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Fostering healthy habits with Caroline Fausel

Some of you may recognize Caroline Fausel’s name from her popular blog “Olive You Whole,” where she writes about healthy living and shares her own health-focused recipes. What you might not know is that Caroline is based right here in Denver, and she recently published her debut cookbook, “Prep, Cook, Freeze: A Paleo Meal Planning Cookbook.” We thought, what better time than the start of the new year to sit down with Caroline and add some new tips to our healthy habits arsenal?

City Cast Denver: For you personally, what inspires health in the kitchen?

Caroline Fausel: I’ve always come to health and wellness with a biohacking mindset. We ALL have health conditions that we’re predisposed to because of our family histories. So, I’m always asking the question, how can we eat and live our lives in such a way that 1) makes us feel our absolute best and 2) avoids as many health conditions and diseases as possible? Those two things are my family’s biggest motivators! I also love being able to instill these values and lifestyles in our kiddos.

CCD: What’s a common misconception that you find most people have about healthy eating?

CF: The biggest misconception that comes to mind is that healthy eating isn’t delicious… But there isn’t anything farther from the truth! Since the start of my blog, “Olive You Whole,” it has been my mission to break this mindset with delicious healthy recipes! A lot of us are still scarred from the ’90s low-fat craze. It’s an amazingly tasty revelation that fat is GOOD for us! I find that people love healthy foods when they actually add healthy fats (from olives, coconuts, and avocados) and salt.

CCD: What’s the biggest piece of advice you’d offer to our readers who might be looking to adopt some healthier eating habits?

CF: A lot of people feel overwhelmed when it comes to trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle, but it is so much simpler than what we make it out to be. My biggest piece of advice would be to eat REAL, whole foods. When I describe the Paleo diet to people, I tell them that it’s really close to a “Meat and Three” style of eating. It’s not super challenging to cook a steak and roast some veggies — that’s it! You’ll be amazed how great you feel when a majority of your plate is veggies.

CCD: Can you tease your favorite recipe in the book?

CF: My favorite recipe in the book (and my husband’s) is the Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Latkes (see photo above). I like to highlight this recipe because, for whatever reason, I think a lot of people are intimidated by pork tenderloin, but this recipe is SO easy. There are entire roasted garlic cloves in this recipe, and I always steal them all! It is packed with flavorful ingredients like mustard, rosemary, and garlic. You make a super quick horseradish sauce that really takes all of the flavors to the next level. And the sweet potato latkes are surprisingly easy! You’ll make them all the time. This is a perfect weeknight meal, or it’s a super impressive meal to make for hosting.

CCD: You’re local to Denver, where do you like to eat out?

CF: We love Denver so much! There are so many fun restaurants, it’s so hard to choose! I’ve been working with bartaco for over six years. Honestly, if I had to eat at one place every single meal for the rest of my life, it would be bartaco. I LOVE every single one of their cocktails, appetizers, and tacos. You can get some really healthy options there, including the chopped salad and all of their tacos can be served in Bibb lettuce cups! I love it. Just BE Kitchen is an entirely Paleo kitchen, and one of my best friends, Jen, owns it. She does a fantastic job, and it’s SUCH a lifeline for those of us with food intolerances. It’s healthy comfort food that never ceases to comfort me! We also LOVE Safta. Chef Alon Shaya was born in Israel, and Safta combines flavors from the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. It’s just insanely delicious, and we can’t stay away for long!

👉 Don’t miss: Caroline will be hosting a book signing event this Saturday, Jan. 22, at 4pm at Just BE Kitchen in Denver. Guests will receive a copy of her book and a meal from Just BE Kitchen. 

— Peyton Garcia, City Cast Denver Newsletter Writer and Hopeless Chef

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Other Denver Odds and Ends

✏️ Polis promises to focus on schools: Last week, in his annual State of the State address, Gov. Polis pledged to invest more money in education, with promises to focus on youth mental health, child care, and workforce training. “There is nothing more important to the future of our state than educating Colorado children,” Polis said.

🦠 As if finding COVID tests wasn’t hard enough: State officials have issued cease-and-desist orders to 11 Front Range COVID-19 testing sites including some in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs. The companies running the sites were not properly certified to perform testing and were not reporting test results as required by state law.

• 💡 Test at home instead: On the brightside, however, you should be able to order free at-home rapid tests courtesy of the federal government beginning tomorrow. 

🚫 The King Soopers strike continues: Tomorrow marks a week of striking for King Soopers union employees, but negotiations don’t seem to be making any progress.

📱 Did Boulder County’s emergency text system do its job during the Marshall fire? Many Boulder County residents have said they never received an emergency text alert telling them to evacuate. Now counties across Colorado are re-evaluating the effectiveness of their emergency alert systems. 

• 🚨 Be prepared: Here’s how to make sure you’re opted into your county’s emergency alert system.

🚩 Did Denver police ignore red flags? Records show that Denver police had previous encounters with the man allegedly behind the fatal Denver/Lakewood shooting spree. Now, some state lawmakers are calling on the federal Department of Justice to investigate how those incidents were handled. “It is critical we understand who knew what information and when,” lawmakers wrote in a letter to the DOJ.

🎧 LISTEN: What’s next for Welton St. Cafe? This iconic Five Points eatery has been serving the community for more than 40 years. And now, the community has a chance to give back. We checked in with Chereka Dickerson, whose family has been running the restaurant for most of her life, and their current campaign to keep Welton St. Cafe alive.