Thanksgiving Weekend + New Pumpkin Recipe! November 27, 2012

I hope everyone had a great holiday and a relaxing long weekend! Despite the septic incident and part of the turkey catching on fire while we scrambled to keep sewage where it belonged, we had a nice Thanksgiving. All of our food was delicious (including the turkey which turned out nice and juicy!).

Our Thanksgiving table!

Since we went to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, we stayed until Saturday, to spend some time with my parents. Keenan enjoyed playing with Nonna (either inside or outside and “helping” Avo and my husband fix the septic system).

Having fun riding cars with the “baby” and Nonna!

On Friday night, my husband and I met some friends for drinks for a fun double-date! It was nice to have a night out while my parents babysat. On Saturday, we took Keenan to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops, an awesome sporting goods/outdoor shop near my parents’ house. He was SO excited and actually smiled this time (last year he cried!).  In addition to taking a picture with Santa, there are so many things to look at and do at Bass Pro Shops; it is huge! They have a big aquarium of fish, along with lots of different animals. Of course, Keenan enjoyed sitting on the toy four-wheeler, playing all of the kid games and sitting on the “real” four wheelers and buggies, outside. It was also the first time my husband had been there, so being an “outdoorsy guy,” he was like a kid in a candy store!

Keenan was so excited to sit on the toy four-wheeler!

Coloring at the arts and crafts area at Bass Pro Shops (they really do have everything!).

Enjoying a picture on the buggy!

On Sunday, Keenan helped me put all of our Thanksgiving decorations away and decorate for Christmas, as well as lending a hand to my husband while he put the lights up, outside. But, in the midst of decorating, Keenan fell ill and threw up–twice! We ate Pumpkin Almond Flour Muffins that were leftover in the freezer, but something didn’t sit right in Keenan’s tummy. When I made the muffins the first time a couple of months ago, he also threw up, but I had given him a taste of raw walnut butter, so I thought it was attributed to the butter. Needless to say, I’m not sure what happened yesterday, because my husband and I were fine. We ate the last of those muffins, so I won’t be making them again (or at least giving them to Keenan!). But, after Keenan was done puking, he ate a good lunch (saltine crackers and applesauce), napped well and was back to his usual self by the evening. Since I didn’t have time to go to the grocery store, we used what was in our cupboard and made a delicious pumpkin white bean soup for dinner. Keenan devoured his soup, so I knew he was feeling better!

Speaking of, here is the recipe for my pumpkin soup!

Such a nice (and easy) Fall soup!

Rustic Pumpkin and White Bean Soup: (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

– 32 oz. can of pumpkin puree

– 1 can of cannelloni beans

– 1 yellow onion (diced)

– 5-6 oz. pre-cooked chicken (chopped)

– 1 cup chicken broth

– 1 tbsp olive oil

– 1 tsp Italian seasoning

– 2 cloves garlic (minced)

– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

– 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cumin

– salt and pepper, to taste

– tiny splash, each, of Worcestershire and soy sauces

– 1/4 C spiced, roasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, salter, pepper, herbs and spices in olive oil.

2.Meanwhile, drain and rinse can of beans.

3. Once onions are translucent and herbs and spices smell wonderful, add beans, pumpkin, and chicken broth to pot and cook for 5-20 minutes (you can whip this together, or let the flavors meld).

4. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Add sauces. Add more chicken stock if too thick for you. Taste, and add more seasoning if needed.

5. Divide amongst 3 soup bowls and place chopped chicken and pumpkin seeds on top. Enjoy!

*Notes: I added chicken for more protein since this was a one-pot meal for us, but you can serve this without chicken as a starter for a dinner party or as a side. Instead of canned pumpkin, you could use a fresh pumpkin or butternut squash, diced and roasted. Add roasted pumpkin or squash to pot and blend as directed.

Today, my husband and I both woke up with scratchy throats and post nasal drip, so I was dragging all day. My mom was getting over a cold last week, so I’m hoping we didn’t get what she had (keeping my fingers crossed!). Though, my husband made each of us a mini Cafe Bon (minus the Amarula and half the chocolate) since we had some of his whipped cream left over. It was good!

My new favorite holiday beverage!

As my husband was adding the whipped cream to our Cafe Bon, Keenan wanted a taste, so as you can see from the pictures, my husband kindly gave him some!

Having a taste straight from the container with his critters (thanks to my husband)!

A mouth full…

So good!

Anyhow, Keenan and I didn’t do too much, except for playing with legos, having some music and piano time. We also managed to go to the grocery store to stock up for the week. After Keenan woke up from his nap, we went to CrossFit and did a short but challenging WOD of max box jumps and 5 snatches every minute on the minute. It felt good to have a workout, especially since I didn’t do much of anything for the past 4 days, due to straining my piriformis and rhomboids (which are still a little sore). I did okay today, but my plan is to train conservative this week (not going to heavy), until everything feels better. My first competition is on Dec. 8th, so I have less than two weeks to prepare. We’ll see how this week goes…

Well, it is time to finally take a shower and work on some Christmas gifts before heading to bed to fight off whatever bug my body seems to be fighting. Have a good night!

Question: How was your Thanksgiving and long weekend? What was your favorite thing that you did or ate over the weekend?

Artisana Giveaway!! October 25, 2012

Well, it is cleaning day over here, not something I am looking forward to (as usual!). Since my goals today are to get the entire house cleaned, laundry done and dinner prepped, I’m going to keep today’s post short. There is just too much to do! In addition, I’m heading to another blogging event tonight, so I definitely have to get all of my things done. I’m excited about tonight’s blogging event; it is sponsored by the SITS Girls, an online blogging community of more than 40,000 women bloggers. I look forward to meeting other local bloggers and learning more about the SITS community. I’ll fill you in tomorrow with how it went!

Onto today: I tried out a new breakfast of paleo pancakes, inspired by Danielle. I used 2 eggs, 2 egg whites, 2 bananas, 1 Tbsp flaxseed, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, a drop of milk and 1 tsp of baking powder, to make enough for Keenan and I (with some leftover to freeze for later!). They turned out great and were so simple to make (very similar to my No Oat Oatmeal). I’ll definitely be making these again!

Soooo good topped with a dollop of Fage Greek yogurt, honey and berries!

Look who was excited to have pancakes this morning! He ate three whole pancakes!

Now, onto Artisana!

They are a small organic food company based in Oakland and specialize in making raw nut and seed butters, with some super food products, such as acai berry, goji berry and blue green algae. They are committed to sustainable living and support the organic and living foods movement. They focus on purchasing foods as locally as possible, buying directly from organic farmers. All of their products contain lots of vitamins and minerals, non-animal proteins, essential fatty-acids and fiber, as well as being certified kosher.

The goodies that Artisana sent!

Artisana was very kind and sent me a box of their goodies last week to try. They sent some coconut butter, raw walnut, almond, cashew, pecan and macadamia nut butters, along with their cacao bliss (coconut butter mixed with cocoa). I had only tried raw almond butter prior to trying Artisan’s products (which was okay, I prefer roasted), so I was excited to try other raw butters, along with coconut butter. I first tried their raw walnut butter on top of my Pumpkin Almond Flour Muffins and it was really creamy and rich. I was quite surprised at how good it was! The next day, I added a dollop of cashew butter to my No Oat Oatmeal and again, I was pleasantly surprised at how creamy and tasty it was. Since I hadn’t been a fan of raw almond butter in the past, I was surprised at how much I liked Artisana’s butters! Last weekend, we all topped our pancakes with coconut butter and the cacao bliss.! The two together were heavenly! Overall, all of their butters were excellent and I will definitely be adding their coconut and walnut butter to our list of “nut butter staples” that we keep in our cabinet. If you haven’t tried Artisan’s products, I highly recommend trying them. You won’t be disappointed!

Very tasty!

Coconut and cashew butter!

Since Artisana was so generous, they offered to send one lucky a reader a box of their goodies!

To enter the giveaway, please follow the steps below:

1. Leave a comment on this post stating how you would use your raw nut butter.

(Optional) Earn an extra entry by:

1. Like Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy’s Facebook page

2. Follow Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy on Twitter: @FitNWellMommy

3. Like Artisana’s Facebook page

Post on YOUR Facebook page or Tweet, “I want to win a box of goodies from Artisana and Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy at http://www.fitnwellmommy.com.”

