Paleo Brownies!

One of the biggest challenges with trying to keep our diet paleo has been desserts. I just don't think it's possible to go without desserts now and then. And it's not just me; Hubby has a sweet tooth too!

I've tried some cookie recipes and some pudding recipes. Spoiler alert: avocado pudding is no bueno. At least the kind I tried. I'd skip that one if you haven't tried it yet. Some of the cookie recipes aren't bad, but I kind of feel like a cookie isn't a cookie unless it has chocolate chips. And I haven't picked up any paleo chocolate chips yet, so they've been lacking something up til now.

I happened to come across this recipe for brownies, one of my favorite desserts, on Taylor Made It Paleo. I was skeptical at first, but I did my quick scan of the ingredients and they all seemed reasonable (we're ok with some honey).  



I did need to pick up a few of the ingredients, and in the process I ended up swapping out the sunflower seed butter for regular peanut butter (much cheaper). I whipped everything together pretty quickly; it's a pretty easy recipe to follow and didn't take a ton of time either. The hardest part was waiting for them to cool before I could try them! ; )

I was immediately impressed. First bite! It was delicious! Hubby was impressed too. I've since made them for my parents and they both liked them. Again, my dad was not completely blown away by them like we were, but you can't win them all!

So this has become a recipe that I keep and make now and then when we've got a sweet tooth. I bet you could even freeze some and pull them out later for a quick treat. I can imagine it now, warmed up in the microwave with some ice cream on top, like she suggests. Mmm... I'm thinking I need to go whip up another batch right now!

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup coconut flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp coconut crystals
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 5 eggs
• ¾ cup honey
• 3 1/2 tbsp grass-fed butter, softened
• 2 tbsp full fat, canned coconut milk
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)
• ½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup sunflower seed butter (or other nut/seed butter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine coconut flour, cocoa powder, coconut crystals, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, butter, and coconut milk.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well combined.
5. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter evenly into baking dish.
7. Pour sunflower seed butter over top and “swirl” evenly into batter.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
9. When finished, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Pecan Cake

My mom's birthday was January 14th, so about a month ago. Since Hubby and I had given up sugar and grain we knew we wouldn't be able to do a traditional cake. And we also know that, as a nurse, she always gets a bunch of sweets and cakes from her awesome coworkers at the hospital. So I knew if I made a paleo cake, she wouldn't be missing out, even if she didn't like the cake. And I wanted to surprise her and see if she actually liked it. 

My mama!

So I started looking up recipes online. I tend to stay away from recipes with more expensive ingredients or ingredients that I will use once and then they will expire. I also stayed away from all of the recipes that use a bunch of dates. I've tried that before and it's good, but not really exactly what I was hoping for. 

I happened to find a recipe on The Clothes Make The Girl, another great blog to follow if you're wanting some new reading material! :)

Credit: The Clothes Make the Girl

This recipe wasn't for a chocolate cake, which I was hoping to find because she absolutely loves chocolate. This recipe was a pumpkin gingerbread cake. I love pumpkin and I love gingerbread, and I know my mama does too. And for the frosting, which I thought would be impossible, there was a maple-vanilla concoction! It only took me about 0.004 seconds to decide that would be a really yummy combination and the ingredients checked out alright, so I decided to go for it and hope for the best. 

I got the ingredients and threw it all together according to the instructions. I did end up having to use butter in the frosting instead of coconut oil because I forgot to get more of that and I didn't have any cardamom, but otherwise all was good to go. I put it in the oven at their house and she kept asking what I was making. I told her it was a surprise, but it was smelling good, so I was hopeful it'd be a good surprise!!

I ended up misjudging the frosting. Coconut butter tends to melt very easily and I didn't wait long enough for the cake to cool before trying to put the frosting on top, so it was a little runny and I ended up just leaving it in the fridge to let the frosting settle. I also didn't cut them into little bars but just layered the frosting over the entire top of the cake, more like a traditional birthday cake.

Then came time to cut! My mom was anxious to try. She loves treats and especially loves trying new things. They are on a very non-paleo diet so it was a totally new thing for my mom and dad. My dad was not quite so eager I don't think, lol. 

