Superfood Chocolate Bars

I have a weakness and it is chocolate… I just can’t seem to give it up. I have learned to enjoy it in moderation. It’s hard finding allergy free chocolate though. I have ran across a few brands that I like – Enjoy Life is one. They are free of the major allergens and are easy to find where I live. I’ve also found a couple brands online. Artisana is good too. These bars I used a little combination of chocolate, oils, fruits, nuts, etc to promote a healthy little treat. They are packed full of nutrients, antioxidants, etc. It may be difficult to find some of the ingredients at your local grocery store (especially in small town KS!) but I challenge you to venture out a little. Visit a health food store, check online, etc to find some of these ingredients. If you can’t, simply substitute something else! You can make these with regular chocolate too, just watch the sugar content! This makes about 24 small bars

1 12oz package of dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life 60% cacao dark)

1/3 cup coconut oil (or butter)

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup chopped, dried goji berries (cranberries or currants would work)

½ cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

¼ cup chia seeds (dry)

¼ cup red wine (just an extra boost! Omit if desired)

½ tsp sea salt

¼ cup organic dry sweetener (I used coconut sugar crystals – optional)

• In a large saucepan, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil together over low heat. Add in wine and vanilla and stir until smooth. Be careful not to over cook chocolate as it can burn quickly. 
• Toss in about half of the berries, nuts and chia seeds into melted chocolate. Stir until well combined. 
• Pour chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread into a thin layer. 
• Sprinkle remaining berries, nuts and chia seeds over top of chocolate. 
• Sprinkle on sea salt and sugar. 
• Chill chocolate for about an hour. Break or cut into small pieces. Store covered in refrigerator for best results. 

Artichoke Olive Feta Pizza

I love making pizza. There are so many different varieties to try and everyone can get what they want. My son wanted plain pepperoni pizza which I can’t eat. I wanted olives on mine, which my husband won’t touch! So everyone got what they wanted. I just split the dough into three pieces and baked everyone their own “personalized” pizza. Of course, mine was the best : ) so it gets posted. I wanted something a little salty but still savory and very Mediterranean. This pizza is just that! Makes one serving – about a 5” pizza but the dough mixture will make about one regular 14” pizza crust.

1 pkg of pizza dough (I used Namaste allergy free brand and split it three ways)

1 Tbsp pizza sauce (preferably homemade!)

1 Tbsp diced onions

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp white wine vinegar

¼ cup Swiss chard, finely chopped

1 Tbsp diced mushrooms

1 Tbsp artichoke, chopped

1 Tbsp Greek olives, chopped (I used a green, black, kalamata mix)

1 Tbsp feta cheese

•  Pre-bake pizza dough according to package instructions. 
• Meanwhile, sauté onions, mushrooms and chard in olive oil. Add in artichokes, olives and vinegar. 
• Cook for about 8 minutes or until vegetables are soft. 
• Spread sauce over top of pizza crust, sprinkle over vegetable mixture and top with Feta cheese. 
• Bake at 450° for about 10-15 minutes or until pizza starts to brown. Use more or less toppings as you’d like. 

Salmon Cabbage Salad with Simple Rosemary Dressing

Sometimes you just need a light lunch and this does the trick. The best thing about salads is you can eat a TON of lettuce with very little setback. About 2 cups of lettuce (depending on the kind) is about 50 calories. The bad part about salads is the dressing. I like my salad dressed up. I know people who don’t need dressing on their salad but I like a little bit. Salad dressings are one of those things that can be loaded with unnatural, unhealthy ingredients. This salad dressing I made is simple, natural and light. The salad gets a lot of its flavor from the salmon. If you season your salmon properly, you won’t need a lot of extra flavors from the dressing. If you are not a fan of salmon, you could swap in shrimp or chicken but the salmon provides a lot of essential oils and nutrients. On a busy week, I will make salmon or chicken one night and make some extra. I’ll slice it up for my salads or lettuce wraps throughout the week; it makes for quick meal prep! This makes about 4 servings

2 salmon fillets (about 3 oz each)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp lemon juice

4 cups salad greens, chopped (I like romaine, kale mix)

1 cup carrots, diced

2 cups red cabbage, chopped

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp vinegar (I like coconut or white wine)

1 tsp rosemary, chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

Zest from one lemon

½ tsp black pepper

Season salmon fillets with turmeric, pepper, salt and lemon juice. Sauté your salmon fillets in a skillet for about 8 minutes per side or you can grill your salmon. Salmon is cooked through when it starts to flake with a fork. In a large serving bowl, combine salad greens, cabbage and carrots. Flake salmon fillets with a fork and sprinkle into salad mixture. Top with dressing and gently toss together. 

