Schedules. Schedules. Schedules.

Schedules. Schedules. Schedules.

  

Photo Courtesy: Women's Health

 

I find that if I do not have something written down in plain view, I will be a slacker. I won't finish my goal or that looming project. I was listening to a radio station the other day and the host said "I love my planner. I take it with me wherever I go. I love to touch it; write in it; and check off my lists or goals I've taken care of." She went on to say how she hates the digital age and refuses to use her calender on her telephone to sync her and her husband's schedule.

I kind of snickered at this because I teeter on having a physical schedule and a schedule on my telephone because it's so handy. I list all of my medical or work appointments on my phone because it does give me a chance to set up reminders.

In order for me to accomplish daily tasks though, I need a physical schedule or calendar. I have a cleaning schedule listed on my fridge of morning and nightly chores along with a chore of the day (I will be happy to post that if anyone wants an example).

I also will be making a workout/healthy/motivation schedule. Sometimes I go throughout the day only drinking 16oz-20oz of water. My mind is slow and I'm stiff from not fueling my body properly so I set a goal to drink 60oz-80oz of water a day (if not working out .. more if I'm working out). By 8:00am, I need to have finished 20oz of water. By noon, another 20oz and by 4pm, another 20oz-30oz.

I don't really cheat throughout the day because I know if I eat something with wheat in it, my belly will rumble, bloat and cause some pretty stinky stuff!! I have sweets in the house but they're all in my freezer so it's not too readily available to consume. The healthy stuff is in the fridge or on my counter and is quick to grab so if I really need something sweet, I'll go for some grapes or an apple instead. It's all about mind control with me and if I can control what I eat by placing my items in the freezer, so be it.

 

Some people like to schedule cheat meals or cheat snacks. That's awesome if you can schedule something like that. If you can, go for it and write it down. Put it on paper and work hard towards that goal.

 

One other physical reminder I am doing is placing money (or IOU's if I don't have cash/change) into a mason jar (I'm slightly obsessed with mason jars right now). Once I've worked out that day, I will put a certain amount of money into it and when I've reached the end of the month, I can go spend that workout money on whatever I want. I can save it for something big or use it when I want to. Each workout I will put $1.00-$5.00 in the jar depending on how intense the workout was. If it is just a stroll around the block with the toddler, I'll put in $1.00. If it is a heavy lifting day, I'll put $3.00-$4.00 in it. If it's a PR (personal record), I'll put $5.00 and so on.

You make the rules to your money jar collection.

 

You control what you do with your time, money, and health. If you work M-F 8a-5p, try to get up 20 minutes earlier and do a quick 10-15 minute home workout. See how many push-ups you can do in a minute then see how many sit-ups you can do in a minute then move to squats. After your initial 3 minutes or testing, try to match those minutes again until your 15 minutes is up. Then start on the rest of your day. Hey, you'll be more energized today than you thought you would be!

 

Be happy. Be healthy. And most of all, do something good for yourself today. You deserve it!

 

~Angela

Paleo and Holistic Cold Remedy

Paleo and Holistic Cold Remedy

 

"Let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be food." - Hippocrates

 

My kids have been sick a lot this year with colds and ear infections. I'm not a fan of sickness (but who is?) and hate it when my kids get sick. I hate it even more when two of them are sick.. and I hate it even more if they get sick and then heal and then I get sick. HATE IT!

I was on a quest for finding a holistic and paleo cold remedy and luckily, I had the mixture right inside my pantry. Fresh, local honey and ground cinnamon. I usually find anything I want to make on pinterest. Everyone said it worked so I tried it early this year when the kids got sick. My throat started feeling scratchy and my lower back started to ache - which for me is the ultimate sign of sickness coming on.

I took the specified concoction and I was surprised that it worked. It warded off the cold and I only had a few aches the first day and I was more tired than usual on the second day and by the third day, I felt normal again. No cold! 

 

So, how does honey and cinnamon work to heal you? Well, let's take a look at the two elements.

First, honey is the only food in the world that will not spoil. Did you know that? I didn't until recently and thought, "wow.. those bees sure do know what they're doing!"
Second, honey is an antimicrobial, which means that it kills microorganisms that carry disease. In other words, it will feast on the germs and kill them before they spread into your body.

And how about the cinnamon? What does that do internally?

Cinnamon treats antiviral infections. Research has shown that it is an antiviral remedy which will kill the cold and flu virus internally.

We put the antiviral (cold fighter) and the antimicrobial (germ fighter) together and the most precious sickness fighter you can imagine has been created.

 

I've tried this twice this year and the benefits are amazing. I am proof that this does work and will continue reaching into my pantry instead of a medicine cabinet from now on. If you look for naturally safe solutions, you will find it. Just keep looking and digging and experimenting.

Cold Remedy Ingredients:

Makes 3 servings (take 3 times a day)
1Tbsp local, raw honey
3/4tsp ground cinnamon

 

Directions:

Stir the honey and cinnamon together in a small container and take 1tsp 3x's daily until all cold/flu symptoms are gone.

