Healthier Mud Pies / gluten and dairy free

I bought some Glutino oreo's for the boys. They love these cookies! I thought it would be fun to make them some mud pies with the cookies crumbled on top and a couple gummy worms. My mom sent them Albanese gummy worms. 

I found a chocolate chia pudding recipe on Pinterest. It was super easy to make. 

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup dairy free milk - I used almond milk

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix it all together and chill for 4-6 hours in the fridge. 

I crumbled up the cookies, sprinkled them over the top and put 2 worms in each bowl. George thought they were super cute and delicious. Cash would only eat the worms. lol

George ended up thinking it was a cute idea, but only ate about 3 bites. George isn't a chocolate fan. Cash loves all sweets, so I am not sure why he wouldn't even try them. Cash just kept yelling he wanted more worms. Next time I will just try to see if he will eat the pudding without worms. 

Air Fryer Eggs!

We eat A LOT of eggs in our home! We go through 4-5 dozen eggs every 2 weeks. I sent eggs to work with Art every day for breakfast. Some times it's just scrambled and some times I do an egg bake. 

One of my friends Caryl posted on IG that she bought these OXO silicone air fryer molds to make over easy eggs. She said she makes an over easy egg in about 10 minutes in her air fryer. WHAT!!!! Well like any good influenced person does I ordered the OXO molds from Amazon for $4. I made some over easy eggs a couple times. Then I decided to try other type of eggs.

I cut up some red onion and jalapenos to add to the bottom of the cups. I whisk 6 eggs and 1/4 cup of salsa in a bowl. I pour the whisked eggs over the onion and jalapenos. I place them in the air fryer at 400 for 10-12 minutes. They easily come right out of the cups without any oil. 

Ready to go into the air fryer

ALL DONE! 

I have been eating the eggs over a slice of turkey and a slice of Daiya cheddar cheese with some Franks Red Hot over the top! This is my favorite breakfast right now! 

Cash has been eating these eggs without jalapenos. He was on an egg strike for awhile. He ate one the other day and was yelling for more. 

The combinations for eggs you can make are endless! Let me know if you try these and what you think! 

Molds found HERE 

Twix Bars - Dairy, gluten and refined sugar FREE!

A new follow for me on Instagram is Stacy_simmons made these gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar twix bars. I had to try them! They looked really good. One thing about being home so much is I have been baking more. Baking is not my thing. I would rather cook a full meal over baking. Maybe I will become a baker now. lol

The boys love to bake with me. It's usually easier to let them bake then to have them help cook a meal. As soon as I pull the mixer out Cash comes running and pushing a chair over to the counter. 

Cookie Bottom:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/3 cup coconut oil

3 tablespoons honey warmed

Put in a small pan lined with parchment paper. You will need to pack this down tightly onto the parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. 

Completely cook before you add the next layer.

When I pulled it out of the oven I was afraid I forgot an egg or something because it seemed crumbly. Once it cooled it wasn't crumbly at all. 

Middle Caramel Layer:

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

sprinkle salt

Stir in a sauce pan over low heat until it all liquefies. Let it cool before you add it to the cookie layer. Spread it evenly over the cookie layer and put it in the freezer for 2-3 hours. 

Chocolate Layer:

I used 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Melt in a sauce pan over low heat. After the chocolate has melted pour over the top of the cookie and caramel layer. Sprinkle the top with kosher salt. 

I put these back in the freezer for about 10 minutes before I cut them into squares. After I cut them into squares I put them into a zip lock bag and keep them in the freezer. If you take them out for a couple minutes you are able to eat them. These bars melt quickly, so you don't want to leave them out. 

My final verdict is they don't really taste like a twix, but they are sure yummy! Let me know if you make these and what you think!! 

Gut Health and why it's so important!

I learned about gut health around 4 years ago. My natural doctor and Dr. Wahl's talk about a leaky gut and gut health a lot. I was rather confused what in the world a leaky gut was until it was explained to me. What is a leaky gut? Leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a digestive condition in which bacteria and toxins are able to "leak" through the intestinal wall. The sad thing is mainstream medical doctors do not recognize leaky gut as a real condition. 

