Crackers and Pizza!

Say what?! Did I just say "crackers and pizza"?! I did!

I was REALLY having a craving for some pizza this last week and went hunting for a recipe. I didn't want to use nuts in the crust and so I stumbled upon this recipe. Talk about a sneaky way to get your kids to eat vegetables. The secret ingredient sure is a very versatile vegetable in the Paleo world and I am often buying two of them every time I go shopping.

The only change I made to the recipe was how I cooked the "dough." I patted it out on a sheet of parchment paper - I was a little worried it would stick to the cookie sheet and I don't use non-stick sprays anymore. I cooked it on the parchment paper on my pizza stone and had to carefully un-stick it from the parchment paper when it came out and before I put the toppings on.

BUT IT WAS FABULOUS. The person sharing it with me said they could taste the cauliflower, but I think they were just imagining things.

Oh, and yes.. cheese. My body isn't so happy with dairy anymore, but I let it slide now and then. I love cheese. As long as I am keeping gluten out of my diet all the time and processed sugar out most of the time, I am a happy girl.

Topped with olive oil, garlic, caramelized onions,
goat cheese & proscuitto - MY FAVORITE

Topped with homemade pizza sauce, gruyere,
goat milk mozzarella, italian sausage
 and roasted fennel

Next, I wanted to venture into the cracker area. I have a few trips coming up in the Napa area (in fact, I could be there right as you're reading this!) and so I wanted to make some crackers to take along and be able to enjoy with cheese and sliced salamis. I came across this recipe and kind of made it my own. To be honest, my measuring spoons were in the dishwasher getting all clean, so I eyeballed a lot of what I put in and used what I had. 

I used: 

2 cups of almond meal

2 tbsp onion salt (next time I would use onion powder and maybe 1/2 tsp salt - a little salty!)

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp dried rosemary

3 tbsp grape seed oil

1 egg

Mix all the ingredients together and press into a ball. Roll between two sheets of parchment paper until cracker thin and use a pizza cutter to cut into desired shapes/sizes. 

I also pressed the very thin edges back into the dough so they were the same thickness of the rest of the dough - didn't want them to burn!

I transferred the dough still on the parchment paper to the pizza stone in my oven - preheated to 250 degrees.

I set my time for 30 minutes and after checking, added another 15, then another 10 and another 10... all in all they cooked about 70 minutes. I'm thinking maybe on a regular cookie sheet they'd go a little faster - at least that's been my experience with a pizza stone. I bet it's a good idea to keep an eye on them because burned nuts do NOT taste good at all. Also, oven temps are different, people will roll into different thicknesses.. so what I am saying is.. don't go anywhere and check often.

Here's the final product. And not only do they smell delicious, but I bet they'll taste fab with some fancy cheese on them!

Grain-free Snacks & "Mouth Feel"

One thing I have noticed since eating a mainly Paleo diet is that some of the addiction to grains and sugar is in the form of "mouth feel." This makes sense to me, especially when I compare it to people with other addictions.

My mother was a long-time smoker and I've worked with several people like her over the years. My mom had the great strength and determination to go cold turkey many years ago - no meds, patches, etc. Many other people I know have attempted and failed. Me giving up anything that converts into great quantities of sugar in my body hasn't been any different. While they struggled with what to do with their hands and mouth (one reason why weight gain happens after quitting smoking - food takes the place of the cigarette in the mouth!), I struggle with how foods feel in my mouth.

Honestly, there is quite the pleasurable feeling to sinking your teeth into soft, warm, freshly baked sourdough bread. Or licking smooth, sugary frosting off a cupcake. Or chewing a half-baked chocolate chip cookie. Sure, the sugar is nice, but the "mouth feel" adds to the experience.

This is where I've ventured into baking and cooking with grain and flour substitutes. Now let me start off by saying that you should not venture here until you are at your desired weight (or screw weight.. desired size!). This is something I am having a hard time with, so please do as I say, not as I do. Replacing almond flour with regular flour in all of your treats only means more calories - just because your body can tolerate them better doesn't mean they're going to help you lose weight.

