Garlic Kale Chips

When you hear the word Kale, certain perceptions come up such as "Super Food" and "Internal Lawnmower". Although both of these are true, not everyone understands why. Let me start with the first one. Kale has a ridiculous amount of flavonoids (45 to be exact) that are full of antioxidant and anti-imflammatory goodness. Kale has also been linked to lowering your risk of developing 5 types of cancer, including bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate cancer (you can thank the Isothiocyanates made from glucosinolates in kale for that).

So how to we pack this amazing veggie into something we'll actually eat? Kale Chips!



Ingredients:
- About 1 bushel of Kale (I used Red, but Green works too)
- 2-3tsp Garlic Expressions Salad Dressing
- Salt to taste

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash your kale and rip the leaves off the thick steps, further ripping them into bite size pieces (if you've had a rough day, this can be fairly therapeutic).
3. Dry the pieces in a salad spinner, then place them in bowl. Drizzle them with the Garlic Expressions and mix up the leaves until every spot is covered (or so you can tell).
4. Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are brown (but not burnt).
6. Take out of the oven and enjoy!

If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, you can sub Grapeseed Oil for the Garlic Expressions and sprinkle them with stevia and salt for a sweet & salty chip instead :).

Honey Mustard Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts - they've been your worst enemy since childhood. Well I'm here to tell you that you no longer need to hide these babies in your milk because I've found a way to make them taste as amazing as they look! Many people don't know this, but they actually contain indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells along with sulforaphane (another anti-cancer chemical).

The most popular (and stomach turning) way to prep brussel sprouts is to boil them - however doing this strips them of all their enchanting cancer-preventing nutrients! To keep your nutrients in the sprouts you can steam them, stir fry them, microwave them or make them like this...

Ingredients
- about 1 lb brussel sprouts
- 3 tbsp grapeseed oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tbsp honey

1. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Wash and drain your sprouts then cut them into quarters.
2. Place your sprouts in a bowl or ziploc bag. Dump in your 3 tbsp of grapeseed oil, then cover the bowl or zip the bag, and shake them around so every sprout is covered.
3. Dump them out on baking sheet, ensuring every quarter is touching the sheet - not piggy backing on another sprout - and sprinkle salt and pepper over them.
4. Put the sprouts in the oven for 14-16 minutes. At the 7 minute mark, pop them out of the oven and spoon 3 tbsp of water over them, then place them back in the oven for their final 7-9 minutes.
5. While they're cooking, mix up the lemon juice, honey and mustard until it has an even consistency.
6. When the sprouts are done, take them out of the oven and transfer them to a bowl. Pour your lemon honey mustard mix over them evenly and serve.

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Stolen from my favorite Paleo Blog - Everday Paleo

Crust

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1 cup pecans

4 tablespoons melted organic grass fed butter

pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. Place the nuts in a food processor and process until the nuts are a flour like or almond meal like consistency. Pour into a small mixing bowl, add the butter and salt and mix into a thick dough. Using your hands, spread evenly into a pie pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Filling

1 – 14oz can of organic pumpkin puree (nothing added, just pumpkin)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

2 eggs

1/2 cup raw organic honey

1/2 cup coconut milk

While the crust is in the oven, whisk all of the pie filling ingredients together. Pour into the crust that has been baked for 10 minutes, return to the oven and bake for and additional 45 minutes.

I will be attempting this guy on Friday when we're celebrating the holiday with Steve's family. Check out her entire Thanksgiving menu HERE.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake - Yup it's Paleo!

The drool starts here...I've been getting great feedback from my athletes (shout out to Jackie) that they want a pumpkin recipe! Ideally, I want to re-create pumpkin pie (still perfecting texture on that one), but in the meantime, I didn't want to leave any pumpkin fans without their fix. This cake has almost brownie-like texture and has full Steve (ie - non paleo) approval.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup canola oil (I used grapeseed - which is why my batch came out a little flatter)
1 cup almond meal
1/3 cup non-dairy cocoa powder (or cacoa powder)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tbsp truvia (stevia)
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a cake pan. I used coconut oil because I'm obsessed, but you can use a cooking spray or whatever you prefer.
2. Whisk the almond meal, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt until it's evenly mixed.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients in another larger bowl. Once all the wet ingredients are completely mixed, add the dry ingredients bit by bit, stirring in evenly to achieve an even consistency.
4. Pour your batter into your baking pan, level it out with a spatula and toss that bad boy in the oven for about 40 minutes. You should see the cake start to separate from the sides of the pan when it's done. If you don't trust your judgment on that, you can always use the toothpick trick (stick a tooth pick in the center, if it comes out clean then your cake is baked).
5. Remove your tasty cake from the oven and let it cool. Then cut and serve :)

Lift Like a Girl

Made.my.freaking.day

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Friday's Quote for Thought

Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.

Mark Victor Hansen

Spooky Good Paleo Candy Bars

Yes, they do exist. I made these little guys for my CrossFit Round Rock class to celebrate Halloween and they requested the recipe. :)

- 5 tbs coconut oil
- 1/4 cup non-dairy cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp honey

1. Melt the oil and honey in a sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until everything is the same color (you'll see what I mean) and consistency.
3. Pour your mixture into a non-stick baking pan. I used a rectangular one, but you can use any shape you like/have.
4. Stick it in the freezer. Mine took about 1.5-2 hours to freeze, but I like to leave them in for 3 just to make sure (no one likes mushy candy bars).
5. Once the candy has hardened, dump it out onto a cutting board (literally, turn over your pan and it should fall out). Slice into pieces and serve!

No Tricks, All Treats - Cacoa Cookies!

My name is Tegra and I have a chocolate problem.

I LOVE sweet things. I blame my mom. The Chandler sweet tooth is alive and well, which does not make paleo life the easiest. Whenever I can't put my sugar fire out with veggies and copious amounts of sun butter and ground beef, I turn to my cheats :). This urge for an insulin spike is always stronger around holidays and Halloween is no exception. So when my co-workers are diving into Kit Kats, I reach for my Cacoa Cookies!

Here's the recipe for the Cookies:

- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 2/3 cup shredded Coconut (I love the thicker ones)
- 1.5 tbs Coconut Oil (and a little extra to grease the pan)
- 1/2 cup Almond Butter
- 1/3 cup Coconut Flower (I didn't have any, so I used the super thinly shredded coconut)
- 1 tbs Vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tbs Cacoa Powder/Non-Dairy Cocoa Powder
- .5 cup Agave Nectar or Honey

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ones in another.
2. Grease a baking sheet with some coconut oil and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones.
4. Using a spoon, drop rounded spoonfuls onto the baking sheet about 1.5-2 inches apart. I prefer to flatten mine so they bake all the way through. If you are a chewy cookie person, leave them in spherical form for a mushy center (sickos).
5. Bake them for about 10 minutes (depending on your cookie size and oven) then transfer them to a baking sheet to cool.

Friday's Quote for Thought

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
- Mahatma Ghandi

Holy Coconuts!

When I first told my mom that I eat coconut oil on a daily basis, she was stunned. Going against the nutritional advice of the government, I have been downing coconut oil by the teaspoon and using it for all of my paleo baking adventures for the better half of 2010. True, it is more than 90% saturated fat, however, the acids contained in coconut oil actually make it a heart-smart choice for your kitchen. Lauric acid, which makes up about 50% of the oil itself, is amazing at preventing high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels.



The sexiest benefit of coconut oil is its ability to increase your metabolism. That's right, something that tastes amazing can help you keep off excess weight! Coconut oil is super easy for your body to digest and promotes healthy functioning of your thyroid and enzyme systems. Further more, it removes stresses on your pancreas, causing you to use more energy (without even knowing it) and burn through more fat. It doesn't hurt that it's calorie count is slightly lower than its vegetable oil counter parts, and the high fat content is extremely easy for your body to burn through and is known to improve energy and muscular endurance. That being said, please don't run out and eat a whole jar of coconut oil this very second. Like anything in life, the benefits of coconut oil can only be achieved through a balanced diet. If you're zoning, 1 tsp = 3 blocks of fat, so be mindful of what you're intake of it is.

Now that I've sung the praises of coconut oil, here is a delicious recipe that uses it as a baking aid:

Paleo Coconut Waffles & Pancakes

Primal Blueprint Recipe: Coconut Pancakes/Waffles from Adam Kayce on Vimeo.

So I totally stole this one from Jessica Sharrat's blog and I am totally against recipe hijacking but it looks absolutely amazing and I couldn't resist sharing it with all my paleo peeps! I am saving it to try this weekend for my cheat after our Free Workout at CrossFit Round Rock, so I will update this as soon as I give it a go.

Boom Boom Broccoli

As a kid, I was totally that girl that hid the broccoli in her milk or tried to pass it off to the dog. Now that I'm grown and don't have a puppy (nor do I eat dairy), it's time to face the music. Broccoli is relatively inexpensive and filled with vitamins C, D & A and is constantly praised for its detoxifying properties. Now on a mission to make it a part of my diet, here is one way I was able to actually enjoy it.

