Sunday, October 28, 2012

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Sunday sunday sunday... My sunday's are typically a jam-packed day full of my weekly breakfast with my Dad, grocery shopping, cooking/cleaning for the week, and of course FOOTBALL! I was super lucky today and got to add RAKING to that list! WoooooHooooo.... My bro-n-law helped me rake up 19...that's right, 19 bags of leaves this morning! The sad thing is, is that we still have some of the backyard to do and the entire front yard : (. I'm still shocked....19 bags of leaves?!?!

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1 C Almond Meal/Flour
1 C Pumpkin Puree
3/4-1 C Cranberries (I used fresh, not dried)
3 Eggs
1/4 C Honey (or Maple Syrup)
1/4 C Almond Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsps Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Mix "wet" ingredients until smooth. (Pumpkin, eggs, honey, almond butter, vanilla)
  3. Slowly mix in dry ingredients. Make sure to avoid clumps!!!
  4. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, fold your cranberries into the mixture. You'll want to be gentle with the folding so your cranberries do not burst.
  5. Line your muffin tin with cups or make sure to spray before you put the mixture in! 
  6. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes.
  7. *I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon on top right when I pulled mine out!




Saturday, October 20, 2012

Eating "clean" on the go...Part 2

Happy Saturday! Like I've said in the past, I LOVE my Saturday mornings. Coffee, catching up on my shows (this week, it's Gossip Girl) and hanging out with the pups...what could be better?!

The below picture is one of my favorite depictions of how the food pyramid should look :
Simple as that! It's pretty easy, and you can still eat like a "normal" person. With that being said, there are going to be a range of choices. Let's take meat, for example. The best choice would be grass-fed, no hormone injected, etc. and the last choice would be deli meat. If you can afford to eat nothing but the best choices, then good for you, do it! However, most people cannot afford to eat the best choices at all times. So, how do you combat that? Simple. Make the best choice for you at the time.
It's easy to get caught up in the "rules" of Paleo, but in my opinion, you've got to apply Paleo to the current lifestyle we live today. Make the best choices that you can, but still live a little. Have a few beers every now and then, and eat that Pumpkin Cheesecake this thanksgiving!
Hopefully you guys found Part 1 of this post helpful. I know eating "clean" or Paleo can be difficult when you're in a rush or when you're out with friends, so anything I can do to help, I will!

Onto Part 2...

The following are some examples of common restaurants and what to order.


  1.  Chili's : order fajitas (just don't eat the tortilla or cheese), a burger without the bun, Margarita Chicken, Steak, salad with the dressing on the side (this way you can control how much you put on)
  2. Real de Minas (or any other Mexican restaurant): order carne asada, fajitas, taco salad (dont eat the shell)
  3. Texas Roadhouse: steak, chicken, shrimp, this one's easy easy easy.... the hard part is avoiding those delicious rolls at the beginning!
  4. Red Robin: order any burger without the bun, this now offers sweet potato fries instead of the normal fries (get those!)
  5. Jim N' Nicks BBQ: order meat with veggies as your side
Are you starting to see a trend? Hopefully. No buns, no taco shells, no tortillas, watch the cheese's and dressings' , etc.. The point of this is to show you that you CAN make better choices when you're out with your friends! Get creative, and learn your options! 

Happy day : )


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Eating "clean" on the go... Part 1

Earlier today, I posted on my gym's website what kind of topics/recipes they'd like to see and I got such great responses! My box is truly amazing, I don't know what I'd do without that place and everyone there. They are all so inspiring and motivating in their own ways, so I feel like I want to give back to them. This is my way of doing that!!!

Before I create some awesome recipes that they requested, I think my friend and fellow trainer, Bob, had an awesome idea that everyone will benefit from. He wants some suggestions on what, where, and how to eat "clean" while on the go. This can mean anything from being in a rush and didn't have time to make lunch, to going out with friends on the weekend. 

