut flour, though
I make a strong case for them in the following
description. As a result, I decided that oats/
oat flour/oat bran could be the great equalizing
