Bullet Proof Coffee

This coffee is uber popular in the Paleo community. I only stumbled upon it recently on Instagram. People are pretty vague about telling you what's in it, but I did some research and found its super easy to make! All you need is coffee, butter, and coconut oil.

Brew your coffee and then blend in 1tbs of grass-fed butter and 1 tbs coconut oil. This is an incredible energy boost! Caffeine combined with long lasting fat energy. Coconut oil has a whole resume of health benefits and grass-fed butter has a great healthy fat profile.

I should mention that ghee will work great instead of butter...sadly no one sells it in this small town. 

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte

I've been a in a pumpkin spice kind of mood lately so here is the 1st of the pumpkin spice recipes that I have been concocting. I have also been drinking wayyyy too much coffee. I seem to have an addictive personality. The downside to coffee is that I get a little jittery and anxious when I drink it everyday.
Trader Joe's has a chai tea that is caffeine free, so this is what I used. It's called Spiced Rooibos Ruby Red Chai Tea If you're not concerned about caffeine you can use coffee instead, or regular chai tea.

Ingredients:

8oz water
2 Chai tea bags
2 tbs pureed pumpkin (I used a canned version from Costco that is BPA free. Fresh works as well, but make sure to squeeze out the excess water.)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (this is easy to create yourself with nutmeg, ground cloves, ginger and cinnamon)
2 tbs heavy cream or full fat coconut milk (refrigerate the coconut milk and skim the thicker liquid off the top)

 Directions Heat your water and soak the tea bags in a large mug or cup. I like to place the tea bags in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. You want a strong tea, but not so strong that it becomes bitter. Add the other ingredients and use an immersion blender to mix. You can us a traditional blender if you don't have an immersion. Blend for at least 2 minutes. Blending the cream/coconut milk will cause the drink to thicken. Enjoy!

Gettin' Figgy with It: Fig Almond Coffee Cake

My Great Aunts have this awesome fig tree in their yard and my momma brought me a sample after my eye surgery last week. I fell in love and made her take me to pick more! She claimed to hate figs, but was singing a different tune after she retried them. We didn't know what to do with them all besides fig newtons and eating them fresh.

Here is our first fig recipe, check back for more later! I have a gallon baggie of figs chillin' in the freezer.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped figs

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup almond butter

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped almonds

Pinch of salt

Chop your figs in a nut chopper, blender or food processor. Remember to remove the green stems. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and transfer to a baking dish. Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes. 

Serve with whipped cream or bulletproof coffee!

Nutrition Notes: Figs are great as a treat, but are high in fructose. They also have similar effects as prunes on the digestive system so be warned! ;) Make sure to wash them before eating! You never know what could be lurking around.

Sausage Crust Quiche

My oldest sis has a local coffee shop that serves a frittata that uses sausage as the crust. Isn't that ingenious!! I had to come up with a version of my own so I could share in the awesomeness. I'm calling it a quiche since it was cooked only in the oven and not the stove top.

Printable Recipe:
Ingredients:
8 eggs
1/2 lb sausage (leave out for a veggie version)
2 medium carrots
1 medium zucchini
1 bell pepper
2 tbs butter divided
1/4 cup black olives
2 large mushrooms
1 tsp salt
1 tbs minced garlic (I love garlic, you can use less)

Preheat your oven to 350F. Press the sausage into the bottom of a greased 9x9 pan. It will shrink, so make sure it is a thick layer. You can add more than 1/2lb if you'd like. Bake for 10 minutes. While the sausage is cooking, shred/chop your veggies and add to a bowl. I shredded the carrots and the zucchini, but you can finely dice them as well. This is about 2 cups of veggies so if you want to try different versions go for it! Break in your eggs and stir until well combined. Add your spices and stir to combine. When the sausage is done, pour the egg mixture over the sausage and top with the 2tbs of butter. Bake for another 40-45 minutes until the eggs are no longer liquidy. Remove and let cool. Slice into squares and serve! This is great left over! It is also a good way to serve multiple guests. This version made 4-5 servings.

Nutrition Notes: This is a great way to sneak veggies into your breakfast. Feel free to eat as much as you like. If you'd like a lower carb version, leave out the carrots. Eggs are a great source of healthy cholesterol and the veggies in this dish are loaded with vitamins. Make sure to buy nitrate free sausage from a responsible source. 

Watermelon, Berries, and Whipped Cream

I was inspired by this fabulous watermelon cake on Pinterest to make whipped cream. I was too lazy to decorate a watermelon all fancy so I decided to go for a dipping method instead! It turned out great! I'm trying to stay away from dairy most days, but I do eat cheese made from raw milk and occasionally use cream. Cream is ok in moderation and tends not to be inflammatory because it is mainly fat. The inflammation caused by dairy is from the protein casein and the sugar lactose. So in my book cream is ok on special occasions or splashed into your coffee in the morning. Just don't go overboard! Coconut milk from the can can also be used to make whipped cream. My only issue is the BPA that lines cans. The coconut milk from the carton did not work for me, but I did read on another blog that it was possible to whip carton coconut milk (I do not think the author tested her claims!). Onto the good stuff.

Printable Recipe

How to make whipped cream:

1. Pour the desired amount of cream into a blender. The small 8oz carton serves 2 hungry hippos like my husband and me. (If you're still hooked on sugar you can add a dash of the sweetener of your choice, but I do not recommend it for optimal health) You can also use a food processor, kitchen aid or immersion blender. I use the paddle attachment on my Ninja blender. 
2. Blend on a low setting. The liquid will all of the sudden puff up and look like whipped cream. 
3. Blend another 30 seconds to thicken. Do not over blend! This will cause the cream to be too buttery. It should not take more than 2 minutes to thicken. 
4. Pour the cream into a bowl and top with berries and sliced almonds. You can eat it like this with a spoon or dip watermelon in it. The sugar in the fruit will make it taste sweet! You can use any variation of fruits.  

Health Notes: Berries are the healthiest fruit in my opinion because they are full of antioxidants are not packed with sugar. Bananas and oranges are loaded with sugar and starch so if you're trying to trim up stay away from those. If you're my husband, EZ, feel free to load up on the starchy sugars. 

Doggie Eats

So...Kahlua just tried to eat a penny, yes a copper penny! Who does that? I decided I would make a list of a few ridiculous things she has eaten since she's been a part of our family.

1. Crawfish claws, these came back up later on my bedspread
2. My wooden ladder shelf from ikea...I was upset about that one
3. plaster, there's now a hole in my wall which I will have to start patching up soon
4. my door frame
5. dead fish, this was a failed attempt, I was able to shake it out of her mouth
6. licked a few frogs that have been hoppin' about lately
7. countless rocks
8. decorative feathers, she has an obsession with these actually
9. edamame left on a plate on the coffee table
10. goose poop that we encounter on our walks around the lake
11. a pair of panties
12. mud is a delicacy to that mud colored puppy
13. a spider, licked off the wall