Spicy Cashew Chicken & Pumpkin Hummus

Hey, guess what this post is about?!  😀

And I bet I can guess what you’re saying… “Spicy Cashew Chicken is something I can get behind, but Pumpkin Hummus sounds like an awful combination of flavors!”   Ahh, my dear friends, think again.  It’s pretty freakin amazing.  Well, that’s as long as you 1) like the taste of tahini 2) like pumpkin flavored things.

Pumpkin is such a fall flavor and for me, fall can’t come soon enough.  I already have several different fall scented soaps around my house and if I’m not careful, I think it’ll start smelling like an Autumnal, French whore.  Gotta keep myself in check… but I digress.  Pumpkin ANYTHING around this time of year, makes me so happy!  My friend, Maria, just posted a recipe the other day for Vegan Pumpkin Custard and when I’m done with our Paleo Challenge, I am SO making that!  (Recipe will follow once I’ve had it… look for it around Sept 10th-ish)

So, let’s get back to the topics at hand; today’s recipes.  We’ll start with the Spicy Cashew Chicken.  I got it off of the AMAZING site The Foodee Project.

For the Cashew Chicken:

1 C chicken stock/broth

2 tbsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp honey (opt)  **I didn’t use this because of my Paleo Challenge, but I’m sure it’s yummy to add!

4 tbsp tamari  ** I used coconut aminos and combined it with a red chili paste.  Came out great 🙂

2 tbsp white vinegar

juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (opt) ** Depends on how spicy you want it

1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger root

1/3 c chopped cashews, plus extra for garnish

Directions:

1. Whisk together broth, arrowroot, honey, tamari, vinegar, lime juice, cayenne.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat in skillet. Add chicken pieces, garlic, and ginger. Saute’ until chicken is mostly cooked through. Don’t burn your garlic!

3. Whisk the broth mixture again, and add to the skillet. Turn the heat to high. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens. About 1 minute.

4. Stir in the cashew and spoon over toasted cauliflower “rice.”

**The Rice Recipe**

For the Toasted Cauliflower (i.e. ‘Rice’):

Grind 1 head of cauliflower in a food processor (I had to do this in batches.) Spread evenly over a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.  Watch for it to become toasted on top, then take it out, toss it, and redistribute it across the pan.  Put it back under the broiler until toasted again.  Now you’re ready to top it with your Cashew Chicken!

I suggest making a lot of this if you’re feeding other people because you’re definitely going to want leftovers and you’re barely even going to want to share it 😀

 

Now, as for the Pumpkin Hummus (Big thanks to Coach Cheryl for the heads up on this!!):

• 2 T tahini (sesame-seed paste)
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 garlic clove, chopped

Place ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth.  Spoon hummus into a serving bowl; sprinkle with pumpkinseed kernels, if desired.  You can also fry up some bacon if you’d like and add that.  SO GOOD!

You can put this on turkey slices and make roll-ups or even make a lettuce wrap with it.  Today I’m going to try to mix in some tuna and see how that works.  I’ll let you know on my FB page how that works out.

If you’re wondering how the Paleo Challenge is going, it’s going well!  Thanks for asking 😉  I’m 18 days in with 24 more to go, and I have cravings that come and go, but I’m sticking to my guns, even with eating after 5:30.  I just don’t do it anymore and I’ve slept and felt much better since.  Now if I could just stick to getting into bed by 8 or 8:30, that would be fantastic!

Questions, Comments, New Recipes?  Lemme know!

Til then,

~KK

Oh… it’s THAT time…

On the inside… this is what I feel like today.

and maybe even a little like this….

I am so hungry and it’s not because I haven’t eaten.  It’s because it’s that time… that dreaded time of the month where things that are not nailed down or aren’t bearing the name of someone, will be eaten!  Why on top of having us do what we do during this week, do we on top of that, have do deal with an insatiable appetite!  It’s some cruel, evil trick…

Thankfully, and I don’t know how, I’m not craving chocolate or really anything sweet.  I was craving fruit a little while ago, but thankfully, that’s paleo.

Well… now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…

Let’s move onto the menu for today, shall we?  I’m pretty much just going to list what I’ve eaten because I have a weird schedule and when breakfast comes at 5am and lunch is a 9am, it just makes it look weird.

