Paleo Banana Nut Bread

During my Paleo challenge last week, I was craving carbs in the WORST way! You know how it goes, when you CAN'T have something, that's all you WANT! Grrr!

So I came up with this recipe for Paleo friendly banana nut bread because I had bananas that needed to be used asap! I found the original recipe here. I loved the simplicity of the recipe but I didn't have enough almond flour and I wanted to spice it up a bit with walnuts. Here's what my version entails:

Ingredients:

• Dry Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup diced, raw walnuts

• Wet Ingredients:
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 eggs (I use organic cage free)
• 1/4 cup honey (I use local, organic honey)
• 1/4 cup organic, unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 Tbsp vanilla (I use organic vanilla)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Mix all the dry ingredients, except the walnuts, together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl, making sure the bananas are incorporated with the other ingredients well.
4. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
5. Stir together until dough is moist and completely mixed.
6. Fold the walnuts into the dough.
7. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
8. Place in the center of your oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.
9. Let the bread cool slightly and enjoy.

Let me know what you think of this banana bread. I loved it and my hubby said there was too much coconut. I happen to think he's nuts! (love ya honey!)

<3,

Kell

Coconut Crusted Cod

O.M.G. This dinner was GONE in 10 seconds flat! 

Last week I decided to complete a 7 day Paleo Challenge. I enjoy the lifestyle but I also struggle with it. I mean, I AM Italian. Starchy carbs have been a huge part of my life. While I love my Mac & Cheese and my Spaghetti Sundays, I love the way I feel when I follow Paleo even more!

I struggled during the week with finding recipes for dinner that I could and would eat. Not only do I love carbs, but I'm also one of the  pickiest eaters out there. My food can't be stringy. I won't eat reheated fish. I don't like the hearts of romaine. My fruit must be crisp. And you can forget about eggs. I just can't do them. I WANT to eat them. I WANT to love them. But reality is that I gag every time I attempt to eat them. If you know any thing about Paleo, eggs are a staple! So, I struggle.

Thursday night I was tired after work. The kids had some Annie's Mac & Cheese for dinner. Don't judge. They are 4 and 1. I'm blessed I can get them to eat anything! Ok - back to me. I needed something quick and painless. We had some fresh caught Cod in the freezer and some broccoli in the fridge. Baked fish and broccoli is as favorite of mine. (I get my fish at Costco because they have fresh caught, individually frozen fillets. I just pull them out as needed!)

But I didn't want the same old fish I always have. I was bored and wanted something different. I searched my cabinets and found my shredded, unsweetened coconut and coconut flour. I put about 1/4 cup of each into a bowl and mixed them together. I washed off the cod and covered it with the coconut mixture. I put it into a greased baking dish and poured 1/2 cup of OJ in the dish. 

The results were nothing short of amazing. I topped my coconut crusted cod with the warm OJ it was baked in and dipped my steamed broccoli in the same OJ. I think I've found a winner winner chicken (fish) dinner! 

Here's the recipe in recipe style:

Ingredients:

• 6 oz fish (I used cod)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup no sugar added orange juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mid coconuts flour and shredded coconut in a bowl.
3. Rinse fish under cold water.
4. Dredge fish in the coconut mixture. Make sure to coat all sides.
5. Place fish into a glass baking dish and pour OJ around fish.
6. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the fish is flakey. 

Like I said above, I steamed some broccoli as a side and topped it with the left over OJ from baking the fish. It was DELISH and I made the EXACT same dinner Friday night! I would have made both pieces of fish on Thursday but I already discussed my aversion to reheated fish ;)

Let me know how it turns out and if you made any modifications!

<3,

Kell

Orchard Apple Shakeology

Fall just brings out some amazing Shakeology recipes. I'll admit it, Greenberry is not a flavor I reach for very often. Not because I don't like it, but because I like Chocolate and Vanilla more! 

So, for all you Greenberry fans, here's a great fall recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop/packet Greenberry Shakeology
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup natural apple juice (no sugar added)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Ice to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in your blender. I usually add my shakeology last.
2. Blend until you achieve your desired consistency.
3. Enjoy!

Shakeology Peanut Butter Cup

If you know me at all, you know that my weakness is Reeces Peanut Butter Cups. I honestly can't turn one down. It's that Peanut Butter and Chocolate combo. It gets me every.single.time.

With Halloween last week, I knew I needed a plan to NOT devour all of my son's peanut butter cups. So, I made these little gems. They tasted better and were MUCH healthier for me!

If you like them as much as I do, feel free to comment or share via Pinterest or FB!

Enjoy!

<3,
Kell

Shakeology Peanut Butter Cups:

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp Chocolate Shakeology
• 2 Tbsp unrefined organic coconut oil
• 4 Tbsp chocolate PB2 (regular PB2 would work too)
• 2 Tbsp water
• 3 mini cupcake foils

Directions:

1. Place coconut oil into a small microwaveable bowl. 
2. Microwave in increments of 10 seconds until the oil is in liquid form.
3. Add Chocolate Shakeology to the coconut oil. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the PB2 and the water. Mix well.
5. If the PB2 is too thin, add more PB2. If it's too thick, add a *smidge* more water.
6. Spoon approx. 1 tsp of the Shakeology mixture into each cupcake foil (3 of them).
7. Top that with 1 tsp of the PB2 mixture.
8. Use the rest of the Shakeology mixture to cover the PB2 in each foil.
9. Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, or until they are solidified.
10. EAT and ENJOY!

Need some shakeology to make your peanut butter cups? Leave a comment or order some at www.myshakeology.com/klevere623.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Shakeology

Yeah. So Halloween is a BAD time for me. All I want is to eat my son's candy. Like - ALL.OF.IT.

So, I find new ways to ignore the junk. This year I came up with a few new Shakeology recipes to combat the junk cravings. I mean, I rarely get cravings, but when a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup is STARING you in the face, sometimes it's hard to ignore it!

This one is a recipe that I used this past week on Halloween. It's one of my favorite "Treat" Shakeology recipes. I don't normally do my shake up this much, but it is designed as a treat and not a meal :) The recipe tastes just like the cookies in the pic below!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Shakeology

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
• 4 oz unsweetened almond milk
• 4 oz dark chocolate almond milk
• 1 square of dark chocolate
• 1 to 2 Tbsp of all natural peanut butter (amount depending on how many calories I have left for the day)
• Ice to taste

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in the blender, starting with the wet ingredients and ending with the scoop of shakeolgoy.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Try not to drink it so fast that you get brain freeze!

Let me know how you liked it! Please share via Pinterest or FB if you did!

<3,

Kell

30 Days of Thanks

It's November 1st. The month of giving and being thankful. In honor of my my favorite month and my absolute favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, I would like to challenge YOU to a 30 days of thanks challenge. 

This challenge will be done through Instagram. Each day, take a pic of something you are thankful for. Then tag it with #30daysofthanks and #learningtoloveme. Simple as pie. How many people can we get to participate?

I'll be posting my pics on IG and sharing them via FB. Here's my day 1:

I hope to see what you are thankful for this month!

<3,

Kell

Happy Halloween

It's finally here! The day my kids have been looking forward to for weeks! My son cannot wait to put on his Green Lantern costume tonight! My daughter is only 16 months old, so she doesn't really know what's going on. She's going to be a lady bug again this year, thanks to a great $4 thrift store find! Woot Woot - gotta love a sale! The only thing that is a negative about today is that it's going to be POURING down rain for trick or treat :(

^^^not my kid but that is his costume!

Well guess what? We're getting wet! My kids are totally worth it.

Now, starting tonight at 8 pm, my self control is REALLY going to be tested. See, there's gonna be JUNK, and lots of it, in my house. I don't WANT to eat it. I'm going to try to keep it out of my sight. But I just have zero self control. 

So, I have Shakeology recipes all planned out to combat my cravings. First, there's an extra Shakeology Shake - Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk. Another favorite are my Shakeology Peanut Butter Cups. I might try to make some of those before Trick or Treat. And, of course,there's always my old faithful, No Bake Shakeology Balls. 

See, its all about coming up with a plan for tricky situations. It's not about depriving myself. I mean, I don't really NEED that candy. I've been conditioned to think I need it. Do you know how much bad stuff is really in candy? I'm not going into that right now. That's a whole other blog post!

Before I finish getting myself and my kids ready for trick or treat tonight, I'm going to leave you with all the recipes from above. I will eventually turn them all into their own blog posts, but I want to share now :) 

Happy Halloween Everyone!

<3,
Kell

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Shakeology is like ^^^ that in a cup!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Shakeology

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop chocolate shakeology
• 4 oz unsweetened almond milk
• 4 oz dark chocolate almond milk
• 1 square of Dark Chocolate
• 1 to 2 Tbsp of all natural Peanut Butter (amount depending on my calorie load for the day)
• ice to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender.
2. Blend.
3. Try to avoid brain freeze from drinking it so fast!

Shakeology Peanut Butter Cups:

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp Chocolate Shakeology
• 2 Tbsp unrefined organic coconut oil
• 4 Tbsp chocolate PB2 (regular PB2 would work too)
• 2 Tbsp water
• 3 mini cupcake foils

Directions:

1. Place coconut oil into a small microwaveable bowl. 
2. Microwave in increments of 10 seconds until the oil is in liquid form.
3. Add Chocolate Shakeology to the coconut oil. Mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the PB2 and the water. Mix well.
5. If the PB2 is too thin, add more PB2. If it's too thick, add a *smidge* more water.
6. Spoon approx. 1 tsp of the Shakeology mixture into each cupcake foil (3 of them).
7. Top that with 1 tsp of the PB2 mixture.
8. Use the rest of the Shakeology mixture to cover the PB2 in each foil.
9. Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, or until they are solidified.
10. EAT and ENJOY!

No Bake Shakeology Balls (a.k.a. Shakeology Power Balls) - click the link to go to the recipe!