After school/Pre-workout Snack

If you follow this blog then you know that my kids are competitive gymnasts.  I am a RYT (Registered Yoga teacher) and we are pretty active!  So fueling our bodies is very important to me.  This is a quick and easy snack to fuel anyone before a workout.  I easily mix this up in  a disposable bowl and have it in the car, ready for my girls to eat on the way to gymnastics after school.  Our days are so jammed full that it is very easy to fall off the wagon and not have the right nutrients for proper fuel and nutrition.  This is why planning ahead and being very structured is key for me to be able to always be prepared.  (Well, most of the time! LOL)

This is so easy, even the kids can make this themselves!
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 Tbsp almond butter
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder
Mix till well combined!
Eat with a spoon!

Breakfast Pizza

I use a medium small cast iron skillet for this recipe.  It makes the perfect personal size pizza for me, although with all the toppings I use, I can only eat half of one pizza in one sitting. 

Recipe:
Ghee or coconut oil (enough to grease the bottom of the skillet)
3 eggs, scrambled
cooked sausage
homemade marinara sauce
diced fresh tomatoes and bell peppers
diced onions (optional)

heat the oil on the stove top in the skillet
pour in the scrambled eggs and let set until the edges are set
gently loosen and flip the "crust"
top with toppings and place in 350 degree oven and bake for 12 min till all is heated through.

optional toppings: salsa, avocado slices, shredded cheese or goats or feta crumbles

Healthy School Lunches Part 2

 1. Applegate Farms Organic all Beef hotdog (chopped), stick of Sargento Colby jack cheese, banana chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, baby carrots with homemade hummus, and jello jigglers.

 2. Watermelon chunks, gluten free Rudi's wrap with Applegate farms Turkey Bologna and sliced Colby jack cheese (rolled up and halved), homemade hummus and carrot coins.

 3. Another wrap, except with Applegate farms ham this time.  Again with Colby jack cheese and I heated it to melt the cheese and then rolled and halved it.  Gluten Free pretzels (I found at Aldi) and fresh raspberries.  Celery from our organic and non-GMO farmer with homemade hummus.

4. Leftover dinner from the night before.  Spaghetti squash with meatballs baked into a nest from PaleOMG.   Sourdough rolls that I made, which are gluten free.  And organic strawberry Trader Joes' yogurt cup.

Again, keep in mind these are not just for the kids!  These lunches can also be used for the office too.  Incase you missed it... also read my previous post Healthy  Lunches for School (and the office too!)

Healthy FRIED veggies? And some game day food!

 Hand cut organic and non-GMO potatoes

Jalapeno peppers stuffed with herb infused goats cheese

 

 

I am lucky enough to have access to an organic, non-GMO farm that I am a CSA (community shared agriculture) member of in which I pick up a weekly share of 8-10lbs of fresh veggies at my local farmers market.  Since it is football season and we LOVE college football, we entertain quite often and host football parties on most Saturdays.  To keep the party foods to my standards and pleasing to our guests, I have come up with a delicious way to use our veggies and copy some of the traditional appetizers. 

 

At COSTCO, they sell a large container of coconut oil for $16.99.  I buy 2 of these and we fill our outdoor commercial grade deep fryer with this MCT oil which is actually good for you!  After heating the fryer to temperature, my husband does all the frying.  I am the one who cuts all the veggies and gets them ready to be cooked. 

Some things we fry:

okra, all I do is simply cut each piece into bite sizes and we fry them till crispy, that's without anything coating them!

Yellow squash, again, all I do is slice each one into rounds and fry them until crispy!  No breading!

White potatoes and sweet potatoes, I do not peel them, I simply slice them up into "Fries" and cook until desired doneness.

 

For the jalapeno poppers:

cut each pepper in half and remove seeds

using herb infused goats cheese and shredded grass fed cheddar (kerrygold, I shred myself) mixed

stuff into each pepper half and bake in a 375 degree oven until the pepper is soft and the cheese has begun to lightly brown.  (I cooked mine for 15 min)

ENJOY!!!



Jello Jigglers

 This is the brand of gelatin that I use.  I order it on Amazon.  This is the only brand that I am aware of that is from grass fed cows.  Gelatin has protein in it and also has many beneficial properties that we should be consuming daily!  www.hollywoodhomestead.com  has lots of interesting info on gelatin and the benefits for you.