January 2014 Workout Plan

As promised – below is the workout plan I’ve put together. Since today is New Year’s Day – it’s a rest day. I didn’t go to any crazy parties last night (unless you call snuggling with my babes watching cartoons crazy!) but it is a holiday and I wanted to relax. We’ll start strong tomorrow! If you’ll notice, it’s nothing crazy, just some simple, quick exercising 5 times a week. My goal is at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week with 2 days of rest. Wednesdays are my busy days so that’s why I added resting there and Sundays are my days to relax. If you have other days you want to swap, fine. My main focus this month is core and legs. That’s why two days out of the week I am simply focusing on ab and leg workouts. In addition, these days have a little extra time designated for whatever else you want. I may bike some or yoga or more crunches. I also added days for yoga as it is supposedly a stress reducing technique. I’ve tried it before and loved it. It was my go-to workout after having my kids. I had two c-sections and my stomach was destroyed. The light, easy moves that yoga provided helped strengthen my muscles slowly during those first few weeks after baby. I highly recommend it for that reason. There are so many different yoga classes available online, through podcast, etc. I actually found one that I really like and have been viewing it since my son was born 5 years ago. It is called Yogamazing and I really like the instructor, Chaz. I’ve been viewing his podcast (available on iTunes). He also has videos and unlimited streaming available (find out more at www.yogamazing.com). He offers a variety of sessions (long and short) ranging in experience level. I am by no means an experienced yoga person but I do his more advanced sessions, just as my flexibility and strength allow. I’m not big on in person fitness classes – mainly because I look like a goof. I run goofy, job goofy, ride my bike goofy, all the above! I’m much more comfortable in my own home so I watch the Yoga videos from my living room on my own mat. The only people who get to see that is my family and possibly my neighbors (sorry to them!). I also have a stationary bike for the days I’ve designated as bike days. When it warms up, these will turn into outside bike rides. This plan is just a guideline of what my goals are. Some days I may end up doing more than that day requires or less if I’m having a bad day. It’s flexible, the purpose is just to get that daily exercising in to help feel good about yourself and be healthy! 

New Year New You Breakfast

Happy New Year! Today, some of you may not wake up in time for breakfast and might not feel like eating if you had a little too much fun! For those of you like me, who barely stayed up to “ring in the new year” and then awoke to very busy kids early, you might need a quick pick me up! If you saw my post yesterday about our New Year’s goals, you will see that one of mine is embracing my health issues and having a more positive outlook on them.  A couple weeks ago, I found out I was showing intolerances to almost every food. My major problems being gluten, dairy and eggs – which I was forced to give up immediately. The dairy and eggs have proven to be quite a struggle to give up. I was eating two eggs a day for breakfast. When I first started going through my diet change last summer I found a cute little blog, Peas and Thank You, and a cookbook by the same name. The author is very fun in her writing. They follow a vegan diet that includes gluten so I do have to make some modifications to her recipes but they are still great! In her cookbook I found a recipe for tofu eggs. I immediately thought, “no way am I eating tofu”. My sister is vegan. She eats tofu; I’ve tried it and hated it. However, I decided to give it another shot. I modified the recipe I found to add in my favorite veggies and I’m very surprised (and happy) to say that it works! This is a baked dish that tastes similar to a quiche or frittata. Tofu, when baked like eggs, has a very similar taste and texture to eggs. I challenge you to try the tofu as it does have many health benefits. However, I understand if you just can’t quite make that leap into the tofu world (it was hard for me!). If you can’t, I’ve added an egg substitution for you. Either way, this dish is healthy, tasty, filling and keeps well. Sometimes life brings us challenges that we aren’t prepared for but today is a new day, the start of a new year and I’m embracing a new “me” and I hope this little dish helps! This serves 4-6.

1 package of tofu (any firmness will work) or 8 eggs

¼ cup peppers, chopped

½ cup kale, chopped

¼ cup mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup potato, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup shredded cheese (I used Daiya dairy free cheddar)

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp sea salt

• In a large skillet, sauté kale, peppers, mushrooms and potato in olive oil until crisp tender (about 10-15 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare tofu. 
• If you are using a firm or extra firm tofu, you will need to puree it until smooth. To do this, just use a blender and a little bit of water until it is smooth. 
• If you are using a soft tofu, you won’t need to puree it, but you will need to drain the excess water out.
•  If you use the soft tofu, you can leave it a little chunkier and it gives the dish a scrambled egg like texture. If you use the firm pureed tofu, its smoother. Either way it tastes great! 
• In a large mixing bowl, combine tofu, cheese, spices and vegetables; stir until well combined. 
• Pour mixture into a greased 9” glass pie plate or other baking dish. Bake at 375°F for about 20-25 minutes or until mixture starts to brown and is firm in the center. 
• You can also fill muffin cups with the mixture and make individual servings, just adjust your cooking time. 
• Serve this with some fresh fruit for a complete meal!

Happy New Year!! (and our 2014 goals!)

It’s almost 2014 – that means resolutions! We aren’t doing resolutions this year…. I’ll be honest – I usually don’t anyway. Sure I get the idea that it’d be nice to have a resolution but ultimately it’s not important enough for me to stay at it. Before January is up, I’ve forgotten about it. I decided that we would have New Year’s goals instead.

We survived the cold!

2013 proved to be my hardest year yet. If you don’t know, check out my story here. In all honesty, the last few years have been a struggle that has just gotten worse. I now know why my body is fighting itself constantly and why I feel so terrible all the time. That’s a great start for the New Year. It has been hard for me to accept the fact that I’ve gone through so much with little results up until recently. I have spent over a year getting tested for everything under the sun. It’s pretty exhausting. I’ve learned that dwelling on the negative is one of my biggest hurdles to healing. So my #1 goal for 2014 is having a more positive outlook on life and my healing. This includes stronger faith, patience and hope.

We went fishing!

We soaked up some rays!

#2 is to take better care of myself. This includes taking help when it is offered. I’m pretty independent but I just can’t do everything on my own right now (it’s been hard coming to terms with that). So yes husband, I will stop fighting your help every day (or at least try to). I’m also going to completely embrace my new diet, nutrition counseling, etc. I know that next week when I go to my first nutrition appointment my world will be rocked. I know the first few months of this year is going to consist of me letting my body heal – which also means giving up practically every food I’m accustomed to for a while. It’s just food – I can do it.

#3 goal is to control my stress better – at work, at home, etc. I love cooking as a hobby but it’s hard to enjoy cooking when you can’t eat much so temporarily I’m going to try other outlets to reduce stress. I’ve never been one for exercise – I figured chasing kids was exercise enough. I know that I need to stay fit though…. Most people think that since I don’t weigh a lot that I’m fit. Not the case – I’m pretty puny and weak. If I’m going to be scrawny, I might as well be stronger and toned. I’m going to share my exercise plans each month, starting with January.  These will be simple, easy plans that I think others will be able to use. I’d go ahead and call these beginner plans. My husband is active so he helps me out when I need advice. This is a plan I’ve come up with to help me but it is simple enough for others to use. I’m also going to try and get more organized – in every way possible! That’s got to reduce stress right?!

We rested...

We got "more married"

#4 is to save more money. We had a nice little cushion for a family our age. We’ve worked hard for what we have but as the saying goes “you spend what you make”. I’ve also learned the hard way that your “cushion” can be gone real quick. Ours went to pay medical bills. We’d been saving for a nice little vacation or mini honeymoon we’ve never had. That didn’t happen but what a blessing it was to have that little bit saved so we didn’t have to sacrifice anything that makes us comfortable! It made me think though… good grief we have a lot of junk! This goal is simple – don’t waste money on things we don’t need. I’ve got it figured up and I’ll also post our savings plan. We already keep a budget each month that I reconcile often. We go over budget each month but not on our items we need (utilities, etc) but on things we want (clothes, entertainment, etc). I may end up with a few more goals before January is up but they are all attainable and realistic. If you have any ideas for good goals or tips I could use with mine – let us know! It’s always nice to share thoughts and ideas that can help one another!

We had birthday #5!

and birthday #1!

To finish this post, let me just say that I hope your 2014 is full of love, happiness, blessings, faith, strength, etc. Regardless of how you feel about 2013, it is over and behind us! Let’s make 2014 the best year yet and if not, try to enjoy it anyway!!

Things weren't always great....

But we love each other anyway...

Healthy Nachos

Going low carb can be a real challenge. I find it especially hard to eat healthy during football or parties. We just love party snacks but you know as well as I do that they can be awful for you! I’m still adjusting but for now these nachos will work great in a pinch! Believe it or not, the bell peppers make a great substitute for a chip. Let’s be honest though – it’s still not a chip. I really liked the light and crisp taste though. Plus I could eat a lot more without feeling guilty about it! I did made my husband some with tortilla chips though – not everyone is excited about finding a low carb, clean, appetizer like I am : ). Makes enough for about 4-6 servings depending on if you are serving as an appetizer or a meal.

3-4 bell peppers, seeded and cut into 2” chunks

1 can beans, drained and rinsed (our favorites are black beans or cannellini beans)

2 medium tomatoes, diced

½ cup corn

½ cup jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

1 avocado, chopped

¼ cup green onions chopped

½ cup shredded cheese (we used dairy free)

Salsa, sour cream, etc for additional toppings

Heat oven to 400°F. On a large baking sheet sprayed with olive oil, line bell peppers in a single layer. Spread evenly over peppers the beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers. Top with cheese and bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with avocadoes, green onions and additional toppings if desired. Serve immediately.