Branching out

Between Instagram, wordpress, Pinterest, and all the other places I follow and find paleo and wellness and fitness and health tips and recipes, I’ve recently stumbled across a plethora of things that interest me– namely: NUT BUTTERS!

Now, as y’all can probably tell already, I love them! And seed-butters etc, the whole nine.
Since going strictly to the raw and sugar-less varieties, I’ve had some difficutly getting the right taste. Before I realized I had been eating ones with added sugars (yes, the “organic cane sugar” IS STILL SUGAR!) I was eating them by the spoonful and just enjoying every second of almond-y, sunbutter-y goodness!
But now that I only buy the raw, roasted, organic, and natural flavors, I’ve been wanting to branch out and try some new things….

I switched over to the raw almond butter and I CANNOT STAND IT!! Without that added sweetness, or at least sea salt, it doesn’t taste good to me at all unless I hide it in a smoothie…

I switched to the roasted kind last week and it’s better than the raw, but I still can’t eat it alone or even dip my fruit in it– yuck, not my fave!

 

So I went online today to browse through my other options.

I recently saw someone post about this thing called Nuttzo
I’d never heard of it, but it sounded awesome so I googled it and found it for a semi-decent price (there’s never really a great price for nut butters, unfortunately…)

 

I ordered it and I should be getting it next week yay! It’s like an EXPLOSION of ingredients, but no additives or sugars and I cannot WAIT to try it!! And this is their only peanut-free product so hooray!! Just look all all that goodness packed in– ahhh!

 

I also ordered Trader Joe’s Hint of Sea Salt Almond Butter– which is EXACTLY how I like my almond butter! I’m hoping it’s good because I really have been in this love/hate relationship with almond butter lately….and I made sure to read all the labels before ordering anything to make sure I knew what I was buying and wasn’t going to get a surprise with any hidden sugars!

 

 

Once these babies come in next week, I’ll be digging in asap! And hopefully I’ll be working on experimenting with some new recipes using these new products! Hooray spending money on things that will be worth it!

Friday feels good

It’s Friday night. I worked today and drove all around doing a favor for my brother his afternoon and still squeezed in a workout before 8 pm! Phew– I’d say that’s a feat in and of itself!

As I was coming through town I spotted a sign advertising a 5k and 10k river run at the end of the month and I thought to myself “why didn’t I know about this AND WHY AM I NOT SIGNED UP???”

So, on a whim, I registered! Maybe it was my solid workout despite my body being sore and trashed from the exertion I’ve put on it the past two weeks; maybe it was the killer breakfast for dinner scramble I whipped up for dinner; maybe it was the combination and the fact that these days I feel incredible about….life!

Anyways, I signed up and I may have gotten my dad to join me! Ladies and gents, I call this a good day!

And now I shall resume my Friday night in with some old friends

Who says you can’t enjoy a quiet Friday night in, watching animated films, in your comfy clothes, eating brinner?!

6 months

Today marks 6 months that I’ve been paleo! WOOHOO! *throws confetti and does jumping jacks*

This is an incredible point in my life and a cause for great celebration! 6 months ago I decided that I was going to focus on my fitness and overall health and I am so glad I took on the challenge. It had made me the happiest I’ve been in a long, long time

 

For those of you who don’t know much about my back story, I’ll briefly take this time to fill you in, as it pertains to my paleo and fitness journey

I have been battling an eating disorder for almost 5 years now. It’s a combination (EDNOS, as some call it– eating disorder not otherwise specified). At points I was anorexic, at points I was bulimic, and I have had a dangerous pattern of binge eating.
I’ve also dealt with all kinds of health issues in tandem– stomachaches, bloating, nausea, fatigue. These were all associated with my eating disorder and, consequently, how I dealt with it (which was not well)

I finally started to eat better and treat my body better by picking up an exercise routine and slowly trying to eat better.
However, it wasn’t until I officially decided to go paleo in tandem with doing p90x that things really changed and I saw massive improvements in my health and daily life!

