Paleo Oatmeal

So lately I've been getting a little tired of just plain eggs or fruit for breakfast. I had been looking for something new and warm and delicious for wintertime and I'm so glad that I came across recipe on http://onapinktypewriter.com/2012/01/09/paleo-oatmeal/ , it's EXACTLY what I needed to switch things up a little!

This is the best paleo oatmeal that I've made so far, so good that I may or may not have made it every day for breakfast last week........ :]

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp honey
• frozen fruit of your choice, my two favorites are blueberries and rasberries

1. whisk together egg whites and almond milk. Then add the rest of the ingredients and make sure its blended well. (I found that peeling the banana and microwaving it in a bowl for about 20 seconds helps mash it much easier!)
2. heat in small saucepan on low-medium heat and stir frequently until it reaches the right consistency. This took me about 10 minutes until I could tell that it had all been cooked through.
3. DEVOUR

This has become one of my new favorite breakfasts... or lunches... or dinners (when kyle has school and im cooking for just myself). I have not yet tried to make it in the microwave but i'm sure that it would work just fine if you continue to stir it every 30 seconds or so. Trust me, this recipe is a keeper!

Banana Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Hello everybody! It's been a few weeks since my last post and I apologize! Things have been pretty crazy and I've had alot going on!

Last week my mom, my aunt and I flew out to LA to visit my cousin for her 30th birthday. We had a BLAST! But lots and lots and lots of wine, and lots and lots and lots of bad food. Friday we ventured to a horse ranch in Santa Barbara, but the rainy weather put an end to that adventure much earlier than we had hoped, so we went wine tasting in Malibu instead. That was AWESOME! And I can honestly say that California wine is wayyy better than the 10$ box wine that I usually stock up on in my fridge :].We also had a chance to visit Hollywood, which was very...........different. People dressing up as characters from movies and charge money to take picutres with them, hustlers on the street trying to sell cd's, the sidewalk was so dirty and packed full of people that you couldn't even see the celebrity's names on the stars. But on the bright side I dont think I have ever people-watched so much in my entire life. That's one of my favorite things to do. It makes me realize how many different kinds of people there are in the world and everyone is out to find their own happiness. I feel that Living in a world with such diversity, being close-minded is only going make yourself miserable at the end of the day.

Here are some pics from the trip:

Airport fun!

 

My cousin Wendy and I on her birthday, she makes 30 look GOOOOD! :]

 My beautiful mom and I at Malibu Winery

 

Wendy, myself, my mom and my aunt at SIP Winery

 

Mom and I at Kodak Theater in Hollywood

 

 

Now don't get me wrong, I had SO MUCH FUN, but after I got home, I was miserable! I was bloated, fatigued, swollen, grouchy, and all around feeling crappy. I had stuffed myself with so much wine, pizza, more wine, more pizza, and lots more wine. I couldn't wait to get back on my normal diet and eating/workout schedule.

 

I had heard great things about this recipe so I decided to see for myself. I originally found it on http://www.thefoodieandthefamily.com/2012/01/22/banana-cado-chocolate-pudding/ , but instead of making 12 servings, I switched it up a little to make just 1-2 and it was delicious! I HIGHLY recommend that you try this one, I even let co-workers who tend to poke fun of my healthy eating habits try it and they even agreed that it was delicious and couldn't believe it was made from avocados.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

• 1 avocado
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 TBS cocoa powder
• 1 TBS honey or maple syrup
• dash vanilla
• dash cinnamon
 

Put all of the above in a blender and blend until smooth! Then chill in the refrigerator for atleast 30 minutes. this stuff is THE BOMB DIGGITY! 

 

 

Hot n Spicy Paleo Meatloaf....and Running.

MAN it's been too long since my last blog post. I have been such a little busy bee lately. I just recently started a new job, which I absolutely LOVE. My previous job was a 45+ minute commute each way, and now I work just 5 minutes down the road with AWESOME hours! I'm done everyday by 2:30, how cool is that? So since I have all this new free time, I decided that I needed to pick up another hobby. Who in the hell would have ever guessed that hobby would be running? NOT me that's for sure! I started this whole running thing when I began Bridging the Wellness Gap, and since then it has just taken off. I started at just going 1-2 miles once or twice a week, and here I am now signed up for a half marathon in March. WHO AM I?

I love the way that running makes me feel. Well, after the runner's high kicks in that is. Until then it kind of sucks. The first two miles are always so hard for me and then after that I get lost in my own euphoric state of mind where nothing bothers me. Nothing stresses me out. I get a sense of satisfaction that I have control over my well being and I feel so alive! Now, I'm not saying that I go out and run 10 miles every day. or ever. But I have found that 5-6 miles a few times a week is just what I need to stay sane and it helps keep my mindfulness on track.

ANYWAY, enough about that. Let's get to the food.

When I was younger, I HATED when my mom made meatloaf. I don't even know why. Maybe it just had something to do with the name. Meatloaf. Something about that just sounded un appetizing... in my PRE paleo days, that is. Now that I'm a meat-atarian (yes, I just made that word up), I can't get enough. Sometimes I feel like the dog on the Beggin Strips commerical... like "BACOOONNNNN!!!! BACON BACON BACON BACON I SMELL BACONN!!!". It's that bad.

I just compared myself to a dog....................oh well.

So I set out to make a meatloaf, with no specific recipe in mind. it couldn't be THAT hard, right? I mean it's just a bunch of meat...in a pan... So I literally just threw a bunch of stuff together and this is what I got. Now the ingredients list is a bit long, but seriously don't let it scare you! This was so easy to make. Obviously I got a little spice happy so you can add or omit any of them that you like to make it more or less spicy.  Kyle and I just love spicy food so that's why I went a little crazy but I love the way that it turned out! Kyle thought it was amazing, and I asked him if it was the best meatloaf he had ever had. His response: "It was delicious, but it wasn't as good as my Nana makes it". Now, if his Nana wasn't one of the most precious, sweetest, kindest little lady's that I have ever met, and  really didnt make some damn good meatloaf, then he might have been thrown in the Dog House after that comment. I decided to let this one slide.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey (or beef, your choice)
• 1 lb ground pork sausage
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tbsp almond flour
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup hot saunce, I used Franks
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• salt & pepper

1. Set your oven at 400 degrees
2. Heat up a skillet with some Olive oil and toss in your green pepper, onion, and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, egg, flour, tomato paste, hot sauce, and spices. Mix well
4. Once veggies are done in the skillet, add them to the bowl and stir to incorporate.
5. Transfer meat mixture to an 8x5 loaf pan, and bake uncovered for approx 45-50 minutes, until no longer pink on the inside.
6.  Have your glass of water ready because this stuff is spiiiiccyyyy, but absolutely DELISH! Sorry no picture, but everyone knows what meatloaf looks like. Or atleast I hope you do. If not just picture a loaf of bread.....made out of meat.

HAPPY COOKING :]