Taste test: It was delicious. It tasted exactly how I hoped it would. It took Hubby a couple of bites, but then he was hooked. My mom loved it from the start too. My dad said it tasted like cardboard ... well, you can't please them all, lol. And 3 out of 4 ain't bad, especially since he isn't used to eating paleo and his palate is a bit different. I'm convinced it's a keeper!

But I'll let you be the judge. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think! Here's her recipe:

Ingredients:

 

Cake:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (Can sub with plain almond butter + 1 tbsp maple syrup.)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

 

Frosting:

• 1/3 cup coconut butter
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Optional:

• Pecan halves or whole almonds for garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Make the cake. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine. Pour into an 8×8 oven-safe baking dish. Bake until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.

3. Make the frosting. Place the coconut butter and coconut oil in a microwave-safe dish and heat until softened, but not melted. The length of time you need to nuke it will depend on the temperature in your house, so start with 30-second increments and repeat until you get the right consistency. Place the coconut butter and oil in a large mixing bowl, then add the honey, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy with a standing or hand mixer. If you don’t have a mixer, go at it with a whisk… and good luck to you!

NOTE: I almost always over-heat the coconut oil and coconut butter, and it gets liquidy. Here’s what to do: mix it per the instructions above, then let it sit at room temperature. As it cools, it will thicken a bit. When it’s the consistency of very thick honey, drizzle it on top of the cold cake. It will tighten up like a frosting glaze, then refrigerate.

4. Assemble! Allow the cake to cool completely. Completely. When you’re sure it’s cool, you may cut it into 9 or 16 squares. Dollop a spoonful of frosting onto each square and top with a nut.

5. Chill out. When all squares are frosted, cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The frosting will firm up in the fridge and the texture transforms into a confection. Serve the cake squares chilled or at room temperature.

Pancakes! ... Er ... Waffles ?

I am a waffle girl. Or I used to be. I loved, loved, LOVED waffles. Pancakes were alright, french toast was yummy, but there's something about a waffle that just tops my list.

I'm sure most people know that waffles are not Paleo friendly and definitely not Whole30 friendly. We are following the Whole30 guidelines, but occasionally we do have a Paleo-ified treat. And last night was one of those nights.

 

I found a Paleo waffle recipe on The Real Food Forager website. I checked all of the ingredients and decided to give it a go. But then I realized that I had a problem. I do not own a waffle maker. You really don't have much use for one when you don't eat waffles anymore, so I gave mine away a few years ago. And honestly I really don't care much for those large appliances because they're kind of a pain to store, especially as a college student in a cheapo apartment with itty bitty kitchens.

So I decided to turn my waffle into a pancake. You can make a pancake out of pretty much anything. Just plop it down and try not to burn it. Easier said than done apparently because I burnt the heck out of my first two sets of pancakes. I started out with 3 little ones but they were hard to get the spatula under. And they ended up pretty blackened.

Then I tried one big pancake... but the consistency was a little loose. So that one was definitely not pretty. And I still slightly burnt that one.

So then I tried a medium sized pancake. That one worked great, but still kinda fell apart. I think it's mostly user error. I may have decided that I needed more coconut milk than it called for. And I know there's no coconut milk on the recipe card, but I prefer to use coconut milk instead of water. I also added in some cinnamon and nutmeg. I think of recipes as more of a guideline than rule.

I do have to say that even the burnt ones tasted pretty good. They are pretty sweet. We did go with some agave nectar and/or honey on top. Again, not really Whole30 compliant, but if that's where we splurge, then I take it as a win. And it's not something that happens every week, for sure.

The recipe looked kinda small when I started, but I only ate about half of my half. So about 1/4 of the total recipe. It's pretty filling.

I think it might be good if you add in some pumpkin to it too. I might try that next time instead of the bananas. I like to play with recipes. I'll add that to my grocery list and try it again and let you know how it turns out, but I give this recipe a 7/10. I can't say it's totally the recipe to blame, but the consistency was hard for me to work with and it was pretty sweet. Probably because we aren't used to that high sugar content, which again was our choice with the agave. But something that I will play with and try again.