Symptoms of a leaky gut are:

• chronic diarrhea, constipation or bloating
• nutritional deficiencies
• fatigue
• headaches
• confusion
• difficulty concentrating
• skin problems, such as acne, rashes, or eczema
• joint pain
• widespread inflammation

I wrote a blog post on sugar HERE a couple weeks ago. Sugar is one way to cause a leaky gut and destroy good gut health. Avoid eating refined sugars, processed foods, refined oils and minimize your alcohol intake to help your gut health. 

Breakfast I try to have a smoothie with spinach, berries, coconut or almond milk, collagen peptides and chia seeds. We do eat a lot of eggs. I will either fry an egg in coconut oil until they are crispy which is my favorite way to eat them or I like to scramble them with some onions, jalapenos, and spinach. My boys love to eat scrambled eggs with salt. They need salt on their eggs or they won't eat them. I use pink Himalayan salt. 

Lunch I make a large salad. I use all different kinds of lettuce - romaine, arugula, spring mix. Whatever type of lettuce I feel like that week. I try to mix it up, so I don't get sick of the same thing. Then I add in the toppings - shredded carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grilled chicken, sauerkraut, some nuts if I have them, and Whole 30 ranch. I think it was the Doctors on tv who were talking about how a really good salad has to be mixed really well. It's so true! Once you get everything into your salad it needs to be mixed well! It just makes the salad that much better! 

I started added sauerkraut or kimchi to my salads in the past year. Fermented foods are really great for gut health. Please read the ingredients on the fermented foods you are eating. Make sure there aren't colors, sugars etc added to it. If you are eating fermented foods with additives it pretty much defeats the whole purpose of adding them to your diet. 

A typical lunch for me. 

By having a smoothie and eating a large salad for lunch this pretty much will get 6-9 cups of veggies into my diet for the day. At dinner I might have some paleo tortillas for tacos, baked potato, paleo chicken pot pie or some other type of paleo starch to my dinner. 

Bone broth, sauerkraut, kombucha, are my go to items for helping my gut health besides eating a paleo diet and lots of veggies! I can't say enough of how great bone broth is for you! Not just for your gut health, but also your joints. Getting the collagen for your joints is so important! If you struggle with an autoimmune disease or inflammation add some bone broth into your diet. If you are buying bone broth please pay attention to the ingredients. 

Chris Freytag one of my favorite trainers always says fruit will not make you fat. This is such a good reminder for me. There are times when I want something sweet. Grabbing watermelon, berries, a banana with almond butter is so much better for you than grabbing a Reese's peanut butter cup. Here is what is in a Reese's peanut butter cup - milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin, pgpr, emulsifier), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, salt, tbhq (preservative), citric acid (to maintain freshness). 

When you are grabbing a banana with simple almond butter you are eating 2 natural items. You are not worrying about dextrose, citric acid and who knows what else being added to it. I feel fruit has been given a bad rap over the years. It has too much sugar, too many carbs, it's not good to eat it all the time - all lies! It's a natural thing that your body can easily process! If you have a leaky gut you may need to consider limiting the amount of fruit you eat until you get your gut health in a good place. 

Have you ever heard of gut health or a leaky gut? What are things you do to keep a healthy gut?

Refined sugars and your body!

When I started my weight loss journey almost 10 years ago sugar was one thing that really was eye opening. When I was doing the HCG diet I really had to pay attention to ingredients in things. Then when I started eating paleo again back to the sugar watching. 

Have you ever looked at the grams of sugar in that Starbucks drink? What about in the ketchup, crackers, lunch meat, or the processed foods you are eating? Start looking at ingredients on the things you are eating and see how many of them have sugar added to them. 

Here is a list of refined sugar. 

• white flour.
• evaporated cane juice.
• instant starches.
• corn syrup.
• high fructose corn syrup.
• brown sugar (made by adding molasses back into refined white sugar)
• fructose.
• processed artificial sweeteners

Here is what the Cancer Center had to stay in 2016:

"The body breaks down refined sugar rapidly, causing insulin and blood sugar levels to skyrocket. Because refined sugar is digested quickly, you don't feel full after you're done eating, no matter how many calories you consumed. The fiber in fruit slows down metabolism, as fruit in the gut expands to make you feel full".