Ingredients:

-2 bushels (?) of broccoli
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 4 slices of bacon
- 2ish tsp red pepper flakes
- olive oil spray

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450. Break up all the broccoli and cauliflower into florettes. Wash them (unless you like dirt and bugs).
2. Get them fairly dry and place them on an olive oil sprayed baking sheet.
3. Give your veggies a once over with the olive oil spray, just enough to lightly coat them but not so much that you can see your reflection in it.
4. Cut up your bacon into bite-size pieces and evenly distribute it on the baking sheet with the cauliflower and broccoli.

5. Sprinkle your red pepper flakes over everything. You can use more or less than the 2 tsp, you're the one who has to eat it.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss that bad boy in the oven for 15 - 17 minutes. Feel free to shake up the veggies about halfway through the cook process to ensure they cook evenly.
7. Let 'em cool, serve them up and say hello to some broccoli!

Pesto Please!

When you start worrying about your waistline, the first thing you cut is carby goodies like bread, cookies and , you guessed it, pasta. As someone who has been carb-concious since 2007, I can fully admit that it has been easily a year since I indulged in spaghetti. This is why:

I LOVE pesto. However, your typical pesto includes things like parmesan cheese and pine nuts - both of which are frowned upon in the paleo world and for good reason. Just because it's not good for me in it's original form, doesn't mean I can't tweak it to meet my discerning paleo taste.

Ingredients:
-1 cup spinach
- 3.5 cups fresh basil
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 cup walnuts (preferably in halves or pieces)
- 6 cloves garlic
- .25 tsp salt
- 2 tbs lemon juice

1. Toss walnuts, olive oil, salt and garlic into your handy food processor and pulse until they are a creamy texture.
2. Add basil (de-stemmed if necessary), spinach and lemon juice.
3. Continue to pulse until you reach an even and smooth consistency.

NOTE - this makes a ton of pesto, feel free to use it on absolutely anything. My dish of choice was made up of raw zuchinni that I ran through the Sprializer (the most amazing device ever) to replicate the texture of spaghetti. I added some grilled chicken to get my protein in and then tossed it with my pesto. A little goes a long way with this flavorful sauce, so this batch should last you at least a few weeks!

Bison: A Girl's Best Friend

Contrary to what the women's "fitness" magazines will tell you, red meat is your friend. Lean ground beef is a great source of protein, but I'm about to introduce you to a better one: Bison. Also known as Buffalo, this delicious and adorable meat has been renowned not only for it's naturally lean tendencies, but also as a heightened protein source, especially for women.



On average, Bison contains about 30% more protein that your everyday ground beef, but that's not the kicker. Buffalo protein molecules have a slightly different shape than the protein molecules found in beef, so much so that they are actually easier for women's bodies to absorb. As a demographic that is notorious for protein deficiencies, this news makes me want to hop over the meat counter and hug the Whole Foods butcher (which I almost did). If you need any more justification for paying the few dollars more for bison, here are some more exciting nutritional highlights:

• Bison is high in iron, which women are more likely to be deficient in (you can thank your monthly gift).
• To be called "Bison" the buffalo must be raised hormone free (not so much can be said for their cow relatives).
• With less cholesterol than beef, even the boys could use a little buffalo on their plates.
• It tastes amazing!
  

Happy munching!

Mashed Cauliflower with Bacon

So maybe not the most glamorous side dish, but when you're having a serious jones-ing for some mashed potatoes, but don't want to induce the Thanksgiving-esque coma or food baby that goes with it, this does the trick.

Ingredients:
-1 head of cauliflower (about 6-7 cups of florets)
- 4 slices of bacon
-Salt & pepper

Yup, that's it.



1. Break down the cauliflower into bite size florets.
2. Fill a decent sized pot on the stove with water and bring it to a boil.
3. Dump the cauliflower into the boiling water and let it soften (about 10 minutes).
4. Cook up that bacon (I cut mine into smaller slices so they cooked faster) then place the crispy pieces on a paper towel to soak up the grease (but don't drain the pan quite yet).

5. Drain the cauliflower well, then toss it in a food processor and begin to pulverize it. While it's getting "mashed" slowly spoon in 2 tbs of the leftover bacon grease.
6. Crumble up your bacon slices and mix them into your mashed cauliflower.

Paleo Milkshake: Does it exist?

Kind of. So non-dairy cocoa powder and stevia may not have been readily accessible to our hunter gather ancestors, but I'd like to think that if they had a Whole Foods, they'd make the dietary exception as well!