Not sure if I convinced you on those or not. The picture above is from the website that the recipe comes from. I didn't take any pictures of mine because they came out pretty darn inedible looking, lol. We just threw a couple of eggs on top, drizzled some agave, and called it a day though. Works for us!

So here's the recipe. Try it or not... just thought I'd share! : )

Ingredients:

4 large eggs separated (pastured if possible)

1 1/4 ripe medium banana mashed (or one large banana)

2 heaping tablespoon applesauce

2 Tablespoon raw honey (where to buy raw honey)

2 teaspoon vanilla (where to buy vanilla)

1/2 cup coconut flour (where to buy coconut flour)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (where to buy sea salt)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- See more at: http://realfoodforager.com/videorecipe-grain-free-banana-waffles-scdgaps/#sthash.WTJJCrwn.dpuf

• 4 large eggs separated (pastured if possible) (I did not separate mine)
• 1 1/4 ripe medium banana mashed (or one large banana)
• 2 heaping tablespoon applesauce
• 2 Tablespoon raw honey
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions:

Separate the eggs

Whip up the whites with an electric hand mixer

Add the honey, vanilla and mashed banana to the egg yolks and mix by hand

Add baking soda and salt to the coconut flour and mix

Add the dry mixture to the wet and blend together

If the dry mixture is very thick add water (up to 1/2 cup), a little more banana or more apple sauce

Fold in the whites being careful not to over mix

The batter should be loose

Using a large serving spoon, add the batter to the preheated and oiled waffle iron

Remove when indicated by the waffle iron

These are not really crisp but satisfying none the less

- See more at: http://realfoodforager.com/videorecipe-grain-free-banana-waffles-scdgaps/#sthash.WTJJCrwn.dpuf

1. Separate the eggs
2. Whip up the whites with an electric hand mixer
3. Add the honey, vanilla and mashed banana to the egg yolks and mix by hand
4. Add baking soda and salt to the coconut flour and mix
5. Add the dry mixture to the wet and blend together
6. If the dry mixture is very thick add water (up to 1/2 cup), a little more banana or apple sauce
7. Fold in the whites being careful not to over mix
8. The batter should be loose
9. Using a large serving spoon, add the batter to the preheated and oiled waffle iron
10. Remove when indicated by the waffle iron
11. These are not really crisp but satisfying none the less

Toppings

• Honey
• Ghee or butter
• Maple syrup
• Yogurt
• Fruit, etc.

- See more at: http://realfoodforager.com/videorecipe-grain-free-banana-waffles-scdgaps/#sthash.JfRhIZwn.dpuf

Toppings

Honey
Ghee or butter
Maple syrup
Yogurt
Fruit, etc.


Side note: Apparently they compare a man's brain to a waffle and a woman's brain to a plate of spaghetti. Women are all busy thinking about everything all at once whereas men focus on one topic at a time and nothing else, hence the pouring syrup into one individual waffle hole at a time, lol. Just thought I'd share that with you. : ) 

Not Your Average Meatloaf!

This is a recipe that I came across a few days ago on PaleOMG. I added it to my Yumprint grocery list and finally prepared the other day. I actually picked it because it looked uber easy to put together and I love a meal that cooks in the oven while I clean up the kitchen. This one took very little time to throw together. It does require some chopping, but it is totally worth it!

Source

I actually made the meatloaf and then topped it with some cauliflower "mashed potatoes". I just baked the meatloaf per the instructions. While it was cooking I boiled some cauliflower, blended it in the blender with some butter, broth, and salt & pepper. Then when the meatloaf was done, I just dumped the "mashed potatoes" on top and called it a day! I thought about baking it a little longer with them on top, but honestly was being lazy, lol, so I didn't. 

The taste test was done by hubby and myself, but I ended up taking the casserole dish with me to our local radio club where Hubby and a friend had been working on something. So we had an extra opinion this time. Hubby let the cat out of the bag about the "potatoes" not really being potatoes, but his friend said he actually might not have noticed. He loved it! And he was really impressed that we'd prepared cauliflower that way. 

My own taste test grade would be about a 10 out of 10. It was seriously delicious and we ate the whole thing except for one portion which Hubby had for breakfast the next day. I actually ended up going out and getting more ingredients to make a double batch! Yep, we had it twice in one week, lol.

