What’s all the hoo ha about Bullet proof coffee?

I know every morning when I get up I have a cup of coffee.  I am on the wagon of bullet proof coffee and I’m riding it as long as I can.

It has helped me break the sugar cycle, or honey in my coffee.  There have been days that it kept me full until late in the afternoon.  It does  give me energy and my mind seems to be a little more clear.  I use what is available to me locally and even though I’d love to try the bullet proof coffee and MCT oil from the actual web site, I really can not justify the cost on my limited budget.  Here is the link to the original recipe and on the web site you can purchase the coffee beans and MCT oil, as well as a few other items.

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/bulletproof-coffee-recipe/

Here is the pictures of my version and the products I use.

My bullet proof coffee with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Unsalted grass fed cow’s milk butter.

Coconut  oil, aka. MCT oil

 

Local roaster, small batch roasted coffee beans.

I love going to get my beans, I get them fresh every two weeks.

 

Recipes are fun!

I have been doing the 21 DSD and making the recipes in the book, not the cook book.  I haven’t gotten the cook book yet.  The recipe I made this time was the apple streusel muffins.  They were very tasty but not what I was looking for.  It seemed to wet when I bit into it.  I can’t give you the whole recipe you can buy Diane’s book The 21 DSD and get the awesome recipes, tips and different levels you can do.  I found it at Costco for under 20.00.  

Apple Streusel egg muffins.

I did however fall in love with her almond butter cup recipe!  It takes that chocolate edge off and kills it dead!  I love the almond butter cups.

  The apple muffins have granny smith apples peeled and chopped,eggs, cinnamon,coconut milk and quite a few other ingredients in them, but I can not share them since they do not belong to me.  I will how ever show you the pictures of how I made them.

Raw cacao and coconut oil, it can be a little messy!

almond butter in a baggie to make layers easier.

Once done they go into the freezer to firm up.

What they look like right before someone takes a bite.

Once bitten!

 

Get the book, it really has great stuff in it!!  I’m hoping to get her new 21 DSD Cookbook!!  Maybe Valentines will be the day !!

21 DSD Day 10, I’m just not hungry.

I started my morning with my usual Bullet Proof coffee, with my additions.  16 ounces of hot dark roast coffee, 2 TBS Kerry Gold unsalted butter 1 tsp cinnamon and organic heavy cream.  put all that in my Blendtec blender and it’s just like a Latte!  I have tons of phone calls I make and errands to get done.  I get that done and move to time to fuel my body.  I have two Buffalo Chicken Egg muffins and a 1/2 cup of cinnamon roasted Butternut squash.  I have to show some love to Balanced Bites for this!  Here is the link for the recipe,  and the site.  I highly recommend the book!!!  http://balancedbites.com/2013/02/easy-recipe-buffalo-chicken-egg-muffins.html

I go to see my Chiropractor today, but thought I’d take care of getting the shopping done for my Angel Tree gift.  It’s 1:00 in the afternoon on a Wednesday and the whole city of Dallas decided they were going shopping at Walmart.  Needless to say, I left empty handed and had just enough time to get to my 3:00 p.m. visit.  I leave Dr. Cox’s office feeling awesome and go to get what I need for the Angle Tree. I munch on a small handful of pistachio’s on my way to Hades/ Walmart.   As I’m finishing up my visit to Hades,  I mean Walmart, I realize, I haven’t eaten much today.  I remember that I had gotten some really good sugar free Nitrate and Nitrite free Chicken breast from the deli at my favorite scary store and I go get some.  I grabbed a bunch of green tipped banana’s while I’m there.  I pay for my items get in the Black Beast ( Dodge Ram, I love this truck, btw!!!)  And munch on some meat and a banana on my way home, in RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC!  I get home and figure I’d better have something else to eat today.  I go into my kitchen and literally throw together a really tasty soup.  I will give the details below, after I show off my epic brunch.

 

Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins with Blue Cheese and oven roasted cinnamon butternut squash .

