Week in Photos #2

Just a bit a Jasper


Made some paleo sweet potato wedges


Finally started reading this book I've been wanting to read for years


This charming fella


My go to snack


Paleo coconut flour chocolate chip cookies


Boom.


Finally got my harness boots! <3
Good finds at Fresh market. They sell Enjoy Life soy, dairy, nut free chocolate chips!! Tangerine juice mmmMMmm

Happy Monday!

I'm starting Day 1 of Gabrielle Bernsteins May Cause Miracles. A year ago I probably would have made fun of myself picking this book out and taking it seriously but I've realized there is no shame in self help books. I've been watching some of her vlogs & decided to give the book a go & so far I'm really into it. I love her ideas of overcoming fear with love. Her constantly repeated idea of a "miracle" is that it's a shift from fear to love which leads to ultimate happiness. She speaks to you in a way that is very understandable & relatable. Sometimes when reading other books of this sort, I've found that I understand the underlying ideas but don't know how to apply it to real life situations. Bernstein really breaks it down for you to understand & every day there are minute long meditation sessions to do. Meditating is something I have been trying for a while but haven't successfully achieved so I'm hoping this helps in that area as well!

Weekly Bookmarks

Two awesome apps I found this week that I keep playing...

Evil Apples
Which is basically cards against humanity just not as funny
but just as fun to play on your phone.

Think
Something about this game... is seriously addicting.
Plus Albert Einstein!

Would You Rather?
Self explanatory time waster...

Daily Infographic
They have info graphics for EVERYTHING cut & dry
...cause ...like whats the point of reading if there are no pictures?


Another beautiful DIY by A Beautiful Mess.
This is one I probably will do one day.


Artist & Sculpture Maskull Lasserre


Building houses out of plastic bottles

Paleo Sweet Potato Turkey Soup

I made this on a whim, thinking I had no food left in the house & it was done in about 15 minutes with very little work required. It actually came out great & it's perfect to heat up and eat for breakfast as well.



Measurements are estimations, I made it to taste.


What You Need
+ ground turkey
+ 2 cans organic sweet potato
+ 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
+ 2 tbsp butter / coconut oil
+ garlic
+ salt
+ pepper
+ cinnamon
+ nutmeg
+ egg / cilantro (optional)

Instructions
1. Slowly simmer ground turkey
2. Peel & mince the garlic & toss in pan on low with butter
3. When butters melted add in sweet potato & coconut milk & mix well
4. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, & nutmeg to taste
5. Once turkey is done cooking, pour into the sweet potato puree
6. Cook egg sunny side up & place on top of soup (optional)
7. Chop cilantro & garnish (optional)

Week in Photos #1 (mainly food!)

Made some chocolate covered strawberries when I was dying for an excuse to have some chocolate. (total paleo cheat though!)


Well roses of course!


Made this silly banner for Valentines day for Jrat, inside the bone picture ones I had written cheesy lines I found online like... "You give me femur", "I ulna want to be with you", & "I want tibia valentine". Bahaha


Working valentines day at the office I got bored & printed these out & placed them inside people's massage gift certificate envelopes. "Brie Mine!" "You're a good egg"


Jasper being a skeptical stephen


A little snack, cucumbers, salmon, onions, cream cheese (for jarrett). Can I just say these DO NOT work. Everything slides out, I'm sure they'd do better as hors d'oeuvres because taste wise they were delicious!


Paleo apple crisp attempt. Not my best... Sort of threw a bunch of things in there but the coconut flour killed the taste. It helped to pour some almond milk in to make it oatmeal-like.


Homemade martini's with my two best friends Leandra & Bethany ;)


My very first successful poached egg!! Still gooey on the inside!

Coconut Flour Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've finally made something out of coconut flour that I love!
I've found that often times using coconut flour, things end up either
too dry, too cakey, or coconut overpowers the taste.
But these are just right, good consistency & taste.
The major factor I believe is chilling these in the refrigerator before you eat them.

There is some debate on weather butter is paleo & I believe it is as long as you get the grass fed butter like Kerrygold's Irish butter, which is what I use in this recipe.




Ingredients
+ 1/3 cup of butter
+ 2/3 cup coconut sugar
+ 3 tbsp coconut flour
+ 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
+ sprinkle of salt
+ 2 large eggs
+ 1 tsp vanilla extract
+ couple handfuls of Enjoy Life Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix together butter with sugar until slightly creamy
3. Add eggs in slowly
4. Add coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt, & vanilla extract
5. Toss in the chocolate chips and mix into batter
6. Drop spoonfuls of batter about 1 1/2 inches apart onto lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes
8. Let cool then transfer to wire rack
9. Once completely cool move them into the refrigerator & wait at least 20 minutes (that's the toughest part!) then grab them out of the fridge every time you want one. I promise it makes a huge difference in taste & texture. (If you like cake-like cookies ignore this last step!)