*Make sure to leave a second comment on this post with your Facebook post, Tweet or Like, in order for your extra entry to be counted!

The giveaway ends next Wednesday, Oct. 31st at 8 p.m. PST!! Good luck!

What I Ate Wednesday and Babes and Babies Event Giveaway!! October 17, 2012

It’s Wednesday again and time to link up with Jenn for What I Ate Wednesday!

This morning was rather rushed due to Keenan sleeping-in (which was nice!) and heading to his swim class. I was so glad that I made a batch of pumpkin almond flour muffins last week to keep in the freezer for quick breakfasts, because they definitely came in handy this morning! Keenan and I each had a muffin (his topped with pumpkin butter) and mine with raw walnut butter that Artisana sent me (stay tuned for a review and giveaway of their products coming soon!). We also had some slices of strawberries on the side. Since I wanted something a little more sweet, I added a little dab of pumpkin butter to my muffin, too! For some reason, Keenan took a long time to eat his breakfast and didn’t seem too interested. He asked to try my walnut butter, so I gave him a taste and then he immediately didn’t want to eat much more of his breakfast…

Still smiling while eating his breakfast!

My breakfast with walnut butter and a little pumpkin butter on top!

Raw Walnut Butter from Artisana.

Well, after swim class, we stopped at the library to check-out some books and when I went to get him out of his car seat, he puked all over himself and his seat three times! Poor little guy, he was scared and crying, not knowing what happened or why he threw-up. He kept saying, “mommy out, mommy bath!” I felt so bad for him. Since we were at the library, which is only a few minutes from our house, I told him we will take a bath as soon we get home. He just sat frozen in his car seat on the ride home, covered in puke, poor thing. As soon as we got home, I stripped him down and put him in the bath. Before I put him in the tub, I took his temperature and it was normal, so I’m not sure what caused his stomach to be upset. He seemed fine and his usual playful self during his swim class. I don’t know if it was the walnut butter, but I ate the same thing as him and I was fine. Anyhow, after his bath, he felt much better and was a little back to his normal self. He wanted to watch some “Elmo’s World,” so I put that on while I attempted to clean his car seat, ugh!

After I got Keenan’s seat out of the car, I took off the cover and straps and hosed everything down. I tossed the cover in the wash (which I didn’t know you could do!). I learn something new everyday! Once everything was cleaned (or at least washing), I made Keenan a light lunch of half a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich with some applesauce. He definitely had his appetite back, because he ate everything in a matter of minutes! I, on the other hand, wasn’t super hungry after cleaning up puke! Once I put Keenan down for his nap, I made myself my “usual breakfast,” except with a peach and some Go Raw Original Super Cookies (stay tuned for a review and giveaway of Go Raw products coming soon!) crumbled on top. It was the only thing that sounded good to me and it hit the spot! I also enjoyed a latte, since I didn’t have a chance to make coffee this morning!

My “usual breakfast” for lunch, but with some Go Raw Super Cookies crumbled on top!

Once Keenan wakes up from his nap and depending on how he feels, we will head to CrossFit. If he has a bug, I don’t want to expose the other kids. So, we’ll see. Yesterday’s WOD was tough, doing 7 front squats (115 lbs for women), 12 toes-to-bar and 50 double unders for as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. Since my 1 rep max clean is 120 lb, I did 105 lbs for the front squats, which was still tough! I did 3 rounds and 5 reps, not too bad. I was really tired yesterday, so I knew the WOD was going to be challenging. After my class, I stayed to help coach the beginners class. The beginners had a team WOD (3 people) of burpee box jumps, sumo deadlift high pulls and running 200 meters for as many reps as possible in 15 minutes. Since there was an odd number in the class, I did their workout, too (2 WODs within 2 hours!). Boy, was I pooped when I got home last night! With that being said, my body is tired today and my lower back and left arm are still sore. If I don’t make it to CrossFit today, I think it will be good for my body to rest and go back tomorrow.

