Chipotle Infusion

Hey! I know it's been a minute since I last blogged, but that's just life I guess. 

I know that no one in the world could ever "get tired" of homemade mayo, but if you're like me you would never turn away a chance to spice up anything! 
We have a wonderful, locally owned specialty store that sells over 50 flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegar's that are all imported from Italy and stored in airtight wooden barrels. It is so amazing. I have some tasty chipotle olive oil waiting to be emulsified into mayo this minute.

Check around your hub and see if there are any locally owned stores that sell specialty flavors of these ingredients that you probably use everyday!


My local store is called Kings Olive Oil Company, and it is located in Madison, AL
They also ship if you are not local!
Enjoy this little "idea" of spicing up your meals!
Laura

H A L L O W E E N

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
 I haven't been a huge fan of Halloween until my son was born, and old enough to participate.
His first Halloween he was only 18 days old, and I dressed him in this tiny little skeleton sleeper that his Auntie gave him. Baby and I were home alone, and I shut all the lights off outside, and inside and sat on my couch in the dark watching desperate housewives, all the while the doorbell kept ringing...Oiyy! A Halloween to remember.
The next year he had just turned one and we dressed him up as a skelton..yet again (Just wait until you hear what he was on his 3rd Halloween..) and went to boo at the zoo, and gave him 0 pieces of candy.
The Halloween after that he had just turned 2 and he was a...wait for it....SKELETON! He was a skeleton! (3 years in a row, I was a little sad when he wanted to break tradition and go as a fireman this year!). We went to Disney that week before and met my mom, dad, and niece, then brought them home with us. We trick-or-treated in our neighborhood on Halloween. Owen loved it!! He opened 3 suckers, had a suck on each one, threw them out, and that was all the candy he had.
I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE MY CHILD DOES NOT LIKE CANDY AND SWEETS!! Occasionally he will have a small sweet,and I am okay with him having a treat. It is okay to indulge sometimes!
I am not a huge Halloween candy fan either, so after husband picks through it we let it sit on top of the fridge...until, next year or so..

This year I decided to pass out something a little different than candy. We are passing out play dough, little spiders, glow sticks, etc!
I was so excited when I saw a mom post online that she was passing out the prepackaged baggies of apple slices. There will always be enough people passing out sugar so it is okay to break tradition and pass out something a little more beneficial.

I was not so excited, and more annoyed when I read a status posted on a yard sale type site where the mom said, and I quote,
"Where are the best places to go trick or treating (best CANDY) my lil man is 6 months old but I want to show him off. don't want to go out too late so it has to be somewhere that i can tell that they are handing out candy. So I want a good neighborhood that would have LOTS of candy to hand out so we don't have to go to several neighborhoods"
PLEASE do not feed your 6 month old candy, I am guessing in this situation it is all for the parents. It's strange how greedy people are for free candy. I am okay with tradition, I am okay with indulging sometimes, I am okay with making memories, and I am okay with you stealing some candy from your kid (really, please do so they don't eat the whole bucket!).
I hope that as we are out scavenging for candy that we are treated with a few healthier, or more fun options, like play dough and glow sticks ;)

Please remember to keep your pets inside so they are not the victim of a prank, please know where your children are all night, keep reflective gear/lights on, and stay in neighborhoods you trust!
I hope everyone eats a little too much pumpkin everything!!
Happy Halloween!

HALLOWEEN #1

HALLOWEEN #2

HALLOWEEN #3

2011

2013

How to Boil and Eat an Artichoke

So, it was just brought to my attention that not everyone in the whole world knows how to eat an artichoke UNLESS it come from the store in a jar.. No. no. no. Fresh artichokes are so dang good, so much different than jarred hearts.
I have been eating fresh artichokes for as long as I can remember. They are quite the socail dish in my family. We always gathered around the table with 2-5 fresh artichokes and sit and chat, and eat them up. We would also consume probably half a cube of butter in this event. So many good memories there.
There are tons of ways to eat this delicate veg, but my all time favorite is steamed/boiled and this is how I do it:

wash your artichoke and then place it in a medium-large pot and cover it in water, (it will float a little so no worries) and place the lid on. Then the waiting game starts. You have to boil that sucker for around 45 minutes to an hour! You know it is done when the leaves pull off the artichoke with no effort. I've got tough fingers so I just reach in there and yank, tongs are really good for a something like this though, if you're a wimp.
When it is soft enough that the leaves fall off I pull it out and hold it upside down so the water drains out and then I place it in a bowl and either wait for it to cool, or push the leaves open so it cools faster (it is super dang hot, so be careful!). Now, I eat them plain. I used to eat them dipped in butter. Ghee, and olive oil are both good too if you REALLY want to dip in in something!

Grab a leaf and bite it about half way up and drag your teeth down to scrape off the "meat", do this until all the leaves are cleaned off and your belly is full, when you get to the heart it will be covered in little, thick, prickly hairs. Pull those suckers off, and eat that tasty heart that is hidden underneath it. I also eat the stem that is attached, if it's a little too tough I open it up and just eat the marrow inside.

A Mug of Bread

A couple days ago I was really feeling sorry for myself. Gosh, and I was feeling sorry for myself because I wanted to eat something that was non paleo, so therefore I "couldn't" have it. and I really wanted it. What a rough life ;) The day before it just so happens that I made a big ole batch of paleo/W30 clam chowder, and I really thought some bread would be good with it so I made a mug of paleo bread to dip in my soup and it was SO GOOD. and when I say good I don't mean it's the best bread you have ever tried because it won't be. So when you make your little loaf of bread think about how awful it will be so that way when you bite into it, it will taste like a little sliver of heaven! Did I mention that I MADE THIS IN THE MICROWAVE?! Well, I did. Please, please, don't get on your high horse, or get your panties up in a wad over cooking food in the microwave because it causes cancer and kills all the good stuff that's in our food. Just don't. I love my microwave, and I really don't think I am eating a bad diet for using it, nor do I think I have cancer. When I was living with my parents we went microwave free for a long time and only used our oven/stove, and a toaster oven. It was...crazy.
So, about that microwavable paleo mug bread- how cute is that tiny loaf?!

I really want to experiment with this more, add cinnamon or fruit, nuts or honey. But here is my first and only loaf to date. If you try this and add your own touch please share it with me!! You can find the recipe HERE. This would make yummy croutons for salad if you sprinkled some Italian seasoning or garlic on them!

I work out.

Working out is nothing new to me. and I don't even hate it.
If you read my bio this is where I blame me falling off the band wagon on 'friends'. Okay, really I know it is no ones fault but my own BUT they made it really easy to slip out.
Now that I know what I am doing, and I am even more serious about being dedicated I am adding 4 days of work outs in with my paleo diet. and by work outs I don't mean going for a bike ride, or walking. Those are both things I do every day, and they don't count. for anyone.
#paleotil2015.
It is just so easy to be lazy. But you know what they say when you have a goal in mind. If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done... or something like that ;)
I have a really crazy goal in mind, and it has a deadline so I need to work really hard to get there.
Also, please buy me a pair of these shorts to show me your support. Ryan would. Thanks ;)

Paleolithic until 2015

So, I am super excited to share that starting Wednesday the 1st of October I am going Paleo/Whole30 (again! yay!) until the new year. Yeah, you heard me right. the. new. year. I am so excited, and will really need some good vibes to make it through fall with out pumpkin rolls, and hot pumpkin drinks, Halloween with out candy, Thanksgiving with out pie, and Christmas without hot chocolate, fudge and divinity.
I am more excited than scared though. This is crazy, really (to me anyway). But totally doable!
100% paleo/whole30 for three months.
I am excited to get a little more healthy, look a little more healthy, and just finish this challenge. period.
I doubt I can get anyone else to join me, (I have been unsuccessful thus far)...unless you are already 100% paleo, 100% of the time..in that case it doesn't count ;)
Send me some good vibes, and please do not send me any holiday treats. That would be mean.



#paleotil2015 

Meals: 3 vs 6

Being thirsty can often feel like hunger pangs. Drink a glass of water, and figure that shiz out.

Years ago when I first started learning about nutrition and health I was on fire, I ordered tons of books, read stuff online, and got all the advise I could squeeze out of my friend T who was in the middle of this awesome health transformation and personal training.
I was eating 5-6 small meals a day, and believed that in doing that it would help boost my metabolism and I would in return lose weight and have all this energy. If you read 'My Story' you will learn all about my 'yo-yoing' and what I was doing at different times of my weightloss. But I also was concerned about having my stomach full of food all day long.
When I first learned about Whole30 I was really confused as to why they were wanting people to eat 3 big meals, and not 6 small meals. So, I read. and read, and read, and read. I researched it a lot and this is what I came up with.
It is not "healthier" to eat 6 small meals a day.
Although I have read many articles and studies I, unfortunately, do not have every single link and article I have ever read. bummer.

I will make this really short and sweet. 

When you eat 6 times a day it is so much easier to over eat, and if you count calories it is a really good way to lose track of your caloric intake.
It is really hard to get full and feel satisfied on 1/3 cup of cottage cheese (if you eat dairy), so why not eat a few bites more, or a handful of nuts, or just a little extra something after each meal. You know, just this time.
By eating 3 'big' meals a day, your body will have to take more from your stored fats since there isn't always food just sitting in your belly, that's so easily accessible. Please note, I am not saying to start yourself. Please don't. Just eat 3 meals until you are full. Not stuffed, full.

When you’re constantly eating, you’re consistently releasing insulin, which puts your body into its “absorptive phase.” Basically what this means is that the insulin in your body is storing sugar — and not letting other enzymes in your body release sugar to break down fat. The goal is for your body to be in “postabsorptive phase,” where it uses your energy stores for sustenance, and burns more fat.-Jillian M.

Supposedly eating 6 meals a day raises your BMR (Baseline Metabolic Rate), but there are no good studies proving so. I am not bashing on 6 meals. If that is your slice of pie so be it.

As far as increasing the calories we burn, "The only thing that has been consistently shown to increase BMR is exercise," says Vicki Sullivan, PhD, RD, LD, national lecturer and president of Balance, LLC.

If eating 6 meals a day is what works for your body and mind that is great, it used to work really well for me too (Until I tried a well balanced 3-meal/day). But these days I put so much time into my meals, and I am really busy. So, 3 meals works so much better for me time wise, health wise and really in every other way.
The trick is eating when you are truly hungry but not so ravenous that you are at risk of overeating or eating out of control. To me, true hunger is when your stomach feels definitely empty; but once you feel this, don't go more than an hour without eating or you will move from truly hungry to ragingly ravenous. According to the ADA, eating every time you feel "slightly" hungry can result in overeating.
So, before you say "six meals a day is obviously healthier", do some actual research. Don't take my word for it, and don't only read 1-2 articles. If it is important to you to know, do research. Personal research is so important and fortunately there are libraries full of books, an internet full of pages, and so many other places to explore! Get exploring!