 

Today, these are the things I owe to my personal dedication to my health and wellness over the past 6 months:

• I have dropped 14 pounds
• I rarely ever have stomach issues due to eating (and if I do, they’re nowhere near where I was for the past 5 years…)
• I have gotten physically strong, fit, toned, and lean and can do things I never believed possible
• I have reevaluated my relationship with food; this is probably my biggest feat. I no longer see food as the enemy, or feel that I need to exercise like a maniac to “punish” my body for eating. Rather, I enjoy eating and find joy in cooking and experimenting with new recipes and introducing myself to new and healthy food
• I eat foods I never did before and never thought I would! The amount of healthy food I eat now astounds me and has made me reflect on my past eating habits and I am happy to be where I am now
• I have discipline, strength, and good habits that will stick with me 
• Above all else, I feel incredible and love the way I look and feel and am proud and glad that I decided to commit to my health and fitness

While I’m still in recovery (and probably always will be— eating disorders are always a battle and I accept that I realistically will be battling it a long time) and have my days that I sometimes get discouraged or frustrated, these last 6 months have changed my life and I hope to continue to enjoy this new lifestyle I’ve chosen to lead

And I want to thank everyone who supported me throughout this entire journey and those who will continue to support me! And all of you who have been with me the past few months through my blogging journey documenting my progress and recovery, thanks and I hope you stick around!

Back in the kitchen

I feel like it’s been ages since I spent a solid amount of time in the kitchen cooking or baking…anything! Being out of town and then it being the holiday weekend, it seems like months when it’s really only been a few weeks since I’ve called the kitchen my domain

But this weekend I reclaimed my territory

Saturday was wildly productive! Not only did I knock out a 3 mile run (for the first time since November, I might add), but I also whipped up a new hybrid cookie recipe!
My boyfriend has been dying for me to bake him some treats and send them to him, but since he’s been working on cutting his sugar intake and I’ve been helping, we agreed I would make him either a clean eating cookie or a paleo one! Since going paleo, I haven’t made many cookies and the ones I have tried have been paleo and have been HUGE fails! Pre-paleo, I was the cookie queen and could basically wing it for any recipe to create something weird and scrumptious and new!
I managed to find a recipe that I adapted to make one of my best cookie creations yet…and it’s paleo(ish)

 

I call these Daryn’s Trail Mix Cookies (now my boyfriend has a cookie named after him– lucky guy!)

For my base recipe, I found an awesome one over at tgipaleo.com

 

To make my Trail Mix Cookies, I used this base recipe with Soy Nut Butter– they tasted JUST like peanut butter cookies, moist and chewy and “nutty!”
Yeah yeah, I know, the soy thing isn’t paleo, but shhh– you could use any nut butter and get a delicious cookie, I assure you!

My additions were as follows:

• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup chopped raw almonds– for crunch!
• 1 serving prunes (about 7 prunes)
• Milk chocolate chips (I used whatever we had in the pantry– this is the only non-paleo part, but honestly, the chips weren’t even necessary! I ate around them)

I adjusted my time to 12 minutes and baked on 350, which produced a perfectly browned and moist, chewy cookie
I KNOW I’ll be making these again– and keeping them for myself

 

 

 

Today I whipped up a quick lunch after church. I’d had breakfast earlier, but Sundays always seem to make me crave breakfast food all day long…
So I threw together a quick brunch scramble using:

• 2 eggs
• Oven roasted thick carved turkey breast
• Extra lean ham
• A splash of almond breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 cup of raw spinach
• 1/3 of a tomato
• And PLENTY of pepper, sea salt, adobo powder, chili powder, and crushed red peppers– I like everything with a KICK!

And of course, a sliced pear on the side!

This weekend has been wildly productive, healthy, and fit. I feel incredible and am happy with everything in my life right now. Paleo power, y’all! Am I right???

A blizzard for a sunny day!

As in the dessert blizzard, that is!
It was 50+ degrees yesterday and G O R G E O U S here in Illinois where I’ve been all week for “spring break.” My boyfriend and I spent all day outside (he working on his motorcycles, me reading and laying in the sun)

Weather like this makes us crave ice cream-y treats (well, I always crave ice cream, but that’s beside the point)
Yesterday afternoon we took a walk and passed a tasti-freeze type stand and I got a wicked craving for greasy, sugary goodness, but alas, we refrained!

So instead, I whipped up a treat for us that I’ve been planning to make all week and hadn’t gotten to yet. Finally yesterday seemed like the perfect time to make it!

I’ve been learning that there are some really amazing vegan recipes that are also paleo or can be adapted to be paleo and this one fits the bill!

I found the recipe on pinterest and knew we had to try it

I modified it slightly. Now, I’m pretty weird about texture. The whole protein balls IN the blizzard was….odd for me, and for my boyfriend as well so we decided to just throw everything together and drink it like a healthy, delicious shake/smoothie/ice cream freeze instead, which is basically what it is!

Here’s my modifications:

• Like I mentioned above, I just tossed everything together instead of making the little balls and putting them in for texture
• We bought sea salted cashews instead of raw which added a hint of a salty-sweet flavor combination
• Instead of coconut milk, I subbed an equal amount of vanilla unsweetened almond milk, as a personal preference
• And I also didn’t add any extra sweetener like honey, agave, etc because I think that the dates and bananas make things sweet enough– I’ll pass on anything added!

Mmmm this blizzard was delicious! You could drink it with a straw or eat it with a spoon– her tip of putting it back in the freezer for a bit was great! Made it that much better! That one needed a spoon, for sure, but we devoured our treats! I know I’ll be making this treat again (or just modifying my morning smoothie one day to have this as a guilt-free treat!)

Also…

Newly addicted to Naked Juice Smoothies!!!

 

 

I never drank these before– WHO KNOWS WHY???
I’m not a juice-drinker really these days, just because they’re high in sugar, but now that I go out of my way to differentiate between natural and added sugars, I’ve slowly been reintroducing juice back into my diet

Mainly because I’ve been losing a lot of weight with paleo, but I’m not eating enough because my stomach is so small. SO I’ve been trying to find snacks that pack calories and nutrients, especially when I’m traveling/on the go

Aside from the larabars, the naked juices are my current go-to for during-the-day snacking and on-the-go nutrition

 

I avoid certain ones because of the non-paleo ingredients, but the “machine” flavors I am really digging! I’m glad I finally picked one up, read the ingredients, did my research, and realized they’re suitable for my lifestyle!

I’ve tried the green machine, power c machine, and strawberry banana so far and OH MAN, I am jammin on these delicious smoothies! And, of course, we all know how much of a smoothie queen I already am so these just make sense

 

 

I bought the red machine and acai machine today and can’t wait to try em!!

Happy snacking!

Danger danger: snack attack!

I just discovered that Larabars are paleo! I never would have guessed. I had heard that the uber bars were, but I didn’t even think to check the originals
While shopping today, my boyfriend pointed them out and I rushed over, read the ingredients, and ATTACKED the boxes, trying to choose only a few flavors…but they were 3/$5 so of course I bought 6…

This is the first one I tried, the Cashew Cookie, and it was DIVINE! I love that the only ingredients are dates and cashews– that’s IT!!!

I also bought:

• Lemon Bar
• Key Lime Pie
• Cappuccino
• Blueberry Muffin
• Carrot Cake

The website is great too, showing you exactly what goes into each flavor! And they also show the nutrition label. I’m dying to try the rest this week (oops then I’ll just have to buy more )
Huzzah, new paleo snack! And I know there are recipes to make your own so maybe I’ll experiment with that in the weeks to come and post my findings….

For now…SNACK TIME!