Paleo Fudge OMG

So last weekend I was searching for a paleo brownie recipe and came across this. It's a fairly simple recipe, BUT HOLY CRAP! IT IS SO YUMMY! My hubby had 2 pieces last night and tonight. It literally tastes like a mounds bar. I am so excited to have found this! It's supposed to be topped with this frosting (see below), but I didn't want to ruin the coconutty goodness so I decided to just eat the frosting as a dessert instead. You can make your own mind up, but make both and eat the frosting on oatmeal or even as a snack. How can this "frosting" be considered healthy?!?!!?

Pumpkin Chocolate Frosting (vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Makes over 2 cups

1 can organic pumpkin
3 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/4 cup almond butter
1-2 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup (to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. It's fairly simple to half the recipe as well.  

beTRUEtoYOU

Sooooo it's been awhile, but I am here to share my story for kasey over at powercakes.net. This is a picture of me completing my first adventure race, the Warrior Dash. I went with 4 other people, all who were really into working out. I was a little intimidated because it was first race and not in as good of shape as the others. When speaking with my husband later, he said that someone told him how impressed they were with me because I kept pace and didn't stop. Since then I've completed the Mud Crusade and a triathlon. I have also been in bootcamp for over a year, which recently transitioned into CrossFit.

Anyway, this picture is a POWER photo. I have received many great comments about it and my confidence has since risen,

My new favorite ingredient...pumpkin!

Happy Fall everyone! What an appropriate subject to be posting about today...pumpkin! Pumpkin is incredibly rich in vital anti-oxidants and vitamins. Luckily, it is very low in calories and a good source of vitamin A, flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants like leutin, xanthins and carotenes. I have been making a lot of pumpkin mash (warm up 1/2 cup organic pumpkin, 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, then sprinkle with coconut and almond slivers). This is a delicious and healthy side dish or main meal. This morning I had left-over coffee smoothie and wanted to use it post-workout. I combined that with 1/3 cup pumpkin, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, cinnamon to taste, and 1/2 + 1 tbsp vanilla soy milk.  I blended it with some ice cubes and had a protein-packed snack! I didn't get to take a picture because I gobbled it up before I thought of it! Can't wait to make it again. 

Mmmm cinnamon and apples

Kasey over at Powercakes inspires me and many others to eat healthy each week. I have learned a lot about eating clean and fueling up from her recipes and through others on Pinterest. I actually got my husband to share the dark chocolate powercake with me and he goes "is this one of those powercake thingies?" I have slowly, but surely, pulled him over to the healthy side. He even said that he could go "raw", but I'm not going that far. I think vegetarian is a far as I would take it. Any way, I am also looking for and trying out healthy desserts. Tonight, I was really craving apples and cinnamon, so I came up with: Warm apples and Yogurt. I clearly did not invent this, but it's so delicious I have to share it.

I heated up a small skillet on low-medium with 1 tsp coconut oil and cinnamon and threw in chopped up apples. I sprinkled cinnamon on top and pushed them around until they were warm and I couldn't take it anymore! I took about 1/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt and mixed it with the apples. So YUM even the cat wanted some! Go make it for an easy and healthy snack or dessert!

Love me some powerfood!

In the words of Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Jerry Maguire "show me the mother-f*ing money." We are pretty much broke right now due to it being the end of the summer and I haven't had a pay check since June. 6 days and counting until my account is full again. I am thankful for the time off, but the money goes quickly during those 3 months off. Because of that, I cooked with what we had on hand. We had brown rice, eggs, cheese and that's pretty much it. I did buy some large bell peppers and an onion and so I decided to make Brown Rice and egg stuffed peppers. It was my first time making S.P. and it was a valiant effort (could have been cooked longer, but tasted great.) I then realized that tomorrow was Powermealaweek at Powercakes day, so I quickly showed the world my creation. I hope you all are proud and maybe make this healthy dish for your family.

Here it goes:

1 cup brown rice
4 large bell peppers
1 egg for each serving
half an onion
1 small-ish diced red/green/yellow (mixed) pepper
chili powder, to taste
garlic
S/P

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cook the rice according to the directions. Add the diced veggies, chili powder, garlic, and S/P to rice and mix together once off the stove. I evened out the bottoms of the peppers so they would stand without falling. Place in an oven safe square dish. Stuff the peppers with the rice mix. Dig out a little hole in the top to crack the yoke in. Carefully place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Once it beeps, add cheese to the top and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until egg is cooked thoroughly.

I served it with pumpkin mash. Warm the pumpkin on the stove and add 1 tbsp coconut oil, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and honey. Stir until hot. Sprinkle coconut on top. It pretty much looks like (and tastes like)  baby food, so not everybody will be a fan. I just love how good pumpkin is for you and it's a potato-type side. Obviously, you can serve with anything you want on the side.  Leave me your comments! Enjoy!

