Whole30 & Red Swiss Chard

I am back from my New York trip! It was a very fun trip; I was able to do almost everything in a tour guide book plus go to some local restaurants! One of my favorite activities I was able to do was spend 2 hours in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it has art from the 1st and 2nd centuries all the way to the 1960s. It was a great last vacation before I start back up in school.

Before my New York trip, I went back to school shopping and picked up some new workout clothes!

Now that I am back, I want to get back onto the paleo lifestyle; I realized after following the paleo lifestyle for almost 2 months, I have felt better all over (both physically & emotionally) and have had a significant decrease in my stomach problems. For me, this lifestyle is not only for weight management, but is for the increase in energy, improvements in the way I feel, and the knowledge that I am benefiting my health with what I am putting in my body. I have noticed a lot of commercials on TV about medications and medication problems relating to diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc., and the best way to prevent any of these is to begin a healthy, whole foods lifestyle NOW. 

I have been researching the Whole30 Program. Whole30 concentrates on eating food with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, and real, whole food like meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. The most important is what not to eat during the Whole30 Program: no added sugar (real or artifical), no alcohol, no grains, no legumes, no dairy, no carrageenan, msg or sulfites, and no white potatoes. Also something whole 30 urges is to not make junk food with "paleo approved" ingredients, like pizza, muffins, brownies, ice cream, etc.

Some exceptions to the Whole30 Program are: clarified butter or ghee, fruit juice as a sweetener (apple or orange juice), green beans, snap peas, vinegar (like balsamic, apple cider, and red wine; vinegar with no added sugars), and minimally processed foods like canned coconut milk, applesauce, tomato sauce, canned olives and chicken broth (as long as you avoid carageenan, msg, or sulfites).

This is not suppose to be an easy program, and will take a lot of meal prepping, but on their website it plans out what you should expect while going through the program.
For more information: http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

The whole30 website provides a detailed grocery list with the best choices for the program. This is a great resource if you are ever unsure of what to buy at the grocery store. http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Shopping-List.pdf

I am currently trying to like red swiss chard in my smoothies because red swiss chard is EXTREMELY good for you; it is high in antioxidants, phytonutrients, anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin K, vitamin A, and is beneficial for blood sugar regulation & bone health (for more information: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16). I find the flavor very strong, so I am experimenting on different fruit and vegetables to add with it. For my Red Smoothie, I added fresh grapefruit juice to help cut the flavor and I feel it worked well. Any ideas for other ways to cook with red swiss chard? Let me know!

Red Smoothie:
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 leaves red swiss chard
1/2 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1/4-1/2 cup water

Blend and serve!

Some other clean eats...

For the airplane trip to New York, I packed some paleo approved snacks! Bell pepper slices, green grapes, raw almonds + raw pumpkin seeds, cherry tomatoes and an Apple Pie Lara Bar.

3 egg white omelet filled with zucchini, tomato and onion, cooked in coconut oil and topped with avocado slices, and red pepper flakes, a side of steamed broccoli (with a little lemond juice and garlic) and fresh tomatoes

3 egg white scramble with zucchini and tomatoes topped with avocado chunks! With Vita Coco Coconut Water. Coconut water is a great way to hydrate your body naturally! 

Zucchini egg white frittata cooked in coconut oil, topped with raw almonds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, tomato slices, bell pepper slices and some spinach-pepper chicken sausage!

Pre-Workout Fruit Salad:

½ cup green grapes, washed & halved

½ cup blueberries, washed

½ banana, sliced

½ tbsp whole flaxseeds

½ tbsp raw cacao nibs

1 tbsp raw Coconut Nectar

Mix above ingredients and top with unsweetened coconut shreds 

Workouts and Fried Bananas

Thursday was a big day for me! I cooked a healthy, clean eats dinner for my whole family! I truly want me youngest cousin to change his eating habits; unfortunately I can honestly say I have only ever seen him eat a green vegetable (peas) on thanksgiving and Christmas, and he didn't enjoy it. With that in mind, I was determined to have one green vegetable he would like so I tried green beans! Unfortunately, that did not work but I still got him to eat some lean chicken breast, sweet potatoes, quinoa and brown rice instead of bologna sandwiches.

I made two varities of everything to try to please the different palats of my family! 

1. 2 types off chicken, one with garlic, onion, and lemon pepper; the second with italian seasoning and light pepper. 

2. Quinoa-brown rice: 1 with salt, pepper, and light lemon juice only, the other with light lemon juice, garlic, onion, fresh parsley, and lemon pepper.

3. Sweet potatoes: 1 with EVOO and agave nectar, the second with garlic, onion, lemon pepper and light Italian herbs.

4. Green beans: 1 steamed, and the second sauteed with onions and garlic.

5. Broccoli (My oldest cousin ate some with me! But mostly just me): 1 with EVOO and agave nectar, and one with onion, garlic, and lemon pepper.

Overall I would still rate the dinner a success! Even with my effort of having my youngest cousin enjoy green vegetables be a fail, I think he genuinely does not want to change in a healthier direction and that is the limiting factor in what he will and will not like. I am far from being done with this effort, I hope to cook for them again and try out other vegetables and lean meats! There were a lot of left overs, so I made little meals for the house. I am not sure if they were eaten, but at least I tried!

I am trying to stay strong on the gallon-a-day challenge! It is hard to finish a full gallon some days, but I can usually get 3/4 of it finished. I still recommend to try it out for a week! It is a great way to flush your system. Also, every morning I have been doing the Raw ACV + 8oz water and I think it tastes kinda good too! (My previous post tells you about the benefits)

This week at the farmer's market, I finally got grass fed beef! I talked with the owner for about 10 minutes about the differences between grass fed beef, store bought beef, and the different cuts. It was very informative! The thing I love about farmers markets is the farmer's love to teach about their crops.

Another thing I got from the farmer's market was 1/2 pound of 100% raw trail mix. It includes raw almonds, raw walnuts, and raw raisins with no sulfates. The lady had a premixed trail mix that had raisins with sulfates, and with paleo you want to eliminate all preservatives, etc. I simply asked her if she had any raisins with no sulfates, she did, and she was willing to make me a fresh batch! Like I said above, the farmer's are willing to help you out and give you what you want. They will even pick the best produce for you. 

I tried this recipe idea from powercakes.net (check out her blog! She is awesome, and I hope to get to her level some day). This is a great paleo pre or post workout omelet! 

Chia Omelet with Fried Bananas

3 egg whites, whisked with 1 tbsp coconut milk

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup berries (I used fresh raspberries, and fresh chopped strawberries)

Put about 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil in a small skillet, heat over medium heat, add egg mixture and put on the lid. Let cook about 3 minutes, then check to make sure the bottom is fully cooked. Once it is, carefully flip the eggs, add 1/2 of berries to one half of the omelet. Lower heat to lowest setting, put lid back on, and cook for 1 additional minute. Flip empty side of omelet on top of berries, turn off heat completely, put lid back on and let steam the berries for 1 minute. Then serve on plate with fresh berries on top!

1 banana, thickly sliced

1 tablespoon coconut oil

cinnamon, as desired

In a small bowl, mix banana slices and cinnamon; try to coat each one with a small amount of cinnamon.

Heat coconut oil over high to medium-high heat. 

Add banana slices and cook until browned, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

I put mine on a paper towel to drain some of the excess oil, then served!

I still am amazed HOW AMAZING these fried bananas were. I was in heaven..

Another paleo recipe I came up with was almond and parsley crusted beef shoulder! I was inspired to make this recipe because my best friend and her mom are trying the paleo lifestyle out and her mom made flank steak and breaded it with almond meal! I really liked it, so decided to try it out. Beef shoulder was on sale at the market so I went with that!

Almond & Parsley Crusted Beef Shoulder:
(2 servings)

.5 lb cross rib beef shoulder (flank steak would be great also)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 paper plates

In one paper plate, add egg, in other paper plate combine almond meal, parsley, lemon pepper and garlic.
The paper plates worked perfect for me, if you have a side rim bowl that will work also!

First put meat in egg and cover both sides completely.
Transfer from egg mixture to almond meal mixture and make sure to coat completely!

Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in large skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot add steak and cook 1st side 3 minutes, and 2nd side about 2 minutes. My steak was on the thinner side so it needed little cooking time, you can cook your steak to whatever you prefer.

With the other half of the steak, I served it over a steamed kale salad!
I steamed about 2-3 cups of purple kale and 1/2 green apple chopped in a steam basket for about 2 minutes. Plated this mixture, tossed with 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, topped with hemp seeds and the other half of the steak! It was very delicious, and my first time steaming kale.

Some other clean eats!

Chicken thighs were on sale and I got 4lbs for $5! They are bone-in, skin-on, which may not be the best for everyday chicken, but it is paleo and it is DELICIOUS! The chicken below, I seasoned with garlic, onion, italian herbs, black pepper, and red pepper flakes; seared it on both sides (about 9 minutes per side) and BAM! Spicy and delicious. Served with roasted vegetable medley.

A delicious snack I had was 1 mango sliced, with 1/2 cup of my raw trail mix! Mangoes were on sale 3 for $1! Always check the newspaper for good deals, I learned this from my uncle! :)

Pre workout fuel: 2 egg omelet with veggies (red onion, garlic, spinach, thinly sliced zucchini and red bell pepper), with a splash of coconut milk in the eggs which made them so fluffy! I made the plan omelet in coconut oil, flipped it, put the fresh veggies on one half of the omelet, put the lid on and lowered the heat for ~1-2 minutes. Flipped the other half over the veggies, turned off the heat and let them steam for 1 minute longer. Then served! with 1/4 avocado on top and 1 nectarine sliced up! The reason I did the veggies like this was because I am trying to not over cook my vegetables which makes them lose nutritional value. So yes the vegetables inside this omelet may not be extremely tender but they are warmed and slightly wilted and PACKED with nutrients! :)

Post workout lunch at my best friend's house! Almond crusted flank steak, turkey with olives and tomatoes, roasted egg plant, and zucchini egg scramble.

