#NationalSugarCookieDay

#NationalSugarCookieDay

by | Jul 9, 2018 | Food

#NationalSugarCookieDay

Apparently today is #NationalSugarCookieDay…its food so you know I like to celebrate! Lucky for you I found a recipe for a paleo version of a sugar cookie from my favorite, Elana’s Pantry! If you make some save me one! 100% credit goes to Elana’s Pantry
Serves: 32 cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg
  2. In a smaller bowl, mix together coconut oil, honey, and orange zest
  3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
  4. Separate dough into 2 balls and place each on a piece of parchment paper
  5. Cover each ball of dough with another piece of parchment paper and roll out ¼ inch thick
  6. Place in freezer for 30 minutes
  7. Use heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies
  8. Bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes
  9. Cool and serve

Recipe From: Elana’s Pantry 

Building A Home Gym

Building A Home Gym

by | Jul 8, 2018 | Coaching Tools

How To Build A Home Gym

Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links to a brand/product that I support and use. 

Did your busy schedule catch up to you? Are you at a point where your travel time to and from the gym need to be taken into consideration? Don’t feel guilty, it happens. Since you are not a quitter, maybe this is the start to building your personal home gym. But where do you even start? What if I don’t have a garage? Isn’t it expensive? Let me tell you about my little home/garage gym that I call “K Ln” (In high school someone the street sign to Karen Ln and gave it too me and for some reason I kept it after all these years. When I purchased my house, knowing I was going to build a home gym, I hung the street sign in the garage and thus K Ln was born).

My house warming gift to myself was a pull up bar from Stud Bar. I can remember making my dad hang it for me the day I closed on the house and was given the keys. Shortly after that I built some parallettes to go with the one yoga mat I had. At one point I had a friend who needed some cash so he sold me his gym equipment which upgraded K Ln to a bar, bumper plates, medicine balls, a sled and a few other things. A few years later I started added kettlebells and dumbbells. I had a friend give me his old squat rack. A gym wanted to upgrade their airdynes so I bought one of their old ones. A friend was moving cross country, so I bought her rower. And the list goes on and on. I tell you this to show you that K Lane was a gradual build and that your home gym can be the same. Here are some things I would recommend based on your budget as well as workouts to go with them (told you, no excuses).

$0 Budget – Don’t think you are getting out of exercising that easy…remember, you are not a quitter.

  • Travel Workouts PDF. These are all bodyweight little WODs that you can do at home. They are just body weight movements and don’t use equipment. I even created movement videos for these workouts just incase you forget what burpees are.
  • Slider Workouts. Just a few wash cloths or towels under your feet will allow you to do these workouts.

$25 Budget – Bands  

  • Mini Bands ($4)
  • Bands/Tubes ($15)
  • Band Workout ($0) – I have a workout using just bands. It too is a PDF that you can print. This post will give you a variety of band movements/exercises to do. I have created a library for band movements incase you forget what a movement is.
  • Total So Far – $19

$75 Budget – I would purchase a kettlebell or a set of medium size dumbbells + Speed Rope

  • Everything in the $25 Budget Level
  • Fringe Sport has kettlebells and dumbbells. $45 can get you a 26# kettlebell or a pair of #12 dumbbells. 
  • Speed Ropes ($10) – you can get a fancy one or just stick with the basic one.
  • Bootcamp Programming ($0) – Volume 1 of Living Amped’s 4 Week Bootcamp Programming Series is free for download. The only equipment you need is a kettlebell or a dumbbell. There are very detailed instructions to go with this 4 week program.
  • Dumbbell Workout ($0) – This is a workout using just dumbbells. It is in a PDF that you can print if you want. It also tells you HOW to use the PDF to your advantage. I have dumbbell movement videos for the movements in the PDF plus some.
  • Jump Rope WorkoutS ($0) – has a few workouts that you can do with your jump rope. Even single unders can make for great conditioning workout. PLUS it is great to have when you travel.
  • Total So Far – $19 + $55 = $74

$100 Budget – Upgrade your KB + DB

  • Everything in the $25 Budget Level
  • Everything in the $75 but I would concentrate on a good weight in kettlebell or set of dumbbells that is going to last you for a little bit because the next steps are going to be big purchase/budget items.

$200 Budget – Add a Medicine Ball 

  • Everything in the $25 Budget Level
  • Everything in the $75 (with the upgrade)
  • #14 Dynamax Medicine Ball ($95) – #14 is a good middle of the road weight. Not too heavy and not too light. You can do a lot with it for sure. Fringe Sport does have a cheaper brand version but when it comes to med balls, dynamax brand is my favorite (you can read about my review HERE). You can also order from Fringe.

The next purchases I would make would be –

  • Plo Box ($155 – $185) depending on how comfortable you are jumping AND where you can store these things because boxes do not collapse. Fringe has soft ones starting at $199.
  • Bar + Bumper Plates (pkgs start at $488) – This is a basic set but you can get discounts if you want to add on a squat rack or more weight, etc. I would recommend a package though. Fringe even has a Partner Bar + Bumper Package starting at $602.

If you don’t want the hassle of growing your home/garage gym piece by piece, I would defiantly look into package deals. You can get a lot of equipment at great rates the more you purchase at a time. Just remember your space and what you have available. I’m a big fan of squat racks but don’t think you should have one in your bedroom.

I’m obviously a fan of Fringe Sports because of their prices and they are local, but they ship for free. But don’t be afraid to check out sporting resale shops, Craigslist, Offer Up, Facebook Market Place, garage sales, etc. You never know what you will find. My got my first plyo boxes through a trade with a cabinet maker. I traded him some extra medicine balls for a 20″ and 24″ plyo box. You just never know. If you really want to get inspired, check out pinterest or follow #homegym or GarageGymExperiment on instagram. Its a dangerous place. I would love to see your new gym so please send videos and/or tag me!

 

 

#NationalChocolateWithAlmonds

#NationalChocolateWithAlmonds

by | Jul 7, 2018 | Food

#NationalChocolateWithAlmonds

I have been making these for some time now. They are one of my go-tos for my sweet tooth or my potluck dish. They never disappoint. You can also find the instructional video HERE 🙂

#NationalFriedChickenDay

#NationalFriedChickenDay

by | Jul 6, 2018 | Food

#NationalFriedChickenDay

Today is #NationalFriedChickenDay…who woulda thunk there was such a thing. Stupid Easy Paleo knocks it out of the park with this Grain Free + Whole 30 friendly fried chicken recipe that mimics Chick-Fil-A…yes, I’ll let that sink in. I have cooked a few things from her site and it never disappointed. Bookmark her site so you can reference back to it when need be! READ THE POST before you make the recipe. 100% Credit goes to Stupid Easy Paleo!

COURSE: MAIN COURSE

CUISINE: DAIRY-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE, GRAIN-FREE, NUT-FREE, WHOLE30

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES
SERVINGS: 4

CALORIES: 412 KCAL

AUTHOR: STEPH GAUDREAU

Make this Paleo Chick-fil-A at home for healthier chicken nuggets and a take on the fast food favorite! The secret is in the pickle juice! It’s grain-free, gluten-free, paleo and totally kid approved.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb chicken breasts cut into large chunks
  • 1/3 cup dill pickle juice
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 tbsp coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 tbsp arrowroot flour
  • 1/2 tbsp paprika sweet or smoked
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or avocado oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prep and marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken breast into large chunks, and put it in a ziptop plastic bag. Pour the pickle juice into the bag. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (I kept it in overnight). After it’s done marinating, pour the pickle juice out of the bag.

  2. Add the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, mix the beaten egg and coconut milk. Pour that into the bag and let it sit for about 10 minutes while you prepare the spice mix.

  3. Prep the dry ingredients. In another small bowl, mix the coconut flour, arrowroot flour, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, onion power and garlic powder.

  4. Drain the wet ingredients. Open the bag and drain out as much egg / coconut milk as you can. It doesn’t have to be completely dry because you want something for the spice mix to stick to.

  5. Coat the chicken. Pour the spice mix into the bag, close the top, and really massage it into the chicken. This may take a minute or two but you want all the pieces to be evenly coated.

  6. Fry it up. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil until the oil is very hot. Add a single layer of chicken (being careful not to crowd it) to the pan and fry on each side for about 3 minutes or until it’s completely cooked through. It took me two batches to cook one pound of chicken.

3 Levels Of Nutrition

3 Levels Of Nutrition

by | Jul 4, 2018 | Coaching Tools, Food

 

Three Levels of Nutrition

 
  Nutrition is hard. There are so many articles, books and people to stalk on social media that say this and that. It CAN be confusing. Who do you believe? Who do you trust? What plan works for you? What is possible for you? But I like pizza and margaritas. I get it. Its tough. I have a personal motto of “keep it simple”. When someone ask me to be their nutrition coach I keep that motto in mind. I like to talk about nutrition based on three different levels/styles. The very first thing you need to do is get really really in the know of where you are and where you want to go. This mean sitting down and writing some goals. Sometimes we want to be at X but X isn’t exactly possible RIGHT NOW…we have to build up to that. Switching from eating fast food every day to counting macros every time you put something in your mouth is going to be a rough transition…doable, but rough and I don’t want you to hate this clean eating lifestyle. The second thing, is look at your kitchen and/or pantry. Does it align with the goals you set? Do you need to go through and clean out some things? Do you have enough containers? Is your kitchen set up for success? Once you have those two things figured out, we can get started. Lets look at these three different levels.

LEVEL 1 – Eat. Real. Food.

Its that simple. Eat. Real. Food. Indulge in as many colorful veggies as you can. Pile your plate with as much leafy greens as it can hold. Pair these with a variety of clean meats. Shop the outside rim of the grocery stores. If it comes in a package, turn the other way. There is no limit to how much clean, unpackaged food you can have. If you are turning a new leaf and want to start living a healthier lifestyle this is a GREAT place to start. Eating real food is also a great rule of thumb to have when eating out or going to parties. Eat the things that come unpackaged. You will be amazed at how this habit CAN have great effects not just on your physical appearance, but how you sleep, your energy levels, how you feel in general…I could go on and on here. Just remember to keep it simple.

Level 2 – Hand Measurements 

So you have been in level 1 for a few weeks and you have finally developed a habit of eating good clean foods and you want to see what this “weigh and measure” thing is all about, but not exactly ready to whip out the measuring cups and scale. Precision Nutrition has created a wonderful way to tap into that “weigh and measure” lifestyle by using your hand as a measuring tool. This doesn’t mean you should pick up your meat at a restaurant and cut off all the excess, it just gives you an idea/ballpark of the amounts you should be eating. I still encourage you to follow the “real food” idea here. But this is a stellar way to get your feet wet. The pictures below show what it is like for men and women. This is something you would apply to every meal.

Level 3 – Weight & Measure

Bring out the pyrex containers, the measuring cups and spoons, dust off the food scale because you are going to be using it all at this level. At this level chances are you have a nutrition coach or have sat down with someone to help you figure out your macros. If you don’t have a coach there are many tools out there to help you calculate your macros based on a few things. I’m personally a fan of THIS one, but you can never go wrong with hiring a nutrition coach. At this level everything you consume gets weighed and measured. Everything is calculated down to the decimal (which is why I recommend a digital scale). There is also a timing element to this level. You eat at certain times, chances are your program is built around your workout time…which is why having a coach create a personal plan for you is ideal. This level is doable for all, but the key is in the meal prepping in advance so its a grab and go or grab and plate. There are many plans out there, just do your research and find out which one works best for you!
Nutrition takes time. You are not going to see results after just one clean meal. Be patient and never quit. I would recommend taking some before pictures and start a log this way you can track your progress or you can look back at your before picture when things get rough. There are so many benefits to eating clean. I’m a firm believer in the fact that we can improve many areas in our lives by observing what we eat. I encourage you to take the next step no matter where you are in your diet, you never know what awaits!