Coconut Pancakes with Berry Sauce

Hello everyone! I am sorry it has been so long since my last post! School has been hectic and I have been going to the gym everyday so I haven't had time to get creative with my food. But this week, I finally made a fun new breakfast pancake! I started off by making my fried bananas and then making an egg-white fritatta with them; then the idea came to make a fried banana pancake! YUM! I made the pancake batter with coconut flour, which is a great source of fiber and egg whites which add protein. I used a small pan and made one big pancake; if you would prefer to make small pancakes try it out!

Fried Banana-Coconut Pancake

Fried Bananas:
1 banana, 1/2" thick slices
1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon

Pancake Batter:
2 Tbsp coconut flour
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
~1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp cinnamon

Raspberry or Blueberry Chia Sauce:
1/4 cup frozen raspberries or blueberries
1 Tbsp chia seeds

1. Coat banana slices in cinnamon. Heat coconut to medium-high heat in a small pan; "fry" bananas in coconut oil until browned on one side, then flip.

2. After flipping bananas, add batter over the bananas. Put lid on and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat; then using a plate or large spatula, flip pancake over to brown the other side for 1-2 minutes.

3. For blueberry sauce, in a microwaveable safe bowl, microwave for 40 sec, add chia seeds & mash with a fork; put in microwave for 30 more seconds until hot.

4. Plate pancake and top with sauce. YUM!

A paleo approved, no sugar added, gluten free, and dairy free breakfast! 

What I love about using the fried bananas in this recipe, is while you are eating the pancake you come across yummy friend banana pieces! 

P.s.  I woke up this morning to the first snow of the season! It hasn't stuck to the ground but it is sticking on top of my car and our roof. 

First Week in Idaho!

Hey Everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last blog post. I have been busy packing, moving and unpacking! I am finally all settled in, in Boise, ID. This is going to take a little time to get use to, but for the most part I am excited to see old friends and I can't wait for school to start up at the end of August.

Before I left, I made a new recipe for a BANANA CHIA OMELET with chocolate protein frosting! It was delicious and I have made many since. I highly recommend trying it for a post workout meal or any breakfast!

Banana Chia Omelet

1 serving

3 egg whites

1 small ripe banana

1 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon chia seeds

Toppings:

1/4 cup chopped strawberries

1 tsp cacao nibs

chocolate protein frosting*

Raw coconut threads

1. Mix/mash egg whites, banana & coconut milk with fork completely until smooth then add cinnamon & chia seeds to combine.

2. Heat 1 TBSP coconut oil in pan

3. Add egg mixture, put lid on, cook on medium-low heat until bottom is lightly brown ~ 3-4 minutes, then flip, using a plate to assist if needed, add more coconut oil, and cook on other side for about 2 minutes.

4. Add strawberries on inside of omelet, fold over omelet, and top with more strawberries, chocolate protein frosting, raw cacao nibs, & unsweetened coconut threads (or any other desired toppings!)

*Chocolate Protein Frosting

 1 scoop chocolate

About 1 tbsp coconut milk

1 teaspoon raw cacao nibs (optional)

1. Add coconut milk slowly, continuously mixing with a fork until smooth. Don't add too much liquid or it will be watery.

One last recipe I made at home was a sweet potato hash. This recipe can be served with breakfast, lunch or dinner! It can be made a main dish by adding a green vegetable and a protein source like ground turkey or chicken.

Sweet Potato Hash

Serves 3

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into ½ inch squares

½ white or yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp. coconut oil

Fresh ground pepper, optional, to taste

1. In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp. of coconut oil over medium to medium-high heat.

2. Once oil is hot, add sweet potatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally for approximately 7 minutes. If the sweet potatoes do not get lightly browned and start creating a nice crust, turn up heat slightly.

3. After the sweet potatoes are lightly browned, add remaining 1 tbsp. of coconut oil, onions and garlic to pan. Making sure heat is at medium, let potato-onion mixture cook for approximately another 5-7 minutes.

4. When potatoes are browned and fork tender and onions are cooked/translucent, then you know the hash is done!

On my drive up to Boise, I stopped in Davis to pick up my friend and have a rest day. I ended up going to a friends house and got a half dozen FRESH chicken eggs! It was awesome! 

While in Davis, I made a stop at a local fresh fruit and vegetable stand and made a rustic salad! Here is the recipe:

Raw Farm Stand Salad

Makes about 3-4 side salad servings

1 yellow bell pepper

1 large tomato

1 large cucumber

1 large carrot

2-3 Tbsp. hemp hearts

2-3 Tbsp. shaved almonds

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1. Roughly chop all vegetables, so the salad has a “rustic” feel to it.

