A Grateful Life: breakfast

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Raspberry Paleo Pancakes

Cuzzzz a hungry girl's gotta eat, yo. Here's the JAM:

1. I'm not on a paleo diet, but these pancakes qualify as Paleo approved (i'm personally not one to shun a cookie especially this time of year)

2. There is no protein powder in these pancakes. You make them from eggs, banana, and coconut flour.

3. The pancakes do not include sugar other than fruit and do not require syrup.

4. They are freaking delicious. Let me rewrite that: FREAKING DELICIOUS. Please make them. Now. You won't be sorry.

Raspberry Paleo Pancakes

one very ripe banana mashed well
2 large egg whites
1 heaping Tbsp of coconut flour (i imagine i did about a proper Tbsp plus a tsp)
a few dashes of cinnamon
6 drops of liquid stevia
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
crank of sea salt
handful of frozen or fresh raspberries (or other berries)

Mash the banana well into a bowl. Add the two egg whites and whisk together well (you can just use a fork to whisk). Add the remaining ingredients and stir together well. Heat a pan over medium to low heat. Add a little coconut oil if your pan is not non-stick. Put half the batter in the pan, cover and cook until little bubbles comes through, carefully flip and continue to cook to preferred doneness. Replicate with second half of batter. Plate and enjoy.

In addition to this delicious recipe, there are many more healthy recipes listed in my ebook accessible to members on my site. Membership is free for those who are on or have done a program with me. To be a part of the health community/accountability group or to have my personal coaching, simply message me and tell me a little about yourself, your lifestyle, what you want to change, and how you feel my guidance could best support you. Contact me through my website.

Simple Plant-Based, Protein-Packed Breakfast Parfait

For those mornings when you want something warming in your belly, try this 5 minute gluten-free breakfast parfait.

10 grams of protein on it's own!

Ingredients:

`1 container of Purely Elizabeth Gluten Free/Sugar Free Oats
`1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
`1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
`Stevia to taste
`sea salt to taste a pinch
`cinnamon
`small handful frozen blueberries
`1/3 banana, chopped
`coconut chips
`maple almond butter
`hot water

Directions:

Add the first 3 ingredients with half the frozen blueberries into a small mason jar or bowl, add hot water to cover, stir, and continue to add hot water until you reach your desired thickness. Add stevia and sea salt to taste.

To your oatmeal base add a layer of frozen bluberries, top with the banana, coconut chips, maple almond butter, and optionally top with a few cacao nibs. Entire jar has 16 grams of protein.

ENJOY.

Goal Digger Breakfast + Easy Meal Prep

I'm on the precipice of my 40th birthday, and i'll be DAMNED if i can't prove all the ladies wrong that have been telling me "there is just something that happens at 40 - it's just not as easy as it used to be to lose weight". Well i don't know about you, but 'easy' and 'lose weight' were NEVER two thoughts that went into the same sentence for me, no matter what age i was.

It was NOT easy to do weight watchers, count points, and be freaking HUNGRY all the time. I was NOT easy when i would wake up at 5am to spin for an hour then come home and jog before work. It was NOT easy when i Turbo-Jammed by heart out in my living room and pushed myself outside my comfort zone. It was NOT easy when the yoga teacher told me to hold postures, get deeper, and turned up the heat. It was NOT easy when i put in T25 and kicked higher and harder, and dropped lower than ever in my squats. It was NOT easy to cut the drinking, to change my hunger cycles, and to create new habits. NONE OF IT WAS OR IS EASY!!!

RATHER i think what happens by the time you're 40 is you're so set in your stinking ways and you are quick to justify your excuses so you can keep on 'keeping-on doing' those things you love with those people you love. And yes, those little things (i.e., cocktails, treats, snacks, brunch-eouns, dinners out, etc) here and there DO matter if there is no SCIENCE to your plan.