It does call for some hot sauce, but I actually didn't really think it was all that spicy, so I might try some red pepper next time just for an extra kick! Otherwise, I am putting this one in my stack of recipes! Some day I'll get around to actually organizing them, lol. 

So here you go: Paleo Southwest Meatloaf from PaleOMG 

  

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 1 egg, whisked
• ¾ cup almond flour
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon fat

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat a large skillet under medium-high heat, add fat and minced garlic to the oil. Once the garlic has become fragrant, add your green pepper, red pepper, and onions.
3. Cook until onions are translucent then remove from heat.
4. Add your meat, egg, almond flour, spices, hot sauce, and cooked veggies to a large bowl. Mix together.
5. Place meat mixture in two bread loaf pans (at least they’re useful for something) and pat down.
6. Cook for 30-35 minutes.
7. Top with guac!! Consume!

Young House Love and a Whole30 Update!

It's been a while since I checked in, but we've still been doing pretty good on our Whole30-ish way of eating. We have decided that we are going to just continue with the majority of the rules from the program that we did and incorporate them into our daily lifestyle. The exceptions are that we will not avoid Paleo-ifying foods and we allow ourselves peanut butter and honey from time to time as those don't seem to have any negative effects on how we feel. We've stuck to this plan about 90% of the time. Maybe 95%. We've been pretty good. Although, I do know now how easy it is to go overboard with certain Paleo-ified foods and will have to watch that.

I have noticed, now that we mostly eat only whole foods, that the foods that I used to love drool over are no longer all that appealing. They lack that extra umph that makes you want to just say, "Mmmm" when you take a bite. I can honestly say that about 90% of the time that I've eaten something off plan it has been a disappointment and not worth it. So that's good because it really makes sticking to the plan just that much easier! And... still no more headaches! : )

So now on to Young House Love. I don't remember how I came across this blog exactly. I know I was looking around for different decor ideas and different DIY ideas for the house that we are buying. (Update on that coming soon!) But anyway, I found this blog called Young House Love. It is written by a young couple, Sherry and John, who have a young daughter, Clara, and an adorable pup, Burger.

Apparently they started out just redecorating and remodeling their home for fun, discovered a real passion for it, and have turned it into their day job, along with blogging about it, of course! They have even written a book about their DIY adventures!

They are now on their third home and have documented pretty much everything from Day 1 online. It started out as a blog to keep their families up-to-date, but now they have a full business from it. Pretty cool! And we can all benefit from it by checking out their different design ideas and DIY tutorials. The website is very well organized, lots of great photographs, and enough personal touch to make it a must-read blog!

I've been copying all kinds of ideas for inspiration on decorating the different rooms in our house and have learned quite a bit. For example, you can make just about anything if you know where to find the materials, which don't have to break the bank either. Most of their projects are done by themselves and on a budget, so it totally makes it doable. Yay!

They are just getting started on the projects in their 3rd house, so check them out and follow along! I have to say that their second house is my favorite though. I just love pretty much everything about it. I can't say that I am lovin' the animal statues as much as Sherry, but she has at least made me think about adding them! : )

I just love all of the colors and the patterns and how everything seems to flow together. I think it's amazing how they tore down the wall in their kitchen in that second house to open it up and there's so much more light. I would love to be able to do that to the house we buy. No dark and dreary for me, thanks!

So Young House Love... our inspiration and daily entertainment as we consider options in decorating our first house! : ) And now I will leave you with a couple of before/after photos. To check out all of the before/after of their second house, CLICK ME!

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FRONT YARD:

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OFFICE:

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KITCHEN:

 

I really could just post all of their pictures, I love them so much, but I'll let you head over and check them out yourselves! : )

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

We've made it through 2 inspections on the house we are trying to buy. Well, more like 1.75. We had an issue finding the crawl space for the main part of the house, so we still have to go back and check on that. And then we have the water inspection. After those we can say that we are buying the house!

