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Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies [Paleo]

The first paleo cookie I ever made was ok.  The taste was great, but they were annoyingly sticky.  I couldn't get them off of the cookie sheet in one piece, let alone take a bite of one without it slowly folding over and breaking.  I made them twice, and hated them both times for their stickiness!  With my new found confidence in the kitchen, I decided it was time to tackle the cookie challenge once again.  One shot...that's all it took and I hit a home run baby!  These cookies baked up so nicely and even turned perfectly golden brown.  They were never too soft or sticky and actually held up very well in a tupperware!  This my friends, is COOKIE GOLD!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies  [Paleo]

Makes about 20 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• dash of sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, baking powder and salt.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and the sugar.  Add coconut oil and vanilla.
3. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Chill the dough in the fridge or freezer for 20-30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
6. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the cookie sheet.  Flatten the balls to allow even baking.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges become golden.
8. Place on a rack to cool and enjoy!

Mixed Berry Muffins [Paleo]

Before we get to the goods here...I want to throw a shout out to my mom!  She is on day 7 of her Whole 30!!!  I am so proud of her!  This woman loves her chocolate even more than I do...there is never a shortage of chocolate in her house, which rocks when I visit!  This could be the reason she easily became the favorite grandma to all 9 of her grandchildren.  

She did the Body For Life program all on her own years ago, before any of us girls were interested in health and fitness, and totally rocked it for the whole 90 days!  I know she can easily handle this challenge because she's proven herself in so many ways.  She's crazy...in a good way!  She comes out to visit me and if I say I am going for a jog, she wants to come (and she isn't a runner).  So we go out and I think she is going to hold me back and she almost outruns me!  Most people who never work out would end up having an asthma attack or throwing up and passing out...my mom doesn't stop and somehow isn't even out of breath.  And then her "mom-strength", she is so strong and she doesn't lift weights!  I still need help opening jars...no "mom-strength" for me!  It's really only a matter of time until she challenges Tom to a weight lifting competition.  Way to go mother...it's inspiring to many as you make a big commitment to better your health!  

And now...finally, a paleo muffin with the perfect texture.  Props to the tapioca flour which seemed to thicken up the batter.  I've had a bag of unopened tapioca flour for a while just sitting because I wasn't sure how to use it.  It will now be added to all of my baking because I like how it makes the baking seem "normal" and fluffy how wheat does!

 

Mixed Berry Muffins - {Paleo}

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• dash of sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup palm shortening, softened {or grass-fed butter)
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl combine almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together eggs and sugar. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, almond milk and palm shortening. Mix well.
4. Combine wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Add mixed berries and fill the paper liners evenly.
5. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until tops are golden.  

{I prefer to store my muffins in a sealed container in the fridge.  It prevents them from molding on day 4 if left sitting at room temperature.}  

100 Happy Days

I've been reading a lot about this '100 Happy Days' challenge on the world-wide web.  If you've been reading my blog for a short time or a long time you might get that I am trying to make my life brighter by making better choices and creating new habits.  Last year a friend shared 'The Happiness Project' with me, so I bought the book and did it for 9 months.  In those 9 months, I created new positive habits and my outlook on a lot of things in my life changed.  Recently I have been doing 40 days of being grateful for three things each day...within the first 3 days I can honestly say that my appreciation for my life and what God has given me has grown in leaps and bounds.  Now in the past couple weeks reading about the newest internet craze, it's made me think even more.  

The first article that caught my eye was worded by asking if you could NOT complain for 100 days.  Unlikely.  It went on about how much it would suck...  

Complaining is complicated.  I think it's healthy to vent and let things out, but maybe the point is that there is a time and a place.  If you complain all the time to everyone you meet, you start to carry a cloud of negativity then you become that person who everyone dreads getting stuck talking to at parties.  In my line of work, hairstyling{people tell me EVERYTHING}...I have clients who make me feel awesome after I've spent 2 hours with them and I can't wait for our next visit...and there are some that have been so negative that I have had to let them go.   

This challenge is about what Happy is to you.  Taking photographic evidence from each of the 100 days of the happiest moment from that day.  It's about taking time out of our busy schedules to acknowledge the good times.  "Busy"...the excuse everybody hates to hear!  Yes, you might potentially annoy your facebook and insta friends...but life is to be celebrated and that is one of the things I do love about social media.  Surely you can find something in each day that you can celebrate?  If you can't, maybe it's time to re-evaluate things.  From my own experience, nothing bad can come from focussing on the good things in our life.  The days I spend dwelling on negative things only brings me down.  So for me, this is about becoming more self-aware, not taking my 100 pictures, because yes, 50 of them will be of my cat...  Can I be happy for 100 days?  So...umm...do PMS days count in the 100 days... 

Healthy Dark Chocolate Biscotti [Paleo]

You know that feeling when you do a total recipe experiment in the kitchen and it actually turns out on the first try?  I feel like a friggin champ right now!  I still can't believe how good these taste...like so good they actually seem kind of bad!  

This recipe makes the perfect amount to have around the house so they won't go bad before you can eat them up!  They are the perfect addition to your tea or coffee...and as guilt-free as it gets!  Plus just think how impressive you're going to look when you bust out your healthy homemade biscotti for your friends?  I know right?

 

Healthy Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. In a medium bowl mix together almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, ground ginger and salt.
3. With an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil in a separate bowl until well combined.
4. Combine dry and wet ingredients together. Mix in walnuts and chocolate chunks. (Dough should be stiff).
5. On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, form two logs out of dough (6 inches long, 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide).  
6. Bake for 20 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 20-30 minutes.
7. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.  Transfer logs to a cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, trim ends and cut each log diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices.
8. Bake, cut side down, until crisp, about 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes.  Watch closely to avoid burning.
9. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  
10. Store biscotti for up to 1 week in an airtight container.

Paleo Jambalaya

One pot dinner.  Boom!  That's what I'm talking about!  This is a really easy dish to make paleo because you simply sub the white rice for cauliflower rice.  I woke up one morning last week craving this classic Louisiana Creole dish and decided to just make it paleo to satisfy my stomach!  It was an absolute hit with the boys...but maybe that's because it contained 3 different kinds of meat?  

Paleo Jambalaya (serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil
• 3 chicken breasts, sliced
• 1 chorizo sausage, cut into small pieces
• 2 bison sausages, cut into small pieces
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt & pepper, to taste
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 cup shelled, deveined shrimp
• 1 head cauliflower

Directions:

1. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Cook chicken and sausages until cooked through.
2. Add onions, peppers and garlic.  Sauté until onion is translucent.
3. Transfer ingredients to a large pot or wok.  Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth and all the spices.
4. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes (until soft).  Mash with a fork or potato masher to make cauliflower rice.
6. Add the shrimp to the jambalaya and simmer for an extra 5 minutes, or until shrimp is pink.
7. Season with salt & pepper to taste and red pepper flakes for added spice.
8. Serve over cauliflower rice and enjoy!

King Dreams

Last weekend Tom and I stayed in a really nice hotel in Vancouver and since the trip was sans-child we had a king size bed!  I have a wish list in my head of all the things I want one day {all within reason, I'm not unrealistic...unless you think having a lifestyle similar to Oprah's is unattainable}.  At the top of this list is a king size bed.  I'm obsessed with having a king size bed one day...just as obsessed as I am about having long luscious eyelashes!  I'm not an overly cuddly person and I don't like sleeping face to face so...I really need one.

