paleo crock pot chicken//the genius of a crock pot.

Hey guys! It’s Wednesday– you’re almost there! Wednesday is my longest day of class (till 5 pm :/) and I always feel like Wednesday night is the turning point of my week– when the work starts to be more manageable, and I can see the ‘finish line’ (before the next week’s work starts up again..). Needless to say, I am fueling up for today. I already worked out this morning and I have a healthy eggs/veggie/coconut oil breakfast cooking to power me through 🙂

Anyway, I wanted to stop by and share the eats of a Tuesday in my college life!

 

^^crock pot dinners are SO easy! would you all want a recipe for this? I threw a bunch of ingredients + ghee and some chicken in the crock pot yesterday morning, and by the time I got back from class/meetings/working out dinner was ready. the chicken was almost falling apart it was so soft/moist. The garlic cloves I threw in there were roasted and amazing!^^

after the crock pot was set, I went on a 40 minute walk, then came back to start my day!

 

^^eggs, kale (cooked in coconut oil), and red+green peppers. I promise they’re hidden under all the kale!^^

^^breakfast part 2: banana and almond butter. I have a very sophisticated palate.^^

 

^^coffee first, not pictured. a little later I had some blueberry tea, the perfect hot decaf drink!^^

^^sunny walks to class, that are deceptively cold.^^

^^lunch, Dining Hall style. Not my first choice, but it’s required to have a meal plan, and it does the trick for lunch. salad (lettuce, all the veggies, apple slices, feta, and red wine vinegar) and grilled chicken, fine by me!^^

^^snack time– paleo zucchini bread— frozen, and still delicious.^^

^^dinner: the crock pot marvel. grabbed in between working out (sprints yesterday) , and heading out to another meeting. chicken, zucchini, onions, and garlic from the crock pot. lettuce and brussels sprouts from meal prep this weekend.^^

 

^^finished off the night with some homemade trail mix: raw cashews, raw almonds, and EnjoyLife soy/dairy free chocolate chips. Yum!^^

check out WIAW for more healthy eats, and fun friends!

Questions of the day:

Do you have/use a crock pot or slow cooker?

What recipes would you guys like to see up here?

5 favorite foods this week.

college life. it’s busy, it’s fun, it’s exhausting, all in all- I’m pretty blessed to be where I am.

 ^^morning walks this week. I’ve been able to go on a 30 minute – 1 hour walk every morning, and it is glorious. i love the movement first thing, and i love listening to a good podcast in the morning. especially some Christian wisdom.^^

favorite #1: eggs. 

let’s be real– this is a favorite pretty much every week. eggs with veggies, eggs with salsa, eggs all DAY.

favorite #2: paleo banana bread. 

i made another batch of paleo banana bread. soooooo good. please enjoy with butter, you won’t be sorry 🙂

favorite #3: salads on salads.

I mean… this is pretty much an

favorite #4: grass-fed meat sauce.

grass fed beef, onions, tomato puree and spices. this was amazing.

favorite #5: alllllll the almond butter.

especially when complemented by chocolate.

 

have a great week!

What foods are you enjoying?!

WIAW: almond butter lover.

hey guys! wednesday already? where does the time go- am I right? my monday-tuesday-wednesdays are always very busy and homework filled, so I am very thankful by the time I make it to thursday!

I am keeping my eats this week simple, satisfying, and scrumptious (iI love alliteration!).

^^breakfast: eggs, butternut squash, spinach, and cauliflower. side of chamomile tea.^^

^^I don’t have class till 11:30, which means I don’t eat lunch till almost 2 pm. morning snack required: a few dates with almond butter. the perfect combination^^

after getting a walk in bright and early, I spent my morning doing homework blah. then I headed off to class. after class, it was the dining hall for an attempt at lunch. #collegelife

^^make it work: grilled chicken (which for some reason they only have on tuesdays), salad, salsa to top it off.^^

^^because there is no way that salad would hold me all the way till dinner: a little scoop of scrambled eggs, some cooked greens, and a little tomato sauce on top.^^

after lunch, I headed back to my apartment for some reading, cleaning, and more homework.

^^afternoon snack– one square of 85% dark chocolate with a swoosh of almond butter^^

mid-afternoon I went to the first meeting of a girl’s fellowship group I am joining this semester. we’re reading Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans. You should check out her blog if you’re at all interested in strong women, Christianity, challenging your faith, or just hearing a new perspective.

