Saturday, December 31, 2011

Are YOU Exercising??

Ladies in Las Cruces,

Looking to get back in shape or get into a good exercising routine? Come join us at Veterans' Park on Roadrunner Mondays and Fridays at 4:00 pm for an hour long workout in the park. Bring your kids in their strollers, a water bottle, and be ready to workout hard. It is $3 per class per person.

On Monday the focus is on upper body and abs and Fridays are lower body. I am strength and conditioning certified through ISSA. We've been meeting for almost two months now and are ready to hit it even harder into 2012! Contact me if you have any questions. Feel free to invite anyone. Look forward to seeing you there.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Apple Cider Vinegar

Yesterday I talked about the health benefits of just drinking a glass of lemon water every morning. Today I'm going to tell you about one more health booster you should add to your morning routine.


The health benefits of apple cider vinegar (ACV) are huge!

1. It is great for keeping you healthy. It helps fight germs, viruses, and bacteria naturally.

2. Helps clean out arterial plaque, regulates calcium metabolism and
keeps blood at the right consistency.

3. ACV also helps balance your body's ph levels and improve digestion.

4. Clears out toxins, germs, and even mold in your body making it the perfect solution to a sore throat or laryngitis.

5. Protects against food poisoning but also is an instant relief if you do get it.

6. Helps sinus, asthma, and flu sufferers breathe easier.

7. Helps control and normalize weight.

8. Since it removed toxins in the body, like in joints and tissues, it helps fight arthritis.

9. Great for clear scalp, skin, hair, and nails. Clears up acne, dandruff, and even soothes a sunburn.

10. ACV contains acetin acid which slows down your glucose levels after a meal (especially one high in starches) so it doesn't make your blood sugar rise rapidly which leads to weight gain. ACV also is great in breaking up the fats in your food.

The best kind of ACV to look for is a raw unprocessed one that still has "the mother of vinegar" floating around. This kind of ACV has the health benefits I mentioned above. The other kinds may still have a couple of these healing properties, but they also have been processed a lot. Don't be afraid of "the mother" in your bottle. It is the part that has the most nutrients and it is actually made up of living nutrients and good bacteria.

It is recommended to take 1 tablespoon a day. I just put it in a shot glass with maybe a teaspoon or two of water and quickly gulp it down. You could add it with 4oz of water. I personally just find it harder to slowly drink it and prefer to drink it as fast as possible. You also could make that drink I mentioned in this post
. ACV is an incredibly beneficial drink and something I would highly recommend you add to your day.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

LEMONS

Every morning I wake up and have a glass of lemon water. I'll admit, the first couple times it tastes really sour. But you get used to it and now I actually like the taste.

So why should you drink fresh squeezed lemon water first thing every day?



1. Although lemon tastes acidic, it actually is one of the more alkaline foods you can eat. It reduces the acidity level in your body and balances your ph level.

2. Lemons also make a great antibacterial AND antiviral drink. It's good for preventing disease since it also will build your immune system. But also drink lots of it if you are sick! They also are one of the highest fruits in vitamin C. Yup, even more than oranges.

3. It's great for the digestive system. It destroys harmful intestinal worms, and cleans your digestive track.

4. Because of the high vitamin C content, it helps your body absorb calcium better which leads to strong bones and teeth.

5. Lemons are high in potassium- even more than apples or grapes- which leads to a stronger, healthier heart.

6. Lemon water is a good weight loss drink as it detoxes and cleanses not only your digestive track, but also your liver and kidneys. Keeping everything working properly helps your body quickly digest the food you eat and not let it sit around and turn into fat.

7. Helps give you clearer, better, healthier skin. It is known to clear up acne with its antibacterial effects. For me, since drinking lemon water, I've noticed my skin is more moisturized and I don't have problems with dry or flakey skin.

8. Drinking lemon juice will also take away canker sores.

9. Lemons also give you energy. Long distance walkers or runners claim lemon juice got them through the last tough half. One of the first men to climb Mt. Everest said that lemons were his secret to making it to the top. This is another good reason to have this drink first thing every morning as it helps wake you up and start your day.

10. You can also drink lemon water all throughout the day if you have problems with indigestion or constipation as it will relieve both in just a few minutes. The warmer the water for treating both of these, the better!

So only 10 min of your time each morning and you get all of these benefits!