Where can you go and what should you order?
  1. Chipotle/Qdoba. Order a burrito bowl and get meat, lettuce, fajita veggies, salsa and guac..... clean, clean clean!
  2. Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Get a bacon burger and ask them to wrap it in lettuce instead of a bun.
  3. Your local Thai place. Order curry and skip the side of rice they give you. 
  4. Starbucks. Order an Americano with heavy whipping cream, if you need a coffee kick and don't like to drink your coffee black. (If you do dairy, choose full fat!)
  5. Jimmy Johns. Order whatever sandwich you'd like, sans cheese and have them make in an "un-wich." (They wrap it in lettuce instead of bread)
  6. Wendy's. Order the "Berry Almond Chicken Salad," don't use the dressing or asiago cheese packets it comes with. *(You could really go to any fast food and get a salad, no cheese, no dressing, no croutons....)
  7. Tokyo Joes. Choose the 'make your own bowl' option and order your meat, sauce (they have gluten-free options) and veggies (skip the "carb"). Also, their salads are pretty good, just watch the cheese/dressings.
  8. Boston Market. Order chicken and two sides of steamed veggies.
  9. Subway. You can make any sub into a salad here. Make sure to order tons of veggies and for the dressing, just get oil and vinegar.
  10. Wahoo's. Order something similar to Chipotle....
***IMPORTANT: I'm not, in any way, telling you to eat out all the time....make your own food, that's the only way you can really know what's in it! However, if you are in a hurry, these are some better options than your typical "fast-food" picks.... 

Stay tuned for Part 2. It'll include dine-in restaurant options!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Good ole' Spaghetti!

You guys ready for a funny story this morning?

My best friend (and super awesome coaching partner), April and I were coaching our box's morning classes yesterday when I decided it was time for my morning coffee. Our box is right next door to a 7Eleven, so it's super convenient....and they have a pumpkin spice brew, that is PHENOMENAL! Anyways, I walked over there and one of the clerks asked if I "do that Crossfit thing" next door. (Keep in mind that I had chalk all over me, was in shorts, and a tank top that said Crossfit.... silly people) So of course, I told him that I do, and told him he should come over and try it out sometime.
His response: "Hmmm.... nah, I thought about it, but you guys don't do any weights over there... I need weights, so that's why I haven't come in yet." WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?!

 

Do you see weights anywhere? Yeah, me neither.... 
He started to laugh at my shocked expression when his other co-worker chimed in and told me that's she's tried to tell him otherwise but he just won't listen... People are funny!


Good ole' Spaghetti

What You'll Need: 

1 Large Spaghetti Squash
Butter (I use Grass-Fed)
Italian Seasonings
Italian Sausage of your Choice (that's what she said jokes are coming my why, aren't they?)
Spinach Leaves
Marinara Sauce

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350F 
  2. Cut Spaghetti Squash in half and remove all seeds. Once seeds are removed, brush the meat (inside halves) of the squash with butter, then season it with your Italian spices
  3. Place squash-halves meat side up on lined pan and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.
  4. Once the squash is done, let it cool before you "fork" out the spaghetti. Those suckers are hot!
  5. While cooling, cut your sausage in slices and sautee for a few minutes. April will sometimes sautee hers in white wine- yummy!
  6. Fork out your squash.... there are plenty of youtube videos out there if you don't know what I'm talking about
  7. Add squash and sausage to a bowl. Add in your marinara (please choose as clean as possible-meaning no added sugars or make your own!) and top with chopped spinach. Voila!


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Easy Chicken Curry

Don't you hate when any type of house service gives you a window of time of when they will be there? You know, the Comcast guy will be there between 10am-2pm...Yeah, well we've got tons of huge trees in my neighborhood, which means tons of huge roots undergroud...which also means I've got to get my main sewer line drained every 6 months or so, so we don't get any backups. So what's all that mean? It means that I got a call at 7:10am this morning from the company, saying he'd be at my house soon....It's been an hour since that call. I've got things to do people!