Food/Supplements for today:

2 teaspoons of Carlson’s Fish Oil, Multivitamin

3 eggs – only 2 yolks

Plantain Chips

Kale Salad

Apple

Romaine lettuce salad with avocado, onions, red cabbage, and apple cider vinegar

Coconut chips

Handful of blueberries

White Nectarine

Pulled Pork with mashed califlower

Not too bad, huh?  Now that I’ve written it all out, it looks to me, like I don’t eat as much as I thought I did.  Maybe someone on the outside thinks I eat a ton 😀  But ask my boyfriend, I don’t eat a ton.  He laughs at me because there are times while we’re at work, where I forget that I haven’t eaten my breakfast yet and we’ve already been at work for 3 hours.  He says he doesn’t know how I do it.  I think it’s just because I trust my body to let me know when it’s hungry.  And TRUST ME, it does.

So with almost 2 weeks (out of 6) already done, I’m feeling really good about this challenge!  I hope my fellow challengers are feeling this way, too.  I know some had expressed that when challenge started, they, like me, were feeling anxious.  Like we had pulled off some kind of magic trick the last time we were serious about a challenge and that maybe nothing would change over the next 6 weeks.

I’m super glad to report that we were all just being silly. 😉  I hope you’re all enjoying your challenge and that it’s not too difficult.  And for those who read this blog and aren’t doing the challenge or The Whole30, I hope you’re able to gleen a little insight as to what it feels like when you go Paleo.  AND for those who are already paleo, maybe just not strictly, I hope you’re able to relate.

Until next time 🙂

Love and Paleo Cravings,

~KK

Paleo Challenge 2012, Pt 2

Oh. My. Is that another Paleo Challenge I see?!

I’m starting on another Paleo Challenge endeavor for the second part of 2012 with my crossfit box, Desert Crossfit. (**And at the bottom of the post is an awesomely, quick paleo snack recipe!)  Last that I heard, we had almost 50 people participating!  I’m so excited to see how much we’re able to accomplish as a group!  It’s going to be nothing short of amazing… that much I know is true.

All of that being said… I’m feeling a bit of anxiety going into the challenge.  I actually don’t even know if it’s anxiety… nervousness, maybe?  I feel like I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself this time.

Yup… feeling those nerves…

Last challenge, I felt like I was good going in, but didn’t take it as seriously as I should have.  I had some wine at the end of the week when I felt like it was a particularly stressful one.  If I went out of town, in my head it was like “If I’m in a different zip code, it doesn’t count as cheating” (mind you, for those from my box reading this, I did not give myself a point on these days).  Well, that method may work for some people in justifying various situations ;), but it does not help when trying to maintain a certain diet.  Your body knows what you put in, regardless of what your mind tries to tell it.

Liar, Liar!

This time, the pressure is on.  This is my last chance to look awesome in my twenties because on the horizon is that Dirty Thirty.  In my twenties, I wasn’t very good to my body.  Between the food I put in and the exercise I put out, the scale was HEAVILY set on the food side and that food menu started out being lots of fries with ketchup and mayo in college.  And don’t think I still don’t salivate thinking about them, but now I’m Very Much Aware of how much that will cost me in the comfort of my clothes days and months down the line.

I swear these fit me yesterday!

Knowing that right now I don’t get enough sleep, I work 2 jobs, I squeeze in time for my WODS where I can (when I’m not exhausted and even sometimes when I am), I know there are challenges ahead of me in the next six weeks and that’s why I’m feeling nervous.  I know it’s not going to be easy.  It’s going to take focus, restraint, and preparation.  But I’m going hard core on this challenge.  No slacking.  No excuses.  Just me and the food and the wods.  And the pressure.  But you can’t make diamonds without it, right?

Shine like a diamond!

Join me if you will over the next 6 weeks.  I’m going to try to post at least once a day… we’ll see how it goes.  I hope you decide to write about your food journey as well.  It certainly helps to write it out 🙂

Before I go, I want to share with you some Paleo munchies that I made tonight from the Well Fed Paleo Cookbook.

Cinnamon Salty Coconut Chips

Paleo Coconut Chips

1 cup Coconut shreds

1/4 cinnamon

1/4 salt

Directions:  Heat up a non-stick pan for about 2 mins on the stove.  Add in the coconut shreds.  Make sure to keep an eye on them as the whole process only takes about 3 minutes to complete.  Stir frequently.  Once the chips are browned to your liking, toss them with the cinnamon and salt (I used a tupperware container).  Then spread them out on a plate and wait for them to cool.   All you have to do is store them in an airtight container after that. 🙂  Enjoy!!

Much love, my loves!

~KK

Enough’s Enough!

Wowwy!

Lazy-pants McGee here!  It’s been a long couple of months of on and off paleo, on and off Wods and on and off paying attention to my body!

It’s pretty weird that the bulk of my motivation came around a time when most people are at their least motivated.  I feel like I was at my best between Sept ’11 and Feb ’12.  I’d lost 18 lbs and was feeling AMAZING!

THEN Spring happened…

and I got sloppy.

My Mom came to visit and we ate pretty well, but there were a lot of cheats in there, too.  I really just wanted to enjoy her visit without worrying about my food!  Plus, I kept telling myself I would get back on the horse as soon as she left.  And I did… for the most part.  But there were still times where I thought I’d be fine having some bread here, chips there.  I’d just work it off with my workouts, I’d say.  And then came back 4 lbs.  Ick!

2 months have passed and now after things happening all around, involving family, friends, loved ones, etc, I’m back to feeling motivated to get back to me.  The REAL me.  The one who’s happy working out and eating right and experimenting with different foods and spices.  I don’t think it’s any surprise for me that it’s happening again with Fall on the horizon.  It’s my favorite time of year.  The time when I’m happiest!  I’m also turning 30 this year and I can’t imagine not looking like a million bucks on my birthday!

Maybe you’ve felt like this for sometime now, too.  Or maybe you’ve just continued to kick ass the whole time!  Either way, your time is now.  It always is!  Every minute is another chance to start over.  To make yourself better.

 

So, Go. Do. And make yourself happy 🙂

Love and the awesomeness of Paleo,

~KK

Banana Coconut Macadamia Muffins

The bottom muffin is smiling because it knows how good it tastes!

I LOVE a good competition!  Especially when it involves baking and I happen to have my oven back =D

My crossfit box is having a spontaneous Paleo Betty Crocker Bake-Off and when I heard this I immediately jumped into internet search action and found this amazing recipe for Banana Coconut Macadamia muffins!!  But my heart sank while I read through the recipe.  It says to use honey as the sweetener… But I’m in the middle of the Paleo Nutrition Challenge and I can’t have any added sweeteners like honey, agave, or stevia… NOTHING.  Thankfully, my creative mind offered me this spectacular idea… Chop up dates and mix them with coconut milk!  It’ll give a similar (though not truly close) gooey texture of honey and the dates will add more than enough sweetness!   But would it work…

YES!!  It did!!

So here’ s the recipe as found on PaleoFood.com, with side notes for where I tweaked it.

Coconut Macadamia Banana Muffins -------------------------------- 2/3 cup raw macadamia nuts, chopped 2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, chopped (or use shredded) 1 cup blanched almond flour 1/4 cup coconut flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs 3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed 1/3 cup honey OR 2 dates, pitted, chopped, and put into a food processor with approx.  1/3 cup of coconut milk 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350F. Toast macadamia nuts and coconut flakes on a baking sheet in the oven until starting to brown, about 6-8 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, mashed banana, honey, coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir to combine. Add toasted macadamia nuts and coconut. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin and bake for 25-30 mins**. Makes 12 muffins. **The original recipe says 30 mins, but I noticed at 25mins, the tops of my muffins  were starting to brown and I was afraid it was going to brown TOO much, so I pulled them out. Let me know how yours turn out!!

Appreciating and Acknowledging Accomplishments

I learned last week I’m now down 16lbs and just this week I realized I’ve lost a significant amount of weight.

Seriously… it’s just becoming real to me.

I used to get the feeling that I had the small makings of Body Dysmorphic Disorder.  Down 16lbs and there are still days when I’ve looked in the mirror and wonder what has changed.  I guess that’s what happens after 10 years of not liking what I was seeing in the mirror, of constantly comparing myself to other girls walking down the street, and of feeling really bad after eating another fast food meal.

What I’m used to is:

My Pants not fitting:

My bra giving me more  boobs than  just the two God gave me:

Comparing my size to the size of the girl in the magazine:

Wishing that fries with mayo and ketchup were considered a healthy meal:

Wishing I hadn’t eaten the fries with mayo and ketchup:

Surprises that I’m NOT used to (but I’m working on it):

My clothes fitting:

My clothes not fitting.  Not because I need a bigger size, but because I need a smaller one.

Only having 2 boobs.  They’re real… and they’re fabulous!:

You won’t be seeing a picture of my boobs…  ;D

Sweet potatoes being a staple in my weekly meals:

Loving that sweet potatoes are a staple in my weekly meals:

So what does all of this mean?

Well…

While I’ve been so busy trying to get better at my workouts and being consistent with paleo, I’ve barely taken the time to stop and really let it sink in that I’m attaining the body I’ve always wanted.  For me, it all happened a couple days ago when I was putting on some lotion after taking a shower and I noticed that I could feel my abs.  I didn’t have to push through my fat to feel them, I was just leaning back, and my stomach felt WAY more solid than it ever has in my life.  I could feel my hip bones.  Not because I was scary skinny or anything (you can see in my pictures I’m far from it!), but because the muscles around my stomach and hips, as well as my weight loss, has started to bring out the definition of my body.  My shoulder muscles are starting to become apparent.  My biceps and triceps are peeking out to say hello and my legs just look amazing!

Am I bragging a bit?  Maybe.  But I think that most women don’t take the time to appreciate their accomplishments, ESPECIALLY when it has to do with their bodies.  I know that up until this week, it still wasn’t even really me.  I would compliment myself, but mainly because other people did.  I could see what they saw, but I didn’t appreciate it as much as I do right now.

I’m truly proud of myself and I hope that while you’re reading this, you’ll take a moment out to be proud of you, too.  Whether it be because you actually got all of your kids, fed, clothed, washed up, off to practices and school and still had time to spend with the one you love, or whether you started making baby steps towards a better life for yourself in the way of your health.  Be proud of your accomplishments and acknowledge them.   Once you acknowledge them, you can build on them.

Start acknowledging yourself today and you’ll be surprised where you are at this time next year.

I know I will be =)

Love & Acknowledgement,

~KK

 

Out with the old…

Ah, yes… it’s that time of year again!  The time to reflect on the year that has passed and look forward to the new year ahead.  It’s one of my favorite times of year to watch TV, too.  Not because of any specials or because I get to see if Dick Clark is indeed going to try to once again host his New Year’s Eve countdown.  No.  It’s because of the weightloss ads and infomercials that pop up!

There’s the Shake Weight.  Not for nothing, but I’m fairly certain we all know exactly how this little workout tool came to be… and I don’t think it was invented by a woman.  The only time I’ve ever known a person to own this thing, was when it was given as a gag gift or at a White Elephant party.  I’ve picked it up in stores to play with it and it just seems wrong to do in public, nevermind somewhere in the comfort of your own home.  I don’t know anyone who’s ever lost weight or gained muscle because of it either.

There’s also this gem… the Ab Roller.  It’s been out for a long time and now it has apparently evolved into the Ab Roller: Evolution!  You see… now you can add weight to the back of the Ab Roller.  OH and, if you flip it over you can do dips and push-ups…  I saw this on TV the other day and convinced myself that the chair in the corner could also provide the same stabilization for dips and push ups if I really needed to do them AND the chair wouldn’t cost me another $30.

Searching for pictures of the above products, I even came across this beauty… The Thigh Glider!  Sounds fun right?  “Glide your way to a fit and toned body!”, it says!  I could be wrong… or maybe I just don’t know the right people, but I don’t think you can easily glide your way to anything that will resemble a toned body.  Most of the people I know that have gotten in shape and changed their life, have had to work for it.  And if you ask anyone in at my Crossfit box if they feel like they’re gliding through their box jumps, snatches, dead lifts, or pull ups, they may just sweat on you…then smack you for even asking such a thing.

Seeing all of these ads and infomercials gets me to thinking that a lot of people will make resolutions to lose weight this year and a lot of people will fall short of their goals because they’re not ready, they’re not serious, or they think that (like the pictures above) that there’s an easy way out.

Any type of real result requires work… whether that be changing your inner dialogue, changing habits, or reassessing your priorities, it’ll take a little bit of time to become comfortable with… it’ll be work on your part.

So maybe the question this New Year isn’t “Do I want to lose weight?”, maybe it’s “Am I ready for a better life?”.  “Am I ready to do what it takes to make myself a priority?”  “Am I ready to feel better and more mentally aware?”

Because the thing that happens when you decide to get healthy and get in shape (I mean REALLY decide, not just sort of wish for it) is that everything changes for the better.   You start becoming more self aware and self assured.  Your confidence gets a boost, your skin glows, and even the tone of your voice becomes more welcoming because you’re becoming happy with yourself and proud of who you are.  At some point during all your workouts, you realize that you’re losing weight, but it starts to become just icing on the cake…

Marsha from StrongLola.com says it best!  “Strong is the New Skinny”  Take that in for a second because it’s one of the greatest quotes I’ve heard all year.  Strong is the New Skinny!  Meaning you’re not working towards becoming skinny, you’re working towards becoming a physically stronger version of you!  Becoming lean is a side effect, yes, but it’s no longer the goal.  Funny thing is too, when you become physically stronger, you become mentally stronger.