Refined sugars may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. They're also linked to a higher likelihood of depression, dementia, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.

In the brain, excess sugar impairs both our cognitive skills and our self-control. For many people, having a little sugar stimulates a craving for more. Sugar has drug-like effects in the reward center of the brain. Scientists have proposed that sweet foods—along with salty and fatty foods—can produce addiction-like effects in the human brain, driving the loss of self-control, overeating, and subsequent weight gain.

The NIH did a study in mice modeling autoimmune issues gave them sugary water and saw the diseases worsen by activating inflammatory immune cells. The findings suggest that a low-sugar diet may help prevent or treat autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis.

Sugar stimulates the production of free fatty acids in the liver. When the body digests these free fatty acids, the resulting compounds can trigger inflammatory processes. Different kinds of sugar may contribute more or less to inflammation.

If you have any type of autoimmune diseases sugar is not your friend whatsoever! I can really tell a difference when I eliminate sugar from my diet. My inflammation really seems to decrease and my I don't crave sugar either. When I am eating sugar on a daily basis my craving for sugar is insane! I also feel my entire body become inflamed in a short amount of time. 

It blows my mind how people do not pay attention to the amount of sugar they are putting in their bodies every single day. I keep seeing all these people making coffees on social media adding tablespoons upon tablespoons of sugar to their coffee. People do you know what this is doing to your body? You are poisoning your body on a daily basis adding all that sugar. 

If I am going to use sugar or give my kids sugar I like to use maple syrup or honey. They are a natural sugar that your body can process. I would like to challenge you to pay attention to the amount of refined sugars you are consuming on a daily basis. Try cutting them out and see how you feel. Also think about what your kids are eating and how much refined sugars they are eating. Mamas we need to consider what our kids tiny bodies are consuming and setting them up for a healthy adults. Our world is consumed with autoimmune diseases, cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol and so much more. Refined sugars are related to so many of these diseases!

I really feel I need to share more about living healthy, multiple sclerosis and easy ways to help people live a healthier lifestyle. I feel this is part of my calling as a person and mother. I can only control what my children eat, but I can help other mothers make better choices for their kids if they want the help. 

Gluten & Dairy Free One Pot Hamburger Helper

As a busy mom aren't we always looking for easy meals we can make for dinner?  I decided to remake The Defined Dish one pot hamburger helper for my family. I feed Cash dairy and gluten free foods. I also try to limit gluten for G. When I saw this recipe I thought it looked and sounded so yummy! This would be a great meal for a busy night too. 

This is one of Cashy's favorite meals. He will gobble this up! I love that I only have to get one pot dirty for a filling meal. It also makes enough that we have plenty of leftovers for 2-3 lunches. Art or the kids will eat it the next day. 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, chopped finely
1 pound ground beef or turkey - I use whatever I have on hand
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste 
1-2 cups of spinach
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1 package of gluten free pasta (usually around 8 oz)
2 cups bone broth 
2 cups of coconut milk
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

Instructions:

- heat your pot over medium heat

- melt the coconut oil

- saute your chopped onions and minced garlic cloves for 20-30 seconds

- brown your ground meat with the onion and garlic

- once the meat is almost all browned, add in the salt, paprika, nutritional yeast, spinach and tomato paste. Stir to combine in your meat.

- add the bone broth and milk to your browned meat. Bring the liquid to a boil. 

- add in your pasta and cook for the time amount on the package. It's usually around 8 minutes for 8 oz package. 

Serve and Enjoy!

I like adding spinach and shredded carrots to get some veggies in the meal. If I don't have spinach or carrots to add I will serve a side salad on the side or some cut up raw veggies. 

Daily Essentials at the Dollar Tree

Do you shop at the Dollar Tree?  I go about once every other month to stock up on our daily essential things we need around the house. I realized about 15 years ago that the Dollar Tree carries a lot of stuff that is used on a daily basis at a much cheaper price. 

