Whole Foods

Eating whole foods is not as boring as some people may believe it is.. It’s a sore spot lately because I’ve heard so many people say they couldn’t possibly eat nothing but fruits, meats and veggies everyday..

Well, these are just a few snippets of things I wanna show y’all to prove it can be easy, cheap, quick and delicious to treat your body to wholesome real food!

Smoothie Bowl :: 3 minutes TOPS! Banana base (Just add a little water) then top with whatever! DELICIOUS – NUTRITIOUS – CHEAP – ANY.MEAL

So that’s a good start for meals but when asked how I snack? So many different ways, frozen fruits (Yummm..), nuts, sweet potato chips, etc.. But right now my current favorite is Kale Chips!

You can easily bake these on a low temp til crispy but we’ve got a lovely dehydrator that I throw them into after oiling and salting for 5 hours at 113*F. SUPER CHEAP – SUPER DELICIOUS – YUM.

Crazy, right? It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but my Husband and Father in Law who don’t like them usually LOVED mine! Seriously ridiculously cheap and tasty.

Everyone loves salads, right? There are even paleo dressings – And they’re really good! Simple salads are a staple.. They’re super easy and you can throw any type of protein on.. Duh… But this is just to show you you can still enjoy a delicious salad without the guilt of crummy-ingredient dressings!

Yummm.. The ranch is my favorite, SO GOOD.

Lastly, I am frugal-finatic – Got this salmon on sale at King Soopers (Kroger) and Hass Avocados and Purple Cauliflower on sale at Sprouts! It was delicious and added variety instead of chicken or beef which we use a ton 😉

Variety, Variety, Variety – You WILL burn out if you eat a ton of the same stuff over and over. Just find stuff with good ingredients that’ll satisfy whichever craving you’re currently having and your body will thank and reward you.

Wanna see more paleo/wholesome recipes? Lemme know your current cravings below and I’ll make it and post it for you!

Made in Nature – Sprouts Event

I love living in Colorado – There are so many options for healthy eating in restaurants and so many local businesses that are known nationwide for their snacks/food. I’d heard of Made in Nature before so was very excited at the opportunity, thanks to Sprouts, to get to hang out in their test kitchen and try my hand at making my own Figgy Pops (Something they’ve MASTERED. Try them, they’re delicious!).

Their staff was so friendly and welcoming – The 10 of us bloggers felt instantly comfortable! And Sprouts was gracious enough to bring us a ton of food options for dinner.. I had their delicious vegan salad ❥

Their test kitchen was lined with delicious options for figgy pop making and we couldn’t wait to get working!

We began at station one with their pastes, they had Apricot, fig and dates. They were all so delicious so with both batches I made I used dates then added apricot to one and fig to another – Wish I could make these pastes at home, they were perfect!

Then we could add some dried fruit, dried nuts and anything else we wanted in our figgy pops! (They had so many options as you can see!) My first batch was made with date and apricot paste, dried mango, diced almonds and acai powder! My second was made with date and fig paste with cranberries, pistachios, almond butter and Himalayan sea salt! Wish y’all could try mine.. I’m pretty proud with how they turned out!

We found out we were the first outside people to come in and make our own figgy pops.. How exciting is that?! That’s why I love Colorado.. Amazing businesses like this that are 20 minutes away and we can do fun stuff like this! Such a treat. They treated us like family and we got to experiment with some fun ingredients and learn new tricks! I’ll be taking what I learned from this event to make figgy pops at home (My kids are already hooked.. I was so excited I let them have one for breakfast haha!!)

Thanks Sprouts and Made in Nature for such an unforgettable evening with good friends, good food and tons of fun!

Try their delicious healthy snacks for yourself! They’re available at Sprouts and on their website! Enjoy y’all!

Throwback Thursday

Hey y’all! How’s it hangin?

Thought I’d post today since it’s been awhile! Finally getting back into paleo again after the holidays and vacations and I’ve been feeling uh-mazing. Eating whole foods does so much for your body so wanted to take today to revisit an older post that I still feel so passionate about and still helps me SO much!

Whether you work, are a stay at home mom or are a student it is always a good idea to have healthy snacks around for the in-between meal cravings. Something as easy as a banana, apple or anything you can throw into a bag and carry around with you.

When I am having a salt craving my favorite snack is a handful of unsalted, raw almonds! They are incredibly healthy and delicious! (Out of all of the tree nuts they have the highest amount of protein) And a handful of grapes is what satisfies my sweet craving!

It is actually better for your body to eat multiple times throughout the day – But that doesn’t mean you need to eat huge meals 5 times a day! Just 3 healthy meals and two healthy snacks in-between and your body will thank you!

Eat WHOLE foods today! ♥

Am I right? How awesome was that tip nearly 2 years ago?! I forget this tip often but lately I’ve been buying random snacks/fruits that’ll satisfy my cravings and are easy for on the go when Hudson and I take our outdoor adventures!

What’s your favorite go-to snack?

Reindeer Poop Recipe

I’ve been making a ton of holiday goodies for my Husband’s coworkers this year because I know I’d want some if I was in an office all day! One treat I made that got SO many compliments was my reindeer poop – So much so their was word around the office that I make Christmas Crack, hahaha! People asked for a recipe so decided to post it on here as well! It’s a Christmas tradition and I guess now an office tradition! Obviously this isn’t paleo but we make it for family and friends and they love it so why stop 😉

The cookie butter makes a HUGE difference! It’s usually made with peanut butter but it’s 1,000 times better with cookie butter! I was asked how I managed to squeeze even MORE sugar into the treat but it was really just using the cookie butter!!

Enjoy y’all!

Sorry for the ugly photo.. Was in a rush to bag them up hahaha!

Paleo Homemade Fruit Strips / Roll-Ups

Y’all.. I’m OBSESSED with our new dehydrator! I’ve used it literally everyday! So far.. I’ve mastered jerky and fruit strips. Fruit strips seemed pretty tough at first and after a few epic failures we’ve finally mastered some adult enjoyed and child approved/LOVED fruit strips/leather! It’s SO good. This is just the recipe for fruit strips but I promise to share my jerky recipe VERY soon (My meat OBSESSED Husband very much approves of my method 😉 )

You can use any dehydrator but we really love our Magic Mill! It’s affordable, quiet and works AMAZING. Most dehydrators will come with a tray specific for fruit strips/leather. I begin by making sure my dehydrator is set at 158°F for 10 hours – I spray my fruit tray with non-stick spray (Just incase) and use whichever fruit is going to go bad! (Used blackberries in one but it was SO texture-y because of the seeds) So far, our favorite is JUST bananas! All you need to do is blend up whichever fruit you’re wanting to use and then pour the mixture into the tray (Ours have lips so they don’t spill out). The more mixture the thicker the strips, we like them either way!

It’s good to check it constantly but once they’ve been in the dehydrator for 10 hours (May need longer if you’ve used a TON of mixture!) you can remove them and let them sit out for about 5-10 minutes then you can cut them longways and make them into “fruit roll-ups” our kids have been LOVING this alternative to the sugar-y snack and they love that they’re “being healthy” for their school snacks!

It’s seriously THAT simple. And instead of spending money on unhealthy snacks or money on one tiny strip at a time you can make your own with any fruit you choose or any fruit that’s going bad to avoid ANY waste – And it makes a TON!

 

Try it out y’all! You’ll love having a healthy treat to turn to and your kids will love the delicious taste of their healthy lunch snacks!

Purely Inspired No-Bake Chocolate Protein Bites

Although we’re mostly paleo, we definitely have our little treats here and there – Some are still healthy! This time.. We’re doing Chocolate Protein Bites! Lately I’ve been really, really sluggish, exhausted, foggy brained, etc. and needed to create SOMETHING to help me!

So I’ve been skipping coffee in the mornings and having a multivitamin Purely Inspired Organic Greens smoothie instead to try and get as many vitamins and minerals in me as I can and it’s definitely already made a difference. And although Oats aren’t paleo they are beneficial as they absorb slowly in the body, giving you a longer boost of energy so I decided to start making some protein bites to assist in getting my energy levels back up!

They’re perfect as each batch makes around 12 (Depending on how large you make them!) – So they last for a few days, the kids love them for snacks, they’re perfect for on-the-go and for a MUCH needed energy pick-up.

I’m gonna share this recipe with you as it’s made a huge difference lately and they’re really, REALLY good.. And it’s perfect for the summertime as no-bake is great since it’s already SO hot outside!

Chocolate No-Bake Protein Bites

• 1 Cup Dry Quick Oats
• 1/2 t Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 Dashes of Salt
• 1 Scoop of Purely Inspired Decadent Chocolate Protein Powder
• 1/4 Cup of Honey
• 1/2 Cup No-Stir Smooth Almond Butter
• 2 Handfuls of 65% Cacao chunks

After combining in a bowl, place in fridge for around 30 minutes. Then form into balls and enjoy! They last around 5 days in the fridge! Easy peasy!

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Will be doing this recipe LIVE on Purely Inspired’s FB page tomorrow at 12PM MST! Check it out! I’ll also post on here when I’m done!

 

(I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own)

Health Tip – Snacks!

Since today is Thursday, figured I would throw out a quick tip since I missed Wednesday 🙂

Whether you work, are a stay at home mom, are a student or work full-time it is always a good idea to have healthy snacks around for the in-between meal cravings. Something as easy as a banana, apple or anything you can throw into a bag and carry around with you.

When I am having a salt craving my favorite snack is a handful of unsalted, raw almonds! They are incredibly healthy and delicious! (Out of all of the tree nuts they have the highest amount of protein) And a handful of grapes is what satisfies my sweet craving! (Especially frozen!!)

It is actually better for your body to eat multiple times throughout the day – But that doesn’t mean you need to eat huge meals 5 times a day! Start with 3 healthy meals and two healthy snacks in-between and your body will thank you!

Eat WHOLE foods today! ♥