Primal/Keto Stuffed Pepper Nachos

Hey y'all! I had planned on making stuffed peppers tonight but when I went out to the garden I realized that all of our bell peppers were small. I was annoyed and knew it would be very irritating to fill a bunch of little peppers. So I decided heck with stuffing them, I'm going to make them into nachos. Not real nachos with tortilla chips of course. I didn't measure out the ingredients but here's what I used. Just use your best judgment with the spices.


-1 lb Grass fed ground beef

-1 tbsp beef tallow

-Home grown bell peppers or store bought

-8-12oz homemade salsa or store bought

-cumin

-cayenne

-thyme

-salt

-pepper

-chili powder

-three cloves of garlic (diced or minced)

-Parmesan (shredded)

-mozzarella cheese (shredded or sliced)

-olive oil (to grease the pan)

Combine the ground beef, beef tallow, cumin, cayenne, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic in a pan and cook until meat is browned. Preheat oven to 350. While meat is cooking clean, de-seed, and cut your peppers into halves or thirds. Once meat is browned drain excess juice from pan. Add the salsa and mix well. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Put olive oil on the bottom of a 9x13 pan and lay the peppers inside. Place the peppers in the oven for 5 minutes. Place about 1/4 cup of Parmesan into the meat mixture and mix well. Take the peppers out and fill with meat mixture. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella and then bake for 20 minutes or until cheese and peppers are slightly golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

I ate mine by hand like nachos but my husband used a knife and fork. If you're not good with handling hot food then you should use utensils or wait for them to cool down.

October Ab and Squat Challenge

If you're a Pinterest lover like I am then I'm sure you've come across lots of workouts and exercise tips. I run into pins of workout challenges quite often and decided October was the month to challenge myself. Along with some of my friends in the Paleo/Whole30 Motivation Group and Post 30 Paleo Group (Facebook) I am embarking on an ab AND squat challenge. Two challenges at once? Heck yeah! Let's do this! Today is Day 3 for us. It's never too late to join though. If you decide to join along make sure to take pre-challenge measurements and photos. Let me know if you're up for the challenge. :)

(Yes I know the ab challenge calender is for September. We're following along by the date number, not the day of the week. It's all good.)

Whole 30 #2 Completed

Hello! I finished my second Whole 30 on September 18th. This time around I lost 4lbs and 2.5 inches over all. I lost more weight than my first W30, but less inches. Honestly I think juicing/blending contributed to the extra pounds. I only started juicing/blending my last 4 days but I know it helped. I know this because I had been checking my weight at least once a week and I was only down 2lbs before I started juicing. Yes I know, I'm not supposed to weigh myself on W30. Because it was my second time around I wasn't as strict on myself in that department. Other's who have issues with the scale should probably avoid it while on Whole 30.

Incredibly Delicious Oven Dried Tomatoes

In my post earlier I said that I would share my recipes with you if they were good and dear heavens are my oven dried tomatoes good. I ate the whole tray! So good! Here's the recipe:

• Preheat your oven to 200-250 degrees.
• Core and seed as many tomatoes as you want.
• Cut your tomatoes into whatever size pieces you'd like.
• Toss the tomatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and rosemary.
• Place the tomatoes on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.
• Bake for 3-5 hours (Time will depend on your oven and altitude. Check on the tomatoes every half hour after the 2 hour mark. I baked mine at 200 for 4 hours and 250 for 1 hour.) The longer you leave them in the crispier and more dried out they become.
• Once they become the texture that you like you can take them out of the oven and serve. If there are any left you may store them in the fridge. Not sure how long because mine are all gone :)

It Has Been a While

I'll admit it. I'm the worst blogger in the world! This summer has been busy and a lot of things have happened. I suppose I should recap a little.