^^unpictured: 1 small starbucks coffee consumed during our meeting. not a good idea, caffeine mid-afternoon is not my jam!^^

after a lovely meet & greet & chat with some girls, I headed over to the gym for a 30 minute sprint workout on the treadmill. 30 seconds sprint, 1 minute rest. repeat.

I rushed home after the gym to change for dinner and a meeting afterwards.

^^salad form the ‘pden’ aka our food court. lettuce, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, pineapple, and walnuts plus oil and vinegar. I brought some Applegate Farms pepperoni with my (yep I’m one of those weird people who brings their own food to dinner) to top my salad, because 1. I need protein and 2. I don’t typically trust meat from the dining hall/food court.^^

^^after a meeting and before hitting the books again, I absolutely had to have a little something to eat– dinner was not successful in holding me over at al :(! study snack: a little pumpkin puree, natural applesauce, cinnamon, and some crushed pecans. side of tea, a nighttime favorite^^

It’s WIAW check out Peas and Crayons for some more great food inspiration!

Questions of the day:

What are you eating this week?

Where is it the hardest for you to eat healthy?

    For me, it is the dining hall because of the sheer lack of options, especially clean meat options!

paleo banana bread

Do you love bread? I grew up my mom’s (grandma’s originally) pumpkin bread. To this day, the smell of that pumpkin bread baking brings me a warm cozy feeling of being at home. But, as most of you know, I am no longer able to eat gluten 😦 but really it’s 🙂 because I am so much healthier + happier (especially my tummy) without it.

That all being said, I still love some bread/muffins for a quick and easy snack. And it doesn’t have to be unhealthy either! This weekend I made some paleo banana bread, and it came out so tasty! I hope you guys enjoy!

Paleo Banana Bread

makes 1 loaf + ~6 muffins

5 eggs

4 bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)

1/2 cup coconut flour

2 T cinnamon

2 T coconut sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mash your bananas. Mix the eggs, and coconut oil in with the bananas.

2. Add the cinnamon, coconut flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla.

3. Mix thoroughly.

4. Spray coconut oil/rub butter on your pans, and pour the batter in.

5. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Enjoy! Especially with butter.

^some delicious paleo banana bread with butter!^

WIAW: fat loss distortions.

Lets talk about fat loss. A hot topic among many fitness gurus and many people around the world.  But what is a fat loss goal really? It is not a weight loss goal. If you have a fat loss goal– you should not have a “goal weight”. Muscle mass should be your goal.

 

^^like any good day, my morning started off with coffee^^

^^morning walk + sunrise. i’ll take it :)^^

Goal weights say nothing about how you want to look. How about you set a goal to do 50 squats, body weight bench presses, playing with your family for hours outdoors? That’s a goal you can work towards, and a goal that will enrich your life.

^^breakfast: eggs, spinach, some seasoning. a side of paleo pumpkin bread and some Kerrygold butter. my favorite!^^

^^a blurry (sorry!) lunch on the go. salad topped with grilled chicken.^^

Gaining muscle– it has everything to do with health and how we look.

In contrast, a certain weight, that number on the scale, has very little influence on our health. Sure if you have a lot of weight to lose, it might be a little fun to watch your scale go down but 1) that is fostering unhealthy behavior and thought and 2) isn’t it just as much fun to watch your clothes become looser?

^^class, followed by a 30 minute sprint workout. It was the bomb.^^

^^dinner, was the same as breakfast…one of those days, ya know.^^

^^fro-yo with my roomie. to discuss her wedding and life as college seniors :)^^

The scale doesn’t validate us, and it also can’t measure your health, it is literally just a matter of how hard gravity is pulling on your body. Yep.

I also want to point out that not everyone is created to look the same. Your healthy body weight is different from another person’s, and that is beautiful!

go on over to Peas and Crayons to read more WIAW posts!

a weekend day in the life.

After a coffee and some water I started my morning with a 30 minute walk. It’s the best way to wake up! I love that movement first thing, and the fresh air is amazing. When i arrived back in my apartment, I talked to my parents (always a treat) and worked on homework.

