got a sweet tooth?

December 15, 2014December 18, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

This morning I woke up and finished off a fresh batch of almond milk before going on a walk in this lovely 50-something degree weather!! When we get back I will begin making my weekly batch of energy ballz.

Finally tried these Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookies which I found posted on The Coconut Mama’s website, however, I believe they are a PaleOMG recipe.

The batter was like a bowl of honey – I was not expecting that consistency!! I was pleased with the “gooeyness” of the cookie – I do not like crunchy/hard cookies. Essentially, my favorite part of baking is eating the batter. I hope you like macadamias if you are making these because these cookies taste like you are munching on some nuts. I was hoping for something a little sweeter, but my husband was clearly digging them – the batch lasted two days. **I used homemade macadamia nut butter, which is featured in my butter section under the vittles tab.

Next up are paleo oreos!! Yummmm! I do have to admit mine do not look as beautiful as the ones on the website posted below – I don’t have that much patience at this stage to make perfect oreos when we are going to gobble them down. Now if they were for other people to enjoy maybe I would take more time to prepare them as eloquently as displayed on Will Bake For Books’ website. Please go make these treats and enjoy them as much as we did!! The only thing I changed in the Raw Oreos recipe is using 1/2 cup cocoa with 1/2 cup carob powder. I have been trying to use carob powder, I know it is supposed to be good for you, but I honestly have zero idea what it is. I am going to do some research for myself and my readers and get back to you with some mind blowing facts!!

I will work on my presentation skills 😉 . Paired with the oreo is an energy ball, I enjoyed both after eating a salad for lunch one fine day.

And, to wrap up this wonderful dessert feast I have something festive for the holidays and winter hibernation months. Dig your teeth into these Paleo Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes for a light treat after dinner or a snack during the day. I apologize for my coconut whipped cream – I over whipped it and it lost it’s fluff.

I didn’t get a good picture of the inside mushiness – they are like raw banana bread slices. The pumpkin taste is subtle, the spice flavors compliment the pumpkin & banana nicely.

After indulging you might want to hit play on some of these videos!!

I really liked this video – it was a solid workout of the whole body. The only part that was super challenging was the oblique exercises when you are laying sideways on one elbow and one knee – at this point i was like oh my gosh this is really challenging at that point of the workout!!! I pushed through – there are some words of encouragement during the video, which is helpful. I just listened to the music and made some grunting noises as if I was in a meathead gym.

If you would like to keep it easy on your knees you can try this workout, which I also really enjoyed. If you look at the comments lots of people are skeptical of the low cardio workout, but they write they were sweating a lot and extremely tired at the end. I too thought this was going to be an “easy” day, however, my sweatshirt was nicely coated with sweat [sweat makes me extremely happy, I feel accomplished after a sweaty workout knowing my body is free of toxins].

happy monday!

peace. love. paleo.

— double it up —

December 10, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

Here’s the run down…literally?!!

I use this abs vid for a warm-up and a cool down. Add in a 20-30 minute, or challenge yourself and go for the 45 min, workout in between the abs sets. I still firmly believe exercises that focuses solely on these muscles are beneficial. There is so much hyper around the myth that crunches don’t work. Well to some extent this is true – if you are only doing crunches your chance of having a six pack are few and far between. However, if you incorporate other routines along side crunches I believe you will have “abs of steel.” And, not to mention it mixes a workout up – less of a chance for boredom, which will lead you to burn out fast from your workout routine.

The next two videos I did back to back – I did the shorter – squats – video first, almost as a warm-up. Both videos run through routines that will not get your heart rate elevated too high, however, they will give you mildly sore quads the next day. I like mixing up the pace of the exercises, really gives your body a chance to relax – while staying active – and push it to the next level on others.

Have a wonderful evening y’all…

and, always: sweat PALEO.

sistah sistah

December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

Almond milk or as some like to say “mylk” has a sibling…

Soak the cashews overnight (8-12 hours) or until swollen.

Remove the water and add 5 cups of water – like the almond milk, I did this in two batches (half the almonds and 2.5 cups of water blended in the Nutribullet at a time and then mixed together through the cheese cloth to strain.