Spicy Pulled Pork Chili

I completed the first day of the Paleo Challenge yesterday.
Breakfast: 2 eggs, sautéed mushrooms, 1/4 avocado, & chopped red onions
Lunch: Pulled Pork Chili w/ avocado
Dinner: Tuna salad (w/o mayo), strawberries
I also did my best to attempt to drink a gallon of water but only managed to drink 110 oz.

Sunday night I cooked up some slow cooked pulled pork chili to hopefully last for a few meals. I spent a total of $52.00 this week at The Fresh Market to last me the week.

This recipe is based on Paleomg's Crockpot Pulled Pork Chili

2.5 lb pork roast from The Fresh Market

Trimmed a bit of the fat, kept a little on for taste!

Cut 3 holes and stuffed whole garlic cloves in each hole.

Green pepper, onions, & jalapeños in food processor
(Side note: green pepper turned mushy in processor, chopping by hand is better)

Mixed up all these spices among others

Prepped n' ready

Throw spices then peppers, onions, & jalapeños over pork

Added crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce & Cackalacky Spice
Added basil, covered up, & slow cooked on low for 10-12 hours

Use a fork to pull apart some of the hunks of pork that didn't fall apart


Garnished with sliced avocado


(Based on Paleomg's Recipe)

Ingredients
+ 2.5 pork roast (trimmed)
+ 3 garlic cloves, peeled
+ 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
+ 2 tablespoon garlic powder
+ 2 tablespoons chili powder
+ 1 tablespoon cumin
+ 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
+ 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
+ 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper flakes
+ a little basil
+ 1/2 tablespoon salt
+ 2 jalapeños, chopped
+ 1 1/2 red onions, diced
+ 1 green bell pepper, diced
+ 2 (12 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
+ 1 (6 oz.) can tomato sauce
+ 1/2 cup Cackalacky Spice Sauce
+ avocado (to garnish)
+ fresh cilantro (to garnish)
+ sour cream (to garnish / non paleo)

Instructions
1. Place the trimmed pork roast in crockpot.
2. With a knife, make 3 holes & press garlic cloves into the holes.
3. Sprinkle spice mixture onto pork & rub onto it.
4. Place diced onions, green peppers, jalapeños over the roast.
5. Pour crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, & cackalacky (or any hot sauce) over the roast.
6. Cover & cook for 10-12 hours on low
7. Using two forks, pull apart pieces of meat still together (this should be very simple as the meat practically falls apart on its own).
8. Garnish with avocado, fresh cilantro, and sour cream (if you like).


Prep: 15 minutes | Cook time: 10-12 hrs | Total Time: 12 hours 15 minutes

Weekly Bookmarks

+ One Second of Footage For Each Place He Traveled To
I love this idea! However realistically mine would
only last about 10 seconds with the amount I've traveled haha!
+ The Very Many Varieties of Beer Diagram!

+ Why are Dead People Liking Things on Facebook?

+ Are You Recovering or Just Resting?
Another great post by whole9, really interesting read especially the part about stress!

+ Check out More Photos Here!
Now of course there is so much controversy buzzing about the Olympics & from official interviews I've read none of these teams wore these outfits "directly to support gay rights" but c'mon... even so that's how people are viewing it as & I love it!

+ Impressive yet Horrifying Pictures of Construction for Sochi 2014



+ 31 Ways To Up Your Grilled Cheese Game
Looks like Jarrett has some work to do...


+ Give your sweetie what they really want. An STD (plushie)

Paleo Challenge Inspiration

Sometime last year I attempted to go Paleo and I made it through about 3 months before I stopped due to lack of motivation mainly, but also expenses & digestive issues. But this year, where I do cross fit they're having a paleo challenge & I'm ready to tackle it again hopefully making bigger changes, trying new recipes, and possibly more lastingly.

This Monday I'll begin the challenge. I'll be weighing myself at the beginning & end of the challenge. & I'll have to record my food & water intake, as well as my sleep! Our records will be sent in every night for the coaches to look at and comment on. This will definitely keep me motivated to stay on track & not cheat too much!

We will also have a "Benchmark WOD (Workout of the Day)" at the beginning & end of the challenge to see how the diet affected our training. If you couldn't tell I'm very excited. It's definitely time for me to get back on track with my diet & exercising!