1. My first Whole 30 went well but I didn't lose as much weight as I would have liked. I only lost 2.5 lbs but I lost 3 inches over all. I still consider it a success. I wasn't able to work out as much as I would have liked due to set backs in my post surgical recovery. I was dealing with nerve regeneration in my back, knee pains, and hip pains. Had I worked out more often then I think more weight would have come off. Also I had a difficult time staying away from fruit. Yes fruit is good for you and it is nutritious, but it does contain a lot of sugar. When you're doing a Whole 30 and your sugar monster is screaming at you, the only thing sweet thing you have to calm it is fruit. I would try to only eat one piece of fruit a day but many days it was two. I think this also contributed to me only losing 2.5 lbs.
2. My toxin-free action plan is still in progress. I wanted to have my household cleaning stuff completed by August 1st, but there are reasons why it is not. First of all I am able to complete all of the action plan. I do have the homemade cleansers for all areas and I have used them. However, I still have a lot of left over cleaners from my couponing days so I am trying to use them up first. Mainly I'm using up toilet bowl cleaner, laundry detergent, and fabric softener. Everything else I have either disposed of, or its still sitting in my basement collecting dust. I wanted to give some of it away but I'm not sure if giving away toxic chemicals is a good idea. If they use them already then surely they may have them and use them, but I still feel badly about offering them. I feel like I'm saying "Here are chemicals that I refuse to use in my house but you may contaminate your home and your family as much as you like." As much as I hate using my old laundry detergent and fabric softener, I have so much of it that I need to just make it go away. I'm gritting my teeth each time I do laundry. I hate using it but hopefully it'll be gone in a few months. This is one case where buying in bulk sucks!
3. I may be starting my own toxin-free beauty care business. I have been selling some of my homemade products to friends and acquaintances. If all goes well I may be turning it into a full blown business. Starting your own business is scary, but nothing worth doing is ever easy breezy. I've met some awesome people who are into "green" living and are interesting in helping me. I'm excited about the possibilities but I'm equally scared. If things get rolling I'll start selling my products on my blog as well.
4. I am currently in the midst of my second Whole 30. I started on August 19th after a Milk Duds binge. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm hoping that this Whole 30 will be even more successful than my first. I really need to work on my will power when I'm done my Whole 30. I'll post my results when I'm finished in September.
5. I have started canning!!! Yes, I am full blown Martha over here these days. Our two tiny tomato seeds have produced an abundance of tomatoes. For a household that doesn't like tomatoes as they are, this meant I had to get creative. My husband bought me a canner and I started making lots of sauce, salsa, bbq sauce, tomato paste, and oven dried tomatoes. I'm currently making the salsa and oven dried tomatoes. If they turn out well then I will share my recipes.

That is what has been going on with me. I look forward to updating you on all of my ventures. Hopefully I can keep up with my posting. Have a great day!

June Whole30/Whole30 Approved Bacon BBQ Sauce

I started my first Whole30 on June 1st. After several weeks of falling off of the Paleo wagon and cheating too much, I decided I needed to get myself back on track. I gained back 5lbs and I'm not happy about that. I had planned on trying the Whole30 program at some point and this just seemed like the best time to do it. 

My Whole30 experience is going well so far, but it has been a little difficult. I have gone throw the detox period over the last couple of days. I've been experiencing some minor headaches and fatigue, but I think the worst is behind me. It's only day 4 for me, but I do feel better today than I did yesterday.

The hardest part of my Whole30 so far has been letting go of my raw honey. On Paleo you're allowed to have raw honey and I usually put a tsp of it in my tea in the morning. Drinking my tea black just isn't my thing. I've pretty much decided to give up my tea until July 1st. The other difficult thing has been trying to find some sugar-free things. Most importantly sugar-free bacon and sugar-free BBQ sauce. Now this is not your conventional "sugar-free" where they use artificial sweeteners instead. This is really SUGAR FREE. I'm having a terrible time finding sugar-free bacon, but someone on a Whole30 forum might have helped me. She said that if you go to the grass fed meat section at Whole Foods and ask the butcher in the back for sugar-free bacon, that he will give it to you. She thinks its called "Sunny Side Up Bacon". I will call Whole Foods and ask before venturing back. If I really can't find it then I will have to resort to making my own which I am kind of excited to try. My husband asked for pulled pork and ribs for dinner this week and I bought them without realizing that I don't have a sugar-free BBQ sauce recipe. I've never made BBQ sauce before and my organic bottle stuff from the grocery store contains organic raw sugar. Obviously, that's a no no while doing Whole30. I searched through some Whole30 forums and Googled a few recipes and I came up with this one. It is sort of a mix between Civilized Caveman's Beasty BBQ Sauce recipe and Nom Nom Paleo's Cherry BBQ Sauce recipe.

Whole30 Approved Bacon BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium-large white onion 
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 6 ounce can of organic tomato paste (sugar-free)
• 1/2 cup organic beef stock
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp bacon fat or ghee
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 8-14 Mejool dates (pits removed)
• 3-4 slices of bacon (cut up into small pieces)

Directions

Combine all ingredients (except bacon) in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture and bacon into a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool before jarring and storing in the refrigerator. 

Paleo-friendly post workout smoothies

These are the two post work out smoothies I drink most often.

Chocolate Banana Hemp Protein Smoothie

• 1 cup homemade almond milk (or store bought if you don't make your own)
• 1 large banana
• 2-3 organic kale leaves (washed well)
• 1 tbsp of chai seeds (or 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds)
• 1 serving of organic chocolate hemp protein powder (unsweetened if you can find it)
• 4 ice cubes

Blend ingredients until smooth.

