FALLing in love.

FALLing In Love

This week I started writing my blog about how excited for fall, I was. All over Facebook and overall social media my friends were posting, “Yay finally it’s fall!”

There is a magic to it that I believe makes everyone a little happier. There’s less humidity in the air, it’s crisp. Pumpkin lattes, cookies, candles, you name it, begin to pop up everywhere. The leaves start to turn color and fall to the ground. Nature is getting ready to endure a change.

This time around, fall has a lot more meaning. The first official day of fall this year was September 22, 2013. This date holds so much amazing importance. One, its my older brothers birthday. Two, it marks a whole year since Scott and I started hanging out and Three, it was the due date of my little sister’s baby.

On September 27^th, 2013 at 2:25pm my little baby sister had her first baby. Jordan Aaliyah Ramdial. She was 6lbs 14oz 19 ¾ in, and she has stolen my heat forever.  Watching her being born has certainly changed me.

For much time now eating healthy has been a big priority of mine, and a new birth in the family just really reminds you of your priorities. It’s taken me years of exploration to decide what’s “healthy” and I’m constantly learning every day.  I started by cutting back on sugar and drinking more water. You can really drive yourself nuts by looking at all the trends and following the “latest research” but it’s important to give yourself a break

Consider some of your eating habits and take small steps.

Much like wildlife is undergoing a change there’s a transformation in all of us. There’s always a chance for change every single day.

Paleo Pumpkin Brownies

What you’re gonna need:

1 8x8 baking pan

coconut oil (for greasing pan)

¾ cup almond butter (I used chunky)

1 cup organic canned pumpkin (you could used mashed pumpkin)

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup large chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven at 350

Mix everything together

Bake for 25-30 mins.

Let cool for about 10mins. They’ll be a little soft when they first come out.

Or eat them soft and warm if you like them squishy like I do. 

Fall in love with everything around you. Appreciation is the key to a happy life. 

What a Jerk!

I've recently gotten a new job, and dealing with some difficult people is nothing new to me. I've learned to channel my energy into more productive things. When I first started my previous job serving coffee, six and a half years ago, sometimes I'd be driven to tears but very quickly I started a tactic of being so very nice that it was impossible to be mean to me. This week I've decided to focus some of that energy into making the best beef jerky! Paleoized, of course.

I got a brand new dehydrator (pics to come) for my birthday thanx to my AWESOME Mom and Life Coach, Mari Mitchell Porter  I couldn't be happier to FINALLY get to use it! I have big plans for this awesome new tool.

I have no pictures of the finished project because Scott, my friends and family and I ate it all before I remember to take a picture. Woops! next time. 

Avoid the jerks, jerky.

What you're going to need:
1 1/2- 2 lbs flank steak
A food dehydrator
1/3 cups coconut Aminos
1/2 grapefruit (juiced)
1 Orange (zest and juice)
2-3 cloves of garlic

Sharp serrated knife

1 gallon size zip-top bag

Slice the meat into thin 1/8in slivers. Whatever size makes you happy. The thinner the slice the crispier the jerky and the more favorful. Set aside.

Blend everything (juice, amions, garlic) together in your Nutribullet, or any blender you have, or just with a whisk.  

Put your marinade and the sliced meat into the zip-top bag and let sit over night.

Next day, lay the marinated meat in dehydrator and let dry for 8-10hours. 

**be sure that its fully dry, you can test pieces after about 8 hours otherwise yucky bacteria can form**

What do you guys do to release the stress of a crazy day, or week? Perhaps next time you're feeling like the day is getting to you, you too will make some Jerky. Let me know how yours comes out. 

I would have added ginger but I didn't have any, but the next batch will! I'll  be sure to tell you about it on my Instagram and Twitter. Don't forget to follow me if you haven't already. 

Happy Jerky-ing!

September Favorites

I consider myself a pretty low maintenance kinda gal. I eat an apple pretty much every day of my life. I don't wear a lot of makeup, typically just mascara or none at all. I prefer to be in workout clothes or a tank tops and leggings. Most of the time when I'm traveling, I don't even bring a brush.  However, I have to say that there are some essentials that may have taken me a while to acquire or find initially but now that I have them I don't think I could possibly live without them.

With that being said these are my Fabulously Favorite Five Fantastical things I couldn't live without.

1. Coconut OilI 

I use coconut oil for just about everything. I constantly cook with it. I've used it in marinades, salad dressings and it's awesome for frying. It’s actually the only oil you should fry with. Because when you fry with a vegetable or olive oil the heat destroys the antioxidants in oil1.

I also use coconut oil as pretty much my #1 beauty product. I use it as a hair mask, a face mask, all over moisturizer. I even shave my legs with it thanx to the awesome advice from my best friend and beauty blogger Andrea Lynn Rose Seriously girls, try it! You'll fall in love.

2. My Green Drink

I've always loved raw veggies especially carrots. My dad can attest to that. I used to walk around the house as a kid chewing on a huge carrot and he'd say "Whaaats up doc?" to me in his best Bugs Bunny impression. A few years ago without any real knowledge on the subject at all, I noticed how much I was snacking on... well pretty much everything, so I made it a point to start snacking on raw fruits and veggies again. Unbeknownst to me at the time I was actually doing myself a great favor.  I noticed just how awesome I started feeling after eating more raw. My skin was so much more vibrant and supple. I had more energy and my digestive system just worked so much better, if ya know what I mean... With all this being said I sometimes don't have time to cut up as many raw veggies as I'd like so this powder is a life saver. This one is made by Garden of Life. I always find coupons for it too. I mix it in my blender bottle with half apple juice, half water and chug it down while running out the door for work. 

3. Coconut Sugar

Looks, smells and tastes like brown sugar but with a much lower glycemic index. I've used it in baking. I've made barbecue sauces and marinades with it. I also caramelized it just last night for a guava glaze to top our steaks. Its delicious, I maaaay have caught my boyfriend eating it right out of the can... Oh and don't worry it doesn't taste like coconut, for those of you who don't care for that flavor. 

4. Coconut Aminos

I hate soy sauce. The way it smells, tastes, looks, the way the bottles are always all drippy down the sides. I'm not and have never have been a fan of soy sauce, however I LOVE these coconut aminos. This specific brand has 17 naturally occurring amino acids2. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and can help to keep your nervous system running on all cylinders.

It's got that saltiness of soy sauce but not so overwhelming. It doesn't taste so darn fermented, but it still has a great tang and a bit of sweetness at the end.  I actually just recently discovered it for myself. I stay away from most soy things and I really wanted to make a few things that involved soy sauce so while wondering around Tunies a few days ago I found it. So far I've made two marinades with it and I can't wait to have sushi with it.  Also the company Coconut Secret that makes this and the sugar, is pretty awesome. Check them out. 

and last but most certainly not least....

5. NutriBullet

I absolutely with out a doubt love my NutriBullet Here’s a little story, in case you didn't notice or you haven't met me in person, I love to tell stories! I wanted a NutriBullet for a pretty long time. And I kept telling Scott (my boyfriend) I'm going to buy it this week!  For some reason I just kept putting it off. We went to Bed Bath and Beyond at least two times to look at it and I went alone a bunch of times. 

Well one Sunday after a long busy day at work I went to Scott's to hang out. He opened the door to greet me and he was just standing there in the way, pretty awkwardly so. Not allowing me to get through the door way, for a moment I was like "dude, what's with this guy?!" then he  FINALLY stepped out of the way and sitting on the table was a brand new NutiBullet, for me! I found it to be pretty darn awesome, as I do him. We rushed back to my house to use it on all my organic fruits and veggies.

I use it for all the most obvious things like making shakes and smoothies. But I've found dozens of other ways to use it. I've used it to grind my flax seeds, make guacamole, marinades, to quickly chop all the ingredients for something all together. I've made ham and chicken salads, make shift "frappuccinos" like at Starbucks. We even made salsa in it last week. So everyone can thank Scott for his awesome contribution to my creativity.

I'll leave you with this super simple guava glaze recipe I made up yesterday afternoon.

Guava Glaze

What you're going to need:

Your NutriBullet (blender or food processor)

Small sauce pan

4-5 ripe guavas

1-2 Tablespoon(s) water (as needed)

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon coconut oil

pinch of sea salt.