I buy all the ziplock type baggies at the Dollar Tree. There have been times I have purchased them at Target or Costco. When I compare the prices it is so much cheaper to just go to the Dollar Tree. I normally buy the off brands of baggies, but they were out this last time. Pandemic hoarders shelves must be overflowing lol

On my trip to the Dollar Tree here are some of the items I get:

1. Snack baggies - 1
2. Sandwich baggies - 3
3. Quart baggies - 1 
4. Gallon baggies - 3
5. Rubber gloves - 2
6. Sponges - 3 
7. Flossers - 2 
8. Napkins - 3
9. Paper towels - 2
10. Parchment paper - 2 

I usually have to go to the Dollar Tree because we need more baggies. We haven't been going through as many now that G isn't in school. For the most part I try not to send a lot of baggies in lunches. It is usually cheaper to buy things in bulk and put them in a baggy. I also freeze a lot of food, so I use baggies to freeze stuff. 

The only time we use paper towels is when the cleaning lady comes, so 2 rolls last us 2 months or more. We use cloth towels instead of paper towels. I have probably 20 towels that last me a week. We use them to dry our hands, clean up messes and wipe up any water. I didn't grow up with paper towels, so it feels wasteful to me to use paper towels. 

I wash dishes in rubber gloves otherwise my hands get so dry. I like the pink ones! One pair will last me awhile! I just like to have a second pair in case I get a hole in them. I don't always buy these. If I have a second pair under the sink I don't buy anymore. 

I use sponges to wash dishes, clean the stove, and wipe off counters. I know some people hate sponges. I like them. You might like paper towels and I don't. So let's just agree to disagree on the sponge situation ok. lol

I keep flossers all over the place. I got into the habit of flossing my teeth and now I need to do it a few times a day. I keep them in my car, purse, kitchen drawer and bathroom. I don't want to be running all over the place to take care of my teeth lol
The dentist told me on my last visit they haven't seen teeth this clean. I said well it's because of the preschool pick up line! They were puzzled. I said I floss my teeth every day while I am picking up G from school. 

I also like to buy all our party supplies - plates, napkins, utensils, decorations, gift bags, cards. These things are just as good as buying them from Target, but the price is so much less. There are times I will order specific themed decor for the boys birthdays from Amazon, but for regular colored decor I buy it from the Dollar Tree. 

I try to stock up, so I only go every 2-3 months. It saves me time and money. I tell the kids they can pick out 1 item while we are there. They can pick ANYTHING in the store they want. This of course makes G VERY happy! lol One day Cash was insistent on 2 balls...not 1 he picked 2 favorite balls. At first I was like no, you need to pick just one. Then I thought come on Becky it's $1 LOL

Check out your local Dollar Tree the next time you are near one for your daily essentials! 

Menu August 20

I barely did any cooking while I was at my parents compared to my weekly routine when I am home. I cook 3 meals a day when I am home. We go out to eat maybe 3-4 times a month. I will say it was really nice to have a break from meal planning and cooking, but man is it hard to get back into it. At my parents we ate at least one meal a day at the my mom's restaurant when it was open. She is a seasonal business, so she is only open Wednesday through Sunday. 

I will say I ate more hamburgers in the month I was in ND than I eat in probably a full year. Hamburgers are something that are easy to get that are paleo approved. I just have to ask for a hamburger, no bun, tomato, lettuce and no cheese when I was there. Can you believe they don't bring tomato and lettuce with every burger? I found that so crazy! Hamburgers, steak and some salads I could make a few exceptions for to stick to paleo. The rest of the foods seemed to have some type of breading on them. 

A few days before I came home I ordered some food from Amazon Fresh to be delivered to the house. Art needed some food, so I added extra stuff that I knew I would like when I got home. The first day I was home I made a menu and grocery list. I ate a lot of fried tator tots. My mom had some gluten free ones. They were so yummy and just went so well with hamburgers!!! It was time to get back on track once we were home! I had joked we were going to need to detox once we were home. G ate so much junk. There were some things I would say he couldn't have, but I tried to just take a deep breath and let my family give him some treats. It isn't every day he eats these things. Once in awhile it will be ok. 

Here is the menu I put together for this week. 

Main Dishes:

Cracklin Chicken

Salmon

Zucchini Spaghetti

Beef & Broccoli

Breakfast

Taco Salad

Sausages

We have a TON of tomatoes right now. My mom made this really good tomato salad for her salad bar. I just had to take out the cheese. 

slice cherry tomatoes in 4's

dice an avocado 

drizzle olive oil over the top of them

mince 3 cloves of garlic 

mince fresh basil

mix all together, put in fridge for a few hours and serve cold

My mom added these little mozzarella cheeses to the salad. 

Sides:

Roasted broccoli

Baked potatoes

Coleslaw

BLT salad

Tomato salad - see above

Greek salad

Roasted veggies - zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers

Costco Shopping

I snapped this picture of half the items I bought at Costco recently. I seem to purchase most of the same things each week. Please note the twinkies are NOT mine. lol There was a divider right behind those. I love that Costco sells the big bottles of Suja juice. They had it on sale for $6.99. That is the cost of like 2 little ones. I try to drink some each day. It is a great way to get in extra greens. It is also much easier to buy Suja juice instead of juicing your own veggies. G also loves the green juice. I water is down for him otherwise I think it is too strong for him. 

This is a pretty typical shopping trip for me. Mostly fruits and veggies. I get almond milk, eggs and rotisserie chickens too. Those were in the cart. Spinach, cherry tomatoes, kale salad, bananas are staples. I will let G pick some fruits he would like. Lately he has been on a cutie phase, so we buy a big bag of those. G loves to eat cherry tomatoes too. I will cut them in half for him. He just pops them in his mouth like candy. I can't wait for our cherry tomatoes in our garden to be ready to eat. He is going to love those!

Do you have staples you buy each week? 

Toddler Meals & Foods

I am always looking for things to feed G. I like to see what other moms feed their kids on social media or I ask other moms what is on their kids menu. I am always concerned he is eating enough veggies. Up until he was about 2.5 he would eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! Whatever I put on his plate he would eat. Now....oh boy....he tells me things are yucky, spits them out, or just refuses to even try them. 

Dinner time I put on his plate what we are having. Even if I know he won't eat it I still put it on there. I am hoping one day he will try it. At least different things will become familiar to him.  He doesn't eat a lot for dinner these days. He will eat a little then he is all done. 

This boy wakes up hungry for breakfast. There are some days he wakes up and tells me momma breakfast! He usually likes eggs, pancakes, yogurt or some fruit. He eats very good at breakfast. It's rare that he won't eat. 

Lunch I have been bringing him food to school. When he gets out he is so hungry and tired. Usually he falls asleep on the way home. He had been asking for butter and jelly sandwiches almost every single day. All of a sudden he has decided he doesn't like the crust of the bread too. No idea where that came from or why. He eats all around the crust then hands me the leftovers. 

I have been trying to come up with some new ideas for lunch time. I don't just want him eating a sandwich every day. He needs some veggies in his meal too. I decided to make these little bento style boxes for his lunch. I have a sandwich container that rarely gets used. I put 4 cupcakes liners in the sandwich container. I put cashews, tomatoes, meatball and some mini Larabars. He loved this!!! 

These are the best pictures, but I was trying to snap some before the food was all gone. You can get the concept of what I did. It's a great way to give him a variety of foods. He LOVES nuts! He is only allergic to peanuts, so he can eat almonds and cashews. The nuts were the first thing that disappeared. He also loves cherry tomatoes. I slice them in halfs or thirds, so he doesn't choke on them. 

I bought some ground meat from Sprout's recently to make a bunch of meatballs. We need some quick things to grab that are healthy. I make up a pound of little meatballs that I keep in a Pyrex container in the fridge. I can pop them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and they are ready to eat. I actually made these really quickly while I was cooking dinner one evening. As my dinner was cooking I formed the meatballs and fried them in a pan. 

Kids are so crazy with their appetites and foods they decide they like. One day they will love bananas and the next day they hate them. I try to keep offering things to G that I feel are healthy. He won't eat spinach, but if I put it in a smoothie he drinks it right down. He also likes raw veggies with the Whole 30 Ranch Dressing I make. He likes to be able to dip things. 

I honestly don't make G a bunch of "toddler friendly foods". I make him what we eat. I was giving him the almond butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch because I eat the same thing almost every day for lunch. I have a kale and chicken salad. He will take a few bites of a salad. I will give him chicken, but he needs something else. I just don't feel a 2 year old is going to sit and eat a full salad right now. Maybe when he is a little bigger. I am a creature of habit and eat pretty much the same things for breakfast and lunch each day. 

What do you like to feed your kids? 

What are your easy to go to meals for kids? 

Weekly Menu July 2

One of my favorite things about holidays is the food! Summer time holiday's are all about bbq's! Grilled hamburgers, steak, potato salad, cold watermelon, chips! I am looking forward to bbq this week on the 4th of July! Almost every year we have the same tradition. We go to the inlaws to bbq and shoot off fireworks. Last year G was a little into the fireworks. I think he will be a lot more into it this year! I love sparklers! That is all I care about! Give me a box of sparklers and that is 4th of July to me!

Main Dishes:

Hamburgers
Sausages
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Pizza
Fish
Steaks

I will make some roasted broccoli, BLT salad, honey garlic cauliflower, baked potatoes, raw veggies with paleo ranch, and coleslaw to go with our main dishes. Easier menu this week since there is a holiday in the middle of the week and G's last week of school! 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Weekly Menu - Paleo appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.  

Monday Thrive June 26

1) Holy bazooka we had one of the hottest weeks ever last week! It was AWFUL! We had days of high 90's to 100. We have a portable AC unit that we normally set up in our family room. Honestly we usually need this in August-October for a day here and there. We rarely run the thing. Well this year it was pulled out of storage in June! We decided to set it up in our bedroom this year. I am so glad we did! I would usually turn it on around nap time and leave it on until morning. It has kept our room cool. We have been able to sleep through this awful weather.

People in my area of Nor Cal don't handle the heat. We act like we are dying! People in the south roll their eyes at us whining. We don't have humidity or I might have packed my bags for Alaska. lol I spent most evenings in my room soaking in the AC. On a few occasions during this heat wave I brought different toys into our room to play with G. We also watched some movies from the Ipad. We also spent a lot of time in the pool. I have a nice tan which I am not complaining about. 

G had a great time dressing up his little guy in a knight, fireman, police man and other outfits. I was laughing to myself thinking G you probably won't ever understand the paper dolls I use to have. You had to fold the little tabs behind the doll with all the different outfits. Now they have magnetic ones where the outfits stay put. 

Magnetic Dress Up

2) We bought this little car for Kaleb when he was about 9 months old about 4 years ago. He was starting to walk around furniture, so we thought he would like to push and ride on a car. This is the most used toy we have bought. Any kid that comes over has to drive it. Well Kaleb and G decided to drive it together the other day. Crazy kids! We bought it at Walmart for about $20. We've kept it as an inside toy. I would highly recommend this toy for anyone. It was well worth the $20 we spent! 

Target Version & Amazon Version

3) Did you see my skin care routine post that I posted last week? I shared the products I use for morning and evening skin care routine. I just ran out of my moisturizers a couple days after my post. I had them over 8 months! You don't have to switch over to everything all at one time. You can slowly add one product at a time as you run out of things. You can make the foaming face wash and buy the day cream to start. Your body and health deserve the very best! Do research to make sure you are using the safest things for your skin! Beauty products effect our health! 

4) Oh I found a Paleo pancake recipe that we all love!!! Thank you Pinterest!!! A couple weeks ago I decided I was going to try a new recipe every day until I found one that everyone would eat. I only had to try 2 recipes before I found one we all loved. Target had our favorite paleo pancake mix on sale, so I grabbed 2 of them to take to ND. I love this mix because all you need is water. This will work great for my sisters and parents house. I also thought about mixing all the dry ingredients in a baggy to take with us to ND of the recipe above. 

I have all the ingredients in the recipe on hand all the time. Arrowroot powder is a staple in my house along with coconut flour. These are not staples in peoples homes who do not eat paleo. lol I will grab a couple more packages of the premixed pancake mix for when we go on vacation later this year. Easy to throw in a suitcase to have for breakfast! We usually stay in a condo with a full kitchen. I end up cooking breakfast the majority of the time. 

5) I have been enjoying my 3 hours a day while G spent the past 2 weeks in school. It's amazing how much you can get accomplished in 3 hours alone. 

• I have been going to hot yoga. I was concerned I wouldn't like it because the room is too hot. I actually LOVE it!!! When you come into the room it is a normal temperature. They heat the room slowly as you work out. I am planning a blog post on the different type of yoga classes I have tried. I have been so much more relaxed since I started doing yoga.

• Painted all the trim in our hallway and caulk the trim. It looks sooooo much better! I need to work on the kitchen next. I am hoping to have this all completed before we leave for ND. 

• I can run all my errands, grocery shop, doctor appointments, exercise all within 3 hours. It's amazing to me what I all get done. lol

I do feel every day preschool is too much for G. I am glad this fall he will go 2 days a week for 3 hours. I think that will be the perfect amount for him at this age. Mornings are also not his thing. The afternoon class will be perfect for him too. He doesn't like to wake up and go in the AM.

He is always so happy when I pick him up from school. He has been learning so much too! The other day Art went with us to drop him off. He was so proud to take his dad to his class. I will try to work it out next year for us to go to ND maybe the middle of June through July, so he can take 1 summer session of preschool late in July. We are all learning what works best with a growing little boy! 

Hope you have a fabulous week!

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Monday Thrive appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.  

Weekly Menu June 25

I am looking forward to having a cooler week where I can actually cook this week. Last week I don't think I turned the oven on at all. If I needed to cook something it was stove top, on the grill, crock pot or we ate cold things. I was very tempted on one of the hottest days to take a walk through Costco's refrigerated section for the rest of the evening. I figured I could go sample things, walk around, go outside, back inside to the fridge, and continue this cycle until they closed. lol

Main Dishes:

It was waaaay too hot last week, so I didn't end up making the Buffalo Chicken Soup. I am going to make that this week. 

Korean Beef with Broccoli 

Pork Loin

Breakfast

Fajitas 

Spaghetti - I use spaghetti squash for the "noodles" and I make this sauce to put over the top. I love to make meatballs with italian sausage. Cook the meatballs in the sauce while it is cooking. I usually have plenty of leftovers for at least 2 lunches. If I don't have enough squash leftover I will put the sauce over a large bowl of spinach. While you warm it all in the microwave the spinach will cook. This is really delicious! 

I should have enough leftovers that we will have one night of random leftover dinner. Everyone can have their favorite leftover from the week! 

What is on your menu this week?


Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Weekly Menu - Paleo appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant. 

Weekly Menu - Paleo Friendly

I mainly use coconut oil or ghee for cooking. I buy both of them at Costco in bulk. The container of coconut oil lasts me a couple months and runs about $20. I use this to cook, take my make up off, lotion, bullet proof coffee and whatever else I might need to use an oil. It does take some getting use too. Art isn't a big fan when the coconut oil flavor is prominent. I have noticed if I use salt it helps to mask the flavor a lot. I honestly don't even notice it anymore. When other people use other types of oils to cook with I don't really like them now. I can taste the difference, but the coconut flavor doesn't other me. I love chicken fried in ghee! That is just the best taste to me.

Main Dishes:

Hamburgers - I love hamburgers on the grill. I bought some butter lettuce to wrap burgers in this week.

Shepherds pie - I will try to share the recipe I use for this. I buy some frozen veggies, make my own gravy, make some mash potatoes and throw it all in my cast iron skillet in the oven.

Cracklin Chicken - if you haven't tried Nom Nom Paleo's cracklin chicken you need too!!!!!!!!!!! It's the BEST!!!! Use some ghee to fry this chicken. Ok I am craving this now!

Buffalo Chicken Soup - this is a new recipe I want to try.

Chicken Curry - I haven't made curry in ages. I usually just throw in whatever veggies we have and put it over cauliflower rice.

Sausage - This is an easy meal. Throw some sausage on the grill!

Happy Menu Planning!

Monday Thrive June 12

Happy Monday! Today G start's his first day of preschool! We are so excited! I can't wait to hear how much he loves his first day. I am sure I will pick up a crabby kid who has played like crazy and started learning new stuff already. I am planning to go to hot yoga today.