Before straining, add one date (pit removed) and cinnamon to your container.

Once fully strained – pour through funnel into your jar and label as desired (see above picture). You will also be left with some cashew “cheese” this can be used as a spread or eaten plain – great flavor and texture, just like a ricotta.

Cashew milk can be paired very nicely with a dessert or enjoyed by itself. As my husband says about them: they are light and refreshing! And, I couldn’t agree more – it’s like a liquid smoothie. You could even enjoy a cup with one of these…

PUMPKIN PIE ENERGY BITE:

1 cup dates

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp golden flax meal

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp maca powder

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

dash of cloves

splash of vanilla extract

*blend all ingredients together in food processor and roll into bite size balls.

If you eat a few too many, you could always run the stairs!!

I made it 60 minutes…working my way back to my fit level – slowly.

A post workout snack or a breakfast delight:

(prosciutto-egg roll-up) NOM NOM NOMaste

FINALLY!!!!

December 4, 2014December 4, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

ALMOND MILK: check out the “shakes” tab above to reference the home-made process at any time.

For this drink I blended 1 cup of almonds (which were soaked in water for 8 hours prior) with 5 cups of water in a nutribullet (given the volume restrictions with the Nutribullet containers I did the process in two rounds and mixed both batches together during the next phase). After blending both ingredients I applied a cheesecloth over a bowl that would hold the large amount of liquid – I began straining the mixture through the cloth. Once the almond milk began to hit the cheesecloth I picked it up by the edges and wrapped it tightly around the almond meal. I began squeezing the excess milk out of the cloth (as pictured above) and once completely rung-out I was left with a batch of almond meal. I stored this byproduct in the Nutribullet container in the refrigerator for future use in other recipes. I added one date (pit removed and fruit sliced) and a splash of vanilla extract. Then, I poured the almond milk through a funnel into an air tight glass container (this bottle is from IKEA – another fab find!).

Another recipe I worked on today was some peppermint bark – this was always a favorite treat of mine during the holiday season.

My apologizes for the poor slicing skills. I found it very difficult to cut this bark into pieces, my husband assisted, but literally the chocolate was rock solid. We used many different knives & kitchen tools, but this is what we were left with. My husband had a great idea – let the chocolate sit out for a little bit to soften before slicing it into portions. To make this treat I melted 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips in the microwave – I would remove the bowl every 15 seconds and stir the chips for a total of approximately 2 minutes. I then lined the bottom of a small Ziploc container with parchment paper, and poured the chocolate into the bottom of the container. I placed this into the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to solidify. While this was setting I prepared the next layer. I combined approximately 1/3 cup coconut butter (melted in microwave at 15 second increments for no more than 1.5-2 minutes), 1/2 tbsp honey (if that, this makes the mixture “doughy like” and easy to mold), 1/2 tbsp peppermint extract (or more to taste to your liking) and a dash of vanilla extract. Once the proceeding ingredients are mixed I added two drops of food coloring – to keep paleo you could add a few drops of beet juice (I didn’t have any beets on hand today). I gently kneaded the mixture to give the white “dough” more of a a peppermint appearance – don’t completely mix the food coloring or else you will end up with pink bark!!! After this step, remove the chocolate from the refrigerator, once it is solid, and even out the peppermint layer on top of the chocolate layer. Place the entire bark in the refrigerator until both layers are solid, remove and chop into pieces to serve to guests… that’s if you don’t eat it all before it makes it to their mouth.

Finally, the last thing I have to offer for my baking skills this evening are Pumpkin Pie Muffins from Elana’s Pantry. These muffins are heavenly – they are moist, mooshy inside, firm outside and taste like a piece of pie. They are satisfying enough as a dessert or an afternoon snack.

***Don’t forget to exercise to keep sane during the cold months!!***

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ8Zdj0OPMI

…and as always: peace. love. paleo.

store energy to burn.

December 2, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

#friendsgiving leftovers used to pair with my standard #baconandeggs, or is it #eggsandbacon?