Lazy sundays used to mean lots of chips, pizza and some ice cream to feed your football famine/hangover. However, now that I'm a grown up with a diet to maintain, I've decided to healthify my treats - no exceptions. Instead of of chips, we had jicama, ground beef instead of pizza and now for dessert. Modified from a Whole Foods recipe, I threw a few ingredients into a blender to create a sweet tooth satisfying dessert that wouldn't do too much damage to our diets.

Ingredients:

- 2 bananas
-1 cup light coconut milk
- 1.5 tbs non-dairy cocoa powder/carob powder
- .25 cup coconut flakes
- 1 packet stevia (I prefer Truvia)

Step 1: Slice and freeze the bananas. I used some good ol' wax paper and stuck them in the freezer for a few hours.
2. Once the naners are solid, throw them in the blender along with all the other ingredients. Blend slowly for a few seconds, turn off the motor and give the contents a stir every once in a while until you get a creamy texture. The coconut flakes will leave you with a few small chunks, so if that isn't your style, go ahead and leave them out.
3. Pour into two glasses (the recipe is meant for two, but no one will judge you for hogging it all) and serve.

For a little extra color, I topped mine with some raspberries, but I bet it would be delicious with some cherries, blueberries or any other fruit!

Steve's Recipe Pick: Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders

A weekly request around the apartment, this recipe was adapted from an Everyday Paleo recipe that went over extremely well a few months ago. An avid Chik-Fil-A fan, Steve did miss one of his all time favor comfort foods until these bad boys came out of the oven. The crunch of the pecans and almond meal coupled with the honey mustard flavor make these tenders irresistable (and paleo)!

Ingredients
- about 1.5 lbs organic, boneless, skinless chicken tenders
- 1 cup pecans
- .5 cup organic mustard
- 2 tbs honey
- olive oil
- .5 cup almond meal (optional)



Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease your dish with olive oil (we use a spray thing)
2. Crush your pecans into tiny pieces (you can use a food processor or a good old kitchen hammer, depending on how chunky you prefer them) and spread them out on a large plate or preferably, a pie dish of some sort. Here is where you can add the almond meal if you want your tenders a little more covered and crunchy.
3. Whisk mustard and honey together in a sizable bowl. You will end up with an assembly line that resembles this:
4. Drop the tenders in the mustard (give 'em a little rub) then place them on the pecan pieces. Flip the tenders so both sides are covered in nutty goodness and then place them in your dish. Continue to do so until your naked tender count is 0.
5. Put those suckers in the oven for about 30 minutes (or until the juices run clear) then let them cool in the pan or on a separate plate. Then enjoy!


Get cookin' y'all!

Ground Yourself

On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
Buddha



Sometimes it takes something as simple as yoga to humble you. Today, my instructor told me "Ground yourself." Those two little words not only brought intention to my practice, but truly got me thinking about my world outside of the little, heated studio. These past few days I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. From getting in as many fitness classes as possible to working a floor shift at lululemon to shadowing a CrossFit class to training for Fight Gone Bad, 90% of the time I'm actually home is spent dragging my limp course to bed, the rest is prepping for the next day. Trust me, every moment has been a blessing and I am so much happier now that I was just 2 months ago, but it's a little overwhelming when you compare it to my "normal" 9-5 life I lived comfortably in until the end of July.

I've let my life pull me in crazy directions so much so that I've started loosening my grip on the things that keep me grounded - spending time with Steve and my friends, eating at normal times, my family and my ME time. This next week I will ground myself, but not give up the things I love. I will balance my work with my fun, stretches with my workout, eating with sleeping. It won't be easy, but I know that if I end up somewhere in the middle, it will be a successful week. Namaste

Why Paleo: In Less Than 6 Minutes

Courtesy of paynowlivelater

Level One Certification: Check!

In case the title didn't give it away, I am now officially certified as a Level 1 CrossFit Coach! After an intense yet amazing 2-day course in San Antonio, I am ready to start spreading the CrossFit love to everyone. I am very excited to take on classes at CrossFit Round Rock this fall (after much shadowing from the amazing coaches already teaching of course) and start my own bootcamp! I've already done a little shadowing which has truly helped my coaching development, but there is nothing like being thrown in head first to see if I swim - an opportunity that is right around the corner.

The other thing I really got more information about at my certification was nutrition. Some I already knew (refined carbs bad, protein-good) but the why's behind it were really eye opening.