1) We have been on the hunt the past week to find a recipe for paleo pancakes. I buy the Birch Blender's Paleo Pancake Mix from Sprout's. We are going through a package a week. G has been on a pancake kick lately. I decided I needed to find a mix that would be a little cheaper to make. I don't have an issue buying the package for $5-6 when it lasts a month, but for each week I find it a little expensive. I am going through all the recipes I have pinned on Pinterest to try to find that we like just as much. When I find a winner I will let you know. Right now I haven't found one I like. G has been eating them with no problem. He is awfully picky these days, so I am glad he likes all my recipe testing. If anyone has a paleo pancake recipe they love let me know!

2) At the end of last summer I decided I was going to give up caffeine. I had read how it helped your adrenal glands if you don't have caffeine. I love coffee!!! I love the way it smells! I love the way it tastes with and without creamer. I drank half caff for a few months. Then I gave up caffeine completely earlier this year. I went from February through June with no caffeine or I would have a cup of green tea. The other day I decided to drink half caff again. I decided that was it. I am not giving up caffeine anymore. I need it in my life. Even a little bit of it. It just helps my mood. I am going to have 1-2 cups of half caff coffee each day. I REALLY love it with coconut milk.

I LOVE Aroy-D coconut milk. This is the thickest creamest coconut milk ever! I have tried a lot of different coconut milk over the past year. If you add this to coffee it is AMAZING! I have been known to bring my own coconut milk in a little container when I get a black cup of coffee.

3) I have started a new routine for G. We have to leave the house early to get him to preschool each morning. That means I need to have him up, fed, both of us ready and out the door by 7:50/8am. I have decided I like getting up a little earlier in the morning. I get more done. I don't feel like the day is as long if I get up before 7am. I know that is weird, but I just feel like the day goes by faster when it starts earlier. Maybe it's all those years of getting up early for work. Anyhow I set an alarm in my phone, so at a certain time every night the alarm goes off to give him a bath. He then gets 30-45 minutes after bath time to play or watch 1 show. Then we go to bed. I also limit the amount of time he sleeps during his nap. This seems to be working much better for us. The past year I haven't been strict with a schedule as I was when I worked.

4) We love potato salad around here. Art I think would eat it every day. Sometimes I am like I don't have time to make that stuff. Boiling potatoes, boiling eggs, peeling everything, waiting for it all to cool, mixing it up, letting it sit in the fridge. Ugh just typing that out sounds exhausting. Well Instant Pot to the rescue here folks! Put the metal rack on the bottom of your IP. Place your eggs on top. I usually do about 3-4 eggs. I use 2 eggs for the potato salad and have 2 deviled eggs for us. G LOVES deviled eggs. Then I peel my potatoes, cut them in chunks and place them in the IP. I then put the IP on high pressure for 5 minutes. I let it do it's thing. Once the timer goes off that it is done I release the pressure. While the pressure is releasing I get an ice bath ready for the eggs. I use my rubber gloves to pull out the eggs. I put the eggs in the ice bath while I use a spoon to remove the potatoes from the IP. I let the potatoes cool in the fridge. I slice up the eggs and add them to the potatoes. Then I mix in my mayo and other seasonings once the potatoes and egg have cooled. This really works great. In about 1 hour you can have potato salad. It's better if you make this around lunch time, so it can all cool for dinner. Or even the night before works best if you want it for lunch. To me it's just much easier and faster.

5) Last week Art and I went thrift shopping. I ended up really only looking in the kids section of clothing. G has had a growth spurt and a lot of things won't fit him for the fall. He has worn the same shorts for 2 seasons. The kid is so skinny he has been able to do that. I like to grab nice stuff when I find it at the thrift store. I bought all the items below for $30. I spent about $1.50-$2 per item. The one item I spent more on was a pair of Burberry jeans. They were in excellent condition for $11. I did check on Ebay what I could sell them for if I decided not to keep them for G. Everything I bought was Gap, Gymboree, Cherokee, Shaun White, Children's Place, Guess and Burberry. The black jeans I am not sure if they were even worn. They were in great condition. 

I would really like to buy the majority of his clothes from thrift stores going forward. It saves the environment and it saves a lot of money too. At this age he doesn't care where his clothes come from. I like him to wear nice clothes, but I don't ever spend a lot of money on clothes for him. I will spend more on a special outfit for Christmas, but it has to be a functional outfit he can wear more than just one time. 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Monday Thrive appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant.