Paleo Carrot-Cake Muffins

      I got a bag of fresh carrots last week from our school's Farm 2 Kids program and yes, the produce is for the kids buuuuut they always give the teachers a bag too. So... I don't turn down fresh produce when it's offered!  My students were asking me for ideas for their carrots and after suggestion muffins or bread,  I wanted to do a little baking over the weekend.   I also recently threw out all my wheat flour, so I looked for a gluten-free carrot cake muffin recipe.  Thanks to Paleo being all the rage these days, it was easy to find a pretty yummy looking recipe.

     I found this one on MomGonePaleo... The result was nutty, tasty and a little salty!

 Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins:

2 1/4 cups almond flour (I used almond meal, so the texture was a little nuttier)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp each of allspice, clove and ginger
3 tbs melted coconut oil or butter
3 eggs beaten
2-3 tbsp honey (start with 2 then add the 3rd if you want it sweeter)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup shredded carrot (I did a little extra!)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

 Used my food processor to shred up fresh carrots - still had leftovers for salads this week!

 Mix 'er up!

 This recipe made about 16 delightfully, surprising muffins! 

I brought them to work on Monday... mixed reviews because they are different. The muffins turned out extremely moist and fluffy but they are saltier & less sweet than what most would expect of a muffin. I love the way almond meal bakes, but some people aren't used to gluten & (processed) sugar free foods.  BUT I was very happy with a new breakfast treat and I've had one every day this week ;)

If you don't mind venturing away from regular flour and trying more natural ingredients, I highly suggest these little guys. Carrots, almonds, walnuts -- I've convinced myself that I am eating lots of goodness in these muffins!  Now you should to! 

Cheers,
Belle 

Weekly Sweat Stats 5/14-5/27

I realized I haven't updated my workouts in the past two weeks, maybe it's because I haven't really been working out.  I had a taper week pre-Portland half marathon and then a lazy week after. oops.  Back in the saddle this morning, literally... I rode ~20 miles.   I was just burnt out the past few weeks, sometimes we need a break - mental & physical. Can't beat ourselves up about it (although, I still kind of am)

Here's a look at the past two weeks:

Week of 5/14-5/20

Monday: stretch & yoga
Tuesday: 6 mile taper run
Wednesday: 4 mile taper run
Thursday: yoga
Friday: rest day
Saturday: 2.5 mile pre-race jog
Sunday: 13.1 run, Rock n Roll Portland Half Marathon

Week of 5/21-5/27 

Monday: Walk 5,000 miles around Portland
Tuesday: 4 mile run
Wednesday: laziness
Thursday: 30 minute elliptical & light weights
Friday: eat cheese & charcuterie
Saturday: sew & be lazy
Sunday: read & eat BBQed grilled cheese

Yea, so I guess this week was more about resting my brain & muscles and recovering from a disgusting cough & wheezing. Our bodies need it sometimes, now I am energized and so excited to go back and do some kickboxing, try some swimming, more time for biking and some short runs just to keep up a base.  

Italian Stuffed Tomatoes

        I am still alive! I know you were worried that I hadn't posted in a while and I am sure you called all your friends to make sure I was okay. Alright, maybe not... 

        I have been out of town last weekend and trying to not drown in work this week. With Memorial Day weekend approaching, I will be able to update you on my trip to Portland (a blast!) and a few recipes I have been working on. 

        Anywho, I have been craving stuffed mushrooms and stuffed tomatoes lately. Tuesday's dinner was this creation: Italian Stuffed Tomato!   I couldn't decide if I wanted to make a rice stuffed tomato, a stuffed mushroom or what seasonings I wanted...but as my brain began to slow down as I trudged through the grocery store Tuesday night, I went for the basics. Basil & tomatoes go well together and that sounded easy.  (see variations & ideas at the bottom!)

 

Italian Stuffed Tomatoes:

4 large beefsteak tomatoes (6 if you choose small on-the-vines)

1 lb ground chicken or turkey (I precooked the onion & ground turkey)

1/2 white onion

2 c fresh spinach

1 c mushrooms

1/2 c greek yogurt

1/2 c basil leaves, loose in measuring cup

Salt & Pepper

Since it is just me, I cooked the meat & onion and set aside in fridge to use for later meals. This is about what you would need for just one tomato. (I made it up for one, and then expanded the recipe to feed four if need be.. or maybe you are just super hungry!)

 Saute chopped mushrooms & chopped spinach for 3 minutes. Toss in already cooked meat & onion.