I see all too often individuals who are 'low carb', 'keto', 'paleo', 'mostly vegan', etc and they follow their plan monday - wednesday and somewhere around thursday a few things slip in and by the weekend it's 'okay' to have a few cheats. I'm not saying 'cheats or treats' or whatever you want to call them are not okay, but if you're following a low sugar plan to get results and you add sugar YOU WILL NOT GET RESULTS. If you are following a high fat plan and then carb out, YOU WILL NOT GET RESULTS, if you are vegan but eating all processed vegan foods and celebratory vegan treats YOU WILL NOT GET RESULTS. Not to mention having 'dietary' success only monday through wednesday is under a 50% success rate over your entire week.

There is a BIG difference between being 'healthy for the most part' or 'paleo-ish', or 'vegan-ish', then 'being on a program that will help you reach your goals', and that plan does not have to look imbalanced, but it will be disciplined if you want to lose fat. The plan i follow does not "OUT" any food groups. It "OUTS" shit like alchohol and cake cuz let's be real if you're drinking alcohol and eating cake you're not REALLY trying that hard to lose weight (remember "easy" and "lose weight" never fit in the same sentence).

Anyway, i digress. I started writing this morning to share with you my food prep and breakfast for when i'm UBER serious about leaning down like i am right now (30 days out from my next bikini clad adventure, and 40 days out from my 40th birthday). Generally breakfast on my slim down plan is going to be something like: protein, veggie, fat, optional small serving of starch. So that could be egg white scrambles with veggies made in a non stick served with avocado and a few slices of sweet potatoes.....

Or it could be something like today's which took me UNDER 2 minutes to assemble because all of the food was pre-made from my food prep this week.

(chicken, broccoli, avocado, pico de gallo, lemon, sea salt)

It starts with having the right plan, the right list of foods to pick from, the right recipes, AND what i find MOST important is doing Food Prep Weekly. I actually do mine twice a week. Here was my prep this week, you can also watch a short video of my typical prep HERE. I gerenally supplement in with shakeology, fresh fruit, and occasional meals or dinner out with Andy (it's usually sushi and i get sashimi to keep it super clean).

🔸chicken tenders (squeeze lemon cook at 400 degrees ten min or so till done) then chop (I cut with kitchen scissors)

🔸steamed green beans

🔸 steamed broccoli

🔸 roasted or steamed chopped or sliced sweet potatoes (steaming is super fast but today I roasted with coconut oil)

🔸sliced raw bell peppers

🔸 hard boiled eggs

🔸other things I have on hand

such as....avocado, lemon, sea salt, fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, thyme), pre-washed greens (spinach), tomatillo salsa, cashew milk & frozen cherries (for shakeology), bananas + coconut flour (for shakeology protein pancakes), shakeology boosts (digest, power greens, focused energy), BB Preformance recover & energize, chia seeds, hempseeds, almonds/almond butter, coconut oil, balsamic & rice vinegar & coconut aminos

To learn more about the programs and meal guides i use and coach with, or to connect with me about my transformation journey, message me HERE. Alternately dive right in and start your 21 day Challenge with me TODAY.

Superfood Protein Pancakes

So it's not the first time i blogged about this, not even the second or the third time. Protein pancakes rock my M*Fit world. When i get a hankering for sweet comfort breakfast-food or i want what feels like a treat but still gets me to my goals, i'm all over these. I've made them a bunch of different ways (with banana, without, with egg yolk, without), but this is the recipe that i like best. It makes two big fluffy low-sugar / low carb pancakes, but you could easily turn it into a stack of silver dollar cakes if that's your steeeeeeze.

Superfood Protein Pancakes:

An organic ripe banana MASHED
5 large organic egg whites
2 rounded Tbsps Coconut Flour
A heaping Tbsp of vanilla shakeology
Lots and lots of cinnamon
Optional crank of sea salt - i'm all about sweet / salty and the salt just balances it for me.

Cook them over medium heat (med-low), flip when you have bubbles over the top.

When you're making protein pancakes and you get that perfect flip. It's the little things.

Here's an additional tip. If you make them with shakeology, they're sweet on their own so you don't need syrup or sugary stuff. I don't always butter then, but if i do i always use Kerrygold Grass Fed butter. However if you like something more 'moist' you can use a spoon and dip them into almond milk or coconut milk. This also goes for a 'pancake flip-fail'. I've had a number that i messed up because i like to make mine GIGANTIC (you should see the size of my pancake flipper!). For the fails i just cut them up put them in a bowl and add a little nut milk and eat them that way. It's PERFECT.

NOTE: for those of you who are working toward weight loss goals i have a few more tips. Yup, i'm full of them. Scroll down and read on.....

1. Do fasted cardio in the morning - that basically means get your sweat on BEFORE you eat your protein pancakes - or anything for that matter other than water or coffee

2. Join my Intermittent Fasting group and follow my BPTN guide. I'll teach you how. It's about 'timed nutrition' and longer periods of digestive rest. Often you rest from 14-16 hours, so you'd eat from 9-5 or the 8 hour period you like best, and not eat for the remainder of the time. There are other things to know when doing IF so i recommend only doing it with a coach. Once you get in the habit it becomes way easier. I practice it often and help others understand how to make the schedule that's best for them and compliment it with the right fitness and meal plans that will get you to your goals. Trust me, you want to contact me if you plan to start this. My coaching is Free for anyone on a challenge with me.

3. Take one of my online fitness challenges. I'll provide you with the support and accountability you need, a fitness calendar, workouts you do at home or take to the gym, a meal plan, slim down guide, and an accountability community that will get you to your goals. My coaching is always FREE when you enroll in a Beachbody Challenge with me. You'll get my EXACT recipes and the support, accountability and community you need to stay inspired and see it through!

*If you order from any of the links enclosed in this blog please CONTACT ME HERE and let me know so i can welcome you into our online community. If you've ever ordered with Beachbody before your purchase will likely revert back to another coach. To get my coaching free and be welcomed into my online community you must be assigned with me as your team beachbody coach. You can do that HERE.

A Hungry Girls Solution: Overnight Oats

That feeling when you wake up at 6am hungry AF and remember you made overnight oats.....

It's seriously pure excitement. Like the angels came down from heaven and the choir kicked it. Hallelujah!

Seriously though, there are 3 things that get me up and out of bed every day:

1. coffee (cuz duh.)

2. food (Ayurveda says hunger at the start of the day is a sign of good health)

3. my business (I'm always bubbling with thoughts and ideas especially early in the day when my mind is clear and light)

I do like to attempt my workout in the morning before my mind has any room to make excuses but still when i do get it in before my coffee I'm like...

Okay, so the oats. Here's the deal... As you know any hungry girl does not like waiting for her food. So if you have ZERO patience, you just need to wake up, walk to the fridge, twist the lid off, toss in a spoon and devour. BUT for those of you who don't like cold food or need something warm on a cold winter day you can easily toss this in a pot and heat it up, or if you have the patience and room in your diet to load up on the extras you can top your jar with nut butter, fruit, granola, and the like.

Although a 'loaded' bowl of overnight oats in decent lighting (aka after the sun comes up) would likely make a much prettier picture than what i've given you, at 6am i personally fall somewhere between impatiently wanting to eat and "i want hot food". So i basically dumped my overnight oats into a pot, heated them, and ate without any fancy toppings. This fits perfectly into my meal plan, and there are no toppings needed.

Perfect Overnight Oats:

Silk Cashew Milk (1 cup)

Chia Seeds (2 tsps)

Quick Oats (1/2 cup)

Chocolate Shakeology (1 Tbsp)

cinnamon - a hearty shake

sea salt - just a light crank to balance sweetness

*optional (2 tsps maple syrup)

Just put in ingredients in a jar, stir well, lid and put in your fridge overnight.