Hello Powermealaweekers! Here is my "Naner Vanilla and PB Fluff Chia Pudding".  Please do not judge based on what this looks like...haha. It's as easy as it sounds to make. I first took 1 tbsp of chia and mixed it with 1/4 cup almond milk and sugar free vanilla pudding mix (1/2 tbsp). Mix and let it sit for about 30 mins so the chia can absorb the milk. After the longest half hour ever, I cut half a banana and top it off with some PB Fluff (2 tbsp PB2 and 1/4 cup water). This tasted like heaven in my mouth. I wish I had made more, but I ran out of bananas. This was for dessert the other night. My dog was on my lap trying to eat it because PB and banana is his favorite!  Go make this now for a healthy and delicious snack/dessert/justbecause. 

Good Morning Spoonable Smoothie

So this morning I had a hankering for a smoothie that I could eat with a spoon. I found this yummy looking recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a little for my needs.  I included half a banana, half cup frozen mixed berries, half cup of almond milk, and a half cup of Greek yogurt.  The recipe also called for 1 heaping tbsp of PB, but I decided not to include that this morning. If it was  post work-out smoothie, you could include protein powder and more fruit if you want. I blended away and topped it with homemade granola and fresh strawberries. However, I was super excited to eat it, that I forgot to take a picture, so I am including a picture from the website I found it at: Sweet Verbena. What are some of your favorite spoonable smoothie recipes?

Sunday Power meal a week

I am new to following Powercakes, but I love everything I have tried so far. I like the idea of challenging ourselves to eat better, and have others out there doing the same thing. It's easy to get recipe ideas from others (especially when you get bored with your lunches). For post workout breakfast, I made Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes. They were tasty(cakes)! 

Here is the recipe:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour (ground up coconut)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup fresh pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs (I used 1 whole egg and 2 flax eggs)
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (I used 1/2 tbsp and 1 tbsp applesauce)
• 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1. Mix together coconut flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a whisk.
2. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree.
3. Gradually add the coconut flour mixture to the egg mixture as you whisk the ingredients together until well combined.
4. Heat coconut oil or butter over medium-low heat until melted.
5. Spoon the batter into the pan in whatever size you prefer. The batter is thick, so you can shape them with the spoon. They do not bubble like regular pancakes, so keep an eye on them to make sure they’re done on one side, then flip. They should need several minutes for each side.
6. Check the edges to see if they’re done. No raw batter should show.
7. Serve with maple syrup, fruit, butter, or plain. (I did 1 tbsp sugar free maple syrup and 1/2 tbsp coconut oil heated in microwave together.Yum!)

TLC: The Losing Channel

As a society, us Americans LOVE to watch drama. We have sitcoms, soap operas, prime time, and...... TLC? Last time I checked TLC stood for :The Learning Channel. In college, I used to watch A Baby Story and What Not to Wear on a daily basis. Nowadays I hardly ever watch the station. And there's a reason. Toddlers & Tiaras. Since when is this a learning show? I mean, parents can learn what NOT to do, but this does not fit in with the station's tender loving shows they once relied on. My thinking is that they are trying to keep up with the rest of the stations (Jersey Shore, Real Housewives, etc) but this show really gets to me, especially as someone who works with children everyday. There is something wrong with a 5 year old girl with a face full of make-up, high heels, and looking like she belongs on a stripper pole rather than a stage. Why are these women allowed to procreate? They care more about THE PAGEANT than their own child. These moms take their sweet daughters and turn them into spoiled brats in one brush stroke of eye shadow. Who takes 2 packets of sugar and pours it down their daughter's throat? These moms were pageant girls who never made it.

I could go on and on about this show. But I went end with 2 words of advise: Let your daughter go out and roll around in the mud. Take off the make-up Mom and stop living vicariously through your daughter!

Shame on you TLC for giving in to society's demands. Find something to spotlight other than washed up Moms and their bratty daughters .

Game Day Goodies

Today's the day. The whole enchilada. The biggest game of a football player's life. The Superbowl. The day when people's diets don't really matter. Wrap your bacon in bacon and fry it up! This year I just went simple: Brown Sugar Blondies.

I chose Patriot colored M&Ms to Superbowl them up. I call these "Brady's Blondies."

First off, I noticed it was a very small batch so that kinda made me mad. There's only about 4 left that I didn't use for the photo. Second, I was a little disappointed when they were done because they tasted more life chocolate chip cookie brownies then brown sugar brownies. In the original post, the author use M&Ms too. I wonder if that's what they taste like or if the chocolate makes them taste like that? Either way they are good, but I wanted them to taste less like choco chip cookies. I was originally going to make these on Valentine's Day for my kids, but I'm not sure anymore.