We are now just waiting for the seller to tell us where the entry point is, or he'll have to cut a new hole for us to use for the inspection. We aren't going to buy if we can't see the foundation. So hopefully he will cooperate. We just have about 2 days of waiting in between communications and it doesn't help the stress level. We're trying to stay relaxed though.

I can now say that my headaches have gone a way. We had a splurge a while back, after finishing our first Whole30, and the pizza did bad things to me. It took 5 days, but I haven't had a single one in the last few days, so I know I am getting back on track. We're being less strict with this round of our Whole30, including some of the Paleo-ified foods that they said not to do, but not much. This week doesn't include any, so that's good.

Speaking of meal plans, this week's meal plan is just a random combination of some of our favorites (and easiest to make) recipes from the four and a half weeks we did the Whole30. It's so much easier to just pick from those because I know which ones we really loved, which ones were quick to make, which ones require a lot of equipment, and which ones are more expensive. I think this week is going to be easy, which is just what we need because we got a little side-tracked last week. We're still making progress though.

I'm about ready to start packing boxes, and labeling them, and organizing them until we can move ... but since we haven't gotten through the inspections all the way yet, we're still not 100% sure that we are buying, and that would probably not be a good idea to start boxing up our things if we aren't going to be moving. It's hard to not get too excited and get started on all the plans that I've made while we've been waiting for the last two weeks. But Hubby helps to keep me grounded. We could use any extra well-wishes, good vibes, prayers, and crossed fingers if you have any to spare! : )

We have also been biking a ton, so I actually haven't done any of the Fitness Blender in the last week because we've been getting outside most of the time. We only have a couple of months left that we'll be able to do that, so we're trying to get our fill! : ) I think we could probably bike every day and not get tired of it. It's fun, it's a cheap date night, and what better way to spend quality time with your significant other than to spend 1.5 hours biking and chatting.

Hope everyone has a great week! : )

Crazy Week: Headaches, On and Off Whole30, and a Purchase Agreement!

The last week or so has been uber crazy. I don't even want to know what my cortisol levels were. I don't think I've ever been so stressed for such a long period of time. House hunting/negotiating is emotionally draining. I'll start there, since that's the biggest of my stresses lately. We found a house, we put an offer down, and then for the last week and a half we have been counter offering with the seller to get to a purchase agreement. Well, we finally got it!! : ) Yay! 

Source

This doesn't mean that we are buying the house just yet, just that we have an agreement that we will buy it if we are satisfied with the inspections. So, this week is inspection week. We are trying to schedule water and septic inspections and have our whole house inspection set for Friday. I'll feel better when I know the other two are set, but at least I feel a little more secure this week. I was afraid someone else would come along and outbid us, as has happened in the past. But, if inspections go well then we will be buying it! And that is pretty exciting, but I don't think it's really sunk in yet. 

We'll have so much to do once we KNOW we are moving too. Boxing up our stuff, arranging for family to help us move, find a subleaser, make a list for address changes, etc. It's gonna be an interesting month, hopefully. Fingers crossed that the inspections go well! And we'd really appreciate any extra good vibes, prayers, or fingers crossed from anyone who's got them! : ) Thanks!

So, now on to going off Whole30. 

I know that they say that you are NOT supposed to go and have a day full of eating whatever you want, you're supposed to try certain things for a few days so you can pinpoint what foods are problem foods. Well, we were stressed (excuse) and so we didn't do that. Instead, we ordered pizza. I have to say that I regretted that decision tremendously! 

Source

Credit

Within an hour or two of eating the pizza I felt as though I had a hangover. I had a huge headache, felt drowsy, irritable, and I know I had eaten too much but the feeling coming from my stomach was more of a general nausea rather than overstuffed. It was horrible. I went to bed immediately. That was on Friday. Today is the first day that I have not had a killer headache... yet. I can feel slight pressure, but I wouldn't classify it as a headache just yet. I'll take it though. 

Hubby also noticed a difference. He had the "hangover" after the pizza and had a monster of a headache (so he told me) the next day. He also noticed some of the aches in his knees came back and he noticed a general lack of energy. 