Here are two recipes I've tried lately and have had pretty good success with. Keep in mind, neither of these are super sweet. Coming off the sugar detox I've found I can cut waaaaaaay back on the amount of natural sugars I add to a recipe, which is another point in the "win" column!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pecan Muffins
(modified from this recipe)

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup melted coconut oil
5 eggs
6 medjool dates, pitted and mashed with 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend
1 cup chopped raw pecans

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium sized mixing bow, combine eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend until smooth
• Add coconut flour to batter, and continue to blend
• In a small bowl, add pitted medjool dates, cover with 1 tablespoon of water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Mash the dates with a fork, add another tablespoon of water, and mash again
• Add date mixture and melted coconut oil to the mixing bowl, and blend until smooth
• Stir in the chopped pecans
• Place cupcake papers into a muffin tray, and fill each paper cup 3/4 full of batter
• Bake muffins at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

"No-granola" Bars

(modified from this recipe)

2.5 cups assorted nuts and seeds (I used almonds, pecans and walnuts)

1 cup dried fruit (I used goji berries)

2 cups shredded coconut

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup honey (I used raw, unfiltered)

splash of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Haven't attmpted to cut into bars
 yet - thinking I may need to cook
 the honey mixture longer next
 time so it's stickier :)

• Roughly chop 1 cup of the nuts and seeds. Place in a bowl
• Use your food processor to pulse the other 1.5 cups of nuts and seeds into a finer “chop.” Add to the bowl
• Add your fruit
• Stir in the dried coconut
• In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine oil, honey, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Cook until the mixture bubbles, then pour over the fruit/nut mixture
• Stir to combine completely
• Press your mixture into a parchment-lined pan of some sort (9x13). Press HARD
• Cool 2-3 hours, then remove from the pan and cut into bars

Beachbody / Paleo / Sugar Detox Testimony

This is a long one, but hopefully this journey will inspire others! Bear with me!

Early in 2011 I heard about this way of eating called " The Paleo Diet." I brushed it off because it sounded like another one of those diets where you aren't allowed to eat a bunch of stuff you love and are miserable on a daily basis - pining over what everyone else is "allowed" to eat. This was just another Atkins diet, or so I thought. Around 2003-2004 when I was working at the local newspaper, a few co-workers did the Atkins diet and lost some weight, but I am pretty sure they look exactly the same right now - and have the same health problems. No thank you. I've already been on a roller coaster of weights since graduating high school in 1995. I was only interested in changing my lifestyle at this point so that whatever body composition change I made would STICK.

In April of 2011 I committed to a workout program through Beachbody and because I had seen the transformations possible through these products, I signed on as a coach so I could help get the word out and help other people. This was the first step in my lifestyle change and I am so thankful for all it has done for me. My focus wasn't on hardcore cardio like I had always chosen in the past - I wanted muscle and definition. ChaLEAN Extreme was the perfect program to help get me started and I am forever indebted to that woman for not only her positive attitude and motivation, but for giving me a great start to feeling better and fitting back into my favorite Seven jeans. My transformation from April 2011 to November 2011 speaks for the products themselves. Lift weight to lose weight.

But that's only half the story.

Somewhere during that time I kept having Paleo pop up everywhere. It finally came to a point where I couldn't ignore it anymore and so I bought a book, and another book, and one more. I read everything I could find to figure out what the deal on this "diet" was. Turns out, it's not a diet in the sense of "do this to lose weight", but in a "eat this way for the rest of your life to be healthy." That's what I wanted. I knew the end of my roller coaster was only going to happen when I focused on being healthy over being skinny.

Beachbody and Paleo at work - I was Paleo
between the 2nd and third picture. Still in progress!

So I gave it a shot. For 3 weeks I ate strictly Paleo, but allowed one cheat meal as long as I didn't go overboard. I lost 6 lbs effortlessly. I wasn't starving myself - I actually ate REALLY well. I even saved money because it was easier to make my own food than eat out. I did miss some stuff I allowed myself to eat freely before, but losing 2 lbs a week (without counting calories or points!) made it worth it to me. For the next 3-4 months I went from 155 lbs to 140 lbs - but I still was allowing my cheats and sometimes they were more than once a week. What can I say, I love food and definitely love certain foods!