Here is the recipe if you'd like to give it a go (I would appreciate any feedback on the taste):

Brown Sugar Blondies (stolen from Baked Perfection)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup to 1 1/3 cup M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and mix well. Cool slightly. Add egg (beaten) and vanilla and blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well. Mix in 2/3 cup M&M's. Spread in 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle 1/3 to 2/3 cup M&M's on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (maybe longer because the middle didn't cook all the way through on mine.) Store in airtight container at room temperature.

My first Green Monstah

......Smoothie that is! This morning I made my first green monster smoothie before my workout. It was really yummy and did not taste like it had SPINACH in it. It's crazy! I'm thinking about making weekends my "smoothie days" for breakfast and lunch. This is my trial weekend to see how I feel. I said in my last post that I would give the recipe for the strawberry cheesecake recipe, but this was too good to pass up. I had some of this before my workout, along with the leftover apple. I had the rest after my workout. This will not keep me full until lunch, but it's a great way to get extra veggies in without really noticing.

"Avapple Smoothie"
1/2 avocado
1/2 large apple (or 1 whole small apple)
1/3 cup your choice of milk (I used soy for the protein)
1 tbsp flax/choice of protein
heaping handful of fresh spinach (this is a good time to use those that are starting to wilt) 
1 cup ice
You can use honey to sweeten, but I did not have any readily available. Plus, with the soy milk it was sweet enough.


Place avocado and apple chunks (small), along with milk and blend until smooth. Next comes the spinach and flax. Be sure to push the leaves down or else they will have a hard time blending. Last, add the ice. Use the ice setting on your blender because otherwise they just sit on top. Blend until smooth and voila you have your Avapple Smoothie.

Quinoa Stiry-Fry

It's been just over a week that I've been eating flexitarian and so far I don't miss meat much at all. I've had meat twice since I've started, but in small portions. So far, breakfast and lunch hasn't been too different from before, but it's now making sure my snacks and dinners include enough protein. Obviously I've increased my protein other places, but dinner is the most important place for me to get my protein.

Last night I made Quinoa Stiry-Fry. It was simple, quick, and filling. I measured out 1 cup quinoa and cooked it according to the directions (if anyone has a good method of cleaning those little buggers please let me know). Next, I sauteed frozen (yes frozen) stir-fry vegetables and added my own fresh bell peppers because I was running low in the veggie department.  Mark started me on adding soy sauce to the quinoa, so I added a little of that as well and some butter. When all was said and done, we probably had almost 1 1/2 cups each on the quinoa and about 3/4 cup veggies. We also had salad on the side to get in more veggies.

The quinoa alone provided about 10 g of protein (but high on carbs- 49g). Needless to say, Mark and I loved this meal and will definitely make it again. Next time I think I might use peanut sauce and chopped peanuts.

The next recipe I will share will most likely be Strawberry "Cheesecake" Smoothies. Can't wait to try that one!

Veggie Tacos

Tonight I made my first official "flexitarian" dinner and boy was it delicious! I made tacos (oat bran pita) with Rainbow Veggie Salad and brown rice on the side. Needless to say, Mark, a meat-lover, even enjoyed eating it (and he was full)! So far I'm not lacking in protein as  1 cup chickpeas and black beans has 15g. Along with all the fruits and veggies, oatmeal, and flax, I am covered in the protein (and fiber) department.

Directions:
1 can rinsed chickpeas
1 can rinsed black beans
1 stalk diced celery
1/2 sliced any color bell pepper
Some sliced carrots (optional)
Add red pepper to taste

Warm up pita and cut in half. I put sour cream and cheese in first and then loaded up with the veggies! I covered mine with diced tomatoes since Mark isn't a big tomato fan. 

Isn't she beautiful? Mark suggested that next time I saute the peppers with some onion and then throw in the cold veggies. That's his one complaint about vegetarian dishes is that it's more often cold when it includes mostly veggies. I will need to work on dinners that are warm to keep Mark on the bandwagon.

My resolution

Hope everyone had a great holiday season and now it's time to join the real world again. After a lot of thought and reading, I have decided to become a flexitarian. It's not completely vegetarian, but I have cut meat down to 2 times a week. It also means including a lot beans like chickpeas and black beans in my diet (which means a lot of fiber. sorry kids)

In the morning I have oatmeal with raisins and flax seed and then a banana for a snack. For lunch I have salads with tons of veggies, beans, balsamic, and an apple. Because of the fiber it's extremely filling. I'm thinking either a granola bar or almonds for my afternoon snack. Dinners are going to be the challenging part of my day. Luckily, my husband Mark has agreed to join me on my new journey, but it's still tough to make healthy dinner choices that include protein without meat. 

I am just starting out and plan on sharing recipes on here. I would love to hear some of your favorite vegetarian recipes and also some recipes that include chicken and beef.