 Cut the top off tomato & scoop out insides, seeds and most of the juice. Leave some for moisture.

Mix greek yogurt, sliced basil and meat/mushroom mixture together in a bowl.

 Spoon mixture into tomato. Stuff Stuff Stuff!

 After stuffed as much as it can take, bake the tomato for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until the tomato is juice and filling is warm.

 It is like a mini lasagna... but better! 

Additional variations:

Stuff filling into a portabella mushroom & paprika (minus the basil)

Stuff filling into a hollowed out bread roll (I did this for lunch, with fresh spinach)

Mix ground turkey with wild rice, greek yogurt/sour cream, chopped dill & paprika 

Season with fresh, chopped dill instead of spinach and basil

Spice it up with a jalapeno & chili powder

The possibilities are endless.

Share your favorite idea or stuffed "vegetable"!

Paleo Snack Attack

Paleo Diet: The paleolithic diet, also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era. Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products and refined sugar.

In other words,  Paleo eating is a popular food diet right now where you eat as fresh and cuts out grains, dairy, legumes and refined sugar.  I have quite a few friends eating this way right now and it is something that interests me to help with my running and training performance (except not sure I could quit the candy!) I am not eating Paleo, but am definitely trying to each as little processed foods as possible.  I love fresh food and doing everything to keep my body free of disease and lethargy.
 
A dinner club friend, Ashley, is also a food lover, amazing cook, baker, kickbutt triathlete and blogger. She and I decided to get together and try out some "Paleo snacks" we've been finding here and there.  As an endurance athlete (did I really just call myself that?), it is important to fuel your body with clean and natural foods. I think that goes for our entire human race, not just athletes. Ashley and I also happen to enjoy snacks, so we wanted to make some healthier options that were still satisfying.  

Recipes for the evening:
Raw Pistachio Balls
Paleo No Bakes
Herb Crackers
Cashew Energy Bars
Primal Lemon Bars



The Pistachio Balls turned out delicious and I couldn't eat enough No Bakes (but forgot to take a picture of those)!  When I was at home and craving a treat, I would have one of those and yummmmo!    The Primal Lemon Bars were beautiful but tasted like pure heaven egg. Ashley & I are determined to try again and maybe use less egg and a lot of lemon zest.  The crackers were delish too.  Seriously, I was pretty excited to say "I just made my own crackers!"  I am sharing the four recipes we used and adapted, tried and trust.
 
 


Raw Pistachio Balls 
(found on Rawfoodrecipes.com)
1 cup raw pistachios
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 tablespoons coconut oil (can probably use less)
1-2 tablespoons honey or agave
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of Himalayan salt





Place the pistachios and cashews in the food processor.  Process until the nuts are finely chopped.  Add the coconut oil, sweetener, vanilla and salt.  Process again until all ingredients are combined.  If you wish to use a scoop to make the cookies, place the batter in the refrigerator for 2 hours to firm.  Remove from the refrigerator and scoop into perfect little cookies. Store in the refrigerator. 

 

Cashew Energy Bars

(found on Fast Paleo) 

1 1/3 c dates, pitted

2/3 c raw cashews

1/8 tsp cinnamon 

Line a loaf pan with a piece of plastic wrap. In a food processor, puree the dried dates until they form a paste. It will whirl around the food processor for a couple of minutes and then form a ball. Turn it into a bowl.  Without cleaning the food processor, pulse the cashews and cinnamon until it becomes a mealy consistency. Turn over the pureed dates. Use your hands to mix the dates and cashews together until they are completely incorporated. Press into the bottom of the loaf pan until it is an even thickness.

     Carefully pull the plastic wrap out of the loaf pan with the bar and turn onto a cutting board. Cut the bar into 6 pieces. Store the bars by wrapping individually with plastic wrap and keeping them in the fridge. 

 

Herb Crackers 

(adapted from Fast Paleo)

1 cup Almond meal or flour

2 Tbsp Coconut flour

2 egg whites

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp oregano 

Fresh chopped rosemary

      Mix all dry ingredients, then add the egg whites.  Form a ball. Roll out a portion of the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper very thin.   Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Take a pizza cutter and score rectangles on the dough.
       Place dough/parchment paper on a cookie pan in oven and bake at 350F for 10 minutes.
You may want to check every 5 minutes until the crackers are lightly browned but not burnt. Sometimes I remove the browned ones and then stick the rest back in the oven to keep baking.
Place the crackers on a counter top to cool.