Late November 2011 I was set to have a septorhinoplasty and I wanted to be healthy for it and potentially heal faster (grains can cause excessive inflammation in our body), but stress entered my life and I fell back into old patterns. I will admit it could have been worse if I didn't have the knowledge of how unhealthy certain foods were, but I allowed more of these foods into my mouth than I should. I am definitely an emotional eater and my sugar addiction doesn't help. I couldn't exercise for about 3 weeks and I was so miserable and uncomfortable that I ate whatever sounded good. Thankfully I only gained about 4 pounds during December!

During this time I set out to plan my goals for 2012. One of them in 2011 had been to beat my sugar addiction and I guess Paleo helped get me on that road, but I still had really strong cravings and limited willpower. I decided I needed to give this another go in 2012. Somehow, I ran across Balanced Bite's 21-Day Sugar Detox on Facebook. I needed something to motivate me and knowing potentially hundreds of other people would be doing this with me day-by-day was what I needed. Plus, I had convinced a few friends to do this with me! I was nervous, but had found my determination.

Diane (the nutritionist running the detox) gives you 3 levels of detox based on how you had been eating and if you had done the detox before. Level 3 was the most restrictive, but also the most Paleo - I figured I hadn't been eating Paleo, but I had been strict about it before, so this would be the level I would do. If you want to know the specifics of the plan, you can purchase the info here.

One of the amazing recipes (braised
 short ribs) I made a couple of times.
 No starving here!

As I have said in previous posts, this was not easy and requires a lot of planning in order to be successful. But anyone who knows me well, knows I am a planner :) I sat down on Sunday and made a meal plan each week, BUT since I am single, I knew I would be eating the same thing at multiple meals. This meant I would cook one meal and usually eat something from it for another 2-3 meals. Typically I would pick 4 recipes and buy the allowed green apples and some nuts for snacks, as well as my typical breakfast of free-range eggs and nitrate-free bacon and sausages. This worked well for me and sometimes the components of the previous nights meal would make it into my eggs and the other part would be lunch and/or snacks the next day. Cook once, eat 3-4 more times!

Now it's Day 21 of the Detox. I honestly wasn't sure I'd make it this far. Did I cheat? I think exactly 3 times. Was it on sweets? No. To be honest I really would like a cupcake or a brownie, but my desire isn't nearly as strong and it's much, MUCH easier to talk myself out of eating something. I surprised myself by really wishing for a grilled cheese sandwich more than a brownie at times. I also caught myself staring in disbelief at the aisles and aisles of packaged goods in the grocery section at my local Target. Other than some canned veggies and packages of nuts, I don't think there was a single package there that is considered entirely healthy for anyone. Yes, even those Smart Ones meals don't count. My perspective had changed. I have started to see food as fuel, not just a calorie count.

My biggest revelation just came this past week and was vocalized just last night by a good friend. Last Wednesday I drove an hour and a half to visit this friend and her family. For breakfast I had my typical eggs and bacon, did my workout and rushed to get ready to get out of the house on time. I realized I didn't have time to eat lunch and knew I was getting a little hungry. What to do?! I cut up a green apple, put some almond butter in a little container and grabbed my leftover tuna salad and put them all in a little cooler to take with me. We hadn't discussed dinner plans and I didn't tell her about my detox, so I was afraid she might have purchased a take-n-bake pizza like she has done before. I wanted to be prepared.

On the car ride down I ate my apple and almond butter (probably not the safest thing to do while driving, but I managed) and found out when I got there that we weren't going to eat for at least 4 hours. Yes, I got hungry... my stomach started talking to me a little bit, but I was ok. Did you read that? I was OK. I wasn't irritable, I could carry on a normal conversation while we waited for her husband to get home, food wasn't occupying my every thought and I wasn't constantly saying "Oh my gaawwwd, I'm starving!" My friend was amazed that I wasn't hungry since I only had an apple and almond butter since 9am (it was now about 4pm), but I think she was only amazed because she KNOWS how can I can be when I am hungry. I assured her I was hungry, but I would be ok.

