Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I have been working on the perfect cauliflower pizza crust for a while now and I can say that I finally got it just right!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 head of cauliflower

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

1 tbsp. coconut flour

1 farm fresh egg

DIRECTIONS

Cut up cauliflower into large chucks and pulse in a food processor (you can also cut or grate into small pieces) until it is small ‘rice like’ pieces. Transfer into a small pan and cook on the stove with 1 tbsp. water for 3-4 minutes covered (or microwave covered for 3-4 minutes). Dump out any remaining water and allow cauliflower to cool on a large tea towel. Once cool you will want to wring out as much moisture as possible. Put cauliflower and all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well, use your hands and make a dough. Place dough on a oiled piece of parchment paper (I used coconut oil cooking spray and it worked great). Shape into a circle and cook in the over at 425 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow crust to cool for a few minutes and then flip it over and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Add toppings to the flipped side and cook for an additional 8 minutes. ENJOY!

*Note ~ you may want to double the recipe and make two pizza’s to feed the family. Tastes great with a side salad and roasted asparagus.

Before Baking (I cut around the parchment paper so it did not smoke in the oven)

 After baking at 425 for 10 minutes. Nice and golden!

Add whatever toppings you like. I allow my two year old to help with this part. We added sauce, turkey pepperoni, spinach and whole milk mozzarella. Super good!

 Bake at 425 for an additional 8 minutes.

The crust should hold together nicely. Tastes delicious and guilt free; ENJOY!

 

 

 

WIAW #3

I am back for another WIAW post. Here is a look at my Monday. After a crazy Easter weekend and lots of goodies…it was time to get back to my clean eating.

I woke up early to do a chest/back workout and take the dog for a quick spin before anyone else was out of bed. I showered and then whipped up smoothies for myself and the husband f.

It had protein powder, strawberries, pineapple, mangos and banana. Very good and filling. F took his to work and I enjoyed mine while cuddling with my little z.

I had an appointment with the Dr that morning so we had to get out the door and take little z to her aunties house. The appointment lasted about 30 minutes and on my way to pick up the little one, I stopped at starbucks.

I ordered a skinny decaf latte. Warm and delicious!

We played at the park (heard it will start raining tomorrow) while it was nice and ran to the store before heading home for lunch.

I was starving for something healthy and filling so I made a warm salad with spinach, free-range chicken, onion, carrots and peppers all stir-fried and topped with an egg and parmesan cheese. Kinda a crazy combination but it worked!

We played all afternoon and met some of our best friends at another park. Little z has decided that she is too old for naps. Some days I make her take one anyways but today I allowed her to stay up. She is exhausted by bedtime and seems to sleep really good on these days but I am still not sure I am ready to give up naps. I think we should all take a nap forever!

Here is what we made for dinner.

Cauliflower crust pizza with turkey pepperoni and whole milk mozzarella. Served with a side of roasted asparagus and parmesan cheese. I will post this winning recipe soon. Super easy and fun to make with your little ones.

Dessert of course

A skinny cow fudge pop to satisfy my chocolate craving.

Thank you Jenn for hosting WIAW. Please check our her site for more fun eats.

---

QUESTION:

What do you order from the coffee shop? Always the same or do you mix it up?

Naps or no naps? What age did you kids stop napping?

I usually always order some kind of skinny latte but because I am trying to get pregnant I am trying to keep it decaf and no artificial sweeteners.

And I totally vote for naps!

 

The Easter Bunny, eggs, projects and more

My daughter is only two and she thinks the ‘easter bunny’ is about the coolest thing. I told her one night before bed that if she sleeps in a little (meaning she is not up before 6:00), the easter bunny might come to leave her a treat! It worked like a charm and now every morning she stays in bed a little longer and then gets up and runs to her art table to see if the easter bunny came. Not sure how long we can keep this one going? maybe all year? I just might because it is working to keep her from waking up at the crack of dawn and the excitement on her face is priceless!

Here is a few pictures from last nights egg party (please ignore the mess in the back, we have lots of projects out there too).

It was so much fun to dye eggs this year. Last year we had fun but little z was too young to really understand what we were doing. This year she colored and dipped eggs like a pro! We only had one dye spill (not sure how to get pink dye out of a white shirt) and one broken eggs but totally worth it for almost 2 hours of entertainment.

---

And here is a look back at last years easter.

 

 

Amazing how fast they grow up. If I could, I would like to stop my baby from growing up but I have been told that it just keeps getting better!

---

And here is one final easter project. A paper mache egg that we may or may not fill with candy and knock down on easter.

Pretty simple and great project for little ones.

• blow up a balloon (whatever size you like)
• tie with ribbon or string
• cut strips of newspaper
• make a paste with equal parts water to flour (we ended up using just under 2 cups of flour and water each)
• dip newspaper into paste and put allover balloon until it is covered.
• let it dry and repeat with another layer of newspaper and paste.
• allow egg to dry and then decorate with paint, tissue paper, ribbon…
• You can pop the balloon and make a hole to insert candy/prizes if you wish but we have not gotten to that part yet.