Cut guavas in half and scoop out the seeds (from what I've read if you grind up the seeds of the guavas in even in a high powered blender, the seeds become very jagged and can cut the inside of your esophagus, so lets not take any chances here!) blend the remainder of the guava with the water, (yes the skin in edible) 

Melt coconut oil on low-medium heat. Add coconut sugar. Stir continuously till it starts to bubble. lower heat to just above simmer. Add the guava puree and salt. Continue stirring till totally smooth. 

In Florida there are tropical fruits growing all over the place. The Penny Pinching here is my sister gave me these guavas off her friends tree. You could probably follow all these same steps with dates or dried apricots.

*Note Guavas are very high in fiber. It can even be used as a natural laxative so eat in moderation.

Sources 1 2

What is Paleo?

When my boyfriend approached me about starting this "Paleo Diet" I had no idea what he was even talking about. After he explained to me that on this "primal diet" I wouldn't be able to eat beans I was a little put off. Then when he got to the idea of no more dairy I'd just about had it! WHAT?! Me?... Me Christina Mitchell not eat cheese?! I basically told him he could do whatever he wanted and I'd be doing my own thing. A few days went by and I just wasn't too keen on making two separate meals for him and I, nor was I going to be eating delicious creamy ooey gooey cheesy things right in his face, so I sucked it up and started thinking of ways I could still make all of our favorite meals, but to Paleoize them.

The Run Down.

After doing a lot of research about what exactly Paleo was, and even doing it for a few weeks to the best of my knowledge, I still had a lot of questions. A friend of mine, Stephanie Thompson did a small little nutrition talk at her gym Crossfit SoFla and She explained it better than anyone or anything I'd ever read.

New Lifestyle: Words to live by...

                       "Eat meat and veggies, nuts seeds and some fruit 

                                    little starch and NO SUGAR!!!"

Pretty simple words right? Well that's just the thing. I had to think about every meal I made and essentially make it simpler. I'm known for my creativity all around and matters of the kitchen are no exception. I thought I was going to have to dumb down most of my recipes, but on the contrary it's allowed me to open the window and bring in this new fresh air filled with all sorts of ideas. Some really simple and quick meals and others more intricate. I noticed that with my creative juices flowing that much like when I walk into a craft store, I was getting carried away at the health food store.  I don't know if you've walked into a Whole Foods lately but I'm seriously lucky if I get out of there without breaking the bank. In my area I'm really lucky to have a small locally owned health food store called Tunies who's prices are absolutely unbeatable. But even when the prices are significantly lower I was spending an astronomical amount of money on my home cooked paleo meals. With all this being said I kinda made it my personal mission to make these meals as inexpensive as possible and now I'd have no greater pleasure than to share my Penny Pinching Paleo ways with the world. Or at least on some small scale, whomever is reading my blog.

Growing up i looked forward to the nights my mom made Chili. Its just a great comfort food. This chili is so delicious you wont even miss the beans OR cheese!

Easy Crock Pot Paleo Chili

What you're going to need:

Your Crock pot
1/2lb ground pork
1/2lb ground beef
1 26oz can of Organic roasted tomatoes
1 small jar of pimentos (undrained)
2 large bell peppers chopped
2 large sweet potatoes
1lime (Juice of half the lime, zest of whole lime)
1 large vidalia onion roughly chopped
2 small zucchini roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 Tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 ripe hass avocado
1 dried chili pepper (Chili powder works too, its just not as potent)
Ground sea salt or Himalayan salt, to taste

In a large mixing bowl season the pork and beef together with half the onion, garlic, and salt.
Brown the meat in a large skillet. Transfer meat and juices to crock pot.
Add everything else to the pot. Cook on high for about 4hours, stir occasionally then turn to low or warm until ready to serve. Slice avocados on the side for added monounsaturated fat and vitamins.

*Note* I honestly usually use whatever veggies I have on hand in the kitchen. I've used carrots, squash, different types of onions... I'm planning to try pumpkin as soon as the fall pumpkins come out. Don't be afraid to experiment! I also leave home when my crock pot is on, all the time and this specific recipe is never a problem because it's so juicy.