This was an interesting recipe. It was tasty but it had a loud egg flavor. Next time, I'll try stirring it before the blueberries are added and maybe use a medium egg instead of a large.
2-Minute Paleo Blueberry Mug Muffins
-2 Tbs almond meal -3 Tbs blueberries
-1 Tbs honey -a dash of salt (I use Celtic Sea Salt)
-2 Tbs applesauce -1 tsp vanilla
-1 egg -1/2 tsp baking powder
-Mix everything (except blueberries - add after thoroughly mixed) in microwaveable bowl or mug.
-Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes -OR- bake for 15-20 minutes.
**After I microwaved for 2 minutes, I stirred the mixture and there was a lot of liquid on the bottom so microwaved it for 30 secs. Suggestion: Microwave 1 minute and stir then finish microwaving.
I adjusted the original
Flourless Zucchini Brownies recipe from Delighted Momma to reflect some changes to make it taste more like the brownies I made from scratch (you know... the Southern girl, unhealthy style brownies). Here's my version of the recipe:
Paleo Zucchini Brownies
-1 C. almond butter -1 tsp baking soda
-1 1/2 C grated zucchini -1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 C organic/raw honey - 1 Tbs cocoa
-1 egg - 1 C dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla - 1 Tbs olive/safflower oil
-PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.
-Combine all ingredients (except chocolate chips) and mix until blended.
-Stir in chocolate chips.
-Pour mixture into a greased 9x9 baking pan (I used a glass Pyrex dish).
-Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (35 minutes was not long enough and, at 45 minutes, the toothpick came out clean but it was a bit cake-y. Suggestion: 30 minutes for gooey brownies).
This recipe was delicious... It was a bit unusual at first but once you get a few bites in (middle portion of brownies), it was rich, smooth, and extremely tasty. I liked this recipe because I ate two small pieces (I cut it into 16 small pieces), and didn't feel the need to eat another bite! I am a HUGE chocoholic and almost always need something for my sweet tooth. This worked out well because I am thoroughly satisfied and don't feel the need to eat the rest of the batch. I'm interest to see what my husband thinks of it when he gets home. I'll get his reaction and add it later. ;)
If you try this recipe out and modify it any, please let me know if you like it better... I LOVE having the absolute best recipes and if your version is better than mine... I want it. ;) Thanks in advance!
Wow... It's really hard! I understand that I shouldn't get down about it because its better than it was 3 weeks ago. But still!!! It's hard to deal when you used to easily run a 10 minute mile! But at least I'm trying again. Here's a cool story (see pics)... I finished running and crashed in the living room. Zoey Jane then jumps onto my recliner and starts growling at me. I won't let her come with me when I run. She then jumps on my stomach and puts her paw on my arm and stares intently at me while huffing. I'm assuming she was telling me that everything will be okay and I will reach my goals if I keep working hard. Or she just wanted some attention and wanted to play. Haha! So... Here's my stats from today's run and my baby girl being all huffy and junk. ;)
This time change is bring me down! I can't wake up on time and I can't go to sleep on time either! It's making me hungry too! I have some major cravings for unhealthy food. Luckily, it hasn't been too hard to keep up the healthy eating. The hard part is eating the correct portions! It's been like the for about 3 days and I've gained 3 lbs in the last week! It's very frustrating! I started my training for the 5K in July and that's been going pretty well... Like a fish on dry land more like! ;) I'm trying to get back into my rhythm, if you know what I mean. The pace, the breathing... At least I have more daylight when I get home from work now. I can go to the park and run and not feel like I'm being stalked. haha.
Grant & I are looking into finding a new local gym. The one I went to was great in terms of equipment & staff but the people and hours weren't so great. I'd have to work out by myself because Grant can't get home in time to work out... and he's not really supportive unless he has a similar goal. He helps a lot in the kitchen with the food prep and portions when we go out to eat. But in regards to exercise... not so much help there. But I can't force him to workout or eat healthy. I've tried and it just brings me down more.
The Iodine Protocol is going pretty well. I did gain 3 lbs in the past week but I'm not sure if that's due to the hunger/bad sleeping habits or if it's due to the iodine therapy. No telling right now. I do have a bit more energy and I can tell I still have detox symptoms (minor headaches, itchy skin, bad acne, mild nausea in the morning/night, etc) but I'm not as cold as I used to be, my skin is not blue white... more like a off white now (color returning - not flush or tan). Overall, I feel happier and less depressed than I used to. I feel like I can do a million things... I'm just still too tired right now. I feel more alert to what's going on but I still wear down fast.
My hair is really thick now and shinier than it used to be. I also switched some of my hair products to more natural ingredients. I use Ulta Sulfate free shampoo/conditioner (big difference there even though not organic or anything), 2chic leave in conditioner/split end remedy + 1/2 pump of treseme split end remedy. The combination stinks but once your hair is dry, you can't smell it. I've switched my deodorant from clinical strength to Crystal (all natural). Since I'm adopted, I don't know if I have a history of breast cancer or not but I decided to switch regardless. Just one less product made with harsh chemicals going into my body. Now if I can only find something to help clear up my skin!!!
I haven't posted near enough in the past week. I'm going to start taking screenshots of my 5K training stuff and posting them after my workouts. I recently bought an iPhone so I can do that now!!! I also have a pushup trainer app (created by the C25K guys) that I'm going to be using for upperbody workouts until I can get in a gym (along with kettlebells).
Goal for this week: GET BACK TO 225!!!
Motivation: 5K & PC Beach!