Since my husband is out of town tonight for work, on the menu for me is a GIANT salad! I’m thinking of making an apple walnut salad with chicken and  feta cheese or “everything but the kitchen sink” salad. I’m excited to have a big bowl of salad all to myself! 🙂

Before I forget, the generous gals at Appel and Frank contacted me a couple of days ago about their upcoming event, Babes and Babies in San Francisco. They invited me to attend, but unfortunately, I’m not able to make it, due to our CrossFit team competition being held on the same day. It is an event for Moms and moms-to-be to enjoy a day of shopping and education in San Francisco on November 3rd from 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Patron Hall. There will be 65 designers and companies with lots of baby/toddler clothing, accessories, gear, toys and resources at discounted prices. Guest speakers will be talking about sleep training, diapering, cord blood registry and much more. Also, as an added bonus, gift bags will be given to the first 200 families that attend! In addition, there will be play areas, activities for kids and raffle prizes! It seems like a lot of fun and I sure wish I could be there!

If you would like to join in on the fun, Appel and Frank generously offered one lucky reader 2 free tickets!!

To enter the giveaway, please follow the steps below:

1. Leave a comment on this post stating why you would like to attend the event.

Earn an extra entry by:

1. Like Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy’s Facebook page

2. Follow Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy on Twitter: @FitNWellMommy

3. Like Appel and Frank’s Facebook page

Post on YOUR Facebook page or Tweet, “I want to win tickets to the Babes and Babies event from Appel and Frank and Fit ‘N’ Well Mommy at http://www.fitnwellmommy.com.”

*Make sure to leave a second comment on this post with your Facebook post, Tweet or Like, in order for your extra entry to be counted!

The giveaway ends Sunday, October 21st at noon PST! Good luck!

I have to include this picture of Keenan, as a fun note to end with (especially after today’s puking episode!).  He took this picture all by himself with my camera yesterday afternoon. My husband and I were laughing so hard when we saw this! Have a great afternoon!

Our little photographer!

 

 

Cleaning and More October 12, 2012

Well, today has been busy, to say the least! Since I helped coach the morning class at CrossFit today, Keenan and I had to get out of the house (yet, again) quite quickly. It has been go-go-go for us all week!  I am looking forward to having some days next week where we don’t have to go anywhere and we can stay home and do some fun Fall/Halloween crafts! This week has been too busy for my liking!

Aside from today being busy, I have to say it was very productive! After helping to coach the morning class, I did my workout (another benchmark WOD, “Isabel,” which is 30 snatches for time at 95 lb for women), ran a couple of errands, prepped dinner, made lunch for Keenan and I, met with a financial  adviser that my husband set up, and cleaned house. Even though it was hectic, it felt good to get everything done! Now, I can finally sit down and relax (well, sort of, since I’m writing this!). Since my husband has to be out of town for business this weekend, we are planning to open a bottle of wine and catch-up on a few TV shows that we missed this week!

Even though today’s workout was short and sweet, it was a challenging one (one of the reasons why I love CrossFit)! I can only snatch up to 85 lbs and since my shoulder was still bothering me, I used 75 lbs for the WOD and finished in 4 minutes and 38 seconds, not bad, but not great. We’ll see how I do when we do it again in 6 weeks!

More about our today: For breakfast, we enjoyed the pumpkin almond flour muffins that Keenan and I made yesterday (to add more protein to the muffins, I added a scoop and a half of whey protein powder this time) with some strawberries. Since we were so pressed for time, I took my latte to go, which was perfect for our chilly Fall morning (I’m loving this weather!).

A perfect quick and nutritious breakfast!

Once we got home, Keenan and I played a bit with his car that we picked up at the store when we were running errands. Since Keenan is into cars, we can’t go ANYWHERE with toy cars without him wanting to play with them all! Sure enough, as we are walking to the vitamin section, there was a BIG display of little toy cars! Immediately, Keenan wanted to play with them all. Since he did really well at the gym, waiting for me in the kids area all by himself (since no other kids were there this morning) and it was going to be hard to leave the store without getting a car, I caved and we bought a little yellow VW bus. He was so excited, though it was funny, he couldn’t decide between the green or the yellow one. He kept going back and forth and finally, as it was our turn in line to pay at the register, he chose the yellow one (though, he keeps talking about the green one!). I like to give him a couple of choices here and there, so he feels like he’s making decisions, but this was the first time where he was truly indecisive! It was interesting…

Since our financial adviser appointment was at 1:00 p.m. today, I made Keenan a quick lunch of our “usual breakfast” and I tried something new for myself. I was inspired by Brittany to make her Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt. I changed some things up a bit and added 1 Tbsp flaxseed, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 Tbsp Xylitol and 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin. I mixed in a half of a banana (sliced) and 1/2 cup of Kashi Go Lean Cereal. It tasted like pumpkin pie; it was SOOOOO yummy! I’ll definitely be making this again!

