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Roni

Food, Sweet

Two Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream

Andy has quite the sweet tooth. I’m not ratting him out or anything, anyone who knows him knows he’s a sucker for candy bars, Sweet Tarts, and Pepsi. Oh, don’t get me started on the Pepsi. I’ve tried having him drink Seltzer water, but it’s not the bubbles he likes, it’s the sweetness.

So when we started on The Whole 30 program a while back, we learned that sugar was not an option. It’s right in the rules, no food with sugar. I thought Andy was going to break down, but he surprised me. He said he was ready for the challenge. And yes, I know The Whole 30 does not allow dessert-like foods. We didn’t eat this “ice cream” while on The Whole 30 program, this was part of our Paleo experiment after all was said and done. And I really liked this experiment.

Turns out to make Paleo-approved ice cream, all you need are frozen bananas and almond butter. (We couldn’t have the dairy or peanut butter due to the rules.)

Two Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream

2 bananas, peeled
1/4 cup of almond butter

The night before you want to make the “ice cream,” peel and quarter two bananas. Place them in the freezer in a plastic bag. Let freeze overnight.

When bananas are completely frozen, place them in a blender or food processor. Pulsate until bananas have become a smooth mixture. Add in almond butter and blend just until combined.

If mixture is too soft, put in freezer for a half hour to firm. Serve and enjoy.

 

For more Paleo dessert ideas:

Paleo Desserts: The Sassy Cavewoman’s Saber Sweet Tooth Cookbook

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April 9, 2015 by
Life In General

Be Grateful

Sometimes you just have a bad day. Things don’t seem to be falling into place. Little things throw you off, and you feel like you’re continuously falling down a rabbit hole. Except there is no Wonderland at the end, and you’re not going to any soiree with an infinite amount of tea cups and crumpets.

No, things just feel like they’ll never get better. The bank account seems forever dry, the bills never end, and you question if you’ve made the right choices in life. Did you end up living where you wanted? Are the people who surround you, ones that make you want to spend every minute with them? Did you visit all the places you wanted to see?

Are you happy?

And that’s the moment when you have to stand back and take a breath. Remember that things could always be worse. People could treat you worse, your job could be worse, you could not even have a roof over your head, and you could be questioning where your next meal is coming from.

The answer, and I find this hard to do often, is this: Be grateful.

Take stock of what you do have:
a loving boyfriend/girlfriend
family
children
pets that love you
clothes that keep you warm
food at your dinner table
your health
your youth
your wisdom
your ability to learn
your speech
your sight
the ability to dance
to sing
your sense of exploration
breath
LIFE.

Live. Love. Enjoy.

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April 8, 2015 by
Fitness

Strict Press, Thrusters, and Rowing

I hadn’t been off the plane for more than a few hours when I found myself back at the box at EverProven. I had unpacked some of my things from my recent Easter trip to Florida, slipped on my new workout pants, and headed off to meet Kate for a Crossfit On Ramp lesson.

I was amped up. I think it was the snazzy new pants, or maybe it was because I hadn’t been to Crossfit in a week that I decided I was going to give it my all. Either way, I went into class ready to thrown down. I started with Strict Presses – pushing the barbell up over my head from my shoulders without using my legs or lower body.

I was kind of amped, because the first few reps I did felt light as a feather. I did three reps of each weight, slowly adding weight each time. First adding two cookies (2.5 lbs) to each side of the bar, then swapping those out for 5 lbs weights (we’re deciding whether to call them donuts or bagels), and then 10 lbs weights. If you watch the video (above), you can see in my second set that I got a little cocky, went a little fast, and let my arms go back a little far.

But I was excited. Near the end, I had 60 lbs of weight, including the bar. 60 lbs! For me, that’s an accomplishment.

But the thing that really excited me was my final workout: Five timed rounds of 200 meter rowing, and 10 thrusters. Each round I would row 200 meters, then do 10 thrusters, and I’d break for the amount of time I completed that set. Then go again.

I got a little excited and for my first round, clocked in at 1 minute 37 seconds. Yeah, set the bar a bit high. But I got better every time.

Second Round: 1:32
Third Round: 1:33
Fourth Round: 1:34
Fifth Round: 1:29!!!

Yup, under a minute and a half. So excited! Tired, but excited!

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April 7, 2015 by
Food, Savory

Easy Crockpot Salsa Chicken

When I was little, my mom used to take me to Chi-Chi’s, a Mexican restaurant by our house in Pennsylvania. Today, I don’t think they still have actual restaurants. But back then, it was the typical Mexican restaurant, but they served what I as an elementary school kid thought was the world’s best salsa. It’s still good salsa, although now you can only get it in the grocery store.

So when Andy wanted taco salad again. I made a compromise. We could have it again, but not with ground beef, we’d have to have it with chicken. Now, this was probably one of the easiest “meals” that I’ve made in a long time. And it’s a multi-purpose recipe, it can be used for taco salads, eaten as is, or put in a flour tortilla. It would probably go really well on a potato hamburger bun with some cheese.

But believe me, it won’t disappoint.

Easy Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Gather
1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast
2.5 cups of Chi-Chi’s Medium Salsa

Plug in your crockpot, throw in the chicken and salsa, then cook on low for 5-8 hours. Chicken will easily fall apart. Using two forks, pull apart all the chicken so that it is shredded. Serve as is, on a taco salad, or in a flour tortilla shell.

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April 7, 2015 by