2. Combine all ingredients and serve!

My dad's house has a large backyard, pool, and garden so my dog is happy and has a lot of space to run around and play.

I have taken 3 Zumba classes and I have got to say, I am HOOKED! It is a great way to get in good cardio and the time goes by fast. I also like it because when I lift weights sometimes I get very tight and lose some flexibility, I have a feeling Zumba will help me with this. Tomorrow night I am trying a strength yoga class; I have never taken a group yoga class before so this will be a great experience! I am still lifting hard and doing cardio, whether it be running, walking, biking or hiking. I got a new watch that is a heart rate monitor and timer that I can't wait to use to track my workouts.

As far as eating goes, I had a few ups and downs over the past week due to moving and not having access to a kitchen. Not that I am all settled, I am getting back into cooking clean, paleo dishes.

Something that  has been very beneficial is my step mom has fresh tomatoes, thyme and rosemary in our backyard and my close friend has zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, artichokes and cabbage in her garden! So I am definitely going to have access to fresh vegetables which I am excited about. I am hoping to plant some of my own like strawberries, lemon basil, oregano, peppers, stevia and hopefully more! It is just so dry here in Idaho so I will have to make sure to keep up on watering so they do not dry out.

One of my first breakfasts I ate, after I was all settled in, was 2 egg omelet, with zucchini, tomatoes and thyme all from my friends gardens! Plus I made a refreshing drink of 100% coconut water + 1 peeled and chopped kiwi.

Today I started my day right with a cup of coffee, my powdered greens + Nature's Fuel multi vitamin + 1 cup OJ and a fresh fruit bowl (blueberries, grapes, and banana)! Waking up early and eating breakfast in the back yard is very relaxing and a great way to wake up.

I made it to the gym near my house and signed up for a 12 day pass, until the school gym opens up! It was great to feel the burn after a great legs day. My Post AM leg workout meal consisted of a 2 egg white omelet, with chopped zucchini, white onion and kale; cooked in coconut oil and topped with red pepper flakes! 

At Costco yesterday I picked up these great chicken sausages; they are a red pepper-spinach flavor and are pork free, gluten free, no msg and no added nitrates, also no artificial ingredients and minimally processed.I really enjoyed them and will definitely be having these for breakfast more often! Since it was from Costco I got 3lbs worth! I put 1 lb in the fridge and froze the rest for later use.

After a 30 minute arm circuit plus 1 hour of Zumba, I made a post workout late lunch! Baked Tilapia seasoned with red pepper flakes, garlic, onion powder, and fresh ground black pepper; cucumber slices, garden cherry tomatoes and grapes! The Tilapia I baked in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Clean Eats, New Challenges and My First Publication!

It has been a week since my last post! I have even very busy with work and this weekend was my long time best friends birthday! We celebrated in San Diego and in Newport Beach, it was so fun! This is going to be a long blog since it has been a week so I am going to try not to wait this long again.

Something exciting that happened for me, the omelet recipe I posted on my previous blog got published online in Tasty25 magazine! It is my first publication of any sort and I could not be more proud of myself. Cooking, clean eating, and fitness are my passions and to have something like this happen for me is a big deal! :) I also want to thank everyone that has been giving me such positive feed back, it has been inspiring, motivating and helpful!

Mid week I did a small store run! I have found that mid week there can be some great deals going on. I was able to get a dozen eggs for .88 cents each, raspberries for .99 cents each, and from Sprouts I got each chicken breast for about $2 each and the New York steak for about $3. The Lara bars were on sale for $1.50 each, and I was recommended to try these for a good paleo snack bar!

I got three different flavors, each one was delicious in my eyes, and the ingredients were:

1. Apple Pie: dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon

2. Banana Bread: almonds, dates, unsweetened bananas

3. Coconut Cream Pie: dates, unsweetened coconut, almonds, cashews, extra virgin coconut oil

These flavors sound dangerous but in fact they are all clean paleo eats!

Good news! This is week 2 of my 30 days 100 miles challenge and my Map My Run App tells me I am at a little over 60! I want to start strong this week and even run on the 4th.

I wasn't as successful with my gallon of water a day challenge, BUT I can say for sure that even challenging myself I have been increasing the amount of water I intake which is still a positive. I am still carrying around the big gallon jug and refilling it every night!