Anyways, on a more positive note, I officially see my husband in 30 days!!!! I can't even begin to describe how excited we both are : )

Okay, enough about my personal life, you guys want food, right?! This recipe is WAY easy and great to make a big batch so you can have it throughout the week.

Easy Chicken Curry

Ingredients: 

1 package Chicken Breasts (~4lbs)
3 Red Peppers
3 Green Peppers
1 Yellow Onion
Chinese Five Star Spice
1 15oz can Coconut Milk
Your choice of curry paste (this is what I used)
 I found this curry paste at my local Asian Food Market. I love this brand because they have a few different curry flavors (panang, red, green, etc.) and the ingredients are clean! There are no added sugars or other weird unhealthy things. Perfect! Also, if you don't have Chinese Five Star Spice-find it!!!! It is such an awesome, versatile spice! I'll let you in on a little secret-it's a lot of bakery's secret spice they use to make all your favorite sweets : )...

Directions: 
  1.  Preheat oven to 400F . While oven is preheating, chop up that chicken! After chicken is all chopped, place on aluminum foil lined pan (easy cleanup!) and season to your liking with the chinese five star spice. Place chicken in oven and bake for about 30min. 
  2. While chicken is baking, slice your veggies and saute them in some coconut or olive oil. I like my veggies to still have a bit of a crisp to them in my curry, so I sauteed them for about 10-12 minutes.
  3. Pour your can of coconut milk over veggies and mix in 3-4Tbsp of your curry paste. In my opinion, the more the better, but that's up to you. 
  4. Once everything is mixed, turn heat down to low and let simmer until chicken is done.
  5. Okay, chicken's done! Pull chicken out of oven and mix with your veggie mix. 
  6. Enjoy!



It's been almost 2 hours now, and still no guy!


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Birthday Boy Pancakes!

Last week was one of my bro-in-law's birthdays and the deal was that he got to choose a special meal to be made... He could have chosen anything, meal, baked good, a restaraunt... anything!
Clearly, from the title of this post, he chose...drumroll.....BIRTHDAY BOY PANCAKES!!! Who doesn't  love a birthday pancake?! So here ya go, Matt, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Today is also a very special someone's birthday! Happy Birthday to my most wonderful-fantastic-amazing-perfect husband! I hope you enjoy your day on base (and your package that's being delivered to you tomorrow!). When you get back home, I promise to make you all sorts of goodies!!!! I love you babe : ). 

Back to the recipe!

This recipe is not paleo, but it is a whole lot more healthy than most other pancake recipes out there. Although the particular way I made it this time, is not paleo, you can make it paleo, so I will add in variations to do so.

Ingredients: 

2 Ripened Bananas (almost banana-bread-ripened)
1/2 cup Oats (omit for Paleo)
2 eggs
2 Heaping Tbsp of Peanut Butter (sub almond butter for Paleo)
1-2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 package of Strawberries (for the sauce)
          Optional: flax seed, chopped walnuts/pecans, 1 tsp vanilla (to make it sweeter)

Directions: 
  1. Get out your griddle/griddle pan(?) and turn the heat to medium-low
  2. Add your wet ingredients to your mixing bowl and whisk until smooth
  3. Add your dry ingredients and mix away
  4. Spray your pan with a little bit of olive oil so the pancakes don't stick
  5. Add dollops the size of your pancake-liking to your your griddle. 
  6. Let pancake cook for about 4-5 minutes per side
  7. While your pancakes are cooking, slice up your strawberries. Once sliced, microwave for about 25 seconds and mash! I don't like to mash until smooth, because I like the little strawberry chunks, but do whatever your little heart desire!!!!
  8. Now you are ready to eat your Birthday Pancakes!!!! Woohoo!


These pancakes are so yummy! You can make so many different variations with this "base" too.... Im thinking instead of mashed bananas, I'll add pumpkin next time! Instead of strawberry sauce, you could some kind of coconut glaze! The possibilities are endless : )