Also, I remembered that pizza being sooo good, like you can't help but go "Mmmm!" when you take a bite. That's what is was like for us the last time we ordered it, months ago. This time it really didn't have that same "wow" factor. I felt like I wanted to eat the whole thing and had to make myself stop when my stomach started hurting, but really wasn't impressed with the overall flavor. So not worth it! 

Getting Back on Whole30

I had been debating what would be the best day to get back on the Whole30 program for our second round, but waking up on that Saturday morning, knowing how horrible that food had made me feel, we chose to get back on right away. So Saturday morning was Day 1 of our Whole30: Round 2. We are already feeling better, but it's taking a few days before that pizza works its way out of our systems. 

It's amazing how much that food really affects us and I'm just wondering how I ate somewhat similarly for the last 26 years of my life and those effects were just the norm. Maybe they weren't so extreme because it wasn't such a shock when I was eating that way every day, but I know they were there to some extent because I notice such an incredible difference going back to eating just whole foods. I think we got the reminder we needed and we will not be going back off plan. Not with that kind of stuff anyway. I think Paleo-ifying certain foods is fine, but we'll try to keep those to a minimum too. And if we ever forget again, I'm sure the headaches will be right there, waiting to remind me!

Working Out

Source

I'm up for Workout #5/44 of Fitness Blender's 8-week program today. We went biking twice last week so that was our exercise, but that's ok. I'm not on a time crunch for this, just want to make it something I can maintain. I remember that I didn't particularly care for this workout when I tried it last time. I had a hard time keeping up and it was pretty hard. So hopefully it will be a little bit smoother since it's the second time. Wish me luck! : )

Remember the abominable snowman from Bugs Bunny?

I had a not so happy time making dinner last night. 

It has nothing to do with the way the food turned out; it was delicious! It was just the process of making it, mostly due to my own lack of observation, left me a bit frazzled.


I made the Mamma's Meatballs and Marinara Sauce from SleepLoveEat.com. I had all of the ingredients, I got everything out, started chopping and dicing. Part of the directions say to put the tomatoes, including juice, in the food processor with some basil. I did that, but did not pay attention to capacity and overfilled it. Next thing I know, I have tomato juice leaking all over my counter. So I hurry and try to clean it up, leaving the water running (oops), which quickly fills the pan sitting in it and starts to overflow ... all over the other counter. So as I'm cleaning up these two messes, I turn around and see that the sauce, which is now on the stove, is boiling and popping up and out and all over onto everything in reach. It was just one of those moments where there is some disaster (slightly dramatic, I know) waiting every time you turn around. Whew!

Did I also mention that it was during the "Kill All Things" part of the Whole30 Challenge that I thought I had managed to avoid? So, I was a bit on edge already, lol.

As I was telling my friend about all of this, she told me I should have just gone and cuddled with our bunny, Gus, for a while. Instantly, Bugs Bunny popped into my head:

credit: peliculas.film-cine.com

"Just what I always wanted. My own little bunny rabbit. I will name him George, and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him..."

Anyone remember that? In case you don't, or never saw it, or want to see it again... here's the link to the video courtesy of Todd S. on YouTube.

I'm pretty sure my little Gus-bunny would not appreciate that kind of handling, lol. Probably best to just simmer down on my own. Hubby did come in and give me a hug though and helped me take a breath and start again.

From there, things went much more smoothly. Today is the last day of the "Kill All Things" stage and then I get to move on to Days 6-7: "I just want a nap!" ... At least that one is over the weekend, and I don't really have much to do, so it might be a little easier for me. We'll see and I'll let you know!

Now for the recipe!

This recipe just sounded delicious from the moment I laid eyes on it. I always loved pasta and all of the creamy sauces that it comes with. So to find a way to get to eat "spaghetti" again, it's great! I did use spaghetti squash instead of actual spaghetti, by the way.

Marinara Sauce Ingredients (recipe inspired by Giada De Laurentiis, but tweaked a bit)

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion-diced
• 4 cloves garlic-crushed, diced, chopped…however you like it
• Bunch of basil
• 2 28 0z. cans of whole organic tomatoes with their juice
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

credit: sleeploveeat.com

1. Combine both cans of whole tomatoes with their juice and the bunch of basil in a food processor or blender.
2. Pulse until smooth and set aside.  Place olive oil, onions and garlic in a saute pan and cook over medium heat until translucent and soft…about 10 minutes….
3. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil over medium high heat. 
4. Once boiling, let the sauce simmer on low  for about an hour.