After boring homework and laundry, the boy finally came over (he likes to sleep in…. one way we are definitely not similar). We went out for a late breakfast at Tandem – a coffeehouse and creperie. Coffee for her, latte for him. Tomato soup and cheese crepe for him, mediterranean (egg, feta, tomatoes, and spinach) crepe for her. It was a beautiful morning (let’s be real– it was almost afternoon at this point) to sit outside and enjoy each other’s company.

During the afternoon I grabbed some groceries, cooked for the week (paleo pumpkin bread #yesplease). Then I headed to the gym and walked on the treadmill while I watched an hour long documentary for class. I loved being able to move and get work done at the same time– there’s nothing worse than being stuck at my desk/staring at my computer all day.

Some snacks included chocolate chips, a banana + almond butter, and some carrots + salsa. Weekend meals are always a little less structured for me, especially because of the late breakfasts.

Before I headed off to lead Youth Group, I packed a quick dinner of Dubliner cheese, Applegate Farms pepperoni, spinach, and a sweet potato + Kerrygold buttah. Quick, easy, and incredibly delicious.

After I arrived home, I was pretty hungry so I had some 85% dark chocolate topped with almond butter.

All in all a successful and delicious weekend day 🙂

Questions of the day:

What does your typical weekend look like?

Are your weekend meals usually different than weekdays?

 

lately.

it’s been quite a while since a shared. sorry guys! beginning of the semester madness, you know how it is! but I am trucking along, tying to keep a good balance of healthy eats as I settle back into the college environment.

eats lately:

breakfasts:

^loving my bone broth lately. it’s a gut healing spectacular nutrition powerhouse.^

^all the spaghetti squash, eggs, tomato sauce, vegetables, and goat cheese.^

^canned salmon for the win. plus Kerrygold Dubliner cheese.^

^Eggs, spinach, celery, avocado.^

^I recently tried the Applegate bacon made from the pork shoulder rather than pork belly. I love the meatier nature of this bacon, it feels more substantial and has a delicious pork flavor. All that aside, I will always have a special place in my heart for bacon.^

^a pre-hiking breakfast last weekend with my boy. bacon, eggs, red pepper, and goat cheese.^

lunches:

^i made paleo banana bread last weekend. it was amazing. served with veggies and meat, please.^

^all the kale. when I make kale chips I just eat them all. I can’t stop. It could be worse, right?^

^cook your veggies with your bacon. then tell me you don’t like them.^

^an afternoon studying/coffee-ing together.^

dinners:

^to go form the dining hall. added canned salmon on top, because the ‘clean’ protein options from our Dining Hall are pretty much nonexistent.^

^it works for breakfast or dinner- spaghetti squash, sauce, Dubliner cheese, buttah, and chicken.^

^kale chips AND plantains?! these are seriously amazing. with avocado? just STOP. it’s too good.^

^pretty much the same mess, with some extra vegetables thrown in. yummers.^

^dinner at Sidewall, a new local pizza place. Salad + gluten free pizza with broccoli and Brussels. I’m in love. it was a little pricey, but freshly made so… #worthit.^

WIAW: do you even bone broth?

hey friends! this week was an exciting step in my real food adventures: i made bone broth for the first time. if you are familiar with the real food world, you’ve probably heard of this magical, delicious, nutritious treat. It’s full of benefits like healing the gut lining, reducing cellulite, improving your immune system and lots more. Read here or here to find out about bone broth.

more on that later…

WIAW!

brunch was a delicious omelet shared with my bacon-loving friend!

^^my feelings exactly^^

^^omelet with peppers, onions, tomatoes. and BACON.^^

^^grassfed bones #yesplease^^

^^a little celery and onions for good luck^^

^^look at that marrow.. mmm^^

^^the cooled product, I scooped the fat off the top, strained it, and we’re ready to go!^^

^^my afternoon was spent doing some organizing, working out, and MAKING BONE BROTH.^^

^^i’ll share more details on this in a later post, but, it turned out pretty well for my first batch! a little bland, but still nutritiously delicious^^

^^dinner at whole foods with the boys. pot roast, chicken, lots of veggies.. I would eat here every night if i could (and if they stopped using so much canola oil…it limits my options!)^^

^^post workout selfie. i’m working on a new fitness plan for this month, I can’t wait to share it with you guys!^^

Questions of the day:

have you ever made bone broth?

what’s the weirdest food you’ve made/tried in the name of health?

WIAW: wintery eats.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity and COLD. It was around 20 degrees (F) all day, with wind, snow, and ice for added fun 😜.

**This WIAW is brought to you with tasty eats, and cold feet!**

^^what, you don’t wear a vest under your jacket? long sleeves, vest, scarf, ear warmers/headband, jacket, and gloves. Hunter boots + my new hunter socks for warm feet^^

^^breakfast at Toast with my mom + pops. Today, tomorrow, and Friday, the movers will be here packing up our house, so yesterday morning was our last time to go out and be alone as a family!

this omelette was amazing. crabmeat, bacon, gouda, peppers, and tomatoes. breakfast potatoes on the side. they were supposed to give me some gluten free toast, but they were out. instead, they served up a few coconut flour pancakes. topped with butter, these were perfection, and way better than toast!^^

^^we arrived home to a blanket of snow beginning to cover our…everything. You can probably tell from the first picture that our driveway is pretty insane, so we parked at the top and trekked our way down.^^

the rest of the day was spent cleaning and packing my room. organizing, dividing, packing things that are for school, deciding what i don’t mind putting in storage for a few months. it was madness.

^^around 5, i was finally hungry again. some turkey, salad, rice crackers, goat cheese, bacon, and salsa did the trick. a cold meal, but accompanied by some delicious, warm tea.^^

 

^^after not eating any lunch, i was still hungry after dinner, so I went for this simple snack. a frozen banana and blueberries heated in the microwave; topped with some dark chocolate cocoa powder and a few chocolate chips. perfection.^^

Questions of the day

Any snow for you guys yet?

What are your favorite omelette ingredients?

New Year’s Resolutions– a resolute resolution on resolutions.

    It’s 2015!

Happy New Year, friends!

Did you party the night away? Did you get that midnight kiss?

I spent my night more low key, working on some medical school applications while enjoying the classic Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Show. T. Swift, you did not disappoint.

So now, it’s January 1st. And I’m sure some/most/all of you have made lofty goals for the 365 days to come. It’s natural- new year, new start, right?

Maybe not. What makes January 1st so special that you magically become able to both set and achieve all your year long goals? I’ll let you in on a little secret– nothing. So why don’t we take a step back, and not try to radically change every area of our lives in 1 day, okay?

The great thing about goals, is that they give us something to work towards, a purposeful direction to move our lives in. The bad thing about goals, is that we tend to make them all or nothing. And when we take a misstep, suddenly the goal is thrown out the window.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way this year! Are you ready to change? Great, we can make SMART goals to work in that direction. But the reality is, change doesn’t happen in a day, a week, or really even a month. If you are trying to change your diet, your body, your attitude, etc…. think about how long it took you to get to the place/state that you want to change. 1 year? 2 years? Your whole life? So, give yourself a break and stop expecting that you can change in a matter of weeks.

^^we’ve all seen this right? it’s just flat out wrong. This study in the European Journal of Science found that it actually takes 66 days for a new behavior to form. Just let that sink in– more than two months. So don’t be too hard on yourself.^^

So just quickly– what are SMART goals? SMART is an acronym that I actually learned in my Nutrition class this semester and I love the guidelines it lays out.

Goals should be:

1. SPECIFIC. Simple and clear goals to define what you want. who/what/where/when/which/why

example: This month I will move more by doing 10 minutes of yoga every morning and going to the gym 3 times a week.

2. MEASURABLE. Goals should be measurable in a way that you can have tangible evidence you have accomplished this goal. Will you know when it is accomplished?

3. ATTAINABLE. You can reach almost any goal, but it is also a matter of mindset. If you set a goal, you can find yourself beginning to change your life around that goal. You might think you don’t have time to go to the gym, or cook a healthy meal, but if you really make these goals a priority in your life, you will see ways to reach them that you had not previously considered.

4. REALISTIC. Are you willing and able to work toward this goal? Losing 50 pounds in a week is not a realistic goal, and when you set goals like this, you are setting yourself up for failure. Take time to consider what is realistic or not when you set your goals.

5. TIMELY. This kind of goes along with Attainable/Realistic– if your goal has no time frame, there is no sense of urgency, no reason to get yourself in motion. Set a realistic timeline, but something needs to be there to keep yourself motivated!

I hope you guys enjoy and can set some SMART Goals this year!

check out Thinking Out Loud for more January 1st ramblings!

Happy New Year!