Yummm…pumpkin pie yogurt!

Once Keenan was up from his nap, we both munched on some Kettle Corn (thanks to Giselle for sharing some with us) while I finished cleaning.

For dinner, I made something new and perfect for our Fall weather, a roasted butternut squash salad with walnuts and feta cheese. It was such a satisfying and tasty dish! Another meal we will be adding to our “regulars!”

A perfect one-pot meal for Fall!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese (serves 2-3):

Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:

– 1 butternut squash (cut into small cubes)

– 6-8 oz. of cooked chicken

– 1/4 cup roasted walnuts (chopped)

– 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

– 3 Tbsp olive oil

– 1/4 tsp salt

– 1 tsp pepper

– 1 tsp Italian seasoning

– 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

– 2-3 Tbsp of honey (depending on taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cubed butternut squash with 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and Italian seasoning and spread out onto a baking sheet.

2. Roast prepared butternut squash for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and tender. Once done, set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile chop cooked chicken into small pieces (or cubes) and toss into a large bowl. Add walnuts.

4. Add butternut squash, cheese and the rest of the ingredients into bowl and toss until well mixed. Divide amongst 2 or 3 plates and drizzle with a little extra balsamic vinegar (if desired).

*Notes: For added flavor, add chopped fresh sage to butternut squash before roasting. I didn’t do this, but I think it would add more richness and be really good! Also, if you don’t want to use feta cheese, goat cheese would also work.

Well, it’s time to enjoy some wine and catch-up on some TV! Night!

Question: How do you pick your battles/handle them with your children? Keenan is a fairly well tempered child, but he does have his moments here and there. It depends on the situation, but I feel it is better to pick my battles than really fight for something that is not that important in the long run. Is it right? I don’t know…

Before I forget, the WINNER of the Drink Chia giveaway is: Molly Helfman! Congrats! Please email me at fitnwellmommy@yahoo.com with your mailing address, so the Drink Chia folks can send you your goodies!

What I Ate Wednesday and More New Recipes! October 10, 2012

Happy Hump Day! Since it is Wednesday, I’m linking up with Jenn again for WIAW!

Before I go into today’s eats, I want to share the recipe for our dinner last night. I prepped everything, but my husband cooked it, since Keenan and I got home late from CrossFit.

Such a satisfying dinner! I love Chinese long beans because they are softer and more flavorful than green beans!

Chinese Long Beans with Italian Sausage: (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

– 2 bunches Chinese long beans (cut in 2-3 inch pieces)

– 3 Italian precooked sausages

– 1 yellow onion (diced)

– 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (chopped)

– 1 clove garlic (minced)

– 2 Tbsp olive oil

– 2 tsp Italian seasoning

– 1  tsp garlic no-salt seasoning

– pinch of salt and pepper

– feta cheese

Directions:

1. Steam or parboil long beans until soft.

2. Meanwhile, saute onion with garlic and olive oil.

3. Add sausage, beans, sun dried tomatoes and spices.

4. Cook until sausage is slightly brown and spices are thoroughly mixed in.

5. Divide amongst 2-3 plates and sprinkle with feta cheese on top. Enjoy!

Following my new mode of breaking out of my routine and “mixing things up a bit,” today’s eats were mostly different (except for breakfast; we had our “usual,” since we had to get out the door quickly for Keenan’s swim class).

Lunch:

Keenan: Egg White Florentine in a Mug (except with one whole egg instead of egg whites) with toast spread with pumpkin butter and a few slices of a peach.

Keenan’s lunch…an easy way to sneak in some veggies!