I was convinced that it would provide so much more sleeping space for both of us.  Not waking up with an elbow coming at my face, a knee jabbing into my thigh...maybe even have separate blankets to avoid the blanket hogging situations.  Now I am even more excited, but then I woke up last sunday morning and saw that Tom had migrated so far onto my side, like you could not move any closer without me falling out of the bed.  He was WAY over the line!  I basically woke up with an even smaller sleeping area than I ever have in our queen at home. Coming from the guy who was so insistent on which was "his side" when we got married, clearly things have changed.  

Please note the picture.  Tom is not only on my side, but on my pillow.  Maybe the best option for us is to downgrade to a twin and share one pillow.

We really do need a king size bed.  We just do.  

Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash

Breakfast.  My most favorite meal of the day.  So predictable.  The one meal my husband can cook...(sigh).  Yes, Tom makes a mean scrambled egg and he can fry a piece of bacon to the perfect crispy to soft ratio.  Back off ladies...he's mine! 

Weekend breakfast usually gets a little more effort put into it than a weekday breakfast which is why this recipe fits perfectly into our lives.  It's is a keeper...and if you're vegetarian, omit the sausages because it's THAT good!

*A little note on the sausages:  These are bison breakfast sausages from Mission Meats (if you are local in Kelowna).  They are the only breakfast sausages they make that do not have bread crumbs in them (for those who care about what is in their meat).

Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp avocado or coconut oil
• 8 bison sausages 
• 2 large red onions, sliced
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1 1/2 tsp sage
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the sausages for about 10minutes, until browned.  Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
2. Add onions and maple syrup to the pan and cook gently until browned, stir frequently.  Return sausages to the pan with the sweet potatoes, sage, salt & pepper.
3. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Drizzle with vinegar and add more seasoning if necessary.  
5. Serve warm and enjoy!

Best Birthday Ever

The people in my life are incredible. Plain and simple. I was already overwhelmed with all the birthday love on my actual birthday, then this weekend happened. As per my request, I wanted a weekend away with Tom as well as small dinner with close friends. Little did I know...between Tom and my girlfriends, I was about to have one of the best birthdays to date!

My friends made me this Love Book. Talk about the power of words! It is filled with seriously amazing words from people who love me. It was so touching...I am tearing up as I think about it. To read about how you value me and my friendship, how I make you laugh, how you think I am a good mom, a good friend, my honesty, how I have touched your lives, how much you love me...it left me speechless. Who knew I had so many friends! Haha! I love you all so much and I am so thankful to have you in my life. This book was the greatest gift, so thank you again.  

The day began with Tom taking me shopping. This was the first time I have ever have gone to Vancouver not packing anything to wear out for dinner. Thinking for sure I would find something...but I had no luck!  I sent texts to Jill and Mel asking what they were planning to wear, I even texted Dani for store advice...I was stressin!!!

Tom told me that he had to make a stop at some 'North American Sports' store because he wanted to check it out. I didn't think anything of it...but I told him that it was cutting into my very unsuccessful day of shopping! We walked up to where this amazing sports store should be and it's wasn't there. Tom started acting weird, not really talking to me or looking at me. I started to think something was seriously wrong with him. This women comes out of the store we are standing in front of, she is looking just as confused at Tom was, (and here's me...not reading signs...just wondering how the girl in front of us was just walking around in her 6" heels), the lady asks what we are looking for. Tom steps inside, tells me to follow, is looking around, grabbing his phone.  We are in a salon, but I didn't get the hint until Tom points to the back and says "LOOK"!  What did I find?  FRIENDS! YAY! Jill, Mel and Becks waiting for me to join in on some pedicure action! Jill is the best at making little clues that give a little hint of what is about to happen...I love that about her, so she gave me the first clue!

After our pedi's, my next clue took me party dress shopping! It was all a part of the plan! Dress shopping was followed by a random stop for a birthday girl shot! Another clue...and we were off to get all dolled up for the night!

Jill had her sister-in-law, Chantelle doing our make-up. She did an amazing job...we all looked gorgeous!  Popped the champs, pumped the tunes, curled our hair! It's funny because I was thinking earlier that day how fun it would have been to get ready with all my friends...not that Tom isn't super fun to get ready with.  

Last clue...for din dins! The guys left early in one cab, then we followed shortly after them. How we ended up in the death taxi, I don't know...but the guy was cray cray. Running red lights, pumping his arabian techno as loud as possible, dancing with both hands in the air, his eyes were half shut...and the creepy creepy stares...I couldn't get out of the car fast enough...(Jill, sorry for leaving you alone with him as you squared up the bill).

Another surprise, my sister and her husband were at dinner! From dinner we went to a basement pub with live music. I was becoming slightly famous from the props Jill and Mel made for the party. Everyone we met got a picture of themselves with one. I signed autographs, got free drinks, made new friends...you know, just standard birthday stuff.  The night ended with us dancing our faces off at a club. SO MUCH FUN! My body was so sore from dancing so hard...I'm still exhausted from my 3 a.m. bedtime...but I wouldn't change any of it! I had such a fun weekend!  

I have the best friends in the world! I had no idea any of this was going to happen...except for the dinner I knew about...and then I swear we were going to the casino... Looking back on the day it's so funny how Tom was trying to stall until it was time for the pedicures, he was texting like a mad man the whole time we were shopping, how none of my friends even texted me because they were all afraid to ruin the surprise!  Man...you guys are fantastic liars/actors!  I am so thankful for all of you...my heart is so full and I cannot begin to say how meaningful the Love Book is to me...the best. Ever.

xo.

Kale & Brussel Sprout Salad

It appears that I can trick Nolan into thinking brussel sprouts taste good with this salad!  I watched him as he scarfed this down so fast....meanwhile I'm thinking about how clever I am, then he casually tells me that he knew they were brussel sprouts the whole time.  It's hard to outsmart a 12 year old.  The point here is that he liked it and so did I!  A healthier version of the mix you can get at costco, all props to the dressing! 

 

Kale & Brussel Sprout Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 8 brussel sprouts (thinly sliced)
• 6 leaves kale (stemmed & sliced)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp avocado oil

Directions:

1. Stir together mustard, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt.
2. Whisk in oil and set aside.
3. In a salad bowl, toss the brussel sprouts and kale together.  
4. Add sunflower seeds, cranberries and dressing.  Mix well and serve!

Nolan

We are so proud of our Nonnie...he rocked his very first Football BC Combine a few weeks ago!  The Combine Series provides players with the opportunity to be evaluated by Football BC's provincial coaches and is the first step to get on the radar to be a part of one of the Football BC's provincial teams as well as getting noticed for future scholarships! 

This was the first try-out.  Just to be evaluated and see where you stand with your skill level is such a great opportunity for growth.  The boys are tested on the following:

• I-test or L-test  
• Push-Ups
• Long Jump
• 10 Yard Dash
• 40 Yard Dash

They are split into groups according to their positions and evaluated individually on each skill.  Nolan's 40 yard dash time was 5.83 seconds!  Before you start thinking you could do better, let's just point out that the fastest NFL time was set by Chris Johnson at an incredible 4.24 seconds...that's what I thought!

If Nolan stood out to the coaches, he will then be invited for the second try-out held in Vancouver.  We are waiting patiently to hear back!  If he doesn't make it this year, he will have five more opportunities to try-out before he is too old.  

If he makes the second try-out, he is officially a member of Team BC which would be an incredible experience for him.  Team BC plays games throughout the United States.  Last year one of our Team BC teams defeated all of the other teams which speaks very highly of the talent these boys have as well as the great coaching staff!

Either way, we are just so happy to be able to take advamtage of these amazing opportunities.  He was very proud of how he performed that day...and he even had sprained his ankle 4 days prior to this event {walking from the school to my car...classic}.  Nolan is so passionate about football and Tom and I are thankful we are able to try to help him achieve his dream of getting a football scholarship one day!