Coconut Butter

In a previous lifetime I was a huge peanut butter fanatic, I could sit and eat a whole jar in one sitting and be perfectly happy. Nowadays I would feel slightly guilty about that! I've gone through many nut butter phases but right now I'm on coconut butter kick. I love coconut butter plain, I love it with flavors mixed in, I could eat it with anything! Unfortunately there is a very large price tag that goes along with the little jars of heaven. What is a girl to do? Well, she makes her own for a quarter of the price of course! It's so easy too!

You can mix it in with mashed acorn squash, use it as a topping for paleo cupcakes or doughnuts, eat it with fruit, mix it in with creamy soups to add extra texture and flavor, melt it and dip frozen fruit pieces and stick back in the freezer to make a shell, use it as a topping on ice cream. The uses are endless!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded coconut (or as much as you like, I like to use about 6-8 cups so I don't have to make it as often. Buy it in bulk at Whole Foods)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Place one cup of the shredded coconut in your food processor and turn on. Keep it running until it turns starts turning liquidy. Then add the rest of the coconut and continue blending until it is smooth all the way through, scraping down the sides several times. In the end it will look like thick milk. Don't try to scrape down the sides while the processor is running, you might lose your spatula...
2. If it doesn't blend all the way, add the coconut oil and continue blending until smooth. It will have a slightly grainy texture.

*I like to get creative and add flavors according to my mood, my favorite being what I call midnight mocha madness. After the coconut butter is done I add a Tablespoon of cocoa, a half teaspoon of instant coffee, and 1 tablespoon liquid Stevia, then continue blending until it is all incorporated.

My First Figure Competition

The moment I had been waiting so long for has now come and gone and what an experience it was! So many things go into training for a figure competition that you just many not think about from the way you eat to the way you train from week to week. I was eating a very limited Paleo diet that consisted of egg whites, tilapia, ground turkey, green veggies (spinach, kale and chard) some sweet potatoes and sunflower seed butter. Not a whole lot of recipes coming from that combo, just throw in a pan, cook, and eat.

I did mostly Crossfit style workouts consisting of heavy lifting and cardio. The heavy lifting trickled down to more light weight and high reps toward the last couple weeks, just enough to get a pump.

My life consisted of work, eat, workout, eat, and sleep for a couple months and it payed off because I placed third in class for my first ever competition! Not too shabby. I have decided to do another one in June because I'm not stopping until I place 1st overall, I'm stubborn like that :)

Here are some pictures from the show:

On stage doing one of my poses

Holding my 3rd place trophy

In the line up (I'm on the very right)

Me and the Ninja

Since most of my recipes are so simple I haven't taken the time to post any but along the way I discovered that a certain blend of spices really tickles my taste buds more than others so I thought I would share. I use this combination on my meats and in my egg whites to give them an extra kick. Everything I do is to taste so I don't have any exact measurements.

I take a pinch each of smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt and sprinkle it on my food while it is cooking. Today I had sliced turkey tenderloin and Power to the Greens from Trader Joe's all sauteed in a pan with my seasonings and it was awesome! Take a look!

Choco-nana Ice Cream

Some interesting things have been happening lately and one of them is I contacted a competition coach close to my house and I'm meeting with her in a little over a week. I'm so excited that I am starting to get everything in order. It is all starting to feel very real to me now. I will be more and more exciting the closer the date comes. Right now I'm 15 weeks out so I still have a few more weeks to work hard and gain as much as possible in a short amount of time. I'm going to go back to Paleo eating and get my carbs from sweet potatoes. This is what I should have done to begin with but you live and you learn. Next time I'm going to be a sweet potato eating machine! I'm seeing spaghetti with sweet potato noodles!!!

Anyways, I do have a recipe for you today. I had some bananas that were starting to get overly ripe so I stuck them in the freezer to make ice cream with them. Delicious! It comes out just like soft serve! There is no added sugar so the riper your bananas are, the sweeter your ice cream will be.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 tablespoon coconut cream (the top portion of the canned coconut milk)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Peel and roughly chop your bananas and place in the freezer for a few hours until frozen or overnight. I had mine in the freezer almost 10 hours while I was at work and they were perfect.
2. Place all of the ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. The times for this will vary depending on your blender but mine took about 30 seconds. 
3. Any uneaten ice cream can be stored in the freezer but it will become hard so let it thaw in the refrigerator an hour or so before eating. 