Here are some of the amazing differences I felt
after my first trial of the Paleo Diet...

+ Patience
Having to cook almost every meal really made me learn to be patient when it comes to food. That all good things take time & it makes it that much more enjoyable when I finally get to eat. Using a slow cooker really helped during the crazy days when I would go to work, school, then the gym. I could pop in a pork shoulder or chicken breast, let it cook all day & come home to juicy deliciousness.
+ Cooking Skills
& of course my cooking skills improved! I started trying to be creative & I'd purposely buy ingredients I didn't normally eat and try to come up with ways I could include them in my meals. It doesn't work all the time but that's half the fun! I learned so many more cooking techniques, and how to multitask with proper timing from all of the cooking I would do.
+ No more bloating!
Probably the best part of the diet was the decrease in stomach bloating. Asides from a few desserts I attempted (& misusing coconut flour) I never had to "lay down after eating", never felt lethargic, or "too full". The lack of grains & dairy definitely reduces the inflammation all through the digestive system weather or not you believe you have an allergy.
+ Food Awareness
The entire reason I started the paleo diet was because I took a nutrition class as part of my massage therapy program & it opened up my eyes to all of the horrible substances found in everyday food & how it's taking a toll on society. I won't get into the details (FDA, allergies blah blah blah) but I decided it was time to really eat real, wholesome foods, which is exactly what paleo is all about.
+ Diet Shaping
And lastly, this diet really got me thinking about what I was putting into my body & how it affected me. I started paying attention to how I would react after eating certain foods & how different foods mixed together would really affect my digestion.
Here are some of my more memorable meals I had among the many. Pretty basic but like I said I was just getting into it & with a busy schedule I did struggle at times!

Tasty

Plaid Meets Fringe

So as a massage therapist I constantly have to think about being comfortable since I'll be spending at least a few hours constantly moving. Between the lunges & stretching I can't stand wearing jeans, so leggings are my go to. Lately I've been working on having more "put together outfits" rather than always looking like I'm heading to the gym. I would have preferred a black pair of mid calf motorcycle boots with this one but I have yet to find a pair I like. Sorry for the crappy phone quality.




Boots: DV by Dolce Vita Sergeant
Bag: Vegan Crazyheart Tote

Super bowls & Super snow days

Sunday morning Jarrett & I took a trip to Fresh Market & bought a few things including this coffee called Deadman's Reach by Raven's Brew Coffee. Both of us loved this coffee, we found it to have a really smooth yet bold taste. Definitely the perfect cup to have in the morning on a work loaded day.

We also bought two different bloody mary mixers however we found neither of them to be very flavorful. I ended up adding a lot of horseradish, hot sauce, pepper, and worcestershire sauce to get more flavor.

Later that night we had planned to have Jarrett's parents come over for dinner, they were bringing steaks. We decided to make baked potatoes & baked mac n' cheese.

I honestly did not watch the Superbowl at all. Not even the commercials but I did hear the halftime show in the background. Bruno Mars seemed to be a bit of a cop out for the halftime show to be honest but I do have a little more respect for him after hearing his voice live. He's got some talent & apparently some real fancy footwork.


Monday morning I woke up to 6-8 inches of snow on the ground & a house full of angry people who couldn't get out of the driveway to go to work. It happened to be my day off anyway so I didn't mind at all!


Jarrett, my brother, our friend Keith & I all decided to get bundled up and go for a snowy bike ride to Starbucks. It was about 3 miles away & i can't say it was the greatest idea but it wasn't the worst. I'm still on the lookout for bruises from falling over so many times, but we all really enjoyed our coffee & doughnuts by the time we got there.


That night keith made us some pasta bolognese and jarrett made his crazy grilled cheese again. This snowy winter weather has made a serious dent in my diet. Luckily next week I'll be starting the paleo challenge we're doing at crossfit & I'll start to feel better again! Look at all the men hard at work in the kitchen! :-P



& Lastly here was my first attempt at scones! I found some fresh red currants at Kings supermarket. I was disappointed with the outcome so I won't share the recipe on here. I could tell by the dough & how sticky it was that they wouldn't come out well. Flavor-wise they were good however it was not the consistency I was aiming for. I love dry crumbly scones & these ones were too doughy & biscuit like for my liking.


Work tomorrow has already called to close for tomorrow with the expected snow storm so it looks like yet another snow day. Never thought I'd say this but I'm really getting tired of missing work & all this snow shoveling!