It's Spring and Time For a Fresh New Start...Focusing on Health and Recovery

As I start getting back into working out after my car accident (about 6 weeks ago), my focus and motto have been "Take it Slow".  It has been my history previously to jump right back in and rush things.  I'm very competitive by nature and have a hard time restraining myself when it comes to working out.  So my plan of action is to listen to my body and leave plenty of recovery time in between my workouts.  Recovery and sleep are so important to success!

1. My first priority or focus for week one (starting April 1st ) is Nutrition.  I will be going back to the foundation of Paleo and hitting reset.  I will be doing a Whole 30 by Whole9 Life, I would love to have you join me.  The more the merrier, it's great to have support when you are doing something like this.
2. Week #2, I plan to implement my protocols from doing my Biosignature Modulation (Sept-November).  I will focus on being faithful with what I was given through that program, supplements, eating breakfast within one hour of rising, Epsom salt baths, stretching/yoga, etc.
3. Earthing, hopefully by the 3rd week in April I will have my Earthing pad (if not earlier).  I am really looking forward to receiving it's benefits and writing about it.
4. My plan is to do 1-2 days of full  CrossFit, depending on how I am feeling, with 2 days of running a week.  Recovery and listening to my body are going to be key. Again, I will be reminding myself, "take it slow!"

I am really excited to see how my month unfolds and what happens with my energy levels. I hope you will join me in this and Spring into Health!

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Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Though our family has no Irish heritage, we do enjoy celebrating Saint Patrick's Day.  

What is Saint Patrick's Day about anyway?
Saint Patrick was born in Britain the son of a Deacon and Grandson of a priest.   He was abducted at the age of 16, taken to Ireland and enslaved.  There he remained captive for 6 years, doing the work of a herdsman.  During his time in captivity he prayed daily and his faith grew strong. 
After being in Ireland 6 years as a slave he heard a voice telling him he would go home soon.  Later he heard another voice telling him his ship was ready.  He then fled, traveling over 200 miles to find his ship and sail home.  By the time he returned home to his family he was in his early twenties.
Upon his return to Britain he again heard another voice speaking to him, telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary.  
He then started religious training which took him more than 15 years.  After which he was ordained as a priest and sent off to Ireland.  It is believed that he went with two goals in mind, 1) to minister to Christians in Ireland and 2) to convert the Irish to Christianity.  Some believe that Saint Patrick actually introduced Christianity to Ireland.


There are also some fun legends pertaining to Saint Patrick, I thought I would share my two favorites:


1) Legend says that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland.  Chasing them into the sea after they attacked him while doing a 40 day fast on a hill top.


2) Legend also says that Saint Patrick used the shamrock to demonstrate the Holy Trinity, (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).  The shape and green color were also believed to symbolize the rebirth and eternal life, which is probably why they have become a common symbol for St.Patrick's Day.


And March 17 is believed to be Saint Patrick's day of death, which is where the date came from.


I love knowing a little bit of the history behind the holidays we celebrate and thought some of you might be interested to.  I'm not sure where along the line, leprechauns and rainbows became connected with Saint Patrick's Day, I guess it's like any other holidays, commercialism enters along the way.  


From our family to yours, Happy St. Patrick's Day! Pin It

Carrot Cake Waffles (Paleo/Grain Free)

I'm always a little cautious about posting things like this, because I consider them a once in a while treat and hope people don't take it as a suggestion to eat waffles or pancakes every morning.  But...when I saw a conventional recipe for Carrot Cake Waffles on Pinterest I just knew I had to try my hand at revamping the recipe to be Paleo friendly.  These are very, very good, in fact my biggest problem has been not eating to many!  If you love the flavors of Carrot Cake these are a really fun and tasty waffle.  And if you can do dairy then by all means please use the recipe for the Maple Spread, they make them even tastier!

Paleo Carrot Cake Waffles (Grain free ) 
Revised 11/09/12

2 cups of Honeyville almond meal
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon ( I like saigon)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice

2 TBSP maple syrup
1 can of full fat coconut milk  1/2 cup canned coconut milk full fat (be sure to fill it a generous 1/2 cup)
4 large eggs, separated
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup melted extra virgin coconut oil, plus 2  TBSP 
1 tsp finely grated orange zest

1/4 cup finely shredded coconut (this is optional,  I do it without quite often)
3/4 cup organic raisins (these are optional too)
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots

In a small bowl combine dry ingredients, mix well and set aside.  In a separate  bowl combine the coconut milk, egg yolks, melted coconut oil and vanilla, mix to combine.  And then add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.  Add the carrots, raisins walnuts and orange peel and stir to mix.  
 In another separate bowl, beat the eggs whites on medium  with a hand mixer until peaks form. Then fold them into the batter carefully.  Preheat your waffle iron and lightly grease with some coconut oil.  Then add some batter to your waffle iron, it will be kind of thick so I just scoop it and let it spread out when I close the lid.  Then cook according to the instructions for your waffle iron.  I was using close to 1 cup of batter and cooking mine for 4-5 minutes and they were perfect.

Maple Spread

1-8 oz. package organic cream cheese
1 stick (1/2 cup) 1/4 cup organic pastured butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Be sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature ( you can make this ahead if you like and refrigerate until ready).  Combine all the ingredients and mix until well combined.  Then spread over your waffles and enjoy!

Finely shredded carrots and orange zest.

Egg Whites whipped.

Ready to mix in the add ins.

My Batter all ready to go.

One waffle ready to remove from the waffle iron.

Waffles with Maple spread and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

One Carrot Cake Waffle with Maple Spread and a drizzle of Pure Maple Syrup. 

My daughter who loves to help and always wants to be in every picture.

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Glorious Bacon!

Oven Baked Bacon

I have been experimenting with different ways of baking bacon lately and found this is my favorite way to prepare it.  I love what slow cooking the bacon does, it makes it so tender and yet crunchy all at the same time.  It also has the advantage that( according to Matt LaLonde's presentation on the Paleo Summit last week) we digest slow cooked food much better.  And you can bake up 2 pans on the weekend and to have handy during the week for recipes or for eating.  You can either eat it cold, or warm it up by wrapping in a paper towel and microwaving for a little bit.  Oven baked bacon is at it's heavenly best, fresh from the oven though!  It doesn't last long around here, I have to protect and defend it or it'll be gone in a flash!

1-2  jelly roll pans
1-2 baking racks that fit nicely inside the jelly roll pan
Organic Bacon with no nitrates etc.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  You may line your jelly roll pan with foil for easy clean up if you like, but I usually skip this step.  Place your rack in the jelly roll pan and lay bacon out on the rack.  Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then check (my bacon was pretty thick so it took about 45-50 minutes).  Continue to bake until it is your desired doneness.  Then remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Be sure to pour off and save the bacon grease for later use.

I love this method, no greasy mess all over the stove top and you don't have to watch it.  You can be doing other things while it bakes, and it makes the house smell heavenly too!

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Delicious Vanilla Coconut Flour Pancakes (High Protein)

We love my Tasty Grain Free Pancakes so much that I thought, why not try to recreate more of that flavor but with my coconut flour pancakes since they are so high in protein.  So this morning rather than whip up my regular batch of coconut flour pancakes, I decided to make some changes and let me tell you those changes were delicious!    We love vanilla and add it to everything so I upped the vanilla substantially in these along with adding some pure Maple syrup. If you are new to Paleo or have never tried Coconut Flour pancakes, I will say in advance that the texture is going to be different than your tradition pancake made with wheat flour.  With that said,  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did this morning!

Delicious Vanilla Coconut Flour Pancakes

10 med/large eggs (mine tend to vary in size)
1/3-1/2 cup coconut milk (start with 1/3 and adjust until it is the constancy you like)
1-2 TBSP Maple Syrup ( I prefer less, but some like it better with more)
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup coconut flour (I use Coconut Secret Raw Coconut flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat your griddle. Then in a small mixing bowl or 8 cup pourable measuring cup, combine all the wet ingredients and beat just a little then add in all your other ingredients and mix with an electric hand mixer on high for about 45 seconds-1 minute (or until it's basically smooth).  Grease your griddle liberally with some coconut oil.   Pour your pancakes, I find  keeping them a little smaller makes them easier to flip.  When they start to bubble give them a flip and cook until done.  Serve with your desired toppings.  We always top ours with applesauce, sometimes with a little drizzle of pure Maple Syrup and maybe some fruit or berries.  Whipped cream or whipped coconut cream would be great too!  Use your imagination for toppings, and enjoy!

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Sausage Griddle Sandwiches

One of our favorite uses for leftover Fluffy Grain Free Pancakes (almond flour is our preference) is to make Sausage Griddle Sandwiches. They are really easy and so tasty! I make up a batch of Homemade Breakfast Sausage (Turkey or Pork), make it into small patties and fry them in bacon grease the night before.  Then the next morning, I beat one egg at a time and pour it into a greased ramekin, and then microwave for about 30-40 seconds.  Then I layer starting with a pancake then sausage, egg (I usually slice it in half so it's thinner) and then another pancake.  Or sometimes we add in a couple of strips of bacon.  These are quick (with some advanced planning), easy and tasty.  It's a breakfast that my 4 younger ones request.


1 batch of leftover pancakes
1 batch of precooked Breakfast sausage
eggs
Bacon (optional)

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Single Serving Coconut Flour Pancakes

I had a reader make a request on Facebook for a Single serving recipe of my coconut flour pancakes.  Since my kids have no school today I tinkered around with several single batches rather than my one large batch and this is what I came up with.  It will make 4 small-medium pancakes, which I find are easier to flip than the larger ones.  I think they are best topped with unsweetened applesauce and some fresh berries. My children however, like a little drizzle of pure maple syrup over the applesauce and berries, you could even whip up some coconut whip cream or if you do dairy some real whip cream to top all that yumminess with too!  The thing I love about these pancakes is that they are so high in protein, it's really like eating your eggs disguised.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Vanilla Coconut flour Pancakes (High Protein)

Servings : 1

2 extra large eggs 
2 1/2 TBSP coconut flour ( I use Coconut Secret Raw coconut flour)
1/8 tsp baking soda 
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP Coconut Milk ( I use So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk)


Preheat your Griddle to about 325 degrees.  In a pourable bowl combine all of your ingredients and then beat with an electric hand mixer on high for 1 minute.  Grease your griddle well with coconut oil and make your pancakes.  If the tops don't start to bubble after a few minutes then lift them a little with your spatula to check the bottom and see if they are ready to be flipped.  Remove from the griddle when done and serve with some applesauce, berries, and whatever else you may like.  Enjoy!


*Note* I just modified one of my other pancake recipe to include some Maple syrup in the batter, maybe try 1 tsp if you're interested and let me know what you think

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