Apple Cinnamon Protein Smoothie

• 1 whole apple (I use the whole apple because there are nutrients in the core and seeds. You can omit the core if you wish)
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 cup homemade almond milk (or store bought)
• 2-3 organic kale leaves (washed well)
• 1 tbsp of chai seeds (or 1 tbsp of ground flax seeds)
• 1 serving of unflavored or vanilla protein powder (I used a Paleo friendly powder I got from True Nutrition)
• 4 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients in the blender. This one is a bit chunkier but yummy.

Homemade Reusable Disinfecting Wipes

Today I made my own disinfecting wipes. Goodbye Clorox wipes, hello homemade reusable wipes. I've seen a couple of different sanitizing solution recipes but this is the one that I used.

Homemade Reusable Disinfecting Wipes

You will need

• Old t-shirts or reusable baby wipes
• Old empty baby wipes containers (I used old Cottonelle wipes containers)
• Scissors (if using t-shirts)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol or white vinegar
• 2 tbsp Castile Soap (You cannot use vinegar with castile soap because they cancel each other out. If using vinegar then use Soap Nuts or other dish soap in place of the castile soap)
• 1/2 tbsp Tea Tree Oil
• Optional: Other essential oils for a nicer fragrance. I may add orange or lemon EO in the future

Directions

• If using old t-shirts then cut them into your desired sized wipes.
• Put the wipes into the containers. You can fold them or just throw them into the container. Your choice.
• Mix the water, alcohol, soap, and tea tree oil together.
• Pour solution over your wipes. This solution made enough for me to cover two containers worth of wipes. If you're making more than two containers then make more solution.
• Shake the containers a little bit so the solution gets all over.
• Let the wipes sit for a few hours so that the solution can soak through all of the wipes. 

Tips

• More or less solution may be needed depending on the size of your container and how many wipes you can fit into it.
• These wipes should only be used on non-porous surfaces. Try on a small inconspicuous area if you are unsure if they are safe on a certain surface.
• Ribbed shirts are nicer for scrubbing and they grab dirt and dust better

Toxic-free action plan completion update

Hello all. I apologize for being a few days late on my update but here I am. I have not completed all of my goals, but I have completed most. Here is my original plan of action with the updates in red.

• Plan of Action

• Food
• Replace coconut milk coffee creamer with homemade almond milk.-Complete: I have made my homemade almond milk, but I also kicked my coffee habit. I am using the almond milk in my smoothies though.
• Discontinue use of store bought chocolate and replace with homemade.-Complete: I have one bag of Enjoy Life Chips left that I'll probably use to make cookies, but other than that I am done buying chocolate. I had chocolate hazelnut sea salt bark that I made and was using as a chocolate fix, but it all gone. I will have to make some more.
• Only store food in glass or stainless steel containers.-Complete: I store my food in glass jars or pyrex dishes. I have two stainless steel water bottles and one glass water bottle. I also bought a stainless steel water pitcher.
• Avoid microwave use when at all possible.-Complete: I only use it to sanitize my dish sponge.
• Eat only organic non-GMO food, and only buy from companies supporting the non-GMO movement.-Complete: I have not purchased any food that is not organic and non-GMO unless it was for my husband because he's stubborn. The only time I do purchase anything like that for him is when he goes with me to the grocery store which isn't very often. He knows he won't get his ice cream if he doesn't come with me.
• Research which bulk supply stores are the best for purchasing organic non-GMO foods (i.e. BJ's, Costco, or Sam's Club) and become a member.- Semi Complete:  I have visited BJ's and was disappointed with the selection. I have heard many good things about Costco's selection but I have not been there yet. The Sam's Club is far away and will most likely not be an option for me. I plan to go into Costco and find out if they have a trial pass so that I can try it out before deciding to become a member.
• Beauty Care
• Research toxins and get rid of my products that contain harmful chemicals, hormones, and toxins. -Complete:  I have cleaned out all of my cabinets and discarded anything that contains toxic chemicals (I had to save a few of my husband's products but I'm slowly working them out.) I refer to ewg.org for all of my research on harmful toxins.
• Make homemade deodorant, toothpaste, make-up remover/facial cleansing wipes, and lip balm.-I have made deodorant and toothpaste, but I have not made make-up remover wipes or lip balm. I do not think I will be making the make-up remover wipes. Its an added expense that is not really necessary for me. I generally clean off my make up with coconut oil or jojoba oil. I do plan on making lip balm in the future, but I am currently using non-toxic brands like Yes to Carrots. In a sense I've completed the non-toxic part of the goal, but I have not completed my goal to make some homemade products like lip balm.
• Only buy products that are non-toxic and use homemade when possible.-Complete: I've switched to Dr. Bonners for hand soap, my make-up is non-toxic, and I have made deodorant and body butter.
• Reduce make-up use to only special occasions (i.e. date night, gatherings, holidays, celebrations/parties).-Complete: I try not to wear make-up as often as I used to and only reserve it for special occasions.
• Use only organic coconut oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and almond oil for moisturizer, cleanser, and hair care.-Complete:  I use coconut oil and jojoba oil for moisturizer, leave in conditioner, make-up remover, facial cleanser, and deodorant.

If any of you have created an action plan let me know. I'd love to hear your success stories, and if you've hit any bumps in the road.

Paleo beginners guide

I've recently had a few friends ask me about the Paleo lifestyle, and because I'm a Paleo advocate, this excites me. I've had to explain the diet and what to buy over and over again so I decided to post a little beginner's guide. This way in the future I can direct any new comers to this post and they'll have most if not all of the info they'll need to decide whether or not they'd like to make this lifestyle change. Yes that's right, it's a lifestyle change. If you go into this thinking its just another diet, then the likelihood of you failing is going to be higher. I usually suggest that everyone gives it at least 30 days. That's 30 days of commitment to eating Paleo, and NO cheating. After the 30 days I want you to evaluate how you feel. What are the changes you've noticed in your energy levels, sleeping habits, eating habits, weight, and muscles. If after the 30 days are over you feel like you "NEED" to "cheat" then do, and monitor how you feel. I guarantee you won't feel good afterwards. Some side effects of "cheating" that I noticed are headaches, nausea, stomach pains, gas and diarrhea. Sounds pleasant right? Not so much. I went into Paleo thinking I was only going to do it for 30 days, but it changed my life. After the 30 days were up I felt so great that I never wanted to eat "conventionally" again. Of course I have eaten those awful grains and processed foods from time to time at social gatherings and what not, but I assure you I curse myself every time. It not so hard to become committed to a lifestyle change when reverting back to bad behavior causes you to be sick. Some may see these "cheating side effects" as inconvenient but I love them. They keep me on target and remind me why I stopped eating those foods to begin with. So 30 days...give it a shot. You won't be disappointed. If after 30 days of committed Paleo eating you do not feel better, stronger, lighter, and more energized than please message me and let me know. I honestly do not know a single person who gave it their all and did not like the results. So without further ado, here is my beginner's guide to eating Paleo.

Paleo

What to eat

• Meats 
• Beef (preferably grass-fed and organic)
• Poultry (preferably pastured and organic)
• Pork (preferably organic)
• Fish/seafood (preferably wild caught or sustainable farm raised)
• Wild game
• Eggs (preferably pastured and organic)
• Vegetables (preferably organic)
• Fruits (preferably organic and in moderation)
• Nuts and Seeds (in moderation)
• Healthy fats
• Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (preferably organic)
• Ghee or Clarified Butter
• Animal fats
• Water, Coffee, and Tea (coffee and tea should be taken black)

What NOT to eat

• Grains (including corn)
• Dairy
• Legumes 
• Gluten
• Soy
• Sugar
• Processed Foods
• Other oils (canola oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, grape seed oil)
• Peanuts 

My Paleo household staples

• Organic chicken breast- I try to buy organic pasture farm raised when I can
• Organic grass-fed ground beef
• Wild caught shrimp and sea scallops
• Wild caught salmon and tilapia
• Organic pork chops
• Organic bacon- I try to buy fresh organic farm raised when I can
• Organic eggs- I buy organic pasture raised when I can
• Organic broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, romaine, spinach, kale, collard greens, zucchini, green beans, and eggplant.
• Organic bananas, apples, raspberries, lemons, and dates
• Raw honey
• Organic ghee
• Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
• Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Raw almonds- I soak them and use them to make homemade almond milk
• Dry roasted almonds (eat by themselves, mixed in trail mix, or make your own almond butter)
• Unsweetened coconut milk
• Dry roasted unsalted cashews, walnuts, and hazelnuts
• Organic garlic and ginger
• Organic unsweetened cocoa powder
• Organic fair trade coffee and tea
• Himalayan pink sea salt
• Seasonings and spices

The meats and produce I've listed under my "staples" aren't the only ones you can eat. They just happen to be the ones that I buy the most. If you're wondering why I choose organic, pastured, and grass fed meats and produce, here are a couple of articles explaining this choice. Educate yourself on where your food comes from and it could save your life.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/19/caged-vs-free-range-chicken-eggs.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/american-meat-is-even-more-disgusting-than-you-thought.aspx

To Learn More About Sustainable Agriculture

There are SO many great Paleo food bloggers out there who have fantastic recipes and websites. A few of my favorites are 

http://nomnompaleo.com/

http://www.againstallgrain.com/

http://fastpaleo.com/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz2SY8TKEn9

Marks Daily Apple has a wealth of information. Any time I have a question regarding anything to do with Paleo I go there. It helped me a lot when I first started out.

I hope this beginners guide was helpful. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. If you embark on the Paleo journey then I hope you are successful and fall in love with this lifestyle as I have. Its so simple! Just eat REAL food and stay away from processed foods, grains, dairy, gluten, sugar and legumes. Happy eating!