Almond Flour Lemon Cup-ffins

I have a HUGE sweet tooth.

There is no reason to try and deny that!

The only Paleo or clean dessert I have attempted to make is my Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding :)

Which is amazing btw...

However, this weekend I felt wild and crazy and wanted to try and make something different!

So I attempted to make Paleo Cupcakes, which ended up coming out more like muffins, thus the Almond Flour Lemon Cup-ffins being born.

Even though I was trying to make something and it ended up coming out as something else...it totally worked in my favor!

Now I have an on the go breakfast!

Ingredients

3 cups  almond flour

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup  honey (I used local honey because my allergies have been horrible lately)

3 eggs

2 tbs. vanilla extract

2 tbs. lemon extract

2 tbs. lemon zest

1/2 tbs. salt

1/2 tbs. baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325* and position a rack in the center. Line a cupcake pan with 10 cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix almond flour, salt and baking soda.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest until smooth.

4. Combine the Almond flour mix to eggs and honey mix and stir until ingredients form a batter (it will be thick).

5. Empty batter evenly into the lined cupcake tin.

6. Bake for 23-27min, until a toothpick comes out clean and they are golden brown on top.

Almond Flour Lemon CUP-FFINS!

Enjoy!

 If you make these please share feedback, opinion, recommendations...anything!

Bison Burgers

Ah, spring in Las Vegas...

Winds at 40 mph all day....in the desert, joy.

With that being said, I am cooped up inside.

Which I really won't complain about because my insanity work out has made it difficult to walk and sit.

You guessed it! I have TSS (toilet seat syndrome).

I know you other fitness junkies have been there.

Signs of a good work out!

. . . .

Anyways...

Bison meat. AMAZING! Can I give you a tip? Buy it from Costco! What you pay for one pack at your local grocery store you can get two at Costco!

When we do our burgers we normally wrap them in lettuce, but this time we changed it up by putting on it Paleo bread.

Yep, you read that right! Paleo. Bread.

                       

I don't have the best food picture taking skills.

Despite the lack of photogenically (word?) this burger was nothing short of delicious!

Ingredients

1 pkg. Bison meat (will make four burgers)

1 Tbs. Onion Powder

1 Tbs. Garlic Powder

1 Tbs. Almond Flower (helps hold the meat together)

1 Cup chopped Spinach

1/2 cup diced peppers

S&P

Toppings...

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Avocado

Paleo Almond Flour Bread

What to do

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, best to just use your hands! : )

2. Divide meat mixture into four sections, roll and flatten to make patties.

3. Throw on the grill (or on a skillet over the stove, whatever suites your fancy!)

4. Toast two pieces of the Paleo bread; add meat patty and whatever PALEO toppings you want! Mine are listed above.

Opinion on Paleo bread....

Has a bit of a funny smell, but it’s not bad! I am so happy Johnny found this for us because now I can make sandwiches for an easy lunch!

I'm finding less and less excuses to not get my diet in clean action!

Let me know how you like Bison meat! Trust me you will never buy ground beef again!

A new beginning...

Alright, I'm going to do it...

I will be posting before pics!

Not TOO stoked on the idea, buuuuut I want to influence people and inspire others, so how will I do that? By showing what a clean diet and exercise can do for you!

Since Matt is on strict bed rest for a few weeks, this is a PERFECT time for me to commit to myself, by myself!

Matt is obviously in good hands that he can let me step away for some cardio time : )

And when I say cardio I mean INSANITY.

Matt has been my gym buddy for the past couple months so I got so comfortable going with him that I don't want to go with out him.

So while he's resting and hopefully will make a speedy recovery I will be doing my 6 days a week video for at least one month. Insanity calls for two months but Matt isn't crazy about it so he'll want to get back in the gym ASAP!

Stay tuned for my post tonight! I will be showing my before from three weeks ago, will post what I look like now AND a bison PALEO recipe tonight! I am so excited because we are going to eat it on Paleo bread that my FAB friend Johnny gave to us. I seriously have some awesome people in my life.

We are about to get personal people.

Get ready for it!...

P.S. You readers out there (and I know of TWO (you know who you are)) you guys have before and after pics of what paleo and crossfit can do for you, I would LOVE a guest blogger to share your success story! even if I dont know you! send it to me and I will post it you will be a INSPIRATION to me and many others. You should want the world to know about how hard you worked (and continue to) to have reached your dream body!

Holy Easy and OMG Delicious!

Week one completed!

NO CHEATING!!

Well....I had vodka with soda water : (

No beer or wine though!

I went to a Mexican restaurant, NOT ONE CHIP, and went to an Italian restaurant, NOT ONE BITE OF BREAD.

I feel great!

Update: weigh in at 119 lbs!

How's my gym commitment?...still lacking

Only made it to the gym three times last week out of the 4 I was shooting for.