Super cute project and fun decoration.

HAPPY EASTER

Question:

Do you dye eggs at your house?

Any special ideas or tricks for coloring? 

We always dye eggs…every year that I can remember and we usually always buy a kit to color with. This year we had one with gold paint that turned out pretty cool.

 

WIAW #2

I had so much fun sharing with you in last weeks WIAW post so I am here for round 2! Here is a look at my Tuesday eats.

I started my day with my Protein Pancake. It tastes so good that I find myself wanting to make one for every meal.

Next up was Chobani Mango yogurt. I opened it for my daughter but ended eating almost the whole thing. (Whoops)

For lunch I made a salad with apples, egg, carrots, strawberries, sunflower seeds, spinach and Annie’s dressing.

Snack time was a large apple and homemade cashew butter. Such a perfect combination!

Dinner was a taco salad with free range beef, spinach, lettuce, avocado, carrot and a side of scrambled farm fresh eggs. I topped it with plain Greek yogurt and salsa. It was very satisfying.

And dessert was a chocolate covered marshmallow. I like to keep them in the freezer and then they do not melt in your hands. Yum!

That is a wrap for today yesterday.

---

Thank you Jenn for hosting WIAW. Be sure to head over to her site for lots more.

QUESTION:

Do you eat dessert after dinner?

What is your favorite?

I usually always crave something sweet and I think it tastes better if it comes out of the freezer. See you next time.

 

DIY Marshmallow PEEPS

My daughter loves Peeps. I on the other hand think they are great for projects….buy not so great for eating. I am not sure what is in there besides corn syrup, preservatives and dye. So, we decided to try making our own. First we make marshmallows and then we turn them into little chicks. Not as easy as it sounds but we did our best and had a lot of fun!

I followed this recipe to make the marshmallow. Thank you Lauren! Before the marshmallow set, I put it into a ziplock bag and cut the corner (or use a pastry bag if you have one) to pipe the marshmallow into ‘peep like’ shapes. Marshmallow is very sticky so you will want to powder a baking pan with flour or sugar of your choice until it sets. We used colored sprinkles,  coconut and chocolate to decorate. We melted organic dark chocolate chips with a little creamed coconut and made dots for the eyes. Then we used the leftover chocolate to dip the extra marshmallow pieces. The chocolate covered marshmallows were the best ones by far! So good if you keep them in the freezer.

Homemade Chocolate covered marshmallows

QUESTION:

Do you buy Peeps at easter time?

We always do but not because I am a big fan but just for tradition… Here is another fun Peep project for little ones.

 Happy Spring!

Cashew Butter Cookie Balls ~ grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free & guilt free

Here is our latest ‘cookie ball’ obsession that I promised to share with you.

They are so simple to make and full of natural, healthy ingredients that you can feel good about eating. It is a little ball of energy when you need one!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cashew butter (see recipe below)

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 tbsp. honey (more if you like sweeter)

1/2 scoop protein powder

1 tbsp. coconut shreds

1 tsp vanilla

Dash of cinnamon

Splash of coconut milk

DIRECTIONS:

Melt coconut oil and honey and mix it with cashew butter, protein powder, coconut shreds,  vanilla, cinnamon and coconut milk. Roll into balls and chill in the refrigerator or freezer. They are so good that you might want to eat them all up!

My daughter little z loves them as much as I do and if she sees me eating one she will say “hey, why didn’t you get me one?”

HOMEMADE CASHEW BUTTER

Puree 8-16 ounces raw cashews in a food processor for 10-15 minutes (the longer you go the smoother it becomes). Stop to scrap down the sides every few minutes. When you get toward the end, you can add coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and/or salt to your liking. We like ours a little on the thick side with oil, honey and vanilla. So delicious and much less expensive then the store bought kind. ENJOY!

 

TODDLER EASTER CRAFTS

Here is a peek at some of our toddler easter crafts:

 and last but not least here is our version of easter peeps! We will post this homemade peep recipe soon. We had so much fun and lots of laughs!

Have you ever made your own nut butter?

What is your favorite kind?

We are experimenting with new flavors but right now this cashew butter with coconut oil and honey is my favorite! My daughter does not like almond but she will eat cashew and peanut butter. Maybe it is the color she likes?

 

What I ate Wednesday

I am excited to share with you my first WIAW! I love to see what other people are eating for ideas and inspiration. I hope that I can do the same for you. Here is a look at my day:

What I ate Wednesday #1

I woke up early with my little love bear z. She had her milk and I had  my favorite protein smoothie.  It was delicious and made me feel energized.

Next up I heated up a cup of chai coconut coffee while we snuggled and watched cartoons. I love the idea of having something warm after my  cold smoothie. The black thing is the Chai tea bag. Doesn’t look very good but it is.

I few hours later I was craving a little snack so I went with my favorite… almond butter and a banana. It totally hit the spot and keep me running after my two year old until lunch time.