I find the longer you simmer, the better it tastes…if I am home I will just let it sit for a couple hours on low, stirring occasionally.  If you don’t have time, it’s still delicious after 30 minutes! It makes a lot.

Meatball Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork (feel free to use ground turkey or chicken…whatever you feel like I am sure will work)
• 1/2 onion – diced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1 cup loose-leaf spinach
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup tomato/marinara sauce
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

credit: sleeploveeat.com

1. Place basil, parsley, and spinach in food processor…give it a couple pulses to chop and mix it up…
2. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix together…I use my hands…I find it is the best way to get everything mixed evenly. 
3. Next I use my scoop to make golf ball sized meatballs. 
4. Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  I then place them in the sauce for another 30-60 minutes, but if you don’t want to do that, cook them for 25 minutes.

This recipe makes about 3 dozen.

It took me a little while to make, probably mostly because of all of my bloopers, but I just baked a spaghetti squash while I was cooking up the sauce and meatballs. The sauce and meatballs are to die for and the spaghetti squash is a great substitute for real spaghetti pasta. You won't be disappointed! I hope you have a better time cooking it than I did, lol.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Cinnamon Hashies

I love the recipes I've tried so far from Whole Family Strong's site. They are simple and they use ingredients that I'm likely to have already. They are quick and delicious too! This recipe uses one of my favorite ingredients: sweet potatoes. I make sweet potato fries all the time, but this was my first time shredding a sweet potato. My food processor made quick work of that though and I actually shredded about twice as much as was called for and used the extra in other recipes throughout the week. Quick and easy.

Credit: wholefamilystrong.com

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato (makes about 30 hashies)
• Cinnamon
• Egg whites
• Coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Shred your sweet potatoes in a food processor.
2. Combine 1 large handful of sweet potatoes with one egg white and 1 tbsp of cinnamon in a bowl.

3. Mix all ingredients together. You want all the sweet potatoes to be covered in egg whites but not “wet”. If they look a little too wet add in some more sweet potatoes. The main component here is the sweet potatoes, not the eggs. The eggs are just used as a delicious binder.

4. Heat a thin layer of oil in pan on medium heat.

 5. Drop sweet potato mixture by tbsp-full into oil and press down to flatten. Brown on each side for about 4 minutes each.

6. Continue to repeat these steps until you have made enough sweet potato cinnamon hashies to satisfy your tribe.


It did take me a few batches to get it down. The first ones were a little bit burnt, but eventually I got the hang of it. I also discovered they can be very tasty also if you drizzle a little bit of honey on top and sprinkle some salt on them. Yummy! : )

Trying Something New

It's difficult to say, but I have gotten off track again. Between the stress of losing my job and doing a ton of overtime (odd combo, eh?),  my dad having surgery last week, and starting to interview for work... my desire to eat right has been hit or miss and my desire to workout has completely gone on vacation.

So my husband and I talked about it and have decided to do something we've never done before. We're going to try a program together. It's strict, but not scheduled. And I really think that having him do it with me will be a huge help. Something has got to change because last night I realized that I'm to the point of having to lie on the bed to pull on my boots and most of my pants don't fit anymore. If he does this program with me, it will help keep me on task because I won't want to let him down.

I know I have gotten to the point before where I had excellent will power, could turn down a free cookie even if it was just under my nose, refused to do anything else until I got my workout in ... but somehow I have lost that ability. For now. I know I can get it back. I think I just need a little extra help getting there. And it's time that I learned how to ask for that help. Luckily, my husband is super sweet and very involved in things that are important to me, so he was not hesitant to agree to do this with me when I asked.

Ok, so what is this program we're doing? 

I think you might have heard of it if you've been hanging around in the Paleo world for any length of time. It's called Whole30 from Whole9.  How do we do it? Well, this program happens to be free, so I can share the details. The program lasts 30 days. That's not bad, right? It is a combination of eating right and working out, but it's more of a guideline rather than a regimented schedule and list of recipes/workouts. So it allows for flexibility.