So hard when I have horses that I, not only want to ride, but NEED to.

They are athletes too ya know ; )

ANYWAYS! On to the good stuff.

Matthew and I stocked up on Friday on meat and produce and spent $400 at Costco, how is that even possible!

I have to admit I left a little mad at myself for not paying attention.

Even though we bought a TON of food, I didn't want to cook that night.

We decided to pick up a rotisserie chicken and eat that with some veggies.

Where am I going with this?...there is a point I promise.

Well last night, when trying to figure out what on earth to create (that was Paleo), I was adamant about making what we had in the fridge work since we exceed our monthly food budget in one day.

I literally threw this meal together and SHOCKED Matthew with how incredibly delicious it was!

This meal was created from left over’s of two other meals we made.

Bell peppers from this recipe:

Chicken Kale and bell peppers

and capers from this recipe:

Mediterranean Chicken

I took NO pictures because I wasn't hopeful of this turning out as fabulous as it did.

What should I call this?

For the sake of this blog let's just say

Left Over Rotisserie Chicken and Random refrigerator items (a pretty accurate title)

Ingredients:

3 Bell peppers

Left over Rotisserie Chicken

Capers

1 cup Mushrooms

1/2 jar of Marinara Sauce (White Linen Collection) **

1 tbs Mined Garlic

S&P

**IMPORTANT** okay seriously White Linen Collection Marinara Sauce from Costco is the most DELICIOUS canned sauce I have ever had. It's my entire family's choice of sauce. AND its 100% Paleo! Can it get any better?

Check it out for yourself!

White Linen Marinara Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut tops of bell peppers off and clean out the seeds

3. Place peppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the cut off top facing up.

4. Bake peppers for 15 mins.

5. In the meantime, mix left over rotisserie chicken, marinara sauce (recommend White Linen brand), minced garlic, and S&P in a bowl

6. After the bell peppers have baked for 15 min, take out the baking sheet fill the peppers with chicken and marinara mix.

7. Once all the bell peppers are filled top with capers.

8. Put now the stuffed peppers back in the oven and bake for another 15 min.

The ONLY picture I have are my left over’s that I am enjoying for breakfast.

Simply Amazing!!

If you make this please let me know what you think!

XO

Resisting Temptation

So I am proud to say I made it to the gym 2 times so far this week.

That is a big deal to me since I have to wake up at 4 a. m. for work and have to drive an hr. there and back!

I can be pretty tired some days!

But I have a goal body in mind.

and I want it!

Keeping my eye on the prize as they say!

However, on day three of my "challenge" is already making me have cravings!

Things that I normally do not eat or crave, but I think since I know now that I CAN'T have certain foods, all of a sudden I want them....BAD!

Working at a power plant in the middle of NO WHERE means that food source isn't easy.

If I don't bring enough "clean" food then I just don't eat.

Well about once a week one of our vendors is oh so kind to bring us two full boxes of fresh Einstein bagels and multiple flavors of their creamy fluffy delicious cream cheese.

As I was sitting in my office I could smell the wonderful bagels being toasted in the kitchen and all I could think was "well I'm going to the gym tonight, it's okay if I have JUST one"

Contemplating about committing a challenge sin I decided to venture out on some research.

IF I did decide to cave in, what would I have to do on top of my normal routine work out to burn off that ONE bagel.

In my research I found this FABULOUS site

The Lean Body Bride

How much to burn it off?-30 minutes on the elliptical at a moderate pace!!

(The site also shows how much you would have to work out to burn off many other "snacks")

Now, that is ON TOP of my normal workout. The 30 mins is just for one bagel. Not my dream body, not to tone, not to slim down...for a bagel.

I am happy to report that I resisted the devil of food temptation and kept my paws off and enjoyed my honey's left over steamed asparagus for my breakfast :)

hey...you try and make eggs and sausage at 4 a.m.! lol

I have to be honest, knowing I resisted felt SO much better than that bagel could have ever tasted!

Day 2! Grilled Chicken with a Mediterranean flair!

Today is the start of DAY 2 of my challenge!

And so far NO cheating : )

Last night Matthew made my Kale Chicken and Cumin recipe (can be found Here) and I have to say his blew mine out of the water!

So happy he's the cook so I don't have to.

However, I do HAVE to cook Sunday nights, ugh!

So I am going to share what I made Sunday because I am pretty proud of it!

Grilled Chicken with a Mediterranean flair! 

What you will need

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

16-18 large Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

3 Tbs capers, rinsed

Olive oil

boneless, skinless chicken breast

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 475℉.

Toss tomatoes, olives, capers, and 2 tsp of olive oil in a zip lock bag.

Season chicken breasts on both sides with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a large  skillet over high heat.  Once hot, add 2 tsp olive oil and sear chicken on both sides.