Me: Scrambled egg whites mixed with leftover roasted brussel sprouts with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese, tomato and feta cheese, as well as a few slices of a peach that Keenan and I shared. It was SO yummy!! Leftover roasted brussel sprouts are even better than eating them fresh out of the oven!

My yummy protein-packed lunch!

After lunch:

After seeing Giselle’s post yesterday with her pumpkin pie protein bites, it inspired me to make my no-bake peanut butter chocolate snack balls! I just finished making them, so they have to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before they are ready to eat. I’m planning to snack on a couple before going to CrossFit later this afternoon.

Speaking of CrossFit, yesterday we did “Fran,” one of the benchmark WODs and I was able to beat my previous time by 1 minute and 30 seconds, finishing in 6 minutes and 31 seconds! I was happy, but I was hopping to finish in under 6 minutes. We are going to do it again in 6 weeks, so I’m hoping to lower my time by at least another minute and 30 seconds!

Such an easy and nutritious snack!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Snack Balls:

Ingredients:

– 1 cup rolled oats

– 1 cup natural peanut butter (you can use almond butter, too!)

– 1 Tbsp flaxseed

– 1 Tbsp chia seeds

– 2 Tbsp honey

– 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I love Ghirardelli!)

Directions:

1. Microwave peanut butter and honey together for 25 seconds, until they can be easily mixed.

2. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients together in a medium size ball.

3. Add peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix, until it all comes together to form one big ball.

4. Pour cocoa powder in a small dish. Roll “dough” into small balls and roll with cocoa powder.

5. Place prepared snack balls in a container with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before eating.

*Notes: The snack balls can be stored in the fridge for up to a week! They make a perfect pre-workout snack!

Dinner:

On the menu for tonight is roasted broccoli with whole wheat couscous mixed with chicken, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and feta cheese. I have been craving artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives lately, so I’m excited for tonight’s dinner!

I just loved roasted broccoli, especially drizzled with balsamic vinegar after it comes out of the oven!

Since I have been in the baking/cooking mode today (and feeling the Fall itch to make things with pumpkin), Keenan and I are going to make pumpkin almond flour muffins when he wakes up from his nap, to freeze for quick breakfasts!

Question: What were your eats today? Did you try anything new? If so, what new thing did you eat today?

REMINDER: There is still time to enter the Drink Chia Giveaway!! Contest ends tomorrow night (Oct. 11th) at 8 p.m. PST! To enter, click here!

Just Another Tuesday October 2, 2012

Today is one of those days…I have been dragging since the moment I woke up. It definitely didn’t help that my husband and I stayed up late watching the first episode “Revenge” (of this season) last night, but it was SO good! In addition, my body just feels tired and somewhat rundown, so I don’t know if I am fighting a bug or coming down with something (hopefully not!). Needless to say, I’ve loaded up on vitamin C and started Zicam! I am planning to head to bed early tonight and hopefully feel better tomorrow.

Before I talk about our day, I have to share this picture of Keenan. He had SO much fun playing in this box last night that we received from Target, for my friend’s baby gift! I am thinking of making it into a car or train for him…any other ideas?

Enjoying his box!

As promised, here are the recipes for the almond flour flaxseed pizza crust and pumpkin muffins:

Our beautiful pizza before it went into the oven the second time!

Almond Flour Flaxseed Pizza Crust:

(Adapted from the Paleo Plan)

Ingredients:

– 1-1/4 cups flaxseed (ground)

– 1 cup almond flour

– 1 tsp salt

– 2 tsp baking powder

– 1 Tbs honey

– 1 tsp Italian seasoning

– 1 tsp garlic no-salt seasoning from Costco

– 3 large eggs, beaten until smooth

– 3 Tbs olive oil

– 2 Tbs water

– toppings of choice

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425° F.

2. Combine flaxseed, almond flour, salt, baking powder and seasonings until smooth.

3. Beat eggs, oil, honey and water until smooth.

4. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients.

5. Press into desired shape and poke a few holes in the dough with a fork.

6. Place on a pre-greased or non-stick pizza pan or on parchment paper on a pizza stone.

7. Bake for 15 minutes in the center of the oven until cooked.

8. Add your favorite toppings, return the pizza to the oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

*Notes: Remember to poke holes in the dough before baking, otherwise your crust will have large bubbles, thus making it hard for the toppings to stay on (this is what happened to our pizza!).

