Raspberry Hamantaschen (or Raspberry “Pouches”)

If you haven’t visited Elana’s Pantry after my recent retake of her White Chocolate Cookies, then you will after this recipe.  I decided to make these little jewels after I found some delicious looking raspberry preserves at the market. I slightly modified Elana’s recipe again and it is Primal/Paleo friendly (in moderation of course).

Ingredients:

    2 cups blanched almond flour
    ½ teaspoon sea salt
    2 tablespoons coconut oil
    2 table spoons agave nectar
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    1 tablespoon water
    1 egg
    Raspberry jam/preserves for filling

Directions:

     In a bowl, mix the almond flour and salt together.

 

     In another bowl, combine oil, agave, vanilla, water, and an egg (to hold the ingredients together).

Now pour the wet ingredients into dry and combine.

Chill the dough in refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat the oven for 350°

Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper approximately ¼ - ½ inch thick.

This avoids the need for white flour to keep from sticking.

Cut dough into circles - whichever size you prefer.

Make a light indentation with your finger in each circle for the raspberry filling.

Now drop ½ teaspoon of raspberry jam/preserves into the indentations.

To create the triangular shape: fold the dough in and pinch the corners to create 3 sides.

Bake for 8 minutes until cookies are golden brown around the edges.

 Enjoy!

Here are my Raspberry Pouches ready to share with a friend for work today. These are so light and delicious. Yum!

What is your favorite recipe or remake of a recipe?

Krista

Overcome Your Exercise Excuses

Why is it so easy to find an excuse not to exercise?

People want to lose weight. People know they have to exercise to lose weight, but they don’t. Why? A busy schedule, no access or can’t afford going to a gym, family history lacking exercise, etc.

Reason #1: A busy schedule
This is the most common excuse people use. We are all busy folks. More and more is added to our plate in modern day life. Once upon a time life once moved at a slower pace, many mothers didn’t have to work a full time job outside of the home, etc. Now most Americans wake at the crack of dawn, ready the kids and themselves for the day, drop the kids off at school/daycare, stop by Starbucks for the morning Joe, rush to work a grueling 8-9 hour day, pick up the kids, make a quick dinner, get daily chores done, take care of kids/pets (help with homework, take to little league, etc.), and crash into bed to do it all over again the next day. Not to mention many people with multiple jobs. Just writing this day out made me exhausted, and yet we do it every day. It seems like a lot to ask for us to meet these daily demands and find time to eat right, exercise, get more sleep, or have any fun.

Solution:
Make time. That’s right – you know that if you want to lose weight and be healthy that you need to exercise so, like Nike, just do it. Figure out a time of day that will work for you. Do you need to wake up 30 minutes earlier just to get it out of the way for the day or is that too much of a chore and would it just be easier to working after dinner? You are in control of your schedule and you have the power to choose when you incorporate taking care of yourself. Have the kids or pets join in and make it a family activity. It could be as simple as playing a game of basketball, soccer, going to the local public pool to swim, going for a hike (take dinner in a picnic basket to enjoy with a fantastic view), or even just running around catching lightening bugs in the backyard. Remember - play counts as exercise, many chores can work up a sweat, and you have to walk the dog anyway = multitask!

Reason #2: No access/can’t afford a gym
Many people don’t live in an area that has easy access to a gym. I don’t know about you, but unless I can get to a gym in less than 15 minutes, including parking, I don’t bother going. That travel time everyday can really add up = waste. The more time it takes to get to and from a gym, the more difficult it is to make time for every day. Then there’s the added cost: $40-$50/month = $600/year. That’s a lot of money to spend during a recession.

Solution:
Don’t go. Yes, you read me right. Here is my plug for the Primal Lifestyle: You don’t need to go to the gym to workout. You can save your time and money by following the Primal Blueprint:

I walk/rest/play 4 days a week, strength train for 2 days a week, and sprint 1 day a week for $0 and spent approximately 5 hours. Gizmo (pug) makes sure he gets his daily walk, which makes my number of hours to week ratio higher.

Reason #3: No family history of exercise
Change is difficult - for some more than others. Everyone grew up in a particular family environment: some are into sports, others into the arts, or academics. Some of our parents went to all of our little league events, some of us loved helping mom prepare meals in the kitchen, and some of us rarely spent much time with our parents and were left to govern ourselves. Whatever your childhood environment happens to be, you carry habits with you into adulthood and practice some of the same parenting techniques in your families. So if you were from a family that was always on the run to and from sporting events, chances are, you still love participating in sports and do the same with your children. So if your family wasn’t very active when you were a child, it is more likely going to be more difficult for you to incorporate more activity into your life now. This isn’t the case for all folks, just in general.

Solution:
If you have difficulty working activity into your life, start small with things you enjoy doing. Do you have a dog? Take it for an extra 15-30 minute walk. It’s not only good for you, but it’s great for the dog as well! Get a group of friends together and join a league. There are several public places where you can get a team together and register to place volleyball, baseball, soccer, plus many more. Not only are you getting out and being active, you are having fun with friends. Usually drinking/celebration follows these events for added fun, so get out there and get registered in a local league today! The idea is to start adding activity to your life so it becomes a part of your family history.

Sometimes we just need a little inspiration or motivation to get ourselves going.

 
My 5 Motivation Tips & Tricks:

1. Watch a physically challenging television show or movie: I watch The Challenge on MTV and Expedition Impossible on ABC for motivation. After the show, I immediate want to strength train or do sprints. Watching Lara Croft kick ass in a Tomb Raider movie also gives me motivation to get more active.
2. Post a picture of a fit person on your refrigerator. Many people will post a picture of what they don’t want to look like, and if that works for you go for it, but I prefer to see what my goal is to keep me from snacking too much.
3. Get a dog. Dog owners are 69% more likely to get more activity into their schedules than those that don’t have a pet. Pets are good for your health.
4. Kids – I love playing with my nieces and nephews. Go spend time playing with the kids. Family time + activity + fun = health. Come on, how is that not a win, win, win?
5. Friends. Get together with a couple (or one) walking buddy 1-2 times a week. You’re not only making time to keep up with friends, but you are having fun while being active (if you are not having fun, you are not doing it right).

Has this post motivated you to get active yet? If yes, awesome! If no, do you have any tips/tricks you use to get motivated?

Krista

Celebrity Diet Secrets Revealed!

Sound like a tabloid much? Have you ever read this headline splashed over the cover of a magazine, tabloid, or webpage? If you, like me, have read on the journalist inquires on a particularly thin celebrity’s diet secrets and the particularly thin celebrity says they enjoy a good cheeseburger, don’t like to work out, and lay around when they aren’t writing an album or shooting a movie. Boy, that’s motivational – I’ve been doing that all along and certainly don’t look super thin and lean. Hmmm. 

Or there’s the celebrity giving you the skinny (ha! I never pun) on a dieting trend they have done for a month. By dieting trend, I’m referring to: chronic cardio, weight loss pills, cleanses, etc.

Chronic Cardio (CC)	These are the people that think they are healthy by getting their heart rate up 80-100% for an hour every day, which is actually detrimental to your body by raising your cortisol levels and decreasing your  fat burning metabolism. After you run a lengthy marathon (26.2 miles), your body is so hungry for glucose it begins burning whatever it can: carbohydrates, fat, and muscle tissue. Ever notice how thin and haggard a runner looks? That’s what I’m talking about. The CC’s also restrict their caloric intake as well…they always seem to look hungry. Lesson: You are going to get burned out and/or injure yourself.	Results:
Weight loss pills	If you haven’t seen the infomercials endorsed by celebrities, “doctors,” and “every day people,” you have been living in a cave. Roll out the tiny pillss that cause rectal pain, abdominal pain, nausea, and infectious diarrhea. (Oh yeah, send me some of those).  Who would take these if they did that?! Well, according to the drug companies, only those that don’t follow the directions end up shitting themselves. *serious face*  Many diet pills inhibit the absorption of fats (side effect #4 infectious diarrhea), which causes a deficiency in vitamins our bodies require. Other diet pills inhibit hormones norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine reuptake. This can cause increased blood pressure, risk for coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure and stroke. We don’t have enough heart problems as it is in this country.  Lesson: Diet pills are dangerous and definitely NOT the healthy way to go about dropping some weight.	Results:
Cleansing	Cleansing is just another word for starving and forcing your body to drink vile lemonade or vinegar. Beyoncé made The Master Cleanse famous after she did it to drop 20lbs in ten days for her role in Dream Girls. I’ll admit it. Once I found out that Beyoncé did it (hey, she was once my role model), I decided to try the cleanse back in college. Basically, you mix together fresh lemon juice with maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water to drink. You do a saline rinse in the morning and afternoon (a nice way of saying: you drink salt water and within 30 minutes clean out your colon) and drink the “lemonade” the rest of the time. The diet claims that those few ingredients have all that your body needs during the duration of the cleanse. There are many that argue that the cleanse is a hoax.   Megan Fox said that she did the vinegar detox diet (shots of vinegar). Her reasoning: "I'm not one for dieting or exercising, because I'm lazy and I have a really big sweet tooth, so I have to do cleanses every once in a while 'cause of the amount of sugar I take in." Would you really want to try a starvation diet with an endorsement like that?  Lesson:  Sure you will lose some water weight starving yourself, but that doesn’t mean it will stay off or that it is healthy.	Results:

If this information isn't enough to keep you from picking up that next tabloid that finds the next celebrity diet secret, than please get further information here.

What's the craziest diet you've ever heard of??? And no, saying Paleo/Primal isn't funny. :)

Krista 

10 Steps to Help You Succeed on the Primal/Paleo Diet

Are you thinking about trying the Paleo or Primal Diet and aren’t sure where to begin or think it is too difficult? Here are 10 simple steps that help my tribe (friends and family) succeed at this lifestyle:

1.  80/20 Rule: Remember ladies and gentlemen, this is a lifestyle. If someone at the office brings in non-paleo treats for Friday, have one. Having only one is the trick to this rule. As long as you are following the Primal lifestyle 80% of the time your body will be able to handle a vice occasionally. The tabloids are always digging at the celebrities for their diet secrets (a post on celebrity diets later), but the reality of it is moderation. So feel free to go out for Italian on Friday night! Just don’t go overboard by eating the complementary bread if you are going to have a heavy pasta dish followed by a decadent dessert. Eat the vice you desire the most and forgo the rest – you may even find something on the menu more delicious that you may never have ordered pre-paleo!
2.  Listen to your body: This is the most empowering rule. If you are hungry, eat. If you are not hungry, don’t eat. If you are tired, sleep. If you are bored, go play! Sound simple? It is! This step gives you the power to do what you want; you just have to listen to your body to know what you truly desire. :)
3. Your Mindset: This is what weeds out the yo-yo dieters, the ill-informed, and anyone not serious about fully committing to this lifestyle. You have to be mentally prepared to be on this diet. My girlfriends and I were not when we first started and we failed miserably. Paleo/Primal isn’t a quick weight loss program. It is a lifestyle. You must consciously choose to eat low carb, exercise, and expect others to pressure you to give in. Food tip: Think about what you can eat and not about what you can’t. Does your office receptionist has a candy jar overflowing with goodies? Ask yourself, “ Are you hungry or do you just want the sweet comfort?” Chances are you aren’t hungry. It’s amazing if you just think to yourself, “Do I really need that junk?”  Rather than “I can’t have that candy.” It gives you back the power over your pre-paleo cravings.
4. Don’t rely heavily on the bathroom scale: Are you one of those people that check the scale 3+/daily when you are on a diet? I was. Then I did some research. The scale isn’t the best tool to measure our health. The article from Everyday Paleo shows you 2 photos of the same woman at the same weight - however her body is completely transformed from one picture to the other. Remember weight is broken down into water, muscle, fat, oh and we have some organs in there too – so don’t get hung up on the scale! Do before and after pictures (I will post some so I’m not a hypocrite). Take before and after measurements of your waste, arms, thighs, etc. Get your body fat percentage checked out (at the doctor/gym). Have you dropped in clothing size? I’d say that is a better measurement than a number on a scale!
5. Build a tribe/community: Research has shown that people are more likely to stick to a diet if they have a buddy support system. Friends are there for you when the going gets rough and to help keep you on track (and vice versa). Accountability is key for many people, which is a large component of Weight Watchers. Going up in front of a large group of people to get weighed every week is very motivating. So get a friend, spouse, sibling, or offspring on the Paleo/Primal bandwagon and start a healthy tribe. Remember to celebrate your success!
6. Read Primal/Paleo resources online: These will provide you with inspiration, knowledge (good for combating conventional wisdom), motivation, entertainment, and recipes to help you be successful. I regularly visit Mark’s Daily Apple, Everyday Paleo, Elana’s Pantry, ModernPaleo, The Primal Parent and Girl Gone Primal.
7. Start a Journal or Blog: Like this one! It can be as simple as a food diary, a blog on your Paleo journey, or whatever strikes your fancy. Those that write about their progress, failures, ideas, and success are more likely to continue their new lifestyle. Again, accountability comes into play. Who wants to write about their failures? No one – that’s why writing it down makes it more difficult to fail. Have you bought a journal or started registering for a blog yet?
8. Find/Buy Primal/Paleo Cookbooks: It is difficult to begin a new way of cooking if you have no recipes to go off of! I highly recommend The Everyday Paleo Cookbook, any of Elana’s Pantry cookbooks, and Mark Sisson’s cookbooks. Whenever I don’t know what to get at the store or I’m in a rut, I sit down with a cup of coffee and go through my Paleo/Primal Cookbooks. Not only does it give me a game plan at the store/market, it inspires me to try new things, experiment with my own recipes, and keeps you on track with your diet = success.
9. Get plenty of rest: This step is vital to the Paleo/Primal lifestyle and is the one that probably doesn’t get followed as much as we would like. Our lives are jam packed – with a full-time job (sometimes more than one job), caring for the kids or pets, keeping the house in order, holidays, family functions, etc. What do we cut back on when life is so busy? Our sleep. Our bodies need 7-8 hours of sleep every night to receive these benefits: release of human growth hormone (cell regeneration), enhance memory and creativity, boost your mood and athletic performance, handle stress better, not to mention you’ll have increased energy to tackle your busy schedule!
10. Don’t want to exercise? Then don’t, play!: We all have days where we are boggled down and that trip to the gym seems like mission impossible. Well, here is a lifestyle you don’t have to reach a certain amount of hours of “gym time.” Need to work in some sort of activity to feel like you did something physical? Try to get a walk in over your lunch break, take the dog for a walk (has to be done anyway), play with your children or pets (chase, hide-n-seek, soccer, basketball, etc. This depends on ages and your particular situation). Careful, you may even have fun. Every week I follow the Primal Blueprint:  

I walk/rest/play 4 days a week, do strength training for 2 days, and finish up with 1 day of sprints. It doesn’t even feel like I’m on an exercise routine because it is so simple, fast, fun, and it works. Did I just sound like an infomercial? Sorry for that, but I don’t know how else to get across how great of a lifestyle this is!

These 10 steps help me stay on track and not give into temptation. As I was writing these, I realized how simple they sounded – you just need to have the right prospective and you can do anything! 

Krista

Balsamic Raspberry Vinaigrette

If you are like me when it comes to salads - they get boring fast. We need to put a little extra pizzazz into them to actually enjoy eating like a rabbit, err – ‘scuse me, I mean caveman/woman. I was inspired yesterday at the grocery store when I found a bottle of raspberry infused balsamic vinegar. It would be perfect in a fresh vinaigrette!  For the salad I threw together a melody of lettuce, tomatoes, aged gouda cheese (from a local farm), walnuts, black pepper, and sea salt.

Here is how I made it:

• 1/3 cup Raspberry Infused Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk until combined and pour over your salad right before you serve. It was a perfect combination of sweet and sour – so fresh and delicious for summer! This vinaigrette is perfect for the Paleo/Primal lifestyle because it has no carbs and makes getting your veggies or salad scrumptious. I actually enjoyed my salad more than the main course (pork roast – a miss). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :-) 

Have you ever been inspired by an ingredient?