My new challenge for this week is 500 Abs-A-Day! I got a belated birthday present of a big stability ball and so I am hoping I can get in some good at home ab workouts with it! I will try to write and take pictures of some of the different ab work I do.

As you can see, I have two ongoing "challenges" and one new challenge this week. I have been having success with making new daily challenges at the beginning of each week. It's important, at least for me, to set these challenges and goals for success because it is motivating on a daily basis once you complete your goal!

My uncle got me some great groceries this week! 3 lbs of strawberries, blueberries, spinach, bananas, walnuts & cottage cheese! He also surprised me with a new book! It's called "Vegan's Daily Companion" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. It's 365 days of inspiration for cooking, eating and living compassionately. I am on page 40 and I like it a lot! The first page was on Kale and the benefits of eating this super food! One recipe idea I really thought sounded delicious was steamed kale with chopped apples, balsamic vinegar, and chopped walnuts! Also there was a recipe for a massaged kale salad with avocado, onions, and more! I plan on making it this week, and I will substitute hemp seeds for quinoa in order to make it paleo; i will post the recipe this week for everyone! I am so excited to keep reading and learning more about food and animals.

I am sure many of you have the general idea of how to make roasted veggies (if not I have a previous blog with a bunch of roasted veggie recipes!) This week I did a mixture of everything I had in my kitchen! And it turned out so good.

Rosemary Roasted Veggie Mix!
(Large side dish serving of 2-3):

Ingredients:
• 2 small red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes (sometimes I cut smaller, you want them to cook evenly with other veggies)
• 1/2 large zucchini or 1 whole small zucchini, quartered length wise, then chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 1 small head broccoli, broccoli florets cut off stem into large bite size pieces
• 1/2 onion, quartered
• 5 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram
• Fresh ground lemon pepper
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves or 1 tbsp garlic powder

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven 400 deg F
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and make sure to saturate all veggies with seasonings and oil.
3. Put all vegetables on a large baking sheet
4. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes, until all veggies are cooked evenly & browning.
5. Serve & Enjoy!

Today, July 2, was an all liquid day along with my gallon of water. Here are my shakes I made! I made sure to include healthy fat (nuts & seeds), carbs (vegetables & fruit), and protein (nuts, seeds & protein powder) in each one! Along with calcium from the almond milk.

Meal 1:
Strawberry-Mango-Spinach Shake:
7 Large strawberries, stems removed
1 mango, peeled & chopped
1 cup spinach
1 tbsp chia seeds (plus extra for topping)
1 scoop vanilla protein
1 cup almond milk
*Blend and top with extra chia seeds

Meal 2:
Antioxidant Madness!
1 apple, chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup kale
1/4 cup walnuts (extra for topping)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein
1 cup almond milk
* Blend and top with extra chopped walnuts

Meal 3:
Green Mean Fighting Machine!
1 Kiwi, keep skin on and slice
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup cucumber
1 tbsp flaxseeds (plus extra for toppig)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein
1 cup almond milk
Ice
*Blend and top with extra flaxseeds!
(My first time adding cucumber to a smoothie! This could be dangerous, I may start adding anything! Haha)

Basic Paleo Meal Plan for this week 7/3-7/8:

*Every morning when I wake up: 8oz water + 1 TBSP Raw apple cider vinegar

Meal 1: 3 egg white vegetable omelet + 1/2 cup avocado+ 1/2 cup fruit
(Chocolate protein pancakes may be on the menu one of these days! A mid week clean healthy treat is a must!)

Snack: 1 green apple sliced

Meal 2: Large kale salad/ Kale slaw/ Tomato-cucumber salad/ Rustic vegetable salad

Snack: 1 green bell pepper or homemade zucchini chips

Meal 3: 5oz meat (chicken breast, turkey breast, tilapia, shrimp, salmon, lean pork chops, lean steak) + 2 cups vegetables (steamed, roasted, or sauteed in light oil)


Pre Workout: 1/2 scoop nano vapor + 8 oz water

Post Workout: Protein Shake + supplements (fish oil omega 3s + glucosamine + spirulina)

I need to get a good multivitamin to take as well! Nature's Fuel is a powdered multi vitamin that you can add to juice, or shakes, or even just with water! I was recommended this as a good multi vitamin source since powders can be more quickly and easily digestible by our bodies then capsule form.

On Apple Cider Vinegar...
Drinking splash of raw apple cider vinegar with your water is suppose to be a natural remedy for healing the body. I found that drinking RAW apple cider vinegar is a natural remedy for heartburn, help removes toxins from your body, helps lower the rise in glucose levels in the blood (good for diabetes), and can is alkaline so can aid in the pH level of your blood. A recipe I found for a good apple cider vinegar drink is 1 gallon of water, 2 TBSP raw apple cider vinegar, and agave nectar (to suit your taste), and powercakes.net has a great apple cider vinegar drink, add to a  water bottle: 1 tbsp ACV, 1 tsp cinnamon and 10-20 drops of stevia. I may try adding this to my gallon of water a day! Check out these two websites for more information Global Healing Center and WebMD.


Other Clean Eats of the Week:

3 egg white omelet loaded with spinach, green onion, tomato and garlic, topped with homemade guacamole (1/2 avocado, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, lemon pepper and garlic power) with one sliced banana and a cup of Yerba Mate tea. This is a great way to start any day, healthy, clean and satisfying.

Lunch: Spinach salad with 3 cups fresh spinach, 1 large kiwi chopped, 1 tbsp chopped red onion, and dressing (1 TBSP lemon juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon organic agave) and I also had my Brazil nut paleo bar.

3 egg white frittata with zucchini, tomato, green onion, white onion, spinach and garlic topped with fresh green onions and a side of homemade guacamole.

Grilled chicken, seasoned with lemon pepper and garlic with a huge side serving of roasted mix veggies (recipe above)

                           

Post workout meal: After a long 8 mile run, I was so HUNGRY and ready to REFUEL with chocolate almond protein pancakes topped with raw coconut butter, raspberries, hemp seeds, and unsweetened coconut threads (full recipe on previous blog), AND a 3 egg white frittata with squash, tomato, onion, garlic and kale, AND a fruit salad with banana, kiwi, and nectarine.

Yes I was HUNGRY!! :)

                              

Dinner: Spinach salad topped with 1/2 cup raspberries, 1 chopped peach, 1 tbsp flax seeds, and 5 oz. grilled Tilapia (seasoned with lemon pepper, garlic, & fresh oregano). For dressing, I used 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Tilapia is a great source of protein while being low in fat and low in carbohydrates! It is a great protein source if you are trying to get lean muscle.

                              

Spicy Omelet: I use to never like spicy food, and I mean NEVER, but since I have been trying to cut out salt from my diet, spicy food seems to be my new addiction. It is a great substitute to salt if you ask me, I add red pepper flakes on top of my eggs, cayenne pepper on top of my roasted veggies and black pepper to anything! This omelet has 3 egg whites with steamed spinach and tomato, topped with red pepper flakes and Trader Joe's chili sauce (no preservatives, no additives) and a nectarine! With my gallon of water at the table too :)

Paleo Snack: RAW Revolution Bar, coconut delight. These bars are all organic, gluten free, peanut free, kosher and vegan with no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, no refined sugars or proteins. The ingredients consist of cashews, dates, sunflower seeds, agave, coconut, almonds, and sprouted flax seeds.

Chocolate dessert anyone?! One that is RAW and PALEO?! Almond Butter Cacao Truffle. And it only has 3 ingredients: cacao, almonds, and salt. These little truffles are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, no preservatives, no additives, and no artificial ingredients. It tasted great while satisfying my chocolate craving.

Mothers Market Brunch Date:

Fruit Salad with blueberries, grapes, mango, pear, black berries and strawberries

Kale salad with olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, raisins, and sliced almonds

Raw tomato and cucumber salad with olive oil, raw apple cider vinegar, pepper, fresh dill and fresh parsley

Something to brighten your day:

I made this picture here for the background of my phone and I thought to share it! The beautiful pink roses are from a house behind my work and the quote of from the other book I am reading called "Bright Side Up" by Amy Spencer. This book has been very beneficial to me and I am not even half way done! I highlight motivating quotes so I can look back and reread these whenever I am down or need a little boost. I believe self motivating yourself is a key to success and I am working hard on this.

I hope this makes you smile, 

and remember it throughout your day! :)

3 New Breakfast Options!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I was able to make it to the farmers market to get some fresh produce! My friend actually got more then me :) (most of this is his); I got fresh nectarines, and large zucchini! He got duck eggs, pomegranate juice, avocado, fresh herbs, maple almonds and purple carrots! Remember the farmers market is the best way to get the freshest produce and know you are supporting local farmers!