Credit: whole9life.com

As outlined on their website, here is what you do NOT eat for 30 days:

• added sugar
• alcohol
• grains
• legumes (except green beans, sugar snap peas, and snow peas)
• dairy (except clarified butter or ghee)
• carrageenan, MSG or sulfites
• white potatoes
  

You are also not allowed to Paleo-ify foods. That means no making "Paleo muffins" or "Paleo pancakes".  Instead, we'll will be eating foods like meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats. The real kind, not the stuff that is full of hormones or artificial additives. So it's pretty open to a lot of delicious meals ... you just have to find them! : )

And one more rule, they ask that you weigh yourself before starting and take measurements, but then you put the scale away. You don't weigh yourself during the actual program, just at the beginning and at the end.

They also ask that you do regular exercise, but I haven't seen where they are very detailed about the rules of that. They do include pre and post workout food options though.

Credit: whole9life.com

What's the Plan?

My plan is to follow what Whole Family Strong did, 2 days on and then 1 day off and repeat. I'll be doing the Fitness Blender workouts for this 30 day challenge. My husband has limitations due to a back injury but he'll be doing stationary bike and road biking  or swimming to get his workouts in.

Creators of Whole30 - Credit: nomnompaleo.com

My husband will be my partner in this, but if you're interested in joining in on the Whole30 Challenge, there is a whole forum available for support and tips or you can be a part of their Facebook and Twitter communities. And if you do better with more structure, they have included the option to sign up for a daily email, called The Whole30 Daily,with guidance and tips to keep you on track with an option to check in for accountability. It does come with a fee, but it's only $14.95 for the month so that is just .50 cents a day, which is not much when you think about how much you will save by not eating out for a month (or trying not to). We signed up for this option.

Want more info? 

If you'd like to see the real results of this program, they have a whole page full of testimonials. If you're still wondering what foods are good foods and which foods should be avoided, they have a book published that you could get as a reference. I have not read it, but if the book is anything like the site then I am sure it will be very helpful. It's called "It Starts with Food". They also recommend checking out the NomNomPaleo website for recipe ideas. Otherwise, we can get started on prepping before the start day. They happen to have a list of very helpful downloadable resources, including a Get Started list.

So ... that's the plan. 

We start on Monday. We got our Day 0 email yesterday when I signed up for it, and they should be sending another one soon to help us get everything set to get started. Today and tomorrow we'll work on cleaning out the fridge and cabinets of anything off-limits, although we don't really have too terribly much of that nowadays. Then we'll run to the grocery store and stock up on all of the things we will be eating for the next week. And tomorrow I'll post our starting weights and measurements. I want to make this a very open and public so you can all see my journey. I would really love to hear about experiences that you've had if you've tried Whole30 before and if you're interested in started the program with me, that would be great to hear your feedback too!

One more thing, I will be posting a new product review in the next day or two, so keep an eye out for that! : )

Fitness Blender: Week 2

Hey all,

I started Week 2: Day 1 of the 8-Week Fitness Blender challenge today. I gotta say that it will be a miracle if I can walk tomorrow! In a good way! : )

Credit: fitnessblender.com

I am still going strong with the workouts and I really, REALLY enjoy them being different each day. I never get a chance to get bored. I can feel my flexibility and strength and stamina improving already even with just one week down. I'll be weighing in on Friday, so hopefully I'll see some progress there.

I just wanted to give an update and also talk about hidden menus. I have recently discovered that Panera has a "hidden menu". It is nearly impossible to find, but here is the link if you're interested.

The menu consists of 6 meals, appropriate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and they all have a primal twist.

Credit: panerabread.com

"Developed by Scott Davis, Panera Bread's Chief Concept Officer, Panera's "off-the-menu" dishes offer nourishing options that make sticking to New Year's resolutions simple. All of these meal selections are an excellent source of protein and contain limited processed carbs. But you won't find these items on banners in our cafes, or even on the menu board."

I wish I knew why they make it so hard to find online, but I am going to have to see if my local Panera supports this menu next time I'm out and need to grab something quick.

What do you think of the hidden menu?