Last night I met up with this same friend, her husband and another couple I know but don't see often. Again, I was definitely hungry when we arrived at the restaurant, but I was holding out for the yummy food I knew was ahead. It turns out, the other couple had been eating Paleo but fell off the wagon about the same time I did. The subject turned to Paleo and how I was limited by what I could order on the menu (however, Kobe beef, olives and garlic shrimp definitely doesn't sound like deprivation to me!). My friend, who has seen my weight fluctuate year after year for the past decade and a half, who has heard of every weight loss thing I've tried, said something like this: What really stood out about this way of eating is when Tonja said she had only had an apple for lunch and how she wasn't that hungry. She knew this wasn't like me. I constantly felt the need to eat before.. I could almost time my hunger to the clock. She has also been that person standing next to me in a restaurant's lobby while we wait an hour for our table and I am just standing there. Not talking. Looking pissed off. And just completely miserable. Who wants to hang out with someone like that?

This hit me like a ton of bricks that someone else noticed AND vocalized this to me. Here I was in a restaurant, sitting with friends, carrying on in good conversation and I hadn't eaten in probably 5 hours - and it was a bowl of coconut chicken soup. I couldn't wait for my food to come out, but I WAS A NORMAL PERSON.

Join the group here. 

I went into this detox with the expectation of a little weight loss (probably about 2 lbs, but I didn't really pay attention that much), less sugar cravings, more motivation.. and I came out with the ability to not let food run (or ruin!) my social life.

At this point I am not sure what I have decided to do. I am pretty sure I will be keeping gluten out for awhile (possibly forever) and most overly-refined sugars. I do love Shakeology and really believe in the product, so that will be the first thing I add back in to see how it makes me feel. Other than that, I will be very cautious about what I decide to eat. I never thought that what I put in my body could really affect me THAT much, but it just goes to show that "everything in moderation" is probably not the best way to live. Who even made that up anyway?!

Diane is starting a new group on 2/1, but you can also start at any time. It's only 21 days - commit to it and see what it can do for you. If you feel the same when you are done, then go back to whatever you were doing before. But I could almost bet you won't...

Rumble Roller, Pull-up Bands and Energy & Endurance Formula

I'm not quite through the first week of P90X2, but I thought I would give you an idea of what I think of it so far.

To sum it up - not as bad as I thought.

The only frustrating part has been the pull-ups, but the bands I purchased online arrived yesterday and I am STOKED. I slapped them on my pull-up bar and I've gone from a measly 1/8th of a pull-up, to 3-4 full pull-ups. Perfect. Just enough to not make me frustrated, but so few to know I am fully challenging those muscles.

Now if only Tony wasn't such a fan of pull-ups in the first place. *sigh*

Plyocide was the day I was dreading and although I was out of breath, I honestly think I was more out of breath doing one of the HIIT workouts in Turbofire. I think maybe the moves in Plyocide are more physically challenging though, compared to more taxing on my cardiovascular system during the HIIT workouts. Oh, and there is some eye candy in Plyocide. Say hi to Roberto for me every time you push play :)

See how a tight illiotibial
band could irritate the patella?!

Recovery and Mobility is pretty darn awesome and mostly because of the Rumble Roller. I bought a regular foam roller a few years ago and used the heck out of it during my 1/2 marathon training to help keep my illiotibial (IT) band loose (so it wouldn't pull on my patella and further aggravate my knee issues). Foam rollers are one of those things that hurts like a mo-fo when a certain area of your body needs it, but the more you use, the less it hurts and more it helps. Enter the Rumble Roller into my life - it's the roller from the other side of the tracks - spikes and all. I was grimacing in pain on Wednesday, but I know each time I roll every inch of muscle on my body out, it will only get better.

Rumble Roller

Which leads to the fact that I am sore, but not THAT sore. I can tell I've worked my body pretty hard this week, especially with some of those crazy moves. I am definitely having to modify the moves a lot, but they are obviously still doing something for me. However, I still don't feel as bad as I should. Amazing what stretching and basically an at-home deep tissue massage can do for you.