With the maple syrup and the Silk Brand Cashew Milk this came out to about 330 calories for those of you who watch your calorie intake. I'm not a calorie counter as i work with an alternate meal plan focused on portioning. If you're interested in learning more about the program i follow message me through my website. Those of you on my portions plan: This is 2 yellows + a treat drink sub yellow + half an orange + a quarter of a red

Single Superfood Gluten Free Pancake

What fun would a meal plan be if it didn't include pancakes? One of the primary reasons i started this blog years back was to help provide you with recipes and tips so you can eat delicious healthy foods and 'treat foods' and not feel guilted or coma-tosed. Because i eat a limited-grain and gluten free diet and i'm not a fan of soy or high sugar foods, and because i'm all about THE PANCAKE, i have a special Saturday treat for you. This may be my favorite pancake recipe ever and it makes just enough for ONE big delicious pancake that will fill your tummy and turn on your nom-face.

Ingredients:

Coconut flour - 2 Tbsp
Chocolate Superfood Shakeology - 1 Tbsp
Cinnamon - a few shakes or about a scant 1/8 tsp
2 large egg whites
3/4 of a medium-large ripe banana
1/8 cup of your preferred frozen berries (i use 5 frozen cherries)
2-3 Tbsps of shredded coconut divided (2 Tbsp for the pancake, one for topping)
and any additional toppings (pumpkin seeds, coconut, and cherries pictured)

Directions:

Mash the banana in a bowl. You can use a fork to stir/whisk in the eggs, coconut flour, shakeology, and 2 Tbsp shredded coconut. Check that the consistency is thick (to thicken add a touch of coconut flour). Add in frozen berries, or about 6 frozen cherries. Heat a non stick pan over medium to low heat. Pour in the batter, shape, lid and let cook until you see little bubbles emerging form the top of the pancake all the way through to the center. CAREFULLY FLIP. Cover and continue to cook until done (not long). Remove from pan and if using frozen berries as a garnish, add them to the pan to soften and allow to get juicy and jammy. Plate, garnish with your additional berry-jam, your favorite toppings, and devour.

On my bikini portions plan? Count the pancake as 1 red, 1 blue, 1 purple (excluding any additional toppings you choose).

The Warrior Bowl

If you love smoothies but miss chomping crunchy bits you'll love this recipe. It marries the heartiness of morning oats, the slurp-ability of a smoothie, and the nosh-worthy crunchiness of your favorite superfood toppings. Start by blending your smoothie-in-a-bowl base.

Hearty Oats Warrior Smoothie:

1 1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 scoop of Sun Warrior Vanilla Warrior Blend
1 Tbsp of chia seed
2 Tbsp of GF rolled oats
1 inch piece of banana
1 Tbsp of moringa powder

You can enjoy this right away with your favorite toppings, or make it the night before and refrigerate for a thicker consistency.

Drop In:
Chopped fruit of choice (the bowl pictured at top was one chopped nectarine and 5 raspberries)

Top With:
Cinnamon, Dried Coconut, Bee Pollen, more Fruit, and Cacao nibs (other toppings & superfood ideas to consider: living intentions or kaia raw granola or this cobbler crumble, goji berries, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, or pistachios).

Grab your favorite spoon, nestle into your favorite breakfast spot, and scoop up spoonfuls of sweet happiness.

Bibim No Bap

For all of you eggy-licious breakfast-noshing kimchi-loving blog readers, i've got you the not so korean, pico de gallo-ified 'BiBim No Bap' recipe on the ol bliggity blog today. This recipe is muy bueno with pico de gallo, but i i've also made it with red pepper flakes which is quite nice is well.

There are two ways i like to serve it up, one with zucchini and spinach, and one with golden beet, carrots, parsnips, and spinach (thats for those of you who love your sweet veggies like muah).

Now if you are a Bibimbap fan, i'm just going to put out there that this in no way is bibimbap. Okay? So don't go hating on the girl that looked at what to call her meal and saw that it looked like korean bibimbap and coined it's name. Technically speaking it is bi bim (to mix) and there isn't any bap (rice). So there you have it. Now just make it. You will LURVE......

pasture eggs

Ingredients:

1/4 to half an avocado chopped
1/4 cup (plus if you like it tangy) of sauerkraut or kimchi. If you live in San Diego get some Happy Pantry at the Farmers Market. You won't be sorry!
2 cups uncooked organic spinach
EITHER one zucchini OR one golden beet, carrot, and parsnip
1 egg (pasture raised are best - typically you've got to go to the farmer's market for these). Optionally add an extra white or two if you are REALLY hungry. :)
coconut oil
pico de gallo OR red pepper flakes (you know like the ones you sprinkle on pizza)

Directions:

Lightly oil a pan with coconut oil. Grate the zucchini and squeeze it over a sink to release all the water (this is very important or your finished product will be watery and gross). Cook the spinach to wilt and set in your breakfast bowl. Cook the zuchini in the pan at the same time and also put it in the serving bowl. Re-oil the pan if needed. Drop in yo' egg. Sunny Side up friends. Add the kimchi to the bowl or your favorite kraut, add in a 1/4 to 1/2 chopped avocado, and toss in a few Tbsps of pico de gallo. Situate everything in it's own little area in your bowl and top with the sunny egg. Crank on a little pepper and a blast of sea salt. Serve. While this looks pretty as is, you need to get it all combined. So stick your fork in the yolk and stir everything up all messy like. Time to eat!

Alternately...

Use the sweet veggies instead of zucchini. Grate the carrot, parnsips, and golden beet (i just use the food processor with the grating attachment...so much faster). Put them in a steamer basket in a pot with a small amount of water and steam until tender. Takes under 5 minutes. Meanwhile wilt the spinach, put it in a bowl, and cook your sunny egg. The rest is the same. Spinach goes in the bowl, grated veggies go in, kimchi or kraut, avocado and egg on top. If you skip the pico de gallo just use a little shake of red pepper flakes (that's what i usually do with this combo). Serve it up. Blast the egg yolk and mix it up. Nom Nom.

A Mugg'a Dandy Latte

Most of us have a warm mugg'a something in the morning. Whether it's coffee, tea, mate, hot water, a holiday startbucks drink, or whatever it is that pleases your senses, i think we can agree that part of the desire for that mugg'a ____X____ is simply out of habit. We hold sacredly a few special rituals that help us approach each day with a vibrant outlook. For many of us it's to sit with a hot mugg'a and simply be with yourself, the newspaper, your family, your emails, your pet.

Without that mugg'a ___X___ it feels a little...well...incomplete.

I used to be a coffee drinker. I lived in the pacific NW and that's what you did. Drink coffee, have more, perhaps some later, and certainly polish off the the day at a pub or happy hour with friends. Talk about acid overload, but that was the culture. When i first starting cleansing years back i quickly noticed the ill effects caffeine had on my body, often leaving me shaky, weak, and feeling hung over by mid-day. It's amazing what you realize about the foods you consume daily when you take a few weeks to consciously monitor how your body feels without them. I ditched the coffee habit after years of enjoying it, but quickly missed my mugg'a ritual. I had to find a new habit.

I now enjoy my tea ritual as much (if not more than) i did my coffee ritual, but one thing remains the same. Each morning i get up, pull out my favorite mug, heat up water, and get my ritual and day started. I've found it best not to abandon the rituals that mean so much to giving our mornings completeness, but rather to find simple substitutions that support our bodies and mental outlook for the day.

I blogged a while back about dandy blend. It's an herbal alternative to the acidic and stimulant nature of coffee and an aide to get you off the coffee crack. Perhaps today you'll consider filling your mugga with dandelion not only for it's healing effects on the body, but simply to maintain a ritual of vibrantly awakening with gratitude at the start of each day.

working away with my dandy latte :)

A Mugg'a Dandy Latte

1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk (DIY or Trader Joes refrigerated one is good)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of water
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp dandy blend (choose your intensity)
liquid stevia to taste (i like mine pretty sweet)

Heat all together in a pot, stir well, pour into your favorite Mugga and sip your morning away.

Go Raw Overnight

Sometimes mornings need to be on the fly, and there is little time for breakfast. That's when overnight cereals are the perfect remedy. This time i used Go Raw Buckwheat granola. Their products are high quality, but since they're dehydrated sometimes the dried fruits are uber-hard (like i'm talking crack your tooth on it hard). Being so, i soaked the granola overnight in the fridgey and came up with this fabulous porridge that takes no effort to make. Enjoy!

you'll need to buy this....

Go Raw Overnight :)

1 cup of Go Raw Cereal

1 cup of almond milk, i recommend to DIY

1 tsp chia seed

1/3 scoop vanilla protein powder (i use Sun Warrior Warrior Blend)

1/2 ripe banana

strawberries or any fruit you'd like to enjoy it with

bee pollen, optional

Blend the almond milk with protein powder and vanilla. Stir this with the Go Raw cereal and chia. Cover and store in the fridge overnight. This will rehydrate and drink up all the liquid. It makes two to three servings.

Serve about 1/2 cup in a bowl with sliced strawberries, additional almond milk, and top with bee pollen.

Protein Pancakes Rock My World

Do you love pancakes, but hate how empty they are nutritionally and useless they make you feel? Can we say instant sugar high and low??? It's amazing how we can eat a stack of gut-rot pancakes slathered in syrup and butter and then have the burning desire to feed our pie holes again within a few hours. It's not so shocking really, since the sugars and carbs send your blood sugars through the roof. Quick rise, quick fall, and with the fall comes the cravings and the body's desire to once again find balance.

Enter the protein pancake. These pancakes rock the house. They are low sugar, low fat, super delicious, and hold you over. Add variety by switching up the flavors from banana, to blueberry, pumpkin, to spinach - get creative! Or use a different base, as i've seen many variations on the recipes from the inclusion of cottage cheese to oats. My two fave's are banana cinnamon and blueberry.

Power Protein Pancake:

1/4 cup egg white
1 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior protein powder
1 tsp ground chia seed
1/2 a mashed banana (optional)
a little water to get it to a batter consistency

If using the banana, mash it up first, then stir in the remainder of the ingredients, water last as you'll need to gauge how much to use based on the thickness of your batter. I love adding a bunch of cinnamon and sometimes a few drops of maple extract or english toffee stevia, AND often i'll throw blues in too.

Heat a pan to medium heat and mist with oil, form your pancake, cover, and watch for the little bubbles to come through as it puffs up. Flip (i have a HUGE pancake spatula by XOXO that makes a perfect pancake flip everytime), and cook until slightly firm on top to touch.

Eat as is, or consider topping with a dallop of nut butter, or some pomegranate arils, berries, or bananas.

mmmmmmmmmmmmm

So You're Cleansing: Refreshing Pear & Avocado Salad & Many More

Here we go again! I'm leading a cleanse at Core Power and i've decided to clean up my act with the group. Good Lord - Lock the Wine and Chocolate Up & Hide the Key! A girlfriend asked me today to post what i've been eating to give her some ideas and inspire her to get back on track so here is a little looksie at what Miss M's been noshing on since Friday and some of my personal fave's that i'll probably be nibbling on throughout the week.

Yesterday's lunch from some organic cabbage a student brought me:

Simple, seasonal, and flavorful, Pears add a sweet touch and avocado a rich texture to this filling entree salad.

Refreshing Pear & Avocado Salad (measurements are approximate)

1 pear chopped
1/4 ripe bacon avocado chopped
1 Tbsp sliced almonds
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
2 handfuls of mixed greens chopped
1 cup chopped purple cabbage

Dressing:
1 Tbsp Tahini
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 lemon squeezed
a few shakes of onion powder
a small shake of garlic powder

Today's Lunch was a Burrito inside a Big chard leaf. Inside was:

homemade guacamole
sprout salad
chopped hard boiled egg
pinto beans

Lately for breakfast i've been enjoying muesli hot and cold. Start with a raw unsalted organic trail mix or a few handfuls of nuts/seeds/dried fruits/flax seeds, add 1/2 a chopped apple and 1/2 a chopped banana. Top with cinnamon and almond milk. I like to put the whole thing in a pot and heat it up on colder mornings.

Other Breakfast ideas: