Coconut-Honey Broiled Chicken

I have a simple, yet delicious recipe I want to share with you all today.

Coconut-Honey Broiled Chicken

• Coconut Oil
• Honey
• Boneless, Skinless Chicken
• Cinnamon

All you do is spread the coconut oil on the bottom of the pan. Place the grilled chicken on top of that. Finally, lightly coat the chicken with honey and sprinkle some cinnamon on as the final "topper!" Broil on low about 30-40 minutes. And wa-laaa, just like that, you have a slightly-sweetened, delicious piece of chicken!


Tomorrow I am doing a slight "test." I have my endoscopy on Friday, so since I have not been bloated one day since Day 1, I thought I would have 1 serving of 100% Whole Wheat (Durum) Pasta (3/4 cup). There are no other ingredients in this except that. I am thrilled for the "test," and then I will not have anything else like it for several days. We'll see if I react! And of course I'll keep you posted:)

 
Day 11 today! I have not introduced any new foods. I'm still feeling on top of the world, and furthermore I have shed a total of 6lbs bloat. Priceless!


CHEERS!

Kisses on the Beach

Then normal name is not Kisses on the Beach. It is Sex on the Beach.

I'm talking about the beverage!

Typically you make it (some version of) like this:

• Vodka
• Peach Schnapps
• Cranberry Juice
• Orange Juice
• Optional: Cream on Top with an Orange or Cherry Garnish

I felt like having a drink tonight. Just one. So I concocted my own version. Vodka is allowed for me, so I got creative with it! Here is how I made it. These are all things that the GAP(Sarah) diet allows (and even the normal GAPS diet allows!):

• Vodka
• Water
• Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Fresh-squeezed lime juice
• Fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 4 Tbsp Coconut Milk

Clearly this is no Sex on the Beach. There is a missing "sugar" factor to mine. But my version likes me - I think it will like you, too! It's softer and easier on the stomach but still so sassy and delicious! Plus, for every one regular Sex on the Beach, "technically" you could have 2-3+ of these! Need I say more?!

Kisses on the Beach

I had a busy, fun and active day today with my husband and our dogs! Coffee and a walk this morning with the family, a 3+ mile run in the early afternoon and then I went for the first time ever with Ryan to the Driving Range to learn how to hit golf balls! More on that tomorrow...pictures included:)

Did you know there are a ton of great deals on healthy food at Safeway this weekend? Some to mention today:

1. Green grapes - .88/pound
2. Spinach - .99/bag
3. Pre-cut Bell Peppers - .99/container
4. Whole Portobella Mushroom - .99/each
5. Sliced White Mushrooms - .99/container
6. Foster Farms Extra Lean Ground Turkey - Buy one, get one free ($7/for 2)

Day 7 Food:

• Slow-cooked chicken
• Magic Mineral Broth
• Homemade chicken broth
• Extra lean turkey
• Avocado
• Broiled chicken with olive oil, honey & cinnamon
• Raw Coconut Butter
• Extremely ripened bananas 
• Cayenne Pepper
• Flax
• Venti Half-Caf Soy Misto with 1 packet Honey
• White Miso
• Kisses on the Beach
• Artisana 100% Raw Pecan with Cashew Butter
• Probiotics

 CHEERS!

No Cheese like my Laughing Cow Cheese

Get your Laughing Cow Cheese today! No, really! There is nothing quite like my Laughing Cow Cheese. 

I'll let you in on a secret as to why I love them so much (two secrets actually):

1. The Laughing Cow Brand is all about living healthy, being fit, fabulous and achieving a vibrant life. Don't believe me? Check it out!
2. The obvious. The taste is unreal and the calorie count even more unreal. For 35 calories I get all the flavor I need when I make my "tofu-wrap" recipe (which you can view by clicking above on the "check it out!)

CHEERS!

An Unlikely Pizza

 One of my most favorite things to do is to take "bad" foods and make them "good." Why? Because I'm just like you. I love food - and I don't want to eat lettuce all day. I refuse to. But because I'm (supercalifragilisticexpialidocious) when it comes to food, health, fitness and working out, I am overly conscious about everything. Some call it annoying. I call it "why the hell can't everyone see the benefit of this?!" 

Since not everyone can or cares to, I do it, post it and hopefully those of you who try it love it, too! So....
 
Have at it! Brought to you by the CalorieKing.com, nutritionals on all your favorite pizzas! Scared? I'll help you with one. The average 14" Pizza, Cheese Topping, Original Crust has (per 3.6 oz/1 slice serving): 272 calories, 9.8g fat (4.4g saturated), 33.6g carbohydrates and 551mg sodium. And consider, this is the average, with only cheese and just one small slice. And let's be honest, we never have just one slice. Ever!

Pizza, done right, can simply be alright - for all of us! I wanted to gauge whether or not people are interested in this sort of "foodie post" before I put a ton of work in it. So I have to be honest when I say that I don't have the exact nutritionals, products and brands. But here is what I do know about my Pizza I made:

• Low-Carbohydrate, High Fiber Tortilla (80 calories and 12g fiber)
• Made with tortilla, low-fat cheese, sauce, extra-lean turkey and mushrooms
• We guessed it was less than 350 calories (for the entire pizza!)

Taste = A (you will only find an A+ when it's done exactly right to my "likes:)")

What you could do differently = Add more vegetables. They are super-low calorie and great for you (I have to be careful with them due to my stomach issues)  

What I would definitely do differently = 

1. Different sauce (Don't get me wrong, it tasted great, but I know there is a much lower-sugar one available at the same great taste.)  
2. Sprinkle some herbs and spices on after the sauce is on (zero-calorie flavor!)
3. Use a different cheese. I would attempt to make a Laughing Cow Cheese work because it's one of my favorites.

Beyond that, I'm all set! We had it on Friday night. It's a great Friday-night meal. Really...it's a great meal any night!

So tell me....what is your most FAVORITE "junk food" or otherwise "unhealthy food?" I'd love to cook up another "unlikely health food!"


CHEERS!

It's Getting Hot in Here

I've been eating Cayenne Pepper with everything lately. I once went on a detox where they said you should drink hot water with lemon and a pinch of Cayenne Pepper. So I listened. And I did it. I hated it. It's been a few years since, but I decided to revisit the spice. And I have to say, I'm glad to be back - on my own terms of course! (Which, as we all know, is critical to the success of anything we do in life!)

So what exactly is Cayenne Pepper and why is it so good for us?

Cayenne Pepper, according to the Wikipedia is, "a hot, red chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes."


The spice is so good for us because it is high in Vitamin A and also contains Vitamin B6, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium and Manganese.


And According to The Healing Daily Website, "Ayurveda also utilizes cayenne to treat poor digestion and gas. Chinese medicine uses Cayenne for digestive ailments. When taken internally, cayenne soothes the digestive tract and stimulates the flow of stomach secretions and saliva. These secretions contain substances which help digest food."


There are many things you can do with Cayenne Pepper. Here is my latest and greatest recipe I use it with:

• 1/2 c. oatmeal
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 c. extra lean ground turkey
• a couple pinches of cayenne pepper
• pinch of sea salt and pepper

I'm sure this looks like a weird combination. It is! But it's so good. I eat it for breakfast. All I do is literally mix it all together. There is no sugar, but instead all the healthy protein, fat and complex carbohydrates to get your day off right!

Try my recipe for breakfast tomorrow or put some Cayenne Pepper on your Grilled Chicken tonight. And then just wait and watch it getting "hot in there!"

Garlic Breath

Do you eat garlic? If not, you should!

Lately, I have been highly interested in herbs/spices and anything that can naturally "flavor" without the added calories or additives.

I'm starting with Garlic today because it has quickly become an obsession of mine.

It's simple and beautiful. Garlic, according to the Wikipedia, "The cloves are used for cloning, consumption (raw or cooked), or for medicinal purposes, and have a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking."

Garlic has many benefits: 

- Cardiovascular

- Anti-Inflammatory, Antibacterial, Antiviral Activity

- Cancer protection

- Promotes optimal health

- Promotes weight control

- And more!

You can learn all about those from the WH Foods HERE.

Here is my favorite thing (currently) to do with Garlic: Garlic "French Fries." Don't get too excited, though, there are not any actual potatoes involved. 

We bake boneless, skinless chicken almost every night. So we place rosemary and garlic all around the chicken. I typically put 2 whole pieces of garlic on the pan - NOT 2 garlic bulbs, but the entire garlic head. I leave the garlic in it's "shell." The pan is coated with a little olive oil and sea salt. 

We bake the chicken, rosemary and garlic for about 25 minutes on 425 degrees. When the garlic comes out, peel away the "skin." It's just like a Garlic French Fry, but minus the "French Fry!" I love it so much I can eat an entire garlic head!

I worried this might not be good for me until I read an article that stated, "You can never eat enough garlic." Whew!

And ps. Who cares about your Garlic Breath!

Pumpkin Apple Soup

It's icky and raining today, so I thought I would share with you the fabulous soup I cooked last night. It sounds so good, smells so good, looks so good and tastes so good. So is it still GAPS Diet approved for me? ABSOLUTELY! (Side Note: this is a version of Dr. Campbell-McBride's "Pumpkin Apple Macadamia Soup)

Ingredients

1. Olive Oil
2. 1 tsp grated ginger
3. 1 sm onion, minced
4. 3 cups fresh or pureed, cubed pumpkin
5. 1 sm apple chopped
6. 3 cups homemade vegetable stock OR chicken stock (Side Note: YES, I absolutely use my own, homemade stock! There are too many additives and sodium in store bought broth! It's also cheaper to make your own!)
   
7. 1 tsp cinnamon
   

 Directions

1. Cover bottom of a heavy pan with olive oil. Add the ginger and onion.
2. Saute for 3 minutes until browned.
3. Add the pumpkin and apple, and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock.
5. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the pumpkin and apple are soft.
6. Add cinnamon. 
7. Transfer ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.
8. Serve in bowls and top with extra cinnamon, if desired!
   

Enjoy!

Homemade Mango Salsa

Perfectly delicious!


We made the best dinner last night: Wild-caught Mahi-Mahi sprinkled with Mango Salsa and steamed vegetables. Since I'm not eating any preservatives or "unnatural" and "GAPS unfriendly" items, I knew I would have to make my own salsa if I wanted it. And so I did!


I first decided what flavor I was going for. Did I want sweet or salty? And when I decided I wanted sweet, since that's what I think goes best with Mahi, I chose the Mango as my main ingredient. From there, I made it all up and in the end, it turned out to include:

• 1 Whole Mango
• 1/2 Baby Tomato
• 1/8 Red Onion
• A few pinches fresh Cilantro leaves
• Pinch of Sea Salt

I cooked it in a little Coconut Oil for the final "hint of sweetness." 

The final product was amazing and we cannot wait to have it again! The best part was that not only did it make our tastebuds bounce, but there was not one single artificial ingredient or preservative in it! Cheers to that!

Spicing up Breakfast

I have decided to dive into my GAPS Diet book again. I am excited about this!




This morning I made "Eggless banana mini-muffins." So yummy!

Here is the recipe I used (there are modifications to everything):

• Coconut flour (Organic, Bob's Red Mill)
  
• Gelatine crystals
• Very ripe, smashed bananas
• Coconut oil
• Honey

The consistency is not what we are used to. As a matter of fact it was the consistency of cookie dough. (I believe this is because I used Coconut flour and not Grounded nuts, since I couldn't find them at Raley's yesterday.)

These are wholesome, all natural and healthy mini-muffins, but I made them mini for a reason - they are super high in calories and fat. I tend to worry much less about that now than before, since finding a "great treat" like this for me is so rare!

Even if you do not follow the GAPS Diet or any diet for that matter, I highly recommend trying this recipe out!

ENJOY!

Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad

Day 105.

It was a wonderful weekend! Ryan's birthday is on Tuesday, so we spent the whole day yesterday celebrating!

I will post tomorrow with all the places we went and the things we did.

Tonight I want to tell you about the dinner I made for us tonight. I made a Salmon salad, with Quinoa and homemade dressing. I highly recommend it. Here is how I did it (served enough for Ryan and I):

• Chopped Romaine Lettuce
• ~ 1 c. Quinoa with fresh squeezed lemon/sea salt/pepper
• Grilled Salmon
• Dressing: 2 Tbsp Olive Oil + 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice + sea salt + pepper

Mix it all together. Unbelievable! A clean eat, with a citrus twist.

Yesterday I felt ok for most of the day. I did not feel good, at all, at night. I felt achy and flu-like. However, no mouth problems. Today my fatigue finally lifted. The spell since Tuesday has hopefully been broken (well, at least until last night's dinner catches up with me). The fatigue this past week was so awful. That may be almost worse sometimes than the rest of the reactions I get. I felt great today - worked out a ton. I got the red dots in my cheeks last night after dinner, which makes sense because we ate out and because my mouth is annoying me just a tad bit more than yesterday. I would say it was about a 3/4 today vs a 1/2 yesterday. I was great until about 3pm today, then I got bloated. My left side hurt (bloat) from there on out.

Here was my day:

Breakfast (pre-6 mile run)

• Fruit Fusion

Snack (post workout)

• Peets medium soy latte + stevia
  
• Banana

Breakfast

• Protein Pancake
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Lean turkey
  

Lunch (pre-workout)

• 1/2 c. Quinoa mixed with Lean Turkey + paprika
  

Snack (post-workout)

• Apple
• Organic baby carrots
• Watermelon
  

Dinner

• Salmon & Quinoa Citrus Salad
• Small glass red wine
• Watermelon

And we're off to another week......

Soup

Day 81.

I have broken my "food-rut," even if for just one meal. Leah gave to me half of the idea. I provided myself with the other half.

It's my own soup. A simple soup. I'll just call it Sarah Kay Hoffman's Simple Soup. Here are the ingredients:

• (Steamed) Cucumber, yellow tie squash, carrots, zucchini
  
• Organic, Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• Quinoa
• Lean turkey meat + onion
• Pinch of sea salt + a pinch of cayenne pepper
  

That's all. (It looks a little crazy, but it tastes so great!)



My stomach was not very good again today. Tonight it was definitely not good. It felt like it was rotting. It felt like it used to when I ate a lot of dairy. My mouth was also not pleasant again today. It increased throughout the day to arrive at a 6/7 or 7/8. I had to shift my attention several times throughout the day today to make me think only positive thoughts. It worked!

Here was my day:

Breakfast #1 (Pre-workout)

• 1/4 Fruit Fusion
• Tiny Coffee + Unsweetened Rice Milk
  

Breakfast (Post-workout)

• Rice & Shine + Unsweetened Rice Milk+ Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder
• 1/4 Fruit Fusion
  
• 1/2 c. coffee + unsweetened rice milk + stevia
  

Snack

• Nutribiotic Vanilla Rice Protein Powder with Unsweetened Rice Milk, Coconut Milk Light, Flax, chlorella and Stevia

Lunch

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zucchini, cucumber, spinach + garlic
  
• (tiny) Baby Organic Spinach
• 1/2 Fruit Fusion
• Green Tea
  

Snack

• Banana
• Pineapple, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberry
  

Dinner

• (Steamed) Carrots, squash, zucchini, cucumber, spinach + garlic
  
• Fish oil + spirulina + 1 Tbsp flax a little sea salt
• Sarah Kay Hoffman's Simple Soup.
  
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce