Thursday, June 23, 2016

FIVE Breakfast Casserole

Five Breakfast Casserole
Yield - 5 servings
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This is a simplified version of another breakfast casserole that I like to make!  With this recipe I wanted to create a very easy breakfast casserole, packed with flavor and lean ingredients, but one that did not take any prep time at all!  I timed myself and this only took me 5 minutes to put together!  It was ready to go in before the oven was preheated!  So, a HUGE win in my Sunday prep schedule!  I like it with a side (100 grams) of roasted sweet potato!  For more recipes and tips, visit my Facebook page FIITNutrition!

You can also view a LIVE demo of this recipe!  I wanted to make it live to show you just how simple it is - start to finish in under 5 minutes even with my chatter! ;)
5 ingredients, 5 minutes prep, 5 servings!
What you need…
11oz. Organic baby spinach
4 cups egg whites
2 links chicken sausage, cut into bite sited pieces (I like sundried tomato or andoullie flavor)
1 red bell pepper, washed and cut into skinny slices
¼ cup feta cheese
Cracked black pepper
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 425℉.  Spray Pie Dish or 8x8 dish with cooking spray.  Put all the spinach into the dish and gently press it down.  Slowly pour 4 cups egg whites into the dish to cover the spinach.  Arrange sausage slices and red peppers evenly across the top of the spinach/egg mixture.  Sprinkle with feta cheese and cracked black pepper.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until set.  Remove and cool.
What you need…
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Step 1…                                                            Step 2...
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Almost Paleo Crab Cakes

As promised...here they are!


Who doesn't love a good crab cake? I heart crab cakes...that's a go to for me!  For years I think I felt personally responsible to test the crab cakes at each restaurant we dined! heehee... As I began cooking a Paleo Diet, several years ago, (not strictly now) I realized that you could replace the breading in most recipes with egg or egg + something else.  If you are gentle and take you time with these, they are simple, divine and pair amazingly well with a nice slaw and some sweet potato fries! Yum!!!

*Another option for cooking these - liberally coat a muffin pan or jumbo muffin pan with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray.  Press each crab cake into a muffin slot, bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crusted on top!  GENTLY, remove with a large spoon, serve! 



What you need...
8 oz. lump crabmeat
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsps. or 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
dash of mace
1 tbsp. chipotle mayo (olive oil mayo w/ dash of cayenne) 
3-4 turns of salt & fresh pepper
coconut oil

*I like to serve a tiny bit more of the Chipotle Mayo alongside for dipping! ;)*
You can also make your own Chipotle Dip Sauce with Greek Yogurt and a little Chipotle in Adobo*


Gently combine ingredients, reserving the crab meat.  Once combined, fold in the crabmeat, allowing it to break up a little, but trying to keep most of the lump together.  Using your hands, scoop and press each cake into a medallion, pressing out some of the liquid to form a disc.  Place each cake onto a parchment lined pan, continue with remaining crabmeat.  Place cakes into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

Add 2-3 tbsp. coconut oil to a large skillet and cook the cakes on medium heat for about 3 minutes per side!

* I said 4 in the video, but mine cooked up a little fast than that!!!*

If you'd prefer, liberally coat a muffin pan, I used jumbo size, with your preferred cooking spray.  Press the cakes into each muffin slot.  Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until golden and flaky! VERY easy!








Baking them is a GREAT option if you aren't comfortable with frying or if you'd just prefer to bake them!  I baked these right alongside the fries! Simple!






Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Daddy, Daddy He's Our Man Ice Cream


For the last 3 years, making Daddy a custom Ice Cream Flavor has been a family tradition!  Everyone chooses what they think is Daddy's favorite thing, and we vote on an ice cream flavor base to start with!  It's a fun, creative project that the kids really love!  We get creative with our labels and our ice cream names!

But, it doesn't have to stop there!  Making a custom ice cream flavor is fun for birthdays, holidays, anything!  You can even use all your leftover Halloween Candy to make a Boo Blast Flavor, Monster Mash, whatever!  Who doesn't love an ice cream sundae party?

Hey 4th of July is right around the corner - I'm thinking a little Red, White and Boom Ice Cream might be fun!

Tip: Use a 1 cup measuring cup or ladle to fill your freezer safe container with your custom ice cream! ;)












What's your Trickle Down? - Wacky Wednesday



It's Wacky Wednesday! Breaking all the rules, today, we PLAY with our food! Starting your day with a big I Love You has to set a good trend in motion, right?
There are lots of ways to say I love you and let your kids know how important they are; build their confidence from the ground up. Part of this is helping them to start healthy habits at a young age! Habits are easy to form, but hard to break! Start those early! Not just diet, but activity, and consciousness of what's fit and strong, always giving them positive reinforcement! Focus on the positive! 
Kisses back for her breakfast! 
Have you ever heard your child say something and immediately realize where they heard it? It might be a word, a phrase, it might be a gesture or mannerism. It could be as simple as a boundary they have mentally placed on themselves because they see you do it! They learn more from example, than from force! Monkey see, monkey do is a HUGE theme in our house for sure...there are a lot of monkeys hanging around here. I see the girls try things they wouldn't otherwise try, if Tucker does it first, but I also see the trickle down effect of the negative examples too! I have definitely been very guilty of this in the past!  πŸ™ŠπŸ™‰πŸ™ˆ
Struggling through something, I have a serious problem with talking to myself! Like, serious! I have certainly been pegged as the crazy lady at the grocery store, having a conversation with herself about ingredients for a recipe or what not to forget. I am so used to never being alone that I find that I engage in out loud thought a lot. When you have been trying to engage your children, stimulate thought for so long...the words just flow. Lol. This can be good when you have positive self talk, but when you are talking yourself through something, it can radiate negatively. We all have bad days and we all fail...we are allowed to! It's how we work through, how we recover, that says the most! Your mindset and your attitude are what others see and hear! It's all about what you exude! Awareness of your trickle down, and the little minds, bodies and hearts that it shapes, is a STRONG motivator for focusing on the POSITIVE for yourself, mind, body and heart!

πŸ’«Children close their ears to advice, but open their eyes to example.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Paleo "Almond Joy" Chocolate Covered Coconut Treats

My husband LOVES coconut and one of his all time favorite things are Almond Joy bars! So, when I was thinking of fun things for us to make for him for Father's Day, I figure this would be doable!  Wowsers...I had no idea they were going to be SO good!  



What you need...
1 cup UNSWEETENED shredded coconut
2 tsp. honey
2 tbsp. coconut milk
1/4 tsp vanilla or seeds of 1 vanilla bean
handful of almond
dark chocolate bar (I used 70%)

First, shake the heck out of that can of coconut milk so the fat gets all dispersed!  Next, Line a baking sheets with foil and gently spray (I used coconut oil cooking spray).  Add the coconut, honey, coconut milk and vanilla to a medium bowl and stir well to combine.  Use a large spoon to scoop out a handful at a time, squeeze it tightly in your hand to form a pressed ball.  It sticks together pretty well but once you freeze it, it stays better!  Place each ball onto the lined baking sheet and press one almond into the coconut.  Freeze for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, break the chocolate into little pieces and add to a glass bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir well, microwave for 30 more, then stir again...it should be nicely melted.  Remove your coconut balls from the freezer.  Working quickly and carefully...this is messy...rolls them in the chocolate and place them back onto the baking sheet.  Return to the freezer until you are ready for them!  They peel easily of the foil!

I had leftover chocolate, I didn't want to waste, so I tossed some almonds in, coated them and added them to the sheet as well!

They seriously are THAT good!













Picnicking and Car Tripping - How to Keep it Real on the Run!

Summer can be tough!  That's when things tend to be more spur of the moment! And convenience foods...well, they are NOT your healthiest option! Here are some tips on how to get around that!

One of my favorite pics of one of my favorites ;)
We are a boating family!  We hit the water every chance we get...I mean how many people get the opportunity to live a mile from the water?  So, we drink it up!

No matter where you live,  Summer is the time that you are really out and about, constantly on the Go!   And even when we are car tripping, I pack food for everyone!  I don't pack for just us and rely on fast food for my kids, we try to do everything as a group!  Yes...they totally have fast food every now and again, but honestly it's much cheaper to pack your own food!  It saves $ and keeps you from putting crap into your body!  Let's be honest...if I am going to splurge I want it to be on something that I choose...not something out of convenience!

What makes a great on the go snack or meal to help keep you in check?    I'm a high protein fan, so I try to keep all our snacks and meals loaded with good protein!  As always, I build our meals with protein, fat and a clean carb!  But, when you are on the go it needs to be easy, not messy, and either shelf stable or fit nicely into a cooler and be something that's best eaten cold.  But, a main thing I concentrate on is simplicity!  I like things that don't require me to take along spoons, forks, etc.  With 4 kids and 2 dogs always with us, who needs ANYTHING superfluous? I rely on food for forks!  Apple slices, carrots, pepper slices, bibb lettuce, even chunky slices of grilled chicken..all these things make for great scoopers or mouth delivery tools! ;)

Tuna, pepper relish, avocado, pepper slices.
I know for us, the cooler is usually maxed out with hydrating beverages to beat the heat, leaving us with little room for food! So, I like these flat, BPA free , dishwasher safe containers made by Sistema.  I order them on Amazon. They work perfect in the kids' lunch boxes too and are even liquid tight!  So if you want to make a yogurt, banana, pineapple, walnut sweet treat, all good! ;)




Tuna, apple slices avocado

Grilled Chicken Breast, almonds, grapes, carrots.



















Stay Active
On the go tips!  When you are at the beach, park or pool...we try to stay active with the kids; when you're active, you are less prone to getting bored and thinking about snacking, right?  So get moving!  We love hopscotch, paddle ball contests, races, catch and even shell hunting!

When you are stuck in the car, everyone gets antsy!  We like to stop at the big rest areas, which always have a large grassy area or somewhere to run.  After everyone hits the bathrooms, we take 15 minutes to play tag, i.e. catch Daddy, and then everyone usually does 20 push-ups and jumping jacks! It helps to get your blood flowing and gets some of those wiggles out...then to the car for a packed snack!

Getting it together - We always start with start with water!  We pack the cooler with waters, leaving room for our food and then take along extra waters that we can fill in as we drink what's cold!  I am a water freak, my husband makes fun of me all the time, but I just don't feel good at all when I am not properly hydrated and this girl...sweats a lot! Just keeping real!

*We usually pack one Gallon sized Ziploc bag filled with sandwiches for the kids and use it as our trash bag after they have finished the sandwiches!*



The Secret Weapon - On our last car trip (2 days) we ended up drinking 2 whole cases of bottled water!  But where there's water, you can have a nutritionally balanced, protein packed shake in seconds!   We always pack our shaker cups and a bunch of shakes when we travel and even take them with us on the boat!  They don't take up room in the cooler and can be made anywhere in seconds!  In fact, I keep a clean shaker cup and a shake in my car at all times...I mean, no matter what the day brings, you can always stop and grab a bottle of water, and voila!  The ones we like contain 36 grams of undentured whey protein ,so even without a blender, they whip up like a real deal shake!  Bonus: This much protein will keep you full for quite a while, even at the keeping up with 4 kids activity level!



Other Great Examples:


 Turkey Avocado Apple roll-ups, you can always stick some cheese into those too!






Homemade Trail Mix - We take our trail mixes everywhere!  Just remember if it needs to beat the heat, leave out anything that might melt!  So, X the yogurt covered anything, white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips! That kind of messy is just not that fun, especially when it's all over a kid strapped into the WAY back seat...yeah...no...but there are ton of other options!

Anti-pasta Salad - So, yeah...it requires and actual fork, unless you want to use your hands...but honestly I love this stuff SO much, I totally would forego the fork, as long as I'm at the beach and can just wash off, lol.  It's so good cold and such a refreshing snack while I am sitting on the beach, so I do pack this one for the boat regularly!

Homemade Trail Mix

2 snacks + lunch shakes for the boat!

Hard-Boiled Eggs - A couple pre-peeled hardboiled eggs, topped with sliced roma tomatoes and  halved cooked bacon slices are super YUM too!

Nitrate Free Ham & Pineapple on toothpicks!

Kind Bars & Larabars are an easy pre-packaged item that I do like a lot, and I never, EVER go anywhere without a bag of almonds!

Friday, June 17, 2016

Seek the Sun in What Makes you Thrive

I am an early riser for a lot of reasons, mostly because it's the only quiet time I get all day! But one of my daily rituals, that I love the most, is watching the first beams of sun fight through the trees to reach the ground. Just how they light the world, as they find the earth in tiny rays.
Our backyard is very thick, a sea of pine trees, then right in the middle there is this one beautiful, outstretched, reaching anchor. It's limbs are all twisted and knobby searching for the light to help it grow. 
When you wait and watch as the sun rises, you notice that exactly where those first rays pop through the pine trees is where the limbs of this beautiful tree tend to curve and turn. It has chosen it's own path in order to soak up the rays that the pines can't block out from it. It is different and unique because of that. It will not be blocked out; it's beauty thrives because it has found a way to endure amidst it's adversity. 

☀️You Will Never Influence the World Trying to be Like it!
☀️Be Younique
☀️Be a Light and a Force!
☀️Seek the Sun in what makes you THRIVE! 



Thursday, June 16, 2016

Apple Nachos (or cookies)

We just fixed these for the second time this week as a snack!  I was doing a cellular cleanse the first time I fixed them, which was pure torture because they looked SO good, and spreading peanut butter is usually something I avoid at all costs on cleanse days. ;)  Since I was a little jealous of this, and because my kids have asked for it twice, we made it both a project and a snack today!  Two birds baby!!!!




I call them Apple Nachos, My Daughter Call Them Apple Cookies, call them what you want, but definitely give them a shot!


What you need...yield 8-12 "Nachos"
2 apples
almond butter or peanut butter

Toppings, think trail mix!
Pumpkin Seeds
Chocolate chips (we used minis)
Shredded Unsweetend Coconut
Pecans
Date pieces
Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Granola
Toasted Coconut Chips
anything!!

I like to arrange all the toppings for the kids in a sort of buffet!  I feel like they usually try more things this way and fill their plate too!

This is SO simple!  The hardest part is forcing yourself to refrigerate them for about 30-45 minutes before enjoying them!  They really are much better super cold and crunchy!

Wash and core 2 apples.  Carefully slice them into medallions about 1/4" thick, some of mine were a little less!  Spread them with a nice sticky layer of almond butter or peanut butter!  Then add toppings!  The more the merrier!  Pop into the refrigerator for about 30 mites to chill!  Enjoy!

Eer on the side of extra because they are THAT GOOD!







Nothing but crumbs...