Always juice one lemon and add at least 8oz of water too it. Drinking straight lemon juice isn't good for the enamel on your teeth. I dilute it even more so it isn't as sour. I add about 10- 12oz of room temperature water to it.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Get your Workout Time In

I love short, intense, effective workouts. Something easy to do to boost your metabolism and burn some extra calories while the kids are napping or something short and practical to do on your lunch break. This workout is only 10 minutes long and one exercise...the killer burpee!


The one thing this picture doesn't show that I'd like to add is that after you jump your feet back, do one pushup. Then jump your feet back to your hands and jump up. Set your timer for 10 minutes and go! My best time is doing 56 burpees in those 10 minutes. Let me know how you do!

Zach and I have started this new thing where we wake up just 15 minutes earlier every morning and do as many pull ups as we can, straight into as many pushups as we can, and right into as many sit ups as we can. Then we take a short break, no more than a minute or 2, and do that 2 more times. It's an easy thing to add to your morning before starting your day. It takes us 15 minutes or less to do those three sets. I reallyyy need to work on my pull ups!

Don't wait until the New Year for making fitness goals. Now is as good any time as any!!!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Sweets and Sugar

This time of year is especially hard to completely avoid processed sugars. It's the season of baking and desserts! It's also, sadly, the time many people "throw in the towel" and wait until the New Year to watch what they eat. Don't do it!!!

It's also the season where everyone seems to always be sick. It probably has something to do with the fact that within 15 minutes of eating refined sugar, the immune system drops 90% of functioning. The average person gains anywhere from 5-10lbs just over the holidays and a lot of that has to do with the high calorie and hidden fats desserts.

But you don't have to give up everything...that just isn't realistic for a lot of people. Take little steps. For example, you can replace white flour with wheat flour in almost everything. I've tried it with all cookies and things like banana bread and no one notices. You can sweeten things with honey instead of white, refined sugar. (Just make sure to add a little more honey than what the recipe says for sugar). Have a no free sweets rule. Meaning if there is a plate of chocolate chips sitting out, don't eat it. It's easy to go to the plate to eat one, and leave having had four or five. If you really can't stand it, then go BUY one cookie somewhere. And realisticially, it'll help you not give into every craving because driving all the way to get one cookie isn't going to happen much. ;)

Enjoy only social sweets. Eating that piece of pie or bowl of ice cream tastes better in a group than solo. It also helps with portion control because most people will not eat as much as if they were eating it by themselves.

What about when you are at home and are craving that sweet something after a meal? Start a tea tradition. This helped me so much. There are so many dessert teas out there. Drink a cup after every meal. I love the chocolate spice teas. My current favorite is the Good Earth brand cinnamon tea. Mmmmm. I'm still wanting to try ones like mint chocolate chip, pumpkin pie, and apple cobbler.

Incorporating these few tips will help you to still enjoy the festive holiday season while not pigging out on the sweets and packing on the pounds.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love sitting around the big table with family and loved ones and sharing probably the biggest meal of the year. haha. I love getting to bake all morning and try out some new recipes. I love sitting around and playing games and laughing, laughing, laughing. :)


Of course, Thanksgiving is a time to think about and remember what you are thankful for. I have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my salvation, for Jesus coming to this Earth to die for ME and making me blameless in His site. Without him, I am nothing and would have nothing to live for. And because of that, I am thankful for all He has blessed me with. A wonderful, loving, handsome, fun husband. A happy, adorable son. A great place to live. An amazing church. My incredible friends and church family. Being able to stay home and be a wife and mom and my hardworking husband having a good job that supports us. My list could go on and on. God is so good!

I am also thankful for a yummy, relaxing and very enjoyable Thanksgiving we had in Tucson with my grandparents. My family was also able to drive over and spend a few days there. A good time was had by all!

My Thanksgiving menu included:


Of course lots of turkey!

Roasted Green Beans


Simply cut up green beans and place on baking sheet. Cook at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Topped with grass fed, organic butter.
 

Mashed "potatoes"


Cook cauliflower instead of potatoes. Use a hand mixer or food processor to mash them. I added some goat's milk, grass fed, organic butter, sea salt, pepper and a bit of parsley. 


Sweet Potato Casserole (I'm so bummed I completely forgot to get a picture!)

8 sweet potatoes, cooked
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil (I used my butter)
dash of salt

Mix everything together and put into a 9x13 baking dish.

Ok, this topping is amazingggg. Everyone- whether they were watching what they were eating or not (LOL)- loved this. Its surprisingly how much it really did taste like marshmallows. I didn't believe it at first when I read the recipe either. But you have to see for yourself!

5 egg whites
2/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of vanilla extract

Using a double broiler (or the recipe did say you could use a small pan with water and a glass bowl on top) whip the egg whites until fluffy. Add honey, cinnamon and vanilla and turn on the heat. Whisk for awhile (took about 20 minutes with Rachel and I trading off) until it is thick and the consistency is like melted marshmallows.

Spread over sweet potatoes. Put in the oven under broil for a minute or two until it's browned. YUM!

And finally, Pumpkin Pie


Crust:

1/2 cup almonds
1 cup pecans
4 tblsp melted grass fed, organic butter
dash of salt

Put everything into food processor. Press into pie pan and shape the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

While that is baking, mix the pie filling:

1 can of pumpkin puree (only ingredient should be "pumpkin")
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut milk

Mix together and pour into crust. Bake for about 40 more minutes.

Now we're home and finally unpacked. I think it's time to break out the Christmas decorations this weekend!!!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A Cheap, Nutritious Staple Food

As the weather gets colder, soups make the perfect dinner. Chicken noodle soup is known to help when you're feeling down or have a bad cold or feel a flu coming on. Did you know that homemade chicken broth is not only just warm and comforting, but actually has healing properties? The inner lining in our intestinal system is part of our nervous system. When it is damaged or pulled away- from a weakened immune system or too much bad food, we feel sick. Homemade chicken broth is the most natural way to heal, nourish, and repair your body.



Homemade broth from beef bones is extremely nutritious as well. It contains minerals from the bone, marrow and cartilage. Chicken broth and beef broth (again, I'm talking about homemade, not the cubes or cans you buy in the store) also contain gelatin. First, and most important, this aids in your digestive system. It also is a protein...not a complete protein, but it does contain amino acids that help your body digest and absorb other proteins better.

You can make broth from pork bones, turkey and even though I've never tried it, fish bones. And it's so simple to make!

Place the bones in a large pot and completely cover them in cold water. Add a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (best option) or distilled white vinegar and let it sit for about an hour. This will help draw out minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Bring to a boil. You can scrap off the bubbly stuff that rises to the top. Turn down to a simmer and cover. If you want more flavor to your chicken broth, you can also add some carrots, celery and onion here. Let everything simmer for a minimum of 6 hours. I normally let mine simmer at least 12 hours.

Pour everything through a strainer. And now you have your broth! I usually leave some in the fridge and freeze the rest in 2 cup baggies.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I'm back!!

I know I haven't posted for awhile. 'Tis the season where everything gets super busy right?!

Starting everything off, Elliott's birthday was a success. I love planning parties and now I'll have an excuse to plan parties every year. ;)  Overall, it was a lot of fun, great getting to see friends, and Elliott loved all his new toys. (He wasn't too impressed with the idea of cake though.)


Another kind of stressful thing we had that weekend was our home inspection and joint interview for becoming foster parents. It went well though and there are just a couple more things we need to get done- and we have until December 13th to do it.

Then we flew to AL for Zach's twin brother, Elliott, and Meagan's wedding. It was my first time flying plus first time flying with an infant and I can say....it's no fun. haha. Overall Elliott did really well, but it's hard making him sit in that little plane so long! It was definitely nice flying with family and being able to pass him around.

Alabama was beautiful and I got to experience first hand the wonderful, gracious, Southern hospitality. Everyone was so sweet and it was fun getting to spend a week with Meagan's awesome family and getting to meet her friends. We will definitely have to go back to visit! The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and went off without any problems. I had a blast getting to be a bridesmaid (my first time!) and am so excited and blessed to have an amazing sister like Meagan.



Next we flew to San Diego. We started it off by leaving Elliott with his many aunts and uncles and grandma and Zach and I went out. We postponed our anniversary celebration last month until we were in SD. We had a yummy lunch and then just got to spend some quality time talking and de-stressing and walking on the beach. It was much needed and a lot of fun. :)


The week in SD we just went to all our favorite places, ate at our "only in San Diego" restaurants, and had a great time just being with family- talking, laughing, playing games, relaxing with and of course, eating delicious food. ^_^

The trip home was hard. It was way past Elliott's naptime plus he had been out of routine for two weeks now. Then, we had a two hour layover in LA and I ate an egg omelet at the airport that must have had something bad in it. I felt awful and just laid on the seats by our gate for the next hour while Zach entertained Elliott. When we finally got seated on the plane, I threw up breakfast. Ugh!

Although I miss family and SD so much, it just feels good to be HOME. We ordered pizza (yeah, one last day to blow eating healthy. haha), put Elliott to bed and cuddled watching a movie. The perfect end to our busy, crazy, fun, exciting past 2 weeks. <3

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Pumpkin Spice Tea

'Tis the time of the year for yummy, holiday drinks! Every year from October to December, I would make frequent trips to Starbucks and get their yummy and festive, but sugary and high calorie filled drinks. October is my favorite time of the year for pumpkin. It doesn't feel like fall without curling up with a hot cup of pumpkin spiced something.



Did you know a pumpkin latte contains 380 calories and 50 grams of sugar. A chai tea drink at Starbucks isn't much better. Still a whooping 250 calories and 41 grams of sugar. So I started looking into making these drinks at home. While there are lots of healthier recipes online without the syrups, high fructose corn syrup and sodium, they still are not simply "drinks", they are meals. They each still contain anywhere from 250 calories to 450 calories. While homemade holiday drinks contain whole, real ingredients, it is not worth it to skip a nutritious meal for a sugary drink.

A little experimenting and I came up with a perfect pumpkin drink for just 50 calories and 0 grams of sugar. :)


Brew a cup of Chai Spice tea for however strong you like it. For me, this was for 5 minutes. In a blender, blend 1/2 cup of pumpkin. Add a couple dashes of allspice and nutmeg, a few dashes of cinnamon, and 5-7 drops of stevia (not pictured). Stir everything together and enjoy!!!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Time to Redecorate?

Elliott has been showing me over and over places in the house that are not baby proof. Like this for example:




I know when kids are mobile, it makes for a lot more messes to clean up, but he's pretty cute about it.


At least he's trying to help me out....


Oh and his most favorite thing ever is reorganizing my wallet. I gotta remember to not leave my bag where he can reach it now! lol


Crawling is definitely still his preferred method of transportation, but every day he's walking more and more. Yesterday it so cute- he was quietly playing by himself so I peeked into the room to see what he was doing and he was slowly walking across the living room, watching his feet and taking one step at a time...he got up to 8 steps! Haha. I can't believe he's going to be a year in less than two weeks! He is such a happy, sweet little boy. :)

Anyway, Zach is gone for 5 days with work so I've decided to totally reorganize, redecorate and deep clean the house to surprise him when he gets back! I must admit, I am not the greatest decorator. I don't have that "creative eye". So when we set up our furniture when we moved here two years ago, I've never moved it because I'm not sure how or where to put things. LOL. I'm getting the carpets cleaned today so it's a good excuse to finally change things up. Should be fun!!!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Gluten and Grains- Part 2

(I know I promised this post yesterday, but things get so busy when Zach is away! Anyway, here it is now.)



My grandma recently sent me an article with this staggering statistic, "A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examined 30,000 patients from 1969 to 2008. It categorized their cause of death into three groups: Those with celiac disease, those with gluten-induced intestinal inflammation (but not celiac) and those with gluten sensitivity. There was a 39 percent increased rate of death in those with celiac disease, 72 percent increased risk in those with gluten-related gut inflammation and 35 percent increased risk in those with gluten sensitivity!" Clearly we are not just talking about a bloated belly or minor cramps. Inside our intestines and gut lining, gluten is doing things much worse. 

Gluten is a naturally occurring protein in wheat, but during the processing, it is taken out. Man-made gluten is added back in to wheat foods. In some products, it is added back in double than what would occur naturally. This is what is irritating our bodies and what our bodies cannot digest. As a reminder of what gluten does once it enters your body, it flattens you intestinal villi which makes small holes in your intestine (a term called "leaky gut syndrome") and that lets particles of your food leech into your blood stream.

In doing my research and reading up on gluten, I actually found some surprising studies about grains. Now when you tell people you don't eat doughnuts, they generally understand. When you say you can't eat gluten, people accept that. When you say you try to avoid all grain, THEN you get the weird glances and the perplexed questions like "you don't eat whole grain bread???"  Well I would if the real thing still existed. The fact is, it doesn't.

The version of wheat we consume today is not naturally grown wheat, unfortunately. It is a product of genetic engineering. 



Ok, I'll try to summarize this the best I can.

Grains contain phytic acid, a mineral blocker that prevents absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc. Phytic acid is also found in nuts and seeds. Grains consumed in the Bible or "pioneer times" were allowed to sit in the fields for several weeks before thrashing. After it was gathered, it would sit in the barn or outside for anywhere to several days to several weeks until it was ground and consumed. This allowed the grains to be exposed to the elements and to sprout. Sprouting your grains breaks down the phytic acid. Unfortunately, grains today are not sprouted, harvested quickly and are consumed in much larger quantities than ever before. Flour, a staple in every household today, used to be considered a luxury. Grain consumption has doubled in the last 50 years!

Now, if you do as I suggested in the previous post, cut out gluten/grains for just one month, you'll notice that you feel so much better, have more energy, and less bloating or that sluggish feeling after meals. If you don't notice any change and add grains back in after a month, I definitely recommend soaking your grains to break up that phytic acid and help your body to absorb it better. However, the fact still stands that the wheat we use today in the United States (and Europe, but not so much places like Egypt or the Middle East), has been genetically altered, genetically modified on the cellular level starting with the seeds.  The wheat and breads and pastas we consumed are basically man-made. Our variety of wheat does not occur naturally and would not ever be found growing in the wild. It has been genetically altered to be able to grow vast amounts in a short amount of time without being affected by bugs and insects and weather conditions. All these changes, though, also make this plant simply undigestible to the human body.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Gluten? (Part 1)

I've been doing a ton of research the past few months on gluten. There seems to be a lot of hype about gluten free foods and it made me wonder if I/we needed to go gluten free. So what is gluten?

Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat.

 
The gluten allergy is called celiac disease. Symptoms for gluten intolerance are all across the board:
Abdom­i­nal pain
Anx­i­ety
Arthri­tis
Bone or joint pain
Bloated belly
Canker sores
Chronic diar­rhea
Con­sti­pa­tion
Delayed growth and devel­op­ment
Depres­sion
Fatigue
Irri­tabil­ity
Osteo­poro­sis
Mucous excess
Pale, foul-smelling or fatty stool
Seizures
Skin rashes
Tooth enamel defects
Unex­plained iron-deficiency ane­mia
Unable to lose weight, especially in belly
Weak immune system
(this is just a short list. You can google the topic and find a lot more specifics)

This allergy can be tested by a blood test, but studies have shown that 1 in 7 people are sensitive to gluten, not necessarily allergic, and this would not show up on a blood test. The only way to figure out if you have a gluten sensitivity is to remove it from your diet for about 4-6 weeks and try adding it back in. When we did this, it became obvious that we both are sensitive to gluten (me more than Zach though). Surprisingly, I've also found that the longer I go without gluten, the more sensitive I've become and the more it bothers me. I recently got a salad from Subway, no dressing, and got horrible cramps for the next couple hours. It must have had bread/gluten crumbs or something. I was never that sensitive before.


It goes to show that you don't realize what is hurting and damaging your body if you've been doing it for so long. You get used to feeling a certain way after eating certain foods and you don't even think about it. That is why it is even more important to just try cutting it out. Just one month. If your body does not have a hard time digesting gluten, you'd be that much more knowledgeable and can go back to eating how you were. But if your body does not function well with gluten, believe me, you will know the first bite of bread or whatever you try to eat again after 4-6 weeks gluten free. Not all people are born with a gluten intolerance. It is sometimes triggered or activated by childbirth, pregnancy, severe emotional stress, surgery or a viral infection.

What does gluten do in your body? It attacks your immune system by targeting intestinal villi. Intestinal villi are responsible for nutrient absorption. Over time (some longer than others) gluten flattens the intestinal villi so your body is not getting all the nutrients it needs even if you are eating all the right foods. If the intestinal villi has been flattened, it can take years for it to heal in adults. Children have been shown to heal in 3-6 months. The good bacteria in your intestine keeps your gut wall strong to enable good digestion and nutrient absorption so toxins and food can't leak out and cause inflammation or any of those symptoms I listed earlier. What happens if you are gluten intolerant and are still eating gluten? You develop what's called a leaky gut. Your digestive system and intestinal track are not healthy and are not able to do what they need to do.


Where is gluten found? In almost everything!!! It is a filler and binding agent in many foods. Gluten is not just in bread. A couple examples are:
Ketchup
Mustard
Gum
Imitation seafood
Almost all processed, packaged foods
Hot dogs
Salad dressing
Soy sauce
French fries
Deli meat
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, all stores carry gluten free of these items now. Health foods stores even more so. My two cents I want to quickly say though is that just because something is labeled "gluten free" does not mean it's healthy.


You still need to stick to the basic clean eating rules I wrote about here. I have seen cookies and candies and "breads" all labeled "gluten free", but they are filled with sugars and partially hydrogenated something or the other and a lot of the breads use things like potato starch, soy, unpronounceable gums for binding agents or corn fillers. Remember, it's the back of the box that really counts. The front of the package means nothing...they can say whatever they want.



More to come tomorrow... :)

Monday, October 10, 2011

2 years ago

As today marks our 2nd anniversary, I started looking at our wedding photos (taken by Esther at Summerville&Co Photography) and it brought back so many memories!

Starting with this picture:


Zach had been at the academy for 5 long months. He flew in at midnight the day of the wedding...even had to miss his own rehearsal. But nothing can describe the joy I felt at that moment when he got to San Diego, opened the door and ran through the room right to me, picked me up in his arms and spun me around. ^_^

It was so surreal. I couldn't believe I was actually marrying the man of my dreams today!



My handsome man....I fall more and more in love with him every day. He truly is my better half.




Becoming Zach's wife (I remember that felt so weird to say at first!) has been, by far, the best day of my life. It meant that I would share the rest of my life with him. That we would make traditions and memories. That we would grow old together. Raise kids together. Go through many milestones in life with him always by my side. I couldn't be more happy or more blessed.








And then we were Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Felix!!!









Simply put, I am just head over heels for this man!



He still makes my heart skip a beat. Every day he's at work, I count down to him coming home. I love and cherish every moment we have together.




Happy Anniversary to my one and only. I love you sweetie!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Dove...and Desserts

Today Zach and a good friend, Joe, went dove hunting today. They shot 7 doves and we had one of the most delicious dinners ever. The meat doesn't get much more organic and free range than that! In my opinion, dove really didn't taste any different than chicken except it looks darker. Joe wrapped the dove breasts in jalapeno and bacon and bbq'ed them over Jack Daniel's wood smoking chips. Mmmm, the smell was incredible! I was going to post pictures, but I can't seem to find the camera cord so that'll have to wait. I told Zach he needs to go hunting more often and bring home amazing meat like that again. I felt so...I don't know the right word...country... or self sufficient. haha.

Afterwards I tried out a new recipe for grain and dairy free pumpkin cookies. They turned out pretty good. I didn't have almond meal so I just ground up the almonds. But I think next time it'd be better if I bought actual almond flour so it won't be so coarse.


Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin
¼ cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons maple syrup
Preheat oven to 400. In a mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.  In another small mixing bowl mix the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Grease a baking sheet and scoop cookies onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.  Made 10 cookies.

I've been craving lemon bars too and stumbled across these- which again are grain and dairy free. They were sooooo good!!!


Lemon Bars
1 cup almonds (soaked the night before)
1 cup cashews (soaked the night before)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
4 tsp lemon zest
2 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
1 lemon curd recipe
    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the almonds and the cashews in a food processor. Grind them into a medium fine “flour”. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined. Evenly spread the nut batter into a greased 8 by 8 pan. Cook 15-18 minutes. When the top is lightly brown, and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle, it’s done. Cool completely, then spread one recipes of lemon curd on top. Let set in the refrigerator for at least several hours. When ready to serve, take them out and cut into squares. Made 9 large squares.

    Saturday, October 1, 2011

    It's Finally October!!

    I have to say, October is probably my favorite month. I love fall colors.


    Oh and isn't this just dreamy!??!?!


    Pumpkins are absolutely my favorite food and decorations ever! I'm planning on trying lots of new pumpkin recipes now through the end of the year. Oh I love October!!!!



    My project for this month is also to find a way to make my favorite pumpkin spice latte, but with half the sugar and dairy free. Stay tuned.


    Another big reason I love October is because it's the month I married the man who is my whole world, the man I adore so much. We're coming up on 2 years already! I love remembering the wonderful, sweet, amazing day I became Mrs. Zachary Felix.


    And now, October doesn't end on what I used to consider a "bad note" with Halloween anymore. It now ends with our happy, adorable little son, Elliott's birthday. (I just realized I need to get to planning that party of his!!!)


    God is so good!

    All that being said, I thought I'd also post a great workout today. It's just two simple exercises, but it will work your whole body. The next day every muscle in my body was sore. And if you're not sore, up the weight!!!

    Do 25 kettlebells swings each arm (I didn't have a kettlebell, but you can do this just as easily with a dumbbell)


    Followed by 100 high knee jump ropes (I kept tripping over the jump rope so about halfway through, I just did high knees and forgot about the jump rope part)
    Repeat 10x.
    Make sure to time yourself and keep trying to beat your previous time!