Turn heat to medium-high and add another 2 tsp of olive oil (should be hot but not smoking) and continue to cook until deep golden brown (about 4 minutes).

Use tongs to flip chicken, then add tomato mixture to skillet.

Transfer chicken and mixture to an oven pan and roast chicken until cooked through and tomatoes have softened, about 15-18 minutes.

Transfer to plates and spoon tomato mixture over top to serve.

Matt made the veggies

He roasted zucchinni,  olives,  capers and peppers in olive oil and salt and pepper

The veggies were SO good and pair with the chicken fabulously!

Enjoy!

: )

It's not rocket science

Only 5 days left before I have to give myself (with the help of Matt) 100% dedication.

We are signing a contract and all...

Will post our day one for details, meals, progress and probably mainly complaining that I miss food that I never ate too much of to begin with (i will just be complaining about it because I can't have it, typical woman).

I cannot believe it's not hummus!

I was SO sad when I discovered chick peas are NOT Paleo. WHAT?!

They are considered a legume.

Legumes are similar to grains.

They weren’t consumed by the paleo hunter-gatherer because they needed to be cooked in order to be edible.

Legumes also have similar traits to grains in their make-up; they contain phytates (phytic acid) which inhibit nutrient absorption and cause inflammation.

Luckily, there is a substitute....ZUCCHINI!

Weird, I know, but this recipe has been a great way for me to curb that hummus craving

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped

½ cup tahini

⅓ cup lemon juice

⅓ cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1½ teaspoons cumin

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the base of a food processor, and process until smooth.

Serve with crisp raw veggies, such as carrots, celery sticks, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, or cucumber slices, for dipping.

*I found tahini at Vons in the section where all the kosher food is; just a tip because it took me awhile to find it. It has a peanut butter type texture it is not a spice. It's a paste made from ground up sesame seeds*

Enjoy!

xo

P.S. honey has a sinus infection : ( I will post his favorite PALEO soup packed with sinus infection fighting herbs!

What's in your pantry?

We have "established" rules in our home....

Matt is the sole keeper of yard work and repairs around the house, and in return I promise him to always have a clean home and food in the fridge.

Well today, I spent the day at Bridal Spectacular (a giant convention for everything wedding) TRYING to find a venue (still no luck).

By the time I got home it was too late to go to the grocery store so I knew I would have to do best with what I already have.

Luckily, what I made was SO easy and SO delicious. It became a must share! : )

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 tsp. Cumin

1  tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 Tbs. Coconut Oil

Kale

Sliced Peppers

1/2 Cup Silvered Almonds

Instructions

1. Wash chicken breast and tenderize (this step is optional)

2. Mix in a small bowl the chili powder, sea salt, cumin and garlic. Coat both sides of the chicken breast.

3. Meanwhile, heat up a skillet on the stove and add coconut oil

4. Once skillet is hot, add the coated chicken (it should sizzle). Let the chicken cook for about 5-7 min on medium heat

5. When the chicken has about 5 min left, add a large ( and I mean large) hand full of kale, the silvered almonds and sliced bell peppers.

6. Let everything cook, stirring chicken occasionally, until chicken reached 165 degrees.

I paired the chicken with steamed French Beans that I steamed with minced garlic (this family eats a lot of garlic) and added sea salt once done.

*NOTES* I LOVE Costco chicken! Why? Because one, it comes in already separated packets with two breasts in each packet (perfect for a couple). And two, its organic!! Also, the above ingredients was what I used for one breast. So for two, you would have to double.

This was a hit!

-xo

This is my first rodeo!

I have been wanting to start a blog site for a while, but never knew where to begin!

So here goes! Matt and I have been trying to have a better diet.

We, every so often, will cook a paleo meal for supper.

Well...we have decided to try to make this choice of diet a more frequent occurrence in our home.

Since I am still new to this whole bloggers world I decided to make my FIRST post about our Paleo dinner (how original)

This is my favorite *Go To* meal when we have little ingredients and want something easy yet delicious!

Spaghetti Squash with Ground Turkey Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash

1 lbs of Ground Turkey

1 tsp Coconut oil

1 cup of Portobello mushrooms

1/2 bag of spinach

1 jar of organic tomato sauce (season with oregano and parsley to taste)

1 tsp of minced garlic

Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Cooking directions:

1. Cut spaghetti squash in half and clean out core and seeds. Cook in microwave for 18-20 min. Once done use a fork to pull out the squash and this should make "spaghetti" like noodles.

2. Grease a pan with coconut oil and cook the turkey until done.

3. In a sauce pan mix together the tomato sauce with oregano, parsley, garlic, sea salt and ground pepper. Keep on low heat until sauce begins to simmer.

4. Mix sauce with the ground turkey and pour over spaghetti squash noodles.

Delicious!