Paleo On The Go

Since starting Paleo I've been trying to make recipes that Braden would enjoy, and ultimately gain his approval for Paleo-esque foods. After a few weeks he finally jumped on the bandwagon with me, so we are doing our Crossfit gym's 30 day Paleo challenge. Naturally, as soon as we decide to do a whole foods only diet we also decide to go on a week trip to three different beaches.

At first I was a little intimidated because food for me is usually a task, but making food for two.. and for someone who eats twice as much as me, now that was a challenge!

Friday night before we were leaving for beach stop #1 we went on a food shopping spree. We decided that breakfast and lunch meals were crucial, but dinner could be more flexible since we were going on vacation after all.

We packed a few of the usuals. 

After putting together the obvious essentials we needed, we embarked on our cooking extravaganza! I've never really made food in bulk but I've got to admit that I was pretty excited. We bought a montage of things at the grocery store, and we decided to make a few recipes I've mentioned in previous posts.

We started out with egg, sausage, green pepper, and spinach fritattas. These were super easy to make! I got the idea from Katie's recipe and modified it a little to add in some more protein.

We made a big batch of protein pancakes. These ended up being eaten at every point in the day.. breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks! They're so good cold or reheated. The next trip we take I know to make more pancakes, they're essential for travel ;)

We also went round two on the sweet potato and spinach turkey burgers. These were great reheated, we had them for lunch one day while at Pawley's Island. Still great paired with some dijon mustard ;)

Last but not least, I heated up a large spaghetti squash and packed half of it for the road. I made a turkey marinara from tomato paste, basil, oregano, garlic salt, and ground turkey. We never ate any of this meal which is kind of disappointing, but I know that it would have been delicious!

It was so great knowing that we always had food on hand, and that we were also saving a ton of money by not eating every meal out. Each night we ended up getting dinner out with friends, but we still stuck to our strict Paleo style eating. 

I'm glad we prepared all of our meals, but I was happier about spending some time with Bray and getting to have some quality cooking time with him!

That's all for tonight, be on the look out for a recap of our 4 day road trip to South Carolina beaches!

Be Still & You May Learn Something

What a week! It's already Thursday and I'm on the Tuesday track.. don't you love when that happens? After being home for a few days, and traveling, I'm taking a chill day and I'm not ashamed to say it :)

One of my favorite parts of this summer has been the amount of time I've had to relax. Although I was busy when I was working full time, working out daily, taking a summer class, and being involved in two small groups.. I still had so much time to be still. That is seriously one of the most important lessons I've learned, whenever I get caught up in all that is going on around me is when I feel most distant from God. I have learned so much this summer, and that wouldn't be possible if I had not taken the time to be still.

Like I've mentioned before, I've been reading through 1 John and it has been so great. This morning I ventured into 1 John 3. One of my favorite verses from reading chapter 3 is verse 2, He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears - but we DO know that we will be like Him.

Exactly what I needed to hear.

I have been so anxious about what the future holds, and what's to come in the next  year. While reading that verse it dawned on me, God has never really given me a clear picture of what His plan is for me, but I can be reassured that whatever steps he has me take will make me more like Him. That's so comforting, especially when I get stuck in "should I do this, should I do that, do I need to do anything?!" I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets caught up in that rut, especially since we're all human and we're all about some instant gratification and clarification.

Although it sounds so simple, just trusting His plan isn't always cookie cutter. One thing I've learned this summer is that he always leads us in the direction we need to go, even if at the time it seems crazy. Sometimes I find myself trying to follow my own plan, and it never fails, I always end up in some sticky situation that seems to have a dead end no matter which route I take.

So, what's the obvious answer here?

TRUST HIS PLANS. Plain and simple.

My prayer for the next year is that I don't get caught up in what the world has to offer, and what I want to happen. God has this, and he knows the desires of my heart. He will ultimately fulfill his plan in my life, and I pray to have an open heart and an open mind to all that he throws my way.

Take some time today to reflect on what God is doing in your life, I promise you'll be blown away!



A little sidenote: I'd love to hear from those of you who are the avid or occasional readers, I'd love to make this blog more conversational!

Hometown Showdown

Although I feel like I've traveled all over South Carolina, NC, and GA this summer - I haven't made it home more than once! With classes starting in two weeks I really felt the need for some quality time at home. It was so refreshing to visit some of my favorite places and getting to hang out with my mom and old friends.

