How to make grain-free muffins taste good

Grain free.

It's hard to get used to.

I've been experimenting with grain-free flours for a few months. I usually attempt a new recipe a few times a week, at most.  This morning I didn't have the energy to fight with the kids about choosing a healthy breakfast. (They love bagels and english muffins, unfortunately. And it's a fight to get them to eat something semi-healthy.) So I decided to cater to their wants and make muffins. They are skeptical about my grain-free cooking but I didn't tell them these were grain-free. And they LOVED them. So, I figured if they're kid-approved, they'll likely be approved by some of my internet family and friends. Let me know what you think!




Grain-free Maple-cinnamon muffins

Ingredients: 

2 cups almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)





Topping:
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp coconut sugar

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners OR use coconut oil to grease the muffin tin, instead of paper liners. (I do this and it works well. No sticking.)

In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and mix well. In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs, then add almond milk, maple syrup and coconut oil and continue whisking until well mixed.  Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. (Batter will be thicker than normal muffin batter.)  Spoon batter into muffin tins.

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle or spoon onto the muffins before baking.

Bake muffins for 22-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

21 Day Fix Buffalo Chicken Dip

I was playing around with some recipes and really wanted to find the perfect buffalo chicken dip that was 21 Day Fix approved. What I came up with was so close to the real buffalo chicken dip (without all the cheese and fatty goodness), it felt like a dream! Here is what I did. Are you ready? It's really complicated.... ;)

• 1 lb cooked chicken breast, shredded (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment to shred chicken. Works perfectly!)
• some buffalo sauce (franks is "clean" and acceptable on the 21 Day Fix)
• some plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 Blue container of cheddar cheese (if desired)

That's it!! Pretty simple, right? Use your favorite veggies and dip away! :) 

Try it out and let me know what you think!

How to make cauliflower crust for your favorite pizza!

There was a time when I stopped eating grains and I thought my pizza eating days were over. A friend had mentioned cauliflower as a pizza crust, which sounded utterly disgusting to me. I gagged at the thought of it! But, I was desperate and willing to try just about anything to get a small taste of something that resembled pizza. I scoured the internet for recipes and tried a few different ones until I came up with one that was perfect! This recipe is really a culmination of a few different recipes out there.  Here it is:

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Recipe:

1 small head cauliflower
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano

1. Take one small head of cauliflower, cut into large chunks and toss in a food processor. 
2. Pulse for approximately 30 seconds, or until the cauliflower resembles a rice type texture.
3. When you have the cauliflower at the right consistency, place it in a microwave safe dish and microwave for approximately 3 minutes. (If you'd rather not use a microwave, you can also spread the cauliflower thin on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mintues.)
4. Once the cauliflower is finished cooking in the microwave, allow it to cool for a bit and then use a cheesecloth to squeeze out all of the liquid. Be careful not to burn yourself as the cauliflower will be hot.
5. Once you've sqeezed all of the liquid out of the cheesecloth you will have a ball of dough
6. Add 1 egg, 1/4 cup of parmesan, 1/4 cup of mozzarella, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp oregano leaves. Mix well. 
7. Place a piece of parchment paper on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread the dough out onto the parchment paper into a thin crust.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden.
8. Take the crust out and top with your favorite pizza sauce, toppings and of course, mozzarella cheese! Bake for another 10 mintues until cheese edges are golden.

Enjoy!

When things don't go as planned...

Yesterday I had plans to spend the day with some friends from high school. They all live about an hour from me in the cities so it's just easier for me to drive to them. I don't mind driving. I actually really like driving. Driving gives me a chance to put my phone down, stop checking email and social media, and focus on just one thing. Driving. And, well, listening. I have started to really love podcasts. I wouldn't call myself any kind of expert in any area of life. Yet. But it's wondering to hear from the experts on topics of which I'm interested in. I've listened to Chalene Johnson, Brendon Burchard, Michael Stelzner and Michael Hyatt to name a few. As I was listening to a particularly interesting and uplifting episode yesterday on Michael Stelzner's Social Media Marketing podcast. I can't remember what the episode was called but the featured guest speaker aws a man by the name of Seth Godin. He talks about the book industry and what it's like to author a book these days. His latest book is titled What To Do When It's Your Turn and his marketing strategy for this book is very unique. Anyway, this blog post isn't about the book. Not directly. This post is about the things that happen in the universe. The words that Seth spoke during this interview with Michael Stelzner were engaging to say the least. I was hooked and I wanted to hear more! So I'm driving along the interstate and half-listening to my GPS, but I KNOW I didn't make a wrong turn. However my GPS had taken me 20 minutes out of the way and I was immediately frustrated. Dumb iPhone. I knew it was wrong. I turned around and made my way to where I needed to be and I tried really hard to find the silver lining to this situation. I was going to be late to my friends house but I remained positive. It wasn't a big deal.

The reason I bring any of this up is that I arrived at my friends house at the exact time the episode I was listening to ended. There was a reason I was supposed to get lost. I was supposed to get off track. I needed more time to hear the powerful words in the podcast episode. And now, I'm so glad I did. Today I went on Seth's website and purchased 3 books, a few to gift to others. Have you ever had something great come from something that started out not so great?

21 Day Fix Extreme

When I first ordered the 21 Day Fix and saw how little those containers were, I actually started crying. There was no way I was going to be able to do this. I love food. And I mean, LOVE.

But, I paid for the program already and I knew I enjoyed Beachbody products thus far so I told myself to give it a chance. I promised myself I would do it for 1 week and then see how I felt. The week came and left and by Sunday I was feeling pretty good! I was actually struggling to eat all of the food because the eating plan had me eating so many containers. I stuck it out for the entire program and saw great success. Not to mention how I FELT. Naturally when 21 Day Fix EXTREME came out, I was all in. No holds barred. (is that the saying? what does that even mean?!) I ordered the program the day it was released and it arrived today!! I'm having a hard time waiting until Monday to start this one. Who knew the difference I would feel between when the 21 Day Fix arrived months ago, compared to today when I saw the 21 Day Fix Extreme show up at my door! Quite the difference. This time, I'm ready! I'm doing it. All in.

Watch my blog for updates on my progress! If you want to join my group and order this program, too, fill out the application below to join me!

What no one tells you about waiting...

They say "Good things come to those who wait." and "Patience is a virtue" and to that I say, BALONEY! Good things come to those who work their butts off! Good things come to those who hustle and MAKE good things happen for themselves.

If you're waiting for the time to be right, you're not moving. You're a slug; a bump on a log. Waiting will NOT move you toward your goals. Don't have goals? Set some. Don't know how? Let me help you.

My favorite program of all time is on sale this month. It's called the 21 Day Fix and I am starting what is sure to be the BEST challenge group on February 9th and I'm inviting YOU to join me. Don't wait.

Still not sure this is for you? Email me at livingbetweenlabels@gmail.com to schedule a 15 minute phone call with me and we will discuss the program or other opportunities for your specific goals.



*Before you click that red "x" in the corner, I want you to ask yourself two questions: "Why am I saying no to this?" and "What am I waiting for?". If you can give yourself a solid, honest answer, "x" out and I'll catch ya on the flip side. :)

Don't label me.

This list could go ON and ON.

When we label others or ourselves, we create a box and we make a judgment. We present a reason for someone to like or dislike who we are as humans. We judge and we are judged. We hate and we are hated. We create space for people to push their opinions and agendas when we succumb to labels.

I can empathize with the idea that sometimes we feel we need labels to help us self-identify. I can understand a need to feel as though we belong somewhere. What I cannot understand is a need to project those labels onto OTHERS. If using these labels helps a person to identify and feel happy about who they are and where they are, by all means, label away. But if we are using labels to identify OTHERS, we are judging where we should not be. We are creating hatred where it should not belong. And we are allowing others to do it too. To others and to ourselves. So the next time you feel the need to call identify someone a certain way or place them in a category, think first, do I know this to be true? Is this label helpful or hurtful? Is anyone gaining anything from my labeling?

Stop labeling. Stop judging. Stop allowing others to put you in a box and stop putting others in boxes. Have thoughts of your own and feelings and opinions that are different than someone else, BUT, love people no matter what. Let us allow ourselves to experience a life of passion, love and desire, without all the labels.