Mixing the ingredients all together to form the pizza dough.

Forming the pizza crust prior to baking it.

Pumpkin Almond Flour Muffins:

(Adapted from the Paleo Plan)

Ingredients:

– 1 cup almond flour

– 1 cup canned pumpkin

– 2 eggs

– 1/4 cup almond butter

– 1/4 cup honey

– 1 tsp baking powder

– 1 tsp cinnamon

– 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

– 1/4 tsp salt

– 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend well.

3. Coat muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and divide batter among six cups.

4. Bake for 32-35 minutes or until muffins are cooked all the way through.

*Notes: Oven baking times vary, so set your timer for 27-28 minutes to check and then (if needed), bake for an additional few minutes. My muffins were done in 28 minutes. Also, this an easy recipe to involve your kids! Keenan was my “baking assistant” and loved putting the ingredients into the bowl and mixing everything all together.

Fresh out of the oven!

This morning, Keenan woke up requesting to watch “Elmo’s World” on my nook in our bed, so we spent some family time cuddling in bed watching Elmo! It was nice because my husband and I were not quite ready to get out of bed yet. But, I have to say the past few mornings have been nice nice because Keenan has been waking up at his usual time again, 7:30! Anyhow, after we got out of bed and made our way downstairs, we had breakfast, our “usual” and then played with legos, before getting dressed and heading to the park with our friends.

His lego house!

The boys were SO excited to see each other, it was too cute! After playing at the park for a while, we headed home and had lunch. Keenan had his favorite: peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich with a couple of baby carrots and a glass of milk. Yesterday, he ate a baby carrot without spitting it out, so I think with his two top molars, he can now eat raw carrots! I’m so excited because it makes my life easier! 🙂 For my lunch, I made myself an Egg White Florentine in a Mug topped with some pasta sauce and a side of leftover grilled zucchini. I craved something sweet, so Keenan and I shared a small peach. A little while later, I also enjoyed an iced coffee, since I didn’t have time to make a latte this morning.

After Keenan’s nap, we are heading to CrossFit (as usual). Yesterday’s workout was tough. The WOD was 3 rounds of: 21 deadlifts of 95 lbs (not bad), 15 pullups and 9 hang cleans (95 lbs). I didn’t have time to eat a snack prior to going to the gym, so I was “out of gas” before starting the workout (not a good thing!). I was able to finish in under the time cap at 12 minutes and 37 seconds (the time cap was 20 minutes), but it wasn’t a great. Lesson learned: I need to make time for a pre-workout snack, no matter what! Today’s workout should be interesting. My husband went to the morning class and told me about it, so I am already dreading it! The WOD includes a mile run followed by as many rounds as possible of 26 over-the-box burpee jumps, 16 grasshoppers and 6 back squats (135 lb). We’ll see how it goes…

After dinner, I’m excited to pick-up the book, “Paleoista,” at the library. I requested it a couple of months ago, so I can’t wait to finally read it. I have heard some good things about it, especially the recipes it contains. For dinner tonight, I am trying something new in my crock pot: chicken topped with chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic, followed by chopped kale. I placed frozen chicken thighs at the bottom and poured a can of chopped tomatoes on top, along with an onion (chopped), some garlic, spices and a lot of kale (as you can see from the picture below). I am hoping the kale will be nice and soft and the chicken will be tender. I am planning to serve the chicken, tomatoes and onion over a bed of the cooked kale. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Tonight’s dinner experiment!

Oh, I forgot to mention that my TOMS and Reebok Nanos arrived the other day! I’m SO excited to start wearing my TOMS, once the weather starts getting more fall-like (I can’t believe that we are still having 100 degree weather in October!). I’m going to wear my Nanos to CrossFit today, so I’m curious as to how they will do.

My TOMS!

My Nanos 2.0!

Enjoy the rest of your afternoon!

Question: If you are coming down with something, what do you like to do/take? I don’t like taking a lot of medicine, so I’m a big proponent of taking more vitamin C and zinc, along with drinking plenty of water and/or tea.