I had some idea of the reasons why obesity and cardiovascular disease are continuing to plague Americans and have reached an epidemic status but some insight from Robb Wolf and the CrossFit Journal go into depth explaining Hyperinsulinism and its relationship with weight gain and every health issue from diabetes to alzheimers and even infertility. How do we avoid these diseases you ask? "Eat meat & vegetables, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar."

Big Changes

Over my 2 month absence, my life has drastically changed - and so has this blog. I am now a full time educator at lululemon athletica here in Austin and am loving every waking second of it. I've been able to focus more on my health (working out almost everyday - mixing yoga and CrossFit) and my goals. I can honestly say that 2 months ago I did have goals, but they were half hearted at best and there was no plan in action to make them a reality. Over the past month, I have finally gotten comfortable enough to sit down and evaluate what I really want out of life and how to go about getting it.



After evaluating my passions, I realize that the most important things to me are my family and friends. Next on that list, is my and their health, which leads me to this new blog direction. It is my goal to turn this outlet into a resource for paleo recipes/cooking ideas. Cooking is my therapy and food is what fuels our entire existence, so why not put my laptop where my life is and make the world a better place, one clean meal at a time!

No, I haven't been to culinary school and I certainly do not have any god-given kitchen skills (my hands are covered in scars from hot pans and pearing knives) so this is going to be a true challenge, but one that I could not be more excited about. These first few months I'll share with you my attempts at already published paleo recipes (there are blogs I have fallen in love with) and my tips and tricks for making them my own. From there, expect my original culinary creations to flow freely! Feedback is a must, so I'll be including Steve's reactions to all of my meals and snacks. As a picky, semi-paleo guy, he should be a great sounding board, but I would love some outside reports!

The Paleo Experiment: Day 1

Couldn't think of a better day to start this new eating style! I left for work/errand running at 6:15 this morning and walked back in the door just after 7 pm, so I'm counting my blessings I was able to prep for the day!

Breakfast (pre errands): 1 snack size Lara bar

Actual Breakfast: chicken, apple, almonds

Lunch: chicken, apple, almonds (can you tell someone needed to go grocery shopping?)

Snack: chicken & almonds

Dinner: Chicken bacon & avocado salad (see drool worthy photo below) and dried apples with a bit of peanut butter for dessert!



Of course, I realized after dinner that peanut butter is not paleo (even my all natural Justin's), but I figure if that's the worst I do on my first day, I'm not too bad off! Today was not intentionally a rest day, but the dinner took longer to prepare than I thought it would, so I'll take my day off :). I stole the recipe from Adrien who found it on Mark's Daily Apple blog (one of my new favorite resources). It was delish! Even skeptical Steve enjoyed it and requested a repeat! Another hit was the paleo Cacoa Nib Cookies I made! Stay tuned for photos of my next batch (fingers crossed it's more photogenic than the first)!

Top 10 Reasons Women Should CrossFit

Oh motivation...

10. weak and feminine are NOT the same.
9. you fear no challenge.
8. you should train like an athlete not a hamster
7. you refuse to be a damsel in distress.
6. you don’t need machines…you are the machine.
5. you have yet to realize your full physical potential.
4. aerobics is SO 1980’s.
3. that which does not kill you will only make you stronger.
2. you’re willing to sweat, not just “glisten”.
1. there’s just nothing cooler than a strong woman!

Getting Started

Don't get me wrong, this isn't my first blog. I've done these guys for class and for work, but never ventured to start one that was truly about me. Whether or not any one will actually read this is up for debate, but I have a feeling just putting it out there will be motivation enough for me. Little did you know, but you've just stumbled upon my venting/rejoicing outlet for all the events of my little Texas life.

Between planning a wedding, my work at my first job just out of school and my ever-changing relationship with fitness, I have a lot that I can write about. Mostly, I plan on using this thing to keep myself on track goal wise more than anything.

My partner in crime, hubby to be Steve, and I have decided to embark on a Paleo diet challenge beginning on June 1. Inspired by our newfound relationship with CrossFit, we want to not only look better and feel better, but see how this diet change will fuel our workouts. Currently, I try to stick to Crossfit style work outs 3-4 times a week and cardio (meaning hating my life on the elyptical for 45 minutes) 2-3 times per week. I like the CrossFit much better and my world was rocked by doing a Fight Gone Bad style session a few weeks ago. Now toying with the idea of competing at some point, what better way to get a taste of what I can accomplish than to dive into the lifestyle of the CrossFit elite! We will see how it goes, but until Tuesday I am going to live up my mini vacation and get geared up for my 30 days of Paleo. If anyone wants to post any good recipe sites for Paleo/Paleo Zone diets, please feel free to send them my way!