Here's a simple little recap of a few of my adventures the past few days.

Madre and I visited the new house and then headed to one of my favorite places to eat, Red Bowl. When I go home I usually have Red Bowl for at least one dinner meal.. and lunch one day. Ask my why I love it so much, I honestly have no idea, but it is so good! I got my usual, steamed shrimp with fresh veggies.

After dinner we headed to my second favorite hot spot at home, Yumilicious. Seriously, I have a mild obsession with froyo. This particular stop included some Dulce de Leche, peanut butter, and some vanilla topped with heath bar pieces and strawberries. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

The next morning I made a coffee stop and then headed to my old gym to get in the WOD for Crossfit. It's always so great visiting the Bodyshop, I can always count on a warm welcome! 

I ventured into the back corner of the weights room to do my Crossfit workout. The workout consisted of a 20 min AMRAP: 5 hollow rocks, 10 push ups with hand release, and 15 squats. I seriously couldn't feel my arms after I finished!!

That night my mom and I wanted to make a delicious dinner, and we decided to invite Paige to join us. Madre had been telling me about the local meat market's crab stuffed flounder, so we thought that would be perfect for dinner! We paired it with asparagus and a baked sweet potato, needless to say I couldn't have asked for a more delicious meal!

The crab stuffed flounder was SO good, and so low maintenance. You literally take it out of the package and stick it in the oven frozen at 450° for 30 minutes. The meat market preps and seasons it prior to packaging it, talk about an easy meal. I stopped by and picked some up to bring back to the upstate with me :)

After dinner Paige and I went to her small group through Radius Church. Paige had previously told me that my small group leader Katie also goes to small group, so naturally I thought it was a great idea to show up and surprise her! It was quite the success with lots of hugging and catching up.. we were kind of a distraction for the rest of the group - whoops! It was so good to see her!

We read through Galatians 1, I really enjoyed being a part of a small group that mixed girls and guys. It's cool to hear a guys point of view, plus they are much more confrontational and love to argue points which was pretty entertaining.

The next morning started off right, with a Thanks A Latte coffee!

When I worked at the Bodyshop I would always stop by this little coffee stand before work. The woman who runs the stand knows all of her customers, I love the fact that even when I don't stop by for a few months while I'm away at school she still remembers me. I always order a sugar free hazelnut coffee, seriously the best coffee ever!

Although contradictory, I got my coffee to go and headed to iHop to meet up with my great friend Lachlan. He attends the University of South Carolina so I rarely get to see him. We took the time to catch up and I enjoyed a little fruit bowl paired with my coffee. 

Later that day I had a coffee run numero dos. I met my friend Macall at Starbucks and we both got cold coffees. I chose the Caramel Light Frappucino.. mmm. We both had the intention to catch up a little, but that "little" amount of time turned into 3 hours sitting and chatting. I would not trade time with that girl for anything, she is so wise and so easy to talk to. I'm totally okay with hanging at Starbucks for 3 hours when it's time well spent!

In natural fashion, Madre and I made one last dinner date to Red Bowl. This time we decided to get side salads with cucumber ranch and a bowl of egg drop soup, of course this was in addition to my steamed shrimp and veggie bowl!

This morning I had breakfast with Paige at my last and final favorite place to visit at home, The Other Pancake House. We chatted about reuniting next week and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. I ordered the "Bodyshop omelette" which is an omelette made with veggies and egg beaters, and I added in some turkey bacon and a fruit bowl. 

I think it's pretty obvious that I make a point to enjoy all of my favorite places while I'm home, while accompanied by a few of  my favorite people. I loved being home and seeing everyone! There's never a way to gauge how often I'll get to travel home, but hopefully it won't be too long from now.

I'm heading to Crossfit around 6 and I'm hoping this huge storm passes before then! 

I hope all of you are having a wonderful week so far!

Strawberry See Ya Later Cake

One of mine and Bray's good friends Elliott lived in Clemson for the summer, which you have seen him mentioned in many posts. He sadly had to leave us last week and headed up to Virginia for a Navy Seals camp.. yes, he's THAT intense! The day before he headed north, Alex and I thought we'd surprise him with one of his personal favorites, a homemade strawberry cake.

We found this recipe and knew that it was a winner!

What you'll need:

1 package white cake mix
1 package strawberry jello
1 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup smashed strawberries
4 egg whites
Your choice of icing

Method:

Step 1: Cut up and smash fresh strawberries until they are a thick jam consistency

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine cake mix, jello powder, water and oil. Beat on medium until all ingredients are combined.

Step 3: In a smaller bowl, add egg whites. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.

This step was a new concept to me! I was fascinated that beating egg whites quickly makes a frothy substance. Alex taught me that this is what helps cakes be fluffier. What do you know, I learned something new!

Step 4: Fold egg whites and mashed strawberries into cake batter. 

Side note: this point in time is when Elliott decided to randomly pop into Alex's apartment.. Alex and I acted super sketchy and had to lie and say we were "making a blogging experiment" and that this concoction was clearly for blogging purposes only. Well, I guess that's kind of true ;) we fooled him!

Step 5: Pour batter into two round 8 in. baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes.

Mmm these turned out so good!

After letting the cake cool, we then used a butter cream icing to stack and ice the cake. A group of us went to see the Dark Knight Rises (phenomenal by the way!) and then went to a friends apartment to watch the Olympics. We thought this was the perfect opportunity to reveal Elliott's surprise, and he was so thrilled!

The entire cake was eaten before we went home! I'd say that was quite the success!

Quality Time When You're Swamped

I'm so guilty of getting caught up in all that is going on, and pushing my time with God to the side. It's such an easy thing to do when you're always doing this, that, and the other. I was convicted of my lack of quality time at our small group this past Tuesday.

One of the girls in small group said, "The longer you go without your quiet time, the easier it gets to forget how much it fills you up. The more you spend time with the Lord and get in a daily routine, the more it will become a part of your daily life."

Amen sister.

This summer I have had ample amounts of time, so I'm constantly pushing things off saying "I've got all day," then the day passes. I've also let days pass me right by without even thanking God for the many blessings in my life. Wow, how jacked up is that? I knew I needed to make a change, and I knew that I needed to make it before school starts back up in full swing. The next morning after small group I asked God what I need to be reading, and I was lead to 1 John.

It's funny how the Lord works some times. The first verse that stuck out to me was 1 John 1:6, "So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing truth."

Guilty.

I claim to have fellowship with God, and then don't spend time with Him on a daily basis. Of course, I do talk about him many times throughout the day with different people, and they're great conversations, but that's only talking about Him, not with Him. If we are living step by step with Jesus, then we are living in His light and in fellowship with Him. It's a little difficult to do that if you're not spending time in his word or in prayer each day.

I've signed myself up for a 1 month quiet time challenge. When I say sign up, I mean holding myself accountable for the month of August. I challenge some of you to join me in this, because I'm sure we can always improve our time with the Lord!

"Remain in fellowship with Christ, so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame." - 1 John 2:28

I'd Like That Paleo Style

I've been eating Paleo for about two weeks now, and it has been so great for my body. I've had much more energy and I'm always satisfied after meals. Emily jumped on the band wagon this week, and she wanted to make a Paleo style dinner for the first time. Naturally, I was super excited about embarking on this journey with her, plus I have a Paleo cooking partner now!

We decided on sweet potato and spinach turkey burgers with a side of asparagus.

Yep, they're as delicious as they sound!

What you'll need:

1/2 medium sweet potato

1/2 red pepper

2 1/2 cups spinach finely chopped

1 lb ground turkey 

1 egg

2 tbsp almond flour

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp garlic seasoning

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp rosemary & basil

Step 1: Heat a large skillet over medium high, spray with cooking spray, add chopped red pepper

Step 2: Peel and chop sweet potato into cubes, then add to skillet with red peppers

Let sweet potato and peppers cook for 4 to 5 minutes

Then, add in spinach and cook 2 to 3 minutes until wilted

Step 3: While the mixture cooks on medium, put asparagus in the oven and let cook for 20 minutes

Step 4: Put ground turkey to a large mixing bowl. Add egg, spices, and almond flour. Mix ingredients until well combined. Once mixture is combined, divide into 6 to 7 patties. 

Step 5: Cook patties until a slight golden crust forms, about 5 to 6 minutes, then flip to the other side until cooked all the way through.

Remove cooked patties and distribute between those eating. Each of us ate two patties and asparagus, it was incredibly good! I dipped mine in a little dijon mustard on the side, which added a little kick. 

Cooking with Alex and Em is always entertaining, we definitely had our share of laughs throughout this entire process. I'm looking forward to our next Paleo cooking adventure, because we definitely started out with a bang!

Oh No They Didn't!

Gooood morning! Let me just say that working part time from home is awesome. I've been able to get so much done with my time, including hanging out with some of my favorite people while also enjoying some of my favorite activities like cooking and working out. Yesterday was so good for my heart!

It started out with breakfast with Megan, we made Fitnessista's perfect protein pancakes, which were incredibly delicious and filling. I used almond flour and added walnuts into my batter and that was such a great decision, I'm sad I didn't get a picture of our finished products! Oh and did I mention they were Paleo approved, double win! Sadly, Megan left pretty early, so I lounged around for a while, I mean.. it's the last days of summer so why not?! :)

I've been wheeling and dealing on eBay recently, and half of what I have posted has sold within a week of posting which is so great. While checking the status of one of my sold items I noticed that the money had not been transferred into my account, which I found rather odd, so I investigated and looked at my bank account. To my surprise, the eBay $$ was no where to be found, but I read in fine print on eBay's website that it's not added to your account until the delivery confirmation has been received (phew). This series of events was no coincident, because while casually scanning my account I noticed a withdrawal of over $65 that I had not made. Yes, I bet you're just as confused as I was! After investigating it further I found out that it was a fraudulent purchase, so I had to cancel that account and spend some lovely time at the bank getting a new debit card. Lesson learned, always keep up with your bank account!

I spent the rest of the day running a few errands, crossfitting it up, making dinner with Alex and Emily, and having a super random and entertaining talk at small group (another post to follow). I got to finish up the last few floor routines of women's gymnastics at Bray's apartment, woohoo go Team USA winning that gold!

How's that for a fantastic day? I think it was pretty wonderful!

I've realized that my blog has recently been a food montage, but hey, I'm so thankful that I've been able to try out so many great recipes! During the school year it's a little more difficult with less time and busier schedules. I thought I'd include a few food staples that I always keep around, especially the past few weeks, I'm quite the creature of habit!

My current morning routine involves an egg and TJ's turkey bacon omelet topped with syrup, half a grapefruit, and this morning I added in some almond milk. Of course coffee is always included as an "after-breakfast treat." Some mornings I'll go for some sweet potato pancakes or Fitnessista's protein pancakes, all of the above are so filling and so delicious!

I. love. pistachios. It's probably an unhealthy obsession, but seriously, these things always sound good! Braden's dad has caught on and now every time I go to their house he has a brand new bag of pistachios waiting, the man knows the way to my heart! Plus, pistachios are full of healthy fats which keep you fuller and satisfied longer.

I'm always on a grapefruit kick, they're always the perfect tart and sweet snack. If I don't have one for breakfast I almost always have one at some point in the day. They have so many health benefits, plus they are so refreshing during these excruciatingly hot summer days!

Introducing the veggie burger lettuce wrap.. YUM! I recently went to Boone, NC with Bray's family and we went to a burger place called the Come Back Shack, and this is where I discovered the veggie burger lettuce wrap. Typically I'm closed minded when it comes to burger joints, it's usually pretty hard to find a healthy option that's not super greasy and hard on my stomach. To my surprise, this place was incredible! Everything they offer is fresh, never frozen, and they make fresh sweet potato fries that are so good. Once I got home I was dying to try my own version with TJ's veggie burgers, and it's definitely a winner in my book!

Almond butter with a fresh apple is always on my daily list of snacks. You can't beat that salty and sweet combo!

Dinner always includes protein, veggies, and occasionally a starch (sweet potato). This particular meal was created by Bray and Elliott. I added a little hot sauce to the steak and shrimp combo and it was incredibly good!

That's a pretty good summation of what I eat on a daily basis, but I usually throw in a protein shake here and there. After writing about counting calories, I can honestly say that I haven't counted them once - can I get a woohoo?! I'm super proud of myself, and I'm so thankful that the Lord has taken that burden away. He is so good, all the time!

I'm off to run some errands and then to Crossfit. I'm under the impression that a few of us are going to see the Dark Knight Rises tonight, I'm pretty pumped about that! 

Hope you all have a wonderful day!