I have some news though, that is not a Nutribullet blended coconut oil coffee…this is a winterwonderland coffee special!! I used one non-flavored Nespresso pod and ran it through 3 times on the “cup” setting to have more liquid. I then added one dropper full of liquid stevia (check out the vittles section, I use the Trader Joe’s brand) and a dash of peppermint extract, honestly this drink is spectacular for the holiday season. I will experiment with other extracts to see if I can find other flavored coffee specials without the calories and blood sugar spike.

For a mid-morning refreshing treat I had this water (YES THIS IS WATER) followed by 1L of filtered water. The reason this water is black is because it has fulvic acid in it, which is instantaneous energy – NO JOKE!!! I am going to be purchasing fulvic acid on Amazon to add to my water once a day (check out the hydrate section shortly to see which product I’ve ordered). If you would like you could purchase a case of these to make it easy to take on-the-go. They are full of electrolytes and the water is a pH of 8, thus the hydration is easily absorbed by the blood.

A wonderful refreshing salad comprised of garden mix sprouts, tuscan kale, pomegranate seeds, cucumber slices and rotisserie chicken chunks – toss with avocado oil & bacon vinegar (recipe for this is in the works, I will share with you when I figure out the appropriate days to ferment the vinegar in bacon fat).

I enjoyed these sweet potato & beet Terra chips as my side with salsa. We normally get the large bag of ridged sweet potato chips from Costco — excellent deal, but be careful they’re addicting!

While you’re waiting on dinner, engage in some physical activity…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS8_7KxNKhU

Now go get drenched in sweat, NOMaste.

#friendsgiving

December 1, 2014December 2, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

On Saturday my husband and I prepared our first thanksgiving dinner for our friends. We were pleased with the turn out! The following foods in a wonderful atmosphere were enjoyed….

The napkins are actually dish towels from IKEA – a little secret, all restaurants use these to add to their “farm to table – rustic” look. I cut off the inside label and the hanging string, ironed them and my husband rolled up the silverware! The poinsettias are from Wegman’s and were repotted in these awesome tin cans from IKEA. We had a fun time at IKEA the day after thanksgiving to do some non-sale shopping.

The food warming up and getting ready for your meal tour:

We must begin with the foundation of every good thanksgiving meal…TURKEY:

The turkey was purchased from Wegman’s – nothing fancy just a basic turkey that took forever to defrost! We seasoned it with salt, pepper and garlic powder. The turkey was extremely moist (sorry that’s the only word that properly describes the food) with delicious flavor!

Some other traditional favorites:

Cranberry Sauce: I mixed one 12oz bag of cranberries, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup honey and a few tbsps of coconut palm sugar to taste (see under Vittles section which product I keep in my cabinet). I cooked this mixture for about 25 minutes to ensure all the water had been absorbed, the cranberries had popped and the sauce was adequately thick. The sauce was a little tart, however, my taste buds prefer this flavor as I “believe” it is more natural and less man-made.

Mashed…turnips & parnsips for me and potatoes for the others. I used this recipe for my paleo side dish: mashed turnips and parsnips from Primal Palate. Very basic ingredients and simple instructions, I used half an onion, instead of the full for a sweeter lighter taste… ENJOY! The texture was thick lite and fluffy; I think I will use this recipe for our little one’s baby food!! Pictured below: paleo mash is featured first, followed by the potatoes being mashed & the final product.

Brussel Sprouts: we dolled these bland veggies up. They were seasoned with salt, pepper & olive oil and baked with dried cherries & pistachios, They were enjoyed by all, even those who don’t normally eat this vegetable…SUCCESS!!

Stuffing… quinoa & red rice Williams Sonoma mix. To make this treat more paleo friendly, I did not use butter – substituted with olive oil. Additionally, I used half an onion, a full yellow pepper and the zest of half a lemon to add additional flavor. Not a paleo dish as these are super food grains, however, you gotta splurge every now and then!

Biscuits: No bread!!! We made the famous Bacon and Chive Sweet Potato Biscuits from PaleOMG. We had made these last year and fell in love with them, after being pregnant and eating GF CARBSSS I hadn’t made them since. We forgot how good these biscuits are and will be making them again this weekend just to have around during the week!

Pecan Pie: You just have to have some dessert!! I made Gluten-Free Pie Crust by following the recipe from Living Without Gluten Free’s online recipes. I used Cup4Cup flour, coconut oil and coconut palm sugar and followed the rest of the recipe as stated! The filling, I cheated, I used Williams Sonoma’s Chocolate Pecan Pie filling which is sold in a glass jar and is absolutely divine!!! Note: the coconut ingredients gave the crust an additional unexpected coconut flavor, which paired with the chocolate pecan filling very nicely!

Last but not least, you must sit down and feast!!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!!! My goal for this week… EXERCISE EVERYDAY!!!!

peace. love. paleo.

drop it like it’s hot.

November 25, 2014November 25, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

Wake up, get your groove on, and GO!

GOOD MORNING NYC.

Not sure how I acquired such a nice foam this morning with the Nutribullet whipped coconut oil coffee, but it was divine!

GOOD AFTERNOON fellow foodies.

Keeping it paleo at Shake Shack with a lettuce wrapped double stack burger with bacon obvs!!

GOOD EVENING to the city that never sleeps.

Brooklyn Bridge Walk

Bryant Park Festivities

Followed by a Korean BBQ dinner at Shilla’s. I ordered the Bi Bim Bap – as divine as I remember it being last winter when I first enjoyed this dish. It is essentially a mixture of vegetables with ground beef and a fried egg with rice on the side. I do have to admit I ate some of these grains, after I regretted it and should’ve kept it paleo without consuming the rice.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful monday after a beautiful weekend like I had!

NOMaste.

revealing the Instagram #mysteryfood

November 21, 2014November 21, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

It’s before noon, I can still say: GOOD MORNING READERS!

Here is some winter, I mean fall, uplifting photos to get your through the cold, actually warm, days here in the Mid-Atlantic!

PUERTO RICO (circa 2012 finale)

Don’t get me wrong I do love winter scenery, cold breezes while bundled up in a Canada Goose, fire place warmth and lounging on the couch covered in blankets beside your loved ones. However, I also enjoy the escape to a warmer climate; this getaway really helps anyone’s mental state during the shorter colder drearier days. The walks on the beach and rich healthy looking scenery helps put my mind at ease. I find true stillness and ultimate relaxation throughout my body while walking on the beach and listening to the ocean waves crash onto the white sand shoreline. One year I believe I managed to pack in a marathon distance walk on the beach all in a days work! Last year I didn’t take a trip to soak up the sun (or sit by my light box) probably since I was in diapers, and I SURVIVED!! I am looking forward to a view of paradise this year. Our baby already hates the cold weather; I think I’ve already conditioned him to being a summer lover too!

Let me change subjects here… FOOD!

The first thing I will cover is the mystery food that was featured on Instagram. This was a remake of an appetizer from Patowmack Farm, which would have been discovered in an earlier post – Kale Chips with Nutritional Yeast. Basically we ripped the meatier sides off the main steam of Tuscan Kale and placed the pieces in the dehydrator until completely crispy. After removing them from this device we sprinkled on Nutritional Yeast, which actually is not as hard, as we thought, to find. The taste is interesting, but a great rich flavor – if my husband will eat this then it isn’t too earthy and actually has a taste other than dirt. A recommendation: since the kale is very crunchy, when you bite into a bigger piece the yeast flies in the air and makes a mess. We quickly learned that making smaller bite size pieces rather than longer strips is actually easier to eat.

You could also use the nutritional yeast sprinkled on a kale salad and dressed with olive oil.

Following this kale treat, you could indulge in another kale app – might as well bulk up on your nutrients today!

This is a carrot paper wrapped skinny veggie roll for all you vegetarians and vegans out there! We sliced avocado and cucumber, ripped of the sides of Tuscan Kale into long strips and sprinkled on a Garden Mix of Sprouts. The carrot paper was bought at Wegman’s in a pack looking like this:

I do have to be honest though – there is some soy protein isolate in the ingredients. Now that we have experimented with this product and would use it again I will look for a paleo friendly version!

Following these random appetizers we enjoyed a roasted chicken from Wegman’s (please excuse the one legged chicken pictured below, someone got into it before we sat down for dinner) and a Creamy Paleo Bacon Pumpkin Soup from Fed & Fit.

We were not sure if the recipe called for bacon fat. We added some of the remaining lard to the soup just because we are obsessed with bacon, like the rest of mainstream Americans.

And to polish off a good meal you must indulge in dessert, no matter how full you are – am I right?!

I, yet again, doubled the recipe. I tend to do this so the treat will last for the whole week since it is hard to make a new batch every few days. The pictured dessert is Living Healthy with Chocolate’s Raw, No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie. I enjoyed the mixture of cookie and brownie flavors, however, I find myself eating the brownie first and then gobbling the cookie dough section. I am not one to mix all my foods, I like to savor each flavor. Both, cookie and brownie, are pretty much spot on with regard to resembling the taste of conventional Toll House Break n’ Bake products without the unhealthy aspects. This is a great item to make as it will keep in your refrigerator for quite some time without going sour – that’s if you can keep them around long enough to enjoy at a later point in time!

Before eating all this food you might want to engage in a workout because you will be couch bound after this feast!

I just found out that Safari does not support my videos all the time – if you see a blank black screen that reads blocked plug-in, try opening my webpage in another browser, such as, Google Chrome.

Sweat, Eat, Be Merry. NOMaste.

the real baker’s delight post!

November 19, 2014November 20, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / 1 Comment

who doesn’t love snack time!!…

pre-snack:

(i filled the muffin tray liners 3/4 full – they will rise, as you can note from the picture)

final product: and

The recipe for these Paleo Blueberry Muffins can be found at Living Healthy with Chocolate. They are divine!! These delectable treats are moist (not my fave word, but adequately describes the consistency) with a little crunch and sweet taste. The coconut milk really works well in these muffins.

DINNER:

Rack of ribs purchased from Costco, my husband rubbed the outside with a mixture of seasonings – including paprika as the main flavor. Our side this evening was broiled asparagus – cooked in a pan in the oven. Note: I consumed more than two ribs for sure!!!!!! 🙂

DESSERT:

the AMAZEBALLZ batter that I honestly ate raw.

I’m all about doubling the recipes of everything lately (including the “snack” recipe above). I made a batch of these cookies twice this week. My mom found the recipe, baked them – I ate, I enjoyed and I made them. Even after baked these cookies carry a consistency of an under cooked mushy cookie – basically they’re a cookie dough lover’s dream! So, let me share with you these Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen. Please make and eat responsibly AKA one or two at a sitting!!

As, I believe, everyone in America is aware of, it is rather cold outside. This evening I enjoyed a 45 minute stair run in the house. I have come to realize that it is not my endurance that is truly lacking (definitely far from my peak though). Rather it is my mental toughness. I find it harder now to push myself through a workout and stay focused after a day of taking care of the baby and doing tasks around the house. I know that I will get back in the groove by working out routinely; 15 minutes of exercise will not feel like eternity and I will want to keep going for two plus hours at a given time. For now, I’m happy I’m making progress and working out for 45 minutes instead of 20 – cheers to leaving perfection behind!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their Tuesday evening…

NOMaste

baker’s delight.

November 18, 2014November 19, 2014 / peacel0vepale0 / Leave a comment

Let’s get right to it…

Lunch:

The salad consisted of spinach leaves with pomegranate seeds, sliced red onion, chopped avocado and a salmon burger. A top was an olive oil and blueberry ginger vinegar. Here is a break down of the meal: I used spinach leaves to maximize the nutritional value; the pomegranate I purchased and picked all the seeds out (you get about triple the amount for the price of not even one container of the seeds); the red onion is sliced to easy assist in the flavor – big chunks can be over powering for the senses; the avocado I used was a Florida avocado (purchased at The Fresh Market and might I say it was less “watery” and tasted more “fatty” and flavorful than any avocado I’ve had this season!); the salmon burger is the one from Costco I featured in a previous post; the olive oil was used instead of another type of lipid because I already have avocado fat incorporated in this meal; and, the blueberry ginger infused balsamic vinegar was purchased from Under the Olive Tree in the Village at Leesburg (their products are AMAZING, only a little is needed and the flavor is so powerful- the medium sized bottle is a great deal!).

….Snack, Dinner & Dessert to come, baby crying.

for now:

peace. love. paleo.