 

Not quite as hungry for lunch so I had a little chicken, asparagus and yam. Another power combo and quick and easy to throw together because we had leftovers. (we love leftovers)

Dinner was chicken stir fry which is my go to dinner with a side of carrot slices.

And I always want something for dessert so I had my latest cookie ball creation.  Little z and I are obsessed so we each had 2. Recipe coming soon. Here is a different cookie ball recipe to hold you over!

I felt pretty good about every bite!

If you are interested in linking up to Jenn’s What I ate Wednesday then head on over to Peas & Crayons for more information and to get started. Thank you Jenn for hosting!

QUESTIONS:

Have you jumped on the raw cookie ball craze? What is your favorite?

Do you love almond butter and bananas as much as I do?

French Toast Pancakes & Weekend Fun

Sunday morning we all got a chance to sleep in which is a rare occasion when you have a little one (and/or a dog). Daddy snuggled with little z and gave me the chance to whip up a healthy breakfast. My sweet husband requested French toast so here is what  I came up with.

FRENCH TOAST PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS

1 farm fresh egg

1 egg white

1 tbsp coconut milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp chai & flax seed blend (optional but very good and has coconut and cocoa)

1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Lightly scramble all ingredients in a bowl, Heat a frying pan to medium heat and grease with coconut oil. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook until easy to lift and flip with a spatula. The egg mixture is thin so use a smaller pan and allow it to spread to the edges. Top warm pancakes with bananas, vanilla expresso almond butter(soooo good), coconut oil and/or syrup drizzle. Eat it with a fork or roll and eat like a burrito. Enjoy!

 

I used the same recipe for little  z and f (my husband) but added a slice of Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Bread. The bread is amazing on its own but I was glad to add the extra protein from the egg mixture. It was a success.

 

Here is a peek at the rest of the weekend:

We planted our first flower of the year, took the dog for a ride and found a spot to practice on her bike. Looks like our dog is helping little z with her skills!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Orange Cream Protein Smoothie & A Workout

Happy Friday! I hope you all have a great day and enjoy your upcoming weekend. Here is some workout and recovery inspiration…

WORKOUT

Today was a quick sweaty workout. The focus was on the ‘back-side’.

Warm-up: 5 minutes of light cardio (treadmill, jog in place, jump rope, jumping jacks or elliptical)

Workout: Preform each exercise for 1 minute and repeat each superset  3 times before moving to the next superset

1. Alternating lunge /Squat jump
2. Deadlift /Jump rope
3. Alternating lunge into a squat (step back into a lunge and then bring feet parallel for a squat before switching sides)/Plyometric plié squats
4. Squat/Plyometric lunge
5. Back Row/Mountain climber
6. Reverse back fly/Superman

Use heavy/medium weights for the first exercise in each superset and you your own body weight for the second exercise in each set.

Cool-down: 5 minutes of light stretching and moving

If you move from one exercise to the next with little to no rest then it will take you 36-40 minutes without the warm-up or cool-down.

WORKOUT RECOVERY SMOOTHIE

Orange Cream Protein Smoothie

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 orange

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp maca powder

1 tsp royal bee jelly

1/4 cup coconut milk

1-2 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients until smooth and drink within the hour after your workout to get the most benefit. Full of protein and energy to get you through the morning. Enjoy! 

 

Now I am off to play with my little one as I hear her jumping out of bed. Kinda a rainy day here but we will find lots to do!

 

What is your favorite recovery drink/eat?

 

 

 

 

Chai Spice Carrot Cake Muffin

We love to have muffins at our house for a quick breakfast, snack or treat. I love knowing that we made them with fresh, healthy ingredients. I keep them in the fridge and usually enjoy them cold but they are also really good if you warm them in the toaster oven with a slather of coconut butter.

The smell of these muffins will make you want to gobble them up. They are grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free, full of fruits, vegetables, protein and fiber…what is not to love?  I have made carrot cake muffins before but the addition of decaf black chai tea made the flavors explode!

 

INGREDIENTS

1 ripe banana

1 carrot grated

1/2 apple grated

1/4 cup sweet potato or yam puree

2 farm fresh eggs

2 tbsp honey (or more if you like it sweeter)

1 tbsp vanilla

2 tbsp. melted coconut oil

1 tbsp coconut milk

1/4 cup Chai tea concentrate (try this or you can make your own)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 tsp ground flaxseed

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

2-3 tbsp. coconut flour

1/4 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

Mix banana, carrot, apple, sweet potato, eggs, honey, vanilla, coconut oil, coconut milk and chai until combined. Add protein powder, flaxseed, chia seeds, cinnamon and baking soda until smooth. Slowly add coconut flour, 1 tbsp. at a time until batter is slightly thick but not too much (you can add more chai or milk if needed). Add in the raisins and scoop into greased muffin pan or line with muffin wrappers. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Allow muffins to cool on a wire rack. ENJOY!

 

a happy girl and a tasty treat!

This might be our new favorite!

What is your favorite muffin?