Grilled salmon, seasoned with garlic, onion, lemon pepper and seared in coconut oil on HIGH heat (2-3 minutes per side) to get the outside really crispy, served with roasted vegetable medley. 

Now this may not look as appetizing as my other pictures, but it was good! I was at a friends house and it was getting late and I was getting hungry! I searched his whole kitchen to find paleo food, and I came across grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and natural salsa. So I mixed them all together, heated, and surprisingly turned out great! 

My best friend just signed up at the 24 Hour fitness by my house and she got me a guest pass for 1 week free but the manager ended up giving me 3 weeks free until I leave to move to Boise for school! I am so excited to have a gym to work out in again. I love working out at home, but I miss the heavier lifting and the more versatile workouts I can do. Here are my most recent workouts I have done:

July 5, 2012 Lower Body Workout
Warm up: 10 minute walk/jog
Leg Suspect #1 x3 (40lb bar): 20 deadlifts + 20 sumo dead lifts
Leg Superset #2 x3 (40 lb bar): 20 alt forward lunges + 20 squats
Leg Superset #3 x3 (40 lb bar): 15 Calf raises + 20 Alt back lunges + 15 back leg extensions (each side)
Leg Superset #4: 15 box jumps (9 high) + 20 squat side walk (10 each side)
Ab Superset #1: 20 standing side crunch (15 lb) + 20 twisting plank
Ab Superset #2: 20 butt lifts + 50 Russian twists (10lb)
Ab Superset #3: 50 Crunches + 45 sec plank
Cool down:10 minutes bike

July 6, 2012 Upper Body Workout
Warm up: 5 min stretch + 15 min bike
Superset #1 x3: 20 Narrow lat pull downs (50lb) + 20 Wide lat pull downs (50lb)
Superset #2 x3: Tricep pull downs w/ rope (20lb) + Tricep pull overs w/ rope (20lb)
Superset #3 x3: 20 Seated row (40lb) + 20 Ab pull down w/ rope (50lb)
Superset #4 x3: 30 Press to Curl (10lb) + 15 Bent over two arm row (10lb)
Superset #5 x3: 20 Tricep extension w/ bridge up (10lb) + 10 Jack knife w/ stab. ball
Superset #6 x2: 25 Toe touches-25 Butt raises + 50 Reverse crunch w/ stab. ball
Superset #7 x3: 20 Crunches + 30 Russian twists
Cool down down: 5 min stretch

July 7, 2012 Lower Body workout:
Warm up: 5 min stretch + 15 minute bike
Superset #1 x3: 20 Body squat w/ leg lift + 30 sec quad stretch
Superset #2 x4: 20 Alt cross back lunge (40lb bar) + 15 Good mornings (40lb) + 50 Low-wide-side-side
Superset #3 x3: 10 Narrow squats + 10 mid squat + 10 sumo squats (all- 40lb bar)
Superset #4 x3: 15 Sumo deadlifts (40 lb bar) + 20 Alt. side lunges + 50 High knees
Superset #5 x3: 15 Calf Raises (40lb) + 15 Single leg squat
Superset #6 x3: 20 Alt jump lunges + 20 Side ab crunch (each side, 25lb plate) + 20 Ab twists (10lb plate)
Superset #7 x3: 10 Plank pike up w/ stab ball + 40 Reverse crunch with stability ball
Superset #8 x3: 10 Ab crunch stab. ball pass off + 40 Russian twists
Superset #9 x1: 1 min plank + 50 regular crunches
Superset #10 x1: 30 sec straight arm plank + 50 straight leg crunches

July 8, 2012 Upper Body Workout
Warm up: 10 min stairs
#1 x3: 20 Reverse sit up + 20 Right side reverse sit up + 20 Left side reverse sit up
#2 x3: 20 Bicep cable curls w/ bar (20lb) + 20 Lat pull downs (50lb) + 20 Wide lat pull downs (50lb)
#3 x2: 20 Plank-dumbbell alt one arm row (10lb) + 20 Dumbbell rotational press (10lb)
#4 x3: 20 Dumbbell flat bench press (15 lb) + 20 Hang clean (w/ 30lb bar)
#5 x3: 20 Flat bench dumbbell fly (10lb) + 10 Push up w/ twisting plank
#6 x3: 20 Kneeling cable crunch (40lb) + 20 Cable face pull w rope (30lb)
#7 x2: 25 Toe touches + 25 Butt lifts + 50 Reverse crunch w stab. Ball
Warm Down: Stretch 5 min

Lastly, let me leave you with two informational pictures I came across. The first is how to distinguish the differences in your produce aisles, and the second is food lingo translations.

I found this one extremely interesting and will research this on my next grocery store visit!

I am not sure how truthful this one is, but it makes a lot of sense! So think about it next time you are at the grocery store.

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! :)