(Paleo) No Bakes
(adapted from Fast Paleo)
1 cup coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips/chunks
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup almond butter
1 T cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans (or nut of choice)


Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  You can chop pecans or leave whole. In a cooking pan on medium heat melt chocolate, olive oil, honey and almond butter. Once it has a smooth consistency remove from heat and add cinnamon, pecans, and coconut (make sure all ingredients are covered in chocolate) Drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper and refrigerate until they harden (about 30 minutes).

So there you have it. Four delish & nutrish (or at least healthier) snacks and desserts. Do not attempt the lemon bars, as for now ~ yucky!   I'm off to make another batch of pistachio balls. SO GOOD!

Most importantly, love fresh food & your body.

Strawberry Picnic

 

This weekend I hosted a Strawberry Spring Picnic! 

What is that you ask? Well, each dish we ate included strawberries! Yum!  

         A few months ago, my friend Tammy invited me to be part of a dinner club with a group of her friends who love to cook!  The idea is that each month, one of us hosts dinner club providing the place and theme for dinner and everyone provides a dish.  So far we have done Thai Food and Spanish Tapas. April was my month to host and let's just say... my apartment isn't very big. I had decided to make it a picnic at a nearby park, but after a few days of San Diego rain and a lot of indecision I moved the picnic to my living room. Turns out, it was still bunches of fun just relaxing on the floor and hanging out. Or maybe everyone's legs were so cramped from sitting criss-cross, either way there was good food!!!

Our Menu included: 

Spiked Strawberry Limeade 

Strawberry Balsamic Crostini 

Chile Lime Fruit Salad 

Beef Skewers with Strawberry Glaze

Strawberry Pesto Pasta Salad

Strawberry Lavender Chicken Salad Sandwiches (this was mine! See recipe below)

Strawberry Shortcake 

                  

                        

(Refreshing Strawberry Limeade)

   (Strawberry Crostini with Goat Cheese & Balsamic) 

  

(Strawberry Pesto Pasta Salad)

  

(Beef Skewers with Strawberry Sauce) 

  

(Strawberry Lavender Chicken Salad - my dish!)

(Avocado & Arugula with Chicken Salad = Strawberry Lavender Chicken Salad Sandwiches)

  

It was fun to just sit around in a way that we aren't used to.  I think an indoor picnic would make such a great date!

Cheers to something that brings back childhood memories and making new adulthood ones!

                             

Strawberry Lavender Chicken Salad Sandwiches:

(adapted from Our Life in the Kitchen) 

Makes about 4 sandwiches

The Dressing

Strawberries, 5 or 6 large

Honey or Agave Nectar, 1 tablespoon 

Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar, 1/4 cup 

Extra Light Olive Oil, 1/3 cup 

Coconut Milk, 1/4 cup

Salt/Pepper 

Optional: 1/2 tsp lavender for extra taste

The Salad 

Shredded & Cooked Chicken Breasts, 3 to 4 cups

Strawberries, 1 1/2 cups, sliced 

Green Onions, 4 or 5 

Sliced Almonds, 2/3 cup 

Lavender, 1 teaspoon

The Fixings 

Arugula 

Avocado 

French Bread or Baguettes

Blend strawberries, honey, vinegar, olive oil & salt and pepper together. Once blended and smooth, blend in coconut milk.  From the original recipe I replaced heavy cream with coconut milk and sugar with honey to make it "healthy fat" friendly. Set dressing aside.

Slice strawberries and onions and mix with shredded chicken, almonds and lavender.  Starting with a small amount, pour & toss dressing with chicken mix.   It was incredible how the lavender meshed with the other tastes. On whatever bread you prefer, add a handful of arugula, some fresh sliced avocado and a scoop of strawberry chicken salad and enjoy a delicious sandwich!   mmmmmmm...

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

With spring's arrival, we start to crave cool and refreshing foods. Hummus is a refrigerator staple for me and earlier this week I bought a ton of chickpeas with the intention of making roasted chickpeas, hummus and Chickpea & Roasted Tomato Soup. Tomato soup will be tomorrow's adventure. But for now, here is the hummus I whipped up thanks to leftovers and an idea from my best bud.

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 large jalapeno, cut into chunks (use smaller for less heat)
Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (or 2 limes)
Sea Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

Put garbanzo beans, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and lemon juice in food processor. Pulse and pour in stream of olive oil until smooth. Dip with your favorite crackers and veggies.

Note: this packs a good spice punch!

Roasted Chickpeas

Just wanted to pop in and share a little snack I made last week. Super yummy, crunchy like a corn nut and extremely easy to make. Thanks to The Steamy Kitchen for the recipe!

Drain and rinse 2 cans of chickpeas

Lay out flat on paper towel and pat dry using another paper towel, chickpeas should be dry now

  You will notice some of the casings coming off, peel those off and toss

Season with salt, a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning of choice

You can do anything you want for seasoning here, salty, sweet, spicy or savory! 

 Roast in oven at 400 F for 30-40 minutes, until crispy & golden brown

Enjoy a crunchy snack!

A Pretty Amazing Weekend + Chili

As I sit here sipping a delish glass of red wine while snacking on mini Cadbury eggs, I can't help but think about how amazing my weekend was.  It was busy but never felt like it was going by too fast.

First, let's revisit my workout goals for the week and see how I did.

Cardio plan for the week:    

Monday - run

Tuesday - morning gym workout

Wednesday - morning gym workout/run after work

Thursday - run & tap class

Friday - kickboxing

Saturday - sleep in

Sunday - long(er) run??

What I actually did:

Monday - 5 mile run

Tuesday - 50 minute elliptical and core morning workout

Wednesday - 50 minute elliptical morning workout 

Thursday - failed attempt to make it to tap class on time

Friday - 3.5 mile run

Saturday - rest

Sunday - Hot Power Yoga

        All in all, not too shabby. I would like to work in a longer run this week, hope I can find the motivation! I have plans with a good friend for a run tomorrow, excited to catch up with her!

        So back to my fantastic weekend. I am not sure how I managed to squeeze so many things that make me happy into one weekend, but it happened. And all of it was by chance. Smiles on my face.

        Friday: I stayed late at work getting things done so I wouldn't have to take any school work home. Went on a a quick run and then out to get drinks with a friend who was in town. Sipped my way through a few bars in North Park, lots of laughs and had some yummy portobello sliders for dinner! 

       Saturday:  Slept in and woke up with some coffee, laying around on the couch in my sweats. Then headed to a matinee showing of The Hunger Games. If you haven't read this series, you MUST! I was so happy with the way the movie was made, I have to say it was a GREAT movie and not just an attempt at portraying a book.  Browsed Nordstrom for a few hours on my own leisurely time. Picked up fro yo for dinner and watched The Wrestler, in bed by 8:30.  What a fab day, but then my weekend continued with happiness. 

      Sunday:  7:30 Hot yoga with my best bud, finally cashed in on my Core Power Yoga Groupon. So now I have 5 weeks of unlimited classes to use. I will definitely be writing up a yoga post soon.  Then I cleaned up, did some gardening, prepped my chili for dinner and headed off to mass with one of my best pals and her baby girl, Julianna. Julianna also happens to be my goddaughter and I haven't seen her in a few weeks so I had to get in some baby girl time!  After mass, we went to Tio Leo's for lunch - yummo! We gorged on chips, split some taco fingers and just had a nice time catching up. The rest of the day has been spent watching more netflix, enjoying some homemade chili and now a glass of red wine. 

      So there you have it, an amazing weekend. Exercise, movies, drinks, friends and resting. As I head off to finish up my glass of wine, I will leave you with my recipe for Three Bean Turkey Chili. What are some things that made you smile this weekend?

Three Bean Turkey Chili

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes with jalapenos

1 can El Pato "Tomato Sauce" (also called Salsa de Chile Fresco)

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped 

Oregano

Cumin

Cayenne pepper

Chili Powder

Salt & Pepper

Optional toppings: cilantro, shredded cheese, onion, jalapeno

1. Saute meat, onion, garlic & jalapeno until meat is browned on all sides. 

2. Put everything in a large pot, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for a few hours. 

3. Enjoy a warm meal!

Latest Smoothie Craving!

A few weeks back I think I saw a strawberry and date smoothie, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I bought some dates the other day just for this reason.  And in one week, I've had this smoothie 3 times. Planning on making another later today, it is a delicious treat!

Strawberry-Date Smoothie
1 cup frozen strawberries
3 dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/4 cup almond milk
1 scoop of protein powder (optional, helps to thicken and adds protein!)

           

Chopping the dates helps with blending. I made one earlier this week without chopping and ended up with big wads of date in my smoothie. This time around, they were perfectly blended in!

     

Dessert, breakfast, a snack... anytime of day, it's yummy!