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!