Almond Flax Bread

I can't take full credit for this recipe. The original recipe is from Elana's Pantry. But since I love coming up with new concoctions I thought I would try to keep this bread simple and use only 3 ingredients. Boy did it turn out yummy! The 3 ingredients are eggs, almond flour and ground flax seed. I am digging that! Yum!

How to prepare:

2 1/2 cups of Honeyville blanched almond flour (the brand is important)
2 1/2 cups of ground flaxseeds
6 eggs
optional: 1 tsp of baking soda and a pitch of sea salt.

stir the eggs and then combine with the almond flour and ground flaxseed. Put in a well greased bread pan and cook at 300F for about an hour. Remember when it comes to gluten free bread cooking it longer is better.

It's easy to think negative.....DON'T!

I am on to my second half marathon tomorrow and to be honest, I don't feel like running it. I am tired, it's going to be humid, and I am starting to feel sick so I might get a cold, blah blah blah blah blah. What a funk to be in! Gross!

I went to a health and wellness seminar the other night and heard some outstanding women talk on the topic of living a healthy lifestyle and one of the speakers said that you have to be intentional to think a positive thought but negative thoughts come to us easily. The take home message was that it TAKES effort to think positive! I believe this is the same with anything that you want in your life that is worth fighting for. The mind will steer you in a different direction from time to time, but get back on the boat and focus on what's yours!!

So while I don't feel like running this race, I know I am strong. I know I am capable. I have trained my butt off to run the 13.1 miles, so I will not allow my mind to run the show...my race awaits me!

Blanched Almond Flour

Ok so I'll admit it, I love to cook. I just ordered almond flour through the mail! HA! But it's really hard to find "blanched" almond flour which makes super yummy GF high protein bread.

Elana's Pantry has some good GF recipes for breads which is what I plan on making! Stay tuned pictures and reviews to come!

Running slow

"Not running slow enough on easy days is probably the number one error runners make" -Greg McMillan

Boy did I learn this the hard way. I was aiming for a 9:25 pace for my second half marathon coming up this Saturday and after weeks of training I am thinking I will be at a 10 mile pace. I am okay with this, but argh, I was aiming for a goal of under 2 hours.

The reason I believe I didn't hit my target pace is because I ran too hard on my easy days. I would always go by what I felt that day.....wrong! I've learned and researched that it's important to always ask yourself "what is the goal of this run?" is it speed, is it long, is it an easy run ? And then to stick within your pace time.

So how do you find your pace time? One pace calculator I really like is by Greg McMillian http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm

The idea with the running calculator is to plug in the time you can run the fastest at your 5k or other set distance which then calculates what you can run for a half or another races. I found it very helpful in planning out my second half marathon but next time I plan on sticking to the PLAN!

eating clean when eating out

Eating clean doesn't have to be difficult when eating out. I tend to always stick to salads and steer clear of breads and other fried foods.

Here is a salad I chose when going out to eat with co-worker at Brit' Pub. It's a mango chicken salad with a side of mango cilantro dressing. Delicious!

Post run goodness! Lemon lime chicken with white bean mango salsa. Served with quinoa and spinach.

Heavy weights - low reps.

For the past few years I have been into high intensity circuit training. I found that it gave me great results for shedding fat, but did little to form muscle mass. Not that I want to get bulky like a football player (women can't get bulky by the way, we don't have the testosterone to do so) but I would like to challenge myself to getting lean and creating definition.


In this picture I won a Jillian Micheal's challenge back in 2008. I lost 10lbs, starting eating fairly clean, although I didn't know much about it.

My goal this time is to get definition, to get truly strong and ripped. There I said it! I'll just put it out there in blog world that I want this goal.

So how do I plan on going about this? Eating clean, lifting heavy weights, low reps, using a split set routine and continue running since I love racing in half marathons. And since I don't believe in the crazy mind game of counting calories and focusing on the number on the scale, I will focus on how my jeans fit and how vibrant I feel.

If you have questions about what I am doing...please ask!

Stay posted results will be added!

Teff Flour Muffins

My new concoction! Teff flour(GF) banana cashew muffins!
As you can see one is missing because they are SO good! (that's oil dripped in the middle, oops)

Pre heat oven at 350 F before mixing ingredients.

Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cups teff flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped raw cashews

Wet ingredients
1/4 cup grape seed oil
4 medium eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or you can use a apple chunks and grind in a food processor)
1 banana

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together and then combine both. Grease muffin tins with grape seed oil or they will stick. Bake at 350F for 15-20mins.

Please note these are sugar free which I like but if they are too bland for you, you may add a drizzle of pure maple syrup, agave nectar or raw honey on the top of the muffins when they are done baking.

The benefits of soaking nuts and seeds

Soaking nuts and seeds is an easy way to improve their digestibility and increase their nutritional value. Soaking them for as little as 4 hours can yield significant benefit. As I buy nuts I put them in a bowl with purified water and let them sit on the counter overnight. When I get up in the morning I rise them with fresh water which helps to get off any digestive inhibitors that have leached into the water. Honestly when I first starting do it, it seemed strange but when you start to understand from a nutritional aspect of WHY you're doing it, it makes sense to get the most out of what you buy and the effect it will have on your body.

Chocolate Blueberry Energy Bars

Chocolate Blueberry Energy Bars

(from Thrive Fitness)

* 1 cup Medjool dates
* 1/4 cup almonds
* 1/4 cup blueberries
* 1/4 ground flaxseeds
* 1/4 cup raw carob powder (or substitute raw cacao nibs or roasted carob powder)
* 1/4 cup hemp protein
* 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
* Sea salt to taste
* Lemon zest
* 1/2 fresh lemon juice * 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
* 2 tbsp unhulled sesame seeds


In a food processor, process all ingredients except the blueberries. Knead blueberries in by hand after processed.

These are a perfect pre-workout snack. Dates are high in glycogen which gives you instant energy.

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

This picture isn't the best, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like.

Thanks to the sun-dried tomatoes this sauce has a robust flavor. I use it for my pizza sauces but I also like to throw it on salads and wherever a recipe calls for tomatoes.



1 cup-sun dried tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
1/2 grated cucumber
3 tbsp of olive or hemp oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
sea salt to taste

If I don't have all the spices off hand, I just use what I can.

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in the water for 20 minutes. Retain this water. In a food processor, process all ingredients including sun dried tomatoes water and blend until desired consistency is reached.

Wild Rice Split Pea Pizza

Crust
1 1/2 cups cooked split yellow peas
1 1/2 cups cooked or sprouted wild rice
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
sea salt to taste
Mix all ingredients in a food processor and then form a round pizza crust in a pan.
Toppings:
1/2 red onion, diced
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated parsnip
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme

Bake at 300F for 45 mins.

For the sauce I made spicy sun dried tomato marinara sauce which I will post.

Melissa's Daily Green Drink

My green drink..."Melissa's Daily Green Drink"

Mix all in a blender:

1 TBSP Ground Flax Seed**

2 tsp Hemp protein**

1 scoop pea protein

1 TBSP Dulse Flakes

1 tsp Maca Powder**

1 Cup Fresh Kale

1 Cup Fresh Spinach

1/4 Cup Blueberries

20 oz. H20



I have this every day and my hair is shiner, my skin is clearer (and glows) and my cravings for sugar and other junk has diminished. You can find these ingredients at your local co-op.


Cheers to your health!!!!