This is the equivalent to how many pounds lost... Amazing because you don't realize what you're carrying around on your body!
1 pound = a Guinea Pig
1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs
3 pounds = an average human brain
4 pounds = an ostrich egg
5 pounds = a Chihuahua
6 pounds = a human skin
7.5 pounds = an average newborn
8 pounds = a human head
10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year
11 pounds = an average housecat
12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs **WHAT I'VE LOST 3/7/13**
16 pounds = a sperm whale's brain
20 pounds = an automobile tire
23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year
24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super-premium ice cream
25 pounds = an average 2 year old
30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year
33 pounds = a cinder block
36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
44 pounds = an elephants heart
50 pounds = a small bale of hay
55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
60 pounds = an elephants penis
66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year
70 pounds = an Irish Setter
77 pounds = a gold brick
80 pounds = the Worlds Largest Ball of Tape
90 pounds = a newborn calf **WHAT I WANT TO LOSE**
100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year
117 pounds = an average fashion model (and shes 5'11")
118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month
130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year
140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year
144 pounds = an average adult woman (and shes 5'4½")
150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
187 pounds = an average adult man
200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds
235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger
300 pounds = an average football lineman
400 pounds = a Welsh pony
Oh...my...word... That was a killer workout and it was only week 1 day 1!!!! But, then again I did workout longer than I was supposed to because I was trying to calibrate my new Nike+ shoes and tracker thingy. My time was horrible but at least I didn't quit. I'm already a winner because all I wanted to do after a long, stressful day at work was go eat and sleep! But I ate a small snack and got to working on my goals.
My endurance was ok, but the day 1 looked pretty easy since it was rotating between walking and jogging. My biggest struggle was pushing through when I got tired. It would have been nice to give up when I reached 15 mins and was exhausted. I felt the burn around 20 minutes. And I kept telling myself that I will never accomplish anything noteworthy if I quit. How amazing will it feel to complete a 5K after once weighing 240lbs! All in the same year!!! I get chills just thinking about it. I don't care about winning or placing in the race. I just want to be able to run in it... To be able to say, "I ran a 5K!"
All of that being said... Here's a pic of my results from my first 5K training day which is also my goal for the rest of the week... Beat my time!!!
I have decided to start training for my first 5K!!! I haven't ran in years but I am determined to start back. I found out my church is hosting a 5K in July for their youth group mission trip to Nicaragua. I thought it would be interesting to see how this goes since I've never participated in a 5K before. I'm not in it to place or anything... I just want to accomplish something great that I've never tried before. I just bought new running shoes since my old Under Armor ones are killing me and downloaded the Nike+ & C25K apps for my iPhone. I think it will be interesting to see how this goes. My first run will be this evening... 30 minutes! I'm nervous!
On to a different subject... I've held steady at 225 for almost 2 weeks now. :/ I'm not too happy but at least I'm not gaining it all back. I'm back on my eating schedule and working out again. I've got my Iodine lined out too. I need to find different ways to boost my weight loss so I can keep losing. I think training for the 5K will help boost it again. My biggest fear about this is hurting myself. I have a healed knee injury from high school that always seems to flair up at the most inopportune time.
Anyways... I just wanted to share my little bit of excitement. Happy Monday to all!
A bit of motivation:
Week 3 on Iodine... Still at 2 drops a day. I found out the hard way that if I do not eat a good breakfast, I will get sick. I'm talking headaches, stomach aches, body aches, flu-like symptoms, dizziness, faint, etc. I was volunteering at the Special Olympics today and almost passed out of the field because I didn't eat enough food for breakfast with my Iodine. I was also severely dehydrated.
That being said... I ate some food and drank a LOT of water. I also drank a celtic sea salt solution (1/2 tsp + 8oz water) called Salt Loading to help reduce detox side effects (mentioned above).
I haven't shown detox symptoms except one the two days that I didn't eat a good breakfast. Since I am cutting out wheat, artificial & processed foods, refined sugars, etc... that means I have very few options for a good and fast breakfast. My breakfast used to consist of greek yogurt but I cannot eat anything with calcium in it with the iodine (which is taken in the morning) so there goes the other half of all breakfast foods. I still eat the yogurt for an afternoon snack along with berries and nuts.
The one thing I need to focus on my eating habits again... I've been travelling a lot the past 3 weeks so I'm out of my eating schedule. (3 small meals, 2 snacks) That has helped so much in the past and I can tell the weight loss has slowed down too. I'm picking it back up this week along with my workouts. Now that I'm home, I can actually use my elliptical again as well as continue my body weight exercises. I'm thinking about adding Bowling and Wii games to the mix... If I can get some friends to go bowling with me. lol
It feels great to be back home and in a controlled environment... I hope it's a long time before I have to leave again! Now, my goal for this week is to get to 220. My weight has been up and down this past week (probably due to travel) so I want to get it back to where it should be.. On track!!! My motivation for this week: This top and those bottoms for my beach trip... I bought them in my correct size which is a little snug so my motivation is to fit better in 3 months.
Just to let you all know... these are super embarrassing for me to post. I am SO excited that I can see a little change in my body from looking at these pics. But, nevertheless, still embarrassing. I'm a very modest person and do not have a lot of self-confidence so this takes a lot of courage for me to post these. These pics were at various stages of my weight-loss journey. The first pic was taken around January 1st 2013 and at the beginning of the 30-day detox. The last pic was from February 23rd 2013. I listed the weight in each photo. I know the difference isn't very noticeable but it's a difference that I've worked hard for. So, below are the pics:
