I'm Cacao for Coffee

Anyone that knows me know that if I don't have my coffee fix at 5 am, they aren't going to get a peppy Sam. I walk into the gym with a blank stare on my face right past everyone straight to the coffee maker. I love anything that is coffee flavored, ice cream, cake, cookies, milk shakes... I have even gone so far as to put coffee in my sunbutter. I like my coffee hot in the morning and chilled in the afternoon, especially on a hot summer's day. Mmmmmmmm coffee....

Blended with ice

I started putting cacao in my coffee for flavor and antioxidants and came up with a delicious treat. I have been drinking Bulletproof coffee for a while and this is my version:

Ingredients

• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon cacao
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• stevia to taste

Directions

1. Brew coffee as you normally do.
2. Add all ingredients to blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds.
3. Pour into mug and enjoy or pour over ice for a cold treat.

Sunflower Seed Butter AKA Sunbutter

Since peanuts are a no go and aren't actually nuts, I had to turn to other means to quelch my cravings. One of them is sunflower seed butter, which is packed with healthy fats. Of course you can buy this in the stores but it is so expensive!!! I can make a huge jar for only $2 which is a quarter of the store price. That is totally worth it when you are on a tight budget. Another plus is this tastes so much better than store bought because it is fresh.

Ingredients:

• Roasted sunflower seeds (I used the 1 lb bag from Trader Joe's)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Pour the bag of seeds and the coconut oil into a high speed blender and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times. Yes it is that easy!

* You can get super creative and add in stevia and cacao for an indulgent chocolate treat but beware, it is addictive!

She Hulk Omelet

I have had so many life changes this month and I'm so excited about them. I have been working two jobs for over a year now and it has taken it's toll on me. My full time job as a personal banker just wasn't making me happy anymore so I decided to pursue a passion of mine and make my part time job full time. I will be working as a trainer in an awesome gym working with awesome people and I couldn't be more thrilled!! That also means I have more time to write and create recipes!!!!!!!!!!!!

I met with my posing coach and started learning all the poses required for the figure competition I'm going to do in May. I learned a lot about myself in that session, mostly that I have a few things to work on. Luckily, with my career change I will have more time to train. This is my first figure competition and I want to go in strong! This means my diet is going to change to strict Paleo, no cheat days. I'm talking Whole30 strict! Except this is going to last for 11 weeks. Anyone else want to take this challenge with me? Anyone??

I'll be posting progress pics as I go to show everyone just how much diet plays a part in how you look.

So... This recipe is delicious, easy, and completely clean. So make it, try it, and love it!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 2 cups mixed greens (spinach, chard, kale)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions:

1. Heat pan over medium heat and melt the coconut oil.
2. Saute the greens until tender.
3. Whisk the eggs, egg whites, and Dijon mustard together then pour over the greens.
4. Cook for 5 minutes or until the eggs are done.
5. Flip one side over the other to form an omelet and serve.

Nutrition Info:

Calories 207

Fat - 9.94 g

Net carbs - 5.27 g

Protein - 19.58 g

Scrambled Cheesecake

What the heck is that you ask? Well, it's my way of having dessert for breakfast and not feeling guilty about it. As you know, I've been experimenting with ways to eat eggs and not get bored with it so here is a sweeter side of eggs.

Pretty soon I won't be able to have cream cheese so I might as well enjoy it while I can, right?! It isn't extremely conducive to fat loss and I have two more weeks of bulking before I start cutting back and losing fat.

What does that mean for you? It means that the recipes will start getting much healthier and less complicated... Maybe a little more boring but in my experience, the boring ones will get the fat off of you faster.

I am getting excited about meeting with the figure coach and I'm hoping she tells me I can compete in the figure class but I will still be willing to do the bikini class if I didn't gain enough muscle the past few months. I will just need to strive for a little softer look than I was invisioning. There is always a next time :)

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Stevia to taste (I used about half a dropper full of the liquid Now brand)
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil for frying

Directions:

1. Melt coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the cinnamon and stevia then pour into the heated pan.
3. Cut the cream cheese into small pieces and stir in with the cooking eggs and stir until scrambled and the eggs are cooked through.
4. Serve!

Nutrition Information:
Calories- 265
Fat- 19.41 g
Net carbs- 1.66 g
Protein- 19.87 g

Eggs Italiano

Growing up I always felt sick after eating eggs but I never made the connection that I was allergic to them until a couple of years ago. I would feel very spacey and not myself for several hours to the point I just didn't want to eat them. I discovered that egg whites didn't make me feel that way which to me was weird. After I started eating Paleo, I discovered that chickens are often fed meal that contains soy. After a little experimentation, I found that eating local soy free eggs don't make me feel bad so eggs are now a large part of my diet.

With that being said, I have been eating eggs a lot lately and frankly I'm getting a little sick of them. I only like them when they are runny and for some reason I have been over cooking them. Not wanting them to go to waste I still gobble them down but I'm not terribly happy about it.

Eggs with spinach have been my easy healthy go-to breakfast for the past week but today I decided I wanted something different. Add some spaghetti sauce and badda bing, you have Italian eggs. I know it sounds way too simple but it's nice to change it up sometimes.

Ingredients:

• Eggs (as many as you need to eat, I ate 3)
• 2/3 cup Spaghetti sauce (I used Trader Joe's because it is soy free)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil for frying

Directions:

1. Heat frying pan over medium and melt coconut oil.
2. Pour spaghetti sauce in the pan along with the spices and mix together until slightly bubbly.
3. Crack your eggs into the sauce keeping them intact.
4. Cover and cook until the whites are done and the yolks are still a little runny.

Super Woman Pancakes

Ahhh pancakes, usually your stomach and thighs worst enemy. But alas I have found a way to make them healthy and taste good too! I know I don't usually post recipes with dairy but I have found that cream cheese doesn't make me feel bad, so I'm going to go with it.

This is a very hearty recipe and fills you up fast, especially when you eat it with bacon, mmmm bacon. This is the closest I have come to mocking the taste and texture of wheat pancakes.

Makes 2 servings (Or you can be a piggy and eat the whole thing like I did, don't judge!)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 scoop Pro Whey protein powder, vanilla (32g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• dash of salt
• Coconut oil for cooking

Directions:

1. Melt about a teaspoon coconut oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Combine all ingredients (except coconut oil) in a blender and blend until smooth. (I know most people say to combine wet then dry then put them together, but I haven't noticed it makes a difference in a blender and I like to make things easy)
3. Pour half of the mixture into pan, cover with lid, and cook until little bubbles appear in the batter, then flip and cook another minute. 
4. Repeat step 3 for the remainder.
5. Top with some grass-fed butter and eat up!