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

I was sitting down drinking a cup coffee a couple days go when it dawned on me; I should I should make my sweet potato biscuits into cinnamon raisin biscuits! (I wish I had this kind of epiphany every time I drank coffee, that would be many many times a day!!!)

You know those little cinnamon raisin biscuits from Hardee's that are so delicious and make your pants feel immediately tighter after eating them? I knew them very well in my previous life :-/ Well that's what they remind me of!

I decided not to use sweet potatoes for this, I don't know why really, I just did. I have a jar of applesauce in my refrigerator that was begging to be used, so I obliged. They are moist and delicious and if I didn't have the most self control of any person I know I would have eaten the whole batch!!

On a different note, I have decided to limit my coffee intake to one cup (or large mug) a day. Getting to sleep at night has been a problem lately so I'm going to try this out. Plus, it seems like everyone's doing it. Now my only problem is staying awake all day! For those that know me, I know you are in shock! The pumpkin spice tea from Trader Joe's has been my best friend! That is what I was enjoying while devouring these :D

Ingredients:

For the biscuits:

• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons sugar substitute ( I used Stevia in the Raw, it needs to be a cup for cup kind)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce (I like the kind from Trader Joe's)
• 1 tablespoon palm shortening (If you haven't gotten this yet, you should! You can also use butter)
• 4 tablespoons raisins

For the glaze:

• 4 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw
• 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut milk

Directions:

For the biscuits:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the eggs together in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and Stevia and continue whisking until a dough  forms.
4. Then add the applesauce and continue mixing until well incorporated. 
5. Cut the palm shortening in, mix thoroughly, then stir the raisins in.
6. Scoop spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet making 9 biscuit shapes.
7. Put in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

For the glaze:

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.
2. When the biscuits are done and cooled a little, drizzle on each biscuit and serve!!!

Roasted Cashew Butter

Who out there grew up eating peanut butter and eats it with a spoon right out of the jar? Me me me!!! I love the stuff! When I was told it was forbidden in the Paleo lifestyle I think my heart stopped beating. What would I eat with my bananas?? While I have learned to like almond butter, it was never a favorite of mine. It was always just okay. I feel the same way about sunbutter, it's okay but it just doesn't taste right to me. I always loved cashews but I thought they were forbidden until I started researching a little further. According to whole9.com, they are a good eating fat.

Cashews are high in phytic acid so it is best if you soak and rinse them first. They are also higher in Omega 3's and lower in Omega 6's than other nuts such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts. 

Cashew butter just might be better than peanut butter in the taste department, well at least its equal, and that says something!

Warning: This is not a low calorie food!!! It is very high in calories and deliciousness (bad combination). But as an occasional treat and to replace other nut butters this is the one you should reach for.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb raw cashews (I use Trader Joe’s)
• Water (enough to cover cashews in a bowl)
• 3 Tablespoons light olive oil or coconut oil (Make sure it is the light tasting olive oil or else it will change the flavor)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Pour your cashews into a medium sized bowl and fill with water. Soak them for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours, you can also soak overnight. Strain all the water out and rinse well.
2. When you are ready to roast, heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Pour the cashews onto a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the oven
4. Cook for 10-20 minutes, depending on your oven, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown. Be careful not to burn them.
5. Take them out and let them rest until they are cool to the touch. Try not to eat them all before you make them into butter :) (Yes, I've done that)
6. Place the cashews in a food processor or blender, put the lid on, and turn it on.
7. Process until the nuts are chopped finely, about 30 seconds. They won’t turn into butter without the help of oil.
8. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the light olive oil and salt in with the cashews and continue processing until smooth. If it doesn’t reach your desired smoothness add the other tablespoon of olive oil and continue processing until it is how you like it.
9. Place in a container and store in your refrigerator until you are ready to eat this little taste of heaven!

* I also like to make chocolate cashew butter by adding 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa and stevia to taste.

Thai Curry

One of my favorite places to eat is this little Thai restaurant down the street, they have the most delicious red curry I have ever eaten!! It was a tradition to go there once a week to get my fix. That also meant I was consuming white rice, which leaves me feeling bloated afterward. I was determined to find a recipe that satisfied my craving for red curry while meeting the following stipulations: 1) quick to prepare, 2) tastes good, and 3) doesn't leave me feeling bloated afterward. While this doesn't taste exactly like the dish from my favorite place, it is still awesome! This meal takes less than 30 minutes from the time you start prepping to the time you are eating it. What more could you ask for?! To add an extra notch of awesomeness, pair it with cauliflower rice cooked in chicken broth.

The original recipe is from Everyday Paleo and it is a little bland for my taste so I played with the spices and found that the flavors of Sriracha sauce pairs nicely with this curry. A little bit goes a long way so start with a little and add more as needed. You can always add more but taking away is impossible a little more difficult :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb meat (Pork, chicken or shrimp), cut into bite sized pieces.
• 1 lb vegetables (I made it easy on myself and bought the bag of stir fry frozen veggies but you can use fresh), if using fresh, cut until bite sized pieces
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 0.5 oz Thai Kitchen Curry Paste (You can get this in the Asian food section of Whole Foods or Fresh Market. I think even Publix carries it)
• Fish Sauce (Look for a brand without sugar, I use Red Boat found at Whole Foods and Fresh Market)
• Salt to taste
• Sriracha Sauce to taste (optional for spicier curry, I used about 2 tbsp for the entire recipe)

Directions:

1. Start by preheating a large pot or wok. Crank it to high and get it smoking hot. 
2. Gather all of your ingredients and have them ready on the counter to use. Some of the steps happen pretty fast. 
3. Open the can of coconut milk. DO NOT SHAKE IT! You want it to be as separated as possible. Scoop the thick cream out (should be about the top half of the can) and carefully place it in the hot pan. This step is called “cracking the coconut” and it is crucial to getting proper curry. Heat/boil/stir the coconut cream for a good 3 minutes. You want it to reduce and break. You will see a change happen where the coconut oil breaks out as the water is evaporated. At this time add your curry paste and mix well to blend it in. The hot coconut fat will do magic on the curry paste and cause the essential oils in the paste to break out.
4. Add the meat strips to the bubbling goo along with a few splashes of fish sauce and a couple pinches of salt then stir-fry until mostly cooked, about 6 minutes.
5. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to transfer the meat out and replace with the vegetables. If you can keep both in the pan, great. With the vegetables in the pan, add the remainder of the coconut milk from the can. Add a couple squirts of Sriracha sauce if desired, mix well, then simmer another 4-5 minutes or until everything is cooked.

Adapted from www.everydaypaleo.com

Chicken and "Rice"

This is something that popped in my head the other day and I thought to myself, "Hey, I haven't had chicken and rice in forever". It was something I ate a lot of growing up but it doesn't exactly fit into my new lifestyle with the rice and canned cream of mushroom soup. I came up with this recipe and it surprisingly tastes like the real thing!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken
• 1 large head cauliflower
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon almond flour
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sage
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 can coconut milk (I used Trader Joe's light)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, cook your chicken over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from the skillet, shred into bite size pieces, and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.
2. While the chicken is cooking, rice the cauliflower in a blender, food processor, or with a grater. Put in a medium sized saucepan with 1 cup chicken stock and cook on medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes.
3. In the skillet with the chicken drippings add the remaining chicken stock, arrowroot powder and almond flour, whisking constantly until it becomes very thick. Then add 1/3 of the canned coconut milk and continue whisking.
4. Add in the salt, pepper, sage and thyme and stir until well combined. Slowly cintinue adding the coconut milk until you have used it all. Let simmer for 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thin, add 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot power. If it is too thick add 1/4 cup chicken stock.
5. Add the shredded chicken to the gravy, mix thoroughly, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Serve with a scoop of cauliflower rice on top.

Pumpkin Coffee Creamer

Anyone that knows me knows that I need coffee to get started in the morning. I like my coffee with cream and sugar and if one of those is missing I'm an unhappy girl. On the downside, I always felt swollen and yucky for a few hours after drinking it. I switched to stevia, kept the cream, and I still felt sluggish but never associated it with the dairy until I did the Whole30 program. Apparently I am unable to tolerate dairy so I gave it up, just like that. That left me with a void to fill so I started researching dairy free coffee creamer recipes. I took what I liked from each of them and experimented to find my favorite taste combination. You may need to play with the sweetness to suit your own taste. This recipe calls for a raw egg so if you are squeamish about that then you can try it without but the purpose of the egg is to prevent separation of the coconut cream from the milk resulting in a rich cream that is the closest I have come to the real thing.

Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut milk, full fat
• 1 pastured egg
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. About 30 seconds.
2. Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
3. The creamer should thicken after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Pumpkin Porridge

I love pumpkins!! I love them so much that I have been known to buy enough cans to last all year. I have been making different variations of this for over a year now and I think I have finally perfected it. I used to make oatmeal for breakfast regularly pre-paleo and it would leave me hungry again in just a few hours. This breakfast keeps me satisfied until lunch!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs (preferably organic and cage free)
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon Tahini (or any nut butter of choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until fully incorporated.
2. Transfer the mixture to a sauce pan and heat over medium low heat until it starts looking like cottage cheese.

*My favorite toppings are a pouring some coconut milk on top with a teaspoon of shredded coconut and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Breakfast Sausage

I was never a sausage eater in my younger days because all I knew was the kind that came in a roll that you cut into slices and when you bit into it there was always a chance of chomping on some gristle. Bleh! Then I came across a recipe on www.civilizedcavemancooking.com for a breakfast sausage that changed my mind. His recipe uses a pound of bison meat as well but since I didn't have that on hand I improvised. This makes about 20 patties depending on how big you make them. I made a bunch of small ones so it would last a while. I just made them into patties and stuck them in the freezer. Whenever I want some I pull them out and fry them up from frozen.

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb Grass-fed Ground Beef
• 1 Lb Ground Pork
• 1 ½ Tsp Thyme
• 1 ½ Tsp Sage
• ¾ Tsp Rosemary
• 1 ½ Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Black Pepper
• ¾ Tsp Nutmeg
• ½ Tsp Cayenne

Directions:

1. Combine all of your ingredients thoroughly with your hands in a large mixing bowl.
2. Form into 1-2 inch rounds and flatten into patties until all the sausage is used. If putting in tupperware, separate the layers of sausage with parchment paper to prevent from sticking together.
3. You can refrigerate the patties for up to 1 week and/or freeze for up to 3 months.
4. If you are going to eat them immediately, heat a skillet over medium-low heat
5. Saute until brown and cooked through, ~10-15 minutes
6. Serve with any other food you can imagine, breakfast, lunch or dinner
7. Enjoy

Chicken Crust Pizza

Sometimes I get a hankering for a certain food from my past way of eating and I happened to LOVE pizza. After eating the real deal I always feel swollen and yucky so I had to find another way to enjoy the tastes of pizza without the bad side effects. Making a crust for a pizza out of cauliflower or almond flour takes so much time and feels like way too many steps, especially when I'm constantly on the go so this recipe was born. This recipe does call for dairy (which I don't eat anymore) but you can omit it and it still tastes awesome! I have even substituted pesto for the marinara for a different taste.

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 chicken breast
• Coconut oil
• Marinara, no sugar added
• Green bell peppers, sliced
• Onion, sliced
• Spinach
• ¼ cup feta cheese
• Spices (garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne powder, oregano, etc.)
• Pepperoni slices

Directions:

1. Butterfly chicken breast then place on cutting board and cover with wax paper. Pound with meat tenderizer or rolling pin until flattened.
2. Rub both sides with coconut oil and place on baking sheet. Broil under high heat for a minute and a half on each side.
3. Take out of the oven and coat with marinara sauce, then layer the toppings any way you would like.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
5. Take out of the oven and enjoy!

 

*Be creative with this, it's your pizza.

 

Crock Pot Chocolate Chili

With this being my first ever post and the beginning of the fall season, I thought I would start out with a recipe that has recently become my go to meal. I throw it in the crock pot in the morning and it is ready when I go home for lunch. I came across the recipe on www.theclothesmakethegirl.com, it is her favorite chili recipe and it is mine as well! I have made a few changes along the way to suit my taste (I like it spicy!).

(Shown here with mashed buttercup squash)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted, chopped tomatoes
• 1 can Hot Rotel (optional, but encouraged if you like spicy chili)
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth

Directions:

1. In a large pan, melt the coconut oil. When melted, add the onions, stir often and cook until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Crumble the meat into the pan, stir in with the onions and cook until no longer pink.
2. Add the meat mixture to your crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients. When adding the oregano, dump it in your hand and rub together to let the fragrance blossom.
3. Stir the chili until well combined. Set to low and cook 3-5 hours.

*Top with a Tablespoon of coconut milk and cauliflower rice for one of the most delicious meals you have ever tasted.

*If you are an athlete looking for extra carbs, peel and chop 2 sweet potatoes and add to the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.