I am still going strong on my 30 days, 100 miles challenge. Today is day 10 and I have about 35 miles completed! Also my goal of the week is to drink a gallon of water a day! I bought a gallon jug this morning for 99 cents and plan on refilling it each day! I already finished my gallon for today :)

After my long run today I received my first Paleo Pax in the mail! I was so excited. There were a bunch of different snacks that are 100% paleo and are grain-free, gluten-free, no preservatives, no refined sugar or salt and are high in nutritional value! I just learned today that many of the Lara bars are within paleo guidelines so I am definitely going to get some of those for snacks on my next store run!

I came up with a couple new clean eating breakfast options.

The first is a veggie omelet. I actually got asked to submit this recipe to Tasty 25 Magazine, so I submitted it online and I hope it gets put in the magazine! I was so excited and honored that I was asked!

A-WHOLE-LOTTA VEGGIE OMELET

W/ Fruit Salad

(1 serving)

By Hailey Pharmer

Ingredients:

Omelet::

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

2 TBSP coconut oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 TBSP white onion, chopped

1 cup kale, roughly chopped (about 3 kale leaves)

¼ cup red bell pepper, roughly chopped (about ½ red bell pepper)

¼ cup red roma tomato, roughly chopped (about ½ tomato)

¼ cup green onion, roughly chopped

Black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Avocado Salsa:

½ avocado

¼ cup red roma tomato, chopped (about ½ tomato)

2 TBSP purple onion, finely chopped

1 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Fruit Salad:

3-4 strawberries, chopped

½ kiwi, peeled and chopped

4 raspberries

½ small mango, peeled and chopped

1 TBSP unsweetened coconut threads

Preparation:

1.      Beat egg whites and whole egg in a small bowl.

2.      Quick sauté the vegetables in 1 TBSP of thecoconut oil over medium heat (about 2-3 minutes)-- just until soft and brightlycolored, set aside.

3.      Heat the other 1 TBSP of unrefined coconut oilin a small frying pan over medium heat, pour eggs into the pan, add blackpepper,  and cover. Cook until lightlybrowned on bottom and flip. Add ½ of the vegetables mixture to one half ofomelet, then fold other half of omelet over top. Let sit for 30 seconds or sowith heat off. Add the other half of veggies on top of omelet.

4.      To prepare the avocado salsa, in a small bowl, mixred tomato, purple onion, cilantro and lemon juice. With a large spoon, neatlyspoon avocado out of the skin. Spoon tomato mixture onto the avocado, servenext to the omelet and sprinkle with red pepper flakes

5.      Serve omelet and avocado with fruit salad, andenjoy!

My next new recipe is for a Protein Breakfast Shake!

Avocado-Nectarine Shake:

1/2 avocado, cubed and put in the freezer for 20 minutes prior

1 nectarine

1 cup kale

1 cup almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein 

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

                             

                             

                             

I made this next recipe this morning for breakfast and it was delicious!

                           

Chocolate Chia Almond Protein Pancakes

4 egg whites

1 tbsp water

1/2 scoop chocolate protein

1/4 cup almond meal

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, the slowly add wet ingredients and mix with the dry. Use a fork to combine ingredients so there are no clumps. The batter will seem watery, but once it goes on a hot pan it will hold up nicely.

After combined, add 1/4 of batter to a medium-medium high heat pan that has 1 tbsp coconut oil.

Continue this process until batter is gone (I was able to make 4 pancakes)

Top pancakes with organic agave nectar, berries, chia seeds and unsweetened coconut threads!

Delicious, filling and fill with antioxidants!

Some other clean paleo eats I enjoyed this weekend:


Chicken Kebabs with veggies (yellow zucchini, bell pepper, onion) and seasoned with organic agave nectar, garlic, and red cayenne pepper!

2 Egg Fritata with tomato, zucchini, onion, garlic & rosemary with a side of grilled asparagus, 1/2 avocado, all topped with red pepper flakes! And a fresh fruit salad with cantelope, strawberries, and banana.

My coworker brought a large basket of cherries to work on Sunday! I was in heaven, and I am so excited these are coming into season! Cherries are a great low-calorie fruit and their dark red-purple skin is a great source of antioxidants. Cherries are known to have anti-inflammatory properties and are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and iron! So eat up and snack on these throughout the day!

Roasted vegetables (1 small red potato, 5 baby carrots, 8 cubes zucchini and 1/2 white onion roasted in 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tsp dried marjoram, 1 garlic clove chopped and ground lemon pepper) on top of a bed of fresh arugula!