Egg Drop Buffalo Chicken soup with Turmeric.

 

Basic ingredients, since I didn’t measure anything.  I just kind of threw this together.

4 cups chicken bone broth ( I make mine salt free)

1 cup shredded buffalo chicken

1 cup organic baby spinach

1 cup Trader Joe’s frozen Parisian carrots

3 green onions

1 tsp garlic granules

1/2 tsp sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 egg

Bring broth to a boil add carrots, green onions and bring back to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Beat egg well and bring soup back to a boil and slowly add egg while mixing soup vigorously.

before egg is added

Dinner is ready!

21 DSD Day 9, no really I got this now!

I started out my day really slow and mellow.  Then I put my head phones on and BOOM!!!!  Energy and focus became mine.  I went and did my errands, went to the store and found what I needed.  Once I got home I started cooking.  I opened my 21 DSD book and decided to make the Buffalo Chicken Egg muffins.  I will give you the link below for the recipe.  Lunch was given to my by my BFF Tiffany, who lives across the street from me.  So no pictures of that today!  Level one on the 21 DSD allows dairy and cheeses, full fat raw milk or at the very least Organic.  Yes there is a reason I put that in here.  I put my chicken in the oven to cook and continue with the recipe.  I love the finished product so much I had it for dinner tonight.  Let me show you what I made.

6 of the 16 it makes and they are very tasty. here’s another shot, the close up

I have an idea for a modification.  I’m going to add just a few Blue Cheese crumbles to it next time I make it.

What I ate today,

Coco monkey shake and soft boiled eggs with Kerry Gold butter and Turmeric.

Lunch there is no picture and I wish there was because it was awesome.  Tiffany made Spaghetti squash lasagna!

Baked butternut squash with cinnamon and Buffalo Chicken Egg muffins.  they are in the book and on Balanced bites web site, which I am going to give you the link for!

http://balancedbites.com/2013/02/easy-recipe-buffalo-chicken-egg-muffins.html

21 DSD Day 5, still hanging on!

I haven’t really noticed anything different, no major mood swings, no carb flu, no break outs.  I do tend to not be as hungry as I was.  What I did notice is when I finally do get hungry I am HANGRY, ( hungry and angry) and a little, okay a lot mean.  I tend to get caught up in what I’m doing and since I don’t get little hunger pains, when I am hungry it’s really late.  

I have my bullet proof coffee every morning one hour after I take my thyroid medication.  Which has been 16 ounces of hot coffee 2 TBS unsalted Kerry Gold butter, 2 TBS Raw cream and either cinnamon or cacao powder.  Today just plain, no added spices.   I will usually have some breakfast around 10:00 to 11:00 which I have been on a smoothie kick lately.  I have pictures and will list ingredients.  Then I get errands and chores done.  The last week almost two, that has included taking care of a sick husband and some really fun dogs I have been dog sitting.  I have been letting my time management skills go to the dogs!  I have been having a lot of fun playing and loving on these three sweet pups and time has just swooshed by.  I’m going to miss my daily visits with them!  Then after playing with the bff’s gang, I have to show my own rotten children extra love, because they can smell that I have been cheating on them.  I notice wow, it sure seems late.  And that’s when it hits.  It’s 8:00 p.m. and I need to eat before I start gnawing on my own leg.  I muster up the umph to cook myself some dinner.  Let me tell you my inner brat is screaming, just go to Chipotle and get food!  I even heard the call of McDonald’s and I can’t eat McDonald’s without getting very, very sick.  But the lazy brat in me doesn’t seem to care.  I usually shut that little bad girl up by nibbling on a 1 ounce piece of grass fed cheese while I throw dinner together.  Because believe it or not, throwing together some real food and cooking it is a lot faster than, getting in your car, driving to what ever bad for you and expensive drive through you can get to is.  

I will admit, I don’t know if I will be posting every day or every other day like I said I was going to try to.  Life is full of surprises and sometimes we all just get busy.  I am making myself take pictures of most if not all of my meals.  That is what helps keep me accountable and reminds me of what is good and not so good.  Okay, here comes the pictures of food I ate for day 5.