And now.. my review of the new Energy & Endurance Formula from Beachbody. I bought this for those early morning workouts or those sluggish afternoons where I still need to get my workout in. I am so impressed with the thought and care that goes into all the products they make and this one is no exception. The best part? It's only 20 calories! 

My first time using it was Thursday morning before my longest workout of the week - over an hour of Total Body and then 15 minutes of abs. I will first say I am HIGHLY sensitive to caffeine, so as the container suggested I only took one scoop in about 6 ounces of water. Wowsa. Within a few minutes I kind of felt like I was on crack (well, what I guess being on crack might feel like). Definitely jittery. However, as soon as I started warming up during the workout and got into it, I was fine and could definitely tell it took me MUCH less longer to wake up and get going. So I give this product an A+. You can order it here.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and that your New Year's goals are going well. My Challenge participants are still kicking some major butt and I can't wait to add to my ever-growing group!

21-Day Sugar Detox - Day 14

I can't believe it's been two weeks already! They seriously have flown by so fast. It's weird to think I haven't had an ounce of processed sugar (and most fruit sugar) OR grains in that time. I don't think even when I started out Paleo I did that - I allowed myself one cheat meal a week. Talk about self-control here.

And let me tell ya: If I can do it, you can. I will admit I still haven't had any major withdrawal symptoms. I have a friend who just started this week and has had a major headache all day for a couple of days now. Others are getting the "carb flu" and here I am, doing ok.

source

I did have a minor meltdown that ultimately ended myself up in the E.R. last Monday though. Before January 1st hit I stopped at one point and asked myself if I was making too many changes all at once. New workout program (or prep for it anyway), no sugar/grains, getting up early to workout before work on some days, etc. Well, combine that with a little residual heartache from late last year, some issues involving planning some wedding festivities (as long as the future hubby agrees, we're quasi-eloping) and an issue with online bill-pay that had my bank trying to double pay my mortgage - well, that will affect you.

Monday morning I arrived to work early as I noticed when I woke up early that morning that my "pending" bank balance was in the negative. I took advantage of the online chat with a customer service representative (a service I love for many reasons - one being I can "hang up" on them when I am mad and not feel guilty). By the end of the chat I literally could not see straight I was so upset. Have you ever had whatever you're looking at bounce back and forth repeatedly like your eyes don't know where to focus? That was me.

Next thing I know, I am telling a co-worker about my issue and she tells me the left side of my face is swollen and the left side of my mouth is drooping. FREAK OUT MODE. I work in a hospital for those who don't know. We take this sh*t seriously. E.R. bound I was.

Thankfully I checked out fine neurologically. My jaw had started to hurt at this point, but the swelling seem to go as fast as it came. The only logical conclusion was stress. Wow.

So maybe instead of headaches and the "carb flu", the lack of sugar running through my system was messing with me in a different way, i.e. inability to suck it up and move on.

Recently found TJ's almond butter - better and cheaper than Maranatha!
Alas, none for at least a week :(
source

I think I am better now.. I had a great week full of lots of good food. I feel proud of how far I've come and am determined to make this next week really count. In fact, I've discovered I've replaced one addiction (sugar) with another (almond butter), so I am cutting that out this final week as well.

On the menu for this week for the detox:
Monday: Bachelor night so the sister is cooking - thinking fish tacos
Tuesday: Going to visit a friend out of town - should be interesting
Wednesday: Garlic Ginger Chicken (yes again!) with mashed Turnips & Parsnips
Thursday: Going to attempt some Tom Ka Gai soup
Friday: Spaghetti & Meatballs

Usually 4 meals gives me enough leftovers (as a single gal) for lunches/snacks for the rest of the week. Now that I can't do almond butter, I most likely won't do apples - so I might make a LOT of ginger garlic chicken so I have a lot of leftovers!

Menu planning - DONE. Last week - here I come!

P90X2 and "Girl" Pull-Ups

Last night was my "night in" - a time to relax in the thought that I didn't have to put make-up on, entertain anyone or be at any certain place at any certain time. I was feeling a bit left out when I left work yesterday as the 49er game was still raging on and everyone (and seriously, their mothers) was talking about it all over Facebook. It's times like those I wish I was a fan, but no - I am one of those bandwagon people. Which I don't entirely think there is anything wrong with. I don't like watching sports enough to follow a team, but if there is a local team that is making it big, the only alternative to "bandwagon" is to sit there like an idiot amongst the screaming and yelling fans and do nothing. So those bandwagon haters, I ask WHY? It's not like I'm taking anything from your experience by jumping on and cheering for a team. I just don't get it.

Anyway, I pulled out my P90X2 box that I got over a month ago and started looking around some more. When you order these brand spankin' new programs, you really don't know what to expect. I wanted to go through each of the workouts and, at bare minimum, determine how long of a time commitment I had set myself up for each day. Ahhh... depressing. For some reason, anything over 45 minutes seems like way too long to be listening to any trainer tell you what to do. Every workout was a little under or a little over one hour . Oh, except for that one day you add in Ab Ripper - that's another 16 minutes. 

I can do this.

But my biggest nemesis in this whole venture isn't just the commitment I have made to hour long workouts with names like "Plyocide", but also to those damn pull-ups. Tony loves them. Which makes sense because Chalene says in ChaLEAN Extreme "You like doing things you're good at."

Which means I loathe pull-ups.

Today is the fit test to determine where I am before I start P90X2 and for the pull-up section they tell you to even write down if you managed 1/4th of a pull-up. I am sure that will be me.

I allow myself to get SO frustrated and defeated with things like this. I don't like being UNABLE. It probably also has to do with the fact that there usually isn't just ONE pull-up exercise in a video - Tony has to smash it out a few times just to make someone like me feel incompetent.

But I have a secret weapon.

http://rubberbanditz.com

Last night I was searching on the internet for pull-up assistance bands. You know, something similar to that Gravitron thing at the gym.

This is where I found a website just for this sort of thing. There is a chart on the site where you cross-reference the number of pull-ups you can do (ZERO!) with your weight and they have a suggestion of band/bands that will start you off.

Tony, how 'bout them apples?

Now I get some people might think "just use a chair" and I've done that. But you can't estimate just HOW MUCH resistance you're giving yourself and if you're getting stronger or not. These bands seems to be a solution for now.

Girl pull-ups, here I come.

Two Fantabulous Paleo Recipes

Last week on The 21-Day Sugar Detox Facebook page, the authors  of the Make It Paleo cookbook posted a recipe. I love recipes so I usually take a peek at most of them, but I knew this one was special when they said they licked their plates afterwards. I'm not sure if they really did, but the next day they posted that they made the recipe again! "Ok, I am putting this on next week's menu plan for sure."

Here it is, next week, and I made this recipe last night. It lived up to the expectations for sure. 

Garlic Ginger Chicken w/Mashed Cauliflower

It's not hard to make, so you really should make it tonight! 

You can find the recipe here.
~~~~~~~~~

Then, while perusing their website some more, I came across a recipe for crab cakes. I haven't had crab cakes in FOREVER, so I decided to give them a try. Oh my.. they didn't disappoint either. If you like the crab cakes served at most establishments that have a very noticeable presence of bread crumbs, you may not like these (and you're weird). These are all crab, baby. And all yum. I didn't have macadamia oil, so I just made Everyday Paleo's mayonnaise recipe as I like the taste.*

Crab Cake w/Homemade mayo garnish

You can find the recipe for the crab cakes here. 

Paleo doesn't have to be boring or bland. I am in awe of the recipes I have been coming across lately and feel like I am eating like a queen every night! This definitely is making The 21-Day Sugar Detox easier to handle :)

While you're at it, make sure you "like" author's page on Facebook and show them some love. They will for sure shower you with more fabulous recipes!

Happy cooking!

*I have recently found out that olive oil should never be heated and since the mayo is used in the crab cake, it eventually gets heated up. Read more about why we shouldn't heat up olive oil and should use other natural oils instead here. (Short answer: heat damages olive oil, releases free radicals, and free radicals are baaaad.)