 

I mixed up several days worth of this mixture and gladly ate all of it.

I am not a medical professional. This is my own assessment and I will not be held for any misuse of this remedy.
 

Please let me know if you try this and how you like the results!

~Angela

Veggie Packed Paleo Meatloaf with Bacon

Veggie Packed Paleo Meatloaf with Bacon

Printable Recipe

 

 

I have two kids that are mostly paleo/primal and always feel like they never have enough veggies. They eat of lot of fruit, but sometimes they get tired of broccoli and potatoes so I thought I'd incorporate their veggies into the protein and hoped they'd eat it.

The little one is 2 and loves broccoli. The older one is 9 and loves salad and on rare occassions, he'll eat some broccoli. They're good at finishing what's on their plate so if they get something they don't really care for, they know they need to eat it anyways. I like that about them!

 

So anyway. I always have spinach in my fridge or freezer and I had baby carrots this week, too. Threw the veggies in the food processor with the eggs and mixed all of that into the meat, and viola! A super healthy meatloaf.

 

Ingredients:

8 servings

2lbs. ground beef (any ground meat will work)

2-3cups spinach, fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw and wring out excess water.

1/2cup baby carrots

2 eggs

1tsp salt

1/2tsp pepper

1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder, the amount is up to you.

1/4cup white onion or 1Tbsp minced dried onion

1/4cup ketchup or diced tomatoes

3-4 pieces of uncooked bacon

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with tin foil.

In a food processor, combine the eggs, spinach and carrots until your desired consistency has been met. Pour ingredients into a large bowl and mix everything together thoroughly. Form the meatloaf into whatever shape you desire and cover or wrap in bacon.

 

Bake for 40 minutes, uncovered and check for doneness. If you have bacon on top and wish for it to be crisp, turn the broiler on until desired crispness has occurred.

 

 

I hope you try this and enjoy it like we did!

~Angela



Delicious Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Delicious Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

 

When you go paleo, you have to give up a lot of normal foods and desserts. A lot of the recipes we make may not taste as great as we'd like, but it's a treat so we'll take it regardless. Fortunately, I've been following a website for a while now and decided I'd try one of her recipes since the reviews have been pretty good. Check out the recipe for Against All Grain: Chocolate Chip Cookies.

My review is this:
I used ghee instead of palm shortening because I don't have it on hand. I also used dark chocolate chips because that's what I like. You can use whatever you have on hand and make this recipe your own. You can add pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews for an added crunch and/or leave out the chocolate chips and add some dried fruit like chopped dates, raisins, or cranberries. The base of the cookie is good on it's own so if you wanted to leave it plain, go for it. Drizzle on some melted chocolate and dip in crushed nuts? Heck ya!

These are the ingredients you'll need and make sure you check out her post on the recipe and photo. I'll be honest, her photo looks a heck of a lot better than mine.

 

Palm Shortening, I used Ghee
Palm Sugar
Honey
Salt
Egg
Vanilla
Almond Flour
Coconut Flour
Baking Soda

Chocolate

One other recommendation is to not flatten out the cookies if you use ghee. Mine spread a little too much.

 

Enjoy this pretty darn good treat!

~Angela

Paleo Mayo-Rubbed Baked Chicken

Paleo Mayo-Rubbed Baked Chicken

Printable Recipe

 

 

 

I'm a big fan of baked chicken when it's cooked right and not dry; which has been what my past baked chicken dishes have been. It's so sad when a great piece of chicken turns out dry. You miserably eat it and regret all the time you put into prepping it.

Thankfully, I made my own concoction of a delicious and simple mixture to spoon on top of chicken then bake it off. It was honestly as simple as putting a few ingredients in a bowl, stirring to combine, spreading on top of the chicken and baking. That's my idea of cooking right there.

 

 

In order to have this dish be paleo, please visit my other website Easy Peasy: Homemade Paleo Mayo. You'll be glad you tried a new recipe and you'll be happy to know exactly what's in your mayo. So, go there and make your mayo and then come back here for the recipe.

 

Ingredients:
Serves 4

4-6 chicken breasts, trimmed (bone in or out.. that's up to you)
1/2tsp salt

1/4tsp pepper

1cup fresh paleo mayo
1/2cup shredded mozzarella, chopped into tiny pieces

 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, salt and pepper and 1/2 of the cheese. My mozz cheese is always frozen as I don't eat it a lot, so when it's nice and cold, I just chop it with a knife. It makes it much more pleasant to eat when it's in small pieces. Once the chicken is trimmed of the extra fat, pat dry and place in a baking dish. No need to spray the pan if you make your own mayo. Next, spoon the mixture on top of the chicken and spread to cover the entire chicken tops. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top of the mixture.

 

Bake approximately 45 minutes or until thoroughly cooked then broil on high, if you trust yourself to not let it burn, or low, for 5-10 minutes to get a nice golden-brown color.
Let cool slightly before consuming and enjoy!

 

This meal took 5 minutes to prepare and then I walked away.. didn't have to babysit something on the stove. It was amazing! I'll be honest with you, I was so afraid the chicken was going to taste tangy and sour from the mayo, but it didn't at all. It was savory and simply delicious. In fact, everyone scarfed it down, requested seconds and thirds and asked me to make it again the following night.

 

You will love this recipe as much as I do. I promise.

~Angela



Water. How much do you drink?

Water. How much do you drink?

Photo Courtesy here

Click on this link to watch the video concerning water consumption as well as an answer to countering caffeine consumption.

Did you know that our bodies need a lot of water to keep our muscles and joints lubricated? One 8oz. cup a day isn't going to cut it. Let's be real for a moment. If you sit at a desk at your job or are constantly on the computer, do you make the time to drink water? Do you drink a cup of coffee on your drive to work, then realize it's time for lunch and drink a soda or a cup of water and then not drink anything until late that night at dinner? Well, that's what I used to do and I can't believe that I functioned properly.. well, I functioned whether it was properly or not.

When we drink the right amount of water our bodies need, we help to ensure our entire body systems, inside and out, are functioning properly. I love how this website shows exactly what happens when we drink water and what happens when we don't drink enough water.

Some great benefits of drinking water are: detoxification, supplies moisture to the air in our lungs, and the one I like the most is is lubricates our joints.

Some bad things happen when we don't drink enough such as: dehydration, tiredness, headaches and/or migraines, and constipation. Check out that link above to visit the website and check this one out as well. I love this information!

So what happens when I don't drink enough water? I'm cranky, my head hurts, I'm hungry, I'm tired. Everything is more exaggerated when we don't feel well and most of our problems could be avoided if we simply drank enough water during the day.

"I don't like the taste of water" is what you'll tell me if you don't drink enough water... or... "It makes me pee too much." Well, DUH it's going to make you pee. Hey, that means your urinary system is working properly. Know how to rid the "yuckiness" of water? Squeeze a lime or a lemon in it.

DRINK. WATER.

"Well, how much do I drink?" is your next question, isn't it? If you're inactive (meaning not doing any exercise that day), you should drink half your body weight in ounces. So, if you're 150lbs., you should drink 75oz. of water a day. If you do exercise that day, add another 8-10oz. of water per hour of exercise.

If you're afraid you'll be up all night peeing, drink the majority of your water during the morning hours then have the last 10-20 ounces after lunchtime.

Maybe a goal for you to start with is drinking half your body weight in water daily. Start out by drinking 10-20oz. before eating breakfast then the rest will be easy from there. Personally, I like my water nice and cold but when I exercise, I like it to be room temp.

Try it. It may be hard at first. You may forget to drink enough several days in but just give it a try. Monitor how you feel before you start then monitor how you feel during the day when you are drinking enough water.

Either way, drinking water is by far the best liquid you can consume so just give it a try. You may like it!

~Angela

Perfect Red Potatoes, Two Ways

Perfect Red Potatoes, Two Ways

 

 

There are a lot of people who don't eat white potatoes because it may be a problem for them with the starch and glucose and what-not. There's a long post about potatoes here that you can read if you'd like. It's from Mark's Daily Apple and I happen to like some of the stuff he's written. Although he's primal, it seems that he agrees that a large part of our population can not internally handle tubers (potatoes).

I love potatoes and we eat red potatoes about twice a week. I can handle it and it seems that my boys handle it well, too. Only time will tell for them as they're little ones but when they get older, they can decide to continue eating potatoes or eliminate them from their diet.

So, for any of you red-potato-eating-folks, here's a double whammy recipe for you:
1) Baked red potatoes

and

2) Skillet fried red potatoes

 

Paleo Baked Red Potatoes:
Printable Recipe
One small bag of red potatoes washed and cut into quarters

Salt and pepper to taste, approximately 1tsp salt and 1/2tsp pepper
2Tbsp olive oil, or oil of choice
1Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400degrees.
Wash and cut red potatoes into quarters and place on a baking sheet. Coat generously with oil of choice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake approximately (according to the size of the cut pieces) 25-35 minutes flipping the potatoes once half-way through the baking process.
When finished, sprinkle with rosemary and parsley and eat these delicious potatoes.

 

Paleo Pan-Fried Red Potatoes
Printable Recipe

Use remaining ingredients from the above recipe, which are the cooked red potatoes. In a cast iron skillet, heat 2Tbsp olive oil (or bacon fat, or any fat of choice) until the pan starts steaming. When it's hot, place the potatoes in the skillet and cook 15-20 minutes until browned on all sides. Stir and flip potatoes every minute or so. Keep your eye on this as it could burn easily.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or parsley. Eat with whatever condiment of choice you'd like (we prefer ketchup!) or sprinkle with cheese and melt then add some chili or sour cream. Yummy in my tummy!

The first recipe is great for a lunch or dinner while the second recipe is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Please enjoy and let me know how you like these two recipes.

~Angela