2 eggs fried in bacon grease and my now favorite smoothie Coco Monkey Smoothie.  The recipe is in the 21 DSD book.

here’s how it looks going together.

Avocado and frozen green tipped banana.

Almond milk, cacao, Almond flour and cinnamon.

Grass fed ground beef stir fry.  Fast easy and leaves a lot of left overs.

1 cup snow peas

1 pound grass fed ground beef

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 cups Tri-colored coleslaw mix

1/4 cup finely diced white onion

granulated garlic

black pepper

sea salt

Red Boat Fish sauce

Coconut Aminos

brown beef until almost done, just a little pink left, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook until ground beef is done, no longer pink.  Continue to cook until vegetables are crisp tender or however you prefer them.  Drain off excess water from vegetables and add Coconut Aminos and Fish Sauce.

easy peasy fast quick and in a hurry stir fry.

Dinner was left overs and a epic steamed Artichoke served with garlic butter for dipping.

 

21 DSD day 3 & 4 and I’m still alive and nobody has been killed ;)

I was feeling tired and a little cranky on day 3.  My DH is still very sick so that has kept me quite busy.  I’ve been taking pictures of most of my meals just to help me keep track of the likes and dislikes and what I am eating.  Pistachio’s have been saving me while at doctors offices and pharmacies for my DH.  I’m going to really load up on the food pictures on this post because I skipped a day.  Today’s post will cover my day 3 and 4.  I am on the tail end of day 5 whilst typing this.  One thing before I forget.  I got some Green Pastures Blue Ice Royal Butter oil/ Fermented cod liver oil blend gel in cinnamon tingle.  I have come to realize I am the biggest pansy in the world.  Oh my this stuff is hard to get down!  The first time I took it was when I first got it and it was liquid, sorta, but not really.  It’s almost about to turn me off cinnamon.  I take one dose a day and I really hope this horrifying goop has great benefits, because it is close to torture.  I have to talk myself into to taking it, blech!!  If anyone knows of a better way to get this stuff ingested please tell me, please!  Ok, enough of that, on to the good stuff.

Breakfast smoothie made with Raw cow’s milk, 1 frozen green tipped banana, 2 TBS Almond butter 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a hard boiled egg.  I needed avocado for this but the ones I got at the farmers market this past weekend were no good 😦

oven baked chicken and cucumbers with olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper.

Dinner was rotisserie chicken and cucumbers, nothing picture worthy.  I had a glass of Raw milk before bed.

 

On to day 4,

carrot pumpkin muffins topped with coconut butter mixed with cinnamon and  two eggs fried in Ghee with Turmeric.  Very filling breakfast!

left over rotisserie chicken and cucumber salad made with cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, a English cucumber, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cracked black pepper, oregano, basil and sea salt.  I decided I wanted feta cheese to top it off for the next time.  I decided to go shopping after lunch.  Dinner was left over chicken and cucumber salad with feta cheese added.  I got a few other things I needed to make the smoothie out of the book for day 5.  Time to go into the kitchen and make some Chia seed pudding for tomorrow.  The question is should I do chocolate, cinnamon or a combination of the two?

 

Pumpkin crazy I am and as promised a new pumpkin recipe!

I will admit it, I love pumpkin.  I love the taste, texture and how it smells while cooking and I wait for pumpkin season like a child waits for Christmas.  Pumpkin season doesn’t last very long and I wanted to get as much as I could out of it and that is how I came up with my new recipe.  I wanted something I could eat any time of day, something to replace maybe cereal in a mug.  Pumpkin soup, creamy, full of flavor and yet not to sweet.

I give you my Paleo Cream of Pumpkin soup.

 

Ingredients

1 Sugar Pie pumpkin (baked)

32 ounces of vegetable broth

1 tsp Pink Himalayan sea salt

1 can Trader Joe’s Light Coconut milk ( you can use full fat)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup

Place cut cooked pumpkin and vegetable broth into Dutch oven or other large soup pan turn heat on high, add spices and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until pumpkin starts falling apart.  Let cool about 20 minutes.   Use a stick blender to puree mixture and slowly add coconut milk and Maple syrup.  You can puree in a blender, just make sure to do it a little at a time or cool longer so the hot mixture does not expand in the blender. and spill over.  Serve hot as a side or dessert.  Top with a swirl of coconut milk, a little more cinnamon, pecans and maple syrup.

Steaming hot

 Simmering pumpkin, broth and spices.

Blending pumpkin mixture in a blender with coconut milk and maple syrup.

Soup for breakfast

 

Quick update

I have a short but sweet update to my weight loss journey.  As of today I have lost a total of 35 pounds and 15 inches since I have been on Medifast.  I started Medifast May 6, 2013.  That’s 9 weeks.  That is almost 4 pounds per week.  Not too shabby.  To tied you over since it is way too hot to turn on my stove or oven.  I made another batch of my Banana bread Medifast muffins and I added a sprinkle of cinnamon, maybe 1/2 teaspoon.  Then yesterday I cut it in half and toasted it in my toaster oven.  I took one wedge of Laughing Cow Light Cinnamon cream cheese and split it up on the two half’s.  I have got to say, I didn’t think I could like these any better and now I do! 

 

Cinnamon is my friend!

A little cold today, soup on the menu.

I wanted something soothing and creamy, but not too heavy. Last week I got a Butternut squash and some apples. So I decided it was high time I try my hand at making a butternut squash soup. Now I am wondering why I waited so long. I love my soup and I think a cup at breakfast might help somebody get their morning vegetables in!

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash

2 medium apples ( I used Pink Lady)

6 cups of chicken stock (I used my chicken bone broth)

Trader Joe’s Light Coconut milk ( I used about 3/4 of the can)

1 tsp cinnamon

Cook butternut squash in oven preheated to 375 for about 50 minutes

I cut mine in half took out seeds and put coconut oil on the cut side as well as the foil lined cookie sheet.

While your squash is cooking peel and core your apples and dice them. Put broth and diced apples into soup pot and cook for 20 minutes.

Once squash is done cooking and cool enough to handle , add to the soup pot with chicken stock and apples.

Simmer for 10 minutes test and make sure apples and squash are very tender.

You can either blend soup in a blender a little at a time or use a immersion blender. I used my stick blender.

Blend until very smooth, add coconut milk and cinnamon and stir well.

Enjoy, this is a very warm and semi sweet comfort soup. It did not taste sweet until after I added the cinnamon and coconut milk. Next time I will use full fat coconut milk for a creamier texture.

 

Paleo/Primal Banana pudding

I was really wanting something creamy, sweet and dreamy. That means research for me. I found several idea’s and that is how I come up with a lot of my recipes. I am sure this has probably been done by someone else, but I didn’t find it in my search.

The coconut milk I use is found at Walmart in the Asian section. It has no extra ingredients a 6 year old couldn’t pronounce, just coconut and water and the can is BPA free, only 1.49 per can

Banana pudding, so good I will only make this once a month, if I make it more my hips will expand!  This stuff is epic!

3 very ripe bananas (turning black)

1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 vanilla bean scraped

2 egg yolks brought to room temperature

1 can full fat Golden Star coconut milk ( it’s just coconut and water BPA free can )

1 TBS coconut oil

1 TBS coconut butter

1 tsp cinnamon

Combine coconut milk, vanilla, and egg yolks to a medium sauce pan over medium heat, cook until it starts to thicken stirring all the time. Once it is thickened, remove from heat.

Place coconut oil,coconut butter slightly smashed bananas and cinnamon in medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the bananas start to caramelize .

Put banana and coconut mixture in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Place into a glass bowl or bowls and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of pudding, this will keep a skin from forming on top. Chill well and serve with fresh banana slices on top.