 Using juice such as this, is low in sugar and tart cherry has beneficial properties as well for reducing inflammation.  Juice that is not from concentrate is the best choice. 

I heat 1 cup of water to boiling and then remove from heat.  I then add 5 TBSP of gelatin sprinkled over the top and let dissolve.  Once it is dissolved, I add 2 cups of the juice and 1/2 cup of raw honey and whisk until combined.  Then I pour into a glass 8X8 casserole dish and put in the fridge until it is set up.  Cut into squares and eat!  Store in a container in the fridge!

Hummus

 When I get my veggies from my CSA at the farmers market, I always wash them and chop them up for easy access to the kids for lunches and snacks!  They love to dip them in hummus!

 I use organic garbanzo beans and drain about 1/2 the can, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves, 1/8 cup raw sesame seeds, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin and salt to taste.  I put everything in my vitamix and blend until smooth.  You could use your blender or food processor also.

I portion out the hummus into individual serving size containers for lunches.  Also my kids double dip and this way they can double dip in their own container without contaminating anyone else's!

*adding a few roasted red peppers would also be a nice addition and a different flavor and color hummus!

Fueling the kids for performance

 Almond Butter packets to squeeze on apples, applesauce squeezers (strawberry and carrot flavored), nut and dried fruit individual pack, fruit leather.  Bananas, apples, and grapes.  Individual servings of Wholly Guacamole. (organic blue corn chips to dip in the guac- not pictured)

Perfect Food bar (carob chip flavor), has 16g of protein, GF cheese crackers in a small individual serving packet, GF pretzels for dipping in hummus.

 Watermelon chunks (I freeze these and they are a nice refreshing treat like a popsicle), tart cherry jello jigglers (made with all natural ingredients unlike the boxed kind), homemade hummus (which they also used to dip sliced up veggies- red pepper strips, cucumbers, and celery, not pictured).

Colby-jack cheese sticks with Applegate Farms deli meat wrapped around them (not pictured), magnesium chocolate drops (to replenish the lost electrolytes lost due to sweating), mini burgers on GF sourdough rolls.

Yesterday my girls had a gymnastics competition and since they are on different levels, that meant that we would be there all day from 9-5:30!  Since the concessions usually has nothing we can eat, I needed to make sure we were fully prepared and would not need a thing!  This meant me too since I am doing the gut healing cleanse currently and only eating protein and healthy fats!  Call me crazy, but this is what makes me happy!  Fueling my kids for their best performance!  I enjoy it, I take pride in it and I know I am doing the best I can for them! 

No one went hungry!  We had plenty of food and we shared with our team mates too!  Competition was fun, but LONG!  This momma was really tired by the time we made it home!

*I will post recipes to the jello jigglers and the hummus soon!
*And the girls also ate a fat bomb each about 30 min before they went on to compete!  I brought a thermos with a "bullet-proof" coffee in it for me, and lots of boiled eggs, mini burger patties and a steak!

Healthy lunches for school (and for the office too)

 1. This lunch consists of a turkey bologna (Applegate farms) sandwich on my homemade gluten free sourdough bread, Trader Joes nuts and chocolate chunk trek mix, cucumber dices with some homemade ranch in the container with the green lid, and organic strawberries.

 2.This lunch consists of two rolled up pieces of Applegate Farms Turkey, cubed pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, wholly guacamole mini, organic Trader Joes blue corn tortilla chips (in the baggie).  And 2 Trader Joes gluten free ginger snap cookies.

 3.  This lunch consists of Applegate farms ham, Kerrygold Dubliner cheese chunks, my homemade gluten free sourdough mini rolls, fresh organic peach sliced, organic celery with Trader Joes almond butter.

 4. This lunch consists of cucumber slices, kiwi, and a cutie, Almond butter and Trader Joes fruit sweetened strawberry jelly on grain free silver dollar pancake sandwich, and Applegate Farms ham and Colby jack cheese slice.

5. This lunch was one at home.  3 slices of a mini loaf of my gluten free sourdough bread topped with Colby jack cheese, oregano, and uncured Applegate Farms pepperoni.  Not pictured she also ate 1/2 a peach and a banana, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookie (gluten-free). 

This is a weeks worth of easy and healthy lunches that are for school or the office, or home!  I will work on posting the recipes for some of the items mentioned!  In the mean time, email me or FB message me if you need a recipe before I have time to post them!
ENJOY!

Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins

I am once again embarking on another 21 day food challenge.  The one I did back in November was very successful for me in that I lost almost a whole 7% Body Fat.  Since then there was Thanksgiving, Christmas, a trip to Punta Cana, and well...I gained back 3% of that lost BF during that time.  Not too bad, but its quickly approaching time for bathing suit season, and I am challenging myself again to lower the BF 4% this time and tone up as well as lean out!  I am adding some new recipes, and also incorporating a workout program.  I will be following Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer which you can find for FREE at www.bodybuilding.com


Follow me on Instagram daily for exactly what I am eating.  If you didn't request it last time, I can still email you the original 21 day jump start diet plan if you are eager to get your body ready for swim suit season!  (@alicia_trotter is my instagram username, so come on aboard and follow along!)


Bacon Wrapped Veggie & Egg Muffins
6 eggs (farm fresh is best)
chopped broccoli (leftover steamed from dinner works well)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
6 pieces of bacon (nitrite free and uncured)
fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Chop the veggies, this doesn't have to be done very small because we will be blending these in the blender with the eggs.  Sautee the veggies all but the tomatoes, and basil in 1 TBSP of coconut oil (buy this online at Vitacost.com )  Once the peppers are tender, remove from heat and add to blender.  Crack the 6 eggs into the blender, salt & pepper and puree the mixture.  Take the 6 pieces of bacon and on a microwave safe plate, lined with paper towels on top and bottom, cook only long enough to start the cooking process but still be plyable enough to curve inside the edge of the muffin cup.  (I did  3 min)
Grease the bottoms of the muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or bacon fat.  Wrap the outter edges of each muffin cup with one piece of bacon.  Then fill with egg mixture, and top with tomato pieces and basil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min until eggs are set.
(my computer is on the fritz, so for pictures of this recipe, see my instagram account!  Sorry for any inconvenience.)

Fried shrimp "pasta" Alfredo

Unfortunately I don't have a wonderful picture to show you my delicious dinner from tonight. We were so hungry that we scarfed it down so fast before I thought of it. Sorry about that, but I will share the recipe with you now!!!

Ingredients: 

Uncooked deveined and no tails frozen shrimp

Cashew meal

Gluten free all purpose flour

Plain unsweetened almond milk

Coconut oil

Heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup

4 TBSP butter

6 TBSP farmers cheese (it's the cheese like you get when you drip all the whey off yogurt) 

1tsp crushed garlic

Salt & pepper

Spaghetti squash

Directions: 

Take a knife and pierce the skin of the spaghetti squash about 4-6 times around the squash. Put it on a plate and microwave for about 15 min. You will know it's done when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. Once it's done, cut in half long ways and let set to cool a bit. Once cooled some, scoop the seeds and pulp out and discard. Then take a fork and shred the "meaty" part of the inside into noodle like strings. Toss with butter and season with salt.

Dip thawed shrimp into gluten free flour first, then almond milk, then cashew meal and then add to a skillet of hot coconut oil. Cook till browned and flip and cook other side. You will have to do this in batches. Once cooked, remove to a paper towel lined plate. 

For the Alfredo sauce, melt butter over med low heat in a sauce pan. Once melted, add cream, and cheese. Stir to ,melt, then add garlic. Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Serve squash "noodles" topped with shrimp and Alfredo sauce. Serve along side a salad!

Enjoy!

Grain Free Thanksgiving 2013

So I know that Thanksgiving is over and I'm just now posting pics of my menu, but these are also recipes you could serve for Christmas if you so desire!  Better late than never I say!  My sister and her family were gracious enough to host my entire family this year for Thanksgiving.  My family (husband & kids), my parents, and my aunt, her kids, and their families.  All together we had 21 people.  My sister is so understanding of our dietary needs and concerns, that she graciously agreed to let me plan most of the menu.  Together we shopped, prepped, cooked, ate, and cleaned up.  Thanks also to our parents who watched all the kids while we prepared the feast, and then gave us a date night too as a reward for our hard work.  I have an AWESOME family!

My sister & Me

So I just want to state up front that none of the recipes I cooked were originals, I found them all on line.  I will give credit to where I found them so that you may find and use them if you so desire.
Here is the line up:
Turkey, which my hubby deep fried in peanut oil.  He brined it in salt water for 24 hours, then dried it completely, then rubbed the whole thing down with spicy brown mustard, and then cooked it at 350 degrees oil temp for 4-5 min per pound.
Pork Tenderloin, was bought at Publix and it was pre-wrapped in bacon and seasoned Cajun.  We smoked it in an electric smoker.  Can't remember the times, but you can look it up on line if you are interested. That's what we did.

Dressing: Recipe from www.againstallgrain.com

Green Bean Casserole: Recipe from (Don't hate me but I cannot find the recipe!)

It was homemade cream of mushroom and mixed it with green beans, then battered in coconut flour and arrowroot powder and fried in coconut oil, onion rings.  Assemble as normal and bake at 350 for 30 min.  We used home canned green beans and drained the liquid.

 

Deviled Eggs: Recipe from deliciouspaleo.wordpress.com

 

Sweet Potato Casserole: Recipe from cupcakesomg.blogspot.com

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon: I just quartered them, tossed in bacon fat, and roasted in a 400 degree oven for 30 min.  Then topped with crumbled cooked bacon.

Dinner Rolls: Recipe from paleospirit.com (mine didn't rise like they usually do, because I kept opening the oven too much while they were baking.)

Apple Tartlets: Recipe from paleOMG.com (I also added dairy free caramel to the tops of mine.  Simply melt 1/2 can of coconut cream concentrate from Trader Joes and add 1/2 cup honey and a 1/2 tsp salt.  Then whip it until creamy and formed.  Store in Fridge!

Fruit Salad : Made by my sister.  Fresh fruit of your choice, covered in fresh pressed orange juice and topped with chopped pecans.

We also had some other items that were not grain free or Paleo friendly, so I did not include them here.  If you are looking for a good pumpkin pie recipe, I recommend everydaypaleo.com
Hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones as well!  ENJOY!

Italian breakfast

this morning I decided that I was in the mood for something a little different, so I looked in my fridge to see what I needed to get rid of and this is what I came up with:

ITALIAN BREAKFAST

1 can stewed tomatoes drained

1/2 small yellow onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1/2 small zucchini diced

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms chopped

1 tsp oregano dried

1tsp thyme dried

1/2 tsp rosemary dried

1/2 tsp salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 eggs

1 Tbsp fat (I used ghee, bacon fat or coconut oil would be fine too)

In a oven safe skillet, melt the fat and sautée the onions and garlic till translucent.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Then add in the zucchini and mushrooms. Continue cooking till zucchini is tender, not mushy. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Stir to combine. Then make 2 holes in the veggies for the eggs. Crack your eggs into the holes. Place the entire skillet I'm the oven and bake about 5-8 min until the egg whites are set. Longer cook time will also cook the yolks if you prefer that. 

Serves 2

I also served mine with 2 slices of bacon. 

Challenge results

Today is day 22 and my results from the challenge are in.  

Before.                      After

117.5 lbs.                  112.5 lbs 

25% BF.                      18.7% BF

Goal was 10 inches.       8 3/4 inches

Inches lost were measured at chest, stomach, waist, hips, quads, and calves. I ate very strict but was never hungry. I worked out minimally and mainly did yoga. All of my meals are photograph posted on Instagram if you're curious. I am willing to help anyone who also wants to give their weight loss a jump start. I am currently helping 3 followers and would love to help more. This is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change for better health and better you! 

Many thanks to all who follow and read along! Blessings to you and yours this thankful season! 

Winter Soup & the challenge is coming to and end!

I promised those following my IG account this recipe last week.  So sorry I am a week late getting it up.  Better late than never I guess, so here it is...
WINTER SOUP:
1 pkg of butternut squash or 1 squash peeled and diced
1/2 a bag of prechopped kale, or 1/2 a bunch, torn into bite sized pieces
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained (could also use great northern or chick peas)
qt of broth, homemade or organic free range chicken stock
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 package of sliced mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp thyme
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp Spanish paprika
Fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a stock pot, melt some ghee or grass fed butter, or coconut oil and sautee onion and garlic until translucent.  Add spices and stir to combine.  Add broth and remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to med cooking until the squash is fork tender. 
I served this with pork tenderloin sliced and baked.  You could cube up some pork and cook with the soup if you wish. 

This is the soup and also pictured is "Paleo Dinner Rolls" from paleospirit.com.  They are divine and so simple to make!

Today is day 19 of my 21 day jump start challenge.  I haven't lost any more weight on the scales, a few inches were regained, and I haven't check Body Fat % yet.  I plan to do that on day 22.  My ultimate goal from this was for BF loss.  Since I pretty much eat this way 80-90% of the time anyways, I did not expect weight loss.  Since I haven't been able to hit the workouts super hard, I may be disappointed with my end results.  However I do have to say that I do feel through all of this, I have finally stabilized by blood sugar which always ran low.  I have learned how to fuel my body with the right amount of calories, I always ate too few.  I feel like overall, I have much better health than I did this time last year.  I feel like the Adrenal Fatigue is a thing of the past!  I feel like ME again and that feels GREAT!  I want to give a shout out to Kim, Julie, and Janna.  They have reached out to me for help in getting their lives back on track.  I am here for ya for moral support and also for any other support you may need along this journey!  This blog was started to hopefully bring better health to those who are interested through my transparent journey in obtaining my own health.

Crockpot Paleo Beef Stew

I kind of adapted my recipe from one on Civilized caveman.  Also my family had "grainfree" cornbread with this meal.  Recipe found at www.unrefinedkitchen.com  It was definitely a crowd pleaser and  even "Tiny Trotter" wanted it again for breakfast.  LOL

Crockpot Paleo Beef Stew
1 lb -1.5 lbs of stew meat
28 oz stew tomatoes (no sugar added)
1 pint of water
2 cups frozen french style green beans
1 cup sliced carrots (raw)
1 onion sliced
1 8 oz can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 package of sliced mushrooms (not canned)
I layered the onions on the bottom of the crockpot first, then the stew meat (mine was frozen), tomatoes, green beans, water, paste, fresh veggies, lid
Cook on low 8 hours
The meat was very tender and the flavor was amazing!
ENJOY!
Also I am on day 5 of my personal 21 day jump start challenge.  This is to help my body switch over from fat storing to fat burning.  I am posting pics of my food on Instagram if you would like to follow.  @alicia_trotter
I am also a member of EPlifefit which I use for my workouts.  I do their workouts M-W-F and do HOT yoga T-Th and Vinyasa Flow Level 2/3 yoga Sat.  Saturday and Sunday are also ACTIVE rest days.  This means I get out and play with my family.  Ride bikes, go hiking, play tennis or softball, swing on the swings at the playground or hang upside down on the monkey bars.  If you have no time or money for working out at the gym or attending a yoga class, get out and walk, at least 10 minutes a day.  Also there are plenty of FREE yoga videos on YouTube.  No excuses!  Get active!  Eat to live don't live to eat!  Feed you body what Fuels it not what makes it want to curl up and take a nap!  IF you do you will notice a HUGE boost in energy and even may like what you start to see in the mirror!  What are you waiting for?  Join me today! 

Quick Healthy Dinner

                                        CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
*Sorry no pic, it was a quick throw together meal that was eaten so fast, there was no time for a snapshot.

2 cartons of organic Free Range chicken broth (or homemade if you have some)
1 cup uncooked GF Rice noodles of your choice
1-2 cans of chicken (I used one of the bigger cans)
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (mine had green beans, carrots and corn in it)
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp oregano
a few rounds of freshly cracked black pepper
Bring all of this to a boil and simmer till noodles are done.

This was our dinner Halloween night.  The girls had gymnastics and are always starving when we get home, so I need this done fast!
We also had some "Candy Bar Cupcakes" to make up for no candy.  The recipe for those can be found at www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com  To me they tasted just like snickers.  I used the GF all-purpose flour and xylitol, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

I posted the link on Facebook that I used from Pinterest.  Be sure to follow me on pinterest and also I post pics of foods I make and eat on Instagram too.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween.  In TN we had storms and most all Halloween events were cancelled.  The leaves around here are so beautiful I was really hoping the 300 mile an hour winds (yes I am exaggerating) wouldn't blow all the color off.  I was able to find one beautiful tree this morning when I went to pick up my bushel of apples.

We went to Cheekwood on Tuesday and the girls got to dress up and have some Goblin fun.  They were witches this year and thankfully all I had to buy were tights for their costumes because these dresses were in our dress up closet!  YAY!

 

My top 10 snack foods for kidos

Recently I have had a request to blog about what kind of snack foods I feed my kids.  This is always a challenge, especially because most growing kids eat every 2-3 hours.  It always seems like my kids are hungry every time I turn around.  I have mentioned before that we have some food allergies and major food intolerance, so this poses an even bigger challenge.  Again, Trader Joes is my favorite for finding gluten free foods at a very reasonable price.  I know that the one in Nashville is not located close to everyone, but go there once a month and stock up!  It seriously does save you money! 
My oldest daughter is highly sensitive to processed sugar, like High Fructose Corn Syrup, and just plain ole white sugar, so I really try to buy things organic or make them myself with honey.  The organic products still will have sugar in them, however it is usually most often evaporated can juice.  This form of sugar actually still contains the natural minerals found in sugar in nature. 
1.Amazon sells some suckers that I buy a huge bag of, its about 2 gallons worth for $30.  These last me a LONG time and are a special treat! http://www.amazon.com/YummyEarth-Organic-Lollipops-Assorted-Flavors/dp/B000HDK0DC/ref=pd_ybh_19
2.Cheese sticks by Sargento are also a good source of protein, if no one is allergic to milk.  My youngest daughter was allergic for 3 years, but now just seems to be sensitive to certain dairy products.  The colby jack form of cheese she can handle much better than the mozzarella.  Also if you want cheese from grass fed cows, Kerrygold makes a fabulous cheese.  I have found it at the best price point at Sams.  I have also seen it at Aldi recently as well.
3.Fruit, of all kinds!  A good pair in my house is apples dipped in natural peanut butter.  Almond butter is best for me as I am super sensitive to legumes.  Make sure that you buy natural peanut butter where peanuts is the only ingredients.  Organic is best, but often contains added sugar.  Krema, is non-organic, but tastes amazing and I have found it at Kroger.
Cuties are great for kids, they have no seeds and are basically mandarin oranges in their natural form.  I do buy canned mandarin oranges in the off season but only if they are in their own juice.  No syrup!
4. Popcorn, I buy the organic kernels at Trader Joes (this is also non-GMO) and pop it on the stove top in coconut oil.  I even pop this ahead of time and keep it in a zip lock bag for easy access.  We do also have an air popper that my 7 year old can pop some corn for herself if she wants to.  This version is even healthier!
5. Applesauce squeezers- again I buy these at Trader Joes.  They have a carrot/apple one that the girls really like.  I also get the strawberry /apple and plain apple too.  Be sure to read labels, because not all squeezers are "clean".
6. Raw veggies- I make a ranch dip using plain greek yogurt and they enjoy dipping baby carrots and sugar snap peas.  They also like cherry tomatoes and the seedless crispy baby cucumbers with a sprinkle of sea salt.
7. greek yogurt- chiobanni, makes a kid yougurt, called Champion.  All of the flavors are good.  My kids like the chocolate chip kind best and I let them eat it sometimes in place of icecream!  I have only found this at Publix.
8. Keifer ice cream- Lifeway makes a delicious strawberry flavor.  It seems expensive at first, but I think of it this way...its a special treat.  We only eat it on occasion, so its the same as if you were taking your kids out for an ice cream treat.  You would pay the same if not more.
9.Other ice cream treats- So Delicious makes some dairy free treats, and now they also have no sugar added treats as well.  Again, the price seems steep, but these are special treats!  If you took advantage of the Freebie I posted last week.  That ebook listed many websites you could print off coupons for healthier and organic foods.  Also if you shop at Kroger, using your plus card, they will send you custom coupons in the mail for items you buy most often. 
10.Trail mix- I buy the raw nuts trek mix at Trader Joes because it is convenient.  Otherwise you could mix some raw nuts, and dried fruit along with some unsweetened coconut chips and there you have a nice trail mix!
Read the post on my favorite things to link you up to some of my favorite blogs I get other kid friendly recipes from for breakfast items especially!

Gluten Free Sausage Balls

First let me say that I do not claim this recipe as my own!  I am posting it here because I cannot find the original source to post a link to. 

1 pound pasture raised pork sausage
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour mix (I use Trader Joe's)
1 cup almond meal (Trader Joe's)
10 oz shredded cheese (I grate my own using Kerrygold cheese, bought at Sam's)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder aluminum free (Bob's Red Mill)

Combine all ingredients and kneed them until they are all well incorporated.  Be patient, this takes a few minutes.  You want them all combined well enough where there is no powdered ingredients in the bowl.  Roll out into bite size balls, and bake on a baking sheet.  350 degree oven for 20-25 min.

Sunday Food Prep

With Adrenal Fatigue, one thing the good ole Doctor recommended in his book was how and what to eat.  This helps with the hypoglycemia that is almost always present along with the fatigued adrenal glands.  All this time I thought I was eating correct.  I have eaten clean for almost the entire time I have had symptoms and started mixing in Paleo a year ago that I do about 85% of the time.  So why did I still suffer such lows in my blood sugar?
Culprit #1 for me was COFFEE!  YIKES, this was a HUGE thing in my life!  Every morning I hit the coffee pot first thing before anything else.  I always had at least 2-3 cups before I eventually ended up eating breakfast about 3 1/2 hours after I had been awake.  This was the biggest mistake I could be making!  First, I should drink a glass of water.  Then I should avoid all coffee period, and third I should eat within 30 min of being awake!
In order to cut coffee, I replaced it with the Ruby Red Chai that I mentioned in my post on Trader Joe's.  I add a dropper of liquid stevia ( I make my own, I'll post that recipe later) and some coconut milk.  This reminds me of my coffee.  The key to eating within the first 30 min is not only to eat, but what combination of foods you eat.  Carb, fat and protein!  That's the key.  This was another challenge for me, because the book kept mentioning carbs as whole grains, and I don't eat wheat or gluten.  So this again posed a challenge for me.
I have a few favorite blogs I follow that I get my recipes from, so I went there and pinterest to find some help.  What I found was a gluten free recipe for sausage balls that I absolutely love.  Also a pancake and waffle recipe using the almond meal I buy at Trader Joe's.  Follow me on http://pinterest.com/liciajoy/
Waffles: http://paleomg.com/chocolate-waffles/

These are our waffles made using the recipe in the link above.
pancakes:http://www.elanaspantry.com/silver-dollar-pancakes/

These are ones the Little Trotter made all buy herself using Elana's recipe.  Pretty good for a 7 year old, don't you think?
Since I can't find the source of the G.F. sausage ball recipe, I'll post it in a separate post.  Please note that I do not claim it as an original recipe of my own. 
There is also a pumpkin granola recipe that I found which is delicious topped with coconut milk and eaten as cereal.  http://paleomg.com/pumpkin-granola/
So in order for me to eat right and keep my blood sugar steady all day, prep ahead of time is a MUST!  Sundays seem to be the best day for me.  So Sunday night for dinner, we have Breakfast for dinner. I enlist the help of the Little Trotter people and together we all make enough breakfast to last us all week.  (or at least that's the hope, as long as daddy doesn't get hungry for a midnight snack and eat it)  Tonight we made, sausage balls, bacon, boiled eggs, waffles,& pancakes.  I buy sausage from the farmers market and make sure that it is pasture raised pork.  That is a protein and a good fat mixed in with the G.F. all purpose flour and almond flour makes for a good combination along with a boiled egg. Last week I had no issues with blood sugars when I ate this combo.
I tried the coffee Saturday just to see, and it definitely does make my blood sugar drop too low too quick, so I guess while I heal, its no coffee for me.

Banana muffins, recipe for your weekend!

So I made this recipe this morning for my girls and thought I would pass it along to you for the weekend.
Hope you enjoy!
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

combine all wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients, stir well to combine all.
grease your muffin pan, or silicon muffin liners, or use cupcake paper liners,
fill each cup 1/2 way, top with crushed walnuts or blueberries (as I did per request of the Tiny Trotter)
or get creative!  Not necessary to have a topping at all.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min, till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

For some reason I could only get 11 out of the dough, sorry for any inconvenience!