While we’re talking about the mental side of things (and I mentioned that pesky inner dialogue above) remember:

It’s important not to beat yourself up over things that you can’t change.  Maybe you had to pick up the kids from practice and didn’t have time for your workout today.  Or your body was telling you it needed rest and so you gave into a nap instead of going for a hike.  And yeah, ok, you ate a cupcake today and you’re not feeling so good about it.  Get. Over. It.  Forgive yourself and move on.  You need to remember that you’re human and whether you’re fulfilling family obligations, listening to your body, or listening to your cravings, love yourself and move on.  Tomorrow will be a new day and you’re going to kick some ass!

I look forward to hearing from more of you in the new year and I also look forward to learning more from other Paleo and crossfit people as well.

Let’s raise a glass (yes, mine will have champagne in it this year) to who we’ve been, who we are, and who we’ll become in the new year!  Here’s to an amazing 2012!!!

Love & More Love,

~KK

Ugh, I hate being sick!

Well it’s happened.

Even with all my preventative measures… Multivitamin, eating healthy, working out… I’ve come down with a head cold.  I’ve been meaning to write here for a couple days now, but with all the traveling, eating, shopping with crazies, and working, this is the first chance I’ve had and I’m snorfling while I type this.  What is snorfling?  It’s the attractive snore-sniffle sound that I make when my nose is stuffed more than a Thanksgiving turkey!

I’ve taken Mucinex and half a dose of Nyquil to try to help me take a nap this afternoon.  Hopefully by tonight I’ll be feeling  well enough to actually write more about recipes and paleo/crossfit goodness!  I have so much to tell you!  Including the Flash WOD that my coach Cheryl coordinated for Black Friday.

Hopefully everyone has had an amazing Thanksgiving and that you still have some $$ in your wallet after all the shopping you’ve most likely done.

Talk with you in a few hours!  (Hopefully!!)

~KK

DCF donates to the Movember Auction!

You might be thinking to yourself, “Eh, I’ll wait until after the holidays are over to get in shape.  No need to start now only to ruin it with Thanksgiving and Christmas treats.”   But really, why would you ever wait to start becoming your best you?!Desert Crossfit shows you that you can have it all during the holidays!  (Including a fit, healthy body!)  You totally have time to make your holiday clothes look amazing on you!  No need to hide behind friends and families in photos this year!

How do you join?  We all start somewhere and your start could mean helping raise awareness for men’s health issues such as testicular & prostate cancer!  Desert Crossfit has donated one month of unlimited classes to our KCLB Movember Auction !  The bidding has begun so click here to get in on the action!

Click here to bid on a Month of Unlimited Classes at Desert Crossfit!!

Email me with any questions at kristen@937kclb.com!

Paleo Needed Its Own Blog

Most of you know me as Kristen Kelly, that girl on the morning show on 93.7 KCLB Rocks in Palm Springs, CA.  Some of you are already reading my blog postings at CaseyInTheMorning.com.  Others of you might have ended up here by accident or by searching paleo.  However you arrived, Welcome!  I’m glad to have you here reading and hopefully learning along with me about this amazing thing called Paleo.

Now that all the logistics are out of the way, I can tell you what’s going to happen here!

I started working out at Desert Crossfit in Palm Desert, CA on Sept 4th, 2011.  You’ll see my talk more about that in upcoming posts and pages, but I start there because, well, that’s where my Paleo journey started!   (You can read more about my first visit my Desert Crossfit tab)  A lot of the DCF’ers that were already working out there, started asking me if I would be starting on the Paleo Diet.  I had already heard a bit about it and it didn’t sound exciting at all.  No grains?  No dairy?  No sugar?  That sounds like No Fun!   At least, that was my first thought.  Now I know that deciding to eat Paleo has been a life changing decision and one I wouldn’t trade for the world!

Hopefully, you’ll learn from my blog.  Whether it be recipes that I love or spreading information from other blogs and people who know WAY more about paleo than I do, it’s all about sharing here!   Also, I hope to show you that it doesn’t take some incredible superman (or woman) to eat this way.  It just takes you deciding that you want something different for your life.  Something healthier.  Something to keep you feeling younger and not so weighed down after meals.

Feel free to email me anytime to ask questions or share your own story about paleo!  I also enjoy recipe sharing!

A big thanks to Cheryl Cohen, the owner of Desert Crossfit, Owen; a DCF coach, Renee; a Paleo Princess, friend & fitness partner, Mandi; a good friend &  the person who led me to DCF in the first place and anyone who has ever helped inspire me in and out of the DCF box!  Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Stealing a page out of Cheryl’s book….

Paleo, Burpees, & Love,

~KK